Taupō Fishery Focus.

By trout anglers for trout anglers.

Issue 46 – April 2026.

Autumn is a favourite time of year for many anglers visiting the Taupō Fishing District due to the varied trout fishing opportunities on offer. Angler numbers are relatively low and maiden rainbow trout will be in good condition having spent the summer feeding on smelt. Boat anglers and fly anglers at river-mouths, will have a good chance of catching prime, chrome fish. River anglers will also shortly experience the first early season migrations of fresh rainbows, which will join the larger browns. Brown trout spawn earlier than rainbows so enter rivers in significant numbers around this time of year.

There is still another month before the ‘winter limits’ kick in, meaning anglers can still explore more remote areas of the fishery. The very popular Lake Otamangakau fishery is also open for another month, offering anglers a genuine chance to connect with a trophy trout.

If you’ve not done so already, you might like to enter our annual photo competition and be in-to-win a free season licence for next season, which starts 1 July 2026. See details in the story below.

The summer survey results from Lake Taupō provide a useful insight into current trends amongst anglers fishing the great lake.  The results also underline the importance of harvesting trout to maintain a healthy stock of good-conditioned fish.

If you use Facebook, you might want to ‘like’ our page, so you get the latest announcements and news – see stories below.

Finally, please ensure you have purchased and are carrying a Taupō fishing licence before you start fishing. You can pick up a licence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from our online licence store: 
www.doc.govt.nz/fishinglicence 

Tight lines.
James Barnett
Editor

Win a season licence in our photo competition.

Our annual Taupō fishery photo competition is now underway. Submit your favourite shots taken while fishing in the Taupō fishery and be in-to-win a season fishing licence of your choice.

Winning a Taupō Season Licence is a great way to start the new fishing season, which kicks off 1 July 2026. In addition, having your photograph printed on our plastic wallet licences will bring awesome bragging rights amongst family and friends!

So, what are you waiting for, check through your photos and enter now. Judges are looking for photographs that reflect the various licence categories – while trophy shots are great, we also want to see images that illustrate the variety of licences we offer:

• Adult season
• Child season
• Family season
• Senior season
• Adult week
• Adult 24 hour
• Child 24 hour

You still have plenty of time to enter, so find those photos and share what you love about fishing in the Taupō Fishing District. Entries close midnight, Sunday 17 May 2026.

Competition details and information on how to enter can be found online:

www.doc.govt.nz/TaupoFishingPhotoComp

Lake Taupō summer survey results.

Angler surveys on Lake Taupō commenced in October 2025 and continued through until Easter weekend with 301 angler interviews completed and 252 individual rainbow trout measured and weighed by staff. Overall, the catch rate for anglers fishing Lake Taupō this summer was 1.04 fish per hour (1 legal sized trout every 57 minutes). This is up slightly on last summer and the second highest on record since 1992 (Fig.1).

Jigging was the preferred method on the lake this summer and accounted for 46% of all angler interviews and was followed by deep trolling on 22% and shallow trolling on 13.6%. Downriggers and wirelines accounted for 5.9% and 2.8%, respectively (Fig.2). Jigging has remained the most popular method and during recent years has accounted for approximately half of all fish reported in angler interviews. The general trend for deep trolling with lead lines has decreased from about 46% to 22% during the same period. Shallow trolling has seen a slight increase in popularity since summer 2018/19 where it has increased from a low of 4% to a high of 15.3% 2023/24 before dropping back to 13.6% this summer.

According to the survey data anglers kept a total of 365 trout (51.8% of total recorded catch), releasing 219 trout (31.1%) that were legal sized and returning a further 121 trout (17.2%) that were under the legal-size limit. Overall, anglers kept 62.5% of their catch that was legal sized. Unfortunately, the overall percentage of catch and release amongst anglers has increased this summer to 34.4%, increasing pressure on the primary food supply for trout (smelt).

The 252 rainbows (Fig.3) measured and weighed by staff averaged 462mm and 1.12kg (2.5lbs) with an average condition factor of 39.8. The majority of these fish (58.3%) were classed as maidens and these young fish averaged 439mm and 1.05kg with a condition factor of 43.8. Those trout classed as previous spawners averaged 495mm and 1.17kg with an average condition factor score of 35.1. It is worth noting that the average condition factor for all trout kept this year is probably lower overall due to the presence of some poorly recovered trout this summer. From a fishery management perspective, it is beneficial for anglers to take these trout as part of their bag limit to help increase the overall harvest and help the long-term sustainability of the fishery.

