By trout anglers for trout anglers Taupo Fishery Focus Issue 42 – August 2025. Spring is just around the corner and plenty of trout can be found throughout the rivers of the Taupō Fishing District. Spawning migrations are far from over, so anglers can still expect plenty of fresh run, chrome rainbows. These fit muscular fish are the focus for many anglers but as the days lengthen anglers will encounter an increasing number of recovering fish. Dark coloured trout that have already endured the rigours of spawning also deserve our respect. So, if you are harvesting, please dispatch your trout quickly and efficiently. If you prefer to catch-and-release, then ensure you follow best practices. Spring weather can be changeable. To be successful anglers will need adapt their approach to suit the conditions. We can expect periods of rain and elevated flows containing plenty of colour. These conditions will allow anglers to use more typical winter tactics, such as heavy nymphs and wet flies. By contrast, we will also encounter low clear conditions where lighter gear and small natural nymphs will be more suitable. Lake anglers are also in for a treat with the iconic Lake Otamangakau opening for fishing on Monday 1 September.  A summary of the latest data gathered from the Te Whaiau spawning trap can be found below. Additional technical updates below shed light on other facets of the Taupō fishery, offering anglers a deeper understanding of this amazing trout fishery. The new Taupō fishing licence store is bedding in after a few initial technical glitches. The online only service is now working well and is delivering an easy-to-use, secure experience, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Remember to buy your fishing licence before you start fishing – www.doc.govt.nz/FishingLicence Tight lines. James Barnett Winter angler surveys. Fishery Rangers interviewed anglers on three main rivers in the Taupo District – Hinemaiaia River, Tauranga-Taupo River and Tongariro River. The results so far offer an interesting insight into the Taupō fishery. Hinemaiaia River A total of 92 angler surveys were completed between May and the end of July resulting in an estimated catch rate of 0.63 fish per hour (1 legal sized trout every 1 hour and 35 minutes). Anglers reported keeping 21 trout, releasing 141 that were of a legal size and releasing a further 9 undersized trout. Overall, anglers chose to keep approximately 13% of their catch that was legal sized. Catch and release as a percentage has been high so far this season at 87%. Upstream nymphing was the preferred method for almost 73% of Hinemaiaia anglers, followed by euro nymphing (21.7%) and wet lining (5.4%). Rainbows kept by anglers have averaged 487mm with no weights recorded as all trout had been gutted. Hinemaiaia anglers rated the trout that they were catching at 7 out of 10, their catch rate at 6.4/10 and their angling enjoyment at 8.9/10. Bad manners, overcrowding and snags were the main detractions cited by anglers. Tauranga Taupo River So far this season, staff have conducted a total of 60 angler surveys at the Tauranga Taupo River. TT anglers that were interviewed reported keeping 41 trout during the last 3 months, releasing 137 that were legal sized and releasing 3 that were undersized. It was encouraging to see TT anglers keeping trout this winter with the average percentage of catch and release estimated at 68%. Upstream nymphing was the preferred method this winter at the TT for 60% of the anglers spoken to. This was followed by wet lining (25%) and euro nymphing (15%). The 11 rainbows measured and weighed during the surveys averaged 514mm and 1.4kg (3.1lbs). The best rainbow was a hen measuring 500mm and weighing 1.75kg (3.8lbs) with a condition factor of 50.6. TT anglers rated the size and quality of the trout at 7.5/10, their catch rate at 6.4/10 and their enjoyment at 9.2/10. Overcrowding, poor etiquette and snags were the main detractions cited so far this winter. Tongariro River Almost 300 angler surveys have been completed on the Tongariro River since May with an estimated catch rate of 0.44 fish per hour (1 legal sized trout every 2 hours and 16 minutes). Tongariro anglers reported keeping 94 trout during the surveys, releasing 280 legal sized trout and 18 undersized trout. Overall, Tongariro anglers chose to keep 25% of their catch that was legal sized with the average catch and release estimated at 67.4%, so far this winter.  