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..
Crazy wind and freezing..No problem keeping the beer cold.The best of 3 from the blizzard on a bugger.5pm I called it a day. 1 degree the truck told me.A much nicer day for Mark from the motherland.We had a few stunning trout from my secret dam on my dads buzzers.Then to the river..A brilliant day where they only wanted dries – My 12 kiwi dun mostly..The best of the day.Back he goes..Solid action all day.Well bent!A couple of days with Tim and Kel..Beginners, they had 1 each per day!Great early season water.A really top end trout for this river for Kel. 16 claret.A great day on my own. I walked about 9ks of river and got picked up at the other end.Plenty of these and a few better.I enjoyed walking the river as much as the fishing.Sandy road awaiting my pick up from Robbie.Robbies first cast on this lake..Superb colours..This super specimen for me on my unweighted nymph.The rocks.This tank on my indicator dry size 14.Back he goes.Camp Island.This fish took my farther into my backing than I’ve even been with a trout.. Straggle nymph size 14.Robbie, Dougal and myself.Dougal heads off to explore a shoreline..A great couple of days.Day 1 with Graeme.. Hiding from the wind!Hard day with every trout in a tough position.A cracking rainbow under a log. Graeme nailed the bow and arrow cast but no joy.Another day another river..A very welcome trout.. They did not come easy. Kiwi Dun.Day 3 it all came together..A great start on my claret 16.Then this 7lb brute..As good as I’ve seen from this river. I don’t think the photo does him justice!Lovely.Action all day.Day 1 with Jeff and Bill – more fuckin wind!Jeff loads the bow..Today I decided to go into thick of the wind instead of hiding from it..It worked but it was tough.Wind.Wind..A nice day finally…And great fishing..A tank for Bill.Jeff I to one..A lovely trout..Back like a shot.Hiding from the wind again..One on my dun.A welcome fish on a hard day.Nice place to be..A great start but it got away, so did many more!!!!A great day..Heading home.. to be continued.
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..
Brendan and Will during a very successful trip to Mackenzie Country last September.5lbs for Brendan – The best for the trip!The start of a trip with Marcus..Mixed conditions..My first of the season!Marcus into his first of the season..Such stunning trout..Wilderness accommodation..Traditional steak, spuds and beans!A 7lber goes back..Then this stunner – 9lbsOne of my favourite still waters.. But we blanked!The next day was wild! This has to be one of my all time favourite trout.. Big fish kept coming....and another..And then a big one for me.. 8 for the day with half of them between 7 and 8lbs.It was really too high and dirty – but we wanted to see it!Blind fishing streamers and worms and sighting the edges when possible..The best of 2 for the day.DunstanBrad is totally new to fly fishing but he took to it really well after my 4 step beginners lesson.Hi bro Rick has a day or two more experience with a fly rod..Brad into a big one..Second on fly – 8lbs. Back he goes..A brief spell when this section of river was low enough to fish..Nice but nobody home.. at least they didn’t answer the door!Brad and Rick..Untangling..And then a flat tire..Archie – I gave him a lesson in the morning but he wasn’t bad to begin with! It didn’t take long til we had one in the net.The next day it was dirty and unifishable again!Nice to see a clear river during this wet month..Archie in again..This time a better fish!Brilliant stuff from Archie and his dad Nick..2 days with this great fella from the USA… Things conspired against us. We tried hard but had 2 blanks. It happens.A great wave for the bugger..Dave works some likely water..FishyA brutally hard day. Just one chance and thankfully it stuck. 8.25lbsAnother shot of this perfect specimen.Snowmelt playing hell with the rivers..but still waters are generally unaffected..We had a brilliant one hour window when the place came alive..Tough going besides..Lovely place to fish..Driving home.. the track was in the worst state I’ve seen it in.Holes in the track.. this was far far from the worst of it!More snow coming..Heading home..I’m looking forward to some good weather!The rivers still unfishable so were on the secret dam today..Rick and Graham had a ball..Two failed attempts to walk across the pipe – might as well just wade!Buzzer fishing. Blind and sighted.Graham is pretty new to this. He got this one when left to his own devises.I thought we’d get on a river for the last day but snowmelt sent them up again..Windy as feck.Shelter from the wind!Fishing between the trees.Lake Wanaka was so full it was hard to navigate some shorelines.We popped in on Dunstan on the way home and got 3 – 5 total for the day.Graham was very happy with his 2 late trout.. And thats October done and dusted!Time for a wash.
