Lake Rotoehu Trout Fishing

This picturesque 8.1 square kilometre crater lake is the smallest in a chain of three lakes northeast of Lake Rotorua and 35 northeast of Rotorua city. There are no major streams flowing either into or out of Lake Rotoheu . Water also flows into the lake from springs in the lake bed and also seeps into Rotoehu from nearby Lake Rotoma to the east. Water exits the lake through a sink hole in the north-west corner of the lake. Average water depth is just 10m.

The deepest part of the lake is 13.5m. Numerous fingers and sheltered bays run off the main lake and are great fun to explore by kayak. The shallow nature of Rotoehu, combined with nutrient runoff and relatively little water transfer, causes the lake to suffer from poor water quality during the mid summer months. Blooms of blue-green algae can occur almost overnight in this lake. They start around Christmas and continue until mid winter. At such times the lake is unsafe for swimming.

Native bush is a particularly attractive feature around the shoreline. Rotoehu is rich in birdlife. There is restricted road access to most of the shoreline consequently almost all fishing access is by boat. Boat launching ramps are located at the small bach settlements of Otautu Bay and Kennedy Bay .

During the early season, months of October and November fly fishing for cruising rainbow trout is popular from sandy beaches around the lake. It is fair to say that fewer anglers fish Rotoehu than Rotoma. However, hatchery-reared rainbow trout are liberated into the lake every year and make up around 40 percent of the anglers’ catch. The rainbows are on average a bit smaller than in the other Rotorua lakes but catch rates tend to be superior.

Perhaps the most productive fishing method is shallow water trolling or harling over the weed beds. With Lake Rotoehu being on average just 10m deep trout are a bit more concentrated than in the deeper lakes which may be why they are a bit easier to catch.

Lake Rotoehu Fishing Regulations: Eastern Fish and Game Council Regulations permit fishing all year round in Lake Rotoehu. Permitted tackle includes both fly and spinner. The bag limit is 8 trout.

Popular spinners for Lake Rotoehu include Tasmanian Devils and Tillin’s Cobras. For fly fishing the typical central North Island trout lures are mostly used including Ginger Mick, Green Orbit, Taupo Tiger, Silicon Smelt, Parsons’ Glory and Yellow Lady.