Sunday, April 27, 2008
Fly Fishing Exmouth: Season Review
Fly fishing guide Brett Wolf has just completed his first year of operations out of Exmouth in Western Australia. Exmouth offers one of the only reliable bonefish destination in Australia and is a great mixed fishery with giant and golden trevally, Indo-pacific permit, various tuna species, sailfish and black marlin all feasible fly fishing opportunities. Exmouth also makes a great family destination with great beaches, excellent snorkeling and diving on Ningaloo Reef and the chance to view the whale shark migration. For more information on travel to Exmouth and Western Australia please contact us.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Fly fishing for pike
Per Jobs has just updated me on his ongoing project on saltwater pike fishing in Gotland, Sweden which commenced in October 2007. Since the project started Per and his team have managed to tag 30 fish. The Gotland fishery is unique in that these pike are found feeding on shallow, clear flats making for an exciting sight fishing opportunity. For anyone looking for an interesting fly fishing holiday or being part of the pike tagging program please email me.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
New Zealand fly fishing 2008
Have just had the chance to spend a month in New Zealand fly fishing the North and South islands. The fishing as always has been great fun with no shortage of fish focussing their attentions on the surface and taking big terrestrial dry fly patterns. Spent many days fishing the various spring creeks scattered throughout the high country as well as spending a good portion of my time polaroiding the lake edges of the McKenzie basin where brown trout cruise searching for food. Sight fishing to these spooky fish was always rewarding.
I also had an enjoyable week fishing with Charles Rangeley-Wilson from the UK and Andrew Groom from Australia. For those of you who don't know Charles, he has written several highly entertaining fly fishing books (Somwhere Else, The Accidental Angler) and I highly recommend you try and get hold of these as they are a great read. Charles opened my eyes to a few fly patterns that really got the fish to come up to the surface from their deep holding lies. Several of the patterns I probably wouldn't have even considered and I will definately be tying plenty up for next years trip. We were blessed with the weather and managed to land some great fish in the central South Island.
Now is the time to start planning your 2009 New Zealand summer trip. We have a month worth of hosted trips during the prime dry fly period between mid January to mid February. Check the special offers page for details. For those who can't make these dates we can put together customised self drive itineraries as well as lodge stays on both the North and South islands. We can also help in getting you out fishing while traveling around New Zealand with non-fishing partners on a touring holiday so please get in touch to discuss your options.
I also had an enjoyable week fishing with Charles Rangeley-Wilson from the UK and Andrew Groom from Australia. For those of you who don't know Charles, he has written several highly entertaining fly fishing books (Somwhere Else, The Accidental Angler) and I highly recommend you try and get hold of these as they are a great read. Charles opened my eyes to a few fly patterns that really got the fish to come up to the surface from their deep holding lies. Several of the patterns I probably wouldn't have even considered and I will definately be tying plenty up for next years trip. We were blessed with the weather and managed to land some great fish in the central South Island.
Now is the time to start planning your 2009 New Zealand summer trip. We have a month worth of hosted trips during the prime dry fly period between mid January to mid February. Check the special offers page for details. For those who can't make these dates we can put together customised self drive itineraries as well as lodge stays on both the North and South islands. We can also help in getting you out fishing while traveling around New Zealand with non-fishing partners on a touring holiday so please get in touch to discuss your options.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
New Destinations
We have added several new destinations to our portfolio. Web pages are now on the site for the following destinations: Las Salinas, Las Brujas, Cayo Largo and Isla de juventud in Cuba 'The Cays' out on Exuma in the Bahamas and Cozumel and The Baja Peninsula in Mexico. To view please visit the saltwater destinations page of our website and feel free to email me for more information.
Keep an eye out for our Alaska page that will be coming online soon.
Keep an eye out for our Alaska page that will be coming online soon.
New Caledonia fly fishing
Peter Morse has just added some stunning photos of the fly fishing for bonefish available in New caledonia. Check it out at Morsie's Wildfish site.
New Zealand Trip Report
Cavan Patrick McCann wrote up this entertaining piece on his recent trip to New Zealand with fly odyssey.
The flight from Perth to Auckland was to be as expected………sleepless. Armed with a ton of clothes and fishing gear I had landed on New Zealand soil in one piece and was greeted by the NZ Immigration and Customs officers with a big smile and a welcome. Soon I was on my way to Dunedin, a short flight of 90 minutes covering some of the most stunning scenery you could imagine. Braided rivers coursing through lands of green and snow capped mountains piercing fairy-floss cloud. Simon Hartley, a Dunedin journalist and avid fly fisherman, kindly greeted me at the airport and took me into town to pick up a fishing license and our hire car. My mission was to get the car, pick up a fellow called Aaron at 3PM from the airport and drive to Lumsden.
