Reel Life September 2025 - Eastern

It’s that special time of year when Eastern Region anglers look forward to 1 October like kids look forward to Christmas day! Anticipation and excitement for the start of the new trout season builds over winter as we all look forward to the excellent angling opportunities that spring and summer bring.

Photo Above: Anglers share a hotspot on Lake Rotoiti

The Rotorua lakes, in particular, are a hotspot on opening day with thousands of anglers heading to Vegas for a few days of angling fun. But opening on the lakes is so more than fishing. Valuable time spent with the family building long lasting memories, getting back together with old mates or making new ones, remembering friends passed and the all-important de-stress from life’s hustle makes Opening Day more of a celebration than simply a fish-catching exercise.

That said however, the lakes appear set to turn it on again this season with some bumper growth. We predicted good fishing this time last year, and weren’t disappointed at the size of the 2-year old fish that are commonly caught on opening.  

Our monitoring indicates we’ll likely be seeing Tarawera 2-year-old fish averaging around 2kg and 53cm. Rotoiti and Okataina around 1.8kg. Remember, at this time of year, you’ll mostly be catching 2-year-old fish, both hatchery and wild origin. The hatchery 2-year-olds will be Right pelvic (Rp) clipped. Some post-spawning 3-year-olds (Lp clipped) will be in the catch, and you can expect these to be longer and leaner than the 2’s as they recover from spawning. We also see some smaller, fat 1+ year old fish at opening, and these demonstrate just how exceptional the growth is in the Rotorua lakes, often being well over the minimum 35cm length despite only being in the lake a few months.

Rotorua’s Noel Hyde with a fat rainbow from last summer     

If the crowds of Tarawera, Rotoiti and Okataina boat fishing aren’t your thing, then don’t worry, there are still another six or seven lakes to fish in the Rotorua region – and you might be surprised to know how good the fishing can be. Lake Rotorua for instance produces a very high catch rate and recently excellent size and condition. The sighted brown trout shore-based fishery is now well underway and will continue to improve as the lake warms.

Opening Day tips

If you do plan to head to Tarawera, Rotoiti or Okataina, then making a pre-trip plan is a good idea. An early start is advisable, but not absolutely critical if you’ve got family on board that perhaps don’t quite share your enthusiasm for the dawn chorus! Often the bite doesn’t actually come on until you have some good sun on the water.

Being prepared to fish a variety of methods is also recommended. Shallow trolling is a good way to start by using straight mono rigs and a Tassie or smelt fly and Tassie attractor. As the sun gets up, and boat traffic increases, you may want to move to deeper methods such a lead line trolling, downrigging, jigging or softbaiting.

Okataina Gate Access

A reminder regarding access to lake Okataina. Boats need to go through the Wash Place, 338 Te Ngae Rd, Rotorua before accessing the lake. Once you’ve washed your boat, you will receive two 4-digit codes, one to access the lake and one to exit at the end of your days of fishing.

Opening Day Surveys and Licence Checks

Fish & Game staff will be on the lakes and at ramps carrying out surveys. They will want to view, weigh and measure your catch and ask you questions about how long you have fished and with what methods. This information is vital to the management of the fishery, so we appreciate your cooperation with this.

Fish & Game weigh stations will be set up at all of the lakes on October 1

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

The map features:

• A short, tailored description for each access point
• Rivers and lakes (with regulations and descriptions) – in Auckland/Waikato, Northland and Eastern (for now) - an easy way to check where and how you can fish! The rivers and lakes will also change colour, so you can tell if they are open or closed.
• 1: 50k Topo and satellite imagery basemaps.
• Land ownership overlays, including unformed legal roads (paper roads), marginal strips, esplanade strips, esplanade reserves, hydro parcels, DOC estate and huts
• A direct link to Google Maps for quick navigation.
• Live location tracking.
• A search function so you can find that spot you may have heard whispered in hushed tones.
• A filter system – so you can hone in on what matters most to you

We’re still adding more detail, so we’d love to hear your feedback—get in touch with our office to let us know what would make it even better.

Create a shortcut to the map on your phone’s home screen for quick and easy reference.

Check out the new online mapping system 

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.