Turangi Trout Fishing

After trekking the Tongariro Crossing on Sunday I started my NZ fishing trips on the Tongariro River which runs through the town of Turangi aka "the trout fishing capital of the world". I stayed at the Rivers Run guest unit which is on the banks of the Tongariro River and is owned and operated by Alan Simmons and Annie Edsell. The unit is just minutes from the best trout flyfishing pools and has spectacular views of Mt. Tongariro and the surrounding mountains including the steaming hillsides above Waihi.

First thing I did was visit the Tongariro National Trout Centre just outside Turangi. The centre is owned and operated by the Department of Conservation as a safeguard for the the Lake Taupo wild trout fishery. Most of the fish are reared for educational purposes in the centre's fishing pond to promote public interest in the Taupo fishery. But if some disaster, like a major volcanic eruption, wiped out the trout, the hatchery could be used to restock the streams and lakes. Being that Lake Taupo IS a volcano, the National Trout center really seemed to be a good idea.

On Monday I went out with Alan Simmons, a world renowned fishing guide and hunter in the Tongariro region and New Zealand. We fished mainly by floating a nymph (immature insect pattern) through the water trying for rainbow and brown trout that had we coming up the river during the autumn season.

The next day Alan took me down river to some large pools and I fished my way back up to the Rivers Run. Late in the afternoon I took a detour into the bush thinking it would be nice and easy, an hour and a half later sweaty, bloodied and with ripped up waders I emerged not much farther up than where I had entered. Just a note: Alaska bush isn't anything like New Zealand bush. I should have known that, now I do.

My last day was windy and without extra waders I took a straight track down to a pool I had successfully fished out of the day before, thinking there were some fish I hadn't caught. I was successful in pulling in another couple of rainbows before (on one of my last casts) I caught my ever first big brown. I was fishing on a 6lb. rod with 6lb. test leader, but the fish I caught was a lot more than that. Knowing that I had lost a lot of the larger rainbows when I was trying to take pictures of them and the fact that the trout had swallowed my nymph, he became the one fish I brought back and cooked on the grill for the trip.

It was an amazing trip to the Tongariro National Park and on the Tongariro River, one that I will never ever forget. A huge thanks goes out to the amazing hosts at Rivers Run Alan and Annie for their wonderful accommodations, humor, and fishing expertise. If you are ever in the Turangi/Taupo area, I highly recommend you book your time to stay with them.

To visit the Tongariro National Trout Center Website: Click Here
To visit the Rivers Run website: Click Here
To check out more about fishing the Tongariro Region: Click Here

CHEERS!
James W.