After 5 days of torrential rain most of our local Wanaka rivers and streams are blown out big time . So this is where heavier double beaded nymphs come into their own to help get your nymph rigs down into the "bingo" zone.One of my favorite patterns is the Hooligan nymph from Manic Tackle , this wee number comes in brown /green/black and red and pink it has to Tungsten Beads and a quill body that is covered in epoxy making it a slim -smooth bodied nymph which allows it took sink quickly in faster- deeper water.

Heavy Double Beaded Tungsten nymphs with a smaller nymph trailing off the back did the trick on the first 2 fish which ate Jacks fly without hesitation but due to a slow strike both came unstuck . The 3rd fish we came across again was sitting deep in a rather swift moving pool with a tricky current,  a pool that required a large mend of his fly line in order to get the correct drag free drift and to get his flies to sink quick enough and get into the fishes feeding zone ! After several attempts he got it all right and the fish moved a couple of feet and intercepted his flies , Jack struck , tightened up on the fish and he was on ! After a good 5 minute tug of war I managed to reach out and slip the net under a nice 5lb silver bullet of a rainbow trout.

April and May are great months to target these larger fish as they move up from our Southern Lakes into the rivers and streams begin spawning. We headed off early morning and and after an hours drive geared up and headed straight to the confluence pool where we spotted several large fish holding deep on the bottom. These fish were very spooky and before long had headed upstream into a fast piece of water to take refuge...bugger 1 nil to the fish !

We are now heading towards the winter months and I find myself thinking more about using my Switch rod , casting heavy sink tips and swinging flies ! I tend to use unweighted streamers these days when swinging flies , especially on the Clutha river where I spend most of my time over the winter months fishing . Due to the heavier grained Skagit lines and fast sinking tips that are required to get your fly down into the "bingo" zone I see little point in weighting the flies . A favorite knot that I use to attach my streamers to my tippet is the Non Slip Loop Knot or also known as Lefty Kreh'sLoop Knot , this knot allows a very strong fixed loop in the end of the line. Because the loop doesn't grip the eye of your fly , it creates a flexible join and allows a more natural action to your streamer , making it more life like in the water.

Californians Dylan and Kate Garrett contacted me earlier this year wanting a guided full day of fly fishing around Wanaka or Queenstown in late April . April is a great time to fly fishing here in the Central Otago region . They decided to drive over from Queenstown early morning and meet me at an arranged location , we would then head off from there to a local river for the day . They both had done a reasonable amount of fly fishing around the US , both fresh and saltwater so their casting ability was right up there !

Over the past couple of seasons I have played around with several different emerger patterns , both for my own fly fishing and also for my clients. The first is a very basic para-style tie , with a body dubbed in brown or Adams gray CDC dubbing , micro fibre tails , custom dyed brown grizzly hackle and bright orange polypropylene sight post ,as for hook choice either a curved style such as a Kamasan B110 in sizes 14-18 or another I like to use is the Tiemco TMC 100 Dry Fly hook as it has a slightly wider gape and increased wire strength in smaller sizes which makes this a popular hook for tying small emergers . I like this emerger tie as the body takes on a very slim profile once wet and sits lower in the film line like the natural .

Wow what an amazing New Zealand fly fishing season its been !
 Lots of repeat clients as well as lots of new folks. My last booked day of guiding for the 2015/16 season was with Jerry, a relative newby to fly fishing who was here with his wife for 2 weeks of sight seeing and a little fly fishing.

You just have to roll with it when planning your New Zealand fly fishing adventure as the weather will always have the last say , you need to be flexible in both river choice and techniques employed if conditions are not great upon your arrival , be prepared for anything

Rick and Bub were in Queenstown for a work conference and had a free day to explore a local river. Both had never fly fished before but were keen to give it a go.
 We arranged a 9am pick up and headed South to the Mataura river for the day. The forecast was goodand the river had been fishing well over the previous few weeks

Boom ! A streamer eater for Angus , this fish was hugging a bank along a deep bouldery edge . When fly fishing here in New Zealand you quite often need to change your approach and adapt to the conditions to get results , and you must be prepared to use what ever technique's are required on the day , get out and practice your casting before you arrive here in New Zealand !

Laurent emailed me June of 2015 to inquire about a multi-day New Zealand fly fishing adventure for mid February 2016 . After several emails and a couple of phone calls a fairly loose 5 day itinerary was formed taking in several different fishing regions all of which offered different types of water ranging from larger braided river systems to smaller spring creeks and mid sized freestone river's and stream's

I recently spent a day on a small stream fishing with my Epic Olive 580 that I had built a few winters back. The stream we chose was perfect for this rod as it requires delicate presentations of small nymphs and dries to large spooky brown trout in gin clear water, the exact conditions this rod was designed for !

I recently guided a client who through medical conditions was very limited to what he was able to do . Herb (74yrs old) has severe arthritis in both knees and suffers from a debilitating heart condition that prevents him from being able to walk any great distance

What does a guide do on his day off you may ask ? Go fishing of course ! I had a couple of free days in my diary and after a phone call to a friend had locked one of the days in for a days fishing.

A super fun day fly fishing on the Upper Mataura river with honeymooners Andrew and Christie from the USA, perfect conditions to fly fish New Zealand today !

After years of using all types of different brands of floatant I have finally found my favorite.Loon Aquel is long lasting, silicon based and won’t melt when it’s hot or harden when it’s cold, perfect for our New Zealand fly fishing conditions.

As for fly choices when prospecting I like to use larger Attractor style patterns ,these patterns do not always accurately represent any particular insect but they incorporate proven fishy features that will attract fish to the fly. Patterns such as Stimulators, Royal Wulfs and rubber legged Deer Hair cicada patterns just to name a few, something that floats well and is highly visible to both the angler and trou

The fish in general have been in great condition ,with most in the 3-6lb plus category making it to the net each week. Several clients have opted for a multi-day fly fishing adventure which has seen us heading into the Southland and Mckenzie regions both of which offer plenty of variety with their fly fishing rivers and streams.

The warmer summer months are upon us now and fish are beginning to look up to the surface.Time to do away with the wool indicators and tie on a well hackled dry fly from which to suspend your nymphs

The 1st of November sees the opening of the New Zealand backcountry rivers and streams.My regular client Bassam and his 2 sons Simon and JP contacted me earlier this year and were keen to fish the first 3 days of the new season.We decided to head to a new region and spend a couple of days chasing some fit rainbows in a few smaller streams and then spend the final day on Mataura river, a river that has fast become a favorite of theirs !