Hey All,

I hard start to the week for most rivers, but it will end with a small burst of trout due to the rain we had yesterday morning.

The River to be on if you wanted to watch the indicator drop would have been the Hinemaiaia. Although the trout are a little dark at the moment there are a heap in there. I’ve mentioned it a few times now and will continue to do so. WATCH THE REEDS there are hundreds of them above the Bridge and each one is potentially full of eggs!!!!! I guided Phill from Australia this week and part of the deal was to get him onto trout using his 4#. The Hine was the river of choice and we manged to do it with relative ease, once he had mastered a few tricks. We had a good laugh at one stage as he hooked up into a good trout and got “”smashed”" all over the place, never in control of this feisty Taupo spawner.

The TT felt empty when I fished it yesterday and so I didn’t stick around there to long. The rip has been a bit slow too apparently!

The Tongariro was crap early in the week and needs a good flush to boot. We hooked up into a few trout there but it was VERY hard going!! What was nice to see where some good looking fish off Red Hut Bridge.

The Waitahanui has trout trickling through and once again these are the best looking trout in the Taupo system. I saw what looked like a 8-9 pounder come out of the cliff pool early on in the week and the angler said he had lost a bigger one straight after he landed the Hen. His eyes were still “”Wired”" from the fight he had.

As I say all the rivers should have had a small push of trout go through so enjoy your weekend fishing.

Regards Shane

Hey All,

Anyone fishing the Taupo Rivers this week would have found the going tough. Yes there are small groups of trout sneaking through but in general, all the rivers have slowed down, or stopped producing Trout!. Weather has to blame, we haven’t had a decent bout of the “wet stuff” for over a month.

6 pound Fluro, little flashy things and everything in between, would be my rig choice. Try and spot for the trout if you get onto a group and they are not taking, then change fly type and maybe size. All the rivers are flowing LOW and CLEAR so spotting with Polaroids and targeting trout can be a heap of fun in these conditions.

I did numerous sections of the Tongariro today and struggled to pick up two trout. Heaps of angling pressure too!!! Never saw another angler with a trout for over 6 hours. I’m sure they are in there somewhere though!! God the Tonagriro is a beautiful River, those deep pools raise the blood pressure every time I fish them!

Shane

Hey All,

Wow is it cold here at the moment, -4 in my car Saturday morning when I started it up at 6.30am. The mountain has a good covering of snow and the Kaimanawas have a topping as well. I fished the Tongariro on Saturday and the Southerly that was blowing down the river was nothing short of Arctic!!! I managed to get a couple of small spawning Hens and dropped something early into a fight that seemed a bit bigger, but in general it was hard going. The Mighty Mite from Feather Merchants did the job for me yesterday. I had tried all sorts including Green Cadis but as soon as I tied this little beauty on Bamm. It is a sparkly little bugger and with the sun shinning like it was, I think it did the trick nicely.

Today I took the girls out onto the Waitahanui to give them some training for the years to come. I picked up a nice fat Hen from Pig and would have given it the last rites but Alana wanted to watch it swim away and so it was let go. This was a rugby ball of a trout and gave a hell of a good fight. I had squawking, giggling girls in the background for an audience. Further up the river we spied a smaller Hen sitting happy in the current. I thought dropping a big Glowie on it with a piece of split shot might have spooked it, so tied on a Mighty Mite again. First cast and it opened its gob and inhaled it, much to the delight of Alana and Rylie, as they could see the whole thing. Once again it went back as it had “babies” sigh!! I decided then and there that if I want trout for dinner, they are not going to come with me. Apart from that the river seemed a bit barren. It was certainly low and clear.

If you are coming to Taupo this week then things are going to be a bit tough for you. The Hine would probably be the best river if you are after good fishing, although they are a bit dark in there by now, so catch and release may be the way to go. The TT is very low and clear, it got a bashing over the weekend as well so man will they be spooky. Naturals and a very stealthy approach, fish all the water too, ripply stuff and deep pools. There are certainly trout in the Tonagriro, Fluro, naturals and patience, move around as well. Try the pools on the True Right guys, these seem to get less pressure. Looking back in my log book, the purple colours started coming into their own at this time of year when the river was clear and the sun was out. Hunting and fishing in Taupo and Creel in Turangi have a damn good selection of these colours and you should have them in your fly box to maximize your chances.

