Barry and Cathy are on their way home from New Zealand as I write the blog for this week. They report another week of beautiful summer weather at Owen River Lodge. The rivers are fishing well and the group has enjoyed a wonderful New Zealand fishing experience. They have fished a number of rivers on the South Island in the Murchison area, saw lots of beautiful New Zealand countryside and loved Owen River Lodge. The food, guides, accommodations and personal attention were exceptional. Everyone agreed that fishing doesn't get more technical or more rewarding than New Zealand! They are all coming home tired and happy.   

Also, we found a few interesting articles in the Angling Trade E-News last month that we wanted to share:

Sage Bolt Rod Review

Kirk Deeter reviews the new Sage Bolt rod in Angling Trade E-News. If you like a fast rod, this might be for you.

And,

In the same issue is a short clip of rising trout - actually a very hungry rising trout! Click here to view the issue.  Enjoy.

Riverview Lodge, New Zealand

Cathy sent us some photos from Riverview Lodge in New Zealand where they have been for almost a week. The weather is warm, bright and sunny almost continuously and the fishing has been some of the best ever. Lots of big fish (7 pounds and up) caught on big dry flies — cicadas and beetles, along with some nymphs. The biggest so far? 10 pounds, 2 of them! Fresh strawberries from the garden and sight fishing to big browns. Does it get any better?

Great RIO Product!

Picture this - the South Island of New Zealand, what we call the Everest of trout fishing, we're on the Hope River with our friend and guide, John Gemmell. We've just finished landing our third trout from one pool. The largest was 10.5 pounds, followed by an acrobatic 9 pound fish, and finally a smaller 7.5 fish. All were landed on the new RIO 4X Powerflex Plus tippet material. This stuff is absolutely amazing. John said in all of his years of guiding he's never seen
anything this thin or this strong. We agree. If staying connected to the trout of a lifetime matters to you, you owe it to yourself to try RIO Powerflex Plus

We recently came across this video clip by Gin Clear Media and wanted to share it.  "The South Island has vast tracts of some of the most intact, undisturbed natural areas left on our planet—these last truly wild places deliver beauty and isolation in spades but it is the allure of giant trout in crystal clear water that draws anglers from around the globe to this treasured land."

We don't use rafts or boats, we don't camp, and we much prefer Sage rods, but this clip is about the island, the fishing, the adventure, and there is no place on earth like the South Island of New Zealand. We are there every February. This destination has drawn us back again and again for many years. If you've thought about New Zealand or if it's on your bucket list, come with us. Your itinerary can include one or two lodges and the most incredible scenery and fishing for wild browns that you'll ever find anywhere. Details here.

Here is Cathy's follow up from last week's Report from the Field.  It sounds like they've had a great trip and I'm anxious to see the photos that Barry brings home.  There will be lots to do next week before they head to Argentina but I'll try to post a collage if I can get my hands on some of them.  For now you can read about the big trout they are catching below.

It's Wednesday morning here and our group is packing and getting ready to leave Owen River Lodge. We were talking at breakfast this morning about the trip and how lucky we have been with the weather and the fishing. It's been an incredible 2 weeks. Other than some wind and rain in the first couple of days, the weather has been blue-bird perfect ever since. The rivers are all in great shape, perfect water levels, crystal clear, and good dry fly fishing. The hot dry flies here at ORL this week have been parachute Adams, cicadas, and a new blow fly pattern. The name, blow fly, doesn't do the fly justice. It's a fairly large black fly with a white wing, it's easy to see, makes a great indicator fly, and the fish love it. As always, trailing nymphs or fishing a double nymph rig with various pheasant tail patterns always works well. We've had lots of double digit fish this week and Barry and I had a day with two double digits, one 10 and one 11 pounds. All of the fish are in extremely good shape, partly because it's a mouse year. There's no place like New Zealand for big, wild, healthy fish! Now it's time to come home for a week before we leave for Argentina - next on our radar.

We just got an email from Barry and Cathy, currently in New Zealand.  It sounds like they are having a great trip although anywhere with some sunshine sounds good to us in NE PA right now!  The snow, ice & cold have settled in here, however I just keep reminding myself that February is almost half over and Spring is right around the corner.  Below is Cathy's summary of the week.  I'm also including a link to RIO's Blog which Barry wrote.  It's a fun story about his recent trip to Erie where he joined up with two fishing guides.  We hope you'll take a look.

Report from the Field

We have finished our stay at Riverview Lodge in Hamner Springs, New Zealand, and are now at Owen River Lodge, near Murchison. Both on the South Island. Our group finished up a great week at Riverview despite tough weather the first day. After the wind and the rain, the week turned out to be a beautiful fishing week with enough breeze to keep the sand flies down and lots of sun to make spotting fish easier for the guides. Four 11 pound browns were landed in our group of 5 anglers and a lot of 5 to 9 pound fish. The most common size this week seemed to be 6-1/2 pounds as almost everyone caught fish in that range. Of course, we all saw fish bigger than 11 pounds and that's what keeps us coming back to Riverview. Our favorite rod has been the 590-4 Method with an In touch RIO Grand WF5F line. We've got two of them and they make a perfect outfit for NZ, turning over long leaders and big flies in the wind. John & Robin Gemmell are wonderful hosts and we look forward to our next visit with them. If New Zealand is not on your to-do list, it should be! We now look forward to 8 days fishing at Owen River Lodge.    -Cathy

Barry's RIO Blog

Click here to be taken to the RIO Blog

We have two rooms left at Owen River Lodge on the South Island (space for 2 singles or 2 doubles).  We all read about the double digit fish caught on dry flies and tiny nymphs in February in crystal clear water, so I'm going to show you a few photos of how incredibly beautiful the forests and trails are along the rivers, with maybe a fish thrown in for good measure.  New Zealand is a place all of it's own, there is nothing like it on Earth.  Come along with us in February and see for yourself.   Read the Itinerary here.

Could this season be the one we've been waiting for? Quite possibly according to reports coming out of New Zealand predicting a bumper crop of mice due to expected heavy beech forest seed fall which will lead to an explosion in rats, mice and stoats. Check out the link and video below for details. If you've been thinking about New Zealand, this could be a very exciting time to be with us at Owen River Lodge on the South Island. February 1-20. 8 days fishing. Details about the trip on our website here.

http://www.frontierstravel.com/public/information/6/news/826-Mouse_Season_in_New_Zealand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyRPa0nA9nM

Cathy recently wrote: We have spent at least 20 years exploring New Zealand and have found what we believe to be the two premier must-do lodges on the South Island. In Hanmer Springs, Riverview Lodge and near Murchison, Owen River Lodge. We have visited these two lodges annually for a number of years and we don't think you'll find better fishing anywhere. Come with us in February and experience the Everest of Trout Fishing. You'll never forget New Zealand - the people, the scenery, and especially the fishing. Read the complete itinerary and contact us if you have any questions. (Shorter stays available).  Click here to see the trip information on our website