Tongariro River Flow: 54(m3/sec)
Weather: Showers, possibly heavy and thundery with hail from afternoon. Easterlies.
To answer most of the questions we have been getting this morning of "is the river fishable today?". It is, but the river still sitting at a solid 54 cumecs (although has already dropped 4 cumecs whilst typing this). So be extremely careful if entering the water and take a wading stick!
If I had a day off today- I would for sure be fishing the Tongariro or the Waitahanui rivers. Driving over the Waitahanui bridge this morning, there was a little colour, but not bad. I also caught 2 fishermen landing their fish at the stream mouth when I drove past- which is surely a good sign.
We have found in conditions like this, the fish are still moving as the river drops, so just find a comfortable place on the river and target the slow-moving parts of the river. Like the eddies beside the main flow, or the deep, slow-moving holes. Fish will hold in these spots before making their way further upriver.
Below is a photo taken from the Major Jones swing bridge (Upstream) this morning, with some examples of where to target when looking at the river. Pointing out the side eddies and softer water where fish will hold. Pink or orange worms, Glo-bugs, slushies, flashy naturals will all work well with the spawning runs beginning to kick in. Not to neglect the wet fly, swinging downstream with a high-profile bugger of some kind. if you're feeling extra dangerous, trailing your wooly bugger with a globug can be very expective with a slow retrieve.
We are well stocked up with materials and so on for your winter tying needs. We have found slushy material can be hard to keep up with later in the winter, so get in while you can.
We are currently working on some proper winter ordering, so should have the glo-bug and bomb tray filled up soon.
A reminder that winter in the Taupo tributaries is the best way to learn fly fishing, with thousands of hard fighting fish moving up the systems. We have a few guides that would love to help through the winter, so please reach out if you're interested in more details.
Tight lines everyone,
we hope to see you in store for a catch up soon.
Sportinglife Turangi