SPRING 2015

The spring of 2015 was relatively uneventful for spring. In fact we could almost have called it a mini drought, particularly the period between late November and mid December. However on January 3rd the weather turned and we had our first flood, followed by another larger one on January 8th.
Following this the weather settled and fishing was amazing.

BIG FISH

Ben Schulein arrived the day after the January 8th flood and a few days later had an outstanding day’s fishing – landing three double figures on one day (11¼, 12¼ and 15½) – despite losing six fish earlier that day!
In late January Mark Sherman returned to fish – this year with his son Sean. They also experienced an incredible day on the river – Mark landed an 11 pounder and Sean a fourteen pounder – Sean’s biggest brown trout ever.

ANOTHER FLOOD

On February 18th another massive flood occurred which made fishing difficult in our eastern rivers. A devastating flood with over 400mm of rain over a period of 2 days. However within days of this flood, western rivers bounced back and fishing normalised again.

After the flood Ralph & Lauraleen Gaudio returned to fish in late February. This time Ralph came with his two American & one Canadian guide from back home – gifting them a New Zealand fishing experience. Fishing was challenging for the guides, experiencing New Zealand fly fishing for the first time. However, Will Blanchard came out on top with a 9¼ pounder, followed by Rich Ostoff with a stunning 7½ pound brown.

End of season fishing was great – even as late as April. Anthony was here from New York – his first time fishing in New Zealand – landing some beautiful fish. The highlight being an 8½ pound brown trout while out on an overnight wilderness campout.

HEALTH & SAFETY

New Zealand fishing guides have been informed that the government will implement a change in Health & Safety policy for all New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides, as of next season. This will require guides to better inform their anglers about the risk factors associated with being out on the river and also requires guides to better understand their anglers’ personal limitations, fitness levels etc before their fly fishing adventure begins.