17 August 2015

Monster trout hooked in Northland

An angler has hooked and landed what is believed to be the biggest trout ever recorded from Northland’s Kai Iwi lakes.

The rainbow trout weighed 4.32 kilograms, or 9.5 pounds, and was hooked by angler Bruce Yorke in Lake Tahora.

The trout was two thirds of a metre long, just shy of the traditional ten pound mark which trout anglers around the world regard as the benchmark of a trophy trout or fish of a lifetime.

Bruce hooked the monster trout on a Saturday evening in early August at Promenade Point using a cooked prawn bait.

A fellow angler, Peter Allen, netted the fish for him when he fought it to the shore and Bruce says he was amazed at the rainbow’s size as it came into view.

“The fish was very thick through. When Peter had it in the net it looked like a kingfish,” he said.

Bruce’s monster was not the only big trout hooked that weekend. He says another angler, Barry Chapman, caught a fish which weighed 2.94 kilograms, or 6.5 pounds.

The catches indicate a positive improvement for the Kai Iwi Lakes fishery, with increasing numbers of large fish being caught in recent years.

In July, the Kai Iwi Lakes fishing contest was won by Murray Dix won with a winning rainbow trout weighing in at 3.695 kg, or 8.14 pounds.

Northland Fish & Game manager Rudi Hoetjes says it is an encouraging trend and indicates the Kai Iwi lakes are improving with better habitat for all wildlife.

“Bruce’s monster trout is the biggest ever recorded in Northland since liberations began in the Kai Iwi Lakes 50 years ago. It is a fish to be proud of,” Mr Hoetjes said.

The Kai Iwi lakes suffered from severely reduced lake levels in the early 2000s, but improvements, including the removal of exotic trees close to the water have allowed the environment to improve, providing habitat for native fish species and trout.

Mr Hoetjes says the results are gratifying.

“We have put a lot of hard work and management into improving the Kai Iwi lakes, including careful consideration of annual stocking rates. Two years ago we believed we turned the corner and that is now demonstrated by the bigger, healthier trout being caught.”

“Kai Iwi lakes are now truly Northland’s trout fishing jewel in the crown,” Mr Hoetjes said.

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