Central North Island - Freshwater
fishing report
February 11, 2022
Fishing on the great lake continues to fire! Big shoals of smelt are being marauded by ever increasing quality rainbows and browns pretty much over all areas of the lake. Jigging continues to be the number one method as to be expected at this time of the year. The thermocline still sits predominately at 30-40 metres but on some of the hotter afternoons fish are being caught at around the 50 metre mark.
Downriggers also come into their own at this time of the year as you can get down deep to target fish in a controlled manner. Spotty gold, yellow and white, and any of the general smelt colours used in conjunction with a teaser on the back will do the job at the moment.
The flashy coloured chinook lures really work well at the greater depths required at the moment.
Harling very much is on the back foot now as the lake temperatures are high. In saying that if you are on the water before sunrise it can be well worth harling a smelt pattern especially along the drop off in the 5 mile bay area
The local fly fishing has been outstanding with great quality fish showing up to smash the big cicada and stimme dry flies at the moment. Most of the rivers have been enjoying some great dry fly action throughout the whole region.
Good numbers of passion vine hoppers are now showing up which seems very early and in surprisingly big quantities.
Hopefully this means that we might get a good hatch going through to the end of March which could extend the dry fly action right through until autumn.
As I write this we are experiencing and expecting decent rain over the coming days.
This is very much needed as the back country rivers are starting to get really skinny. This will also soften up the surface soil allowing the cicada hatch to continue once the sun and warmer weather reappears.
Feb has to be the most prolific cicada month on the calendar and so far I have no reason to doubt that this season is going to be an absolute blinder.
Tight lines to all
The team at Fly & Gun Hunting and Fishing Taupo
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