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..
Paul from ChicagoWe had a good day!Landed a couple and had other chances – good mid winter fishing.A happy angler..Graeme on the Clutha in July.Into one..A nice drop-offA tough day but we landed a few.Misty morning on day 2..Very hard to find fish..Checking out new water in Mackenzie Country, just a week ago.I had some super trout..Lovely..I hadn’t fished this for about 10 years.. Last time I was here Iza broke my brand new HT6!Sheep in a lovely place..Blind fishing open water was unusually slow..Sight fishing in a backwater was really good.. Buzzers..Buzzer fishing on the lakes, especially in September, October and November can be incredible.I enjoy tying buggers..Coastal lagoons in early September – I thought they’d prefer buggers but no, buzzers!These gleaming silver bars were the prizes.What a trout..Basic, warm, cozy accommodation..More lagoons, more buzzer fishing..Heading home after 4 great days on my own.Off to the coast with Wesley and the kids last July…Fishing, shooting cans, fires, boating they loved it all..Lochlan loads a pellet in the air rifle.Calm conditions..A few trout on the edges..Best buddies..Wesley scopes some water.Mud!!Fresh water mussels.Spinning for seatrout.We got 5 of these that day..Back with him..Lochlan..Adaline collecting firewood.Lochlan battles a good one.Team work.Time for toasted marshmallows.happy..A very special place for me.So many great memories here from the last 21 years.. It’s so good to see these two making new ones.Adaline..We had a fire on the beach most days.. Mussel Point, Wesley in the distance.Jackson Bay.Every day Lochlans shoes had to be dried at the fire. We rented an idyllic little house in Okuru.Adaline was great at manoeuvring me around the edges..The best part about this trip was how much the 2 enjoyed it – even with the sandflies!Speed demon!Craic..Wesley into one..Hectors Dolphins cruising the beach.What a cool rock..No idea what this is..Such lovely timber – shame to leave it there.. A beautiful, secluded spot.. and no sandflies! A great 7 days..
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..
Graham and Dave for a few days..Graham had a lesson before he came over....new to the sport, he did incredibly well!Some super fish..Lovely place to be.Graham works a stunning drop-off.Boom! Into another..Day 2 – Blizzard!! Very few pics from day 2 as my camera was having issues due to the damp.A glimmer of sun and a lovely cast.. only his 3rd day with a fly rod. Dunstan. Not easy but a few good fish.Dave is at this for years now so spent most time with Graham over the trip..Dave fishes a very likely spot..He was right where he should be!Not a monster but a great fish on a tough day..Off with Guy, Wesley and Lochlan.Love the backroads.Guy gets one for dinner.Lochlan was fascinated by cray claws..He did a great job playing this fish..Pure excitement.Great moment.. He almost caught one himself with the spinning rod just after this!A great day out..Love this place..Out with Tim for a few days..Fishy.So many bottles get thrown in this lake. It would be a lovely place to swim – but risky. One would expect people who use this resource to respect it.Plenty of these..Unusual evening light..This is not Egypt!Amazing rock formations.Dinner is served..Day 2 – Snow.Really cold..That’s Tim in the centre..Snow driven by a southerly all day..And got a few great fish..Time to go..No rush going home.. Heater on full!Taking it handy..Day 3 – Perch on one of dads buzzers.A really great Perch.We had a good day. Surveying the lake..Day 4 – Man, we struggled.One one small fish for the day. Fishing with Brendan..More snow..Some super fish..Blind fishing buggers along the rocky shore.Plenty fish..NZCold..The sun goes down in late May..The fishing was still good..The end of a good day.Into a solid winter rainbow..Then this..Brendan had 4 for the day and we worked for every one.We were very lucky that this guy showed up!With the boat off things should be easier..Back on solidish ground.. But then I realised that I couldn’t leave the boat for safety reasons!!A stunning day after a very eventful morning!Wesley on the point..Crackin’ day.Heading home.. without much drama!
