Ronan's Report

With each trip to Temenggor I get a little wiser, a little more confident and a little better. This was my 3rd trip and I felt like it was time to apply what I had learned from past trips. I remember how I was on my first trip. Paul had advised me on practicing the snakehead cast which I did a little of, but I’m no good at practicing. I need to do my practicing on the water – right or wrong, thats how I am. I remember that a successful cast was landing the fly just in front of the fish between 1 and 2 seconds after he rises to take a gulp of air. This was my biggest failing on my first trip. In my head, this was virtually no time and I continued to rush the shot – time and time again. I wasn’t allowing the backcast to straighten, I was just forcing the shot in under a second and making a balls of it. The first trip was 11 days of fishing. In that time I landed one snakehead and 2 gourami. Gourami fishing is different, less time critical with the shot and a lot like trout fishing with dries. I’ll get back to that later maybe, but one snakehead in 11 days! The truth is I misjudged how much time I had to make that all critical shot. 2 seconds is not nothing. There’s time there to take your time – relatively speaking. I remember in my college days in Letterfrack Furniture College one of my classmates had a note above his workbench reading “Make haste, slowly”. Well, the snakehead cast is sort of like that. In fact, if I gave myself 3 seconds on every opportunity on that first trip I think I’d have done better because now and again a fish stays near the surface for a little longer.

My second trip was short – just 3 days. It’s really not enough. From the start I was a little on the back foot because I know how hard it is to succeed. However I did pretty well. I didn’t land a fish but I had 10 events which broke down as 1 lost (trout strike!), 8 chases and 1 gourami incident. Paul talks about the red zone and the yellow zone with regards to the shot. Landing the fly in the red zone is like hitting a saucer. The yellow zone is like hitting the 1 foot circle around the saucer. Hitting the red zone will usually get a result. Very often an eat, at least a chase but could also get you nothing. Hitting the yellow zone might get you a chase but usually nothing at all – but sometimes it’s good enough. One of the joys is simply putting the fly exactly where you aim it. If you succeed in that, whether you catch or not, you’ve done your bit – as long as you’ve been fast enough of course. After the cast you must gloop the surface popper right away to get the fishes attention and then keep stripping causing surface disturbance hoping there’s a snakehead behind it about to burst onto the fly.

My 3rd trip. Paul picked me up in Penang and after a couple of hours we were hauling bags, beer and petrol down the dilapidated Belum steps. The steps are long and steep, dark, very degraded and dodgy as feck, but it’s a rite of passage. After a number of trips up and down the steps of doom, Paul took the Rocket C across the pitch dark lake to the Battleship. From there we motored down the lake to make base – two boats in tow. It was so good to be hanging out with my great friend again. Like no time had passed since the last time – which was 7 years ago. Time really is flying by. We caught up with some fine wine, French potato hotpot, beer and a little rum. The craic was great as we chatted about old times and current.

Day 1 was a slow start after all that, but not like old times where we were known to occasionally miss the entire next day! Day 1 was lively on the water. There were free risers in many of the locations we stopped at. I felt pretty composed and ready to make haste, slowly. I had a few yellow zone shots which had some big chases but no eat. Then nailed a red zone shot and glooped away the fly to watch an explosive take from a solid snakehead. No trout strike, I think I got it all pretty bang on – including the fight. Fish in the net on day 1. I was delighted. So was Paul. We continued that day into darkness as we would every day. I got lots of opportunities and many chases, I can’t remember how many. At the end of the day, last light I got another snakehead from a yellow zone cast. The last light can be great. Fish rise less frequently but tend to stay near the surface for a little longer.

Days 2, 3 and 4 were slow. There were opportunities every day though. Sometimes to free risers, sometimes to snakehead with babies. If you know nothing about this fishery there are 2 main ways to catch snakehead. One is by targeting free risers. Snakehead can breathe air into their lungs by taking a gulp of air from the surface. This gives the angler a visual. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the fish in the murky water before they break the surface to breathe. This will give you an extra moment to prepare your shot. However if you hit the water before they breathe you’ll spook them so you must resist the urge to cast too soon. The shot must be delivered after they breathe. The other way to target them is when they’re with babies. The mother and father snakehead protect their brood of up to a couple of hundred (I’m guessing) baby snakehead. The young ones fizzle on the surface very frequently and so we can track them. They tend to travel from stump to stump if they’re in the shallows so we can try our best to predict where they’re heading and where they’ll pop up next. All the while were waiting for either of the parents to come up to breathe. When they do thats our shot. They are also likely to be in totally open water which can make them a little harder to track. Same as for a free riser, the shot must be fast and accurate. When the fish is released they go back to their family. I watched this happen after Paul caught one off babies. The other parent and babies stay close by (the babies continue to regularly fizzle on the surface as they breathe). Shortly after the release we watched both parents emerge together. Paul believes they have a scent unique to the family to help them to stay together.

