Reel Life January 2026 - Eastern

Classic Summer Action, with a Hint of Spring!

After a scorching start to December, the weather has shifted to something more like spring, bringing combinations of warmth, rain and the odd blustery spell.

Fortunately, this has mostly been conducive to good trout fishing, perhaps with the exception of some very heavy and localised downpours and somewhat prohibitive winds for boat anglers.

The famous Rotorua edge fishery is firing, although not yet with quite the consistency we would expect later in the summer season. Fishing at the Waiteti mouth has at times been slow, only to come on a couple of hours later with a bang. A selection of nymphs such as Pheasant tails, Hare and Copper and 101’s in sizes 12 and 14, slung about 1m under an indicator, have all worked really well here. The Awahou has fished consistently both to the nymph and wet fly with Wolly buggers and smaller smelt flies all taking fish.

Image above: Fishing success at the lower Waiteti  

The Ngongotaha mouth tends to be quieter but still provides excellent fishing. The change of light, morning or evening, are by far the best time with a real chance of a big brown after dark. The mouth remains shallow and flowing straight out toward Mokoia, so take a note of the wind direction as the wave action will affect the movement of the cold-water plume. Wet flies on a floating line are the go-to here, changing to bigger bully-type patterns after dark for a brown trout. Try a Rabbit fly in white or orange, Jack’s Sprat, Green Orbit or Grey Ghost, or a paddle tail style softbait such as a 3” Z-Man Slim SwimZ in a natural colour.

Hamurana has fished well when the wind isn’t from the south. In fact, the fish are still there in a southerly, but casting a fly can be difficult! While the main flow will produce rainbows, don’t forget both sides of the smoother, cold water plume as browns will be lurking on a slow-motion cruise looking to ambush a bully, or sip a damsel fly nymph.

As we write this, news of flooding in the Waioeka is just breaking. Over 320mm of rain fell in 48 hours, resulting in around 40 slips and a road closure of the gorge (SH2) that is likely to last for many months. It’s heartbreaking looking at the video, but fisheries are robust, and trout have evolved to withstand flood conditions. It’s going to take time, so remain patient!

It looks like we are in for a bumper cicada summer around the Rotorua area. The hatch has been slow to get going, but has suddenly hit and become almost plague-like. Cicada hatches are cyclic and affected by seasonal conditions, so make the most of this exciting time as it won’t last forever..

Rotorua’s deep lakes continue to fish well to jigging and vertically fished soft baits and deep trolling methods such as downrigging. Rotoiti, Tarawera and Okataina have an accumulation of clutter about the thermocline and good numbers of fish can be seen below this hunting smelt. Good fish, up to 4kg are also cruising the bottom and large bully or koura patterns or paddle tail softbaits are working well.  

Fishing deep on the Rotorua lakes remains wonderful family fun!     

Boat Fishing How-to    

Eastern Fish & Game held a successful Boat Fishing How-To at their offices in January. Attended by sixty keen boat fishers, it covered all the basics on how to catch trout in lakes from boats. A big thanks to Kilwell for providing us with a few Tassie Devil lures as spot prizes.

Take a look at this article on jigging and soft baiting tips. https://782c075b.flowpaper.com/FGIssue57Web/#page=24

Fishing Rules – Have your say.

The fishing regulations for the upcoming 2026-27 angling season are currently under review. The ‘angling rules’ are fully examined every second season by the Eastern Region Fish and Game Council.  This process allows licence holders to comment on any changes they think should be made to the current angling regulations and brought into ‘law’ for the upcoming season. Any suggestions made to alter the current regulations are presented to the Eastern Region Fish and Game Council made up of elected licence holders. A final decision on the regulations will be made at their Council meeting on 28th May. This is your opportunity to comment. If you have suggestions, please email them along with an explanation of why the changes should be made; with your contact details to: mosborne@fishandgame.org.nz. All correspondence should be received by 20^th February 2026.

New Access Mapping System

 A new online mapping system has just been adopted by the Eastern Fish & Game Region (and several other regions). It is still in development, but is already a useful tool for finding fishing locations and the regulations that apply to that spot. The filter tool (top right of screen) enables users to focus on the access or fishing style they are interested in.
Select here to view

Don’t forget to CCD!

The new season is a good time to remind everyone of our need to Check, Clean and Dry gear between waterways. Pest organisms are sadly on the increase and the precious resource we all love is at risk. Please remember to CCD between your fishing trips, follow the instructions of the Regional Councils and MPI.

Datawatch tagged Trout

Tagged trout can now be entered online. Entries go into the draw to win one of 10 free whole-season fishing licences: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QCH5ZR6

Eastern Region Fishing Diaries – All lakes and streams

Fill in your fishing diaries here to help us manage the Eastern Fish & Game region. Participants go in the draw to win a $100 voucher from Kilwell: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QRSD7D3