New Zealand Conditions
New Zealand has a large variety of landscapes and hundreds of lakes and rivers to choose from, most of which hold trout. The rivers vary from small creeks & streams to large alpine rivers. Most places are within easy reach from my base in Christchurch and we are also able to helicopter in to remote areas.
For all trout fishing including fly fishing the opening day for the majority of New Zealand is October 1st. Some areas of the South Island high country open in the 1st weekend in November, with a very small number of areas opening on December 1st.
The fly fishing season goes through to the end of April and in some areas to the end of May. There is some limited Winter fishing, with the main and the best area at that time being the Central North Island, in the world famous Taupo area.
The best months for fly fishing New Zealand waters are early November through to the end of March. You should plan some other activities from about December 24th to about mid January. This is when most kiwis take their annual vacation and the rivers and lakes can get a bit crowded.
Brown and Rainbow trout are plentiful and there is also a small population of land locked Atlantic salmon. Pacific (King) salmon fly fishing is also something that is becoming more popular although the qualities of fish are perhaps not as vast as in other areas, the size the fish grow to are amazing!
It is compulsory to have a valid fishing licence when fishing in New Zealand. A single licence to fish will cover all of New Zealand except the Taupo area. I have local licences for sale.
What you can expect
Some anglers, who have not been to New Zealand, have unrealistic expectations. In comparison to most other places the fly fishing is hard. The fish are not as numerous as in other parts of the world, but their size is something else....
Fish in the 4lb to 6lb range are not too uncommon in some of our back country streams and lakes. Due to the extreme clarity of the water some of the fishing can be technically difficult, but at other times almost ridiculously easy. Most of the time, however, the fish are sighted, then a fly chosen, the fish stalked and a careful cast made!
I recently had a client, who landed in a day, a trout of 9lbs, two of 8lbs, one of 7½lbs and two of 7lbs!! and all on a dry-fly!! Now this is the exception rather than the rule, but all of these fish were sighted and stalked, before the cast was made .
Services
Complimentary transport by comfortable FWD (Toyota Landcruiser)
A sumptuous guides lunch (tailored to your individual dietary requirements).
Plenty of snacks and drinks during the day.
I can arrange comfortable temporary accommodation for inbound clients, with inhouse restaurant. We can also organise transfers between the airport and the motel.
If you wish to take an extended trip, we can organise appropriate accommodation either in fishing lodges or motels, according to your budget options.
Russley Hotel and Charwell Lodge in Hanmer are just one of the many lodges or motels that I utilise.
New Zealand Fly Fishing Lessons
In addition to guiding I also offer a fly fishing school. I run about 25, two day fly fishing schools for novice to medium students each year. We also run some 3 day courses for more advanced students.
All courses are professionally run (I have qualifications as a Certified Sage Fly Casting Instructor) and include lunch, morning and afternoon teas as well as tuition. Bookings are essential for both fly fishing schools as the dates are set early in the year.
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