Graeme Christie | Tuesday, 28 April 2026
It was a holiday weekend. I stayed behind and watched the commemorations for Anzac Day, our local memorial for armed personnel who served.
The rumours I'd been reading online about the starting winter run of trout read like code. It was happening, but fish numbers might not be high and they'd likely take some finding. Still, the weather was nice and I've had luck at this time of year. The fish tend to be bigger early season, and catching those ones is worth a trip. Work had been heavy lately and difficult to get away from, which was another good reason to escape for a fish. Fired up the car and loaded the fishing gear.
Made the first mystery location. Not much of a mystery around here: River mouth. Got there about 4.30pm. Some boats out on the lake. As I waded in, a local drove his boat right over the rip I was keen to fish. Not the start I wanted, though I've had this happen plenty of nights and the fishing usually isn't affected. Stood at a new rip spot, fished into the dark. Changed it up a bit but despite some rising splashing fish I couldn't entice them with anything. Oh well. Casting was going well. The frost rolled in and I wasn't quite dressed warm enough. A solid session. Thawed out on the drive to the motel.
I woke up early and went up the Tongariro River There are always fish. Finding them and making your way around the other keen fishers is something. Given a holiday weekend, plenty of people around. A rafting search and rescue education day had taken over a section of river, blocking three of the pools that produce fish if they in this part of the river.
I'd set up my two hander, a heavy nymph rig, and my euro rod.
Every season I want to get better with the heavy nymph rig. I'd set up a leader: tapered 1x cut down to 6 feet, to a tippet ring, then off that 4 to 8 ft of 3x to a heavy nymph with a trailing glow bug. I slide my NZ style wool indicator along the 6ft section. I also have a single Spey line, 7 wt on the box, 240 grains. So being a good student of Paul's I put it on my 8wt HT rod. The rod’s a bit light, maybe. It felt good.
I worked on it. Moved through the first pool, fished the likely spots. Nothing. Then in a back eddy I sighted a flash when retrieving, so I cast down again feeding slack and retrieved, and sure enough, a fish. I fought it for a while. Landed!! A rainbow, chrome bullet. 3lbs.
I fished various locations around the district and up and down the river to no luck. Others caught fish so they were about. The two handed casting is okay but nothing like my single handed casting. More practice required. In certain locations it works well, especially when forest is close by.
A successful journey but I need to think a little more carefully about the plan for the day and getting up early to beat the other fishermen!