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It just gets better...
Sat 19th August, 2017
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It just gets better ... and its been another wonderful week on the Tongariro.
Flows hovered between forty and fifty again for most of the time and this combined with a slightly murky color provided perfect conditions. Wet-liners definitely had the edge until mid-week, particularly in some of the pools. But a lot of the color has dropped out the last couple of days and "nymphers" have had a ball.
Glenn Goode and his son Chris know the river well and they had some beauties yesterday.
I bumped into them late afternoon as they made their way back to the car-park and by then their tally between them for the day was twenty one landed ... plus the inevitable early releases.
When the river is fishing like this you'll often hear similar accounts from Tongariro regulars. And if you're interested in fish numbers its usually more than ten ... less than twenty.
All week Blue has been inspecting anglers catches as we walk the tracks and the majority seem to be delighted with the improved fishing this year. But with more anglers on the river problems can arise.
It doesn't happen often and usually occurs when someone doesn't understand the angling etiquette that most reasonable fisho's adhere to on the Tongariro.
The first angler on the water has the right to fish where they like and move either up or downstream.
If he or she is nymphing it will usually be upstream.
When wet-lining it'll be downstream.
If you arrive second its generally considered polite to ask the other angler where they'd prefer you start fishing. If there is more than one it'll mean approaching the person fishing nearest the tail of the pool. As always communication is the key and will help iron out any misunderstandings before they escalate.
Once you commence fishing, move through the stretch at a reasonable pace.
If an angler is playing a fish and moving towards you its common courtesy to stop fishing and get out of the way and when he's unhooking the fish don't jump into his spot.
How fast you're able to move through will to some extent be dictated by other anglers that are either above or below you {depending which direction you're fishing} Problems arise when an angler develops "concrete feet syndrome" or when you have a mixture of nymphers and wet-liners, by which time I personally would have moved on.
None of this applies to the Bridge Pool where over the years a completely different set of rules has evolved. To avoid any argy-bargy simply remember to treat others as you would expect to be treated yourself...after all its just fishing. 
A lot more hens landed this week, many of them heavy with eggs. Most of the jacks caught now are in full spawning mode and will often be near redds.They'll be sporting large kypes and rows of needle sharp teeth which they use when defending females from other males. You've probably already noticed the teeth while removing your fly.
The jacks that have been chasing hens for a while will also be a lot darker in color, something that happens when they become hyped up and aggressive.
You can tell immediately when you hook a male trout. Right from the get go they will try and bully you with lots of head shakes and deep, determined runs. And the whole experience feels very different than when playing a hen. 
With the river still carrying some color most nymphers have stuck with globugs ... and wet-liners, woolly buggers ... so no surprises there.
A beautiful day on the river yesterday and it was pleasantly warm in the late winter sunshine. Although when Fransham resurfaced after diving into the tail of Boulder Reach he reported it was much colder than it looked ...or words to that effect!
An improvement in the weather for the first half of next week with showers fading away and more settled conditions. Much cooler than of late with the return of morning frosts.
The color should drop out as the week progresses so don't be afraid to take the globug off now and again if you're nymphing.
Expect the river to continue to fish well with plenty of those quality rainbows that have been such a feature this year.
Tight lines
Mike |
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