It is a sunny but crisp day in Turangi today, although the weather has been beautiful the last week has reluctantly seen us put away the stubbies and jandals and opt for the fleece jerseys and waders. The Tongariro continues to flow crystal clear at 26.7m3/sec. Now is a good time to come and measure up for some neoprene winter waders to keep you warm in the river, which we have a selection of in store.
Paddy has continued his path of destruction wet lining through the mid reaches of the Tongariro landing another beast of a brown trout along with a couple other "smaller models" according to him.
The lace moth fishing in the lower Tongariro continues to provide an interesting challenge for those seeking dry fly action with multiple fish lined up in the seams picking off naturals as they find their way down the river. Drift and presentation is key when it comes to targeting these fish, having a long fine leader aids in this. The Rio Suppleflex 12ft 4X Tapered leader is my preferred choice with an extra 3ft of Rio power flex Plu s tippet in 5X down to the fly. Multiple customers have mentioned that these small flies are rather challenging to see on the water, adding a larger indicator dry 1ft above the lace moth helps give you a reference to where your smaller fly is.
Rosie and Zane hit the Lake edge earlier in the week and had a great time targeting smelting fish and finding success with both intermediate and floating lines using a range of different smelt flies.
Whilst still not in huge numbers reports of some stunning fresh run rainbows in the river have begun to trickle through the shop which bodes well for the upcoming winter season.
Tarn.