Aaron Patrick traveled from Townsville to join this fishing trip and the two of us got along like a house on fire. After a casual 2 hour drive, we unpacked our gear inside “Trout Cottage”, our home for the next week owned by our host Simon Chu. Less than an hour later, we were fishing the Oreti River. Score: Fish 1, Whackers 0
Ian Cole greeted us early the next day. He had traveled from Wanaka to be our guide for the next two days. The ice broke pretty quickly and the three of us had some great laughs. That first day we fished the mystical upper Matuara with indicators and nymphs. The day was bright, warm and windless. The fish were everywhere and we had a wonderful day catching fish in the 2-3 lb range. The next day we fished the Waikaia River, which is a tributary of the Matuara. The water is slightly tan in color and as a consequence, the fish have beautiful markings. Again, the gods smiled and we caught some nice fish up to 3lb. At the end of the day, we bid Ian a fond farewell and thanked him for giving us a fabulous two days fishing.
That night we watched a video entitled “Foam Odyssey”, created by Stu Tripney, an expatiate guide from Glasgow, Scotland. Stu was the architect of some pretty odd looking flies made from rubber. You might also get the impression that he was a little eccentric. However, you might also get the impression that he may know what he is talking about! Anyway, this gentleman was to be our guide for the next two days.
Knock knock. Stu walks in with a grin from ear to ear. We pleasantly discover he is actually a really great chap…..Stu decides to take us to back-country areas of the Oreti River. We are informed that we will need to fish against the wind with long leaders and he asked us show him how well we could cast. We both make a balls up! Stu gives us some pointers and off we go.
The weather is cold and windy. Later, the sun comes out. It’s roasting and we we all forget to put the sunscreen on…… This is something we would later regret! The Oreti River meanders through some lovely country. It’s a braided river built on stones and the water is crystal clear. We walk and spot good fish. It’s pretty obvious that our guide has got x-ray vision. We cast to a few, even hooked a few, but always lose the buggers. The term “Whackers” is born. It seems that we are not too subtle when it comes to big fish.
We repeat the performance the next day on the Apirima River! Stu proved to be a very patient teacher and we just cackled at each others stuff ups. Anyway, Aaron and I decided to extend our time with Stu and were rewarded with a trip to the Nevis River.
The Nevis is not easy to get at. It runs in high country and requires that a 4WD be used. On our way in we came across a German couple who just targeted big fish and bought a Uni-mog for just that purpose. The owner came shuffling towards us with a plastic bag and a toilet seat from behind the protection of a small hill. Apparently, he had caught a 9 lb fish the day before. I’m not sure whether I was amazed more at the comfort of a toilet seat on legs or the story of the big fish. We fished the river with Stu’s “Blow Fly” imitation and started to improve our act. The water was alive with small fish that attacked the dry fly on the surface with relish. The trick was to get rid of the drag and learn to use just enough force to hook up. Any micro- drag was punished by the fly being ignored. We didn’t even say “God save the Queen”.
On this day I caught my best Brown Trout, a 7.5lb beauty. It came from the last pool of the day and I surprised Stu by not stuffing it up! That fish and I had a contract and I wasn’t about to let either of us default. A wonderful fish to end a marvelous day. The next day we fished the upper Matuara above Athol. The weather was cold and overcast and although we could get to cast to some fish, we blanked. We arrived back at the cottage feeling quite “stuffed” when suddenly Simon Chu bounds in looking incredibly energetic. “OK guys, how’s it going, ready to go fishing?” I looked at Aaron and said, “Come on Aaron, we have to go, it’s your last day!” ……..I think I detected a bit of a sigh.
Simon drove at 100MPH towards Lake Te Anau, with the idea of being on the water as the sun came down. We were actually to fish the Waihi River for Rainbows, which apparently, were going off just after dark but for only half an hour! We got there a bit late but early enough to see the start of the rise that later went ballistic. Simon got a few fish with a small dry sedge pattern and a nymph on the dropper. Aaron hooked one and was taken into the backing before the fish came off. All this was going on in the dark. I wasted a load of time trying to tie a fly on with fogged glasses and a headlight with flat batteries. However, it was all good fun and quite exciting to witness the madness of it all.
Aaron and I had a ball and still dream about walking up and down those wonderful rivers and can’t wait to get back.
The flight from Perth to Auckland was to be as expected………sleepless. Armed with a ton of clothes and fishing gear I had landed on New Zealand soil in one piece and was greeted by the NZ Immigration and Customs officers with a big smile and a welcome. Soon I was on my way to Dunedin, a short flight of 90 minutes covering some of the most stunning scenery you could imagine. Braided rivers coursing through lands of green and snow capped mountains piercing fairy-floss cloud. Simon Hartley, a Dunedin journalist and avid fly fisherman, kindly greeted me at the airport and took me into town to pick up a fishing license and our hire car. My mission was to get the car, pick up a fellow called Aaron at 3PM from the airport and drive to Lumsden.