Upstream nymphing was the preferred method for 73.3% of Tongariro anglers, followed by wet lining (18.2%), euro nymphing (6.1%) and spey (2.4%). Rainbows kept by anglers on the Tongariro this winter have averaged 512mm and 1.6kg (3.5lbs) with an average condition factor of 42.8. The heaviest fish weighed during the surveys was a jack measuring 500mm and weighing 2.1kg (4.6lbs) that was in excellent condition. Overall, Tongariro anglers rated the trout that they were catching at 6.7/10, their catch rate at 5.4/10 and their angling enjoyment at 9.1/10. Poor etiquette, overcrowding and rubbish were the main detractions mentioned by Tongariro anglers so far this winter. This winter has been wetter than recent years after what was a very dry summer. Frequent flood events, some of them significant, have encouraged good numbers of trout into the river systems with it almost feeling like we get one flood a week! Nevertheless, this has been good for the fishing with good numbers of trout already spawning in the headwaters of the main streams and rivers as indicated by our drift dive counts which commenced in July. Fishing should improve as numbers continue to build in the tributaries over the next couple of months. New licence sales platform is easy to use. We are two months into the 2025/26 Taupō fishing season and the new ‘online only’ service has already sold more than 6,500 fishing licences. After a few initial teething problems, the new system has matured quickly and is now delivering a stable easy to use experience for anglers. The interface is intuitive, and the buying process will be familiar to anyone who has used a modern, secure shopping platform. Anglers can choose to opt for the advantages of a personalised profile or buy as a guest.  After the familiar security step – to make sure you are who not a robot – you can choose the licence type that best fits your needs and proceed to checkout. While the guest route is familiar, this option misses out on the advantages of a personal profile. Benefits of a profile include easy licence purchases in the future, a facility to manage multiple short-term licences and prompts to remind you when a new season licence is available.We work hard to keep licence fees low, ensuring anglers get the best possible value for money from a Taupo fishing licence. The new ‘online only’ system helps us to deliver on this goal.While the new online system is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, anglers who are less familiar with online shopping may benefit from our handy online guide – How to buy your Taupō fishing licence.Taupō fishing licences are available 24-hours and day, seven days a week from the online licence store – Buy a Taupō fishing licence online Lake Otamangakau opens. Monday 1 September marks the start of the new trout fishing season at this iconic lake fishery. Lake Otamangakau is a small, shallow hydro-lake with a big reputation for producing large wild trout – trophy fish over 10 pounds (4.5kgs) in weight are caught every year. The weather looks like it will be mixed on opening day this year, with showers and westerlies forecast.  With the season opening on a Monday there will probably be far fewer anglers around, providing a bonus for those that are able to make it. As an additional bonus, this edition of the newsletter contains a summary of the latest trapping results from the Te Whaiau Stream. The summary will make interesting reading for anyone who values this very special fishing destination.If you have not fished Lake Otamangakau before, visit the dedicated page on our website to help get started – Lake Otamangakau: Lake fishing in the Taupō Trout Fishery region   Te Whaiau trap summary. Lake Otamangakau opens to fishing next week, so this is a good time to review the results from the winter trapping programme on the main spawning tributary flowing into the lake. Fish trapping on the Te Whaiau Stream began in late May and ran through to late July. This is the 27th season spawning data has been collected from this location. The stream was consecutively trapped for 23 years between 1994 and 2016 before being decommissioned. Trapping resumed in 2022 following significant improvements to trapping infrastructure, which improved fish safety and reduced operating costs. The trap provides ongoing monitoring data on the mature spawning population and allows us track population changes over time.  