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NEWSLETTER #54 - NOVEMBER 2006

Fly Fishing Adventures Travel Newsletter, November, 2006

TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE:

EARLY SEASON (SPRING) REPORTS FROM NEW ZEALAND
FLY FISHING COUPLES – THE BEST SALTWATER TRIP
THE HUNT FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS?
CORRECTION TO COLORADO TRIP REPORT
“SAN FRANCISCO DAY” – DECEMBER 7
FANTASY STUFF: ANOTHER BABINE STEELHEAD EPISODE
PATAGONIA……..PART III

We are in the fifth year of publishing our monthly newsletter with updates on great fly fishing venues, trip reports and insights for our traveling fly fishers. We want to help you match the right location with your fly fishing goals and objectives and properly prepare you to fully enjoy the experience. We’ve been to most locations and pride ourselves on our ability to research new sites. One of our services is to compare and contrast different lodges/outfitters. Whatever unbiased information on timing and locations we can provide comes at the same cost to you as booking direct – i.e., NO EXTRA COST.

EARLY SEASON (SPRING) REPORTS FROM NEW ZEALAND

There are two primary advantages to a spring (Oct, Nov, and early Dec) trip to New Zealand over the summer season favored by many. First, there’s not many fisherman in NZ at that time and reserving time with the top lodges and independent guides does not require booking 10 or 12 (or more) months in advance. Second, those big fish are “fresh” as they haven’t felt the pressure they will see later in the season. The disadvantage is the weather can be more unstable.

The October/November reports below should not create an exaggerated expectancy – the typical NZ day consists of stalking 12 to 20 fish, getting four or five to eat, and releasing one or two – albeit, maybe the brown or rainbow trout of a lifetime. When you “hit it right” in NZ, the results truly are the stuff of fly fishing fantasies and some of these reports are just that – “fantasy days.”

The “godfather” of all the North Island guides, Dennis Ward, reports a day last week on his “farm” (a 15,000+ acres expanse owned by Dennis and a partner) when the fish were aggressive and on the surface. Result: over 20 fish averaging 5+ pounds taken on drys!

A recent in-trip e-mail report of a “fantasy NZ day” with one of our favorite independent South Island NZ guides captures the essence of the upside and downside of the early season: “…weather had been good (until today) with a lot of fish on the surface at times. We just had two consecutive days of big spinner falls that had fish sipping casually in the foam lines. Yesterday, we took 12 browns between 3 and 6 pounds on drys and lost another dozen or so. Today, it snowed about 2 inches….”

Jerry Okikawa just returned from a combination NZ touring/fishing trip with this report:

“My partner and I just returned from fishing the south island of New Zealand for 4 days with a local guide. I have never hired a guide before to fish, but I can honestly state that I enjoyed this experience, spotting fish, and landing 20 - 25 fish, all 3 - 5 lbs. I'm sure that you are aware of the terrain’s natural beauty. The experience of just seeing the country in addition to fishing made it a great trip.”

(note on booking New Zealand – I just tried to finish off an itinerary for two couples traveling to NZ in February of 2008. We had to adjust their scheduled plan because one of the lodges we wanted to book was full for two of the nights we needed and one of our favorite independent guides was also taken for the dates we wanted. If you want to go in February, 2008, plan very, very early to have all the best options open.)

FLY FISHING COUPLES – THE BEST SALTWATER TRIP

Couples who share the passion of fly fishing have many exciting travel options open to them. Based on my personal experience and feedback from reliable, well-traveled clients, my vote for the top saltwater flats trip for fly fishing couples is:

Salt water flats: Seaduction, Belize – Spending a week with Charles and Avi Westby on the 37 foot Sea Ray, the Seaduction, in the shallow, protected waters inside the barrier reef of Belize is the saltwater flats top couples adventure. Charles’ background of a lifetime on these waters brings a special depth to the overall flats fishing experience which includes all the top shallow water salt water species – tarpon, permit, snook, bonefish, jacks, barracuda, etc. Charles does the guiding and Avi the cooking – and they do an excellent job of hosting couples. (Personal note: I’ve been fishing with Charles on mothership trips for over 20 years.) Price is $5,800 for a seven night trip for two, virtually all inclusive. Rebookings of this years clients are complete – remaining open weeks are below.

