Regulation changes designed to improve trout quality will be in place for the start of the new fishing season, which begins on July 1, this year.
In a release on Friday (June 18) the Department of Conservation (DOC) felt the changes would also benefit anglers.
The most obvious change will be the increased ‘bag limit’, upped from six to eight trout. DOC says this should increase trout harvest and help maintain a healthy balance between trout and their main food source, smelt.
DOC Taupō operations manager Dave Conley says Taupō spawning streams are considered hyper-productive.
“This means recruitment of juvenile fish is extremely high, and harvest is an essential tool to keep numbers in check and maintain a healthy trout population.
“We operate a comprehensive technical monitoring programme which guides regulation changes and helps us to focus our efforts and efficiently deliver a world class wild trout fishery.
“We also listen carefully to the angling community and a number of changes this year reflect this,” he says.
Basically, Conley says, conditions indicate the food resource is under a bit of stress and if more trout are taken out then the system will be “trying to feed a few less mouths and it helps things bounce back, hopefully.”
A significant regulation change will benefit anglers at Lake Otamangakau. Next season will see the fixed February closure replaced by a more responsive management approach. Weather patterns will be closely monitored and closure decisions tailored according to the heat risk to trout.
In order to let anglers know if the lake is closed DOC will use media channels, its newsletter to anglers as well as good old-fashioned signage at the lake, Conley says.
“We've got a plan to get that word out there. So hopefully anglers are pre-warned before they turn up to the lake and see the lake closed.”
Other minor changes are designed to simplify the regulations, making them easier to understand; for example, the regulations around soft baits have been streamlined.
Additionally, to increase fishing opportunities for anglers, fly-only restrictions have been relaxed at the underutilised Otaketake and Waitetoko stream mouths.
The relaxed requirements here could result in the recruitment of new anglers into the fishery, says Conley.
“Spin fishing's one that's easy for kids, in particular, and we like to provide opportunity for having a pretty high degree of success. So those two spots are areas that we know, don't get a lot of angling pressure as a rule, and it might just be a spot that kids can go in the summer or whenever, and enjoy flicking a lure about with a pretty high expectation of catching a fish. Really, that's what it's all about.”
DOC manages the Taupō Fishing District as a sustainable wild trout fishery, which attracts thousands of anglers each year, allowing people to enjoy fishing and naturing in the outdoors.
Conley says fishing regulations are designed to protect the future of the fishery.
“To support the regulations, we have fishery rangers out on the rivers and lakes ensuring everyone follows the rules – helping to protect the fishery we love.”
DOC says it aims to make trout fishing in the Taupō Fishing District as affordable as possible and so licence fees remain unchanged from previous years, which it says ensures “anglers can access world class trout fishing at a reasonable price.”
The 2026/27 season licences go on sale June 24 – a week before the season starts.
Taupō District fishing licences are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week from the website: www.doc.govt.nz/fishinglicence
