2022-23 Season Update
Flyfishing with Tony was launched at the Christchurch Fishing Festival last September. The positive response since then has been humbling. It was wonderful to have so many Kiwi anglers from both the North and South Islands, take advantage of the full range of Learning Opportunities, with most of the courses being fully subscribed. It certainly wasn't the easiest season weatherwise especially in the early months, but I was really impressed by the willingness, tenacity and good humour of all participants as they applied themselves to improving their fly fishing skills and techniques. It was a privilege to share a small part of your fly fishing journey with you all. While our focus is less on landing trout and more on learning new ways of approaching angling situations and achieving greater self-reliance it was gratifying to watch many participants hook-up and land a good number of well conditioned trout along the way, in what was considered by many experienced anglers to be a 'tough season'. Check out the Gallery (at the bottom of the web page) to see how well everyone did.
Highlights
Since my time in retail, back in the 1990s, most years I have run full-day introductory 'First Steps' courses to help new anglers get started in fly fishing or for anglers looking to brush-up on their foundational skills. This winter I am introducing First Steps - The Basics ... an opportunity to learn the basics of fly fishing in three fun two-hour sessions. The course is structured over two 2-hour evening classes plus one 2-hour morning session, learning the fundamentals of fly casting. Session #1: 7pm - Tuesday 18th July, 2023, Session #2: 9.30am - Sunday 23rd July, 2023 and Session #3: 7pm -Tuesday 25th July, 2023. The course is limited to ten participants and costs $135.00 per person. This is a great opportunity to learn the basics of fly fishing and provides an excellent platform for future personal fly fishing development. If you would like more information Contact Me - tony@flyfishingwithtony.com
Euro-nymphing with Johnny Gummer
Two season's ago I enticed Johnny Gummer to Nelson to help run a couple of one-day introductory clinics on the Basics of Euro-nymphing. Several participants then asked if we could run a more advanced clinic to expand and improve on the skills they had learned on the initial course. This February, we were fortunate to get Johnny to take time out from his busy guiding schedule again, and join me on a two-day advanced course. This time the focus was on refining casting and drifting skills, animation techniques and more sophisticated strategies on approaching the river and the fish, using this highly productive approach to nymph fishing. The course was fully subscribed and all participants got to spend quality time being mentored one-on-one by Johnny. Over two days on the Motueka and Wangapeka Rivers, the results were truly outstanding. Everyone was on an accelerated learning curve and between the seven participating anglers, there were more than 50 takes from trout over the two days, with many successfully landed (including several double hook-ups). Johnny is an exceptional guide and teacher. His expertise and calm, attentive instruction was greatly appreciated by everyone on the course. We will be looking to get together again in the future when Johnny's schedule allows. Until then, for anyone who would like to book his professional guiding services, they should contact him at - www.altitudeflyfishing.com
A Special Thankyou
In getting Flyfishing for Tony up and running, I have been very grateful for the help of two outstanding and talented people.
Firstly, Gebhard Krewitt. Gebhard is a talented corporate photographer, who over the years has regularly photographed my interactions at various casting clinics, river skills days and occasionally (back-in-the-day) with guided anglers. I really appreciate Gebhard's generous permission to use many of his fine photos throughout my website. If you are looking for a good corporate headshot or environmental portrait that can instantly make your business stand out, make sure to give Gebhard a call - www.krewitt.com
Secondly, Marina Kere. In pitching Flyfishing with Tony to local New Zealand anglers, my challenge was to get the message out principally through the use of social media. Marina, from KDM Digital, specialises in social media management and is skilled at removing the stress of creating engaging content that appeals to your target market. Believe me, it's no mean feat to patiently and smoothly guide 'this old greybeard' in the dos, don'ts and mysteries of Facebook and Instagram. Anyone wanting to raise the awareness of their business online through digital channels such as social media management, should give Marina a call
Getting Down to Basics is the Key. Building up a fly box of patterns that you have confidence in, is fundamental to becoming a successful fly-angler. One of the most common questions I am asked about fly fishing is, “What is the best fly to use?” Selecting an effective fly can be a confusing struggle given the vast range of patterns available. There are only a small number of variables in the makeup of a fly. Getting down to basics is the key ...
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