I Hope Santa Brings You a Radian

It's that time of the year again. Soon the sweet sound of cicadas will be filling the air and the trout will head to the surface to feast on any that are clumsy enough to fall into the water. We have been flat out at Fish City making sure that the Christmas wishlists of fishermen are checked off. We haven't really had the chance to head out fishing due to the nature of the retail beast, however there are plenty of trips in the pipes for the New Year (Josh just bought a boat, salt fly adventures to follow). Stay tuned for some results...

We just thought we would take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Also, make sure to stay safe on the roads this time of year as there as there are some absolute muppets floating about. Most importantly, get out and catch some fish and make the most of this amazing country that we call home.

Thanks for continuing to support the blog and sharing in our passion.

Cameron and Josh



In case you missed it, below is the video that was featured in Fly Fishers Inc.

Enjoy The Simple Things

With the season fully under way now and summer trying it's best not to show its hand too early, it is very easy to head straight for the big water as soon as there is a break in the weather. This is so tempting as there are likely to be (bigger) fish that haven't seen too many anglers in recent times and the thought of them hitting flies with a totally reckless attitude makes it the seemingly obvious decision. Just like everyone else too...

Don't get me wrong, fishing these great big waters with potentially larger fish is possibly the pinnacle of fishing here in New Zealand, especially when the fish are looking up and feeding off the surface. It can also be very challenging! Gotta love it! This is going off on a bit of a tangent but what I'm trying to get at is that you shouldn't forget the small streams! Going out with a 3 or 4wt rod and throwing dries at maniacal little rainbows that are full of spirit and act as if they have just snorted something potent is easily as good as catching big mooching fish. Definitely not being selective in my fishing but if the option is there then take it! There just seems to be something special about being in really personal waters that not many people seem to give much thought or credit to. Just enjoy keeping it all simple and let everything else going on in the world fade.

This was all proven on the weekend with a visit to a local small stream where I managed to land a few really fat and feisty rainbows along with a really nice brown in the 4lb size range. A very successful day I thought!

One of the crazy little rainbows that smashed the dry!

Anyway, a side note to all this and definitely something to be excited about is the release of FlyFishers Inc. The boys up at Manic have worked really hard (we think) to bring this wicked magazine out. Full of good stuff from tips to cool fishing shit and a bit of info on a few of the people in the industry. A bit of an insight into the happenings in the Fly Fishing scene in NZ. Anyway, here is a link to the newest volume of FlyFishers Inc.

Have a good read and let us know what you reckon! There is even a guest apperance from the FlyGuys on there!
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Making Hay

I was fortunate enough to have a day off coincide with some reasonable weather and managed to sneak out for a fish down National Park way on the weekend. I was down there to guide on the Saturday so went down Friday to ... uh ... ensure that the rivers were fishing well for my clients. I had an epic afternoon with plenty of FAT fish eager to eat a multitude of flies.

Typical National Park fatty

 
The guiding day was equally as good with clients who were brand spanking new to fly fishing getting a few fish (and getting dusted by a few more!). The guys were really surprised at the ability of the trout to fight by using the current to their advantage and had a really enjoyable days fishing.

Alvaro with his first ever trout

I also managed to get down to Rotorua last night to see how the stream mouths are going as the water is starting to warm up. We encountered a few really good conditioned fish however the cold current was a bit all over the place so we had to work for them. Really encouraging signs though.

These guys formed a bit of a gallery for me

It looks like some more average weather is on the way but there will be the odd good one in between so take advantage of the good days when they come along.

Let It Be Summer!

It has been a little while since my last visit to the blogosphere and unfortunately it hasn't been because I have been lost in the wilderness on all sorts of fishing adventures... I have been, as quite a few of us have been, stuck at work or unimaginably frustrated at the lack of fair weather to fish in. Don't get me wrong, I don't just fish bluebird days without a fart of wind but the seemingly ever present winds that are hanging around are doing my head in. But summer is almost officially here!

The last fish I managed to get out on was in marginal 20 Knot winds and the only rivers in the area were nice and murky coloured and not much use for fishing. Being me however, I tied on a wooly bugger and tried for all it was worth. It resulted in a single strike that left me with a snapped leader and a sweet new piercing courtesy of a size 12 cone headed wooly bugger. Successful day really! 

Wind back to mid last week and Cameron and myself ventured up a new stretch of water that google earth helped us scope out. We packed our gear and excitement and charged out to the river. The water was as good as we had hoped it would be, but the fish were proving difficult in every way. The very few fish that we did manage to hook had ideas other than co operating with our plans. They fought hard and used all sorts of dirty tricks which was very pleasant to find out indeed. Although the numbers were not plentiful, the whole experience was worth it tenfold.

