Flyfishing and other adventures in the Amazon

After attending the World Recreational Conference in Sao Paulo (see my blog post on 6 September) I was lucky enough to venture deep into the Amazon rainforest to fish a remote tributary of the main river seeking the fabled peacock bass on fly. There were eight of us Australians who went on this trip of a lifetime […]

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Florida Tarpon

The AFO team have been off on holidays and what do flats guides do on holidays? They go flyfishing somewhere! This year the AFO team split up and some went tarpon fishing in Florida. The weather was great over there this season and we all know how that relates to sight fishing opportunities… The tarpon were […]

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Tom Sutcliffe’s ‘Spirit of Fly Fishing’

Many people are unaware that South Africa has a passionate flyfishing community, as well as some wonderful trout fishing. The trout fishing is mainly for rainbows (though there are browns there too) – small, beautiful ones in gorgeous mountain freestone streams; and much bigger ones in a wide range of private lakes. From what I’ve […]

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Driftwater, Meander Valley

Welcome to the land of plenty – with its extensive and diverse waterways, pristine rivers and streams, clear mountain lakes, brown trout and rainbows, brook trout and sea run trout, its plentiful and diverse insect life – the perfect venue for your next fly fishing journey. Nestled in the Meander Valley at the gateway to […]

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Flyfishing in Barcelona, Spain

Most of us have been there. The family holiday or the trip away with a loved one that takes you to a new place that just might offer good fishing. Unbeknown to your traveling companion, you do a bit of research and when you get there, you hope the stars align and you find yourself ankle deep in […]

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Christmas Island (Part Two)

Even in shallow water like this, the fish can be virtually invisible. The guide here is The Villages head guide, Neemia, who came to Tasmania and fished the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships in 2012. Most presentations and takes were close range – as little as 5 feet from the rod tip, out to 40 feet […]

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Christmas Island (Part One)

I’ve just returned from my first bonefishing trip and I’m well and truly hooked. We spent two weeks at Christmas Island in Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas – the ‘ti’ in the local language is pronounced ‘ss’). The idea came about last winter when I was suffering cabin fever, and seemingly endless days below 10 degrees, and […]

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Aitutaki – Land of the giant bonefish

When the trout season finishes here in New Zealand’s South Island and we close our lodge for the winter, one of my favourite places to go for a holiday and a spot of fishing is Aitutaki in the Cook Islands – in fact I just got back from another great trip there. Aitutaki is a classically beautiful […]

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The Accidental Tourist

My work as a fisheries consultant means I travel a lot, especially in the sub equatorial Pacific, where not surprisingly I don’t see much in the way of trout. That doesn’t mean they’re not there. Papua New Guinea (for example) has trout farms in the highlands and rainbow trout are  common enough in mountain lakes […]

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North Island of New Zealand, early June 2014.

What a great way to finish the stream season, across the ditch. The long drive from Auckland Airport to the Bay of Plenty area in the early hours of the morning was well worth the effort and with all the plotting and scheming between me and mate Al, it went like a flash. I don’t think […]

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Wye oh Wye

The River Wye forms the border between England and Wales for much of its length.  An impressive fast running high volume river with its origin in the Welsh mountains. Its Atlantic salmon are the stuff of legend. Thirty years ago I was living in Chepstow, in the old South Wales. In the spring we watched […]

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Stonefly Lodge

The multi award winning Stonefly Lodge is situated on 156 acres of private forest on the banks of the Motueka River, only 50 minutes drive from Nelson.  The luxury 5 star Lodge is centrally located between 3 spectacular National Parks  (Abel Tasman, Nelson Lakes and Kahurangi National Park)  making the Lodge an ideal base from […]

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Three Meccas, Three Months

Everything always starts innocently enough. Two mates enjoying the afternoon sun, while wolfing down burritos at the infamous Bondi beach. “Maybe I could join you on your next fishing trip.” “Oh yeh?” “Yeh, I could film you and we could make a short documentary.” Daniel Mylonas, a Sydney designer and hipster, had always been curious […]

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Australian Flyfishing Outfitters Season underway

April marks the start of Australian Flyfishing Outfitters season each year and already we’ve had some interesting action. With a good wet season across northern Australia, our ‘early season’ barramundi fishing has been great. Meanwhile, a few golden trevally have showed themselves when the weather has let us onto the flats and that fishing is only getting better moving […]

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NZ Season goes out in style

After our adventurous start, Felix and I have stuck to more familiar waters for the rest of my trip at Owen River Lodge. Yesterday we fished the mighty Maruia. After the scree slope scrambles and clifftop dead-ends of Saturday, it seemed almost too easy to park the car beside the all-weather gravel road and stroll across green […]

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