Aug 25, 2019
2019-2020 Update from Tongariro Lodge
Tony Hayes is a fly fishing legend. As owner of the Tongariro Lodge (click here for specials) he has fished with world leaders, Hollywood stars and some of the best anglers the world has ever seen. We are proud to once again team up with Tony and his excellent team at Tongariro Lodge to provide our clients authentic Kiwi angling experiences.
This blog post is meant to provide information as to what we can expect into the upcoming 2019-20 fly fishing season around the Tongariro Lodge area. Enjoy, and always feel free to reach out to one of our experts if you are interested to visit New Zealand!
Last Season and This Winter: Guides and clients agreed that the 2018–2019 Summer saw some of the best cicadas hatches and dry fly action experienced for some time around the Tongariro. A warmer-than-normal winter (on the North Island anyway) has provided large runs of trout already reported in the area's tributaries. Snow is currently on the nearby ranges, and there has been decent spawning runs and winter fly fishing on the rivers. With stable water flows, the fly fishing prospects for this Spring and Summer are excellent.
Spring Prospects: On October 1 the backcountry streams outside of the Taupo rivers and streams will open. Rainbows and Browns tend to feed very aggressively in the early season, and it is quite a sight to watch a feeding trout move 10 feet to engulf your fly! For reference, by mid-October over 50 thousand prime-conditioned trout averaging 3.5 – 6lb will have migrated up the world famous Tongariro river alone from Lake Taupo. This is why, once again, we look forward to a stellar Spring and Summer season in all the Taupo tributaries.
Moving from Spring into Summer: By November, as the Spring season progresses into Summer, the days are longer and the sun is higher. This makes spotting and stalking conditions ideal. For those who have not had the pleasure- November through March are the prime times for dry-fly and wet wading up a stream and casting to sighted fish.
The first of December is opening day on the isolated upper reaches of the Tongariro and Taupo tributaries. This always provides great angling for trout who have not seen a fisherman for six months. Fishing with cicada imitations is considered by both clients and guides to be the ultimate dry fly experience—double digit browns (over 10lbs) are landed on the Tongariro River every summer.
Into the Bush: An excellent method to fish in this part of New Zealand is via a wilderness rafting trip on the upper Tongariro. It offers spectacular fishing in the height of the summer. Accessing fish via a raft is not the norm in New Zealand, but absolutely available via Tongariro Lodge. Helicopter options are always a fantastic way to fish at this time as well. Tongariro Lodge has special access to large areas of private land that provide anglers with access to 14 wilderness rivers providing up to 60 kilometres of trophy fly-fishing for brown and rainbows.
What are you waiting for!? Book today and experience this for yourself. Whether interested to visit in the Spring or the Summer we highly encourage booking early. Tongariro Lodge is a well known mecca both within New Zealand and around the world. Do yourself a favor and get plans and accommodations secured.
Contact us to plan and book your NZ fly fishing adventure.