All in all the new water exploration was definitely worth the time away from our usual fishing waters. Sometimes it is much better to shake the familiar waterways and go out blind and test out new skills. Coming in to summer is going to make this even more exciting and not quite as difficult as the waters will be clear and the fish on the rise. Bear in mind though, that these fish will also be very wary so be on your toes!

Here are a couple of trailers to some top notch short films. Those of you who attended the rise film festival will recognise a couple of these but thought it was time to jog the memory. Enjoy!



Blood Knot [Trailer] from TwoFisted Heart Productions on Vimeo.






7 degrees south - Alphonse Island - official trailer from alphonsefilm on Vimeo.

Go check out the full story behind all of these sweet trailers and share it amongst your mates!

Weather Woes and Videos

It's nearly summertime right? Well you wouldn't really know it and I blame the lack of posts on here on the lack of suitable fishing weather. We have some pretty gnarly trips in the pipes, it's just a matter of finding a weather window and jumping on it. This said, if the rivers do clear, it can be worth braving the conditions as the fishing can be pretty good.

Until such weather presents itself, all I can offer is some more video treats. Everyone who knows me is pretty well aware I have major problems with rampant hydro electric power as it can suck the life out of perfectly good rivers. This is another inspiring video from the US which shows that it is never too late to change the way in which we approach the environment and power generation in particular. 

This video is put together by well known trout artist Derek DeYoung and is a reminder of how beautiful trout are and what a good subject for art they are as a result. 

Staying Sane

When the weather is crap and the rivers are blown out or you have one of those job things that prevents you from getting out fishing, the best way to keep in a reasonable mental state is to sample the fine array of Fish Porn that the internet has to offer.

We at Fly Guys recognise that finding such videos can be an arduous task (haha) and that is why we have decided to compile a small list of some decent videos we have found recently. It is hard to blog about fishing when you haven't been doing any, so thankfully there are some people out there who are willing to share in their adventures.

So sit back, grab a brew and go fishing vicariously through the lens of some other blokes camera.

 

Gear Up

I hope everyone has been making the most of the of the reasonably settled weather we have been enjoying. Although overcast, the muggy afternoons have seen some pretty prolific Mayfly hatches on our local streams. If you find yourself in amongst one of these, fish small dries or unweighted nymphs and you might be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Josh and I have not been able to do as much fishing as we would like recently as we have been trying to save up some coin for out next adventure. You will find us at Fish City most days, scheming about where to go next and what gear we can purchase to add to the already out of control selection.

We have recently been focussing on upgrading out camping gear, to make our trips into the backcountry more enjoyable and practical. Ampro is a NZ distributor of some great brands, including Thermarest and MSR. Check out their website here and come and see us or any of the other lads at Fish City for some quality outdoor equipment at great prices.

While some of the stuff may seem a little expensive, in this case you really do get what you pay for. Some of this stuff can mean the difference between lugging a 20kg pack or a 15kg one. Anyone who has done any hiking will tell you that 5kg extra on your back feels like 50!

On an unrelated note, I found this cool video during my internet travels. It's kind of like looking into the future when I have kids, although ideally that won't be for a while yet! Enjoy.

It's All Go

With the new season well underway, I hope most have managed to sneak out for a fish at some stage. The weather around opening was pretty average which seemed to put the fish down a bit and the fishing became tough. The Mangatutu was particularly tough on opening weekend and we heard that from a few different sources. Well done if you managed to snare a few during that time.

In the last few days though, we have had some weather that is getting us excited for summer! We have also noticed a few improvements in the fishing. On most small streams, plenty of bugs are hatching and the fish are not hesitating to come up to the top for them. With this said, the fishing is not quite back into full swing. We tend to find that you have bursts of success throughout a days fishing at the moment, the 12-2pm period has been particularly good.

Typical Waikato small stream fishing

Standard hares ear and pheasant tail patterns are working well as per usual and a bit of flash in the fly has been very effective. Fish are still holding pretty deep as well so it is worth having a fair bit of weight in the fly to get through the deeper pools. As the weather gets hotter and the flows get lower, we will see the fish start to move into the more oxygenated riffles, making them much easier targets.

The highlight of the season so far has been the fact that several fish have been more than willing to come up for the stimulators we are using as indicators. Although I love all fly fishing, it does not get any better than seeing a fish come up and sip a dry fly off the surface.

Watched this guy come all the way up for a size 10 stimulator

The weather should only get more and more stable from now on. Also, the Lake Rotorua temperature is rising so we will be hanging out at the stream mouths at night very soon. Get out and get in amongst it.

Open Sesame!

Well it's here again! Finally... The new season opening creates quite a buzz within the New Zealand fly fishing community, and with good reason too. The little waterways and backcountry streams are once again open to be explored and enjoy more great times. The lakes also opened up and a few good fish were pulled, as is the norm with the exceptional lake fishing around.