Like many great fishing locations, sometimes it’s important to look around you. This is an area of wild, dense rainforest and immense beauty. There are elephants, lots of them. We saw fresh sign every day. There are tigers, not many but they are around. A large paw print was found near Belum resort just recently. Birds, frogs, lizards, pigs, monkeys are all present and now and again we see them. Paul’s method of hunting out snakehead involves constantly moving. We’re travelling along shores for kilometres or moving quickly across open water to search new ground. The whole time getting to see many facets of this beautiful wilderness or listening to the occasional crash or trumpet from an elephant or a screech from a monkey. The sounds can be as dramatic and the visuals.

The Battleship is luxurious. When we get back in darkness after a long day there’s a cold beer (or many) in the fridge. Paul has a well equipped galley kitchen where he can whip up some Chinese hotpot or similar. There’s a warm lake which doubles as a bath – just don’t dive in or you may get impaled on a pointed stump! You can sleep in a hammock or a bed – I chose the hammock. Good internet, plenty chargers and battery power. It’s very well set up. There’s a fish tank which doubles as a TV. I spent many hours watching the antics of the little and the large gouramis. They’d eat little chironomid off the surface attracted by the light over the tank. Sometimes they’d get a more substantial fly like a termite. They enjoyed cheese and chocolate too or a bite of one of the plants growing in the tank. Now and again the big one would nudge the little one out of the way but in general they had a peaceful coexistence in the tank. Paul has probably released the large one by now as he was reaching the upper size limit for the tank.

Day 5. I only had a few hours to fish before making the journey to the airport to fly back to NZ. The Battleship was moored on a stump on the outside of a large expanse of stumps. Free risers like this type of water and this spot in particular was a favourite of Paul’s. We checked it out the previous 2 evenings but it was pretty quiet. On this last morning it was very lively. There were 2 sets of babies but we worked mainly on the free risers. There was another variable I learned on this last morning. I had noticed it before but this time in particular. That’s the angle the fish goes back down at after rising. The shallower the angle the better because that means they’re nearer the surface for longer. On this morning most of the fish were going down at very steep angles so even red zone shots were not being noticed. I felt like the culmination of all my experience had come together and I fished well. I made many shots where I put the fly exactly where I wanted to but they did not result in as much as a chase. However I felt good about my shots and thats very important because it’s all about the shot!

Paul rarely fished over the 4.5 days. He very kindly gave me most of the opportunities. We could have fished separately in the 2 boats but Paul decided we’d fish together even though I did most of the fishing!! Aside from the fishing this was a great way for the two of us to catch up and have a laugh. We kept hydrated every day with jungle juice instead of beer which was a first for us! Maybe we’re getting a little sense!? I’m not so sure. But one thing I am sure of is that I loved every minute of it and I hope to get back before Paul sets sail on his round the world adventure – once he learns to sail. I could help him with that but I have a pretty bad track record in yachts.

Paul knows this fishery inside out now. He’s been there 10 years and fished it over 3000 days. He understands the fish and the fishing, boat handling too. Whether it’s manoeuvring the boat around stumps or tracking a snakehead on babies, Paul’s boat handling is second to none. Traveling in pitch black is no trouble either due to his knowledge of the lake. He barely ever hits stumps at speed! I learned a couple of new knots while I was there. Paul fishes the rigs he fishes after thorough testing, so he knows the setups are as strong as they can be – usually factoring in a fuse so the fly line doesn’t break. His snakehead cast is now pretty legendary and is a pleasure to watch him execute it. Fly tying is another aspect. The fly that Paul ties is a popper pattern. It has some lead tied in on the bend of the hook to pull the fly down a bit in the water ensuring the first “gloop” is a good one. The fly itself resembles a frog or a small fish. It’s a pattern that has evolved over time and it works! If you’re thinking about an adventurous, challenging and very different type of fly fishing trip I highly recommend this…

On the Journey home I read Jungle Blues by Stu Tripney. Paul loaned me his copy. I loved it. I have no doubt that part of my enjoyment came from knowing the author, knowing Paul who much of the book was about and knowing the fishery he was talking about. In the book, Stu was tearing around the Jungle in a boat named after myself! It’s only the 5th book I’ve read so you should be happy, Stu (if you see this!)!! Although I haven’t quite finished it yet.. but I will!

Back in NZ now and the new season is underway. I’ve had a superb start exploring two new waters. More on that later. I still have some availability throughout the season apart from January, February and March.

Plenty time to stock up on my range of flies for New Zealand available from Fulling Mill. The flies are tried and trusted by myself and many others over here. You can see the full range here.

