Weather: 10.2°Mostly cloudy with a few showers, mainly from afternoon. Northerlies.
River Flow: 22.6 Cumecs (m³/s)
This morning we woke to vastly different weather from what we had yesterday, with plenty of sunshine and reasonably warm temperatures throughout the day. I had a rare Wednesday off, so I decided to head out to the Delta first thing in the morning to see what was happening around the river mouth.
Unfortunately, we didn’t even get a touch while we were out there. By midday, we decided to head up to the big river to see if we might have a bit better luck, but it seemed to be just as tough. There were plenty of anglers out and about, and from all reports, it was a pretty challenging day all around.
We did, however, see a surprisingly large number of fish. Most were spawning and showed no interest in anything we threw at them, while others were incredibly spooky due to how clear the water was. Despite the lack of action, it was still great being able to watch them doing their thing!
Looking ahead to this weekend, we will see a recreational release take place on Saturday the 19th, which will affect flow levels on the Tongariro. If we don’t see any significant changes to river levels from the forecast rain, we can expect flows to reach around 35 cumecs.
We want to remind everyone that while this isn’t a significant increase in flow, it will still make a difference, and wading can become more challenging and dangerous. Take your time when out on the river and keep an eye on the river levels in case we see any further increases.
The release will begin at 9am, with water levels around the town pools expected to start rising at approximately 10am. The release will finish at 3pm, after which flows will gradually begin to drop back down.
Looking at the weather for the rest of the week and into the weekend, we can expect showers to continue right through the weekend and into the start of next week. At this stage, Friday is looking like it could bring some heavier showers. The wind is also forecast to pick up on Saturday night and into Sunday morning, which may be a bit of a nuisance for anglers, although it is expected to ease later in the morning.
Reports coming through the shop have been fairly bleak, but anglers are still managing to get a couple of fish to the net. We are seeing a real mixed bag at the moment, but as we transition into spring, this is something we expect to see.
There have also been reports of hatches in the afternoons, with some fish even starting to rise to them. The fish aren’t quite committing to taking dries just yet, but it’s certainly a positive sign as we head further into spring.
Natural patterns such as Pheasant Tails, Caddis and Hare & Coppers have been the go-to when the sun has been out. However, we are still hearing that egg patterns, particularly Slushies, have been very effective during the early mornings and on overcast days.
Personally, I’ve been sticking with a slightly larger dry fly, such as a churnobyl, and dry-dropping to reduce my chances of spooking fish with an indicator. This has been working much better for me than using a nymph indicator in the shallower water where I’ve been spotting fish.
Tight lines, everyone! Bring on the rain!
~ Niamh (Bluey)