Greetings Fellow Fly Fishers,
Well, another week has gone and it seems that it won't be long before October 1 comes around, which will open up a lot more fishing water in the area through the Fish and Game licence. In the meantime, there is plenty of good fishing to be had in the Taupo district. We still haven't had a lot of rain and all rivers are low and clear, which means more stealth and care is often required to be successful at the river. It is amazing how much the lake has dropped in the last month due to lack of rain and hydro power draw-off. At time of writing, the Tongariro River is running at a level of 21 cumecs, the Whanganui 14 cumecs, and the "TT" at a height of .175. For this time of year, these are as low as one could expect levels to be in summer. The fish are in the rivers; however, a patient approach is required.
I had a bit of business in Taupo yesterday and decided to check out the Hinemaiaia River on the journey back to Turangi. The Hinemaiaia is also very low, probably 200–250 mm lower than what I like. However, there was no shortage of fish that I could spot and certainly no shortage of anglers. I started fishing and for the first hour nothing was happening for me, and I couldn't hear any roars upstream or downstream from any other anglers either. In fact, a lot of them were packing up thinking the action was gone for the day (it was about 1pm).
Now here are a few tips for this river. Firstly, the Hinemaiaia River is probably the most fished Taupo river in winter and the fish normally come on early in the morning but can go off the bite after multitudes of fishers have been thrashing the water for a sustained period. It generally always resumes to somewhere near normal once activity dies down a bit, and therefore early to mid-afternoon with a lot less angling pressure can be very worthwhile — the trick is to be around for the second coming. Secondly, sometimes fishers can spend a lot of time with no reward casting to fish they can see but not getting the take. These non-responsive fish are spooky and have no doubt had enough of artificials floating past them. If this is the case, consider casting to fish you cannot see — drifting your nymph past an obvious snag (as close as you dare) or under an overhanging blackberry bush on the far bank. If there is not a fish there, it won't be long before there will be; fish these areas slowly and thoroughly. Thirdly, where possible cast your line for some distance directly upstream every now and then — this creates a drag-free drift, as good as Czech nymphing on the way down. Finally, don't bypass fast shallow water. No water is too fast for a trout to hold a position; they know where to lie to get relief from the current.
In the next hour and a half I caught and released several fish of generally very good quality, although one looked more like an eel, surprisingly. The fish were mainly jacks and I would say my catch ratio in this river in winter is probably 4 jacks to 1 hen. This isn't because there are more jacks in the river — rather, they are more aggressive than the hens and therefore make more mistakes, it would seem. There is some bad weather coming but I think the South Island is going to get the bulk of it. Hopefully we get a bit up here to give the "TT" and Tongariro a much-needed fresh. Well, that's it from me for another week, so until next time — tight lines!
Regards,
Brian Willson,
Professional Fishing Guide.
P.S. Note a number of fish caught on the Cleardrift Egg, which is working very well at present. A variety of eggs are available from I Love Fly Fishing, either made up as flies or separate.
Brian Willson
Professional Fly Fishing Guide
ILFF Friend and Ambassador
Phone 021 667 867