Thank you for the strong response to TRM’s brief blog about Government failures to honour promises to the trout fishing industry from the Tongariro Hydro Scheme. The response again demonstrates that there is still significant concern being denied by the “authorities”.
Another issue being ignored is the regulation changes at Lake O. in 2022.
Do you think Lake O should not be closed in February?
One of the main anglers’ complaints was that during previous seasons, when dead trout were sighted floating in the lake, the inlet canal was not flowing. This caused excessive water temperatures.
Without the flow of cooler snow-melt from the Whakapapa River, the shallow lake heated up much more than the usual February temperatures. All Lake O anglers understand that whenever the lake heated up during previous seasons, the resident trout moved up the inlet canal to refresh and re-oxygenate from the cooler, frothy, invigorating waterfall flowing into the Te Whaiau canal and through the tiny Lake Te Whaiau.
The uncontrolled upper Wanganui River alone, which joins the inlet canal and is used for the fish trap data, has insufficient volume to maintain the lake water temperature at a cooler survivable level. For a view of the fish trap operation on the Wanganui River, have a squiz at the brief educational video below produced by TRM a few years ago – starring Didymo Dave no less!
Lake O fish Trap.
The photos illustrate the canal’s physical geography better than I can describe it.
But as the closure of the inlet canal and lack of any flow was not referred to in DOC’s analysis of the reasons that forced them to close Lake O in February, it must have been just a coincidence…
Anglers’ opinions are invited. We understand this is a controversial topic, and many disagree with DOC’s revised regulations, but this is what the Facebook format was designed for.
With this, we could solve all the world’s problems.
Date: 22 June 2022
DOC Regulation changes
Four regulation changes aim to protect the long-term future of this iconic trout fishery.
- The season at Lake Otamangakau will start a month earlier from 1 September.
- Lake Otamangakau will close to trout fishing during February.
- A maximum takeable size of 55 cm for trout will be introduced. There will be no minimum takeable size.
- The bag limit will be reduced to two trout.
