Tongariro River Flow: 26.4 m3/sec
Weather: Light rain, clearing this afternoon
It has been a gloomy start to the morning here in Turangi with passing showers, but it is starting to clear up and the suns heat is looking to turn it into an extremely humid afternoon.
Customers have been coming into the store and commenting on the number of fish that begun feeding off the surface once the sun broke through this afternoon. Although there has been plenty of surface activity the stories of throwing an entire fly box worth of feathered feast with no success has been a common trend. During this time of year, we can experience prolific numbers of Lace wing moth AKA passion vine hoppers. These tiny, microscopic bugs must be like the trout equivalent of a Turangi steak and cheese pie because the fish will ignore literally every other offering, both natural and artificial as they hoover down these insects in mass quantity. Small dry flies in #16-#18 like the ones pictured below as well as long, fine leader and tippet materials out to 15ft in length and 5X in diameter are a must for consistently fooling these picky trout.
Lace moth fishing can be extremely frustrating but is also one of the more rewarding challenges we can face on the Tongariro River. It is a great way to improve casting accuracy and presentation whilst also having the opportunity to catch some stunning summertime fish.
Lars is a familiar face both in store and on the river for us here at Sporting Life and it is always a pleasure to catch up and enjoy his friendly smile while he is visiting on one of his annual trips from across the ditch. Lars has a knack for sniffing out some of the better fish around the river and this trip was no exception with these two stunning examples finding their way to the net on a recent visit. Thanks for the photos, Lars. We look forward to seeing you next time!
with the need to use light tippet and the size of fish around at present it pays to have a quality net to help you secure that prized catch as easily as possible. Mclean Nets are made right here in NZ and have long been the trusty on river companion of many guides and serious anglers a like. Rubber mesh helps reduce harm to the fish as well as eliminates flies and leader getting tangled after the fish is released, the built in Weight system is super accurate and will give you the ability to prove that your fish actually was thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis big *insert stretched arms*. Whether you are looking to blend into the foliage or stand out from the crowd we have a full colour range of these nets available for you to check out in store or online.
Tarn.