Weather: Sunny and no to low wind! Highs of 24°C with a breeze of 9 km/h.
Tongariro River Flow: 21.4 cumecs (m³/s) Very low and clear!
The cicadas are singing their hearts out along the river banks and ringing in our ears everywhere we go! The fish are becoming more used to seeing them falling on the water after last week's winds and with the first adults starting to die off as they've completed their final life cycle, after hatching from their long life underground and breeding for 4 to 6 weeks as adults.
Gary has been enjoying the cicada lake fishing at Rotoaira! With so many native trees around the edges and the open nature of the lake, cicadas are hitting the water on the edges, providing great explosive eats when presenting that heavy cicada pattern hard on the water.
Gary's Rotoaira set up:
Ross Evolution 5wt Reel, with the Rio Technical Trout Summer Floating line on the Sage R8 5wt rod and a Rio 10ft 3x Tapered Leader to a foam cicada pattern.
A reminder to all our anglers that Lake Otamangakau is now closed, and re-opens on the 1st March.
Gary has also been hitting the river at night and found this beautiful brownie after a number of feisty rainbows. This golden summer treat was more than happy to eat his small dark lumo fly and take him on a nighttime run before coming in for a quick photo.
Gary's nighttime river set up:
Gary uses the Redington Claymore Trout Spey rod paired with the RIO InTouch Trout Spey (Integrated Running Line) to enable long range delivery and therefore a longer swing back through the river, covering more water for a greater chance of a fish seeing your fly. On the end of the Spey line, goes the Rio Medium Trout Versileader 10ft of your choice for the depth of water you are fishing, generally the deeper/faster the water, the greater inches per second you will choose.
Keep enjoying the fishing everyone, see you on the water!
Rosie & Gary