quality of fish in Taupo fishery

[catch N release]

Ok guys due to the Didymo thread there have been two posts regarding the quality of the Taupo trout, so I would like to start something here and see where it goes.
I was one of the first if not the first to complain about the quality of trout coming out of the area last year. I noticed at the end of 2006 that the fish were VERY thin in the tail section and mentioned it then. Last year it was terrible, out of the couple of thousand trout I landed both guiding and fishing for myself, maybe only 100 would have been worth taking. By the end everyone was bitching about it and rightfully so. There were heaps of explanations ranging from too many fish in the system to a lack of smelt. DOC has been blamed for all of this.
I shut up quickly on this once I spoke to a few people with knowledge  on what had happened and have waited to see what this year bought,, instead of going off on a tangent and blaming everyone around me. It seems guys that a few years ago the lake level didn't turn over, this can be explained better by Brendon who I will get to post. Basically, that means the Zoo plankton didn't get a chance to grow. this is the food that Smelt feed on and so that meant the smelt that had spawned that year had sweet FA food. The fish that entered the rivers last year had been trying to feed on this reduced food source. Now since then the lake has turned over correctly and the zoo plankton apparently have been at normal levels. This means we should see a better quality of fish in the lake and rivers. This year I have found MOST of the trout to be in fantastic condition, yes they are a little small, but they are FAT.
I think pointing the finger at DOC is a fairly harsh thing to do. This fishery is huge and please remeber it is UNIQUE throughout the world, it is not stocked!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maintaining the natural balance is not easy and just because we have ONE particular bad year should not mean we all run screaming to the hills. DOC is reducing the size limit this season ,so some of these fat little eaters can come out and maybe leave food for other bigger fish. I personally would like the daily limit put up to 5 for a few years but small steps at a time huh. Lets see what posts we get from this!   

[Cicada]

As I was part of the reason you started this thread I'll respond to your post before I go...

There is a reason people blame Doc... they manage the fishery, they have the responsibility, it's their job. That it's a hard one I agree, it's still their job.

The smelt have been under pressure for quite some time. Doc acknowledges the fishery is under pressure, declining in many of their statement and releases. They continue to simply relax regulation to keep anglers happy while not fully addressing the problems.

This seems another case... The fishery has an issue and we'll fix it by reducing the size limit and increasing the bag. The only thing I see that remedying is the whining of anglers... for a while.

I'd like to think we'd agree on something, but can't see it happening because again we have diametrically opposed views.

[catch N release]

No we both agree that DOC need to do something, which they are, small steps first. In fact i fully agree with what you have said there, it is their job and they have to take responsibility for what happens.I just think it is a hard job managing something so huge. I also agree with you on the point that Jigging and down rigging have effected the fish as it is targeting a depth never plumbed before. I actually believe Cicada that Glo Bugs should be made illegal, if you want to go there. Heave and leave style hooks in the rips are targeting the large spawning males as well and are sooooo easy to use. If we stock the lake with more smelt i guess we run the risk of introducing a bug or virus that may wipe out or hurt the existing stock. I think this happened with the Salmon farming in Scotland where some of the farmed fish escaped and spread a disease into the wild fishery. We are on the same side, we just go about it differently.

[8THEB8]

Hey Man,
Just come from the Sporting Life web site, pretty shocked to read there has been NO reduction in size limits in the new licences.
Is this true??
I can understand a natural phenomena impacting so heavily on the fishery.
I can't understand how DOC could have missed it?
In the course of my career in the Dairy and Animal Pharmaceutical Industries, success has been measured by an individuals ability to predict the consequences of a natural event.
Eg. Spring rain, grass grows fast, no 'guts' to it. Butter fat % will fall. Change your process to mitigate issues. Same rain = cattle start scouring, You should have time to increase your stocks of anti scouring medications.
Dry spells are an opportunity to push excema ointments.
The list goes on.
DOC simply are not doing their job. Probably because they suffer from a distinct lack of leadership and direction from the very top.
We get a say this year. Not sure who we need to support, you need to make your own mind up on that on.
Just make sure you vote and have a say!

[taupof]

I'll drag this up again huh.

Ok so we are into the 2009 winter fishery and everything is looking so much better than the last two seasons. The trout are defiantly a little smaller length wise but by far the majority of them are FAT and well fed. I pulled the biggest trout out of the Waitahanui yesterday, than I have in the past three years.

[taupof]

Update on this. I am seeing some excellent trout in all of the rivers, even the Tonagriro. I have to say however that the Waitahanui has some magic trout going through at the moment. What I have also noticed is the number of trout is way down on the past three years. Not surprising though as I am sure most of those ugly skinny little bastards would have died from two years ago. Less trout means more food for the survivors which means bigger better trout in general. Nature balances out in the end.

[Freddo]

I think we are finally getting out of the woods on this one with our fish since Christmas (boat caught on the lake) mostly being back in the 3lbs and more size range, and fat and silver. More on that in my reply to Magpie's Lake Taupo Fishery thread.

Cheers.

[taupof]

Yeah Freddo, we are going to have some very nice Trout taken out of the rivers this winter, I am really looking forward to it now.