Opening day was within touching distance (if you could reach ahead and touch time), plans were set into motion, bags were packed up late Monday night and we hit the road and headed for the hills. After a restless sleep and a magic start to the day we set off into the bush to get a head start on the season. We had planned to be on the river (10 and 10 on the secretivity vs goodness of mate scale) as early as possible so best option was to sleep next to the river. When we arrived at this totally new water that neither Cameron or myself had fished, we were treated to the sight of some pristine New Zealand fishing water! After camp was set up, we made sure over and over that we were ready for battle the next morning, as opening day wouldn't wait for us for anything.

The first hint of the 1/10/14 was brilliant. The weather gods had been very kind indeed and all that was left was for the fishing gods to follow suit. Camp was quickly dismantled and breakfast pretty much inhaled and wasting no time the first fly was drifting its way down the current. What quickly ensued was my first hiding of the new season also. A solid strike and a hectic bid for freedom almost saw the score at 1-0 to the fish but he wanted his photo taken more than anything so he relented. This seemed to set the tone for the day, as the fish were not shy about hammering even a half decently presented fly and then going batshit crazy during the fight. Perfect!

All day long there were good numbers of fish in most of the pools and decent runs we came across and as well as the excitement felt about this new place (to us) there was also the feeling of awe and great respect. We truly felt privileged to be able to enjoy a place like that. Not many people get the opportunity to do so and even less seemed to be inclined to do so. It made it even clearer that we needed to do what we can to preserve more places like that, as there seems to be a growing disregard for the natural beauty of these sorts of places.

Well that's my little hippy rant over... Fair to say that we had an outstanding opening day and hopefully the same was had by all who managed to get out, even if your opening day was a later date. We managed to get a few snaps of the trip and hope the season continues with the same good fortunes. Get out there and get amongst it!

A little sneak peak at the creek. Cant give too much away now can we?

One of the typical beautiful fish of the trip

One of the more memorable catches. They are in a league of their own in the bush

Now it's time for the monumental crash back to reality. These little trips like this certainly do take the bitter edge off having to work though. Not that my job is at all bad but certainly a long way off beating a bad days fishing. I think there may be a video or two floating around in the editing room so keep your eyes open and we will keep you posted.

Keep 'em Secret!

Everyone has secret spots, that’s part of the fun of fishing. However we are seeing increased publicity of some lesser known streams and this concerns me a little. I don’t know what it is but I love having those spots where you feel like you are one of the few, if not the only one who fishes this spot. There is a real sense of intimacy with the particular body of water that you might not get if you fish a river that gets flogged.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not being a snob about this. I still love to fish the Mangatutu in the height of summer and the Tongariro in winter but I certainly prefer our little known stream up in the Mamakus that we fish. ;)

That little known stream - was even hesitant to post the photo...

The point here is that people shouldn't give up their secret spots so easily. You have gone to all the effort to do the homework on Google Maps and spend an hour cutting a track through some really thick bush only for someone to else to start hammering your ‘secret spot’. By keeping it secret it makes it more fun for everyone else. Part of fly fishing is that sense of adventure you get when fishing new water, a sense which is only heightened as you fish a new water that no one else fishes!

I therefore have devised a system so one can more easily decide as to who they should tell about particular rivers. Find a spot for your river on the graph Secret Spot Matrix below, the more secret a spot is, the better the mate you let in on that information.

Spot Secretivity Levels (Scale of 1-10)	Goodness of Your Mate (Scale of 1-10)
10 This is type of place that only you know about and is teeming with massive fish that will take any type of fly. A spot so good you will consider not telling another soul about. This is an “if I told you I would have to kill you” fishing spot.	10 These people are those closest to you in the fishing world. This is not your wife or girlfriend or your Doctor or Lawyer. This is your best fishing buddy and your old man territory.
7.5 These spots are the ones that only a handful of people ever really fish. You will tell people about this spot, provided that they only fish there when you are present and that they take vows of secrecy.	7.5 These are the people who you know pretty well and fish with on a regular basis. You are also social outside of fishing and enjoy each others company over a beer. This is also the good looking foreign tourists zone, as they will appreciate the remoteness of the location but more importantly, leave the country and not tell anyone your spots.
5 Rivers that only those who have been fishing for a little while will manage to discover on their own. You will only really tell people about this spot if after conversation about fishing and a quick mental assessment of their attitude toward fishing. If you feel they will do the spot justice, you will mention the spot in broad terms only.	5 These people are mates of mates or guys you inadvertently ended up having a beer with and you decided that they are good bugger. These are also people you view as having the potential to reach a higher rating on the mate scale however you need to ensure that they on the level first.
2.5 These are rivers and lakes that are totally public knowledge however they receive much less pressure than people think. You have no problems telling all but your worst enemies about these spots.	2.5 This a tough category to define, as it extends to those who you know just well enough to talk fishing with. These are also people who are complete novices to the sport and are wanting some info on rivers. You do not tell them about better spots as part of the fun is discovering them for themselves.
0 E.g The Tongariro in Turangi. These are the waters that see more anglers than the state highways see roadworkers. You will talk about these spots openly and frequently and you prefer to fish them on weekdays if possible.	0 You do not know these people from a bar of soap. You walk past them on a popular river, nod your head, tip your cap or if they are really lucky, give them a quick “g’day”. This category also extends to people you really do not like.

