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How's the fishing? ... slow.
Sat 16th July, 2016
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A more wintry feel on the river this week, especially the last couple of days. Frosty mornings and light winds gave way to cold south westerlies and heavy showers.
 This put some color into the Tongariro as flows peaked around 75 cumecs midweek.
You would have expected this to kick things off a little but the buzz word along the river continues to be the word "slow".
A lot more jacks getting caught and there are increased signs of spawning activity as small pods of fish sneak upriver.
With fish spread out like this it still pays to keep on the move.
I had a day on the river with Mike on Monday and it wasn't until we'd relocated four times that we found a few fish late into the afternoon.
Mind you I don't think we'd have been that bothered if we hadn't.
I enjoy fishing with Mike. If we catch a few ... great ... if we don't that's great too.
There's a wonderful Celtic expression containing the word "craic" which originated in Ireland. "Its all about the craic"... basically it means it's all about having fun.
I think when we first get bitten by the fishing bug our only goal is to get out there and catch fish ... lots of fish! But as you continue your angling journey you come to realize that getting a fish on the bank is actually only a very small part of a hobby that for many evolves into a lifelong passion.
 When we fished the upper river on Monday the fishing was again best described as "slow".
But it was a beautiful winter day with light winds and not a soul in sight.
Mike always has a small stove and "billy" in his pack. Every hour or so we'd take a break, fill the can up with river water and have a brew up ... you just can't beat it.
As you know, in between fishing, hunting and pheasant shooting Mike is an airline pilot.
Fortunately he's a fully paid up member of Air New Zealand's very generous WWYL scheme {Work Whenever You Like} but he's getting far to much practice because he ended up with eight.
And that doesn't include a big rainbow that bust him off in a less often fished stretch of the upper river.
THE DOWNSTREAM WATER LOAD
The heavy showers and gusty winds of the last couple of days have put some anglers off.
We'd all prefer to fly fish on calm, still days. But that isn't always the case and we sometimes have to cast in a tricky downstream wind when we're upstream nymphing on the Tongariro.
Even if you swop to short line methods like Czech nymphing, a stiff downstream breeze can put so much bow in the leader you're unable to stay in touch with the nymphs and detect the takes.
But when it's like this and you're fishing the indicator, downstream water loading can be invaluable.
As with any water loading technique how you "set up" the cast is important.
If you're on the TRB and the flow and wind is coming at your left shoulder ... take a few steps out and lay a nice straight line downstream, slightly towards the bank your casting from.
I can't stress this bit enough ... the line must be straight before you commence the upstream draw.
The wind will actually help with this.
Don't try and wait for the current to straighten out the line. When you do this you risk the nymphs snagging up, which could result in a broken rod tip when you begin the forward cast.
So if its not straight ... re-lay it.
Let the flies settle for a second but not too long or they'll sink to the bottom.
I prefer to turn my wrist here so that the reel faces outwards and the rod is roughly parallel with the top of the water.
Now maintaining this flat casting arc draw the line upstream along the surface in a smooth progressive acceleration.
The friction caused by the water molecules trying to "hang on to" the fly line will load the rod. This is why its vital to eliminate any slack before you begin the cast. If you don't, you'll be halfway through the casting arc before the rod begins to load, during which time the flies will have continued to sink and you'll be unable to lift off smoothly.
Once you get this right, as you lift off, keep the rod tip low so that the line is propelled upstream under the wind.
 If you happen to be on the TLB with the wind and current coming at your right shoulder ...lay the line downstream again slightly towards the bank you're fishing from. But this time if you're right handed the rod will be traveling across your body towards your left side when you do this.
Its a fairly easy cast to master and will keep you fishing when some give up.
Having said that an unexpected gust of wind can catch out even the most experienced angler and Steve Bodine from Michigan discovered a bomb up the nose was nothing to be sniffed at!
You can stop laughing now Jimmy.
 
So a slightly better week on the Tongariro with just enough fish around to keep things interesting ... if you're prepared to move around.
I found a few close to town on the 5 wt earlier in the week.
For instance the brown took right under the rod tip in three feet of water. It was fat with eggs and was quickly returned.
With a report to write ... no fishing for me today but I'll be out tomorrow to see if there's any change after yesterdays wet weather.
Best stretch for me this week ... the upper river.
A few more anglers on the Tongariro but I hear some of the smaller northern rivers are getting a lot of attention and Sean emailed me a pic of a big rainbow jack caught in the Hine.
Rain or showers forecast for the next ten days with some gusty winds until early next week.
See you out there
Mike |
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