New Zealand Brown and Rainbow Trout
A commonly caught fish in fresh water is the Brown and Rainbow Trout which can be found abundantly around New Zealand, one place in particular is the Tongariro River in Turangi. The Brown and Rainbow Trout was initially introduced to New Zealand for sport in the 19th century, with the Brown Trout from England and Rainbow Trout from California.
In their original country of California, the Rainbow Trout migrated up rivers in the winter to spawn and then back to the sea after. Here in New Zealand, they treat Lake Taupo as the sea and continues to show such a habit by continuing the migrating pattern, allowing anglers to fish them in the Tongariro River.
A medium-aged Brown and Rainbow Trout can range between weights of 1kg to 20kgs and lengths of 20cms to 45 cms depending on where they are found. In rivers, such as the Tongariro River, the Rainbow Trout is found more abundant in numbers over the Brown Trout and live up to 11 years, whereas the Brown Trout lives up to 20 years.