With opening day just around the corner, everyone will be heading to their favourite headwaters. We will be exploring some new water, which has the potential to be very high on the above scale!

Wherever you are headed, keep your cards close to your chest - you may just stumble upon a fishing goldmine!

Don't Leave Home without Dry Flies

I just got back from a few days making the central North Island. I had an awesome time and caught plenty of fish but I learned a very important lesson - Never leave home without at least a few dry flies.

In the morning it was fine as all fish were deep and I was getting plenty under the indicator. It wasn't until about 2pm that a ridiculous mayfly hatch started, at which point fish were taking off the surface left right and centre. All I had my pack was bead headed nymphs of all varieties as the weather was cold and rainy so I assumed most fish would be staying deep if possible. I assumed wrong. I would have given just about anything for an emerger patter, a Dads Favourite or a Kakahi Queen at that point.

Where I was when the hatch started up

I was still getting some on the deep nymphs but it soon became apparent that most fish were sitting higher in the water column. Usually if fish are eating of the surface during a hatch, there are usually a few more eating just subsurface before the bugs get a chance to get to the surface.

Not only does it quench your thirst better, it tastes better too

I used my best MacGyver skills and smashed the bead of a Pheasant Tail with some rocks. I used only that fly and it sat just subsurface and actually worked a treat! While I was pretty stoked to have pulled off such sweet improv fishing, a dry to tie on would have made life a heap easier.

The result of my improvisation

The moral of this story is no matter the weather, be prepared for anything. Sort of like a fly fishing version of the Scouts motto.

In other news, the Tongariro is fishing pretty well. The sporadic spring rain is pushing fresh fish up the river and they are pretty hungry. You have to persist a bit to find them but when you get one you normally get a few of their buddies. Also, fishing real small pocket water at the head of big pools was quite productive for me, maybe these spots get neglected a little bit?

I think this is my first even Tongariro Brown!

I have also been lucky enough to be fishing with my new toy, a 6wt Scott Radian. It's everything I would dreamed it would be and more. I was pretty sure it would cast well, which it certainly does. However I was really impressed with the hookset abilities of the rod. Sometimes on the bigger rivers, a strong and direct hookset is essential as current can to all sorts of silly things to your line.

Turns out that this rod works pretty good!

Possibly the most impressive thing about the Radian is the ability to load up the rod at short distances. This is usually a setback for fast action rods, yet it maintains feel and still can bomb out most of the fly line if you need it to.



Less than a fortnight now until the new season. Make sure you have plenty of annual leave and sick days up your sleeve, it's gonna be a good one.

Think On It

The new season is on our doorstep and all sorts of things are flying through our heads. What do we need to top up with? Have I got enough of my favourite flies? Will the new water I hit be as productive as where I fished last season? Do I really need that new fly rod? (Well yes to that one) All sorts of things find themselves occupying our brains in its current excited mindset.

One thing that a lot of people think upon most is organising the early season trips with their best fishing buddies. Taking advantage of the not yet spooked fish with your best mates becomes a priority. If someone can't make it on a particular day, time slots get moved, appointments get cancelled and the first few weeks (or months) of the new season are kept open in the hope that at a moments notice you can drop what meaningless task you are occupied with and get on the river!

Now early on in the week I was approached by my boss and very good friend Bevan to go for a fish. Unfortunately we have not been able to coincide a day off together for a fish in far too long so the hammer fell and work ended up getting the chop, with two very good chaps covering for us at work. This trip was in no way spontaneous or even that short notice but it was great to be able to hit the water and pull a few quality early spring fish out. The winter lay off (of sorts) had not left us all that rusty at all which bodes well for the action that is anticipated in the early days of October. A few smaller but very well conditioned fish played the game and lent their time for a bit of sport which was pleasing.

Bev with the first little fish of the day. All were spotted and full of colour

One of the little brownies caught. Cheers for the photo Bev!

Summer is on its way! A few of these guys were flying around. Even the Radian hat is good!

Again, although the fish were relatively small, there was still plenty of enjoyment in catching them. Good numbers and all caught in rather challenging water with a top notch bloke topped the day off. Although all the big water opens in a couple of weeks, there is always fish to be caught in these waters year round and definitely shouldn't be discredited.

