Hi Ross n Pip

Firstly let me say I feel honored in you asking me for some small contribution and hope the following is what you are after.

My name is Geoff “Dicko” Dickman from the sunny Gold Coast in Queensland Australia. I’m now 59 and have been fishing all my life.

I learnt to tie flies and fly fish as a teenager but all thru my middle life have been tied into the saltwater scene. My passion for trout and fly fishing led me to the Tongariro in 2007, when I was in NZ to marry my kiwi wife.

I had seen countless videos and fishing stories on the mighty T and duly fell in love with it the first time I laid eyes on it.  Favourite pool currently the Hydro tho the Kamahi (photos on right) is closing the gap.

The Hydro is so easy to access and holds some good fish at times, as proved recently on an unforgettable occasion where I was “dusted up ” by a big brownie before I had time to react !!

The Kamahi is harder to access and on an more forgettable note while trying to wade across to it I ended up under water briefly and drowned my phone ….

I can recall an achievement of mine …. Being an impatient sort of angler….. Of watching a brown trout cruising up and down a small side shoot of the river and tying on a dry and dropper to tempt him… So thrilled to hook and land that fish.

The diversity of the river from pool to pool and even day to day is what attracts me to the river and while I often find it easy to drown a streamer the excitement of seeing the indicator disappear and to feel the sudden weight of a fish is by far my favourite way of tricking a trout or two.

Looking forward to longer stays in NZ and fishing the famous winter runs.