Red Hut

2009 Report – Red Hut Pool

Red Hut car park Access

The Red Hut is one of the most beautiful and accessible pools on the river, and a starting point for many sojourns to other pools. Signposted off State Highway 1 about 5 kms south of Turangi. Sadly, being close the highway, it also gets its fair share of opportunistic thieves, so don’t leave your gear or valuables in the car.

Red Hut Pool On the bright side, an excellent loo, and an area to sit down, rest your feet, and clutch your head as you ponder another morning with no blasted fish.

Park at the top, follow the track down -it splits half way – left leads down river on LHS to Duchess, etc, the right to Red Hut swingbridge, and all points north and south. Cross the bridge, turn left, and there you are.

Red Hut bridge Don’t panic if you see 12 cars in the car park – there is a lot of water available from the car park – below to Duchess and lower, Shag, Shag-Hut, up-river to Poutu, Boulder reach RHS, Cliff, Fan, Big Bend, and all places north, so 12 carloads have a lot of water to cover. (Editor’s note – Do not be discouraged by the numbers of cars parked as many are tourists or walkers or mountain bikers using the track down to Koura Street bridge.)

Pool rating

The pool rates 13 – out of 20. The pool used to hold quite a few fish, but seems to hold less obvious ones now..

Red Hut Pool General

Big changes above Red Hut in 2008. Previously, a side-stream came off Waddells, and re-joined by the bridge. This has disappeared, and now the full flow comes from 75-100 feet further up the true left bank. So we have acquired more fishing water. It’s fast, and not very wide. The rest of the pool is pretty much as normal.

Above the bridge

Red Hut Pool Although I’ve tried it with both nymph and wetline, haven’t had much joy catching fish. (Shutup Ross….) Even with a fast sinking line, there doesn’t seem to be enough time to sweep the centre of the pool properly. Nymphing seems to work better, and I suspect in winter this area will be pretty good.

Below the Bridge

As you come across the bridge, look down into the pool with your expensive fish-spotting glasses. Haven’t got any? Then I better tell you what you will see – at least in summer. The main flow has few fish. However, where the bank slopes down under water, it terminates in a line down the river of larger stones – always has, by the way. The fish are in a line around the stones. It’s quite close to the bank, and even my 22.74 foot cast can reach them from the bank.

Red Hut Pool You can cheat by checking where the fish are, then line them up on specific uprights on the bridge, so you know where to drop your cast when you are down below.

The pool is accessible from both sides, so if you want to drop down from the path before crossing the bridge, you can fish in the deep water on the RHS, which can be very good in winter. Pays to either be left-handed, or ambidextrous.

Tail of the Pool

Red Hut & Peter Wilton Occasionally contains snags, but there are often lots of fish in there as well, difficult to spot amongst the boulders.. A slow sinking line can be very effective – the water is only 3-5 feet deep – or a nymph rig on short leader. Then all hell breaks loose when the damn fish wants to head off to the Shag-Hut, and you try to follow it along the bank.

In summer, at dusk, the tail is a great place for dry fly, with fish rising everywhere. Curiously, I’ve seldom seen many other people fishing the tail in summer, yet it is eminently accessible, and no problems getting home in the dark.

Overall

Red Hut - above pool Because the pool is so accessible, lots of people give it a try through the day, which means fish are spooked often, I suppose. Early morning and late evening seem good though, as the fish settle down.

And now, to pick on Ross….. previous reports said that the original bridge was washed away in the 58’ flood. True. The report also said it was replaced in 1960. Not true. I have the photo of the flying fox still in place in 1964. The flying fox was great fun, because you could stop half-way, and drop your line in, sweeping the pool nicely. Ah, the halcyon days of our youth….

Red Hut - above pool The Red Hut doesn’t produce as many fish as it used to. But the pool below makes up for that, meaning that for a pleasant morning’s fishing (or more ritual humiliation in the writer’s case) you can drop down through the Red Hut, fish the RHS of the Shag-Hut, (see up-coming pool report) then do the Shag pool, turn around, and do it all over again, probably picking up quite a few fish in the process. I’ll be in the car park trying to buy a trout so I can pretend to Ross that I actually caught something.

During the investigation for this report, rocks were moved, sand was scrapped, the bed of pool was altered by the removal of 2 branches, and litter was left (2 #12 Pheasant tails, please return if found) changing the natural state of the environment. Further more, native flora was damaged while removing flies from trees. Government officials were on hand, so accordingly, we need to write an Environmental Impact report, just in case.