Aaron Patrick traveled from Townsville to join this fishing trip and the two of us got along like a house on fire. After a casual 2 hour drive, we unpacked our gear inside “Trout Cottage”, our home for the next week owned by our host Simon Chu. Less than an hour later, we were fishing the Oreti River. Score: Fish 1, Whackers 0
Ian Cole greeted us early the next day. He had traveled from Wanaka to be our guide for the next two days. The ice broke pretty quickly and the three of us had some great laughs. That first day we fished the mystical upper Matuara with indicators and nymphs. The day was bright, warm and windless. The fish were everywhere and we had a wonderful day catching fish in the 2-3 lb range. The next day we fished the Waikaia River, which is a tributary of the Matuara. The water is slightly tan in color and as a consequence, the fish have beautiful markings. Again, the gods smiled and we caught some nice fish up to 3lb. At the end of the day, we bid Ian a fond farewell and thanked him for giving us a fabulous two days fishing.
That night we watched a video entitled “Foam Odyssey”, created by Stu Tripney, an expatiate guide from Glasgow, Scotland. Stu was the architect of some pretty odd looking flies made from rubber. You might also get the impression that he was a little eccentric. However, you might also get the impression that he may know what he is talking about! Anyway, this gentleman was to be our guide for the next two days.
Knock knock. Stu walks in with a grin from ear to ear. We pleasantly discover he is actually a really great chap…..Stu decides to take us to back-country areas of the Oreti River. We are informed that we will need to fish against the wind with long leaders and he asked us show him how well we could cast. We both make a balls up! Stu gives us some pointers and off we go.
The weather is cold and windy. Later, the sun comes out. It’s roasting and we we all forget to put the sunscreen on…… This is something we would later regret! The Oreti River meanders through some lovely country. It’s a braided river built on stones and the water is crystal clear. We walk and spot good fish. It’s pretty obvious that our guide has got x-ray vision. We cast to a few, even hooked a few, but always lose the buggers. The term “Whackers” is born. It seems that we are not too subtle when it comes to big fish.
We repeat the performance the next day on the Apirima River! Stu proved to be a very patient teacher and we just cackled at each others stuff ups. Anyway, Aaron and I decided to extend our time with Stu and were rewarded with a trip to the Nevis River.
The Nevis is not easy to get at. It runs in high country and requires that a 4WD be used. On our way in we came across a German couple who just targeted big fish and bought a Uni-mog for just that purpose. The owner came shuffling towards us with a plastic bag and a toilet seat from behind the protection of a small hill. Apparently, he had caught a 9 lb fish the day before. I’m not sure whether I was amazed more at the comfort of a toilet seat on legs or the story of the big fish. We fished the river with Stu’s “Blow Fly” imitation and started to improve our act. The water was alive with small fish that attacked the dry fly on the surface with relish. The trick was to get rid of the drag and learn to use just enough force to hook up. Any micro- drag was punished by the fly being ignored. We didn’t even say “God save the Queen”.
On this day I caught my best Brown Trout, a 7.5lb beauty. It came from the last pool of the day and I surprised Stu by not stuffing it up! That fish and I had a contract and I wasn’t about to let either of us default. A wonderful fish to end a marvelous day. The next day we fished the upper Matuara above Athol. The weather was cold and overcast and although we could get to cast to some fish, we blanked. We arrived back at the cottage feeling quite “stuffed” when suddenly Simon Chu bounds in looking incredibly energetic. “OK guys, how’s it going, ready to go fishing?” I looked at Aaron and said, “Come on Aaron, we have to go, it’s your last day!” ……..I think I detected a bit of a sigh.
Simon drove at 100MPH towards Lake Te Anau, with the idea of being on the water as the sun came down. We were actually to fish the Waihi River for Rainbows, which apparently, were going off just after dark but for only half an hour! We got there a bit late but early enough to see the start of the rise that later went ballistic. Simon got a few fish with a small dry sedge pattern and a nymph on the dropper. Aaron hooked one and was taken into the backing before the fish came off. All this was going on in the dark. I wasted a load of time trying to tie a fly on with fogged glasses and a headlight with flat batteries. However, it was all good fun and quite exciting to witness the madness of it all.
Aaron and I had a ball and still dream about walking up and down those wonderful rivers and can’t wait to get back.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Report: Christmas Island fly fishing
Here are a few pieces of a trip report of a recent clients visit to Christmas Island.
