SOUTH ISLAND, NZ

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Tree in Queens town Botanical Gardens

SOUTH ISLAND, NZ

Months of research, all the gear, watched all the videos, read all the books and articles. Still not prepared enough for what was to come. I thought I could just go out there on my own, walk onto a river, see plenty big fish, cover them and boom, they would take my funky looking attractor patter that isn't even a fly. God was I wrong. As you know for fly fishermen the wind is the most difficult to overcome. It makes sighting and casting fish a nightmare! Trying to spot an invisible fish shadow through ripply reflective surface water is no easy task and learning to sight fish is just step one. Then you have stalking, then flies and leader, then casting, then drifting and weather to overcome! Yes us fishermen are full of the excuses...

Top - All the gear. This is what I packed into one half of my suitcase. No waders...

Bottom - This is my vest that I use daily.

47I tied up 300 odd flies before coming here. What a mistake. Majority of my flies were all too big and not

'buggy' enough. Out of proportion flies are not good enough to outsmart these intelligent fish.

49New Air BnB friends in Christchurch. All supplies bought (camping gear and food, fishing license etc). Time to hit the road. First day I got stuck too eager and the farmer had to pull me out.

Top Left - Preparing some coffee first thing in the morning. Top Right - On Maruia river, first day. I was in the hot spot but didn't see a thing! Bottom left - Learning how to look through the water. Bottom Right - Munching on Breakfast. Banana loaf.

Thousands of flies in Murchison camp site.

53Top Left - Tying on a fly. Top Right - Hay fever is crazy out here! Bottom left - Underwater footage, trying to scope out fish... .Bottom Right - Beautiful pools.

Left Fighting a nice brown hidden in a deep pocket under a branch.

Right Water was clod at the start of my trip but got slightly better after a month or so.

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56Sheeps wool is often used as an indicator for nymphs. If the fish has had too much pressure, do away with the indicator completely. It should never be too big either!

Colter showing me how to make jewelery. Look at that view!

Wet wading set up.

Typical 'bush bashing' when tramping around at end of spring.

58Sand flies are a killer! Especially when your drying your feet off of an evening! Quickly learn to wear socks at all times!

So food comprised mostly of soups, chilli beans, veggie Indian lentil tins, breakfast bars, rasins, nuts, banana loaf, salami sticks, cheese sticks, fruit, crackers, olives, cherry tomatoes, and bread.

Tea and coffee and the odd beer or cider helped.

Lots of quiet nights burning time until the next day relaxing, no stresses.

Top Left - Fighting a fish caught swinging a dry. Top Right - Another fish where I caught the night hatch before dark. Bottom left - Big ass pine cone thing. Bottom Right - It gets dry here.

70 yrs old. Has been coming for the past 3 years. Also fishes Norway for a month or two per year on his own in the middle of no where. Here he tells me about how trout feed and behave.

Mid day rising trout spotted. Its a big one!

Top Bumped into Chris Dore in Lumsden having a pint and he invited into the fishing cottage to stay a night! What an experience!

Bottom Out the back of the fishing cottage. Parties and all sorts go on here he says.

64Spring fed water. Worth a mouthful!

Jim invited me out on his boat for the day at Poerua near Lake Brunner. Excellent day out! He showed me a secret waterfall!

A group of four sweedish guys said I should go to Waikaia river. So I waited and fished the surrounding tributaries waiting for the main river to clear after 4 days.

Probably my biggest most beautiful brown of the trip. Look at the colors on that! Caught on a size #18 para Adams.

Motor para glider people above Queens town. What a view they must get!

New adventure mobile. Cashed in the rental early once I found out I was staying here longer term!

71Opposite, Top - Bow and arrow cast to a fish Colter is sighting for me above on the bridge. '1m up and across!' Bottom Left - Eel hunting is quite popular here... Bottom Right - Some views when your on these back country roads. Center page - Dirty water on the west coast.