Hope you all have a great time out there.

Regards Shane

Hey All,

The rain we were meant to receive never managed to get here and due to that all the rivers are now a little on the low and clear side, making fishing harder than what we have been experiencing.

The Tongariro certainly has had some poor reports coming in. I had two very good anglers fish that for a whole morning, picking up one small fish before throwing the dummy and heading back North to the Waitahanui. If I was going to fish the Tongariro I would start low, (way below the bridge) and move quickly through the sections. If you hit trout then slow right down and fish it thoroughly. For Gods sake use Fluro carbon and have a good supply of Naturals. Funny enough though in these conditions those egg imitations, (the ones that look like beads stuck together)  can come into their own now, especially in the deep pools. Give plenty of line between them and your weight to get a nice natural look.

The pressure on the Tauranga Taupo is dropping off as fast as the water!!  There are one or two deep pools through this river that will hold the trout and with the lack of pressure it can be a nice day out. Once again 6 pound fluro and naturals. Take your time in here and be stealthy, if you splash your way through the water you will find it HARD going!

The Hinemaiaia has dropped in volume, (finally) and because of this the snags have started to claim gear again. I did really well in there the other day with a red Copper John in #16. Choose your water in here or you will spend more time tying on new nymphs than you will fishing. I shot in there on Monday morning as a friend wanted a trout, I spooked a pod of about twenty trout in there at one stage and tried EVERYTHING in my arsenal to hook up. These guys were freaking out at the drift and so I ended up just looking at them and drooling!! Sometimes the trout win.

Ralph the “slayer” has been up here for a few days and spent a bit of time on the Waitahanui. He managed to pick up trout each day on this great little river and he recons the quality was out of this world. The report is that there are trout moving through again and they are all in fabulous condition. There are still quite a few good Browns in there as well apparently. Thank goodness for that as the last time I fished the Nui I got the skunking from hell!!

When the wind blows from the East the Trout Bite the least!!!

We need a change of wind and some rain. However I am not complaining as the fishing has been out of this world. It is aloud to go a little quiet for a day or so!!!! Hey the Rips may fire!!

Regards Shane

Hey All,

I was away for most of last week, but once back quickly got up to speed on the rivers and what has been going on.

Word on the street is that a few people are fishing without this years new license. Come on guys get with the program. Hope DOC are checking the Waitahanui like it was promised six months ago!!!!!!! This river is fishing hard at the moment. You can’t tell me that a fisherman can stand in the straight all day, when the trout are running and only take three fish. I have also been hearing that the rip is shallow!! In my 35 years of fishing the Waitahanui, the rip has NEVER been like this. The reason is quite simple. ROCK WALL!!! They dumped HUGE amounts of sand out there when it was built and this sand is not being taken away naturally as the “”Reef”" has impinged that current. I mentioned this three years ago when it was being built and I saw all the sand being dumped.

I got told about a huge Brown that was caught in the Hydro and has been shown on TRM’s report. Hmmmm looks like a Waitahanui Brown to me. Thats a spring creek hes standing by Ross!!! Haha Poaching our Trout and calling them yours now mate, that’s a new low for you buddy. Backed up by the living pine tree in the background. We all know if it was taken on the Tongariro the tree would be brown and dead!!! Great Trout though and the angler can be VERY proud of himself for landing it.

I have also had a few emails backing up my comments on the upper Hinemaiaia being open for anglers. Only time will tell on this one. Please watch the Reeds though guys, we as anglers can do a heap of damage by not watching where we wade. There are a heap of spawning trout up there at the moment, catch and release might be the order of the day, unless you get a silver one!!

The lake level has come up nicely and because of this the rivers are taking a little longer to drain after rain. The Tauranga Taupo has a steady trickle of trout going through because of this. Naturals will be the call of the day in here at the moment.

We are about to get another BIG dumping of rain as a nasty low comes down from the North. Watch the river levels and get here as they become fishable.

Regards Shane

Hinemaiaia Beauty, O for a wet line!

Hey All,

Things slowed down a little bit on all the rivers over the past week, as the more settled weather moved in and angling pressure remained relatively high.

