Quote for the week: And anyone who thinks I brag in stating that I understand fish-thought is obviously ignorant of the way in which fish think. Believe me it’s nothing to brag about. (Quote from Australian TV and radio personality Rex Hunt.)
Fresh snow on Mt Ruapehu.
Brian Willson, NZPFGA member, is a professional guide and I Love Fly Fishing close friend and Ambassador, brings us his weekly fly fishing report from Turangi for the Central North Island lakes and rivers. For up to date info, for what flies are working call Brian, 021667867. Euro/Czech, Dry Fly, Trout Spey, Nymph and Wet Fly.
Greetings Fellow Fly Fishers.
Well, it is Thursday 24/ July as I write this, and I have just come off the Tongariro River. I elected to fish down by the Reeds to the Jones Pool. After the recent floods there has been quite a change in some areas to the river and a lot of the old track especially on the way down to the very bottom area by the Delacour’s Pool the track has gone completely. Doc have been busy however and cut a lot of new tracks to make access down here possible. There is a stretch down the bottom of about 10 metres that is pretty close to the eroding bank edge and by looking at the cracks in the top of the ground I would be certain that this part of the track will be gone come the next flood. Can’t quite work out why this part of the track wasn’t cut a bit wider to get back from the edge so be careful if you walk down here. There is no other way through because the scrub is all blackberry.
I was down this area earlier in the week and the river flow has changed quite a bit. The entrance down the bottom end of Grace’s Road is still OK (but I’d love to see them put a bobcat over it every now and then because there are a few nasty ruts). You used to be able to drive left onto the shingle when you got to the end of the track but now it is all river flowing through where you could park your vehicle. There is still plenty of space to park up though either straight ahead or right. There used to be a couple of places I could drop down to when walking upstream to the Jones Pool but that is out of the question now because I can still get down but would need a crane to get out.
So, I spent a bit of time fishing the Jones Pool which requires a long cast now to reach the foam line. I had some good action here both earlier in the week and today. The best fish I lost. It took off like a freight train downstream and I had no option but to follow it otherwise it was a certain break off. Unfortunately, there were a few snags downstream which I was aware of. The fish wrapped itself around a snag and I managed to work it off only for it to return to the same snag. No such luck this time and I broke the line at the base hook so as to give the fish its freedom.
The Cleardrift Eggs are working well, and it seems that there is no particular favourite colour. Darker Orange when the water is milky and maybe even go up to an 8 mm egg. But Chartreuse and Candy colours can work pretty well when the water lightens up a bit. I ran into a couple of anglers coming out today as I was arriving at the river around noon. I asked them if they left any fish for me, and they said “We didn’t even cast. The river wasn’t what we expected”. Sure, there have been a few changes down there with deep holes now that have been scoured out with the floods, but the fish are still there. They are often in slightly different places now, that’s all.
Erosion at the bottom end of the Tongariro River and frost still around at 1pm.
When I arrived at the carpark below Tongariro Lodge there were 4 cars. When I came out at 4pm there were 16 cars. Many anglers had just arrived. I always think the best time to fish at this time of year is between 10am and 2pm. The sun is on your back and the action can be superb.T here were areas of the track that never saw the sun still heavily coated with frost so make sure you have a good jacket out there. But on these frosty days normally the middle of the day is quite warm with the winter sun and the jacket generally comes off. Fine weather is forecast until the weekend, but another rain belt looks like it’s coming next week.
Well, that’s it from me again this week and as usual, tight lines.
For all I Love Fly Fishing gear check it all out out on-line at www.iloveflyfishing.kiwi and order what you need. Feel free to call Barrie, 021-925006 or barrie@iloveflyfishing.kiwi. You will receive your goods in quick order and at a great price.
Brian – NZPFGA Member,
