(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 – 18 December 2009 – 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)
NOTE: Both Reed and Jones Pool score 14 out of 20 in the Tongariro River ratings chart.
Reed Pool Update 2009
Hi there,
The last few weeks have been extremely busy and Ross has been nice enough to grant me a few weeks leave from doing the report to concentrate on guiding and my own website reports. But between guiding this week I have a minute to do a report and give you guys some insight to another pool. Many anglers will know this pool better than me as it seems to have it’s regular guys who love this pool and stay loyal to it.
Welcome to the Reed Pool.
The Reed pool is a very famous lower river pool and is favoured by older anglers as it is one of the best wet lining pools on the Tongariro river. Most books on the Tongariro will mention or have a write up on this pool as it used to be and still is one of the most productive pools on the river. It is also angler friendly. It’s productivity is due to location in the lower river and being a great holding pool for groups of fresh run fish which are still in the same pod that they entered the river in. Fish seem to stick together or move at the same pace while still in the lower section of the river or at least while they are below the bridge and this is why if you hit it right in the winter you can have some double figure days pretty quick. To have double figure days consecutively you must be following the group of fish you found the day before up river as they wont be in the same pool as the day before.
Given the length and depth of the Reed pool it is easy to see why large numbers of migrating trout form in here and even take up residence for spawning in the sandy bottomed shallows. Quite often you can see fish digging redds in the shallows and coloured up jacks chasing in behind or snapping at other smaller younger males trying to move in on their patch. I personally stay away from this behaviour as they are usually hard to catch and the males that you can tempt with a glo bug will generally be very dark or skinny fish. (Editor’s note: But remember usually about 20-30m down river there will be few old jacks feeding off any displaced eggs!)
All methods of fly fishing are welcome in here and most anglers will get along well in here as there is plenty of water for everyone to have a fair chunk of their own and not bother anyone else. Wet liners love this pool as it is easy wading with a good solid sand base and they can stand up to their nipples and get a nice long cast to the other side and swing their wets right through the best lies. I would use a fairly fast shooting head or sink tip in here with a short trace and a big Woolly Bugger attached with plenty of crystal flash sparkle in the tail to entice fresh running trout. If wet lining start at the head of the pool. It is generally the thing to do and slowly creep your way down to the tail while working as much water as you can cover as you go. As I don’t wetline a lot I can’t quite remember but I’m pretty sure that the pool is fairly snag free and if you do pick up the odd log you can usually wade down and retrieve it as the current is constant and your feet firmly cemented under the sand.
Nymphing should be done in reverse of course. To be really successful in this pool I think you will need a fairly long cast followed with a good mend to get the right drift and flies down to the fish on the far side. The head of the pool supports a shorter cast but does not allow you to stand there all day and hog the spot where wet liners enjoy starting their run down. While nymphing up you must be aware of anglers working down river and cross over at the right time to avoid confusion and tangles. Simple communication is all that is needed. I have seen some great arguments on the Tongariro over the years and they all seem to be between wetliners and nymphers in the winter fishing the spawning runs. Who fishes for this reason? You could stay at home for an argument!
Dry fly in the summer with those big ugly Cicadas can take some very large Browns which sit under the willows on the far (true left) side and with a directed cast and good drift they will get accepted on most occasions. Never dismiss any pool in the summer for Brown trout as they will be where you find them and especially in the lower river close to the edges and overhung banks. Down river they are mainly night time feeders but with the right fly and the correct approach they are great targets during the day as well.
Access to the Reed pool is very easy and is another reason why it is popular with many anglers and in particular those who like a gentle stroll down memory lane or those (like Ross) who can’t handle the uneven stony terrain of the upper river. The best option for me is to park in the Plank Pool car park off Graces Rd and take the track which follows the river down on the true right hand side. Not so long ago you could park right on the river but in recent times a large log has been wedged across the track so vehicle access has been obstructed and confined to the main car park. In more recent times I have noticed that the log has been cut in half or dragged aside and you could squeeze your truck down there once again but I’m not sure if this is supposed to be happening. To save hassle you are best to park in the main car park. The walk down through the trees to the Reed Pool should only take 15 minutes and where the track runs out onto the river you will not mistake the head of the Reed pool, as it is the one you are looking straight at.
The Reed Pool pretty much starts where you walk out at the track and follows down to the next set of rapids, thus making the pool about 500 metres in length all of which is fishable. I was going to include the Jones pool in the same report as it does get mistaken quite often as the same pool but as it is such a significant piece of water it deserves it’s own write up. To keep things fresh in everybody’s mind I will report on the Jones pool next week. Then it will warrant a walk down there on your next trip to Turangi.
From Bains Pool carpark take the 4WD track down to Bains Pool (if confused or lost refer to the Bain Pool Report), then divert onto the foot-track down to Reeds.
This leads on to an easy crossing over to the top of the Log Pool. Look out for snags… Fly retailers love this pool as they sell flies…
Reed Pool 2005 Report
This series of reports was originally requested by regular Tongariro River Motel inmates to advise them on changes to Tongariro River pools – particularly following the February 2004 flood and river works reconstruction since. Therefore, perhaps the Reed Pool hardly warrants an update at all. We are advised the only major difference is that the often flooded access is more difficult, and the pool now has larger and more numerous snags.
Easy casting and wading is available from the wide sandy beach which extends 300m-400m along the northern or RHS. The river widens and the rate of flow slows to a crawl, gliding smoothly through Reeds so long drifts are possible across to the main lie in the channel along the LHS. This lower river area is still strewn with flood debris, and is visually messy from natural fan aggradation compared to the more scenic upper river aspects. But spawning trout like all the shelter provided by the debris. Previously one of the main attributes was a minor spawning stream which spews in at the bottom of Reeds from the LHS, but a large snaggy log jam chose the stream mouth as a perfect place to anchor and collect flies, so this made any casting or wading unnecessarily dangerous and ridiculously expensive in lost leaders and snagged flies. With the first spawning tributary into the river, the flow rate increases strongly at this converging confluence. The lower Reeds has developed into a spawning area over the last two years.
Australian visitors at Reed Pool – 11 September 2006 .
The usual access is via Grace Road, then proceed down the only road on left after Herekiekie Street, just past Tongariro Lodge, along a rough and often flooded pumice track leading to the river. Parking is available either at the end of the gravel road or on the stone beach for 4WD vehicles – refer to the Bain Pool report.
A winding track leads down river from just where the vehicle access joins the beach. Reeds is about 20 minutes (in waders) beyond Bain Pool along the undulating bank on what struggles to even qualify as an angling trampers track.
But anglers cannot be trusted as this was all lies. Park in the Reserve off Tautahanga Road usually used for access to the Swirl Pool. (The track is clearly marked on Bayleys Turangi street map available at the office.)
Follow the old road down river and take the third side track on the right which should bring you out on the Reed Pool LHS opposite the snag below the bypass. There is excellent casting available directly into the deep channel from the bank and from shallow wading across the mouth of the bypass and below the bank. A rough track extends along the bank and leads eventually to the beaches down river opposite Smallmans Reach and The Bends, although these tracks get very over-grown during summer months. A good spot for either wet lines or nymphing with an extra long leader.
Tongariro River Motel guest/angler with more evidence that fresh run rainbows can be caught in November. Alan Peterson drove over from Napier this morning, strolled down to Reed Pool in civilised office hours, hooked and landed five rainbows, released two. He had all of the Reed Pool to himself – just like heaven. All caught on olive woolly buggers – never use anything else says Alan. Some anglers make it very simple.