Number of trout trapped. During late May, a total of 49 rainbows and 115 browns were trapped and processed by staff in the upstream pen (Table 1). In June, a further 184 rainbows and 129 browns were also trapped followed by another 84 rainbows and 2 browns in July taking the actual total to 317 rainbows and 246 browns over the 10-week period. Each fish was sexed, measured, weighed, fin clipped, maturity estimated and then released upstream to continue spawning. To allow the two-month trapping period of recent years to be comparable with the five-month period from earlier years, formulas are used. Separate formulas were created for the browns and rainbows based upon the historical trapping data (1994-2013). The June-July period alone accounts for more than 95% and 88% variations in the total run of rainbow and brown, respectively. For rainbows, the formula is 1.42*(June + July actual count) +57.46 and for browns; 1.12x(June + July actual count) +445.With these formulas applied, this season’s April to August run estimate for the browns increases to 592 trout and the rainbow trout run increases to 438 (Fig.1). Of note, is the longest average length on record for the rainbows during 2025 of 619mm (618mm peak during 2023) but the 3rd smallest run total behind the very early years of 1994-1996 further indicating a smaller population but bigger fish. Similarly, the browns were the second longest on record at 612mm (peak of 617mm in 2023) and this winter saw the ninth smallest run recorded behind the early years of 1994 & 1995 and more recent years. The trends in abundances of rainbow and brown trout in the spawning runs remained similar until the mid-2000’s, when they started to show marked differences. The spawning rainbow trout population steadily increased from 356 trout in 1994 to 1,439 in 2005 but then surged after 2006 to reach a peak of 3,661 trout in 2009. The rainbow trout spawning population then steadily declined towards 2016 returning to a level similar to that of the mid-2000’s. The trap was not operated during the period 2017-2021 but when reinstated during 2022, the spawning rainbow trout run had returned to a level not seen since the mid to late 1990’s. The abundance of brown trout also steadily increased from 329 in 1994 to 1,262 in 2008 and then decreased, but unlike rainbow trout, did not show any sudden changes. The abundance of browns during recent years are still comparable with those from 2016. Size of trout The increase in spawning run size was associated with a marked decrease in average weight for both browns and rainbows especially between 2007 and 2013 when the numbers of browns and rainbows exceeded 3,000 trout in total. The increase in spawning biomass was particularly large for rainbow trout which increased from 997kg in 1994 to 7,116kg in 2010 compared to an increase from 790kg to 2,504 kg for brown trout during the same period (Fig.2). The increase in trout abundance was initially caused by an increase in recruitment of maiden fish followed by an increase in the survival of previous spawners. During this time, the average size of the rainbows decreased, indicating that the carrying capacity of the lake may have been reached which had implications for the management of this fishery. Overall, the browns trapped during late May, June & July 2025, averaged 612mm and 2.8kg (6.2lbs) with an average condition factor of 43.2. These are on par with the browns trapped last season (605mm & 2.8kg). The heaviest brown trapped was a hen measuring 700mm and weighing 4.32kg (9.5lbs) which is down slightly on the heaviest brown trapped last year – another hen at 670mm and 4.45kg (9.8lbs). Since 2022, the average length of browns has ranged between 597mm and 617mm while the average weight has ranged between 2.7 and 3kg. Overall, the browns trapped this winter were the 6th longest and the 5th heaviest on record (Fig.3). The rainbows trapped during late May through to the end of July this year averaged 619mm and 3kg (6.6lbs) with an average condition factor score of 45.3. Again, these are very similar to those rainbows trapped during last season (617mm & 3kg). The heaviest rainbow trapped this season was a hen measuring 720mm and weighing 5.04kg (11.1lbs). This is down slightly on the 5.55kg (12.1lbs) hen trapped last year. Overall, this year’s rainbows were the longest and the third heaviest on record (Fig.4). Trophy trout. A total of 5 trophy sized trout (exceeding 4.54kg or 10lbs) were trapped this winter – all of which were rainbows; 4 males and 1 female. All bar one of these trophy rainbows measured over 700mm in length with an average condition factor of 46.6. This equates to just 1.6% of the total recorded rainbow trout run (Fig.5). It is encouraging to note that there were an additional 16 rainbows were trapped that weighed between 4kg (8.8lbs) and 4.4kg (9.7lbs) which have the potential to become double-figured fish in the next couple of years if they survive. Despite the browns being in the top 5 for weight this season, no trophy sized browns were physically trapped in 2025. However, a total of 7 browns were trapped that weighed between 4kg (8.8lbs) and 4.3kg (9.5lbs) with the potential to reach trophy status over summer. The percentage of trophy sized rainbow trout amongst the run has ranged from zero to a peak of 7.9% observed during the winter of 1995 (27 trophy sized rainbows). 