What a great week its been out there on the lake this last week, you can really feel summer round the corner, the fishing has been really good for many people out there this last few days. Top lures this week are still the Toby's in black and gold stripe also the Copper Toby both in the smaller sizes, also worth trying will be the standard Cobras in Spotty Gold, Fluo Orange and Black and Baby Brown. Top spots have been Whareweka Point and Three Mile Bay this week down at the 80 to 100 feet mark also Rangatira Point and Whakaipo Bay are still producing good numbers of fish. Good reports also from Waitahanui and the White Cliffs and Rotagnaia Point.

Harling has started and is worth trying early mornings round the Waitahanui area. Flies to try for this time of year will be the Yellow Lady , Green Orbit and Ginger Mick, you can ring the changes and run a small sized Cobra in Spotty Gold on the point and your fly up front.

Local fly fishing has been steady this week, successful for those that are prepared to scale right down and put some walking in to find fresh fish in the pools, the Tongariro has been steady this last week and fish can be seen throughout the length in the clear water. The smaller rivers have had a bit of pressure over the last few weeks and fish are getting pretty wired. The river mouths at Waitahanui and Hatepe have been mixed with the changing winds but have been producing reasonably consistantly.

New season is nearly upon us once again so don't forget to renew your licences and check the rules about start times on the places you intend to fish opening weekend as not all rivers open Oct 1st. Good time to check all you gear thoroughly and clean or replace tired lines and old tippet etc. Check your flies for sharpness and for rust or signs of damage and wear and tear.

Have a great new season and tight lines to all !!

I write this report after just coming off the phone with our friends from White Striker Charters who were having a blast out on the lake (Lake Taupo) about 9.00 this morning, plenty of fish coming to the boat including a very good brown of around five and a half pounds. Richard Staines was also commenting on the amount of smelt being spewed up by the trout over the last week or so. We all very much hope that this continues to be the news we hear over the coming months.

Top lure this week is without doubt the smaller sized Black Toby this has been doing the damage all week. Other lures to consider would be the Std Cobras in Spotty Gold , Yellow Leopard, and Traffic Light.

On Lake Taupo Rangatira Point has been the hotspot this week with good numbers showing up on most days. With the very early signs of smelting activity at the moment it might be worth a go at some early morning harling, give Waiatahanui and Rangatira a go, also consider Whakaipo and Mine Bay even the Reef given some nice calm weather will be worth a visit for a Harl, you don't know until you try.

The local fly fishing has been very up and down as the river levels continue to recede from the last fresh we had. The Tongaririo has plenty of fish throughout the length , we had some good reports of bigger rainbows being caught with the fresh but most fish being caught this week have an average size. Remember to fine everything right down for success as the rivers get low and clear.

The Hinemaiaia still has fish through the length but are now mainly on the small side and getting very dark in colour.

Top performer this week would have to be the T.T with some exceptional catches of silver bullets from this stunning little river.

Once again success was more eveident for anglers that are getting those flies down hard on the bottom quickly . To prove the point our own intrepid James Clarke was on the river last Friday. Turning up late as usual, to a full car park was still able to extract a good number of fish from just two pools close by after a number of anglers had gone upstream empty handed.

Not much in the way of real rain over the next few days so you will need to adapt to the conditions. Till next week tight lines to everyone.

Gary Lyttle

Quite a tough week out on the lake this week. Mornings have been very much more productive than the afternoons. Best depths have been 80-100 feet , top lures this week are the Yellow and Black Spotted Leopard Cobra lure, followed by the Black Toby and Orange and Gold Kiwi lure.

Best areas have been Waitahanui again , Booths Farm , Acacia and Lake front areas have also been producing quite well.

Whakaipo Reef was reported as doing very well later in the week before the storms came. Reports still suggest that fish quality is still very good although size is still on the small side.

Local fly fishing has been going really well , as I write this the rivers are receding nicely from the last fresh we had and reports from the fishermen through the shop were all very positive.

The Tongaririo had a very good few days with reports of fish all through the river , the wet liners did very well on Tuesday and Wednesday catching on Red Rabbits , Purple Woollies and Black Marabou lures.

The T.T is still running very high as I write but should be dead on for Friday perhaps even into the weekend.

The Lower Hinemaiai has still been producing fresh fish this week after the rain but lots of darker Kelts will now have been washed downstream so you can expect more darker fish to show up here from now on.

The weekend ahead is forecasting a high with settled weather as I write this so take advantage of an early taste of Spring and get out and enjoy some fishing the rivers will have plenty of water and fish will have ran over the last few day. Rotoaira Lake will also be worth a look if the weather is as good as promised over the weekend.

Until next time tight lines

Gart Lyttle