Fishing: Tongariro offers summer dry-fly delights

The Tongariro's chief attractions are the winter/spring spawning runs. It is not a recognised dry-fly river, yet this method can provide a lot of fun and excitement at this time of year.

The Queen St of New Zealand's rivers will remain uncrowded at weekends from now until late autumn, leaving the dry-fly angler a clear run from the delta to the headwaters. Beginners who have learned nymph or wet-fly fishing on the Tongariro will find the dry fly easier and possibly more nerve-jangling.

For me, a typical spring/summer day on the Tongariro goes like this: rise at 4am for a full breakfast and get out on the river at 5 (earlier if you want to hear a dawn chorus with bellbirds).

Swing a wet fly through a couple of pools and follow this up with size 16 and 18 natural nymphs tied on fluorocarbon. You might pick up some later-running freshies and this is the best time of the day to try for them.

About 11am return to your accommodation for lunch and forty winks, then get back on the river about 3pm with a No 4/5 rod and a tapered trace between 3m and 5m long, depending on wind strength.

Tie on a large mayfly imitation such as an Adams Irresistible, or a composite pattern such as a Royal Wulf, or something big and hairy that you've tied yourself. This will serve as a strikemarker as well as a fish-catcher.

Tie a second, smaller dry fly behind the big one, such as a greenwells glory, green beetle or a general mayfly pattern. Behind the second fly you can tie a tiny pheasant-tail or hair-and-copper nymph, or a wee wet such as a red-tip governor.

The number and mix of flies is entirely up to you. Most fishers prefer one dry fly plus a sinking nymph, which should be unweighted so as not to drag the dry fly under the surface. Use 4lb fluorocarbon for the tippet and to tie on the additional flies.

The magic in dry-fly fishing is the moment of the strike. You can see the take, the sudden slash on the surface, the head with open mouth appear from nowhere and engulf the fly. You'll catch plenty of small fish that are learning how to take food off the surface, and some of them jump at the fly four or five times before they judge the distance correctly.

Although I have never tried it, I would say it's not easy swimming under turbulent water and trying to grab a tiny fly off the surface with your gob.

Pliers or forceps are a must to remove hooks from small trout without handling them if possible.

Most dry-fly fishing is done upstream, similar to the Tongariro nymphing technique. A typical spot is, say, the Hydro Pool, where you can start halfway up and slowly fish to the head. Fish your feet first, then move out to the pocket water and along the edges of the main current. Keep well back because you are easily seen in clear summer water. Drifting a line downstream to where fish are feeding can be just as effective as the upstream method.

You should hook into some recovering spawners and the occasional fresh-run trout, but the ones you want are the 2-year-olds up to 3lb that are built like little bulls and full of battle.

This is where your light tackle comes into its own, and you'll appreciate your catches just as much as the bigger winter spawners.

Generally the fishing improves as evening advances, by which time you change the main dry fly for a sedge or caddis imitation tied with elk or deer hair so that it floats high and can be easily seen.

A wee wet rather than a nymph tied behind the dry fly can be deadly in the evening if mayflies are hatching.

The rises sometimes can be spectacular until well after dark.

The weather on the Tongariro has been wet, hot and humid, conducive to dry-fly hatches. The cicadas are just starting to scrape those big serrated legs together, and in a couple of weeks they will be the main fish-catchers.

After you've seen a trout charge 3m across the river to take a cicada imitation off the surface, you'll be a dry-fly fan for life.