Beautiful Tongariro River, Braids area.
Brian Willson NZPFGA member, professional guide and I Love Fly Fishing shop partner, 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 and if you want to call to the shop – 8 Wiremu Street – call Brian on 021667867. Brian fishes Euro/Czech, Dry Fly, Trout Spey, Nymph and Wet Fly.
Greetings fellow fly fishers,
Well, we are now into December and Christmas is just around the corner. Now is a great time to be fishing the central plateau as there are few fishermen about and still plenty of fish although a good number of these fish are now recovering after spawning but can still be expected to put up a good scrap as they are keen to put condition back on.
At time of writing the Tongariro has a milky green tinge to it, and I think this is due to some maintenance work being done upriver by Genesis Energy. Hopefully this will clear up sooner rather than later as it makes spotting fish difficult and, I believe, fishing in general, harder. More and more fish are starting to rise now so I am hoping we are going to have a good dry fly season this summer and beyond.
I took an English client over to try his luck on Rotoaira the other week and a good number of fish were caught. I have always found over the years that this lake is not short of fish. They are smaller as a rule than fish that you will catch out of Lake Taupo and the surrounding rivers, but they are great fighters and a lot of fun on light gear. Remember you can buy a fishing license for this lake without also holding a Taupo license now. Good value for money. It is handy if you have a boat and if the day is windy, you can easily find shelter on some part of the lake or even around the solitary island in the lake where the fishing is generally very good.
The Tauranga Taupo River is still worth a look and if you decide to fish it you can expect little company at the moment. The same can be said for The Hinemaiaia River. I am still catching fish on egg patterns and more and more fish are attacking the “Bomb” at the front as they are keen to smash anything to put condition back on.
As always, all your fly fishing and fly tying needs call and see me at the I Love Fly Fishing Shop in Turangi, 8 Wiremu St, phone 021667867. If there is anything you need, give me a ring and I will open up anytime (within reason of course 
), just call me and I’ll sort you out. 021667867.