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..
Another great couple of days with Skyler.Great water..One on a trusty Royal Wulff! Once a fly that I had great faith in.. of course it still works!A great start!The never fail pool!LovelyEyes on the prize..The one that got away! Got the photo anyway..Some late season fishing for myself.A super 6.5Wesley onto one..Good one..Then this tank! 6.5Late season..Off to the high country..Wesley trying to get in range of a rising fish..off to another spot. No fish for us today!Off to the river!They’re a great team on the net!Quite a big fish in the bag!Wet wading..Loving it..Adaline helps him the last bit.Brendan and his son, Will. A good start!My very trusty hotspot! Soon to be available in a 14 (as well as a 12 and 10)The day was about to get even better!I gave Will a casting lesson in the morning – now he’s into his first on fly!A super fish on my kiwi dun. Very well played!I expect he’ll always remember this..Brendan had a great day too.A solid trout.Will with number 2. What a day for him! 2 super fish on his first day with a fly rod.A small stream with Mark.A 7lber on my Midnight streamer.Cows. The most important things in NZ.Shelen with a good start to the day!One for me showing late season colour.LunchFishy!Shelen into another.About to go back..One for me during a great hatch.Back with him..The start of a few hard days with Andrew.Lovely water..Not many fish about..We did manage a couple.A welcome trout.Near the end of the day.A good start on day 2 but this was the only fish of the day!!There were a few there but they quietly melted away..Off to the lakes with a handful of buggers.I really expected a lot of fish here....but we struggled.Surely.. but no..Finally! Late in the day. And another better fish came shortly after. Thank feck!Time to walk back..Last day and sun was out....but the fish weren’t!Very hard to find any fish.Finally a good one!Back he goes.. Another came later, so 7 fish for 4 days! Every day was tough but we persisted and did okay.Rahel was our au pair for 7 months. Past time she learned to cast!Playing one like a pro!First NZ trout!
There’s something very special about getting into some of New Zealand’s most wild and beautiful places. In late March myself and Chuan did just that. We had a couple of days. Day 1 was very sunny but with a brutal downstream wind which certainly cost us a few fish. The late season sun cast contrasting shadows across the river making sighting challenging in many places. Fish were touchy but we had 6 for the day. A good day apart from Chuans hat blowing off and disappearing down a rapid. Shortly after he got in a fight with a sandfly which gave him a fat lip! Day 2 was cloudy with a little less wind. The cloud was better for sighting than the sun. The diffuse light caused by the cloud and having a good backdrop to sight against was an ideal combination for sighting. That was a good lesson for this river in March. Fish were even more spooky on day 2. Sometimes we’d quietly arrive at a pool and sight a fish. As quickly as we’d see him he’d just melt away into the pool. It was one of those days where they seemed to have an extra sense. We only managed a couple. No regrets though. Places like this are as much about the location as the fishing. There were hunters and other anglers in the hut too. A mix of Kiwis, Singaporean, Scotsmen and Irish. Some craic! I might have had a few beers and a whisky too many. I felt sorry for the hunters wanting an early night before their hunt.. that just didn’t happen!
After our wilderness adventure Kim arrived and the 3 of us got stuck in to a variety of fishing. Rivers and lakes both in the mix. I’ve been guiding Chuan and Kim for about 8 years now and still try to show them something new on every trip. This was no exception and we had some good fishing on a river and a lake they saw for the first time. This is why exploring new water is so important to me. I want to keep it fresh and interesting for myself and my clients.
