Both Brown and Rainbow Trout were introduced into Lake Taupo in the late 19th century to provide food and sport for early settlers and visitors. Within 15 years, the lake had become globally famous for the size and sheer numbers of its fish.

Nowadays 40% of all trout fishing in New Zealand takes place in the Taupo region. The lakes and rivers of the Lake Taupo area are a wild fishery with a naturally sustainable trout population.

View fishing tackle from a bygone era. See a rainbow trout that weighed an astounding 19½ pounds (8.86kgs) when caught in 1945. View photos from the days when fisherman caught dozens of trout a day. Today, an average fish weighs between 3 and 5 pounds (1.36 - 2.27kg) and the Taupo fishery's catch limit stands at three legally-sized fish, per person per day.