Weather: 15.7° Cloudy periods. Isolated showers, becoming confined to the ranges in the evening. Light winds.
River Flow: 20.5 Cumecs (m³/s)
Another very warm but overcast day here in the Central Plateau, with temperatures sitting in the high teens for most of the day and barely a breath of wind. With the school holidays coming to an end, there have been plenty of anglers making the most of their time on the river.
Reports coming through the shop have been very positive, with most anglers managing to land a good number of fish. We’re seeing a mixed bag overall, although there are still plenty of fresh fish coming through. We have had many new anglers also being successful on the start of their fly fishing adventures.
Natural patterns are starting to outperform egg patterns, but eggs are still producing fish during the early mornings and when a bit of rain rolls through.
We’ve also seen a nice increase in traffic through the shop as the lake fishing starts to pick up. Tim has been out on the big lake recently and has reported good success while jigging.
Trolling and harling seem to be fishing a little better along the eastern side of the lake, based on the reports we’ve been hearing. However, there appears to be less action around the river mouths at this stage.
Opening week around the country has been fantastic to see, with plenty of anglers making the most of the settled weather and getting out on the water.
Last night, I gave a presentation to the Women on the Fly group, covering some of the key safety tips, a bit about the main access on the Tongariro and essential gear required for fishing in the area. The group was here for their Cast and Connect weekend, and hopefully the information came in handy as they headed out today for a mission on the river and some social fishing.
Insect hatches have been increasing, and we’re starting to see more fish rising to the surface. A few anglers have been lucky enough to convince the odd rising fish to take a dry fly, which is always a great sign as the season progresses.
Nat was out fishing yesterday evening and gave me a very excited phone call after landing a beautiful brown trout. It’s great to see a few more browns making their way to the net, particularly when they’re in such good condition.
Looking ahead, we’re expecting some rain tomorrow, with the possibility of heavier falls before things begin to ease towards the evening. Hopefully, as the week progresses, we’ll receive enough of the forecast rain to help lift river levels, which are currently in a pretty desperate state. Temperatures are set to remain warm, but cooling as the week progresses, with daytime highs sitting in the mid to high teens through to at least the end of next week.
As we edge closer to Labour Weekend, we’ll continue to keep the shop well stocked with all the boating essentials for those planning to make the most of the long weekend out on the lake.
We’re all looking forward to seeing how things develop as we continue to work our way through spring. With a bit of much-needed rain on the way and fishing activity continuing to pick up, it’ll be interesting to see what the coming weeks bring.
Tight lines, everyone!
~ Niamh (Bluey)