Red Hut Bridge “No fish were killed during the preparation of this report (Bugger) although there is a strong suspicion that two brown trout died laughing, and a rainbow female may have miscarried. A blue heron fishing alongside sneered and smirched in a marked and supercilious manner. The mental anguish and suffering of the writer was considered by investigating officers to be his tough luck…. All electrons used in the computer were re-cycled ones.”

Red Hut Pool 2008

Rating (out of 20) 13, Shag Hut 13.
(2007 Googled Tongariro River with Red Hut Pool in top centre – see swing bridge over river)

2008 Update:
Considering NZ Army Engineers being questioned recently over their bridge building competence, it is timely to reminisce that the Red Hut Bridge was built over 50 years ago – in 1955 – by the NZ Army. It has survived two major floods since which would have swept away any normal footbridge built to Government specifications.
Right – Red Hut swing bridge from LHS looking up river. This bank is used for wet lining.
The 1958 flood scoured out both banks and the concrete columns at each end collapsed. What was left of the footbridge lay in the torrent acting like a huge net collecting trees and debris threatening to pull the anchors out. It took two years to replace with a new bridge in 1960. Then again in 2004, mother nature had another assault on the Red Hut (and Koura Street) swing bridge(s) but they have survived – a credit to their design and construction.

So for the bridge 50th anniversary, anglers should acknowledge where credit is due – specially to TALTAC (Tongariro & Lake Taupo Anglers Club) who were responsible in convincing the Government to build the footbridges for anglers.
(<< Photo left – Looking across Red Hut bridge from the car park.
This track provides access to all pools on the RHS and eventually
connects with Koura Street swing bridge.)

Access:

The Red Hut car park is 5.3 km south of the Tongariro River Motel. Do be discouraged by the number of cars in the car park. Apart from the day trippers, mountain bikers, canoeists, and tourists using the DoC organic long drop loo, the Red Hut Bridge also provides anglers access over to other upper river pools such as the Poutu, Shag Pool, Duchess, etc. plus various other new “noname” pools.

(Updated Photos
<< left & right>
by Brendon Mathews

April 2008)

Therefore the anglers may not be in the pool you are aiming at. There are many options available in the upper river. An example of one of the many new noname (yet?) pools can be seen immediately upriver on LHS from the footbridge and can be accessed from walking up the RHS under the bridge. It is too early to merit naming rights but there are many other small holding pools formed after the 2004 flood.

The second point to remember is to pause when crossing long enough to have a good hard look into the river below the bridge. Polaroids help to reduce glare and see into the depths where there are usually several biggies resting on their journey up river.

The theory is that during daylight the fish are wary of crossing under the shadow of the bridge across the river, or perhaps they are just feeding off the rapid above, before continuing upriver towards Waddells Pool. Since the 2004 flood both Red Hut Pools have reduced in character and depth but the strong flow remains. The main pool does not appear to be holding the same numbers of fish as prior to the 2004 flood.

(Photo right> Anglers Access sign indicating the track down river on LHS to Duchess Pool.)

It is compulsory to peep out from the high bank on the LHS (from the track to The Duchess Pool) to spot which fish you planned to aim for before crossing the bridge to nymph or wetline from the RHS beach.

The second lower pool – usually referred to as the Shag-Hut pool, being located between the Shag and Red Hut – is completely different to previous and appears to now be the preferred pool. If you see there are anglers already on the RHS beach, take the LHS track as there is also a (steep and slippery!) track down to the shelf on the LHS.

It is easily fished from the RHS and good for both wetlining and nymphing. We have seen anglers in the lower pool casting across as far as possible towards the LHS while a small shoal has passed through about three metres in front of them. So apply the “goldie oldie” rules – fish your feet first.

Red Hut car park is popular for canoeing, rafting, or for tourists walking or mountain biking the river bank tracks. So do not be discouraged by the number of cars parked there.

(Left – rafts under Red Hut Bridge – School holidays – 4 July 2007)
NOTE: Pool Reports for the Tongariro River are prepared from guest/anglers experiences. As such, Tongariro River Motel do not accept any responsibility for the opinions of other anglers who are traditionally acknowledged liars about their best fishing pools.