Greetings fellow fly fishers,
Well, we are now two days into spring, but with spring comes changeable weather. This past week has seen a lot of cold, blustery wind and not a lot of rain, which I was hoping for a week ago to get the fish moving. As of today (Wednesday), all rivers are very low and clear. The Tongariro is running at 21 cumecs, the Whanganui is 16 cumecs, and the "TT" is at a height of about 0.2.
I had a look at the mid-Tongariro pools today, and there were a moderate number of fishers around having mixed success. The trout seem to be in pockets, and in the gin-clear conditions, are pretty wary. When the fishing is testing, I like to target the fast, shallow water where often a trout may snap at a fly a bit more often than in slower, clearer conditions when, though they may be present, they may be less inclined to readily take a nymph. Small egg patterns are still doing it for me, in particular the Cleardrift Eggs available from I Love Fly Fishing in all shapes and sizes.
I took a moment to check out the new swing bridge at the Major Jones Pool, and it looks good and is very near completion. The bridge is being built adjacent to the original bridge, which has remained open for the majority of the time while construction of the new bridge has been underway. The old bridge has been in place for 70 years and has done a good job, but has come to the end of its life. I watched an angler swinging a good line just upstream of the bridge, and I could see a couple of fish deep in the pool that he was targeting. The fish were not having any of it, however, and this is what gin-clear conditions can do. The next coming days see similar weather on the way, with possibly some decent rain coming Sunday, so we will just have to wait and see.
Until next time,
Tight lines,
Regards,
Brian Willson,
Professional Fishing Guide
I Love Fly Fishing friend and Ambassador
Phone 021 667 867