Fly fishing New Zealand

Fly fishing has been around for at least two millennia, maybe more. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1800s and quickly became known as the sport for Britain’s upper crust. It was not uncommon for the members of the British upper class to form exclusive fly fishing clubs for members of the “elite class.” In the United States, fly fishing was more of a sport for the everyman. Americans were also fond of trying new things with the sport. While the British favored the traditions of fly fishing and frowned upon deviating from them, the Americans did much to develop the sport that we practice today. They improved upon the fly rods, developed reels and even the flies that get tied.

What you might not know is that fly fishing is also a very popular sport in New Zealand. Indeed, fly fishing New Zealand is something everybody should try. After all, there is a reason it has been nicknamed as the “trout fishing Mecca.”

When fly fishing New Zealand you can choose to either stay at a lodge and go out fly fishing on your own, or to employ an independent guide to take you around and show the fly fishing New Zealand ropes. There are benefits and disadvantages to both.

Lodges

Usually the lodges in New Zealand are luxurious resorts. They offer fantastic meals and wine and the cost of staying in one is considerable. These lodges cater to your fly fishing habit. Some of them have helicopters that are held on standby to take you wherever you want to go whenever you want to go there. All of your meals will be served according to your schedule and you can make fishing almost like a day job, leaving in the morning and coming home at night with no worries about transportation. Lodges are especially advantageous when bringing along significant others who might not be so enthralled with fly fishing.

Independent Guides

Independent guides have a lot more flexibility in their schedules. After all, they manage themselves and don’t have the worries that a lodge has (no staff, no other guests to take care of). Usually the guides will want to take you out as early in the day as possible because they won’t want to deal with the high temperatures of the water that come in the afternoons. Afternoons are for naps and relaxation and then fishing resumes as the sun starts to set. An independent guide will often stay out as late as you want them to, and fishing at midnight is certainly an option. Some of the independent guides also provide accommodations to their fly fishing charges and charge an easy to figure out “daily rate.”  Independent guides are more concerned with the quality of the fly fishing than they are with running a lodge and making a profit, so if you are looking for a pure fly fishing New Zealand experience, an independent guide is the way to go!