Tight Lines and Free Palestine, Ronan..

Every day for nearly 700 days now, I wake and check in on the Gaza situation. Every day I’m hoping for some good news but it keeps getting worse. This genocide is horrific on many levels. The Palestinian people are being wiped out for us all to see. They’re being starved, bombed, sniped – nothing is off limits, there’s no low the oppressor will not go to.. They receive the tiniest amount of aid and run the gauntlet to get it. Over a thousand dead and thousands wounded from bullets and tank shells at GHF aid sites. I just watched a video after a bombing at a water distribution point. At least 10 dead, mostly children. We’ve all seen the images and videos. We all know it’s happening. It’s sickening to hear the pro-genocide spokespeople swearing unashamedly that they don’t target children or civilians when it’s glaringly obvious that they do. We see the videos every day. I have not seen a single image of a dead armed combatant in the conflict so far. I’ve only seen dead civilians. I have listened to so many of the testimonies from medical professionals who worked on the ground, people like Victoria Rose or Mark Perlmutter. Most of them never treated a soldier – only civilians and mostly children. America has enabled this. Encouraged it. A constant supply of bombs and equipment to carry out the genocide. If you speak in solidarity with Palestine they label you a terrorist or an antisemite – it’s the same in England and much of Europe. To enter the US now you can’t have anything negative (meaning true) about Israel in your social media accounts. This blatant fascist propaganda (or is it bullying / intimidation? – same thing I suppose) is way beyond anything I could have imagined. It’s a very worrying direction we’re heading in.

In Gaza about 250 journalists have been murdered, hundreds of medical staff and aid workers killed, all the hospitals have been bombed, schools, kindergartens, churches, bakeries and universities all destroyed, 90% of Gaza is in ruins. my mind is so full of specific cases which I want to mention but I’d be here all day. I’m really not sure what I want to say but I want to make my position clear. I want Palestinians to have the same freedom I have. I want this genocide to end. I want the war criminals to be held to account but I know they never will.

On a personal level I have really struggled with this genocide. I feel guilty even saying that with the hardships the Palestinians are facing. But none the less, I have struggled with this. I have struggled with the inaction and empty words from our elected governments. They do not represent us. They do not work for us. The people are mostly united against genocide but our governments do nothing meaningful to end it – and they could. Mainstream media is a joke and I refuse to engage. I struggle with the US involvement. I love the States. I have been so many times since my early 20s and I have nothing but respect for America and the Americans I’ve met along the way. But, Israel runs the US government and the American people have no choice. American tax dollars are funding this genocide. This US / Israeli alliance has changed the face of war. My conspiracy theorist side thinks it’s on purpose. War is no longer soldier vs soldier, it’s soldier vs unarmed civilian. IDF soldiers (if you can call them soldiers?) in Gaza have no morals, no discipline, no professionalism – just child murdering hatred. Enough hatred to empty 355 bullets into a 6 year old girl called Hind Rajab. Is this the soldier of the future?

One of many components of the Zionist propaganda campaign is the use (overuse) of the label antisemitism. You just have to oppose Israel and the idiots are screaming antisemitism. This is dangerous because antisemitism is a terrible form of racism which I’m very much against. It’s not antisemitic to oppose Israel or zionism. Israel is committing genocide and we must oppose that. I feel for the good jews of the world who’ve seen their religion hijacked and dragged through the mud by these genocidal maniacs. Israel has done more in the last 700 days (one could argue 75 years) to promote antisemitism than any people in any period of history. It’s not jews who are committing genocide (well, it is but..) it’s the Israelis and I don’t care what religion they are – fuck all people do. I care that innocent men and women, children and babies are dying on mass every day at the hands of the Israeli occupation. Any person accusing another of antisemitism for opposing genocide, or for wishing the best for Palestinians needs to ask themselves some serious questions. I was at the receiving end of this nonsense myself. I had a member of one of my fly fishing fraternities accuse me of being racist and antisemitic amongst other things in a bid to ruin my career – the accusation was based on 2 paragraphs from previous blogs showing support for Palestine and calling out Israeli war crimes. What I wrote was the truth. I was dragged through a long and stressful complaints process to clear my name. Did the accuser really think I was racist and antisemitic? I doubt it, just a little zionist protecting Israel from the truth by making false but very serious accusations. It’s in their playbook.

