It's an overcast day in Turangi with a light drizzle beginning to fall. We have been hammered by strong winds the last few days. It seems to have eased a little bit but there is still a stiff westerly blowing through town making casting challenging. We received a decent amount of rain a couple days ago but only enough to make the river rise a few m3/sec. The Tongariro is crystal clear and flowing at 27.5m3/sec.
Yesterday afternoon I decided to switch things up from my usual spey set up and take out my single hand 6wt armed with the Rio Premier 24ft sink tip in 200gr (ideal for 6-7wt rods) this line was a machine at cutting through the gnarly wind and a handful of beautiful silver fish took a liking to my #10 woolly bugger as the sun set.
FISHING ETIQUETTE!!!
There is a large number of anglers in the area at the moment and it becomes increasingly important at this time of year to respect other anglers on the water.
There is a long-standing code that anglers voluntarily adopt to make fishing the rivers and lake an enjoyable experience for everybody, Below I will post a brief overview of the Anglers etiquette. whether you're a seasoned angler or a newcomer to the area I urge everyone to read the below information and take it into account while on the water. If everyone adopts this code, it will be an enjoyable experience for all.
On the rivers
Smaller rivers
If you're fishing one of the smaller rivers and find a pool is already occupied, leave the angler to it and move onto a quiet stretch.
Major rivers
- No single method has right of way over another, for example, a wet-fly angler moving downstream through a pool has equal rights to a nymph angler moving upstream.
- Always enter a pool behind an angler already fishing – it’s a good idea to speak to other anglers first, as a friendly exchange can avoid tension.
- If the pool you want to fish is full, never push in – simply wait until someone leaves or move on to another spot.
- If you're sharing a pool, steadily fish your way through it – don’t occupy a single spot indefinitely.
In all cases
- If an angler beside you hooks a fish, leave them room to play it and allow them to return to their position after they have landed it.
- If you have hooked several fish in succession in one spot, move a few steps so someone else can get the same opportunity.
- Don't be so close to another angler that you restrict their casting.
At this stage it looks like we will be waiting until the weekend before we have any chance of the river rising. For now, small wet flies and natural nymphs will continue to be the best options for success. We appreciate all the support we've had through the shop over the past week and will be sure to keep you updated to the best of our ability.
Tarn.