Pure Fly NZ - Shorts - The Big O

The Banter Brothers, Andrew Harding and Matt Hince kick things off with a visit to the cruel mistress of fly fishing, Lake Otamangakau. The lake lives up to its reputation for big, wily trout but with some good old-fashioned hard work and persistence the boys both land enormous trout.

Lake Otamangakau provides wilderness fishing to the southwest of Lake Taupo. It is set is high in moorland with Mount Tongariro in the background. It has a stark, barren beauty and sense of isolation. The weather can be bleak and cold, or baking hot.

The lake is regarded as a trophy fishery with rainbow trout commonly exceeding 10lbs. The best fishing is early in the season when the fish will push up into very shallow water chasing bullies. It’s heart racing action for the angler as they sight cast to trophy wild fish in ankle deep water, but once hooked, the angler then faces an even greater challenge to keep the fish away from the extensive weedbeds.