It's Springtime!

Apologies for the slackness of bloggedness. We have also been blogging a bit about the philosophy of fly fishing so we felt it was time for a short post regarding the actual thing.

Winter has come and gone and we are now less than a month away from the happy, happy day that is the first of October. I like to spend as much time as I can in September out on the winter small streams to get a gauge of what the fishing will be like in the season to come.

River cleanliness can be a bit varied in the spring rains and changeable weather but as a rule, fish are usually busy putting on condition and as a result there is some great fishing to be had. On warmer days, there are also some epic evening rises although it usually doesn't last for too long. Never, ever ever ever ever turn down a rising fish. Bang on a Parachute Adams on and bomb it out there. Speaking of dry flies, it is usually this time of year I start using dry flies as an indicator. If the fly sinks because of the weight of your of nymphs, that can be annoying but it is nowhere near as annoying as a big fish coming up and hitting your hookless indicator!

The days are getting longer and longer and soon enough we will have free reign over all the streams. Until then, there is some major fun to be had on the winter waters, go get out there and embrace the springtime and get ready for October!

The rises in springtime might not quite reach these insane levels but either way it should leave you amazed at what trout are capable of.

 

Damsels in Distress from Sharptail Media on Vimeo.

Fishing with my Father

Going fishing is the epitome of father-son activities and I am extremely lucky that my Dad also happens to be my hero and one of my very best mates. He also taught me a lot of what I know about fishing (and now I am teaching him some stuff too!). So it was really awesome that last week he was able to take a day off work and come fishing.

Dad hooked up to a solid fish

I realise that one day Dad won't be around to come fishing with me, so memories and photographs are like gold. I also realise that for whatever reason, many people do not get to spend as much time with their parents as they would like, and fishing is about as quality as time gets for Dad and I. Ever since I was little I remember pestering him to go fishing, which I think he quite enjoyed because Mum would often encourage him to go just to shut me the hell up!

Must have been the superb guiding!

I owe a lot to plenty of people in life but my Dad is right up there. He taught me about patience, respect and how to take pleasure out of the small things in life, all of which are qualities a good fly fisherman needs. Most importantly, he passed on his incredible enthusiasm for fishing and the outdoors in general and I think that this is the greatest gift he has ever given me.

Quality time with one of my best mates

Dad often says that I have now taken him over in things such as casting ability, amount of fish caught and time spent on the water. While this might be true, none of it would have happened without him and it is for this reason that Dad will always be a better fisherman than me. I am constantly learning new things from him, most recently to slow things down a bit when out on the river (I have an awful tendency to charge forward, especially on new water). I look forward to spending many more days on the water with him.

Here is a video that is probably better suited to fathers day, however it ties in with this post and is a truly powerful observation of the father-son relationship. Read the description on the video too, its a beautiful story.

The Pursuit of Happiness

Happiness is a funny thing. It has totally different meanings for different people and some will find it at different stages in their life. I was brought up to believe that you work as hard as you can and sacrifice happiness in order to become financially secure, before enjoying life in your retirement years. Recently, upon completing my university degree, I have been doing a lot of thinking as to what to do next. While the short term goal is to go travelling to North America with Josh next year, the idea of a 9 to 5 office job once I get back doesn't really appeal to me.

I am never so certain as to what I want in life as I am when I am on the river.

I am fortunate enough to find myself in a position where I could possibly make a living out of something I truly love to do, fly fishing. While I would certainly not earn anywhere as much as I would becoming a lawyer, the outdoor lifestyle and guaranteed happiness would more than make up for this. We can spend a lot of our time living up to other peoples expectations but at the end of the day the only expectations we should try and meet are our own. Life is far too short to put yourself in a position where you may wake up one day full of regret and as a young person, I feel I owe it to myself to try and make a fist of something that I know many people never got a chance to do when they were younger. It is for these reasons that I have decided to at least attempt to make a career out of fly fishing.

Josh has been taking some amazing photos recently, this one after a a light dusting of snow on the river bank.

Over half of all people are unhappy with their jobs. This is just sometimes a reality of life and that is why it is called a job. However I truly believe that if you are in a position to make a living out of something you love, then you owe it not only to yourself but to all the people who are not totally happy with their work to try and do something about it. For some of these people it is too late to just drop everything and go fishing (or whatever it is they enjoy) as a lifestyle and career choice. Having said this, if I can make peoples lives a bit better by putting up movies of me going fishing, taking people out fishing or even selling people fishing gear, then that small transfer of happiness that occurs is worth more to the world than me earning a high salary.

The classic frozen guide shot. Josh and his Canon 600D at work.

