The team at Swift Fly Fishing have produced a stylish leather wallet handcrafted in Europe by master craftsman Tuby Muchlow who hand cuts and stitches each wallet from genuine cows hide, then lines them with sheep's wool. The wallets are generous in size (13cm-25cm) and securely hold around 30 fairly large streamers. I particularly like the fact the wallets are open ended allowing the flies to breath if put away wet or damp, I will often open the wallet completely after a day on the water and place it on the dash of my truck in the sun if required.

The abbreviation "ABR" stands for Abrasion Resistance, which is gained through a variety of heat & pressure treatments. Stroft ABR has the same strength characteristics as Stroft  GTM but is made from a more abrasion resistant material - It is slightly stiffer and harder than Stroft GTM (soft and more supple) making it an excellent choice for turning over bigger nymphs and dries.

It has a very user friendly "horizontal" fold down work bench and internal elastic dividers which keep every thing neat and tidy preventing things rolling around inside the pack. I opted for the smaller 10L version over it's bigger 27L brother as I was after something for when I fish with my Switch rod over the winter months and not venturing to far from my 4WD, as all I needed was something to hold a couple of spools of tippet ,fly boxes and a leader wallet.....this is perfect !

So after 30 years of fishing on the Clutha river I finally caught my first Clutha river trophy rainbow trout ! A cold grey old day with fog shrouding the river greeted me as I pulled into a favourite stretch of the Clutha river, just outside of my home town of Wanaka . A stretch where I've seen several big fish sitting on a drop off over the winter months for the past 20 + years, but have never managed to entice one to eat my flies !

Im still relatively new to the double hander fly fishing scene and am learning more and more each time I venture out. I have really begun to realise the importance of the speed of the fly as it swings across the current and into the view of a fish. Fishing over the winter months here in Central Otago region on the bigger rivers such as the Clutha and Makarora usually means targeting migratory fish, fish that aren't usually actively searching for food. For this reason it is important to get the flies in their faces and most hits are more out of aggression than hunger, so getting your fly down and having it swing at the correct speed becomes very important. Below are a few ways in which you can slow down the swing of the fly making it look more appealing and keep it in there faces for longer !

Today is the final day of our South Island back country rivers being open for fly fishing. Lakes Wanaka, Hawea and Wakatipu are open to fish all year round as a others a little further afield with Lakes Benmore and Aviemore springing to mind as a couple of favourite winter destinations to fly fish so still  plenty of fishing for those brave enough to venture out.

Below are a few of the reasons why I think they are quite possibly the best fly box on the market at present and nothing really comes close in my opinion. Its silicone slit storage system holds flies like no other fly box I have ever owned , no more open your fly box to find all the heavier tungsten weighted nymphs rolling around inside only to drop out when you open the box.

We don’t always get to fly fish the rivers and streams we want here in New Zealand when the weather gods throw a curve ball at us , sometimes we have to fall back on plans A,B,C and D. Still waters are always a great option when all seems lost and are over looked by many anglers. I thoroughly enjoy stalking fish along the lake margins and try to get out as often as possible throughout the season.

We all want that shot of our New Zealand trophy trout right ? But the welfare of the fish should always be the first thing on our minds once we have hooked, played and netted it. Here are a few tips for handling trout, getting a quick photo then carefully releasing them. The shorter the time they are a out of the water the better ! Using a lager soft mesh or rubber net helps prevent fin/gill damage as the fish isn't jammed in as you net it and also protects the skin of fish once netted. I use a McLean short handle Large net that easily attaches to my Simms fly fishing vest.

Back water cruiser :  Most of the rivers in Southland today we're carrying extra water as well as being slightly coloured after some heavy rain that fell overnight. We hit today's river and focused our attentions on it's backwaters and side channels where we found quite a few fish taking refuge from the heavier water in the main rive

An amazing day guiding Josh from Tasmania today on a fantastic wee Southland stream well known for its fussy brown trout. Right from the first run of the day the fish we're on the chew ! The river had previously been very low and the water temperature was high making fishing pretty bloody tough !

A few days chasing rainbows in the rain with Chris and Fabian. Lots of dry fly action over the days with around 20 + fish up to 5lb wetting the net , along with the odd sneaky brown too !

I recently spent a day guiding father and son Hugh and William Spalding on the upper Mataura. We encountered a magic day of weather and the usual fussy brown trout that reside in the upper reaches of this beautiful stream. The first few pools we found a couple of fish nymphing in and hooked one fairly early on but unfortunately it popped off. Things were quiet for the next hour or so with limited shots at feeding fish. We stopped for lunch by the riverside and watched a nice fish feeding off the surface while we hurriedly devoured our filled rolls hoping the fish would continue as we ate !

They are super stretchy and easy peasy to get off and on , no more tug of war at the end of a big day of fly fishing in the New Zealand back country !

The Rod Vault can take three rods up to 10’ long and reels up to 4” diameter. The reel cover is lockable, and you can even padlock your Rod Vault to your roof rack so your gear is safe and sound. The soft plastic tube inserts are also a thoughtful touch.

Breaking rod tips in the car doors and snagging flies on the upholstery are now a thing of the past and the extra space in the vehicle is great for those multi-day trips when things can get messy.

I recently purchased an inflatable air pole freestanding Queen swag from Intents Outdoors and am thoroughly impressed with what I received. I rang Len Goon the owner of the company on the Monday morning as I had a few questions for him regarding the inflatable swags and had one on the courier by the end of the day. It arrived 2 days later well packaged up with clear instructions on how to "season" it to make sure that it is waterproof, I was instantly impressed with quality of the product. A great combo of durability, comfort and convenience - the Orson Air Pole Swag has the all the traditional features of a tough, quality canvas swag and combines them with the benefits of the latest in air pole technology to give you the ultimate camping experience.

This biodegradable paste won't harm the environment, or damage your leader. It's super easy to apply, simply add the desired amount to your fingers then slide the leader through fingers coating it . As for your flies again simply apply and work evenly into your fly. Then reapply when required...easy as that !

Well its school holiday time here in New Zealand and many of our rivers have just opened for the season. Mum's at work so dads got the kids so what better way to fill in the day than take them fly fishing ! Louie has been fly fishing for about 3 years now and Charlotte had her first day today which was cool. We hit a small stream nearby and explored its lower reaches. Not lots of fish but just enough to keep us all entertained :)

These are specially designed for those venturing out into our remoter regions, these handheld satellite communicators are designed so you can stay in touch with family and loved ones while out of range of typical cell-phone coverage, when deep in the back country or out in the ocean. You can preload it with emergency contacts and text messages or type them as required. So if your caught out over night etc you can let your loved ones know your ok and what your plans are.