An action packed Start

January has seen plenty of activity on the rivers in the Taupo area.
These activities include fishing, canoeing, swimming, rock throwing and just about everything else that attracts humans to water.
It would be fair to say then that the rivers have been pretty crowded and this will continue , I guess, probably until the end of the long weekend , I.e. New Zealand day.
January has also been very windy which has made guiding testing at times, especially with clients with limited casting ability.
That said, there are good numbers of trout in all the rivers because of the high lake level and there are certainly some very good trout about. I know of 3 trout caught in recent weeks of 11.5, 12, & 12 lbs. Two of these trout were caught by the same angler, all were caught at Lake Otamangakau.
I had an experience down at the Tongariro River that I believed topped this though just 2weeks ago.
I had spotted a likely pool in the lower Tongariro and calculated that a well directed wet fly , (like a woolly bugger), swung in deep underneath the overhanging willows should bring rewards. On closer inspection of the pool I noticed 2 logs lying side by side exactly where I wanted to direct my fly. Then one of these logs moved sideways and then in slow motion made its way in a vertical position towards the surface. It then came completely out of the water and grabbed a dragonfly before returning to the depths. It was a huge brown and the other one at the base of the pool was at least as big. The golden flank with big orange spots was quite a site . As the trout ate the dragonfly, it made a loud snap , the big jaws of the Jack very plain to see.
I have a 12 lb brown jack mounted on my wall. This fish was bigger.
I tried to catch him but he wasn't interested in anything I threw at him.
I suspect in the coming months there are going to be more big fish turning up and I will be trying to catch them but these days , if successful, I return them to the water.
So , until my next biog, tight lines!!!!
Brian Willson
NZPFGA

The big one got away, but it was still a successful month fishing the Tongariro river