There may indeed come a time where I have to settle down, get that office job and start a family or I may indeed fail to make a reasonable living out of fishing. I just really don't want to be the guy who looks in the mirror in twenty years time and wonder if I have wasted my youth by not being as happy as I can be.

Watch this trailer (and the full film you can find on Vimeo too), as it has some valuable insights as to the dangers of just wandering through life.

A DELIBERATE LIFE: Film Trailer from Rockhouse Motion on Vimeo.

Support the Locals

As most places will probably say, it is best to keep things in the local area. As a fisherman in New Zealand, I believe there is some of the best fly fishing water in the world, and I know I'm not the only one.
New Zealand certainly has a lot to show off and there are a few guys out there who make their living off such an awesome resource. Clear, fresh and full of fish, most rivers around will be worth any time you invest in trying to catch a decent trout, and they are there.

There are plenty of guides in NZ that depend upon keeping nature in this country pristine. This is the pick of our local guides, which also happens to be who our guiding jobs come through... Funny that... It's just one more way to support the locals. http://www.waikatoflyfishers.co.nz/. There is a little spiel on the home page about them but this is pretty much the best guiding you will find for the King Country area in particular. You can also let us know through here if you want to know any more.

There are the local shops too like Fish City, that really rely on the local, loyal customers of the area. It's not a business owned by an offshore money bag who doesn't really know the general populace at a personal level. I'm not saying these people are bad or don't work as hard, but the local guys really take pride in getting to know each customer and tend to fish and hunt the same areas. With this information and close rapport, fishing can become an even better experience for everyone. To visit, go to  http://fishcity.co.nz/

Another local, and one who is making some noise on the International scene is film maker Nick Reygaert. His company Gin-Clear has produced a few really top notch fly fishing films in the past and is the headliner for the upcoming Rise Fly Fishing Festival. Nick is super passionate about his filming and fishing and it really shows through in the work he produces. This little teaser trailer is for the major film of the night and looks awesome really. The camera work, attention to detail and the places it is set are fantastic. Have a quick watch of the trailer and let us know (and Nick too) what you think.


.
Backcountry - North Island Official Trailer from Gin Clear Media on Vimeo.

After watching this, you will probably want to come along and check it all out right? Good idea!
You can buy tickets for the event, which is being held all over the show, with dates and venues on this website. http://www.gin-clear.com/filmfest/

The boys up at ManicTackle are also impressed what this guy does and are backing him all the way, being the major sponsors for the whole film festival.

Anyway, all this is just to highlight that the big guns of the world don't run things. Get in and support the locals, the shops that bring all the best stuff in and the guys who grew up fishing the are and are truly passionate about what they do. Don't forget the guys like us and Nick from Gin-Clear, who want to showcase New Zealand as the best fishing destination to the world. Just remember to not give away ALL the best spots...

Switch It Up

While many out there patiently wait for the winter to bugger off and the warm days of summer to come back, there are those of us who just need our fishing fix. Wet, cold, windy and almost verging on horizontal sleet won't keep us off the river. An unquenchable appetite to be out there are more than enough of a remedy to make the shittiest day weather wise more than worth it. Add a good pair of dry waders, a decent jacket and a big switch rod to haul a few big flies across the river countless times and you get a pretty good picture of what you will encounter with us.

These big switch rods have really opened up a new world of fishing for us. Initially it was explored with eyes set firmly on the big wild waters of North America as a destination but once we slogged through a few days of learning from each other, a broken rod (mine) and no short amount of flies embedding themselves in us we realised the potential here. It's not that it's a new style of fishing, it's far from it in fact, as it originated in Scotland some time in the 1800's. It's more the fact that it is hardly utilised as an effective method of fishing here in New Zealand.

There are plenty of decent sized rivers here that are perfect for such fishing. The Tongariro being the prime candidate. Its fish come up in big schooling runs from lake Taupo the same as steelhead runs come up from the sea during the right conditions. It has a fair amount of swift current and very good pools where fish are likely to congregate, making for good amount of high percentage fishing water.

The thing is though, that these fish see day in day out see a massive coloured blob float over their heads, invariably followed by a large and rather heavy piece of metal covered in all sorts of colours and dead animal bits. These flies are generally very similar and believe it or not there is generally another mini me of the same fly trailing by later. Be it that or a Globug. Certainly don't get me wrong here. I'm not bagging this set up as it has probably caught more fish than any other in the river but fish certainly will see it as a bit of a warning.

So try change your techniques up a bit. Swing a fly downstream. Give the big two handed rods a good crack and let the heavy nymph set up have a bit of a well earned rest every now and then. I'm sure that the same thing has been said before but that doesn't matter a whole bunch. There is just no harm in trying something totally different and new. You might love it.

Anyway, upon my travels of the internet and its plethora of fantastic fish porn, this video keeps getting watched so may as well put it up here. Enjoy this sweet little video of some pretty awesome fishing maybe with a glass of some good quality scotch to keep the belly and soul warm against the winter.