I don’t know what the future holds for the people of Gaza. Even if it ended tomorrow the trauma of what they’ve endured will never go away. I can’t imagine what they’ve seen, how they’ve been hurt physically and emotionally. I regularly notice the whine of drones overhead in the videos. This is more psychological torture which for many will never go away. I can only guess at the fear that noise will instil for ever more. Like most of us, I want this to end. I want to wake up and not see images of dead, starved and dismembered children and babies, women and men. But with things now escalating in the West Bank thats not likely to happen soon. A massive increase in land theft and violence by zionist settlers with full backing and support of the police and army. Israel is totally out of control. They act with absolute impunity as they attack many of their surrounding countries and Palestine. Can anyone put an end to this? The European and US complicity is hard to wrap my head around. Not even a token sanction. The bribery is obvious with much of that info available but I suspect a darker side too with blackmail, death threats, who knows. There’s no low Israel won’t go to, thats one thing I’ve learned.

What can we do? I have chosen to boycott everything with links to zionism or Israel. Donations to aid agencies is another way to help – although thats a tough one since no aid has been allowed in since early march as a means to starve the population into submission or death. Don’t be silent – silence can only help the oppressor. Use your voice, social media, any avenue you have to make others aware of the genocide. Contact our elected officials and demand real sanctions. March. Whatever we can do, we should do. It’s taken me a long time to summon the courage to write this. Of course standing against genocide should not take courage but in this world right now, it does. I think I can reach a few more people here than on Facebook. I’m so heavily shadow banned on there. I’m sure very few people see my posts apart from a handful of likeminded people. It’s smart algorithm they use to make us feel like were reaching a few and having our say when were only preaching to the converted.

There’s so much more I’d like to mention here – the 4 thousand Palestinians in administrative detention, held without crime or conviction (hostages). The torture they endure, Including Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, held for about 200 days now whose only crime was not leaving his patients when the IDF raided his hospital. There are a lot of victims here; the Palestinians, the American tax payer, Activists against genocide being accused of terrorism or antisemitism and victims within Israel too. It’s hard to imagine the Israelis continuing to bomb many of their neighbours without any serious retaliation from them. We all saw what Iran can do. No wonder Israel wanted a ceasefire. It’s harder against a nation with an actual army. My point is, how can Israels constant aggression and disregard for any sort of law possibly bring them peace and security? Much of the world is so upside down now that logic is lost. We have people who deserve the Nobel peace prize being sanctioned while child murderers nominate pedophiles for the same prize. Irish band, Kneecap end up in the English courts for holding a flag while a genocide continues with the support of the same government that prosecuted them. Humanitarian aid organisations are removed from Gaza to be replaced by US / Israeli aid (GHF) – Which shoots dead at least 30 starving Palestinians every day. The UN had 400 distribution points, the GHF has 4. 100,000 tonnes of explosives dumped on Gaza – 50 kilos per Gazan – the equivalent of 5 nuclear bombs like Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Israelis are mostly of European decent. They have no ancestral lineage to Palestine while Palestinians are semites with ancestral and cultural connections to the land. Like I said, It’s all upside down.

Just in the week or so since I started writing this, things have gotten even worse – if that’s possible. It’s clear now that many Palestinians have endured the hunger until they can no more. That time is now and people – mostly young children are dying of starvation every day. No baby is formula allowed in – it’s actually confiscated from doctors at customs, no food, no medical supplies, only minimal water and aid laced with drugs and bullets…

What has happened to Israeli people? How is that a people who survived a genocide can perpetrate one against the very people who welcomed them in? “never again” we hear a lot but I guess that’s only for them. How is that most Israelis are supporting the genocide? Their indoctrinated feelings towards the Arab world is plain to see. American and European complicity is at a governmental level, but with Israel, the current government seems to be an accurate reflection of Israeli society.

I have traveled in Jordan. I spent 2 weeks there about 8 years ago with my wife. We met some amazing people – most of whom were Palestinian refugees. We were met with kindness and respect at every turn. For a lot of my life I’ve been led to believe that the Arabs are the enemy. At times I sort of believed it. I’ve seen the truth for a long time but it’s never been as clear as it is now.

We’ve all see the horrors on our phones – and if you haven’t, you should. I have seen people, always unarmed civilians, being burned to death, blown to pieces, shot, starved and more. It’s a holocaust. The death tole they say is 58000 but the true figure is likely closer to 300,000. This must end.

I could go on but that’ll do for now. It’s important that we exercise our right to free speech while we still can. This is my opinion.

Free Palestine. Peace. Ronan..

As the world descends into chaos, here’s a chance to step into a positive world where fish are feeding and people are friendly. I’m horrified by what’s going on right now. The continuous lies, genocide, hypocrisy and double standards.. but right now here’s a look back at my NZ summer. This blog takes me up to the end of March.

