Taupō Fishery Focus Special Edition: Angler survey
By trout anglers for trout anglers.
Share your opinion.
We are conducting a survey about a proposal to introduce limited spin fishing on a section of the lower Tauranga-Taupo River.
It is proposed that spin fishing be allowed along a short, clearly defined stretch of the Tauranga-Taupō River, just downstream of the SH1 road bridge. This section flows beside a residential road and is underutilised by fly anglers.
The primary purpose of the change is to offer children and people new to trout fishing, a realistic chance to catch trout from the riverbank within the Taupō Fishing District.
Please use the ‘Angler survey’ button below to head over to our online survey page. Take a few minutes to read the information and complete the survey.
The survey is open for approximately two weeks, closing midnight, Sunday 29 March 2026.
We look hearing your views.
Spin fishing on the lower Tauranga-Taupō River survey
Introduction
Provide feedback on a proposal to introduce spin fishing on a short and defined section of the lower Tauranga-Taupō River.
Date: 13 March 2026
What is proposed
We are proposing that spin fishing be allowed along a short, clearly defined stretch of the Tauranga-Taupō River, just downstream of the SH1 road bridge. This section flows beside a residential road and is underutilised by fly anglers. The primary purpose of the change is to offer children and people new to trout fishing a realistic chance to catch trout from the riverbank within the Taupō Fishing District.
This proposal will only impact a small, limited section of the lower Tauranga-Taupō River. Spin fishing would be permitted between a marker pole 200 m upstream from the Tauranga-Taupo river mouth and a point 50 m below the SH1 road bridge. This approach would minimise the impact on fly anglers.
There are no plans to extend this initiative further. All other rivers and streams within the Taupō Fishing District will remain fly-fishing only, preserving the fishery as a valued fly-fishing destination.
A technical study confirmed this section of the river is underutilised by fly-anglers. Anglers interested in knowing more can read a summary of the study.
Summary of investigation into angling pressure on section of lower Tauranga-Taupo River (PDF, 146K) (SEE BELOW)
Share your view
We are aware of mixed opinions within the angling community around the proposal. Some welcome the opportunity to take children and grandchildren fishing, while others fear this could degrade the status of the Taupō trout fishery.
Before we make any final decisions, we are keen to hear from the angling community.
This short survey is your opportunity to share your perspective and influence potential change.
The survey is open for approximately two weeks, closing at midnight on Sunday 29 March 2026.
Method
An eight-month study was carried out in 2024 (between March and October) to monitor angler
numbers on a 600m section of the lower Tauranga-Taupō River below the SH1 road bridge.
The study took the form of a simple random survey. DOC Fishery sta, slowly drove along the
section of river and carefully recorded the number of anglers seen fishing. Sta, recorded the
date and time, whether it was a weekday or weekend, the river level, flow rates and water colour.
Times of visits were random and varied, reflecting fishery sta, availability – driving past while
undertaking a variety of other work in the district.
Results
A total of 199 individual surveys were conducted between March and October with 73 anglers
being counted fishing along this 600 m stretch of river. That equates to 0.37 anglers per visit or 1
angler every 2.7 visits (Table 1).
Table 1. Overall visits, anglers counted, and anglers encountered per visit.
| Month | Number ofvisits | Number of anglerscounted SH1 to lake | Frequency of anglerencounter |
| March | 15 | 2 | 1 angler every 7.5 visits |
| April | 39 | 9 | 1 angler every 4.3 visits |
| May | 47 | 13 | 1 angler every 3.6 visits |
| June | 32 | 22 | 1 angler every 1.45 visits |
| July | 25 | 5 | 1 angler every 5 visits |
| August | 16 | 10 | 1 angler every 1.6 visits |
| September | 14 | 10 | 1 angler every 1.4 visits |
| October | 11 | 2 | 1 angler every 5.5 visits |
| TOTALS | 199 | 73 | 1 angler every 2.7 visits |
Weekday visits – Overall, weekday visits completed outnumbered weekend visits by a factor of 4
with a total of 160 weekday visits completed. During the weekdays approximately 1.5 times
more visits were completed during the afternoon period (95 visits) compared to the morning
period (65 visits). A total of 65 morning weekday visits produced a total count of 18 anglers or
0.28 anglers per visit. In simpler terms, 1 angler was encountered every 3.6 morning visits.
During the afternoons, 95 weekday visits produced a total count of 40 anglers equating to 0.42
anglers per visit or 1 angler every 2.4 visits. There were 122 visits out of 160 (76.3%) where no
anglers were observed during weekdays. The highest number of anglers observed during a
single visit was 7 and this occurred on 26 June at 10:55 am when the river was up and coloured
and fish were being caught.
Weekend visits – There were 39 individual weekend visits completed, 2.25 times as many visits
were completed during the afternoon period (27 visits) than the morning period (12 visits). The
Summary of investigation into angling pressure on
section of lower Tauranga-Taup River
12 weekend morning visits produced a total of just 2 anglers or 1 angler every 6 visits. The 27
weekend afternoon visits produced a total count of 13 anglers equating to 1 angler every 2.1
visits. There was a total of 27 weekend visits out of 39 completed (69.2%) where no anglers were
observed. The highest number of anglers observed during a single visit during weekend days
was 2 and this occurred once each month between May & July.
School holidays – Three school holiday periods fell within the March to October sampling
period. We expected to see an increase in angler numbers during the school holidays especially
during the winter months, but this was not the case with relatively low numbers of anglers
encountered (1 angler every 6 visits).
Timing – The two peak periods are between 1-2 pm (17.8%) and between 4-5 pm (35.6%)
accounting for 53.4% overall. This was followed by mid mornings (10-11 am) on 12.3% and mid-
afternoons (3-4 pm) on 11%.
Figure 1. Anglers counted per time period between March & October 2024.
Time period
River conditions – The influence of river height and condition was also analysed to determine
whether certain river conditions resulted in more anglers. This area can be notoriously di,icult
to fish when the river is low and clear with groups of trout often seen splitting as flies were
floated through them. As anticipated, angler numbers were found to be higher when the river
was coloured and running higher.
Conclusion
Data suggests fly-fishing pressure throughout this lower section of the Tauranga-Taupō River
was much lower than expected. There were situations that attracted a small number of anglers,
but even then, angling pressure remained low.
Therefore, we propose changing the Taupō Fishing Regulations to allow spin fishing on this
specific, underutilised section of the Tauranga-Taupō River.
