Weather: 12.4° Fine apart from areas of morning and evening cloud. Westerlies.
River Flow: 20.8 Cumecs (m³/s)
We were greeted by sunshine this morning following a reasonably gusty night. Colder temperatures and light winds, accompanied by a few stronger gusts, have put a dampener on the enthusiasm of some anglers. Those keen enough to brave the conditions have been out and about and have had reasonably good success getting into some fish.
The river has dropped back down to the low 20s after rising by roughly 25 cumecs following the small amount of rain we received. This brought a smidgen of colour into some of the rivers, although not a significant amount.
The Hinemaiaia has been strangely quieter in terms of angler traffic, while the Tongariro has seen an increase in activity.
Neil and the crew who headed over to the islands for a bit of a saltwater fly-fishing mission are now back in the country. Neil has been back on the river and has managed to get into some nice fresh fish on his two-hander. Despite the river being low and clear, he had good success using the ever-reliable Green Woolly Bugger.
I hit the Hinemaiaia on Monday morning with Rosie and my friend Luke for a little morning mission before needing to run some errands in Taupō. The Hine was incredibly low and clear, which made things a little tougher, but after donating a few rigs to the bush, I managed to convince two nice, fresh hens to eat a Pink Slushy. This was a little different from what we’ve been seeing on the sunny, clear-water days, but regardless, it seemed to be what they were keen on that morning.
Towards lunchtime, the wind started to pick up, which was good timing for us as we needed to head into Taupō.
Looking ahead to the rest of the week, we’re seeing the possibility of some rain, with showers expected for the most part and potentially some heavier periods on Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully, this builds a little as the week develops and we get some decent rain into the rivers. Wind will also be something to keep an eye on as the week progresses.
With the cooler conditions and the possibility of a bit of fresh water on the way, we’ve been tying gel eggs and slushies like mad in-store. The Slushy King himself, Tim, has been at the vise tying up another batch as we speak, so we’ll be well stocked for the coming week.
If you’re heading out in the wetter and colder conditions, we’ve also got you covered in-store with a great range of Patagonia rain jackets and a solid line-up of XTM thermals. Both are available online or in-store and should help keep you warm and dry while you’re out on the water.
Tight lines everyone!
~Niamh (Bluey)