Wow! 2017 has started of with a bang with some cracker fish being reported caught in Lake Taupo and in Lake Otamangakau. I have heard of quite a few double figure fish caught at Lake O since it opened. The picture below is of James from Masterton who caught this 12lb rainbow up at Lake Otamangakau the other day. He was heading off to the taxidermist with this one.

The majority of anglers seem happy with how things are fishing at present with the only grumbles being the “CRAP” weather!

Didymo Dave reports on facebook:   I was talking to James on Sat n I know it’s a pedantic point but my info is that fish went 13lb?. Austin Harris Co owner of Harcourts Taupo is an ace at Lake O n he has landed 3 double figure fish at Lake O in the last 5 weeks including a beautiful 12lb rainbow hen. In addition one of Graham Deans clients landed an old skinny brown last week that measured 850 mm, yes that’s right 850. Now if that fish had spawned with a condition factor of 45 that would put it around the 17lb mark. I’m also aware of 3 other double figured fish that have been landed which is great. But more importantly there is still NO HORNWORT in Lake O. Thanks to Craig Davey of Horizons n Cam Speedy of Genesis for backing the fight to keep Lake O free of that crap.

Thanks Dave.  TRM concur with their ‘crap weather’ comment.  Arguably our worst Spring or mid Christmas to New Year holiday season in yonks.  i.e. One angler arrived at TRM on Christmas Day for his usual annual 20 day kayak fishing safari concentrated on Lake O – admittedly one of the more exposed trophy lakes up on the Central Plateau subject to all extreme adverse weather conditions.  After 15 days he surrendered to the winter elements.  So?  His individual “catch & release” total for this Christmas – New Year season has fallen to 99!!!.  Oh dear…  That is so dreadful.  A similar number released themselves…  Nearly all Rainbows as it was too cold and miserable for the big hatches to attract big Brown Trout.  Remember at Lake O the average weight would have been well over five pounds (- our ‘guestimate’?).  How disappointing is that!  (Water strider hire rafts for Lake O are only available at TRM….)

TRM’s inmate on Lake O also reported a couple of others caught which exceeding the magic 10 pound mark but – to be fair – we could not post it until after he had left.  It certainly is a remarkable lake.

Meanwhile back in Paradise plenty of trout have been landed by TRM inmates in the Tongariro River, with more BIG browns at night reported.  For this busy time of the year the river is in great form.  Thank you to TRM fishing guide Richard Mowforth for images of his client Andy from UK fishing in the upper Tongariro.  Note his ‘lucky’ hat…  He will return…

Can you pick which pool on the Tongariro River he was fishing?  No?  Oh Dear…

etc……