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.

The Dobson fly (Archichauliodes diversus )or Toebiter nymph has become a very important fly pattern in my fly box early come early season. This large predatory native insect is found through out New Zealand's more hard bottomed , stony rivers and streams and can be found in their larger bouldery sections. Dobson fly larvae are typically 25-38mm mm long and have a black, flattened thorax and head. The head has a large set of serrated mandibles that it uses to catch other aquatic invertebrates which may include most species of mayfly, caddis and each other ! It has 8 tentacle like gills on each side of it's abdomen and 2 hook like legs near it's tail which it uses to attach itself to rocks etc.

After a scrumptious breakfast of bacon and eggs cooked by my two wonderful children I headed off for a lake edge fish and the kids and their mum went up to Cardrona ski field for the day to ski a win win !

Early season sees many of our Central Otago rivers and streams running high and carrying some snow melt. Water temps are still low and many fish will be still recovering from the long winter, so go big with your first choice of nymph, give them a reason to move and eat your fly! Large Dobson fly patterns and big rubber legged nymphs will grab the attention of fish.

This chocolate brown coloured nymph which is also know as the "spiny gill" mayfly nymph is an easy one to tie and one that should be in every fly fisherman's fly box if visiting New Zealand fly fishing. It is commonly found through out NZ in stable well oxygenated rivers and streams among the sections of river with larger stones and boulders. Its quite distinguishable from other nymphs due to its feathery gill structure along its body which it uses to extract oxygen from the fast flowing water in which it lives.

The section at the South Eastern end where the Moeraki (Blue) river flows in offers a small amount of lake edge stalking over weed beds that I have done very well on the 2 previous visits to Lake Moeraki. The delta area where the Moeraki river flows into the lake offers some great flats stalking over a shingle bottom and we both sight fished to cruising brownies that drifted in from the deeper weed beds in search of bullies along the stony edges. The fish were eager to chase our flies and looked like the winter has been treating them as they are in superb condition!

With the Clutha river at the lowest that I've ever seen it for this time of year, lots of new water is available to fish. A very pleasant few hours swinging flies today on new sections of water usually not accessible at this time of year. I was able to sneak up the side of a deep back water that is usually to deep to get around and get access to a fast run that had some slow softer water just off to it's side.