There is something very special about watching your indicator shoot upstream, striking tight, and feeling that first couple of pulses of a hooked Tongariro steelhead. Never gets old.
I had plenty of those exciting moments during a recent fun family holiday in Turangi. The days of my hard core trips of dawn till dusk missions are in the past, but thanks to an understanding wife I get to have my fly fishing fix amid the drives to the snow and the hot pools.
The river was like chocolate milk and running at 75 cu m/s when we arrived on Sunday (dropping from 300 cu m/s) and my first crack was a short evening stint on Tuesday in the still-coloured and high lower river - I hooked 10, landed 7, with an even split between takers of the dark brown bomb and my bead egg.
A great start, though only one of the fish was a nice fresh smoker.
Weds was a couple of hours mid-morning fishing in the middle reaches, with 5 landed out of 7 hooked - with my own lightly weighted #12 net building caddis pattern doing the damage in ever-clearing water.
Thurs was another 2-hour evening fish in the lower river, nymphing a run that a wet liner had just left. Hooked and landed 3, including the best fresh fish of the trip (see photo below), and a powerful jack. Again, the caddis was greedily accepted.
Friday was my designated 'fishing day'. I walked to some nice water in the middle reaches for the morning, back to the motel for lunch and a few rugby passes with the boys, and drove to the beautiful upper river to fish the true right in for the late afternoon. Hooked 6, but only landed 2 - on my caddis with a small dark brown bead for a bit of weight in the heavy water.
I got surveyed by DoC during the day, and reported decent fishing but fairly average quality of the fish. But by walking away from the carparks I never had to share a pool with another angler, which meant I could make the most of my short windows of opportunity during the holiday and enjoy the serenity.
Reading Sporting Life's reports, it appears the best of the season came in the traditional mid-winter time. Smaller freshes than the flood of last weekend may bring more pulses of fresh fish, but of the 17 I landed only a couple were silver bullets, the rest thinnish or darker.
I used the brand new legendary Sage XP 9', 6 weight that I've had stored in the wardrobe for 15 years, which was interesting after using an 9'6" 8 wt for most of my previous fishing on the Tongariro. I felt under-gunned when fighting fish in heavy currents, and for casting bombs when it was still 40+ cu m/s, but it's certainly a lovely rod. Jury still out in my mind, maybe just need a period of adjustment. i would hate to snap a tip with an errant bomb cast, and I want to have a go at traditional shooting head wet lining in the future, so will keep an eye out for a nice 8 wt (recommendations welcomed).
With the kowhai in full bloom and flocks of tui zooming around, kereru in the other blossom trees, and blue ducks regularly seen sheltering out of the Tongariro's main current, Turangi is a lovely place in spring,