June now and my streamers are doing the business! For a look at all my flies check out this link. For bookings and info about next season please check out my website or contact me ronan@sexyloops.com
Tight lines and Free Palestine.. Ronan..
On the way into Southland wilderness..first fish of the trip on my Brown Nymph.Solid..Just beautiful..One for Chuan..Wilderness beauty..Fishing was surprisingly tough, but what a place.Great weather on day 1.Into a good one after his hat blew of and disappeared down the river.Glorious..Chuan and the end of day 1..Day 2Cloudy weather was better for sighting this late in the season (late March). The sun cast some terrible contrasting shadows.Then Chuan got in a fight with a sandfly and lost his hat. The sandfly clearly won!Chuan and the 3 brothers as I like to call them.Time to go! Great trip.. Fantastic service from Fjordland Outdoors.A new location for Chuan and Kim..A good start on the Tussock Cicada..And then one for Kim. My 16 claret this time.Sexyloops 4wt is a beauty..Big strong rainbow..Good job Kim..BeautifulVery strong fish! Almost to the backing running upstream.Very fit fish..Kim and Chuan..FishyThe end of a good day.Worst drought in 35 years. There’s usually a dam here.Need rain..Walking down the new river channel.Kim into one.. I expected lots but we didn’t meet many.Nice to fish this! Usually Kim would be underwater!The dam was toxic looking..KimGreat water..5lb seatroutand a 5lb brown trout..A magnificent riverKim into one from a very productive run..One for Chuan too, one of the best from the trip..Out of the gorge at the end of a good day.Another day and a lovely morning.A great start for Kim in the first pool..My trusty hotspot. Wild water..A good fish for me on my 16 claret.And then to the lakes..Amazing clouds.Like a snake.. the clouds I mean!The birds take off as we fish the backwater.A well placed cast took this cruiser from the far bank.Butter!A very tough afternoon here..One for Chuan.The start of 2 good days with Geoff in early April..Day one we had a number of these.I never noticed this on the river before..Very much like a tomato plant.Day 2 and a great start.Cloudy.2 for the day with this one on the last cast. A super trout we worked for a long time.
One of the most memorable days of my season was in March. I was out with Skyler and Eamonn. The prospects for the day were good with a little rain forecast in the morning followed by a nice sunny day from about noon. Off we went to the river. The morning was cool and dry. We got rigged up excited about what the day might bring. Shortly after starting fishing some light rain began. As we moved up river the rain turned into snow and the temperature rapidly dropped. This was unexpected but I didn’t think it would persist. Well, persist it did. It got heavier to the point of blizzard conditions and inches of snow started to accumulate on the ground. I was confident it would abate and the sun would come out and warm us up.. but 2 hours later the snow was still bucketing down with no end it sight. We were all wet wading. My feet were freezing – all our feet were freezing. With no sign of a break in the cloud I had to make the very unusual decision to bail out. Nobody complained. Once the decision was made to get out, it seemed important to make haste. Frostbite crossed my mind for the first time in my fishing life. We walked back in the river to stop our toes from freezing. I doubt we were in any real danger but holy feck it was cold. We got back to my truck and headed to the warmth of my house. We had lunch with the heat pump on full and cups of hot tea. After about an hour our core temperatures came up a bit and we were ready for round 2. The sun was now shining and it was nice a warm. Hot even! Such extremes in a day I’ve rarely experienced. It was March 15th which is usually still like summer!
It should be said that this summer was cooler than usual. There were some very cold spells which actually made some options fishable in high summer that usually wouldn’t be. It was also extremely dry. I don’t think there’s been any notable rain in this area for about 6 months.
The photos below tell a few more stories. Trips with the kids and Rahel – our fantastic au pair, a lakes trip with Graeme, fishing with Bryan, the Highlights from the world famous Pisspot and more. Enjoy! Next up will be late March and into April.
For a look at my flies check this out. They’re all available to purchase in-store at Patagonia Queenstown too. To book for next season (filling up fast) contact me ronan@sexyloops.com or visit my website.
