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Its not just about the fishing.
Sat 8th October, 2011
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Mixed fortunes on the river this week depending when you fished. The first part of last weekend saw plenty of anglers trying the upper river pools but it was the Braids that again proved the more consistent. On a drizzly Sunday morning I tried the middle reaches. It was really quiet and I saw no one else other than a couple in the Hydro as I headed a bit further up. The fishing was also "quiet" so later I returned to town and walked up to Judges but I'm afraid it was again a disappointment, although this was set to change later in the week. 
With the forecast for rain and plenty of it,
I picked up Geoffrey and Peter on Monday morning from their accommodation at the Sportsman's Lodge. Both of them are from Sydney and are long-time mates. Geoff is a keen fly-fisherman and loves the outdoors especially his remote retreat in Tasmania.
Peter was a complete novice, preferring to carry a set of golf clubs when he goes for a walk. So with that in mind it was the learners area first. Geoffrey missed a couple using small globugs, then scored early with a perfect but undersized fish from the left bypass. Pete was still trying to cast using a golf swing so we moved to a more open stretch so that we could work on his technique.
He soon ironed things out {sorry guys} but before we left for coffee on our way upriver his best mate had another in the net. As we walked to Boulder Reach there was steady rain falling which never let up all day. Its got to be difficult for someone trying fly fishing for the first time to understand the appeal of standing in a cold river, soaked to the skin, hurling bits of fluff into the water. Too be honest by 3.30pm I was having difficulty myself but Pete's very dry sense of humour kept us laughing all day. Honors went to Geoffrey with five landed for the day plus a couple of releases. Back at the truck as we talked over a few cold beers it was obvious they had enjoyed the day despite the rain. Although this may have been influenced by a rafting party of very pretty teenage girls stripping out of their wet-suits not thirty meters from us. In fact Pete told me over dinner that night he wanted to book me the next day. He wasn't interested in fishing, he just wanted to sit in my truck at the car-park !
That night we had some torrential downpours and one of the biggest lightning strikes I've ever seen. The river rose steadily and peaked at 264 cumecs in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
It quickly began falling back during the day as the rain front moved through. With the Tongariro out of action for at least 24 hours a lot of anglers headed for Otamangakau. Its not everyone's cup of tea especially if you don't like crowds but with the canal colored and flowing there were reports of some good fish landed. 
The next day I fished with John Gregory, better known as the skipper of "PRIMETIME" probably the most famous big game charter boat in New Zealand. John has a love of the sea that goes back to childhood and after he completed his education eventually became a commercial fisherman.
He also has fond memories of many family trips to Taupo as a small boy. Every so often he comes back for a week or two to explore old haunts and catch up on the inevitable changes. Although a lot of his year is spent giving anglers from all over the globe the ultimate adrenalin rush, he still loves to take time out to visit Turangi and the Tongariro. 
Over a "few" drinks at the bar of the Bridge Motel he showed me an impressive photo gallery of huge fish which included blue and black marlin, broadbill swordfish, mako mahi-mahi, bronze whaler, tuna, spearfish...its a big list.
I had to ask the obvious question of how anyone involved in the high octane world of big game fishing could possibly get a buzz from catching a trout. He explained that walking and fishing the Tongariro river takes him back in time to a place he and his father spent many happy hours together...something he now shares with his own son. Fortunately John likes an early start. It was still dark as we waded the shallow crossing in the Braids on Wednesday morning. Things were just beginning to return to normal after the rain, but at first it was still carrying a little bit too much color and although the flow chart showed 30 cumecs it looked higher. We had decided to concentrate our efforts here and in the town pools to hopefully find some runs going through. Things got off to a slow start with only a single hookup in the first hour. In one well known stretch that has been producing for months we didn't even get a take. In fairness this is strong flowing water with very few places for the fish to escape even a minor flood. They were probably blown out but I'm sure in a day or two it will be repopulated with some good strong rainbows. This type of water rarely contains weak slabby trout, a classic example was the tail of the old Honeypot where you could nearly always pick up a good fish or two.
By 8.30am we could clearly see the beginnings of a change in the water as the color started to drop out rapidly. From here on the action never stopped all day. As expected a mixture of fish came to the net. Some of the darker jacks were suffering badly from the effects of spawning and others probably washed down from the upper reaches were looking a bit sorry for themselves. But in amongst them were good numbers of hard-fighting fresh fish and several of these made it quite clear they had no intention of staying attached to our line.
The fresh had not only triggered some fish to run but with most of the slime now gone, wading was much safer and easier than it has been of late. It was also reassuring to see that a couple of pools around town which haven't been that great recently were now worth visiting again.
By the time we got back to the Braids quite late in the afternoon John was well into double figures. There was hardly anyone there so we spent most of the time in the Spot X bypass.
As expected after some decent rain this had fish right through to where it splits from the Lower Bridge Pool. With plenty of mayfly around most of his fish came to size 16 PT variant patterns either with flash or a copper bead...not always fished hard on the bottom. As the skies darkened and more rain threatened we decided to call it a day...and what a day...the best so far this year. After a quick shower we met up at the bar and just before we were about to order grub Geoffrey and Pete turned up. They had called over to say goodbye before they drove up to Auckland for a few days on their way home. After some quick introductions we moved a couple of tables together and the guys began to demolish Kent's beer and wine stocks.
When the dining room had finished for the night he joined us with his guitar. Geoffrey in particular enjoyed duetting with Kent on some of the old favorites...which I think would have sounded better if they'd been singing the same song. John had made it a priority to get me as "nissed as a pewt" and Pete spent most of the time trying to get us to drink one of the glasses of wine that were fast mounting up in front of him. We sat around until the wee hours talking shite, laughing, joking and enjoying the company. At one point Geoffrey looked over and grinned summing it all up when he said
"you know Mike its not just about the fishing"...he was right.
The mid-week runs have already reached the middle to upper reaches. John took eleven yesterday including a fresh four and a half pounder from stretches below the Blue Pool.
The unsettled conditions are set to continue with rain and showers forecast past next weekend. This is typical Oct-Nov weather and providing the river doesn't flood should keep those fish coming until the spawning migration eventually peaks. Wales are playing the Irish in Wellington tonight, so I've dashed back home for a couple of days to soak up the atmosphere in the Welsh bar. I'd love to see the boys do it but whatever happens it'll be a fantastic night. Its not just about the result of the game...its a bit like fishing I suppose.
Tight Lines Guys
Mike. |
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