Went back into the new area we explored yesterday and was shown and easier track in. Tried to make sure we were quieter this time so that Charlie had a chance of spotting a deer but none were spotted. Fantastic little waterfall in the middle of the walk down to the river but a pretty easy and safe track for a fit person. I guided Charlies mate Dave who was down from Auckland for some fishing. Dave hooked 6 and landed 4. My mates Johan and Ross Novak hooked 8 and 9 respectively while I hooked 2. The fish averaged around 4 – 5 pounds with one bigger brown of Daves going over 6 pounds. Charlie from Spot X Lodge also hooked 3 and landed 1 – he lost the first one and landed the second before I told him I had flattened the barb on his hook!! Not bad for a bit of reconnaisance. Am starting to get the lay of the land in there. Charlies ex- professional deer hunting skills came in handy when we came out yesterday as I completely lost the track.

Tongariro Report

Barometer: Falling

Cloud/Wind: Getting windy and cloudy

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Low and clear

Recommended Flies: Ross’s black H & C rubber legs, Hare and copper, flashback pt

A great day exploring with Ross Novak and Charlie Dickson from Spot X Lodge. The photo here is of a nice brown which Ross landed in a new section of water to me. Charlie is to Ross’s right in the photo. Ross hooked 5 and landed a couple as we quickly walked past 90% of the water to explore further. The water is capable of far more trout and hopefully this will proove the case tomorrow when I take a friend of Charlies fishing who hasn’t done much for a while.

Tongariro Report

Barometer: Rising

Cloud/Wind: Cloud gone by this evening and wind dropping

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Low and clear Tongariro but coloured in river 3

Recommended Flies: Black hare & copper rubber legs – Ross Novak ties

Had a good aftenoons fishing with my mates Ross Novak the gold miner from Alaska, Charlie Dickson from Spot X Lodge and Johan the South African who works for MAF in Auckland. We explored a stretch of water through Nadine’s (Charlies wife) uncles farm which has shown promise when I have tried it with Mike Burgin and Charlie before. I went downstream with Johan through the bush and found a route through to where I had been before and after 3 average pools which resulted in 4 hookups and two landed for Johan and one for me before we found ourselves gorged above and below. Charlie and Ross started in the area where we parked the car and Ross found a pocket below where we had previously fished where he hooked 5 before him and Charlie cleaned up out of a little run just above the car hooking a dozen or more total between before returning to base. This is a picture of Johan with a nice brown – his rainbow was bigger but this photo turned out better. Knowing the water above where Ross and Charlie fished and knowing the water below the two gorges I could see now confirmes two more beats with little walking for clients!

Tongariro Report

Barometer: Fallen but steady now

Cloud/Wind: A bit of wind and small amount of rain this afternoon.

Water Temperature: Have received a thermometer from Ross Novak so will be able to give the water temperatures at last – when I remember to add it to my vest! Next I want an oxygen reader.

River Conditions: Low and clear

Recommended Flies: Sawyers pheasant tail, black stonefly/colobriscus humerlaris imitations in river 4

Ross Novak my ace American fly fishing buddy arrived in from Alaska today. Picking him up from the airport I must admit to being more concerned with the contents of his bags than his person as he has access to Cabellas! After taking his bags and him back down to Turangi we unpacked all his new toys and went to the Tongariro to try out his new 6wt Sage SLT with his new Scientific Anglers Sharkskin line. I am impressed. We did a bit of dry fly on Tongariro and I landed a few and Ross landed around 5 and missed twice as many – out of practice. The shr

Ross Novak my ace American fly fishing buddy arrived in from Alaska today. Picking him up from the airport I must admit to being more concerned with the contents of his bags than his person as he has access to Cabellas (I expected him to arrive dressed in red and white and arriving towed by raindeer rather than a plane though)! After taking his bags and him back down to Turangi we unpacked all his new toys and went to the Tongariro to try out his new 6wt Sage SLT with his new Scientific Anglers Sharkskin line. I am impressed. We did a bit of dry fly on Tongariro and I landed a few and Ross landed around 5 and missed twice as many – out of practice. The Sharkskin line appears phenonmenal at this stage of testing.

