Next Level Flyfishing and Flytying

17/08/2023

There was a time when negativity could really set me off. My recent announcements about doing free fly fishing and fly tying clinics and gun dog training clinics as well as sharing my knowledge fishing for kingfish in the shallow water Flats has elicited humorous responses from a couple of Wannabes. 1 is a try hard guide the other makes really bad fishing videos which tend to highlight his lack of knowledge for fly fishing in general and certainly completely Clueless in saltwater. One of the persons I have even given clients to, in the past, I guess no good deed goes unpunished. This will be my only response I just blocked them. after 2000 days or more guiding in my career, having found ray riding kingfish as early as 2004 with the Simon Runting and going from that point to publicising saltwater fly until it is reached the high profile status it now has in New Zealand, from putting flies into the commercial market that have dominated for more than 20 years now, having run literally hundreds of fly fishing clinics fly tying demonstrations hundreds of articles for magazines and websites and having always been successful I am confident of my position and what I offer. I think it is a hell of a compliment that these thoughts challenged individuals believe they can elevate their position by trying to denigrate me just shows how much power they believe I have. I have no power I have no superpower I have a love for fishing specifically fly fishing and fly tying and it brings me joy to share that knowledge and see people do well. My only goal is for others to do well I even want that for these Fools who would seek to run me down to do well. I hope they learn enough to one day be able to share something of use rather than poor experiences for their customers and poor content on YouTube. I have a profile because of what I have done and what I can do, you won't make your profile better by trying to bring me down I am above that... good luck in all.you.do.

17/08/2023

Do you want to learn some fly fishing secrets? Maybe even how to use simple techniques 2 Tie what you thought we're difficult flies. Well this summer will be your opportunity. I will be conducting a number of different clinics around New Zealand based on getting started in fly fishing improving your fly fishing advanced fly fishing advanced fly casting and some of my secret simple fly tying techniques. I have had an amazing fly fishing career and life and it's time to pay back so all of these clinics will be free. There will be an opportunity, if you wish, to offer a donation for my time but it will not be a requirement and is a chance for me to give back to the sport I love. I will advise dates and venues as we get closer to the time.

07/08/2023

So I promised a few ideas on fly fishing for kingfish on the flats I think there's a lot of misinformation out there based on many cases of people's assumptions rather than experience. I remember the first time Simon Runting and i encountered Riders On Tauranga Harbour we had planned to go over the bar and chase barracuda however the bar was too big so we decided to stay inside the harbour and on one of the flats spotted a giant short tail Ray with two approximately 20 kilo Kings riding on his back from there we went to shore for lunch and another Ray turned up and Simon was lucky enough to hook the very first Ray Rider. I still referred to that flat as Simons flat to this day. Couple of myths that I can dispel and that is firstly about kingfish being fussy and what flies they will eat. when a kingfish is genuinely feeding it's a bigger problem with stopping it eating your fly than it is getting it to eat your fly. If they are not feeding all the tricks and special patterns in the world may not elicit a strike. Those that fish live bait for kingfish all have stories of kingfish that will come in on a live bait harass it like a schoolyard bully for 20 minutes and leave without eating it. I believe many people that think kingfish are picky are encountering kingfish that are in this mode and not truly feeding. However when they are riding on rays it is a feeding behaviour so most of the time if you encounter kingfish in the company ofa ray it should not be hard to get a strike. Finding these kingfish is partially luck and partially local knowledge. The more time is spend on the flats the more familiar you will become with the areas where the rays transit out of the channels in on to the shallow Waters obviously once you know these areas it is best to focus your energy there. Sooner or later they will turn up. There is not a lot of point waiting over great distances as the fish are generally always on the move and if you were in a good area they will come to you. A boat does give you the capacity to cover large areas however it's not a panacea and guarantees little else than safety from sharks etcetera. One of the keys in getting more consistent strikes is having flies sink reasonably quickly so is seen to bounce up off the bottom mimicking most of the pray they Target thats getting out of the way of the stingray. For this reason I have found few flies better than lead eye flats flies cast well in advance of the Ray and then stripped up off the bottom when you believe it is Insight of the fish. There is little science involved in catching these fish get a pray item in front of hungry kingfish and you will inevitably get a take. Areas i find best on the flats are those spots that have some form of vegetation On The Bed of the flat and also fishing the very edges of the channels which is also a good spot to encounter trevally and snapper. the main key is time on the water keep looking and when you finished looking look some more and at all times be prepared to lay out a 40-50 foot cast very quickly. Flats kingfish are very easy to Target, the challenge isin the fight not the take. I will elaborate more on this overtime but for someone who hasn't tried it and wants to this basic rundown is as good a place to start as any. Goodluck

18/07/2023

Coming this summer I will be travelling all around New Zealand conducting one day group fly fishing and fly tying clinics and will also offer one-on-one tuition for those wanting it. With over 36 years professional guiding experience including conducting countless clinics and fly fishing courses I will show you secrets most experts don't understand. Every Angler will benefit from the experience I will bring to these events for those interested just send me a DM for locations and prices. Also I will be available as a guest speaker and fly tying demonstrator for Anglers clubs if they wish again just send me a message and I will respond. Tightlines everybody

24/06/2023

Ok so here's the buzzer rig or Midge rig whatever name you want to give it. This will probably appeal mostly those that tie their own flies as it is difficult to purchase the appropriate flies commercially that are tied on a straight eye hook. However that is one of the keys to the success of this rig. Putting it simply you have your standard tapered leader and use of a very long Tippet about a metre and a half or 5 feet long. You take your Tippet and you cut about an 18inch section in the middle. You then reconnect this section to the tapered leader with a standard leader knot depending on the material you are using and your preference it can be a blood knot or a surgeons it doesn't matter. Having reconnected that piece to the main leader you then take your Midge imitation on a straight eye hook and just slide it with no not onto the section of leader you have just connected. You then connect the end of that piece to the rest of the Tippet and attach a buoyant drive fly as your point. While the dry fly may well be taken it is primarily an indicator for if your nymph has been taken. Doing it in this patient allows the nymph to free run along the section of Tippet between the two leader knots . I was first shown this method by Randall kaufmann however I don't know if he developed it or got it from somebody else . Using this rig allows your Midge pattern to hang vertically in or near the surface film identical to how midges do when in the process of hatching does sometimes your midge will be subsurface and the dry fly will act as an indicator. I apologise for the quality of the photograph and the pencil drawing if I can't get it to come up better I will repeat it with ink later but even this description should be enough for you to give it a try. Look out trout on the Big O

17/06/2023

Coming soon a rundown on what I have found tu be the most effective buzzer fishing rig ever in 50 years of fly fishing. If you fish Stillwater you won't want to miss this.

30/01/2022

HBS (Real name lol) wheeled hard to the right as we spotted deer on a clearing high in the Matakahia watershed. I had little faith in my abilities to carry out the task I had been given, even with …

17/01/2022

18/12/2021

So, Randall and Gordon duly arrived and we fished all over the Wairarapa. Based at my parents “Colonial Cottage Motel” we fished everyday in a variety of places and waters. In those day…