While fishing well out in the backcountry with Marcus we had an unexpected encounter. We had about 2kms left before the fishing ends on this wilderness stream. Upstream I couldn’t make out whether I was looking at was a camouflaged side by side or a rock! As we got closer it was indeed a side by side (4×4, 2 seater vehicle). “Shite”, I thought. “Probably a fisherman?”. When we got to the vehicle we found no evidence of it being an angler but there were no rifle cases either so the jury was out! We decided to continue and hope for the best. Just as we started to make our way upstream a spritely fella came jogging over the hill wearing a fly vest but without a rod. We went over for a chat. It turned out to be Bruce Masson. He’s about 80 I think. Bruce was the man behind the Trophy Trout videos from about 30 years ago. They’re still highly regarded fishing films today and inspired many anglers including myself. Bruce had fished the water above us so that was the end of the day for us. We didn’t mind, it was so good to meet this man. He was fishing with his wife and they had landed a few fish, she was still upstream waiting for him to come back with the vehicle. Bruce has some incredible access to this backcountry area. We had an enjoyable chat about fishing past and present and spoke of some mutual friends. Over the years I have met and gotten to know many people involved with this production, Robbie Mcphee, Bob Wyatt, Chris Jackson and more. I felt quite honoured to meet Bruce. The man behind it all. It was especially great to meet him randomly in this wilderness while he was doing what he loves. Hopefully we’ll meet again!

Next season is filling up fast! January and February are full, March almost full, but there’s still lots of room in the other months. To have a look at my flies which were great for me this season you can check out this link. You can contact me on ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.

Tight lines, Ronan..

One of the highlights of this season for me was mid summer dry fly action. Even in summer it’s hard for me not to fish a nymph. This summer though, I had so many days where the single dry rig was the only one to step up for the shots. I’m happy to catch fish on any fly or tactic but there’s no denying how great it is to watch a trout, preferably a big trout, coming up to take a dry. My cicadas were really great and accounted for some very big trout over the summer. No doubles this season (yet!?!) but we saw a few nines in the net and lots of other really top end trout. The photos below take me up to early February so there’s more summer stuff coming later. I’m always a couple of months behind but what harm!!

Myself and Robbie caught up for a few days fishing after a long time of not catching up at all! Life gets away on us sometimes. Robbie caught all the big ones – no surprise there! We had some full on fishing, mostly on dries. One funny day where every time we decided to call it a day, another fish would rise. We were on the river til late that eve. We explored some new water from an excellent new access for me.

We’re now into the last month of the regular season over here. The fishing has been pretty tough locally. Some great days but more tough days than I’d expect for this time of year. The hatches have been pretty minimal so far but there’s a few weeks left. April has the most dependable hatches of the season so I really hope it winds up for the next few weeks.

I have the next few days to fish myself. No plan as yet. I’ll decide in the morning!

For a look at my patterns available over at Fulling Mill you can check out this link. They’re also available in store at Patagonia Queenstown.

Next season is filling up fast. Feel free to get in touch with any enquiries or to make a booking. You can find me on my website or email – ronan@sexyloops.com

Tight Lines, Ronan..

It’s busy now! Not much time to think let alone write. The usual for this time of year. The pictures below take me up to early January. They begin with the continuation of Jeffs trip. A tough trip in general but we put it together and had some brilliant moments and solid fishing… and a blank or two!

Christmas was a family and friends affair. I always keep a week over Christmas free just for that. There’s usually a straggler or two who appreciate a place to go for the celebrations, namely Alan, who didn’t make it this year. Hopefully we’ll see him next season. Wesley and his family were here for a few days, Guy was here as always and Robbie for the first time in ages. Usually he fishes on Christmas day but now that he’s retired he’s a bit more relaxed. Plenty fishing chat, beers and craic. Absolutely brilliant to be surrounded by friends and family.

After a generally tough early season things have improved a lot. I’ve really enjoyed this summer guiding. I generally don’t guide much locally from about mid jan til march because there’s nothing much left in the rivers after the farmers irrigate their land. They also get quite warm, due in part to their low flows. Instead I’ve been road tripping and getting into a great mix of water from Southland to Mackenzie Country to the Maniototo. It’s been really good but more on that when the relevant pics make it into the blog.

One thing I’ve been doing recently with great success is alternating between two patterns which have been killing it for me this summer season. Dry fly fishing has been A1 and I’m talking dries now. One is my Tussock Cicada in a 10 (also a good caddis pattern) and the other is Mcphails Blowfly. Both available from Fulling Mill. What I like about this combo is the contrast. If one doesn’t work the other probably will. Now that I think about it, I should have fished them both together instead of changing from one to the other.. I used to do that in the past and I really enjoyed fishing 2 dries. When they want dries, fish 2! Why not.. Next time. I’m glad writing this reminded me of that old tactic.

