Saltflyfish

Evening magic drifting across a sea grass flat. Casting to tiny swirls and the occasional flurry of fleeing baitfish produced multiple snapper and this beautiful Kahawai.

They say the pinnacle flyfishing experience is stalking and sighting fish behaving naturally then testing fly selection and casting skills to get an “eat”. When I first started seeing snapper in the Waiheke shallows I felt protective and shared this with a few clients and trusted friends, as I do more I see more and know this is how it should be. Boat noise , rapid movements and anything other than a soft landing fly will put it out of reach for many …. But if you go slow, move quiet and put the time in it’s something that is very possible. Carmen and I had a really fun morning,still buzzing from the moments and the banter that comes from 30 years of marriage.

James is on the flyfishing journey and I am passing on my skills and experience to support him. With a generational connection to these waters and as an extension to his environmental work becoming a flyfishing guide makes a lot of sense. As the world gets busier we must look for the opportunities that are low impact and high value to ensure the places we love remain intact.

Connor and Lauren have fished with me a few times, each trip has provided a different aspect of our local Waiheke fishery. Conditions looked good for some shallow water sight fishing, I had concerns about the water clarity after the recent heavy weather. The water had been flushed with a couple of tide changes but was still milky green, unexpectedly we found snapper feeding among the bubble lines as if they were trout. Multiple snapper were sighted and cast to with some unlucky kingfish hits on the return trip.

It was a pleasure meeting Doug and introducing him to our local saltwater flyfishing. We are both “talkers” so a constant exchange of stories soon had us connected by aquantice, brushes with celebrity and circumstance,it really is a small world! He had a tight schedule and could not do the afternoon trip I recommmend during “anchovy” season, however this meant I could show him some sight fishing for snapper which he took to and successfully sighted , cast and caught this new species. We had numerous shots and a few hits from fast moving Kahawai but the anchovy bait balls were spread out and fleeting. In the interests of research I went out again solo to see if the predators had organised the baitfish into the frenzy we call a “bust up”. Sure enough I found them and with the evening tide push I managed a few feisty Kahawai to inspire Doug to make it back down here again and experience this himself.

Looking forward to seeing these good mates out on the salt again!

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Pier placed a perfect cast in front of a shallow water kingfish that was as surprised as we were when this snapper got to the fly first! Bright sun and clear shallow water with multiple sight fishing targets made for a brilliant day!

The weather is patchy but the clients are keen, being flexible and adaptable has produced some great moments! Here is a photo dump from some recent trips, casting sessions on the lawn have been a highlight along with commitment to friendships,learning, banter and positivity.