Mat,
I thought that I would write a report of sorts that I hope will help you and prospective clients in the future with Christmas Island. This was far more than a fishing trip it was a life experience that I would not have missed for the world and I had a great time. Mike the guide A.k.a “Cracker” well there can not possibly be a nicer guy on this planet. His knowledge of the flats was unquestionable and fish spotting quite extraordinary this alone would make him a good guide but Mike always went one step further with everything. He provided direction when needed and advice when asked but never over done for instance not one word on playing my GT until I asked at the end what was the best way to land it then he helped out as needed. He could not do enough for me and would in fact do everything from Dawn to Dusk I was under his care but never over powered. After fishing he would rinse off my rods and reels if I did not get to them first, rinse out my flats boots, even my clothes.
So to the fishing the biggest problem here was of course the one we have the least control over, the weather. Winds were unusually high and skies were quite over cast. After four tough days on the weather front I asked if it were possible to fish the Korean wreck area on the ocean side, and like everything else this is not a problem. So it’s up at 4.30 and after dropping off the divers for the day we fish the ocean rock/coral flats, we spotted some Trevally and caught a few Pompano and other various species, but again no bones, everything but. I enquired about the rear end of the lagoon and Mike said we would go there in the afternoon, after what seemed a drive to eternity and myself starting to doubt Mike a little we arrived at the most beautiful spot I have ever seen and somewhat less windy as well. We spotted several smallish but very spooky bones with no hookups but then got into two nice fish both over 24inches my best bones up till then.
The last day and as usual Mike has a plan we will go back to the rear lagoon and fish all day. Today it all came together we saw lots of fish and had 11 hook ups and eight landed bones with all of them going over 6 lbs the best my personal best between 7 and 8 lbs, also a few Blue fin Trevally as well. I was quite happy with this but the best was yet to come and I think the picture tells the story, after an initial run of over 300yds and 30 mins maybe 40 mins later a beautiful GT of about 40lbs or so (Mike’s estimate).
Fishing conclusion, I did not see the numbers of bones that I had expected but to be fair the weather was an issue and the wind was very difficult even fishing a 9 wt all but the last day. The size of the fish however in the rear lagoon was a pleasant surprise they were solid fat heavy fish the best 27 inches plus long. So much for the rumor of only small fish.
Regards
Trev
We have 2 spaces left on a group trip to Christmas Island between the 22nd-29th of July. Cost is $1900 for the week. For further details please email me.
Mat,
I thought that I would write a report of sorts that I hope will help you and prospective clients in the future with Christmas Island. This was far more than a fishing trip it was a life experience that I would not have missed for the world and I had a great time. Mike the guide A.k.a “Cracker” well there can not possibly be a nicer guy on this planet. His knowledge of the flats was unquestionable and fish spotting quite extraordinary this alone would make him a good guide but Mike always went one step further with everything. He provided direction when needed and advice when asked but never over done for instance not one word on playing my GT until I asked at the end what was the best way to land it then he helped out as needed. He could not do enough for me and would in fact do everything from Dawn to Dusk I was under his care but never over powered. After fishing he would rinse off my rods and reels if I did not get to them first, rinse out my flats boots, even my clothes.
So to the fishing the biggest problem here was of course the one we have the least control over, the weather. Winds were unusually high and skies were quite over cast. After four tough days on the weather front I asked if it were possible to fish the Korean wreck area on the ocean side, and like everything else this is not a problem. So it’s up at 4.30 and after dropping off the divers for the day we fish the ocean rock/coral flats, we spotted some Trevally and caught a few Pompano and other various species, but again no bones, everything but. I enquired about the rear end of the lagoon and Mike said we would go there in the afternoon, after what seemed a drive to eternity and myself starting to doubt Mike a little we arrived at the most beautiful spot I have ever seen and somewhat less windy as well. We spotted several smallish but very spooky bones with no hookups but then got into two nice fish both over 24inches my best bones up till then.
The last day and as usual Mike has a plan we will go back to the rear lagoon and fish all day. Today it all came together we saw lots of fish and had 11 hook ups and eight landed bones with all of them going over 6 lbs the best my personal best between 7 and 8 lbs, also a few Blue fin Trevally as well. I was quite happy with this but the best was yet to come and I think the picture tells the story, after an initial run of over 300yds and 30 mins maybe 40 mins later a beautiful GT of about 40lbs or so (Mike’s estimate).
Fishing conclusion, I did not see the numbers of bones that I had expected but to be fair the weather was an issue and the wind was very difficult even fishing a 9 wt all but the last day. The size of the fish however in the rear lagoon was a pleasant surprise they were solid fat heavy fish the best 27 inches plus long. So much for the rumor of only small fish.
Regards
Trev
We have 2 spaces left on a group trip to Christmas Island between the 22nd-29th of July. Cost is $1900 for the week. For further details please email me.
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