Central North Island - Freshwater
fishing report
April 5, 2022
As the great lake starts to cool down now we see the thermocline back at around 35-40 meters. A lot less boats on the water means that the fishing is starting to improve once again with good numbers starting to appear and fish in stunning condition. This time of the year can produce some of the best fishing as trout really start to get into the shoals of smelt in a last ditch effort to pack on as much weight before winter and the arduous spawning season.
Jigging still remains the top method with the key now finding the correct depth and area to fish.
Stay on the move, try different depths, give each spot 20 minutes, and be prepared to move deeper or shallower until you find fish.
Autumn/winter jigging is very much a hunting game and you will seriously limit yourself by simply staying in your favourite spot and waiting for the fish to come to you. I expect to see some exceptional trout being caught over the next month or so after such a prolific summer season.
Fly fishing at this time of the year is considered by many as a bit of a changeover period from summer to winter but I reckon it can be one of the most varied and enjoyable times of the year. Just as an example we had floods just a fortnight ago so I decided to have 3 days on the local waters.
I fished Rotoaira on the first day and had a blast pulling a team of wets and catching good numbers of smaller but very fit fish.
Day 2 was on the Waitahanui hooking some monster sighted browns and switching to dry fly in the afternoon catching some cracking rainbows on Passion Hoppers.
Day 3 taking advantage of some stunning weather we hit the western bays for a cruisy day fishing from 10am to 2pm landing some absolute screamers in stunning condition amidst one of the most amazing backdrops Taupo has to offer.
We have had a few early runners on that last fresh but it is a bit early to get excited just yet. I do however predict that this winter is to be one of the best years for quite some time as the condition and seriously good smelt numbers have led to such a fantastic summer you’d have to imagine that winter will follow suit. We will soon find out!!
Plenty of backcountry fishing still to be had with fish still feeding hard out in the shallower riffles. Dry dropper still reigns supreme but we can still expect to see some mayfly activity over the next few weeks which will provide us with some dry fly sport before the trout start foraging deeper food sources.
There is already a sense of excitement mounting with customers coming through the shop as winter approaches. Lots of enquiries around “Trout Spey” especially as this method gathers momentum. It is no surprise as it has got to be one of the most enjoyable and addictive styles of fishing out there.
Don’t hesitate to call into the shop for any help in all aspects of Taupo trout fishing.
Tight lines to all
The team at Fly & Gun Hunting and Fishing Taupo
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