After a night of rain showers it was a surprise to see the Tongariro and Tauranga Taupo rivers in a reasonably fishable state but after some heavy downpours through the morning that finally hit the upper reaches the Tongariro in particular jumped in flow from the mid 40's to a high of 130cumec by mid afternoon. At time of writing it has had another boost to 153cumec, with more rain in the forecast overnight it may get some extra puff and we'll have to wait until the morning to get a clearer picture of where it ends up.
We had reports of some fat Rainbows from the Hinimaiaia, Tauranga Taupo and Tongariro Rivers before the flows came up and we are all keen to see what moves through the streams after this latest flush. It's always worth having a look at the Waitahanui as it will generally clear before the smaller streams. There is always the chance of encountering one of the big Brown Trout that call this one home if you can get past the hungry Rainbows first.
I was over the moon to bring this chunky Rainbow to the net earlier in the week. It was another victim of the Sage Trout Spey which has been working a treat lately, I don't care what Theresa says about being old now it sure gets the job done for me so bring on those cold frosty mornings and jumpy silver Trout I say.