Tight lines and Free Palestine. Ronan..
Bryan works a nice pool..Some dries for summer.. Mostly available from Fulling MillA lovely Southland stream.Plenty fish in this big pool..Working some of the trickiest willow grubbers I’ve encountered.Brian into one during a brilliant day.Cruising a backwater.. I got this one under my rod tip.Nice water. Varied.Out for spin with Lochlan, Adalin and Rahel.Loving it!LochlanThe next day we went to the East coast after Kahawai. Tides were all wrong!Alan..Fishing was no good but it nice to hang out by the sea.LochlanRahel fires one out.Good fun on the dunes.Adaline – That’s Guy behind her trying to catch a fish.Adalines art.Great work.Out with Graeme.Flats.Another one goes back. Graeme learned a lot from Zoom casting lessons from Paul.More flats..A super fish from a foot of water.Right through the boot and just touched the skin!Day 2 – Windy!Good blind buggering.One on the Bruiser.Interesting clouds.Lovely brownie on my indicator dry #12.I usually walk past this water only browsing as I pass it by. On this day it was full of fish!We had some great fishing in the dirty water.The wind didn’t quit!Time to head out.Fellow Irishman, Kevin...we had a nice day.Skyler into one..Solid troutDay 2 was different!Snow. Lots of it.It got heavier and heavier.Made for a memorable day!Skyler managed one..This is Summer.The Bruiser saved the dayBack he goes..Time to bail out of this cold..The same day after a slow, warming lunch.A memorable day for all concerned.John takes the Pisspot.Great craic around the fire afterwards..Brayden and Wesley.
As fly fishermen we often refer to the fishing gods. Good luck or bad, the fishing gods are there. I think for many of us its mostly in jest but with a little belief in there too. Maybe even a lot of belief. After a great moment or a great day I frequently find myself thanking something that I can’t see, usually looking up while doing it. This – or these, are the fishing gods. There would seem to be more than one as we always refer to fishing gods, plural.
On a day with Marcus earlier in the summer the fishing gods played a major role. The plan was to go after a big trout on a river we both love. I had been having a shocking run of luck on it. Constant bad days for almost 2 seasons. Everything going wrong – perfect forecasts turned to shite, beaten to it due to a flat tire, getting jumped or just generally not getting it right. For years previous to to that run of bad luck I couldn’t put a foot wrong. The fishing gods nearly always seemed to be on my side. I had a feeling that they were about to side with me (and Marcus) again.
We set off in the morning with a great forecast. Quietly confident that we’d get it right. We gave ourselves 2 days to do it so it was a big advantage to know that if things went wrong we had another chance the next day. It all started when I got overtaken by a guide (we’ll call him Jim) on approach to the dirt track. He accelerated ahead as I got stuck behind a farm truck. I wasn’t happy about this. The farm truck stayed on the main road as I peeled off onto the dirt track and put the boot down. I realised to my delight that my opponent didn’t take the shortcut – so I did. I cut him off at the top and took my rightful place in front. I knew I’d see him at the first gate anyway. When we got to the gate Marcus hopped out to open it. I drove through as did the other guide. Then the fecker tried to sneak around me! I was out of the vehicle at this stage to have a chat. When he saw me he stopped. “Ronan, I didn’t know you in your new truck” he said! We had a good laugh and then chatted about how we’d share the river. We both wanted the first beat. I was just about to let him take his first choice (since we had 2 days) but he got in before I could speak to offer a coin toss. Why not I thought. He won the toss so got his first choice. I actually prefer the other beat anyway but logistically it made a little more sense to do the lower beat first but it really didn’t matter. So meeting Jim changed the order of our days to the 2nd beat on day 1 and the 1st beat on day 2 as opposed to the other way around.