To see my full range of flies with Fulling Mill click here. There’s a few additional sizes this year which really add to the versatility of the collection. My hotspot is now available in a 14. The brown nymph is available in a 16 which is a little heavier than the claret 16. My cicadas are available in a 6 so when you need a big terrestrial you have it. Also the willow grubs are now available in size 18 and 20. Check them out! Also available in Patagonia Queenstown. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about them.

Next season is filling up quickly. Feel free to get in touch about booking or with any questions. There’s still availability in April and May this season and through the winter season. ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.

Tight lines everyone.. Ronan..

Fishing continues, both work and pleasure. It’s been one of the most challenging seasons to date with extreme wind being the hardest factor. Some days I tried to hide from it, other days I went into the teeth of it. I got the desired results most days but they didn’t come easy. With the challenge came greater satisfaction with a good result. I had a day in early November fishing on my own in a blizzard with 100kph gusts. I was on a high country lake. 1 degree celsius. I loved it for myself but I’m glad I wasn’t guiding in it!

Things are getting warm here now and with that the terrestrials are about. My cicadas are working well whether I’m seeing them on the water or not. They’re also available in a size 6 this year which will work well for the larger West Coast and beach forest cicadas. I’m currently working on a few new patterns for the 2026 Fulling Mill catalog. You can check out my current range of flies here.

It was great to fish with Mark Regan over here. I know Mark from fishing Corrib back home and we have many mutual friends. We had a couple of great days on the water together. A sunny still water day with lots of fish on buzzers – Mark is no stranger to fishing buzzers! – and then a river day in the rain with a steady stream of mayflies trickling down all day. We had some great dry fly action with trout to 6lbs.

Still some availability from later in March, a lovely time of year! Let me know if you’d like to book or if you have any questions, just ask. More info here or email me at ronan@sexyloops.com. Photos below tell the story up to about mid December. More to come as soon as I get a chance.

It would be nice to see an end to the genocide in Gaza but it looks like rubble isn’t good enough for the Israelis. I think they’re aiming to turn the place to dust. What will be left for the remaining Palestinians? There’s basically nothing left already. This atrocity has left me with a constant sadness since the start. Not just because of the genocide but because of the complicity of our governments, the lies from mainstream media, the silence from celebrities and influential people. It looks like Israel has occupied them all.

Tight Lines, Ronan..

What a month October was. After a dry winter, the rain came with a vengeance in September. By October most rivers were too full and dirty to fish. My policy is to never cancel because there’s always somewhere to fish regardless of past or present weather – and there is! But I can tell you, I was stretched at times in the last month. It became a game of watching online river flows like a hawk. Waiting for gaps between rain events and snowmelt. The latter is so hard to gauge. I’d check the flow late in the evening and it’s looking positive, check again in the morning and it’s jumped 2 cumecs but there’s been no rain.. feckin snowmelt. Sometimes I could successfully get in and fish a section of river before it was blown again the next day – these were the wins!

Another challenge was the state of the 4×4 tracks to get to some of the locations I fish when the shit hits the fan. Holes, ruts, washouts, river crossings etc.. “thanks for the four wheel driving extravaganza” one client said. 4x4ing is usually a relatively small a part of this game but in the last month it was almost a daily occurrence. I had to use my rear locker and low range on multiple occasions during October. The vehicle took some abuse but thankfully I was never stuck for too long. I think only one flat tire for the month was pretty good going. Having had a triple locked 80 series Land Cruiser for 9 years I was a bit spoiled with off road capability but so far I’m loving the Hilux. I’d like some more clearance but besides that I’m very happy with it..

With all the challenges came a few blank days but also some incredible fishing. Most notable was the number of very big trout. I’ve always liked October for big trout and the one just gone has been one of the best I’ve had. Big fish for clients and a few for me too. No doubles though, but there’s plenty time to search out one of those!

I do like when the weather doesn’t cooperate if I’m being honest – although, not as much as the month just gone! I like being pushed onto still waters with clients who’d normally prefer rivers. It gives me an opportunity to show them just how good still waters can be. It also adds locations to my repertoire which helps keep it interesting for me and my clients. Most of my regular clients are now more than happy with either river or still-water, whichever makes most sense on the day, regardless of the weather. The lakes really shouldn’t be a back-up plan, for me they’re a legit option on any day.

With all the flood water around for the last month I have barely seen my local rivers, so I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully the flood damage is minimal. With floods increasing in regularity and vigour some local water can become unrecognisable after a big flood. This one seems like a prolonged flood more than a big one so hopefully no damage will be done. Time will tell.

For the flies that did the damage all month you can check them out here.. For bookings or enquiries you can contact me on ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.

No end to the list of war crimes and atrocities from Israel. The plight of the Palestinians is never far from my thoughts… but the world just watches a live holocaust unfolding…

Tight Lines, Ronan..