1996 actually produced more trophy sized rainbows with 34 recorded but due to the larger population size that year equated to 7.7% of the total run. 2023 saw the most notable increase in trophy rainbows for 18 years with 8 double-figured rainbows trapped.  Historically, the physical number of trophy sized browns trapped has never exceeded 2 fish in a season even when the trap was operated between April and August. Percentages have remained less than 1% of the actual run up until seasons 2022 and 2023. Overall, the trout population at Lake Otamangakau has remained relatively stable since 2022. The size and condition of trout this year was on par with recent years, indicating that we are dealing with a smaller population of larger fish. With reduced spawning mortality at this venue, these large fish will recover and grow even bigger. Waipa trap update. The Waipa Stream fish trap was installed for the new season on 5 May 2025 after more modifications were completed during the summer to the true right bank. Monthly counts of trout trapped so far this season are shown in the table below. So far this season, the 454 rainbows trapped have averaged 514mm and 1.5kg (3.4lbs) with an average condition factor of 42.8. The heaviest rainbow trapped so far this season was a hen measuring 600mm and weighing 2.6kg (5.7lbs) spawning for at least the second time this year with a condition factor of 43.5. The 174 browns have averaged 586mm and 2.5kg (5.5lbs) with an average condition factor of 44. So far, the heaviest brown trapped was a jack measuring 670mm and weighing 3.9kg (8.6lbs) trapped during late May with a condition factor of 46.8. The frequent wet weather events have encouraged good numbers of trout through the fish trap with the latest rain event in late July bringing in a pulse of 77 rainbows and 18 browns and seeing good numbers of early running fish pass back through the trap as kelts. Runs of rainbows are expected to peak over the next couple of months as the brown trout run wraps up in August. Escapement counts. Fishery Rangers are built tough and not fazed by a winter dip in a freezing cold river – all in the name of science! Escapement counts are more commonly known as drift drives and focus on counting fish in sections of river that lay above the winter fishing limit. These fish will have escaped capture by anglers, hence the formal name Escapement Counts. Counting commenced in July with good early counts across most rivers, confirming that the frequent ‘freshes’ this winter have encouraged good numbers of fish to migrate upstream. Lots of trout have already been observed out in the shallows preparing to spawn during these first round of drift dives. Counts are still expected to peak during August and September with dives scheduled through until November. Initial data from July can be seen in the table below. Upgraded angler parking beside Tongariro National Trout Centre. In response to angler feedback provided to the Taupō Fishery Advisory Committee (TFAC), the gates to the Tongariro National Tout Centre car park have been moved. This will improve angler access to the popular Birch Pool on the Tongariro River. The former layout compelled anglers to park along the road beside SH1 after the Trout Centre car park closed in the afternoon. This not only restricted access for anglers wanting to fish during the evening but also presented a significant safety risk due to cars and large trucks moving at speed along this section of highway.  The new arrangement retains the original gates but has relocated them away from the road, allowing full access to a separate parking area. Lake Rotoaira opening soon. In addition to Lake Otamangakau, stillwater anglers can look forward to the opening of the trout fishing season at Lake Rotoaira on 1 September. The lake is managed as an independent trout fishery by the Lake Rotoaira Trust, so a Taupō District fishing licence is not required to fish there. As a service to anglers Lake Rotoaira fishing licences can be purchased from the Taupō Fishing District online licence store. Simply select Lake Rotoaira from the licence categories: www.doc.govt.nz/FishingLicence Get the most up-to-date information directly from the Taupō Fishery Facebook page.Facebook Earlier editions of Taupō Fishery Focus can be accessed online.

TRM’s analysis of the Tongariro River catch rate

Of interest for comparison, below is TRM’s analysis of the Tongariro River catch rate by one tourist angler during the 2025 summer months…

His total catch of 174 over 38 days fishing (excludes the six “0” days) = average 4.5 per day, with 36 over 5 pound!

That is world class!