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Is the Braids making a comeback?
Fri 7th August, 2015
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Now here's a welcome sight and one I haven't seen for a long time ... anglers fishing just above the old Spot X.
I'd love to see this much missed stretch of the Tongariro make a comeback. And for the last few years its always the first place I check out after we get a good fresh.
The Braids is one of the most unstable sections of the river made up largely of alluvial deposits washed down from other parts of the Tongariro. Even before they deliberately altered the rivers course here, there would be marked differences after every flood.
I mentioned a few reports ago that there may be the beginnings of some serious changes going on along this right hand side and do you know, for once I might be right.
The flow graph was showing 64 cumecs when I took these shots this morning but we won't know for sure until that flow rate halves. At the moment it does look as if the river has finally broken through again from the Lower Bridge Pool.
Rivers have a habit of sorting themselves out and despite the bulldozers trying to persuade the Tongariro that it should stay well away from the lodge I think it preferred things the way they were. It may take a couple more good floods to sort things out properly but I have a feeling the river will eventually win this one ... wouldn't that be nice.
Tight lines guys
Mike
UPDATE SATURDAY 8th AUGUST
I took a walk over to the Braids again this morning. The flows had dropped back to 50 cumecs and it still appears as if the river has broken through just to the right as you look upriver above the old Spot X. The true right hand channel that used to flow past the pine tree and down through Spot X looks to be redundant. But the flow is still good from the new channel through "The Stones" and down towards "The Plank". Its going to take another fresh or two but the longer there's water flowing down the rivers new course the deeper it will get and the more reluctant the river will be to give it up. I'm jumping the gun a bit but eventually we may get a "new pool" forming just below the point it now flows in from the "Lower Bridge". Anyway news travels fast in Turangi and already there were half a dozen anglers over there checking things out.
 
See you out there.
Mike |
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