Hi,

Mike T and I decided to head out to Rotorua yesterday. It's an easy 3 hour drive from Auckland, so Mike picked me up at 5:30 am and off we went. Quick stop for coffee at the BP just beyond the city, and so the day begins afresh. Oh, a few baccon and egg pies don't hurt the mood either.

Anyway, we have a few laughs as we drive down. The Ngongataha Stream is, according to the fish and game signage where we entered the stream, the spawning grounds to 20,000 browns and rainbows annually. If you have visions of a wide, large water fishery, requiring big casts and all that, you would be surprised. At times it looks more like a ditch, that could use a good hedge trimming; and this time don't put all the clipped branches in the water type thing.

A Fish and Game ranger stopped as we were getting our gear ready. As he pulled up with thought he was another angler (probably is actually) and gave him a wave. When he mentioned who he was, Mike and I start getting our wallets out to show our licences and he tells "Put those away. Unlicenced anglers don't stand out in the open putting on their gear and wave at people!" He then goes on to tell us that fishing has been hard, although there have been 50-70 fish a day comming up the river (they have a trap where they count the fish to monitor the fishery as it is one of the most important spawning rivers in the Rototrua area). It's been mostly browns, but a few rainbows are showing up. He gives us a few tips where we might find some fish though.

Mike and I figured we'd fish the stream for the morning, then check out one of the river mouths at the lake for mid-day and early afternoon. We had a good explore up the stream, and we each got into a few fish. Mostly in the 1 lbs range, but taken on a number of different patterns, both nymphs and wet flies.

Later, we met up with a friend of Mike's who lives in the area to check out the lake. Unfortunatley, the wind picked up from the south east, and that blows straight into the mouth making it unfishable. We decided to try the lower part of the river, and it's really more "lob the nymph" than "cast the fly" type fishing. Lots of foul in the water, and lots of branches over head. Lost a lot of flies, but ended up hooking into my largest for the day (estimated at 2-3 lbs, rainbow). After hooking it and getting it more or less under control, I was trying to reel the line in as it was starting to get a bit tangled around my legs. During this process I knocked the ring holding the reel on, and the reel plopped into the water at my feet. I was able to retrieve it, get it back on, all the while holding the line against the rod and keeping the fish steady in the current. After getting the reel back on, I figured I was over the worst of it and it was time to bring this one in to the net. Well, it started to fight again, and shot out under an arm thick log that was in the water, jumped on the far side, and busted me off! Go figure.

Mike came by just as I was retying on my tippet and getting ready to re-rig up some more flies. He went further upstream, found a monster brown, started fishing to it. He hit the thing on the nose a few times, but it had developed lock jaw. It got to the point he walked over, and poked it with his rod, and it just sat there. Well, that was it, it was time to call it a day. If the fish just weren't going to play, well, time to go.

We packed up our gear, I emptied my waders (I seem to have devloped a rather sever leak in the right book), and we were on our way home just after 4 pm. In the door by 7, and overall, not many fish for the drive, but a good day none the less.

Mike did have his camera, so there may be some photos to come.

- Jeff