Frequently Asked Questions

Unless you absolutely need to, it is better to leave your own tackle behind and use ours.  We use a mix of rods including some Sage's.  Some people obviously will be used to the balance and action of there own which is fine but be prepared for delays at the airport as your gear will likely be inspected and cleaned by airport staff.  We are scared of transportation of invasive species to our rivers.

Bring comfortable clothing and 1 fleece top in case of cool weather.  AA has everything else including basic medical supplies, wet weather gear, breathable waders, rods, reels, lines, polaroid's, hats, etc ....

Should you wish to bring your own then we recommend reading the following.  If you must bring your own then please realize that we must clean the equipment particularly wading boots and waders unless you get this done for you by airport staff on the way into New Zealand.

During summer we use a lot lighter gear than in winter - not due to the size of the fish being any smaller but due to the back-country and wilderness water was generally being smaller.  Stop! All you Americans put those 3 weights back in the cupboard, New Zealand fly fishing requires is no such equipment, our New Zealand trout are just too big and wild and you will likely kill them by tiring them out too much during the inevitable ensuing battle! Instead we advise 5 and 6 weight rods with suitably balanced weight forward tapered floating lines in neutral colors like camo green or light grey.  For leaders nothing beats fluorocarbon in the 4 - 7lb bracket.  We generally prefer fluorocarbon for summer.  Polaroid's, hats, wading boots, breathable waders and a day pack are also useful.  For dry flies pretty much all dry flies particularly Royal Wulf's in 10 - 16, Parachute Adams, and attractors.  For nymphs, pretty much everything in sizes 14 - 18 but also some slightly weighted 10's and 12's.

For smelt fishing, a 10 foot 7 weight is ideal with 3 lines, weight forward floating, medium sink, and fast sinking shooting head.

During winter we go heavier and warmer.  Bring 7 or 8 weight rods and suitably matched reels with weight forward floating lines in any colors.  It can also be useful and fun to mix things up with a bit of streaming so if you can then also bring a fast sinking shooting head.  Waders are a must, and during winter it is advisable to wear warm clothes like polypropylene underwear and polar fleece also.  Polaroid's and a hat are also a must.  For nymphing, glow-bugs in sizes 10 - 14 and heavy weighted flies in sizes 10 and 12's referred to over hear as bombs.  If streaming is on the menu then a good selection of wooly buggers, rabbits, zonkers, etc will go down well.

You do not need to have fished before.  Your catch rate will be higher of course if you have done some fishing before but the catch rate is still pretty good around here even if you are a beginner.  Personally I love guiding people onto their first trout on fly, and it is good to have people who have no bad habits to begin with.

The rates change depending on how many days you are fishing with Anglers Anonymous.  We offer some multi-day deals that actually work out pretty cheap if you do the math's.  All of prices are on the Prices & Packages page For example we will include free accommodation and reduce the guiding rate.  The rate also includes all of the flies and equipment which would cost a significant amount otherwise.  We also provide lunches morning tea, transportation and everything else other than licenses.  You will catch a lot more with a guide and fish a lot better water also.  We can put you directly into the fish holding water with the right setup and advice to hook the trout.

Fishing if fishing and success is never a forgone conclusion.  Blanks do occur but very rarely and normally down to extremely poor weather conditions.  Fly fishing New Zealands North Island rivers I would expect 1 day in 50 to blank.  To get a better idea visit my fishing diary/BLOG which is recording catch rates honestly! My target is 20 hookups for an experienced fisherman and 10 hookups for a beginner although of course this is not always achieved.  If there are 2 of you then divide this by 2 as I can only be helping 1 person at a time.  Last year the variation was from 0 to 41 hookups.  The 0 hookup days both occurred in flood like conditions and I am not counting the dinks (little ones) that were caught.

We can tailor a trip for any level of fitness and ability - or lack of!

Yes, we fish several of the Urewera rivers.

We are based out of Turangi approximately half an hour south of Taupo on state highway as you head towards Wellington.  Our address is 110 Taupehi Road, Turangi which is about 100m North from the state highway 1 bridge that crosses the Tongariro river.

Taupo offers a great range of fly fishing opportunities all year round!

For trophy wild rainbows we have a high country lake with two small spawning streams.  This lake produces some magnificent fish and is open from the 1st of October until the end of May.  The predominant method for catching these fish is nymphing although other techniques and variations are used.  We have some secret patterns that are particularly effective but the angler must be skilled as the large wild rainbows and browns here will often drag the line though the weed of the lake bed and bust you off, particularly with the small size nymphs often used.  See Summer Lakes for further details.

The back country opens basically on the 1st of October and there is excellent fishing to be had mainly employing nymphing.

From December onwards dry-fly fishing is our main objective if the weather allows and really peaks around February and March.

Nymphing the back-country with odd good dry fly days from March onwards produces some of the best fishing as the fish will often be congregated at the heads of the pools and this time of the year has for the guide writing this actually produced the most productive days.  Fishing the back country can continues until the end of June.  See Summer Fishing for further details.

From June until the 1st of October is Taupo tributary time, with the Tongariro River, Tauranga-Taupo river, Hinemaia and Waitahanui being the rivers to fish.  At this time of the year these rivers provide some spectacular steelhead fishing (steelhead is the name given to a rainbow trout that basically is born in a river and grows up in an ocean or lake before returning to the river to spawn).  The best time for fishing is a day or so after heavy rain that causes a mini flood (fresh).  The fish congregate at the deltas (the river confluences with the lake) and when they taste fresh water they run as far as nature says they need to in order for the offspring to have a greater chance of survival.   See Winter Fishing for further details.

We fish both.  Choice of lakes or rivers is up to the client and we have numerous options for both including rivers suited to sight fly dry fishing, blind nymphing, rainbows only, browns only, both rainbows and browns, and lakes with high numbers of small fish and smaller numbers of big fish including trophies.  Lakes suited to buzzer style fishing, or wooly-buggering.