HELLO EVERYBODY :)

So whats been going on? business is quite and I've done a bit of teaching of casting and also three days guided fly fishing and it nearly killed me due to my hip and fitness after seven months on my back writing everyday and then after the hip recovery, now I,m back though in action with just one new hernia issue! though that's another story! The hip op was successful and i,m in the least pain I've been in for a decade, lets ROCK! :)

Jungle Blues is still slowly getting out there and I can't believe the positive feedback, real humbling shit. Rod & Rifle magazine in NZ just gave it a full page and some new hunting books only a few lines of review, so they must have liked it. BUY THE BOOK- JUNGLE BLUES and put hair on your chest that goes for females as well !

Recently I went on a mission up the west coast to a secret place for a story for one of the books I,m working on and have been for many years seems to be turning into two books maybe called A Guides Life., Due to 36 hrs of rain I got stuck for four days in a hut before swimming out or be stuck longer with more rain, my pack swim out did not go too well - like i had planned and I got swept down a rapid and beaten up by rocks - but hey still alive :) and I suppose its an even better story. Funny when your fighting for your life you don't get a chance to be scared, you just motor on, survival kicks in :)

When I arrived at the start of my mission the weather was like summer, before the storm hit and this river was three meters higher and so dangerous. There was fishermen in-front of me everyday and the fish were spooky as hell one small nymph had them bolting, though I love that shit and after days I landed 3 trout in seven days so around one every 9 hrs of walking, maybe cast at only ten fish in the three good days, and as you see walked heaps ,hence my blistered heal, that's what I get for wear high heals eh! :) Had to get the creative artist in me involved for the heal photo , hope it makes you smile .:)

Did you know that nearly everyone selling flies does not design them or even goes fishing. When you buy flies from a big store they don't care about the fly and the hook, I do. I design them, use them ,pack them and send out every order. People are asking if its only me and Trigger, yes it is so every dollar you spend goes back into fishy stuff and i care what i sell , that's why i only sell flies and the best i can offer and design for you on the best hooks. So let the world know how much I care about what i sell or services i offer, thank you all, you rock :) Remember, you can only buy my flies from me and support our passion directly. You will not get them in the big chain shops.

I was using a 4 wgt rod and my small Hardy reels to make the fishing more challenging as if it was not already. Some people have far too big a reels on there rods, sold to them by shops, go light and have more fun. I realized the fly box I had with me is so old its got my old web site on it from decades ago, you can see it engraved on the box. Yes a good German knife with a red easy to find handle and oh the rods easy to find as well :)

This big boy spooked at everything thing i tried early morn, afternoon, night , though after four days of trying i finally fooled him, i have so much respect to big old wary trout like this. I rather catch one like this in a year that's so difficult to fool than an easy one ten times bigger- if they make them like that. On saying that a 50lb trout got caught in the canals which will make another brown trout record for NZ. Though spawning fish and canals are not of intrest to me, though that's just me, its still fishing.

For revenge the big old fellow once i released him followed me down stream and as I was crossing jumped up and bit my finger :) and i nearly bleed to death. Well maybe it was its big teeth caught me when i was removing the hook, though first story is pretty cool :)

Due to sand-flies and my new allergy I was take no risks, Yes I'm wearing camo hunting clothes due to the fly fishing clothing always falling apart, took me years to realize that, so I'm looking for some pink or orange camo, as one cannot be too dull or the trout will never see me. Plus camo is crap for photos, now where did I leave my camo jacket?

This Big trout did not refuse my Da Creeper fly, a fly a designed up that way, before digital cameras came along, boy I'm getting old and the years are flying. This big trout could not see me due to my new camo, so I used a orange line so it knew at least where the fly was.:)

YES, the west coast of NZ did not disappoint and it rained and rained once it got started. Lucky I had spare 3 min noodles for surviving in case of such a event though ran out of gas, so fire it was. I,m not sure what type of fish I look like maybe a Snakehead? To be honest at rather be stuck up a valley unlike many poor buggers in lock down, so I,m lucky that I can actually get stuck.

I got fed up with my Simms boots and shoes always falling apart after quite a short time , so the mighty Mr Woodsy from poor lock down Australia -recommenced I get these so I bought two pairs, still to try them out, only wore them to the toilet and back so far. So we will see if its just a brand issue or its an all round issue with wading boots and shoes.

Just fitted these to my new boots, they take a bit of fitting though are the best thing if you want to fall over less.Oh they are called rock treads.

When I was a kid growing up fishing we would hike for hours over the hills into a valley and poach in this fishery and after an hour the keeper would see us and we would run to the forest trying not to drop our trout. Luckily Big Robin the keeper was unfit and we knew when he was at the local pub. Once I feel into a huge hole down into the ground and broke my rod and had to climb out. Funny that years later my sticker turns up on its sign.

It's even better to know that people are using my fly designs back in Scotland in the place me and my fishy mates used to poach. The Deadly damsel was a hit for this golden Carron valley trooooot.

I Like catching small trout, though NZ is strange sometimes, as most of the time its hard to find a small trout fishery here even in Athol, yes that trout is fat and long, sexy! and not small, bugger eh!.

Below are some of the nymphs that i used recently and some beetles which will be soon out especially around lake edges on high country lakes if the temp keeps up. Quite often I will use a bigger sight fly and tie a small piece of tippet to it and then the beetle so I have two dry flies , powdered floatant is best to use on the cdc posts on the beetle a quick brush if they get water logged is all that is needed with Stu's Sheep Dip or Fairy Dust with the brush applicator that comes inside the bottle. All available on the site :)