Hosting the last couple of weeks

Well a couple of weeks have passed since my last post and in that time we have hosted friends from the US and made new ones from the UK.

A couple of weekends ago I took friends John and Danny out on a local stream and we had a day of almosts. 8 hookups for only 2 landed were not great odds and some errant nylon took the blame. I like the triple surgeons knot when connecting nylon/flouro and use an improved clinch to the fly. There are a couple of other really good knots out there and I am looking at one called the 40/20 or suchlike. That Saturday night I spoke in Queenstown at the Wakitipu Anglers Club annual dinner. What a great event and thanks to Chris, Mark and Duncan for inviting me and treating me to a great night out. The next day I managed a few lovely fish on the dry but admit a little snooze under a willow tree, helped with excesses of the night before. I hear Chris, John and Ronin headed for the hills and managed to land a very nice fish of 7lbs.

This last weekend was once again plagued with WIND. The usual spots were once again called upon and did not disappoint. Having 10 years of diary entries and some local knowledge of the topography goes a long way to ensure windy days can still be enjoyed. The prevailing wind in Southland is often from the NW in spring. The significant memory of my Saturday was breaking or losing of 9 fish in a row. The poor old 10th fish didn't stand a chance and I brought him in quickly with 7lb nylon! I then wondered why I wasn't using that strength tippet right from the get go!!?? I do believe we sometimes fall into the trap of using light nylon when in fact we can use much heavier tippets.

I fished Sunday with Robbie, Olly and Malcolm. Nicer guys you couldn't find and we had a blast learning NZ techniques, improving our casting and line control. We managed several fish in the bargain and they got to see first hand some of the exceptional backwater fishing on the Mataura. Guys it was a pleasure to fish with you and I know you will take those techniques back home and slay them.

Today Cam (aka Gumwah) arrived from Australia and he has just left for Southland with Robbie McPhee, our backcountry guide. He will stay in Lumsden at Trout cottage and I look forward to joining them on the weekend to hear their tales of big fish.

Fly fishing for Pike

Fly fishing for Pike has become a popular pastime in UK and European waters. With the mainstream fly fishing publications dedicating pages to techniques and tackle for fly fishing for pike, anglers have taken to casting flies at these aggresive freshwater predators. But did you know they could be caught in saltwater? In the waters of Gotland, Sweden there is an interesting project being undertaken by Per Jobs of Fish Your Dreams that is being funded by the EU into the movements of Pike in the inshores waters of Gotland.


Pike here are found feeding on the shallow sand flats and make for an interesting sight fishing prospect. Fly fishermen are an integral part of this project with Pike caught being tagged by the accompanying guides and returned and hopefully at some stage recaptured to generate data on their movements and growth rates.


If you would like to participate in this project and fish the waters of Gotland for their saltwater pike then please email me for more details.

New Destination: Argentina

We have just bought online a range of fly fishing travel options to Argentina. From Fly fishing for huge sea run brown trout on the Rio Grande out of Aurelia Lodge to drifting the streams of Northern patagonia or experiencing the power of the warm water dorado we have a trip to meet your needs. We can tailor a specific journey experience the best Argentine fly fishing. For more information visit the Argentina webpage or email me.

Southland streams and the ZXL

Well it was wonderful to have a weekend without the dreaded wind! Winds last month were measured to 150km around Mossburn and no wonder they have just put a windfarm in down there! It was time to get down and dirty with some "paddock" fishing. Southland is blessed with some amazing trout fishing and we consider any stream or river worthy of a name, as having enough water to carry a fish or two.


I took the 6wt 9ft ZXL for another spin and it was a lot more rod than I normally would have chosen for this waterway. By choice, I would normally choose an 8 or 8'6 rod in 4 or 5 wt. I was pleasantly suprised by the subtlty and small stream fishability of this ZXL! In a burgundy hue, the rod is finished with immaculate cork and a small cigar grip. Generation 5 technology has not made this rod significantly lighter, in my opinion, than the original SLT. However, it is a light rod with a "softer" feel than the Z Axis but a positive butt section with fish on and plenty of power to push even a coneheaded streamer to the other bank. Accurate and responsive would be other terms that come to mind. I feel it has the ability to cast with just the leader out, which I had to do numerous times, and as the day wore on and I needed to push out longer casts it was capable of pushing out 60ft with ease and delicacy. I own plenty of rods and tend to favour a slower action. This rod suits my style of fishing and many of the streams and rivers down here in NZ. I'm in no hurry to return this ZXL as if you could only own one rod, this may be the one. Then again I want more than one rod so will be trying the 8'6 5wt next!!



We had plenty of opportunity to catch fish over the weekend. A few anglers about apparently but we saw no one and certainly no footprints. Access was just up from the bridge and we had leisurely starts both mornings. The fish were caddissing and this is one of my favourite flyfishing opportunities! Tailing trout scudding along the bottom and giving their positions away with flashing sides. We landed a bakers dozen on the first day and fishing further upstream the next day , put 1 shy of 10 in the net. How many busted us off or were missed on the take was anyones guess but lets say plenty! I had one take a streamer walking back to the car and my mate said the nylon crack sounded like a rifle shot.

It was certainly more challenging on Sunday as the day was brighter and accuracy and presentation were paramount. It was nice when a few duns came off mid morning and this lasted till about 3 or 4 in the afternoon, before the wind picked up. The fish were in amazing condition and although the biggest we landed went only 5lbs, several hogs were spotted but eluded us. Just 2 days of exceptional fishing and it looks like the season is really underway. Reports from other rivers such as the Waitaki and tributaries are all positive and it looks like another bumper!

British Fly Fair

It was great to see a huge turnout for the British Fly Fair over this past weekend. Thanks to all who stopped by the Fly Odyssey stand for a chat and hopefully we will see you on one of our fly fishing adventures. Here are a few photos of some of the great creations from the hugely talented group of fly tyers who attended.

NZ Albacore capture

A 19kg Albacore was recently captured on fly by a recent client of New Zealand based guide Nik Mathiesen. It was Cameron's first ever capture using fly gear in saltwater and is a magnificent acheivement. It is believed to be the biggest Albacore caught on fly in NZ. Well done guys.

NZ Diary: Early season

Simon Chu will be providing a diary of how his New Zealand season progresses. Here is the first installment........


The New Zealand trout season is now well underway, with most of the high country rivers and stillwaters open after the weekend. Our weather down south has been a little unsettled and a few anglers would even say it has been windy!

Still no problem for those in the know and anglers that have fished with our local guides have always managed success. The last few days I've been managing the number one flyshop in New Zealand (Stu's flyshop www.stusflyshop.com) and met many anglers who are struggling (including locals!!) but with the right flies and good advice almost all have found some clear water and cooperative fish. Good raingear, an ability to deal with the wind and a positive attitude will be rewarded with some lovely trout. To date, my best day has been on a quiet little spring creek where 7 fish to 5 lbs came to the net all taken over a 2 hour period through the mid afternoon hatch.

Next week I will be chasing some of the big resident browns in one of our coastal rivers. Rumors are about that the whitebait season has been good on the west coast and some big guys have started moving about, in the estuaries. Once the Mataura settles down a little from the recent rains and snowmelt, the mayfly hatches will be impressive and with light pressure on all our rivers so far, I'm looking forward to some topwater action!

I will shortly post a review on the new Sage ZXL 6wt, as its been my go to rod over the past couple of weeks.
Till then, tight lines!
Simon