The traditional trout fishing opening date is back in place following a recent meeting of the Eastern Fish & Game Council.

At the meeting, it was resolved to change the opening date of the trout fishing season for Bay of Plenty lakes Rotoiti, Okataina and Tarawera back to the original date of October 1.

'Back in 2020, the council made a change to the regulations, moving the 2021 opening day from it's traditional place in the calendar of October 1 to the first Saturday in October,” says a Fish & Game spokesperson.

'The change only applied to lakes Rotoiti, Okataina and Tarawera and was made to improve participation but wasn't popular with anglers.

'The trout season opens on October 1 for most of New Zealand, with a few locations opening later for biological reasons.

'The Rotorua lakes attract thousands of fishers throughout the year with several lakes remaining open to fishing all year round.

'Opening day is the most popular of the year.”