I fished with a good friend on Thursday looking at the Tauranga Taupo and Hinemaiaia. The TT has had a few changes in river structure over the past two floods, with some water changing and new stuff opening up! Damn the Tauranga Taupo looks good!!!! There were trout in there just not in big numbers, you had to work for them. The level was just on .5 but was clear! The Hinemaiaia on Thursday was still producing trout. There are a heap of older trout above the bridge now, please take care when releasing them. I was asked the other day how I feel about the Hinemaiaia being opened up above the Bridge over winter. My answer was this. It is great for the angler, heaps more opportunities now, and the upper Hine is a pleasure to fish full stop. However, It will CERTAINLY effect the numbers of trout spawning in the Hinemaiaia, and what effect that has on the rest of the fishery, has yet to be seen. Me personally, I would have left things the way they were!

Yesterday I shot back to the Hinemaiaia as I needed to change my video clip, (Thanks Chris for the reminder). I have Steven this weekend and finally bought him his size 14 boots so he can wade again. With feet that big he should almost be able to walk on water!!! Anyway we went in above the Bridge and walked some considerable way, almost to the water supply sign. We hit a few trout but in general it was tough going. Very few anglers on the water yesterday. Anyway Steven had the video out for most of the morning, doing his usual brilliant job, but not fishing. We ran out of battery life before we ran out of fishy hook ups and so decided to end the day below the bridge with me giving him a little tuition. I decided a long time ago not to push the fishing thing on Steven, just because it is my buzz doesn’t mean it has to be his and he enjoys the video work. He hasn’t picked up the 8# for a very long time and expectations were a little on the low side from both of us    I was really impressed with how he started off. Stripping the line quickly from the reel and getting it downstream ready for the water load. His cast was accurate and his mend was positive, the little bugger hooked up on his first cast!!! The fat Hen went just over 4 pounds and gave him a really good fight, in snaggy conditions! Steven hasn’t taken a trout from the Taupo fishery before and so he gave it the last rites and will eat it smoked at his boarding school tonight, with his mates. He WILL be the man apparently, (haha). By this time it was pissing down and cold, as we passed a good looking spot Steve asked me if he could have a cast in there. As he had only had one cast for the day, I said yeah sure. Yip you guessed it, he hooked up again. This Trout was a little smaller but the fight was out of this world. It also got smacked on the head and is being given away. It has been suggested by  the young lad that next time I video and he fishes, sigh!!

Have a good week at work guys.

Regards Shane

Hey All,

I put a big day into the Waitahanui today, walking from the main Rd Bridge and fishing it hard right up to the snag pool, in the upper reaches. I was astounded by the lack of trout in there. Not only did I not get a strike all day but I didn’t see any of the buggers either!! I thought with the strong on shore wind and the extra water in there, (fantastic colour) the river should have been swarming with them. Not a bloody touch!!! There is a small trout fishing competition being held on the Waitahanui this coming weekend and they should be praying for a good run to fill its pools up, otherwise it is going to be freaking hard going.

The Waitahanui has had a bashing from anglers over the past month, as all, or most of the other rivers have been un fishable due to the rain. The tracks on the Nui are fairly muddy and you can tell it has seen some people. Apparently a group of trout went through, (bloody fast), yesterday but they are well gone by now! On my way back to the car I stopped at the bridge pool and believe it or not there were NO locals there. Whats more the Westerly was pumping in. Now I haven’t fished the Bridge pool for a number of years and so I couldn’t resist. Hehe I felt a little naughty too, fishing the mighty bridge pool. Alas like the rest of the river it sucked!!! Man I hope this river gets a run of Trout.

The upper reaches above the gold fish bowl can be full of trout and for the most they get left to them selves up there. The river is narrow, fast and tricky to fish. The TRUE winter limit is a long way up and if you know the secret little holes up there it can be a neat place to fish. Some huge trout make their home up there and they can be great fun to deceive.

The Waitahanui in my opinion is the most technical river in the Taupo region to fish. Mending, Water Loading, Roll casting and good line control are all required on the Waitahanui if you are to fish its waters correctly and with good success. It is a river that has almost forgotten what a wet fly looks like. This method used to be the preferred method on the Nui before Nymphing came along. Some of the water in the Nui is just begs to have a Green Woolly bugger retrieved up through. Having a Waitahanui trout smash a wet and then plough downstream is quite a buzz!! I really enjoy guiding on the Nui as most of my clients get a great deal of information and come away with some new skills to play with.

