(Reed and Jones Pools look a bit blurred through the perspex canopy. The Reed pool extends further to the left and Jones Pool curves to the right. Can you identify the little stream above Jones on true LHS. (Or see photo below left taken today) That may be why so many trout hold in Jones Pool – to inhale the intoxicating spawning smells from the stream. This is the first of many other similar spawning tributaries up the Tongariro River.)
Hi guys, finally have another minute to get back to you all as promised and report on the small but productive piece of water in the lower river called the Jones pool. I know you would rather read about what Lorna has been up to this week between bringing Ross cups of tea and fresh scones but as we all know that doesn’t catch us anymore fish does it.
The last report we touched on was the Reed pool which is a large long solid pool which favours many older anglers and leaves heaps of opportunities for all methods of catching trout in the Tongariro so I thought as the Jones Pool was only a stones throw down river we better get that one out of the way as well.
Last season when the big Browns were streaming up the Tongariro there were several large fish captured in this water along with countless amounts of fresh run rainbows which hold up in this water on their quest to reach the upper river. It is also a pool which can be fished with a nymph or dredged with a big wet fly by letting it swing across and slowly retrieved but does not have much potential to hold any more than just one rod or one method at a time.
The only real way to fish the Jones Pool is from the true right hand side of the river where there is a lovely little gravely beach which you can stand on and either make your way up river for ten metres or of course down for ten metres depending on which method of fishing you are applying. If nymphing you will be starting in the tail as per normal and working your way up to the head of the pool which has a slight tumble in and few nasty snags which are easily missed as they are very visible. The casting does not have to be huge and most anglers would be able to hit the willows on the other side if they wanted to but blind fishing like this will only end up in tears with no leader or flies left so stick with what you can see and read the water with the angling skills you have.
The tail of the pool is where the wetliners just love it and do very well..It is also where certain TRM stalkers spend their time hunting browns in the last minutes of summer heat before dark (Hi John, Hi Wayne, etc.). At this position above the pool you can really see a deep and steady drop of which just screams dredge me to wetliners. Casting for anglers is quite easy going and most guys will nearly cast down to the bends if they are using a shooting head with some substantial weight in the front of it. A short leader and a Woolly bugger is all that is needed here but watch out for the logs and snags which seem always hungry for flies. A good way to get out of snags is to test the water first by a quick strip in the first time and then get slower until you start touching the bottom, by doing this you wont get solidly hooked up first cast and may save a few flies. There are 2 or three snags in here but the more you “fush” there the better you will learn to navigate around them and get the most out of the pool.
The easiest and best way to get to the pool is to go down the true right of the river as if you were trying to get to the Reed pool after parking in the Bain pool car park. The track down is very visible and a great walk which everyone is capable of doing at their own pace. If you are heading down this way you have to try both of these pools. They hold huge numbers of trout at different times of the year and it is sure to be a good one for you at some stage.
Hopefully this adds another string to your bow for next time you are up this way and another option if the river is ever busy again.
Tight lines
Andrew Christmas
(Photos taken today – typical summer day when we did not sight another angler anywhere below the Bridge Pool to De Latours. The wet line poser in images above is WG)