As DOC overlooked any CCD (Check Clean Dry) or Didymo awareness signage in their report, SWMBO added the following historic sign on SH1 southern entrance to the Tongariro River and Taupo region.

Taupō Fishery Focus. By trout anglers for trout anglers. Issue 26 – December 2022. Summer is a great time for families to visit the Central Plateau. It’s a perfect time to enjoy lakeside entertainment and take advantage of the variety of outdoor activities on offer – especially trout fishing!Boat anglers can look forward to relaxed trips jigging for trout, where early starts are entirely optional.  For more serious fly-anglers backcountry fishing opened 1 December, so more remote areas of the fishery are available to explore. At the time of writing, wet weather is still lingering but longer days and warmer temperatures have already encouraged an increase in insect life around our rivers, including reports of the first cicadas heard chirping in Turangi.  Smelt appear to be less numerous in the great lake this year but large shoals of these small fish will still be present, attracting plenty of hungry trout – an excellent target for anglers.The last few years have offered exceptional trout fishing in the Taupō fishing district, with anglers catching high numbers of large trout. Results from our latest lake productivity survey suggest that the quality of fishing in 2023 may not be as good as we experienced in 2021 and 2022. Lake Taupō is a self-sustaining wild trout fishery, so fluctuations over time can be expected. You can find out more about lake productivity results in our feature story.If you are planning a trip to Lake Otamangakau this summer, it is important to be aware of the new regulations introduced for this season.  It is particularly important to emphasise Lake Otamangakau will be closed to fishing in February. The other changes are listed in the story below.Please ensure you have purchased a Taupō fishing licence before you start fishing. A range of licence options are available to suit a variety of needs. Our online licence store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: www.doc.govt.nz/fishinglicenceFinally, we would like to take this opportunity to wish all anglers an enjoyable festive break. Have fun and stay safe on and around the water.Tight lines. James Barnett Editor

Lake productivity update. Echo-sounding data collected in November reveals Lake Taupō is experiencing similar lake productivity levels to those witnessed in 2019. The condition and number of trout encountered during the 2022 winter season was exceptional, reflecting the high productivity levels that existed in the lake throughout 2020 and 2021. However, the productivity this spring, especially in the northern part Lake Taupō, was relatively poor. This marks a return to the levels recorded in 2019, suggesting similar conditions for growing trout.Find out what this means for trout at different stages of their lifecycle, and how it could impact fishing at this wild trout fishery in 2023 and beyond… more on our website>These latest results also remind us of the close relationship between trout and smelt and the important role harvesting trout plays in maintaining the ecological balance.

Take the kids fishing this summer. Summer is a good time to take the kids fishing. It’s a great way to encourage them to have fun out in nature and take a break from computer games and digital devices. Children never forget the excitement of catching their first fish.If you are an experienced angler, it can be easy to take a child fishing – they could just tag along with you. A better approach is to adapt the trip to make it more suitable for them.  Another option is to visit the Tongariro National Trout Centre and take advantage of one of the Fishing Packages. Alternatively, catching catfish may provide the relaxed introduction to fishing you are looking for.We have updated our ‘Fishing with kids’ webpage, so you can now find a host of useful advice in a single place.

Lake Otamangakau closed to fishing February. Most anglers will already be aware of the regulation changes in place at Lake Otamangakau this season and the reasons behind these changes. With hotter weather on the horizon and people busy planning fishing trips, we would like to take the opportunity to highlight these changes again, particularly the closure in February.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 – the hottest month of the year.·       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.You can read about the regulation changes, including why they were introduced: ‘New Regulations to future-proof iconic fishery’If you would like to understand more about the research you can read a report analysing the scientific data and detailing management options – released in December 2021:  ‘Lake Otamangakau: Research update 2021‘

Waipa trap 2022 summary. According to our figures (which date back to 1968) this winter was the second wettest on record in the Taupō District. As a result, the Waipa fish trap experienced 9 significant flood events which put the trap out of operation for over three-and-a-half weeks. These interruptions to trapping allowed a considerable number of trout to bypass the trap, which was confirmed by the high number of unclipped fish recorded in the downstream pen.Despite interruptions the recorded run was the highest since 2017, with 608 browns and 1156 rainbows. Once the figures have been adjusted to reflect the number of unclipped fish, we could see ‘actual run’ figures of approximately 800 browns and 3,600 rainbows. The browns were in excellent condition this winter and averaged close to 3kg. The rainbows started the season off in excellent condition averaging 530mm and 1.9kg, with the overall average dropping to 515mm and 1.7kg over the winter.A full monthly breakdown of data gathered at the Waipa spawning trap is available on our website

Backcountry open. More adventurous fly anglers will be pleased to know more remote areas of the Taupō fishery opened to fishing on 1 December.  The backcountry fishing season in Taupō opens later than in many parts of the country due to the later spawning habits of our rainbow trout. Fish trap and drift dive data tells us the numbers of spawning trout has declined by December.

Introduction to jigging. Jigging is a highly productive technique that is perfect for hot summer days and late starts.  It is also a simple technique to learn, so ideal for families and children. If you would like to know more take a look at our informative video clip>

Monkey musk control. Visitors to Kinloch should be aware of an invasive weed called Monkey Musk in the Whangamata Stream. This plant can form dense patches which choke this small but important trout spawning stream. Fishery Rangers undertake regular control work but have noticed the weed has recently infested new areas. We are asking the public to take care not to spread this pest plant. More information can be found on the Weedbusters website>

TFAC. The Taupō Fishery Advisory Committee (TFAC) met at 5.30pm in Turangi on Tuesday 22 November. Anglers can access committee documents through the dedicated TFAC web page.  You can also email the Chair of the committee directly: tfac@doc.govt.nz

CCD – This Is Us. MPI have launched a new webpage called Ko Tatou This Is Us to help promote biosecurity, including Check Clean Dry. With more anglers moving between waterways over summer the risk of freshwater weeds and pests hitching a ride increases. Help protect the Taupō fishery by following the CCD guidelines on the This Is Us website.

Get the most up-to-date information directly from the Taupō Fishery Facebook page.

Earlier editions of Taupō Fishery Focus can be accessed online.