We got to the second beat and tackled up. Everything felt good. It was peaceful with nobody else around and warming up nicely. There was no rush getting started. The sun is very important for spotting and it encourages the cicadas out of the ground so we let it rise a bit before starting. Not too far up there was a very good pool which I know well. We took our time on it fishing both banks and picked up a few blind fishing. Two 3lbers and an incredibly fat 6, all on my green cicada. A really great start. As the day progressed the cicadas started to get on the water. Nothing major, just little flurries of them now and again. Marcus had a couple of opportunities both resulting in an eat but no connection. Then, in a pool I don’t generally see a fish in, we spotted a brute. Marcus got into position. I knew it was a very big fish. I could see the depth, width and length clearly in the water. There was a flurry of cicadas coming down at that time and the trout was making the most of it. Trout often cruise the pools looking for cicadas making them a little harder to intercept. This fish was on station only moving forwards and backwards a little while swinging left and right to slurp down cicadas. This gave us a great chance. A dream shot at a really big fish. First cast was dead right. Fish came over and a refused. Second cast on target – another refusal. I quickly took off the green cicada and put on a smaller tussock cicada. Cast 3 was on target and the brute lunged over to eat it just like a natural. The strike was good and fish was on. I was confident from the first sight that he was a double. During the fight I remained confident. The moment he went in the net I called it. “10 maybe 10 and a half” I said. I lifted the scale and he went straight to 10 and a bit pounds. Just over the increment. 10 is the magic number for trout fishermen and Marcus now has a magnificent double to talk about. He’s been close many times and this was something he really wanted and worked hard for so it couldn’t be more deserved. Come what may for the rest of the day or the next day, we’d achieved what we came here to do.
On day 2 we fished the first beat. We saw very few and never had a decent shot all day. We met some Fish & Game officers up there who told us they’d just spoken with a couple of anglers who were dropped off somewhere on the 2nd beat in the morning. It’s a good thing our order of beats changed or those fellas would have been in front of us and we’d never have known without a vehicle to mark their presence. Fishing behind someone on this river would be a waste of time. So this is where the fishing gods came in. Jim overtaking us in the morning lead to us getting the order of our two days just right. It simply had to be in the order we had it in, and that order was down to luck – or fishing gods! Jim told me afterwards that he had no joy on the first beat either so it really was vital to fish the second beat on day 1. So, a big thank you to the fishing gods! Whether you believe in them or not..
This brings me to March so I’ll get onto that as soon as I have a chance. If you’d like to see the flies I use on a daily basis, including everything from this report please click this link. They’re all available from Patagonia Queenstown too. Right now for the April hatches my Kiwi Dun 14 with a 16 claret nymph trailer is deadly. Best fished on 5x tippet. I’ve been getting some good reports about my streamers doing the business on Lough Mask in Ireland and my hotspot and claret nymphs are working well for stalking trout in the UK. Great to hear the positive feedback. Next season is about half full so please get in quick if you’d like to book. Visit my website or email me ronan@sexyloops.com
Tight Lines.. Ronan..
The start of a trip with KC and Mark..A lovely rainbow to open the account.A shaded early morning pool..A stunning day....and some superb fishing.A 6lber on the size 12 Hotspot.Back he goes..Lovely water..A seatrout for Mark.In again..And KC..This time a brownAnother day.... a good one too..Wild flowers.“And now for something completely different”A few days of great lake edge fishing.Great water.. some big fish here.Trout flats with perfect weather..Stalking cruising trout is some of the best fishing available to humanity.Another day, another flat..Great action on this shore..Some beauties about.A wilderness stream with Marcus..Some fish about too!Where’s the bridge fish?A tough but decent day..One on my indicator dry size 12.A gamble coming here. Warm summer water usually drives the fish off shore....but there had been a cold spell....and we found just enough fish on the edges for a great day.Simply stunning..One of my favourite places to be.Stalking....then chaos.. I sighted a large trout cruising down the shore....Marcus had just enough time to get into position and make the cast..7lbs of glowing perfection.6 fish sighted, 4 hooked, 2 landed. A great day.The day the fishing gods looked after us.Two 3lbers and then this fatty to start the day..We had a few opportunities before seeing this brute.. I knew it was a very big fish.After 2 refusals to the highcountry green cicada, he took the smaller tussock cicada first cover.A fraction over 10lbs. Marcus has been close a few times but he now has a double to write home about.Slight disbelief! Relaxing to enjoy the moment.Abuse on the river! 😀Traditional dinner of steak, spuds and beans.Day 2 – Nothing much happened.I like this shot.Then this.. It got very cold and we got soaked through. Strong wind straight down river.Final day – perfect weather.One on my unweighted 16 from Fulling Mill.A fat, healthy fish.A beautiful place to spend a day.Best of the day..Highcountry Green Cicada..Super.Excellent vizAnd another..The end of a great trip with Marcus. Certainly one of the best.
