Weather: Partly cloudy with rain forecast for tonight and later in the week 🌧️
Over the weekend I had some great fishing through a variety of water on the Tongariro and explored some pools that were unfamiliar to me. I spent a decent amount of time fishing some deep, swirly pools with a large NZ strike indicator and a dropper length approaching 6ft at times. The bomb flies I was using were the Gummers Carpet Caddis PTB or a #8 Black Bead Hare and Copper with a 5mm bead to get super deep. These were fished with a more natural #14 Copper Bead Hare and Copper trailing behind. Water loading and Tongariro roll casting was very helpful in getting these flies right out across the deeper pools and demanded some big yet delicate mends to get a natural drift. I picked up a lot of fish towards the ends of my drifts, in the tail outs of the deeper pools.
Reports from other anglers are very positive with good numbers of fish hiding out in pods throughout the river, with anglers who are able to find them pulling multiple fish from a single piece of water. However, with conditions still low and clear these fish are always moving and each day is different. Covering lots of water is key, in particular finding those spots that are a little more tucked away from most angling pressure or being first on the water in the morning. Things are stacking up to be a great winter season with a lot of the fish being caught holding some great condition.
We've recently restocked the hire waders supply here at Sporting Life with 10 new Redington Escape Breathable waders in our arsenal, ready to keep you nice and dry over the winter season!