It is a grey overcast day here in Turangi and we have certainly noticed a drop in temperature in the afternoons this past week. The Tongariro currently sits at 51.4m3/sec and has been producing fish for our customers over the last few days. Sam is a frequent flyer here at the shop and after being understandably kicked out of the house by his partner for the weekend he decided to spend her hard-earned money on a brand-new Sage Trout Spey reel as an act of retaliation. However, the purchase was not made in vain as he had a great weekend on the river and manage to bring a lovely brown trout to the bank which I am sure was worthy of a champagne or two. Other anglers have come in with reports of success nymphing with both egg patterns and natural nymphs (a sign that winter is shortly around the corner). Neil has been out and about showing that a Category 3 Hare and Copper CTB in size 16 suspended under a dry fly is still a viable way to fish at this time of year with a handful of nice rainbows and browns falling victim to the infamous shop dad.
**HANAK TUNGSTEN BEADS**
We have just completely topped up our range of Hanak slotted tungsten beads and hooks! and we have some new product just in time for your winter fly tying. Hanak slotted tungsten beads are now available in 4.6mm and 5.5mm which will be perfect for plummeting to the bottom of the deepest of pools during the winter spawning runs (note; not all colour options are available in these sizes. see photo below for colour options.) These have just gone live on our website so CLICK HERE to grab some for yourself.
Stream mouth fishing is still firing and if you're a believer in the power of the moon there's no better time to be here than right now. as the days get colder more and more fish are bound to congregate at these stream mouths and we should be in for some stellar fishing leading up to the first decent spawning runs. Bring it on!
Tarn.