My first visit to South Westland was during my initial visit to New Zealand back in 2003. I had an immediate connection to the place. It felt like home. Over the years I spent lots of time there with many friends made along the way. I lived there for 4 months at one stage. So many adventures and stories – roofing sheds way down the Cascade River, night time earthquakes in the wilderness knocking me to the ground, trouble with the cops for night shooting where we shouldn’t be, catching a big shark at Open Bay Island, trying to surf, trying to hunt, camping with Iza, lots of fishing and so much more.. On a recent trip to the Coast I brought my 2 kids for the first time. We rented a little beach house in Okuru for the week. An ideal base. The beach in front of the house can be a great fishing spot. The scene from the beach back towards the mountains was the scene that connected me to the place 21 years ago. I remember the moment because it was much more than just a beautiful view. It was like I recognised it. It was very special for me to see my 2 kids in that scene.

I wasn’t sure how the kids would cope with the sandflies! On the first day they didn’t seem to be around but at the end of the day they both had lots of bites! especially Adaline. Lesson learned for me. Every day after that I put repellant on them – non deet stuff. It worked really well.

I didn’t have to try too hard to entertain them. They made their own fun. They loved the fishing and spin casting, building dams, skipping stones, shooting cans with the air rifle, beach walks, climbing rocks and so on. All the stuff that kids are supposed to do but that seem to be less and less of a priority these days. Not for me though. I think proper rough and tumble play is essential for kids. Their playful, adventurous personalities suited the coast. They loved every minute of it.

Adaline is just old enough to learn to drive the boat. She was pretty good at manoeuvring me around the shorelines while I sight-fished from the roof of the cabin. Her throttle control nearly threw me off the roof at one stage but she learned not to be too quick with it. When she gets a little stronger she’ll be better. It’s great fun for me watching them enjoy and learn about all the stuff that surrounds fishing. I’m not pushing them in to it, I’ll just expose them to it all and hopefully they’ll find their own path. I’ll be there to help them along.

It was a great week for everyone. Wesley had his own boat with him and had some very good fishing on the lakes. 7 coast days and only one rain day. Thats as good as you can expect over there. Iza was away visiting her family so unfortunately she wasn’t with us. I know she’d have loved to too. Also if she was there I wouldn’t have forgotten the hair brush for Adaline – I improvised with 3 forks. The kids are looking forward to going back – and so am I.

Some photos below from a few guide days over winter. Also some blind and sight fishing from recent trips to the Mackenzie lakes and a coastal lagoon. Buzzer fishing in the calm was superb at both locations. Early season buzzer fishing on NZ lakes can be unbelievable – and it’s still a relatively under appreciated way to fish. Buzzers – aka midge, chironomid or duck fly.

The new season has landed. I went out on Oct 1 to explore new water but couldn’t get there. Private forest roads and lambing kept the obvious 3 ways in unaccessible. I learned a bit though, including who to contact to get access and how to get there so I’ll have another crack when the lambing is over.

To check out my flies available at Fulling Mill click here. To get in touch about guiding this season or next you can email me ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website. Here’s a link to a recent Fulling Mill blog I wrote about September and October in NZ.

Tight lines and free Palestine – what a horrible year it’s been for them. Ronan..

Sometimes things happen in fishing to put your resolve to the test. How much do you want to go fishing? Well, I answered that question one day in May when myself and a Wesley tried to get to a high country lake. There had been rain overnight so I expected snow on the higher portion of the track. I figured we’d have a crack regardless. I’ve towed the boat up there is various levels of wet and snow without any major trouble. Having said that, in the past, most of the seriously wet conditions I’ve experienced happened to be on the way down the hill, so I had gravity on my side. This was to be the wettest I’ve experienced getting up the hill..

My boat is pretty heavy – not sure how heavy exactly but it’s no dingy. Onwards up the track without issue. It was raining but the track was okay. We hoped the snow would be above the lake elevation but no such luck. Driving through the snow and everything still seemed good – no problem with traction. There were very fresh tracks through the snow in front of me so I assumed another angler had the same idea. This was comforting! We were almost at the lake when we had a steep decline before a steep incline. The decline was fine. Half way up the incline I lost traction. I reversed and tried again without success. Getting out to assess the situation I realised how bad the track was. A mix of mud, ice and snow. No chance. I put the waders on because it was such a mess! After a good few more attempts the truck was well stuck in the ditch with the trailer at an angle. I tried to take the trailer off but the weight on it due to the unusual angle made it impossible to remove. At this stage I couldn’t go forwards at all and the angle of the trailer meant I couldn’t go backwards either. What now? Reduce air pressure maybe.. Then the fella who was ahead of us came back down. He was from the North Island and just down for a tour. I was very happy to se him. His 4×4 was well kitted out and he gave me a tow out. Even with him towing me we couldn’t get to the top of the hill with my boat on the back. We did manage to straighten my truck and trailer. We had no choice but to abandon the boat and fish the bank. It was now easy to remove the trailer but turning it around wasn’t possible. Just too steep, slippery and generally shite so we rolled her back into the ditch where it was safe and secure. I hoped we’d sort that out at the end of the day when the track had (hopefully) dried a bit. Without a trailer and with the help of my new friend we made it to the top of the hill. It was to be an easy drive to the lake from there. I jumped out and thanked our saviour. Peter I think he said his name was. We said farewell. As his Pajero passed my boat, he started sliding towards it on the greasy track. I tried to push his truck away from the boat, for all the good I did and also called at him to floor it.. It was that or he’d hit the boat. He just about scraped by without contact and went about his day.

