Tongariro River Flow: 30.0m³/sec Weather: Partly Sunny 

The rivers settled nicely after the downpours seeing the crew get into some great fish on the cicada patterns hitting the water with a big SPLAT or via naked nymph (nymph without indicator, watching for fish body language to detect an eat) 😉 

The river mouths and lake edges continue to provide great fishing for those wanting to fish with a smelt fly or booby. Stripping baskets are a must when heading out to the rips as it retains your fly line keeping it out of the water which may impede your casting distance.

For now, we have one left until our next order arrives Loon Flexi Stripping Basket – Sportinglife Turangi 

Gabe and I needed a day of casting cicadas to willing trout, and we certainly found them! They were all spritely seeing us having to keep up with them as they shot up and down stream paying no mind to the boulders or rapids. 

I was using my much-loved Sage Trout LL while Gabe casted his Redington Butterstick which is a fiberglass rod and a great novelty when playing those hard fighting rainbows.

We have the current model instore and online Redington Butterstick 2022 580-4 – Sportinglife Turangi 

It was lake edge fishing for Brad and I seeing good numbers of rainbows to the net and picking up momentum on dark, no brown trout for us but the odd well-conditioned rainbow was well received, and one in particular was too good not to be enjoyed on the table - as you can see the colour of the flesh is outstanding.