June was a reasonable month across most of the rivers flowing into Lake Taupo, although catch rates were down slightly when compared with the same period last year. The Hinemaiaia River continued to fish well (1 fish every 2.3 hours) during June after an exceptional start to the winter season. The average size and condition of fish caught by anglers has remained high, with rainbow trout averaging 568mm and 2kg in weight.

A similar pattern was observed on the Tongariro River where the catch rate for June was estimated at 1 fish every 3.7 hours. This was down slightly on June 2004 (1 fish every 2.5 hours) but was similar to the winters of 2002 and 2003. Catch rates were particularly high in the middle and upper reaches as many of the early run fish made their way through the river.

The Tauranga-Taupo River also fished reasonably well during June with an estimated catch rate of 1 fish every 4.2 hours. This was considerably higher than June 2004 when the catch rate was estimated at just 1 fish every 9.5 hours! However, the catch rate for June was down in comparison to May this year when anglers were catching an average of 1 fish for every 2.9 hours spent fishing. A drift dive of the river upstream of the Rangers Pool indicated only a few fish were present and so it is likely that the main runs are still to get underway. Rainbows caught in the Tauranga-Taupo during June averaged 2.1kg and 550mm and were the heaviest of the three rivers.

A total of 417 freshly run fish were trapped in the Waipa fish trap, located on the Waipa Stream, a tributary in the upper reaches of the Tongariro River. Rainbow trout dominated the run but the run of browns increased considerably during June and probably signals the peak in the brown trout run in the upper river.

Fishing is expected to improve substantially over the next three months as the rainbow trout run builds to a peak during September and October. DOC is predicting once again that the runs will be late possibly extending again into November. This means the best of the winter fishing is yet to come and anglers should plan their fishing trips to take advantage of the late winter fishing.

It is also opportune to remind anglers it is time to purchase a new licence for the Taupo fishing season which begins on the 1st of July. Remember to buy your licence before your first fishing trip of the season!