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The Taupo Tiger comes in many different body colours nowadays but to be a Taupo Tiger it must have a wing of dark centred badger hackles and a red head. |
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The final appearance of a Taupo Tiger greatly depends on the colour pattern of the badger hackles used. The addition of jungle cock eyes makes for an elegant version known as a Taupo Tiger Imperial. |
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A red bodied version of the Taupo Tiger is also known as a Tiger Ross. |
The Taupo Tiger is one of the most popular trout flies sold in New Zealand. It was according to Keith Draper in New Zealand Trout Flies, the original creation of James Ross of Napier in the early 1930s. I was originally known as the Tiger Ross.
Fished close to the bottom the Taupo Tiger makes an excelent smelt imitation or a cockabully. It is for this purpose that this highly successful fly is used to fish the river mouths feeding in to Lake Taupo, and also the Rotorua Lakes.
The Taupo Tiger is also a popular harling and trolling lure used throughout New Zealand. Many Canterbury anglers also fish this lure for searun brown trout.
Like many of the New Zealand lures we have described here this one has also been subject to numorous changes of the body colour. Green, fluro lime green, and even pink are used for tying the Taupo Tiger. A red bodied version is also known as a Tiger Ross.
You might also be interested in these New Zealand trout lure patterns: Rabbit Lures, Hope's Silvery, Mrs Simpson and Hamills Killer, the Yellow Rabbit Lure, Silicon Rubber Trout Flies, Beetle Trout Flies, Luminous Trout Flies, Muddler Minnow, Zonker Flies. These lures will catch other fish as well as trout. You can read about it here: Searun Trout, Salmon and Kahawai. Fishing with the Canterbury Lure Rod. Tying the Red Shadow Lure with John Hey. Hairy Dog night fly for trout fishing. Try Lake Georgina trout fishing.
Trout Fly Fishing in New Zealand. Return to Feathered Lures for Trout and Salmon. |
