Fly Fishing The Other Side Of The World

Greys Pro Team member Lisa Isles describes the beautiful locations and magical fishing to be had in New Zealand.

- Lisa Isles

Fly fishing has taken me to some of the most beautiful destinations in the world,and I’m sure it will continue to do so. However, there is one destination at the other side of the world that keeps me going back, and that is New Zealand.

Growing up with fly fishing and having the freedom to explore as many destinations as possible is one thing I am hugely thankful for. For me, New Zealand holds so many incredible memories, and many more to come I’m sure; the people, scenery, wildlife and then there is the fishing…

I think back to the first time I ever went to New Zealand when I was 18, and each time I do I remind myself how much I have learnt and how the fishing out there has helped me not only change my approach to fishing here in the United Kingdom, but all over the world. Small bits of information get collected and get stored in that memory bank, and when faced with a different challenge I think back and use that information to my advantage. As flyfishers we all know that no two days are the same, and that’s one thing I love about fly fishing. It keeps it exciting and, as a result, we are always learning.

New Zealand 2016

My last trip to New Zealand was probably my most successful in terms of fish caught and their size. Arriving at a new river I was excited to get started, fishing a typical New Zealand setup known as dry nymph. I was using a size 10 Stimulator and then about 50 centimetres from that I was using a 3.5mm beaded nymph. It’s a great method for searching for fish and is incredibly successful, perfect for when some fish are looking up. When they aren’t, you have your nymph as a backup. In this particular session I had worked up a lovely stretch of river with my best fish a rainbow, probably around the 4lb mark.