Weather: Pleasant temperatures with intervals of clouds and sunshine. Highs of 26° with light northwesterly winds.
River Flow: 45 cumecs (m³/s) RECREATIONAL FLOW FOR THIS WEEKEND
TONGARIRO RIVER WILL BE FLOWING UP TO 60 CUMECS between 8am and 4pm SATURDAY 31ST JAN AND SUNDAY 1ST FEB. Fish the edges with unweighted streamers and large profiled nymphs to pick up those fish sheltering in shallow water. Monday will be back on for stalking the edges and sight fishing after the recreational releases pass through.
Warm weather and lower clearer flows following the high water have seen brown trout on the edges of the Tongariro throughout the system the past week! Gary has been out there chasing those browns with great success.
Neil reports some good action on the Tongariro with himself landing a beautiful fresh-out-the-lake brown trout and some good rainbows in-between!
Lake Otamangakau closes tomorrow on the 1st of the month for the entirety of February. Reopening on 1st March through to 31st May.
Today we celebrate our Pete Carty's belated 70th birthday for yesterday! Peter has been a core part of Sporting Life for the last decade, helping many anglers to get on the water and find success when fishing for trout in the Taupo region. His fly tying expertise is invaluable to all of us and we are lucky to be able to share his knowledge with you here in the shop. Pete works on Fridays and Sundays here in Sporting Life Turangi, so pop in to see him for advice on tying nymphs, streamers and all dry flies for the region and season.
Carty learnt to fly fish as a young boy, spent many years guiding out of the South Island, helping for many more years with Casting for Recovery, as a certified casting instructor helping many to improve their casting and of course his bespoke fly tying which we all know and love.
His Services to Fly Fishing ONZM was awarded in 2025 and we couldn't be prouder of all he's achieved, help shape the fly fishing scene of NZ and to have his expertise with us in the shop!
Myself, Hamish and Niamh treasure having Pete as a great mentor for our fly fishing addiction, helping us progress with our casting and fly tying adventures. There's always new fly ideas, alterations and material flying around when Gary and Pete work together and many great stories shared among all the staff of Pete's adventures over the years.
So here's to you Pete!
Come in store on Sunday to stock up on his Cicada patterns and intel on fly tying!
Rosie