Down riggers kill fishing in Taupo eh ?

[tie1on]

Hey there everyone, after reading the papers for a few weeks here in taupo, i see someone has written in and stated that the big lead ball downrigging has killed off trout in the lake. What everyones theroy on this ? My own .... well it is fishing but not how i like to do it. I once went out on a charter as part of a work function and the skipper set up the down riggers and off we went. Upon hooking a fish i was urged to reel it in - did so, and when the skipper pulled the monster on board (maybe 4lbs haha) he went to put it in the bag and i told him to put it back. With a puzzled look on his face he said why ? i told him that i wanted my grandchildern to be able to catch fish here too (being only 29 i hope they can) the look on his face was shocking and with out a word of a lie he threw it over arm back into the lake - i was speechless and decided that it wasnt worth talking to someone that ignorant. I just dont see down rigging as pitting my wits against the trout - i love my fly fishing and respect people that fish different methods, but what do you guys and gals think about deep down rigging ? Cheers for your time and tight lines.

[bradley]

I went fishing with a once afew years ago with a down rigger on a charter we caught alot of nice fish I think we got 7 when the fish hooked on it was no fun at all, you just reeled the fish in there was no fight, that was why I first decided to try fly fishing when we came up to taupo the next year, im hooked on fly fishing now, its fun and exciting, frustrating lol and the fish fight hard and strong, fly fishing is much better than down rigging

[taupof]

me personally, I feel down riggers and jigging should be removed from the arsenal.

[swine_hunter]

I've never used a downrigger, but I don't think they should be allowed. It is a method to catch fish, but that pretty much explains why I don't agree with them. They're pure fish catchers - it takes away the skill element. I'm unsure who else is like me but fishing to me isn't just about catching fish it's about getting out there, putting in effort, deceiving the fish through your own tactics rather than just dredging a hook in the depths of a lake.

For me it may be a moral thing than anything else - but I haven't read too much on the effects of downrigging - I'd assume the decrease in the fish population would be an effect of it!

that's my opinion anyway...

[Bigfish]

I haven't done it before and I wouldn't bother as it looks boring as hell........BUT........aren't there too many fish in the system??
Don't we need to take more fish out so we can get back to the days of regularly hooking 5 pounders in the Tongariro??
I'd love to hear some opinions on this.

[swine_hunter]

Fair point, I had thought about that but then again decreasing the legal size limit for keepers is attempting to address this...perhaps raising the bag limit might help too?

I'm not confident that this would be measureable, but I wonder what the average size of a fish caught down rigging is compared to fish caught fly fishing? Is there any explanation that would support an argument that downriggers pulled out bigger fish? If so then that would illustrate another reason why it they will hurt the health of the fishery (from a fly fishermans point of view). Killing off the bigger spawning fish before they enter the rivers....

Unsure if these figures are around anywhere...

[Badger]

If there was evidence that too many fish were being removed from the lake, I could see restricting or getting rid of downrigging(and jigging). But given the limited food supply in the lake, it appears a good harvest of fish is required. 

Downrigging does have a place for the charter fishing business where tourist(not fishermen) want to have the experience of catching a Lake Taupo Trout. Those tourist's view may be completely different an you or I as a local fisherman. We have a lot of family come to visit, Some can handle fly fishing and I take them out. Others are thrilled with a charter fishing trip and reeling in a downrigger caught trout. 

Fishing is an individual pursuit and to each person his own. I love fishing of all types but prefer flyfishing for the challenge it presents.