Tongariro Report

Barometer: High but falling slowly

Cloud/Wind: A bit of cloud and slight wind

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Low and clear

Recommended Flies: Parachute Adams

After finishing a day early with James Vanderhoof due to his jet lag recovery day being sacked in favour of fishing I had a chance at last to go fishing myself. The fishing could only be described as awesome! In 2 or 3 hours I struck at around 30 to 40 rainbows – all recovering in the river after spawning, landed and released around 20 – all on dry fly and all in the 2 – 3 pound range. Fantastic sport to any real fishermen even though the fishing could probably be described as too easy for an experienced fishermen but would have been great to be guiding a beginner today!

Tongariro Report

Barometer: High

Cloud/Wind: Nill

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Low and clear

Recommended Flies: Adams dry

Another great day for James Vanderhoof from California yet again today. To give some different scenery we went into a wilderness fishery targeting the big ones with the possibility of getting none. James however pulled though managing to land 1 out of 5 hooked. 3 of the 4 that got off were 8 pound + browns, one was unseen and then there was this superb rainbow at just over 7 pounds. The last brown took a dry towards the end of the day but then the bought dry fly hook broke!

Tongariro Report

Barometer: Steady

Cloud/Wind: Blue sky clouded over this afternoon

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Clear we we were

Recommended Flies: Hare & copper, Sawyers pheasant tail

A great day back country fly fishing in New Zealands Central North Island for James Vanderhoof from USA. James started the day with a few losses but ended landing 12 out of 21 hooked including a fantastic 5 and a half pound rainbow trout and this + 4 pound brown trout.

Tongariro Report

Barometer: Steady

Cloud/Wind: Some cloud cover and wind increasing this afternoon. A few light showers out today.

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Low and clear

Recommended Flies: Hare & copper, Kauffmans flashback pheasant tail.

Took James back country again today though the water was still quite dirty. James had a ball hooking over 30 trout with a good mixed bag of around 20 rainbows and browns landed averaging around 2.5 – 3 pounds with the best landed being a brown of just under 4 pounds. James got one feisty rainbow on dry fly.

As I look out of the window while typing this, I can see the trout rising and I am going to cut this short to go dry fly fishing with Charlie from Spot X Lodge again.

Tongariro Report

Barometer: Rising

Cloud/Wind: Clearing

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Clearing around Taupo still reasonable dirty back country

Recommended Flies: Flashback pheasant tail, Hare & Copper, Adams Irristable

Though the back country rivers were still in flood today, James Vanderhoof still managed a stellar days fly fishing in Taupo’s water. We started early and James managed to hook 16 landing 8 including this Brown before we headed to the Tongariro. With fellow Anglers Anonymous guide Mike Burgin working the same water with Ross from the USA we had a great mid morning session of blind nymphing with Ross hooking around a dozen or more and James losing count of how many landed versus hooked though at the end of the day we know he had hooked over 40 and landed somewhere in the mid 20’s. Mike and I shared the water, our knowledge, and our flies well – culminating in a great afternoons dry fly fishing where each of our clients had around a dozen takes on dry fly and landed around half of these.

I finished the day having a dry fly fish-off with Charlie from Spot X in front of their Lodge. Charlie technically won I guess with 2 landed including a 3 pound rainbow, but I did land a second nice 2 – 3 pound brown in injury time. One of mine and two of Charlies were on parachute turkey sedges I had tied – note to myself – more hackle as didn’t float well! My other one, and one I dropped were on a black mayfly thing I found in my dry fly box and I missed several early on on some parachute dads favourites.

Tongariro Report

Barometer: Rising

Cloud/Wind: No wind a bit of cloud

Water Temperature:

River Conditions: Green and clearing

Recommended Flies: Pheasant tail, hare and coppers, glow-bugs, Adams Irristable drys were irresistable to the trout today – Mike put me onto these today