Winter Isn't All Bad

Well apart from not doing much on here in the past few days, unfortunately we haven't doing much fishing either.  A lot of local rivers are closed and the ones that aren't are water logged and blow out with the slightest amount of rain so that doesn't help much at all.

This being said, most lakes are open to shore fishing and the Taupo fishery has fired over summer so should be looking good for the winter spawning runs. Best thing to do before heading for a fish is to check the river levels and how much they have fluctuated over the past few days to week (depending on the river). The best place to check this is on the local council website for the area. They generally have a link to river level monitors in the area.

Once you can be sure that the river will be at least fishable, jump in the car and fang it to the river. Fish every run and riffle you can find and use brighter flies if the water is at all coloured up, orange being the most popular this time of year. Nymphing will be the most popular method for most people but be sure to have a few streamer patterns in the fly box to lure those big trout out of the depths. Either take weighted streamers or use a sinking leader/end of line of some sort.

While the lack of fishing has kept me inside, I have tied a ton of flies of all shapes and sizes and hopefully one of these hideous creations manages to hook a nice big fatty! Also there has been a fair bit of unused footage to pour through so I have chucked together a little mash-up clip of our last trip out for the regular season.
Just a bunch of mucking around and we managed a few fish so it was tops.






It's not much but it makes me feel better than leaving the footage sitting on my hard drive doing feck all. Enjoy!

Waste Not, Want Not

Josh and I were brought up under the 'you kill it, you cook it' mantra. It is vitally important that in our increasingly wasteful society, animals are not seen as commodities but rather beings that provide us an important service.

We have done a bit of small game hunting in the past few days, with possums, rabbits, hares and goats being the quarry. None of these animals have gone to waste. The possums are promptly plucked for their fur to be sold as well as providing food for the dogs. The rabbits and hares were eaten by us, as were the goats. Josh also skinned a goat and is currently in the process of tanning it.

The boys plucking one of the several unlucky possums

Personally and I know that Josh feels the same way, trophy hunting or killing big fish doesn't really sit right with us. I don't know whether is the way we were raised but we would sooner have a nice fat spiker or hind or a 4 pound hen trout than a massive stag or 10lb jack to be mounted. There is something really majestic about an animal at the apex of its species and it doesn't seem quite right to take it just because you can.

Josh's cousin Will with a well earned bowhunted goat

With all animals (fish included) it is also important to only harvest what you need and we could all at times give a little more respect and empathy to our animal friends. This also ensures that our resources are protected for future generations and if our children and their children get the same message, they will be able to responsibly enjoy the spoils of nature as we have for many years to come.

Josh's Dad is a butcher by trade, so Josh knows a thing or two about cutting stuff up

Sorry to get a little bit preachy, its just that some folks out there give the vast majority of hunter-gatherers that are responsible a bit of a bad name.

On a less serious note, the lads up at Manic have found a way to use this average weather to make informative videos...

Weekend Warriors (New Video)

We normally try to avoid fishing on weekends. That's because we are spoiled brats and get time off during the week to fish when everyone else is at work. When the long weekend came around and the weather looked good, we decided to bite the bullet and chance our arm.

What we came across was a river teeming with good sized fish and no one else to be seen for miles. Stoked. Here is a short clip of our adventures on that weekend, wading boot beer chugging included! Enjoy.

Make sure to open it in Vimeo for some Full HD goodness.



Weekend Warriors from Fly Guys NZ on Vimeo.

Last Hurrah

I have finally got my shit together to write a post... So what have we been up to? Nothing really! The weather has been awful and the couple of times we get a weather window there is work to be done. First world problems I know, but when things start getting in the way of your precious little fishing time it really does start to get to you! The best thing to do in the dying days of the season when the wind is howling and the rain is pumping the rivers brown is to look back on the season gone by. Sitting down at the vice with a cold beer handy and whipping up some of the seasons finest flies is pretty darn good.
Our last hurrah for the 2013/14 season was down the Rotorua lakes. We were hoping to time it right with one of the small spawning runs that the creeks experience in the area and hopefully land a big fatty that had been gorging itself over the past few weeks. Although a huge array of flies were thrown at fish we could see stacking up in the currents, none of the monsters we were hoping for could be enticed to bite. Though this sounds like a bit of a dud trip it was a good blow out away from the city and was good as always to soak up the serenity of the area.
So now that our season has ended (for most areas that is) it is always good to browse back through the archives and relive a few of the finer moments, give your mates shit for the good fish they lost and the ensuing tantrums they threw from losing said fish. It is these fond memories that fuel the trips to come and help us slog through the winter.
Here are a few of ours that hopefully can make a few nights by the fire a bit better...

