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NEWSLETTER #1 -
MARCH 2002
To: Our fly fishing patrons constantly looking for
their next exciting destination
This will be the first of our monthly newsletters
with updates on great fly fishing venues and other
pertinent information for our traveling fly fishers.
Fly fishing is a great hobby for many reasons, but
maybe most rewarding is the wonderful places it
brings you.
Give us a try when you begin the research for your
next fly fishing destination - we've been most
places and, if we haven't, pride ourselves in the
ability to research locations and get the best, most
accurate, information - sometimes the sort of
information an outfitter won't provide.
There are two exciting fly fishing destinations we
want to update you on as well as some of our hosted
trips which still have openings.
NEW ZEALAND:
Many of you know that Josh Frazier (owner of the
Leland shops) and I did a two week exploratory trip
throughout New Zealand in early December. Even
though we had some unseasonable spring weather (the
Southern Hemisphere has seasons reversed from us)
the last part of our trip, it was an outstanding
experience. In a nutshell, if stalking and
sight-casting to (and catching) 4 - 10 pound
rainbows and browns in small, crystalline rivers
would light your fire, this is the place.
Additionally, New Zealand is a great spot for a
non-fishing spouse - my wife, who doesn't fish,
accompanied me and we had a great time - New Zealand
is just a great place to visit, with or without a
rod!
We spent time on both the North and South Islands,
fished many waters (both private and public and
understand the difference), did a few helicopter fly
outs, located some outstanding guides and spent our
last week at the "world class" Poronui Ranch. We
have a hosted trip (Josh will be hosting) reserved
for 2003 with a week at Poronui Feb. 15 - 22 as the
centerpiece of the adventure. We'll be filling in
around that week with time on the South Island and a
few select spots on the North Island. To really
maximize going this far (a 12 hour flight), I would
suggest a minimum of 10 days, two weeks would be
best.
We have 12 spots reserved at Poronui for the "Leland
Week" and five of those rods are already reserved.
We'll also be booking trips other than our hosted
session as, based on the early feedback Josh and I
have received, 12 spots will not handle all those
that want to go. In fact, depending on the space we
can get (yes, the best guides/lodges in NZ book over
a year in advance), I may be making a return trip in
early January.
Both Josh and I had the cameras snapping and we've
put together a slide presentation for those who'd
like to see what it's all about. After shooting
film of the big NZ browns and rainbow, I don't know
how I'm going to be able to get excited about taking
photos of fish in the U.S. again. I'll be in both
Leland shops for a day or two in January if you'd
like to view the slides. Also, I'm scheduled to
make three presentations at the International
Sportsmen's Exhibition in San Mateo and one of those
slide shows will be on New Zealand.
Let us know if you are interested in learning more
or would like to make an appointment to see our
slides when I'm in the shops.
Price: The week at Poronui (not including optional
helicopter fly outs) is just $2,750. The total
price of the trip will depend on how the other
aspects are put together and there are several
choices.
FOR SALTWATER FLY ANGLERS ONLY
There is a new flats fly fishing lodge opening in
Nicaragua Feb 1. What's so exciting about this
lodge is that it will be the first saltwater flats
fishing operation on the 400 mile Caribbean coast of
Nicaragua. Just off the coast lie a string of small
islands, the Pearl Cays. These cays all have their
own flats populated by bonefish and permit.
Additionally, there is an extensive lagoon system
with a population of permit, bonefish, snook and
giant tarpon. The best news is that it has never
been fished by sport fisherman!! This will be
stalking fish in virgin waters.
There is a lot of excitement in the world of salt
water fly fishing about this new operation. Someone
has spent a lot of money in researching this
location and making the investment necessary to put
the lodge on a private 25 acre island. The first
month of operation, this Feb, is already booked by
magazine editors and fly fishing celebrities to get
some publicity. We have all six spots reserved for
March 3 - 11. My wife, Marte, is meeting me in
Belize City on March 3 as I wrap up a Belize
mothership trip with some fly fishing friends.
She's joining me for our week at Coco Cohiba Cay
Resort. We have openings for four others to join us
and must confirm by this Monday.
There is also some other space available from
mid-April through June.
Fly fishing skills necessary to enjoy a trip such as
this include being able to double haul to increase
your line speed for long casts and dealing with
prevailing breezes that accompany most saltwater
flats. Accurate 50-60+ foot casts with only two or
three false casts are needed to fully capitalize on
the opportunities of a trip like this.
HOSTED TRIP SPACE STILL AVAILABLE:
If you did not receive our catalog of hosted trips,
let us know and we'll get one out to you. Here is a
brief recap of space still open for our upcoming
prime-time hosted trips:
April: North Platte Lodge, 4 openings
April: Bahamas bonefish, may still have one
opening?
May: Casa Blanca, 6 openings
June: Deschutes River, 6 openings
July: Minipi River Giant Brookies, 4 openings
July: Smith River, Montana, 3-4 openings
July: Ladies Week at Three Rivers Ranch, 6 openings
August: Dean River steelhead, 2 openings
Sept: Rainbow River Lodge (Copper River), Alaska 6
openings
Sept: Deschutes River steelhead, 6 openings
Oct: Belize mothership trip, 6 openings
Oct/Nov: Christmas Island, 10 openings
Captain Martin McCord's Belize mothership, the Meca,
still has three weeks open for tarpon, permit,
bonefish and snook from now through July - May 21 -
28, June 14 - 21, and July 16 - 23. (wwwflyfishbelize.com)
for details.
If you would like to be removed from our e-mail
newsletter list, please hit your respond button and
let me know. You will be removed instantly.
Give me a call or e-mail if you want to discuss the
above or any other of our fly fishing adventures.
Don Muelrath
Leland Fly Fishing Adventures
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
www.flyfishingoutfitters.com
e-mail Josh Frazier at
Josh@flyfishingoutfitters.com
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