The week with Chris, Steve and Joe was a great one. Not just for the superb mix of rivers and fishing but also for the chance to catch up with my good friend Chris Dore. One of the biggest cons about being a guide is that it’s so feckin hard to hang out with my fishing friends. We’re lucky to fish together once a year – usually in winter – so spending the week roughing it in Southland with Chris was great. We made time for a few beers in the evenings which always went down well. Chat, banter, fishing talk, the usual. The steak night in the caravan when Shellen joined us was a blast. She tied up a few flies and the craic was good. It was really good to meet her and I wish her the best with her future as a guide.
Chris and I go hard with our guiding and work at about the same intensity. We don’t look for easy options and we’ll do whatever it takes to give our clients what they hope for, and usually a lot more. This made us a good team to look after Steve and Joe. According to Steve and Joe, we guide in a different way but we compliment each other and both of the fellas enjoyed alternating between Chris and I each day. This is something we may do more of in the future. Chris and I enjoyed it too. It’s a great way for 2 anglers to really get the most from a trip to NZ. No sharing shots and you can hang out with your friend and compare stories each evening.
The week was very varied. It started with two completely different Heli days out of Wanaka. Both produced great results but they didn’t always come easy. Heli fishing doesn’t guarantee anything other than a remote and beautiful location so it’s always a relief when the fishing is good. It usually is good, but like I say, no guarantees. Then to Southland for another 5 days where we mixed it up with some of our favourite rivers. We had some really great days and some tough ones but we always came up trumps. Joe and Steve are both great anglers which really helps!
This takes me up to the end of January so I’m still way behind but that’s okay! There’s been some great highlights since, including 10lb brown with an epic story. The fishing gods really looked after us! More on that later..
Check out my flies featured below and a few more at Fulling Mill. They’ve all been great for me and quite a few others this season.
Next season is filling up quickly. Feel free to get in touch to make a booking or talk about options.
Tight lines.. Ronan..
Back to the trip with Chuan! The day we got jumped.. I decided not to share the pic of the truck.A fat 5lber!nice water..One on the Highcountry Green Cicada..A very tough day up here.. no fish!A solid physical day in this gorge..Fishing was decent!Back up here for another go after getting jumped a few days prior. Too cold for cicadas to move so the trout didn’t move either!The last day was really excellent!Dryfly action at its best.. Kiwi dun mostly.Great fish in tiny water.Fat and healthy.One on my indicator dry.Happy Chuan!The beginning of a great week with Chris, Steve and Joe.Steve into the first of 3 from this magic pool!Lovely markings..lovely.This magnificent 6lb brown was up front in the pool..A stunning 6lb brown displaying a striking blue spot.Small water with some nice big pools..Steve enjoying the day..We ran out of fish at about 2pm but what a day up to that. Lots of action.And then a very different wilderness.I’m with Joe today while Chris looks after Steve.The best of 5. Not easy but rewarding fishing.Clear water but blind fishing is essential.Thistle flower..Such beautiful water.I see faces..Stunning place to catch a trout!Possibly a seatrout.Time to go..Landing to pick up Chris and Steve..Scoping some water on the way home..Chris from Wanaka Heli took us for a stunning glacier flight on the way home. best flight yet!Photos don’t really do it justice..Such a wild country..Then a sedate frontcountry river with Steve..Fishing was okay.Joe again. This time we had to deal with insane wind.Not many anglers would have a chance in this wind. Joe can cast!the shot....successThen upriver after lunch as the weather further deteriorated..It was worth it! A great day in shocking conditions.A very diverse week of rivers..Lovely water but lots of bad luck! So many eats didn’t stick.This one made the day. Happily rising. A well presented kiwi dun got the desired result.Sticky things.Back south with Joe.A perfect weather day with superb fishing! My 16 claret here..Brilliant fish.Gorgeous river..Stunning..Final day.. .. and it was a good one! Thanks fellas.. Looking forward to next time.
