Erica Currie with Pumpkin on a stunning day at Boulder Reach – what a great way to start the long weekend.

On Friday before the tourist anglers arrived for the long weekend Pumpkin and I checked out the upper river.

We went exploring up above the Red Hut Bridge.

(See the little poser squatting on the steps for her photo – as soon as I pull the camera out she actually poses and smiles?)

We knew from inmates catch rates during the week there were plenty of trout starting their spawning runs from below the bridge.

But after the flood last Saturday we did not know whether they were already spread throughout the river.

We need to know so we can send inmates to different pools – instead of all competing in the same pool.

Last week one inmate hooked into 38 and landed 23 from mainly one pool in the lower river so we can confirm the trout are everywhere that we weren’t..

After spotting five under Red Hut Bridge and nine in the by pass pool below the lookout we could have returned.

Returning from up at the Cliff Pool we were astonished to discover bikes up there.

But even more remarkable – they were TRM bikes.

Erica Currie & Richard Jessop had “hired” two bikes from TRM for the Tongariro River Trail.

Only they added an unusual extension where only anglers usually tread.

From Red Hut swing bridge they crossed over and continued up river on the TRB (Eastern side) to Boulder Reach Pool.

SWMBO had told them we were exploring up there so they decided we must know what we are doing… ?

We were pleased to see even up there they had locked the bikes together…

Compulsory with any TRM bikes left unattended to make sure they will still be there after fishing.

On their return they had over fifty steps to bike up.  (see photos) A huge mountain biking effort.

We did see fresh run silver Rainbows being landed and a good brown trout – photo below – all from the TLB.

According to SWMBO the nursery of fairy toad stools proves conclusively that hobbits still live in the upper river region.

Another stunning winter weekend for anglers with white frosts to start the day followed by perfect sunny still conditions.  You really should be here…