Weather: Highs of 21C today with low wind and beautiful sunshine! Perfect for sight fishing today!
Tongariro River Flow: 23.8 cumecs (m³/s)
The Tongariro is flowing low and clear, and as March marches on, the brown trout have arrived in better numbers with condition improving as we start seeing some bigger better conditioned models. Small natural patterns are key, and light long tapered leaders to keep fly line well away from these wary fish.
The dry fly action has been slower than previous years but for those seeing rising fish, they tend to be taking lacemoths and small emergers over bigger terrestrial patterns. Smaller PMX flies are however being taken on the good sunny days when casting under hanging vegetation banks and through riffles.
In the backcountry, dry fly eats are still happening on smaller terrestrial patterns, like the Flytackle Later Skater and the Category 3 Chernobyl we have in store.
The delta has reports of a few good conditioned fish being landed on heavy sinking lines, with smelting action being seen on the surface. Most of the action is on the changing light and slowing down as the light increases.
Those out on the lake have been having good results jigging around the 35m mark with small to medium smelt patterns, and trolling has provided good numbers of fish on the pink and green Tassie devils and Tobys.
Fresh run rainbows are beginning to make a presence in the Tongariro in small numbers, in good condition but the bigger models haven't arrived yet, as expected. We have seen fish spawning all through the summer in small numbers, so the chances of getting into a fresh run lake fish are never zero!
Now is the time to start tying those winter streamers to fill up the fly box, with a bit of colour and weight in preparation for those heavier flows and fish arriving in good numbers, it's not too far around the corner! We have plenty of Wapsi Rabbit Zonkers in a variety of colour, for good movement to entice those stroppy territorial fish into an aggressive eat!
Tight lines team.
Rosie