Trout Fisher Magazine

2020/2021 is already one of my most successful seasons. It's nearly normal now but the lack of control over my left leg basically forced me to concentrate on the lake and in the process, improved my open water skills beyond expectation. By Christmas,

Bay of Plenty Regional Council are working with Te Arawa Lakes Trust and research agencies to manage the populations of Brown Bullhead Catfish, which were found in Lake Rotoiti in March 2016 and Lake Rotorua in December 2018. Since 2016 an intensive

It was my dad who first took us trout fishing when we were kids. Every May in the 1960’s, we drove up from Wellington in the old Hilman Humber to stay on the shores of Lake Taupo at the Waitahanui Lodge, by the river of the same name. We sometimes fi

First of all, when it comes to Brown Trout, I definitely wouldn’t call myself an expert. I’ve only caught two on a fly rod, both on the world famous Tongariro, and don’t even know if I should count the first, being about 1.5lb. However, after catchin

The pool was a beauty. Golden yellow sand tapering in to a rocky runout. The top was a swirl of sparkling blue water that bent against a cliff, straightened and deepened to depths you couldn’t peer into. Midway down the pool, where you could start to

As I sat on the riverbank waiting for my time to start, calculating my devious plan to segment my beat into swingable chunks, I started thinking of the whole idea of competition. This was no National Champs competition by any means – but a humble ann

Anglers are appreciators of flavourful beer and hearty meals. This is an axiom: a statement regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true. For many anglers, a day spent on the water ends with a delicious beer – followed by another b

Given the flavour profile described by Pat, I’ve drawn from my recipe books to present you with trout or salmon steaks in a Vietnamese style caramel sauce. This style of cooking combines the refreshing fragrance that gives Vietnamese food its fame, b

May heralds the beginning of winter fishing regulations here in the South Island. Most waters close at the end of April, to allow the trout a break from anglers and to concentrate on more important things, like sex. Fortunately there are some quality

Johnny Kane gazes out of a window as the sun rises over the expansive waters of Lake Rotorua. He’s dreaming of better days. Deep into a two-month stay at the Te Whare Oranga Ngakau drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, his mind repeatedly casts bac

July 2017, I was invited to fish the Arnold River on the South Island’s West Coast. I had wanted to fish this river for a long time, especially after reading Johnny Groome’s beautiful book, Arnold Gold, in which he tells how the river carries huge nu

Three very different months were the way of things from January through to March and the title reflects the results. Six weeks of the best or worst, depending on how you look at it! My habit of the last few years has been to spend around two weeks of

There is much doom and gloom about the state of out waterways and most of it is justified but there are glimmers of enlightenment which give hope that things are changing, if rather slowly, for the better. Luckily, for me, one of the glimmers is on t