North Island Fishing
Fishing on the North IslandNorthern Island Fly Fishing - Trout Fishing
North Island is a must for flying fishing with its abundance of brown trout, huge Taupo Lake and vast green areas. The North Island is a flying fishing heaven with snow-capped vulcanoes, large seas and many small, easily exploited, running brooks through fern-filled caves. Only very few places in the whole wide globe, if at all, are growing such big brown trouts.
North Island's capacity for this is based on a moderate climatic environment, year-round growing and genetic engineering that has not been manipulated by hatcheries. Whilst brook trouts account for a smaller share of fishing, they also profit from the same circumstances and can become even bigger. Without the severe winter, the weather comfortably extends the fishing period and makes October and April better fishing seasons than further southwards.
Throw yourself into the popular Tongariro River, where it all began over 100 years ago, and you've found the ideal place for a fishing holiday.
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Below we take a look at some of the best accommodations in the northern island. Even though the fishing seasons for the headwaters of many streams end in cold winters, the lower stretches of some streams remain open throughout the year, as do the seas. The fishing areas are concentrated around Lake Taupo and Rotorua and there are great opportunities close to every town.
At the beginning of the year I went there to see the huts we represented. The Tongariro Lodge is situated between woods on the bank of the very well known Tongariro River, directly on the outskirts of the municipality of Turangi. It is one of the country's legendary huts where, over the years, licence fees and other very well-known personalities were accommodated for fishing.
It is a mixture of historic box rooms - lounge, dining room and dinning room - and detached mansions spread throughout the area. Accompanied by a tour leader, you can go from here to a variety of fishing places or flying, or you can simply go out the doors. Tongariro River is packed with fishing places that are almost within easy reach on foot.
In my opinion, the kitchen, fishing, hospitableness and surroundings of this place are everything a demanding angler could wish for. The next stop was River Birches, hidden under a curve in the lower Tongariro River and only downstream from Tongariro Camp. Lodging is B&B-style, but can also be arranged as bed and breakfast accomodation with evening meal.
Inside the central house there are two suite, two large lounge areas and an open plan cuisine. There is a third room on the other side of the decks in a separate privacy and a large green yard leading down to the stream. If you have your own equipment, you can throw it out directly in front of the entrance door.
In the vicinity I also stayed in the Tui Lodge. There is also a fishing guidebook available, so everything is available. We then went to Huka Lodge at the north end of Lake Taupo on the river Waikato. Fishing is good off-grass if you wish, but it is also essential for the best that the Taupo and Rotorua areas have to offer, either by car or heli.
It is a top fishing goal with first rate fishing. I followed the northeast through Rotorua to spend the night at Wildwood Camp. Situated on the shores of the lake, this wonderful little lake front hostel offers a relaxed holiday supported only by great fishing and loving welcome. The Wildwood offers a Full or B&B hostel with two large rooms in the villa and a small luxurious guesthouse in the courtyard.
In the suitably designated Bay of Plenty there is also an outstanding salt water fishing, only 45 min away. So it was almost getting ready to go back southwards, but not before you stop at Treetops Lodge, high up in the hill behind Rotorua. What amazed me was the breadth of Treetops Lodge, both in terms of the building's dimensions and the way in which it is distributed high above the bottom of the valleys on a local forested slope.
It consists of a row of huge lobbies, a bookcase, a pool room and eating areas, at one end of which there is a grand piano with box quarters. Bigger chalet-style suite are scattered through the surrounding woods, which are connected to the hut by extensive walking paths. Starting from the tree tops you can go to the Rotorua and Taupo areas and go to the shore to go fishing in salt water.
Starting from Taupo we drove back southwards, past Taupo and on to the Napier street towards Poronui, a secluded luxurious fishing and fishing cabin set high in the mountains off the motorway and adjacent to Kaimanawa Forest Park. It is a very large house, partly used for agriculture, partly for hunt, which is given to the regeneration to the local shrub.
Poronui consists of several parts - the Hauptlodge with its very luxurious suite and rooms facing the Taharua Rivers, the large Blake House, which offers a private retreat, the Stables and a secluded riverside storage area with luxurious tented booths right next to the nasty source areas of the Mohaka Rivers.
Again I liked this place because of its beautiful surroundings and hospitability and the great diversity of fishing opportunities. In my one weeks absence I stayed at seven amazing fishing cabins and B&Bs in as many consecutive nights and was abandoned with the certain understanding that the property we are offering our fishing customers is among the best in the state.
This wonderful cabins provide top quality fishing for fish and salmon flies.