Monthly Highlights
Below are photos and a story from the recent month's guided fly fishing trips in New Zealand's Central South Island.
April 2019
Typical Lake Benmore brown trout.Franck often brings my guiding season to an end and this year was no exception! Work commitments dictate that late March/April is the only period he is able to indulge in his favourite pastime - trout fishing in NZ! Nowadays Franck undertakes the long trip over from France with his mum and sister so it's a real family affair....
It's very rewarding guiding long term clients and friends. Franck is one of several such folk and it's always a pleasure to welcome them back for their "fix" of NZ fly fishing. Franck's first visit out here was in the late 90's when I was based at Glenburn Park (now Lake Benmore Holiday Park) near Omarama. A lot of water has flowed under the Ahuriri bridge since then! When I'm in France we nearly always manage to catch up over a meal and a glass of wine....
Beaut rainbow on a cloudy day.As well as fishing in NZ, Franck and his family recently purchased an appartment in Austria to take advantage of some of the trout fishing that country has to offer. It's a lot closer to their home in France even if the size of the trout does not compare to the large fish we are blessed with in this country. On the other hand there are a lot more of them in Austria!
We enjoyed some great fishing here - mostly using nymphs and specifically my own steel back creation. It's proven to be my "go to" weighted nymph for many years now to the point that I've decided to commercialise them right here on this website. Stay tuned!
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| A well conditioned freshly lake run brownie. | Another nice brownie for Franck. | ||
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| Franck respecting his catch with a careful release. | Franck very happy with his latest capture. | ||
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| Isn't she lovely! | Lots of spots on this beauty! | ||
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| Lovely back country rainbow. | Needed to wrap up warm to catch this fine brown trout. | ||
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| The steel back nymph strikes again! | This wallaby was in no hurry to get out of the way! | ||
