Note the white crust covering the peaks on the Kaimanawas. One of the few reliable annual indicators is that when that mantle of snow arrives, the fishing improves!
Thank you to Didymo Dave for his post about the changes to the Tongariro River for anglers wading access. TRM has also fielded many questions about particular pools and has avoided commenting further until the situation settles down. Following the two 700+ cumec overnight floods the river flow has held up at over 40 cumecs and is difficult to read or comment with any accuracy.
TRM’s guide dog, Jono, eventually led me up there when some fine cool weather returned on Friday, to try to spot the obvious changes, but it was still difficult to accurately illustrate in a few photos.
Anglers are warned the Boulder Reach car park above has turned into soup and suitable only for 4WD or rental vehicles. We had been asked whether the new bypass – extending from above Boulder Reach through to link with the Poutu Stream had developed any further?
Hopefully, the photos indicate the floods have now blocked it off and the walking access across the previous bypass river-bed is dry.
Similarly, heading downriver to the Poutu Pool, the physical changes are obvious.
Previous posts illustrate the lower river but the upper river has been neglected. The TRM inmates that have been exploring all the changes have had excellent success. From their results it appears their catch rate has exceeded those in the usual lower river pools as they have had much of the river to themselves. So this should encourage anglers back up there.
Anglers are warned their old favourite pool will have changed and they need to read the water and change old habits. The scenic grandeur of the natural surroundings makes the lower river pools boring.
The Sand Pool has been blown out while the run below the confluence of the Whitikau looks promising.
The end of the walking access above the Fence Pool is about 15 minutes walking time from the Blue Pool car park. The pools above are inaccessible.
Older anglers, who remember the extent of access tracks lost, remind us constantly that it is time the upper river access tracks were extended to compensate for the loss of access and fishing opportunities in the lower river. After faithfully promising over fifty years ago that trout fishing and access would not be affected by their hydroelectric plumbing project, the power company has a moral and legal responsibility to acknowledge the damage. This was originally a condition of their consent, but any discussion has been avoided since. They can never restore the lower river, but tourists and anglers should be compensated by developing trails up above the Fence Pool to link with the Poutu Dam trails. This would be a win-win for everyone.
