This is the sort of fishy story that never gets reported…

Photo is TRM inmate, Trish Mulligan from Whitianga, with two superb conditioned fresh run Rainbow trout – both would have been over five pound before gutting.

Trish was part of TRM’s Ladies Tournament recently so she returned to familiarise herself with the Tongariro pools during winter spawning runs this week. She is already preparing for the TRM Ladies Tournament in 2022. The wonderful ladies from Taupo Fishing Club have been so helpful in showing her around the region.

She was keen enough to sneak down to the “Bro’s Pool” on a dirty wet windy cold miserable Tuesday morning. This is the closest pool within easy walking distance – waddling in waders – from TRM. She arrived below the road bridge at 5 am but had to wait until about 6.30 before there was enough light. After initially getting her line tangled she sat on the bank waiting for daylight.

The local team soon arrived and were surprised to see someone had beaten them to their pool. Trish reports they were so helpful to a novice as they demonstrated their technique, double hauling and heaving long heavy lines armed with big glo bugs and were soon pulling them in.

They rewarded Trish for her determination being first, with these two trophy trout – they even cleaned them for her.

That sort of generosity of spirit is what this report is supposed to be about – what you rarely hear about the Bridge Pool. The most popular trout pool in New Zealand is often misreported or misunderstood and avoided by many who arrive too late to appreciate just how productive it still is.

Thank you to Ringo and the team. Trish was thrilled with the whole experience of meeting you and learning so much.

Later in the morning, maintaining office hours, the other tourist anglers arrived but they cannot appreciate that the pool had already been thoroughly thrashed and any remaining trout were either released rejects or spooked.