The new 2017-18 season starts
Well the new season is well underway having guided 8 days already with a total of 42 trout up to 9 pounds all clients very happy and we are only half way through October, this, however, is only numerics and speaks little of the experiences that make our days so engaging, adventuresome, educational and inspirational…
Read MoreHigher Flows, Scouting and New Streamer Patterns
As early spring is here and the days warming up I have been out and about fishing, scouting, exploring and testing out a few new streams patterns in a few rivers that are open all year round. This past winter we have experienced higher rainfalls and snowfalls than previous years so it’s fantastic to see…
Read MoreNew Zealand Mayflies
As I fished this week it was heartening to see a very lush mayfly hatch about midday it’s not widely known but here in South Island we often get some of the best mayfly hatches during the early and late season. We have 3-4 common types of mayfly the most majestic being the Coloburiscus humeralis,…
Read MoreIntroduction of Brown Trout to New Zealand
It is hard to believe that this year is 150 years since Brown trout were first introduced to New Zealand and how well they have done. The first live trout ova arrived at Lyttelton on 23rd September 1867 and there the story that I have a lot of passion for begins in a hatchery based…
Read MoreFantastic winter lake fishing in New Zealand’s High Country
Some fantastic winter lake fishing kept us in the swing of things during July and August, even just driving up to these high country lakes was an experience by its self the dynamic snow covered mountain ranges and vast valleys. Dressing warm was key and we found that Simms G3 and Freestone waders worked very…
Read MoreFishing with barbless hooks
I am excited to announce that I will be offering clients the option of fishing with barbless hooks in the upcoming season and I am busy tying many patterns on them. These hooks are very high quality being super sharp and strong wire but most importantly make releasing trout much easier with way less damage.…
Read MoreTrout Unlimited
I have such a lot of respect for Trout Unlimited, back in the 90s was a member of a small chapter in Christchurch NZ …still today some of the river plantings are thriving. Here a perfect South Island Brown on perfect rod for NZ for USA angler Frederic M Young
Read MoreNew Zealand Back-country Fly Fishing
My clients and I, are so looking forward to getting back into the South Island back country rivers in the upcoming season and we find these places are so exciting to fish. What makes these trips so enticing are the aggregate of many parts all woven together that form the very best and most memorable…
Read MoreCanterbury Braided Rivers
Most of the time I tested the caddis on Canterbury Braided Rivers as many of these remain open for winter fishing and in particular the month of May offered some of the most stand out angling we have seen for many years and its always a pleasure getting out for some personal fishing time as well…
Read MoreNew Zealand Green Caddis
During the later part of the season we noticed large numbers of Green Caddis and that trout had been avidly feeding upon, here in New Zealand 2 main species are Hydropsyche and Hydrobiosis and indeed these caddis larvae are arguably the most universal trout food the world over. Having tied imitations for years recently i…
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