Apart from that, the Waitahanui is just a magic place to be. Very peaceful with Native all the way down to the waters edge. Pools and glides to die for and the ever real chance of hooking into a true Nui Scrapper. This River is a Jewel!!

Even without a touch all day, it was a pleasure to fish.

Click on the smaller pictures to enjoy a little bigger.

Regards Shane

Hey All,

A little bit of a mixed bag over the weekend on the rivers. If you got out early then the chances are you had some great fishing, however due to the angling pressure the later you were on the water the less chance you had. That is unless you had a few sneaky spots to get into.

The Waitahanui was probably the quietest of all the rivers. It had been bashed the weekend before with most of the other rivers blown out and so once they were fishable everyone left it alone. There are some fantastic trout in the Waitahanui at the moment. The top photo was taken this morning as I pulled this little beauty out from the middle reaches. I ended up taking it home and will turn it into Sushi for the girls. It had the best flesh I have ever seen from a trout!

The Hinemaiaia is still producing trout in good numbers but the angling pressure is intense. I guided over the weekend and at one stage there were four cars in the Water supply area, fishing became very tough up there. The lower section is holding good numbers of fresh run trout both Jacks and Hens, the water above the bridge is holding lots of coloured up Jacks.

The Tauranga Taupo got plenty of angling pressure over the weekend and although plenty of trout were hooked, it was a little slower than most thought it would be. The TT is up again in volume after last nights rain but is dropping and with a clear forcast over the next couple of days it might be the river to be on.

I guided on the Tongariro Saturday and struggled to find the trout. We got on there a little late for my liking and the section I wanted to fish had plenty of anglers on there but I still thought it was hard going!! We shot back to the Hine and cleaned up there. The rocks have been turned over on the  Tonagriro and wading is safe and a lot easier than it was two weeks ago.

We are going to have a fabulous week fishing, all the rivers will be holding good numbers of trout. I have an empty book and want to guide. Give me a call and I’ll do you a special!!

Regards Shane

Hey All,

I was ordered to bring back some trout today and who am I to refuse such an order.

There was only one river for me that was going to be a sure thing and so I headed South to roam its banks. Not too many anglers out and about today, the Hine car park was empty when I went over the bridge, (first time in ages) man the trout in this river have seen some Glo Bugs over the past two weeks!!! As the water drops down Naturals should come into their own.

The TT had a few cars in the car park but not as many as I thought and so I dropped into the lower section that I play around with. There are a heap of snags in here and it really does pay to have a look at this water when it is low and clear and then come back when it is higher. Lucky for me I know the water fairly well and so had no trouble hooking up. These trout are in super condition, from the Tauranga Taupo. I managed my limit bloody fast and was back home nice and early. The water level might just take a little longer to drop away as the lake level finally starts to rise..

Some fantastic fishing is to be had over the next few days.

Regards Shane

Hey All,

I needed a good trout to take up to Auckland for a speech I was doing at the North Shore anglers association on Tuesday night. They requested I show them how to bone out a trout, so I needed a good one.

As like most of last week all the rivers apart from the Hine and the Waitahanui were blown out. I knew there were trout in the Hine and so I headed back over that way, the time was about 2.00pm. The water was up quite high and wading was VERY tricky. The Hine really has some push when the volume is up. I went in above the bridge hoping that the trout over the past few days had moved up there. Well that and there were like 10 cars in the bridge car park!! I did most of my spots, (that I could) and managed to pull trout from most of them, however a good 5 pounder was not to be had. At 5.10 I shot into the lower section and on my first cast into a secret little sneaky pulled a good 4 pounder out. I decided to give her the last rites as she was silver and not too full of eggs. Angling pressure that late in the day was low and it was nice being on the water on change of light.

All the rivers have dropped to a reasonable level and they will certainly be holding trout. You may need to move through the water to pick them up as they had a whole week of high water levels to move up the rivers.

Man do we have some snow on the mountains!! It was a beautiful sight coming over the rise this afternoon and seeing a blue calm lake and the snow covered mountains in the back ground, very special place.

Thanks for all the comments about the trout in my last post with its arse hanging out. Yes it seems that is due to a whole heap of Koura eating. I had a couple of emails suggesting I actually molested it, that’s so wrong guys, in so many ways!!!

Regards Shane