Reel Life March 2026 - Eastern

Finally, a nice patch of settled weather has hit the region! Cooler nights and warm settled days have seen anglers making the most of autumn conditions that signal winter is on the way, but there’s still lots of opportunity to get out there.

Image above: Autumn on the Rotorua lakes can be spectacular

Surface temperatures on the Rotorua lakes have dropped over the last few weeks from in the 20’s to between 17 and 19 degrees C. This has had the result that fish are sitting higher in the water column, foraging for smelt right up to the surface, especially early and late in the day.

Check out areas with depths of between 10m and 17m during the day and fish more horizontally – rather than the more vertical styles adopted during summer months when the fish are deeper.

Worth noting also is the lowering oxygen levels at depth on Lake Rotoiti – a normal phenomenon at this time of year. Trout here are being pushed higher in the water column than you might expect them to be, so deep jig drops beyond 25m will be unlikely to produce fruitful results until the lake turns over in a month or two.

The recent Services Fishing Competition, run over three days in Rotorua was met with a wonderful patch of weather, but rather hard fishing. The heaviest fish landed was caught by Gary Law from Okataina, a rainbow, tipping the scales at 4.93kg – not quite 11lb!    

One of the beauties of autumn angling is that a multitude of methods can be adopted successfully. Harling becomes productive, and on light tackle with a single-action fly reel and a few metres of LED type line it can be a lot of fun also.  Shore-based angling, whether it be fly fishing or spin/soft plastic is about to take off and this is the season when fish are at their prime for both size and condition. Shallow boat work, especially dinghies and kayaks around the edge of drop-offs and weed beds are the place to be.

Lake Rotorua’s stream mouth fishing has slowed as a result of the cooling conditions. It’s been a mixed summer season here again, because trout are dependent on habitat and temperature above most everything else. Brown trout spawning runs will commence in April and run into winter, so keep a close eye on the rain as this is a trigger for spawning activity.

Mature browns will be on the move from April

Shoreline spawning at streams and the liberation points will also become active in April, and for the most part run all the way through to August. May and June are the peak of the season for this fishery.

Autumn also triggers a second smelt breeding and juvenile smelt have been noted in the stomachs of fish from Tarawera recently. This is a good sign, and will give the trout a boost as they pack-on weight prior to winter. It’s also worth considering some smaller flies on your jigging gear.

Carry Your Licence

Please don’t forget to carry your current season licence. Our ranging staff will be out and about across the region checking licences, bags and having a friendly chat in the process. Having your lience on you will make this process much quicker for you – so you can get back to catching fish!

A routine compliance check made easier  because the angler was carrying his licence

Winter Licences

The winter fishing licence is available from the beginning of April at a much-reduced rate. April marks the beginning of spawning and there’s still lots of boat fishing to be had with some lakes and waters staying open until the end of the season on September 30^th.

Get your chance to enjoy some great fishing at a much reduced licence rate for the remainder of the season.

See here for licence options and to make a purchase.  

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