Trout take a road trip

Over 2,200 young trout were introduced to their new home over the weekend after making a road trip from Rotorua to Lake Tutira in Hawke's Bay as part of an annual re-stocking programme.

The fish were transported from Fish & Game's Rotorua hatchery for release to their new home north of Napier.


A Fish & Game representative clips sedated fish before they are loaded on the 'live trout truck'. Photo: Supplied.

Fish & Game Regional Manager Pete McIntosh says the one year-old rainbows, including 500 with yellow tags, were piped into the lake.

'We'd be grateful if anglers who catch a tagged fish use the form on our website or phone through the details, as the information is an important part of ongoing monitoring of the fishery,” says Pete.

'We need to know where the fish was caught, its length and how much it weighed. This allows us to calculate growth rates and condition factors.”

Those who send in details also go into a draw to win a free licence.

The lake should start to fish well soon, says Pete.

Last winter some eye-catching fish were caught in the shallows while they were looking for a place to spawn. And recent monitoring shows some exceptional visibility in the lake's waters.

'The lake provides some consistent fishing opportunities when the region's rivers are not suitable to fish,” says Pete.

The trout released will hopefully grow quickly and become the prize catch of anglers in a couple of years' time.

Tutira does not have streams suitable for trout to spawn in, and although some natural reproduction takes place, the lake does need to be re-stocked.

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