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Brian Willson, professional guide, 021667867, brings us his weekly fly fishing report from Turangi for the Central North Island lakes and rivers.
Hello fellow fly fishers,
Well it has been another fine week of fishing in the Turangi region. There has not been a lot of rain since the last report and therefore the rivers have dropped and cleared a bit but still in good shape for some good action fishing. I managed to spend a bit of time on all of the big 3 rivers in the Turangi region which are the Hinemaiaia, Tauranga Taupo and Tongariro Rivers.
Earlier in the week I targeted the TT. There were a number of cars in the carpark but this does not concern me on this river as the walking track on the true left bank is long and there are always another pool just around the corner that will be unattended if a former pool is crowded . At this time of year the fish are readily available throughout the entire length of the river. The spots that I normally fish were taken on this occasion but I found some likely looking water a bit further up river. I was fishing below 3 other fishermen and was soon into a fish, then another and another. The fish were everywhere and I could see a number of them finning up very shallow riffles (about 6 inches deep), and so I cast my nymphs to those I could see. I caught and released a few more fish and then decided to give them a rest for the afternoon. I never like to catch too many fish if they are really firing. Once I have had a good bit of action I am happy to vacate an area or even the river. All the fish took a Cleardrift egg. Love them or loathe them, at this time of year they do hook up a lot of fish. Consider using barbless hooks with the egg patterns. I have found, if played correctly, you will not lose too many fish and it certainly is easier to remove the hook if you are practicing catch and release.
Today, (Wednesday), I decided to target the Hinemaiaia River. On arrival at the river I was met with a medium flow and surprisingly not a lot of anglers. I love this river. Very beautiful with an abundance of bird life and fish. I was into fish immediately and , like the TT, the action came fast and furious. Once again the cleardrift egg was doing the trick trailing behind a bomb. The fish were a mixture of fat fresh fish and some that had already spawned. This is becoming common on all rivers. The fish that are a bit spent still put on a good scrap however and can fool you a bit at times. So I was happy enough with that and went home for lunch and decided to check out the Tongariro in the afternoon. The Tongariro at the moment is full of fish and there are a lot of happy anglers telling me of battles won and lost. My trip to the Tongariro was mainly a checking out process and I could see good numbers of fish in the river. It is running at about 30 cumecs at time of writing and is quite clear. Once again the cleardrift eggs are working with the odd fish taken on the “bomb”.
I have had a lot of fishers in the shop this last week buying all sorts of things from fly tying gear to rods and waders. We have a lot of different materials for tying flies and more to come by the end of the month so if you are in Turangi, come and see me in the I love fly fishing shop, 8 Wiremu Street, Turangi. Give me a ring on 021667867 anytime and I will open up for you.
So , until next time,
Regards,
central north islandfishing reportfly fishingnew zealandnorth islandriver fishingtauranga-taupo riverTongariro Riverturangi
Brian
My name is Brian Willson and I have been a fly fisher for over 50 years. I am a professional fishing guide and current NZPFGA member of which I have served at executive level and have guided anglers of different skill sets, ages and gender from all over the world. I have also written two books on fly fishing and am a keen artist. I am passionate about fly fishing and the therapeutic qualities it offers and enjoy sharing this experience with people on and off the water. Over the years I have made some amazing friendships that continue to this day. I have partnered up with one of these friendships, Barrie Barnes from I Love Fly Fishing, and I sell exclusively, quality, affordable fly fishing gear at my premises at 8 Wiremu Street, Turangi, the designated I Love Fly Fishing shop in Turangi which is open all hours— just ring 021667867 anytime. I take a serious interest in my clients and freely offer advice when asked and am happy to talk fishing anytime. Tight lines, Brian Willson
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