One of the flies of the season

                                Pretty good specimen! Good colours and went like a steam train!

                    One of the many special places we were privileged enough to fish this season

But hey, its not all doom and gloom. There is still plenty of fishing to be done over winter. Get yourself a nice warm get up and get amongst it! Don't let the fishing gear gather dust!
There should be a bit of footage making its way out of hiding soon so watch this space!

Last Chance Larry

And so again we come upon the time of year when we are forced to say goodbye to our faithful small streams that close on the 30th of June. If you get the chance, make sure you get out and give the small streams a crack over the next few weeks. They are generally full of fish that are busy putting on condition for spawning and so will eat just about anything you put in front of them. With this rain you will need to make sure your flies are bright enough to compensate for the dirtier water. DO NOT write off a steam with a brownish tinge to it. This is exactly what you want, shiny nymphs and woolly buggers can be devastating and you can get a lot closer to fish without them spooking.

The close of the season also makes me reflect on the season just gone and all the fun I have had in our fantastic country. I also find myself hanging out for October...

It is now time to turn the attention to the bigger rivers and winter lake fisheries. It is worth remembering that if you are goig to fish the Taupo region, new licences come into effect at the start of July so make sure you stay legit.

Awfully sorry, couldn't help but share this one.

 


On a more fishy note, this style of fishing  (on a smaller scale) is worth a go on your local small streams in the last few weeks of the season. Who knows, you may bump into a good looking Simms clad girl on the river yourself...



Down & Across from scumliner media on Vimeo.

Get amongst it!

Nothing beats catching fish right? Right, so I think that it is equally important to help others get amongst it.
Over the long Queens Birthday weekend, Cameron and myself took off to really get amongst the fish. Saturday and Sunday saw us land some very nice fat rainbow trout which fought like they were on amphetamines. Absolutely berserk! Even the 2 pound fish were tearing line off our reels like we had not a single bit of drag. Definitely made for some awesome fishing.
We returned to some water we hadn't fished for a year or so and were rewarded with good numbers of larger than usual fish. Amongst the average 3 and a half to four pound fish we landed were a few of between five and six pound, and dotted in with them one or two that kicked our asses. Gotta hand it to them, they go like bloody steam trains! Here are a couple of these rainbow crack addicts...

On the Monday however, we had two of the lads from Fish City meet us to try and catch their first trout. Both of them (Gordo and Josh H) had been once before and met the cruel unfair side of trout fishing. The side that shows you the fish, but wont give them up. Big ups to them for wanting to give it another crack!
The morning started off cold, foggy and shitty but within the first hour both of the boys had broken the hudu and landed their first trout.
To say the day went totally to plan would be pretty close, as both boys came away with a grin and Josh H even managed a couple of swims. Just had to add that for you buddy. Anyway, along with catching the fly fishing bug, Gordy got some pretty cool footage and chucked a little edit together which is pretty cool.
So enjoy the clip and remember to pass the feeling on whenever you get the chance. You could make more of a difference than you realise. Get amongst it!!



Cheers for the edit Gordo! Good job mate!

Exploring New Water

When you get a chance to go fishing, you generally want to get the biggest bang for your buck. You will often want to catch plenty of fish and this usually means fishing a water you know like the back of your hand and catching fish you have given names to. While fishing your tried and true rivers and lakes can be a nice nostalgic experience, there is nothing like the reward of catching a fish on water you have never fished before.

So how does one find new water? For a start, it is highly improbable that you have fished every single stream or lake that is listed in the Fish and Game regulations booklet. Give a new one of these a try, especially the lesser known ones. You may not catch as many fish as you would on your reliable, regular waters but you may just find you stumble across an underfished goldmine!

Then there are the streams that aren't even listed by Fish and Game. These streams are usually very small with tight forest coverage and very remote but can actually provide some really awesome fishing. With advances in technology like Google Maps, finding these streams has become a whole lot easier.

On Tuesday, Josh and I hit up a western King Country stream we hadn't fished before. What we found was a beautiful stream surrounded by typical New Zealand bush and plenty of rainbow trout in the 1 to 3 pound range. We didn't catch as many fish as we would fishing a stream we know really well like the Mangatutu but we did learn a whole heap and had a really rewarding experience.

New water success!

I understand that most people don't get to go fishing as much as we do, we are pretty lucky like that. Because of this, when most people do manage to get out, they want to head somewhere that will net them some pretty good results, which is fair enough too. However, as Josh mentioned in the last post, fly fishing is not just about catching as many fish as possible but enjoying yourself and finding enjoyment in the little things. There are few things more satisfying in fly fishing than discovering a new area that may become one of your favourite spots.

Josh leaning into one

So I challenge you to go beyond what you know next time you head out and find something new, you may be pleasantly surprised!