Anglers have asked if the “Tongariro River Bucket List” map – Fifty Pools to Fish Before You Die – is being updated? Following the flood in late August, the last map ratings are now obsolete and could be misleading.

How can a map become redundant? After the flood, all the pools have changed physically requiring the pool ratings to be revised. These maps are invaluable for tourist anglers. Apart from naming and showing the exact locations of about fifty pools, a feature is the pools ratings schedule, with marks for:

Access: marked out of 3 for good car/foot access, 0 for poor access;

Difficulty: Reported difficulties in getting the fly to the trout or finding the lie;

Setting: Scored for natural beauty and pure enjoyment;

Reliability: Indicates reliability as a top-producing pool all year round;

Snags: No likelihood = 1, snags = 0;

Wading: Waders not needed = 1, Difficult to wade = 0;

Angler pressure: A popular and regularly crowded pool scores 0;

TOTAL: The closer to 20, the better the overall pool rating.

Then anglers can study the comparative merits of each pool to decide which best fits their ability and fitness. The ratings are being re-assessed by an expert local fishing guide who is now fmiliar with all the changes recently. It takes the river a month or two to settle down and for many of the changes to be noticed. TRM’s blog will advise as soon as the revised version is available. This will be the third review since the maps were introduced about twelve years ago. Watch this space…