Now there’s a new problem. In the unlikely event of another vehicle coming up he would also be likely to slide into the boat, especially with the track in such a mess after our antics.. so I can’t leave it there. The lake is in sight but I have to rethink this. On the side of the the steep, muddy track there was a strip of grassy verge just wide enough to drive on. Traction seemed good and the ground firm, but there was no room for error with a steep hill on the side. The only chance was to reverse back down the hill on the grassy verge, hitch on the boat, pull it out of the ditch and then floor it up the hill on the grass and then get back onto the track on the top of the hill before the big rock.. Jeepers.

Aside from the safety issue of abandoning the boat in a dodgy place, I really wanted to use the boat on the lake that day so the decision was made. Let’s do it. I reversed down with a few test forward movements to make sure I could go forward. Everything seemed good. I got near the boat and we were able to pivot her in the ditch and hitch it on. Rear locker in, low range too. I popped the boat out of the ditch and gave it the beans up the hill. The left turn before the rock to get back onto the track proved tricky, probably due to the rear locker engaged and snow on the grass. I couldn’t stop, thankfully the front wheels got some grip and got me back on track. Fuckin hell. Relief. That took hours. It might seem crazy with the steep hill on the right to have attempted this but I had to get the boat out of there. We looked at other options too like rolling the boat down the road without the truck attached but we were already half way up hill when the shit hit the fan. This was likely to end in disaster. With the state of the track reversing back down was not an option.. Whether I should have done it or not, I did.. and was it worth it?? Yes. The question is, If I still had my old 80 would I have gotten stuck???

May was also a good month of guiding. Not always easy in a some crazy conditions. 3 blizzards, rain wind, you name it, May had it. Certainly an adventurous month where nothing got in the way of the fishing.

To see my flies over at Fulling Mill check this out. They’re also available in store at Patagonia Queenstown. To enquire about this seasons guiding availability you can get in touch here or at ronan@sexyloops.com

Tight Lines and Free Palestine, Ronan..

By now in Central Otago things are usually warming up a little, but they’re not! It’s been a very cold winter here. Hard frosts most mornings making it hard to get motivated to go out. Some days it warms up a bit for a couple of hours. There’s been very little rain but I see no impediment to fish running the rivers to spawn. I think with the settled and consistent river flows this will be a very successful spawning season. I haven’t fished very much this winter. Certainly the least I’ve ever fished through June / July. I’ve been putting all my attention into our old house keeping on top of an ever increasing job list. It’s a labour of love. Over the next couple of months the lakes will fire up. I think the first glimmer of spring will bring some brilliant lake fishing and I’ll be there to cash in.

On August 17th I’ll be in Patagonia Queenstown for an informal event. I’m not one for giving speeches but I’ll be there to chat about my fly patterns with Fulling Mill and how they came to be. I expect I’ll tie a few flies too and generally talk fishing! If you’re around pop in and say hello. It’s free but can register your interest here. I’ll be donating all of my payment to Doctors Without Borders working in Palestine.

Below are some photos from April and into May. They tell the story of a good month! The highlight was taking Will out with his dad Brendan who is a regular client. Will is 12, The same age I was when my grandad gave me my first fly rod. We started with a lesson for about 2 hours and then put it into practice. I could see the ability was there but he just lacked a little confidence. After a few near misses Will connected with his first on a fly and landed a super trout. On the dry too. With more confidence he got another fish later in the day. He managed 2 for the day which is a solid day for any angler in NZ. He’s coming back for more in September!

I also had a great session with my own 2 kids. We popped out locally just in time for a great little hatch. Adaline and Lochlan learned more about wet wading than anything and Lochlan managed to fall in (again). They were great with the net and helped me land a big brown! I think they’re starting to understand what it’s all about.

For a look at my flies check out this link. and if you’d like to book some dates for next season check out my website or email ronan@sexyloops.com

Tight lines. Ronan..