The heaviest rainbow weighed by staff this summer was a stunning hen weighing 3kg (6.6lbs), measuring 600mm in length. This fish was caught jigging at the northern end of the lake during early January. No brown trout were measured during the surveys this summer.

As part of the survey, anglers were asked to rate the size and quality of the trout that they are catching, their angling success and their angling enjoyment out of ten. This summer, anglers rated the trout that they were catching at 6.4, their success at 6.6 and their enjoyment at 9.4 (Fig.4). This summer saw a slight drop in the size and quality of the trout which is consistent with reports from anglers. We observed a slight increase in angler success in comparison to last summer with angling enjoyment remaining the same.

Anglers were also asked whether anything detracted from their angling enjoyment. Of those anglers asked, 73.2% said that nothing detracted from their angling enjoyment. Bad manners and poor etiquette by other boat users formed the largest detraction (8.3%), followed by fish size and quality (6%).

Summary – Overall, the summer of 2025/26 was good with some impressive catch rates. Despite the presence of numerous recovering trout amongst the early summer catch, anglers did their part and harvested reasonable numbers of trout. During the last 6 summers the percentage of catch and release has ranged between 30 to 41% with this summer sitting mid-way. Average sizes and weights are at the lower end of what we have seen during the last decade.  Jigging remained the preferred method used by 46% of anglers interviewed. Average satisfaction scores were up slightly for catch rates compared to the previous summer with a slight decrease in size and quality this summer while angling enjoyment remained high overall. Bad manners were the main detraction cited by anglers followed by fish size and quality this summer.

Looking ahead, an increase in trout harvesting will ensure a more abundant supply of food for remaining trout, allowing them to grow faster, get bigger and achieve a higher Condition Factor. Therefore, we encourage anglers to actively harvest fish when they can.

Lower Tauranga-Taupo spin fishing survey.

Thanks to all the anglers and members of the public who took the time to share their views using our online survey. 

During the two weeks the survey was accessible, we had over 1,100 people respond, taking an average of nearly 6 minutes to answer the 10 questions. We really appreciate the time and effort taken.

The survey questions were carefully designed so respondents were alerted to the challenges and responsibilities of managing this world class trout fishery. We felt it was important to provide this context rather than simply ask a basic ‘yes or no’ question. 

We are currently analysing the information received and will share the results once the work is complete. A summary of the findings will be published. In addition, for full transparency, we will make the raw data accessible to the public.

Lake Taupo productivity data collection.

Last weekend the weather settled for long enough to allow Fishery Rangers to capture important data about the productivity of Lake Taupō.

Data collection involves towing a specialist transducer behind a boat and recording information on a computer. In effect, the set-up is a very sensitive, advanced fish-finder that retains information. The operation takes three days to complete and covers approximately 110kms.

A fishery vessel follows seven transects or paths across the lake, which remain constant from year to year, allowing technical staff to make meaningful comparisons over time. A special filter enables the team to process the raw data to differentiate trout, smelt and plankton.

A summary of the results will be posted shortly on our Facebook page>

Taupo Fishery Management Team on Instagram.

Look out for the upcoming launch of our new Instagram page. This new social media outlet for the Taupō fishery team will provide insights directly from Fishery Rangers as they work in the field.

You can expect a mixture of informative and educational content served up in a fresh and engaging style. 

We hope anglers will enjoy seeing our dedicated team of Fishery Rangers delivering the practical mahi that sustains the fishery. From behind-the-scenes insights into our technical monitoring programmes to useful guidance on compliance issues. 

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for the full launch> 

Major Jones bridge replacement: DOC media release.

The DOC Taupō Fishery Management team has previously provided anglers with information about the upcoming replacement of the aging suspension bridges over the Tongariro River. A full DOC media release was recently generated, marking significant progress with this project.

Progress is coming to the Tongariro River Trail, with construction of a new suspension bridge – right next to the existing Major Jones bridge – due to begin on Monday 20 April.

The new bridge, built by the Department of Conservation (DOC) in partnership with Ngāti Tūrangitukua and Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board, will replace the 70-year-old Major Jones bridge, which is no longer fit-for-purpose. Major Jones Bridge is one of the prominent structures on the Tongariro River Trail, located short distance from the Koura Street entrance in Tūrangi.

DOC Taupō Operations Manager Dave Conley says the new bridge will honour the look of the existing bridge, with steel cable supports and a timber deck.

“The new bridge will be about 15cm wider than its predecessor, allowing easier use for cyclists, anglers, walkers, and other recreational users alike.”

Construction is set to occur between 20 April and 30 September 2026, with progress depending on weather conditions.