Fishing in and around the Taupo region

Hearing and feeling the reel scream will give you a rush you'll never forget.

Lake Taupo is Open all Year Round

Some of the main rivers, up to certain distances, are open all year round as well. However there is a closed season for the upper reaches of the main tributaries of Lake Taupo from 1st June to 30th November. The Wilderness Rivers are closed for spawning from 1st July to 30th September

Fishing in the Taupo Region

Every winter prime Rainbow trout, averaging five pounds and often twice that size, make their way up the rivers from whence they came. Spawning runs of large Brown trout usually start at the end of March with Rainbow trout following until the end of September. During the summer months, most of the fly fisherman's attention turns to the Wilderness Rivers and the superb dry fly fishing on offer. Clad in chest waders, you can nymph or wet fly fish till your heart's content, and when your arm tires you can enjoy the amazing scenery that surrounds you.

The lake provides the fly fisher with plenty of opportunity. From December onwards, the smelt come into the shallows of the lake to spawn, and are followed by the trout which gorge themselves on this once a year delicacy. Casting to the swirl of the feeding trout, and having the reel scream will provide you with an adrenalin rush that you'll never forget.

For more sedate action, try your luck at the Browns and Rainbows as they line up at the river mouths, feeding and waiting for the spawning time to arrive. Night time is the most productive time for this type of fishing, although the Tongariro Delta is famous for its all-day action, casting from a small boat anchored in the river mouth. Over the years the stream mouths of the Western Bays have developed a reputation for providing some great action for the fly fishers. Access is by launch or helicopter; often we use the launch as a floating lodge to enable the anglers to keep close to the action!