Fishing: Silver lining from flood

By HARVEY CLARK

The new Tongariro River, reformed by February's big flood, is looking very sexy indeed and is expected to produce the best fishing in years as the winter spawning season begins.

At least one major pool and two smaller ones were lost in the flood and others changed considerably, but new pools, runs, lies and pocket water have opened up, the main channel has deepened, and the river now contains more fish-holding water than it has since the 1950s.

In the lower river, from the Swirl Pool down, the flood cleaned out decades of silt and debris and deepened the flow, and the fishing is expected to improve.

Of the popular town pools behind Turangi, the Lower Bridge Pool has been squeezed and lengthened at the head by a vast quantity of gravel and boulders dumped on the left bank. It remains one of the easiest pools to fish for its entire length and is expected to continue yielding large numbers of trout.

The Upper Bridge Pool has shallowed out on the right bank, making access to the lies much easier, and on the left bank the pool has deepened right to the edge so that wading is not possible or necessary as the lies are well within casting reach.

Plenty of fish are gathered near a huge submerged tree halfway across.

At the Judges Pool, the tail looks like good nymphing water but the middle depths have been filled in and you can now wade across waist-deep.

The head, still reforming after sand and gravel were dumped there, is now easy to reach and wade from the left bank but the good fish-holding water has gone.

At the Island Pool, only memories of great catches remain. The pool has disappeared, replaced by a shallow run that you can wade across. On the left bank, the upper part of the spawning offshoot known as Blackjack Alley is still there and looks interesting.

The Major Jones Pool has deepened so that you can no longer wade up the right bank after crossing at the bottom. At the top, the wading sandbank has deepened on the right bank, limiting the number of anglers able to enter the water.

The Breakfast Pool has shallowed just enough to improve access to the tail and middle from the left bank, and it's looking great.

The Hydro Pool, always a legend, is now a troutfisher's dream. The flood has narrowed the head, scoured out the middle and lengthened the tail, carrying away the bank of boulders that curved out from the right bank.

When the main runs are under way, fish will lie throughout this pool, and access and wading is easy for the entire length, either down the left bank or down the middle. There's heaps of room.

The shallower tail is full of pockets and rocks and reminds me of the old Breakaway Pool.

On the right bank of the Hydro, the floodwaters have washed away some of the casting spots and deepened the water so you can't wade.

You can still get a fly into that wonderful lie behind the big boulder just above the stream-mouth, but further up, the bank and cliff have been eroded and access reduced.

It can now be crossed at the tail to get to the right bank while repairs are made to the flood-damaged Major Jones footbridge.

NEXT WEEK: The middle and upper pools, where the news is just about all good.