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One of the most famous trout fishing rivers in the world and deservingly so! Many a famous person has trod the Tongariro's banks and cast their flies into it's deep blue waters. It's every fly fisherman's dream to fish it and it won't disappoint, but be warned, one visit won't be enough.
The Tongariro River has a long angling history with named pools reflecting those who have past by; the Major Jones pool being perhaps the best know, then there's the Judges, Bridge, Admirals, Birches, Hydro, Red Hut and so the list goes on.
Location: The Tongariro river flows into the South Western corner of lake Taupo. The town of Turangi is blessed with accommodation for fishermen and you can stay quite literally right on the river banks.
Season: Year round in the lower sections, 1st Dec - 31st May in the middle section while the area above the Waikato falls is open from 1st Oct - 30 June.
Access: To the Tongariro Is excellent with good walking tracks along with vehicle access points. Check out the link above for maps of the winter fishing areas.
Equipment: The Tongariro River is a medium to large river with deep pools. Rods in the 7 - 9 weight, 9 foot ranges are suitable for the Tongariro. The heavy rods are needed to cast the bombs that are commonly used here to get the down deep to where the fish are.
Lines: Depending on your preferred technique, (nymphing or wet lining) either floating, intermediates, fast sinking or shooting head lines will enable anglers to fish the water productively.
Flies: There's a wide range of flies which have developed over the years for fishing these fabled waters. Follow the link at the bottom of the page