December and into January… December is a great month to fish. Trout start looking up and responding well to terrestrials. Everyone seems to love dry fly action! There were some nice mayfly hatches too. Usually short and fickle but we made the best of it when it happened. As January arrived many of my local fisheries got too warm for good (or ethical) fishing. With this I venture away to find cooler water. I like to mix it up anyway.
One day I went to a high country river in the hope of some cicada action. We got to the river at 9am and got the piece of water I hoped for. At 11am, perched high on a rock I could see a vehicle (large black ute) pull up 1 kilometre above us. They could see us I’m sure and I’m pretty sure they saw my vehicle earlier too. It’s totally unethical to do this. It takes quite a brass neck to arrive there so late and then just cut someone off. They were just too far up for me to go marching up there for an argument so we pulled out and went downstream only to get jumped again by another clown fishing downstream from an upstream access point. A really infuriating day. We should all treat other anglers as we’d like to be treated. To cut someone off so blatantly is basically stealing someones experience. I’m pretty sure I know who was in the black ute and they should know better. Sadly, I heard that they make a habit of this. Against the odds we managed a couple of good trout! One on my cicada and the other on my unweighted nymph.
All my flies are working well on their relative days. They’re available from Fulling Mill or in-store at Patagonia Queenstown.
More about January in my next blog! Its been a challenging but great month. A few days off now before KC and Mark arrive.. I’m looking forward to seeing these 2 again!
Tight lines.. Ronan..
Glenorchy – Tough fishing but beautiful..Michael. Good conditions in the morning and we maximised on it.Super fish..Not long til the rod was bent again, This time blind fishing.Fat and lovely.A quick grip and grin!OtagoAlways worth checking out a backwater..Nice..Out for a day with Bryan in the boat. Perfect start!One for me on the shore. One each for the day.Nice water.Bryan finds a fish..In to one..Magnificent big brown..One for me with 2 eel bites on him..I’ve seen this battle-axe before..A couple of big reds.Windy as feck. Note the willow branches flying around!A good start for me..Then Bryan not long later.Lovely condition..One of my happy places.My 16 claret. A really deadly fly.One on my sights.... got him! Different colouration to hide on the dark rocks.Great action.Not bad..Expertly handled from tight water.Solid!Kiwi dun #14Great fish for Shawn.Shawn and Chris..Wild flowers.Chris with a brilliant fish after some bad luck during the day!They don’t come much nicer than this!Rocks and wind.. a great combo up here.Not sure what this fella was eating.One on the deadly Bruiser in the wind.And another.Eric and Jeff with their new friend.All his friends ran away but this stayed for a bit of attention.Back to the important stuff..Grubbing bows are tougher than browns?!?!Just Jeff today and he did well.Good action..My cicada doing very well.Testing the knots!Good fun..Usually these are white.Day 3..After some hard luck on day 1, this was an important fish for Eric.In the bag! A goody for Jeff.And another. 3 each for the day.Chuan.The first fish of the trip and its a goody!Then a grubbing rainbow from a riffle. No other fly would do! This is available at Fulling Mill.Another day! Into a very solid seatrout. Sadly he got away.. A bar of fresh silver.Great action all day.Prime condition. Chuan down a hole.Last cast with a little leggy, black terrestrial.