"I am not against golf, since I cannot but suspect it keeps armies of the unworthy from discovering trout." Paul O'Neil
It’s looking good for the upcoming season with the borders fully open, and tourism operators alongside accommodation suppliers all geared up to welcome overseas visitors. I don’t think the rivers will be as busy as they were prior to covid, … Continued
Over the winter I have not observed any significant high flow events in both the back country and lowland rivers. We also had a good autumn for river flows, so I’m optimistic for some good fishing in rivers that have … Continued
The start of November sees all local fisheries open, with the exception of the Upper Ahuriri (December 1) and Twizel region (Nov 3). Unfortunately there have been some significant storms making the fishing hard in many areas during October, … Continued
With the end of May, we say goodbye to the 2016/2017 trout season in the Southern Lakes. If I said it was an easy season with great conditions, my trousers would be on fire. Looking back, and after talking with … Continued
At last, the Backcountry waters around Wanaka open on November 1, with the other waters further North in the Central South Island opening on November 5. The weather forecast is for lovely calm settled weather right up to 7am on opening … Continued
The stocking program for the Southern alpine and lowland rivers that we fish (and most of the South Island) is zero. This is a wild fishery, pure and simple. Well, the fishery is pure, but I’m not so sure about … Continued
Our fly fishing season for most of the rivers around the Southern Lakes officially closed on Sunday. Reflecting back over what has been a good season, I thank not only our great wild trout fishery, but also the fantastic clients … Continued
Some guys just don’t know when to let go…! I was trying to help him up, believe it or not, and not trying to push him in! Bill had a great week all the same, and made remarkable progress for a … Continued
Our season is nearly over, with cold temperatures, snow and 3 days left of the Otago backcountry river fishing. The last guiding day was cold – we started at 2 degrees and finished the day at 3 degrees. However, there … Continued
What a week! With the best laid plans in tatters due to some rather savage weather, we rallied and looked hard for alternatives. My client Oliver from Sydney is really positive bloke, and with his new 3wt Kubuto Japanese fibreglass … Continued