Heading To Nz

[mitch]

G'day raiders,

Well the missus and I have just booked our holiday to NZ for March next year. We are flying into Auckland and getting a motorhome for a couple of weeks where we will end up in Christchurch for the flight home.

Now I haven't been to NZ for a few years and every time i get over there I'm that busy theres no fishing......well not this time.

Just wondering if any of you knowledgable raiders can point me in the right direction. I will be taking a few light rods over there to chase some trout but not sure where to go and what to chase. any help much apreciated. we are keen to chase anything we can in either salt and fresh water

Mitch

[netic]

We have a few NZ members which im sure will be able to help you out,

Why not target some Kings, they have monsters over there

[inked]

We have a few NZ members which im sure will be able to help you out,

Why not target some Kings, they have monsters over there

yup, ans some monster snapper too

[arpie]

re trout fishing in NZ

Hi Mitch

Your 2 weeks will fly! With your camper, you will be able to be discreet & park near some of the best trout fishing waters in the world!

I lived in NZ for some years & often fished Rotorua & also Tongariro River (Taupo) area. No doubt on your travels south from Auckland you will go thru both Rotorua & Taupo. Murapara (between Rotorua & Taupo) also has some fine fishing - more 'wild' than the others. Just be careful with your vehicle & gear - quite a bit of pilfering goes on - they know it will be 'vacant' for some time.

South Island - around Nelson & beyond - some rivers right there on the highway full of fish! I spent hours trying to trick a big brown into taking a tiny soft plastic! Also any river on the way down to Christchurch!

Any of the lakes & rivers in Rotorua have good trout (take your polaroids & scatter a handful of gravel into some of the streams & they think it is food & come hoonng out of their cover!) There are fantastic fish at Lake Tararewa (past the Buried Village - also worth a visit). Go down to the jetty where the tourist boat goes out & go left, thru the gate & along to the little sandy beach where the stream comes out. There is a nice dropoff there with not too much weed & the big trout have a 'beat' & it is a matter of time till one comes past. There is an 'egg' imitation fly (could be called 'fruit salad', as it has many colours) which when wet will be cast on a light rod. It has a small polystyrene bead incorporated so it sits off the bottom. When the trout hits, it will scare the sh.t out of you - they hit so hard! Don't have your drag set too hard. Also any of the small squidgies & small jig heads worked back towards the shallows should work well. My best was a 9 pounder & a few 7 pounders. Lots under 5lbs.

The water is very cold (snow fed streams) and March is a great time of year - but be prepared!

Okeefe's is the best tackle shop in Rotorua - they will give you the 'good oil' on lures etc

Check this website out for info on both islands.

http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/fishing/ mainly fresh water

http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/ mainly salt water

You will need to buy a fishing licence (separate one for Taupo!) & also check if any rivers are 'out of season'! Most lakes (from memory) are all year - flly fishing only within 300m of any river mouth and lots of other rules apply - NO LIVE OR DEAD BAIT ALLOWED FOR TROUT FISHING! Those little spoons have accounted for heaps of big fish - fished slowly!

Lots of kawhai/australian salmon pretty well everywhere up & down the coast, also blackfish/parore (huge ones!) in the estuaries & around structure. Kiwis for some reason don't fish for them other than use them as crayfish bait! Snapper off the rocks & beaches.

Atlantic salmon in the south island - most river mouths (from about 1/2 way down) even from Dunedin wharf!

I hope your other half enjoys fishing, cos virtually every bit of water over there has fish in it!

Enjoy - I will be returning to feed my own fishing passion in the next year or so!

Cheers and have fun

Roberta

[mitch]

Thanks for the reply"s.

Roberta, tat was an awesome reply and a lot of very helpfull info. Much apreciated mate. My missus loves fishing and has just got the bug for plastics i am sure we'll have a ball. Thanks for the links also.

we will be stopping at both rotorua and taupo so that was a big help. Getting excited and its months away

Mitch

[arpie]

......months away still!.....

Hi mitch

I still get excited just thinking about it! The easy access to quality trout fishing is the one thing I miss from returning to live in Aussie! I know I could go to Barrington Tops & New England area, but they have really big rivers, big lakes & even bigger trout!

Great to hear your partner is also into fishing - some have difficulty understanding this passion of ours and even less patience! I hope you get into some whoppers.

Was thinking of you this morning & had a couple of revelations re the imitation egg at the 'landing' at Tarawera. For the best effect, the egg needs to be floating about 1m from the lake floor off that drop off (about 20ft out) or anywhere around the lake. If you have a fly outfit, use a fast sink line & 1m of fairly strong (up to 10lb) flouro. The only off putting bit is you then just have to sit back & wait patiently for the resident trout to come by on it's 'beat' & whack it. I think you can only use one rod at a time - worth checking - or you could try lures or sps (if allowed!) whilst waiting. Either hold the rod or have a strong rod holder (if allowed) - they hit like a Bondi Tram!

If you only have spin gear - you may be able to use it there - as it is just a tiny stream (step across it) not a river mouth. Not sure the actual legal distance that applies for FF only. They often have signs up if it is fly fishing only, anyway. Still worth a visit anyway, as the fish trap for catching the breeding stock is to the right of the jetty where the main river enters the lake - some monsters there! Also a brilliant spot for fly fishing. Very warm waders would help.

For spin fishing - anywhere around the lake is good - there are some non-private jetties you can fish from that gets you out past some of the weed - I don't think you are allowed to use 'sinkers' tho or more than one hook, so the locals (from memory) use a heavier 'lure' with the hook removed then tie the 1m flouro to the lure. The lure sits on the bottom & the egg floats back & forth above it in the natural water movement. If questioned, I guess you can say the lure is an 'enticer'??! I am guessing the small plastics should be ok to use! Okeefe's will put you right!

Down the end of the road (where it stops at a private property & you have to turn back the way you came) there is also some good fishing.

Talking about hooks - no trebles allowed on any trout water! So change any you have to singles before you go.

At Taupo, at the other end of the lake, at Turangi, there are some great camp grounds right next to the Tongariro - you just walk to the river! Here are some names to check out (more at http://www.nzcamping.co.nz/camp.php?id=262):

for camping sites. We stayed at the 'Creel Lodge' right on the Tongariro (with it's own tackle shop) in 'motel' type accomodation (see http://www.creel.co.nz) - so if you wanted to 'upgrade' for a night or so ........ then again, the campervans aren't cheap either, so may as well use it! They even have a huge freezer for folk to freeze their fish in! Which reminds me, in Taupo (elsewhere too, probably) if you get your fish smoked & vacuum packed, you should be able to bring it back into Australia! I know you used to be able to 7 years ago - might be worth checking it out, just in case ....

I had some notes on other spots around Tararewa - will try & find them!

Cheers

Roberta

i am so extremely jealous!

The reason the trout come out if you throw small gravel into the streams (more than in the lake, but it might still work) is that the wild Trout go thru the 'Rainbow Springs' and other 'Trout attraction sites' where the tourists buy bags of pellets & toss them to the fish. The wild fish then travel in & out of the tourist attraction, back into the wild streams & respond when folk toss more pellets or gravel at them. No matter how small the stream is in Rotorua, there will be fish in them! The gravel bit works at the Buried Village streams, too.