Hello all, Im pretty new to this sport and indeed this forum so was hoping some of you might be able to point me in the right direction.

Im currently travelling for a year and have really been missing my fishing. I have decided I would like to learn how to fly fish and indeed how to fly cast.

As im in the Taupo/Tongariro area in the comming days/week I would like to if possible take a lesson. I dont think I have the money to have a guide take me fishing and teach me casting so will settle for just learning how to cast.

Maybe if I can learn to cast I could rent some gear, buy a licence and take myself to a quiet spot so as not to be a nuiscence and practice.

Can any one recommend someone in the area who runs casting lessons? I would be most grateful for any help.

Jono

Jono

You will be in a fly fishing mecca albeit Kiwis mid-winter.Should be numbers of rainbows/steelheads run the rivers from Lake Taupo but in all honesty no place for a total newcomer to the fly rod.Possibly still some reasonable fishing to be had in the lake but they do have some weather there in terms of rain in wintertime so not for the faint hearted.You should easily be able to find some help in Taupo or Turangi as these places have built up around the trout fishing.In general Kiwis are good folk love their fishing and very helpful.Good luck.You will remember it for life if you tangle with a Tongariro rainbow.Fantastic "fush" fat and full of smelt just now.

Jono,

If you're going to stay in Tuarangi try Sporting Life in the small shopping precinct ( just down from The National Bank ). I'm sure if you rent some gear from them they'll give you a brief casting lesson on the grass near the shop. With it being their winter the river will be flowing quite fast so you'll need HEAVY nymphs - not easy to handle if you're just starting !

Pools to fish - Major Jones, Red Hut, below the Boulder Pool - all shown on local river maps. Don't leave anything in your car. Area is well know for car break ins !

If you're looking for a motel you won't do better than the Creel Lodge. If you trip over at the back gate you'll be in the Tongariro river ! Great place.

TJ

Your best best would be hit up the Hunting and Fishing shop when you get to Taupo and see if anyone there can point you in the right direction. They are a good bunch and will see you right if they can help.

Thanks for the advice Flyboynz, thats exactly what I did yesterday. I went in and a guy called Gary Lyttle took me under his wing and gave me a casting lesson this morning.

It was a really enjoyable hour under his tuition. He managed to get me to cover a few different typs of cast. Lets see if i can remeber the names.... roll cast, false cast, double haul casting, steeple cast, and european roll cast I think.

We also covered a side cast technique and practiced casting to tree trunks to get an idea of cating to a target.

I am now trying to get together a basic fly outfit given Garys advice and hopefully then I can find some fields or lakes to practice casting some fluff on the line.

Im not interested in casting to a fish yet I want to get these new learned skills more polished and honed before I go spoiling streches of river with my thrashing about.

A massive thank you to Gary for all your teaching and advice, and he has to be one of the nicest guys I have met.

Thanks to all of you for your advice and replies to this post.

expect many more nwebie questions from me from here on in.

all the best

Jono

Jono

If you fancy trying one of the winter streams in the Waikato give us a buzz...cell number in your in box.

Matt

Hi Jono, if you find it hard to cast the heavy bombs and multi rigs needed on the Tongariro, try a single wet fly, like a red setter, at one of the small river mouths, cast out and let the rip take your line, then slowy twitch it back towards you. Or a good place in the evening is just inside the T.T. river mouth, cast a single tungstan bead head nymph toward the far bank and let it drift as far as you can, then let it swing toward your own side and twitch it back up current, then repeat.
I hope this helps some.
All the best.
Mike