1/12- 19; 2/3 – 10; 3/22 – 29 (maybe?); 4/10 – 17; 4/21 – 28; 6/29 – 7/6; 8/23 – 30.

THE HUNT FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS?

If you are making up your gift giving list for Christmas and a new fly fishing book that has received the following accolades would satisfy some of your needs, see below for how to purchase a personalized copy:

"THE HUNT is one of the great fly fishing classics of all time…...unbelievably good work."
“….the finest collection of fly fishing photographs ever assembled….”
“….overall, I’d be taxed to reach for a more enjoyable read….”
“….I’ve never in all my years seen anything as profoundly special as THE HUNT….” An absolute masterpiece.”

(see the website www.ffhunt.com for a full list of reviews and comments)

We’ve (written by my son, Scott, and myself) been honored by the praise and award THE HUNT has received. If you’d like to order personalized copies for gifts, fill out the “special instructions” section on the order blank on the website www.ffhunt.com. We can meet any personalization requests you have – call 888-347-4896 if you have specific questions.

CORRECTION TO COLORADO TRIP REPORT

A few weeks ago I sent out a report of my recent trip to Three Forks Ranch and the White River Valley in Colorado. In the report, I incorrectly stated that the land owners in Colorado had ownership of both the surface and bottom of streams and rivers that flowed over their property therefore limiting access to the public. What should have been stated is the land owners own the bottom of their streambeds and therefore it is trespassing for an outsider to wade or float water on their property unless they can float it without touching any portion of the streambed or banks. In other words, a river has to have enough water flow to be completely navigable and there has to be an accessible, public “put-in” spot available. This is the correct reason that many of the private waters fisheries in Colorado (such as the upper stretches of the White River or the small streams and rivers that flow on Three Forks Ranch) can remain “private access.”

“SAN FRANCISCO DAY” – DECEMBER 7

If you are in San Francisco, we have scheduled Thursday, December 7 as our next day in the City. To view a list of the slide presentations we have available, go to our website www.flyfishingadventures.org Under the link for “Newsletters/Trip Reports” is the list of slide shows. I am available by appointment to stop by your office or home for discussion and/or slide presentations from our library. Also, I’m available to get together for a cup of coffee or soft drink almost anywhere in the City.

FANTASY STUFF: ANOTHER BABINE STEELHEAD EPISODE

In September, we reported on a large Babine steelhead (20+ pounds) taken on a dry fly by Loren Irving. This has been a big fish year on the Babine. This was supported by Bob Gloger, who has a report that happens when you “hit it just right” on a trophy fly fishing water like the Babine. Bob reports a mid-October week where he had 24 hook-ups with 18 fish landed and two-thirds of the fish on dry flys. The biggest was over 20# with several over 15# and one giant that was lost….as most of the really big ones are.

PATAGONIA……..PART III

Patagonia is a loosely defined general geographic area that encompasses the southern parts of Argentina and Chile. From the fly fisher’s viewpoint, it includes three different environments: the Chilean Fjords, the Chilean Andes, and, in Argentina, the pampas and eastern side of the Andes. In the last two months, we focused on the Chilean Fjords and the Chilean Andes; this month we provide a condensed discussion of Argentina.

The crest of the Andes marks the border between Chile and Argentina. To the west, the Chilean Andes drop into the fjords and the Pacific Ocean. To the east, the “backside” of the Andes level out onto the dry, grassy, plains of Argentina. In some places, if you venture 10 or 20 miles east of the Chilean border, you have two distinctly different views: if you look toward the Pacific, you see the spectacular peaks of the Andes and if you look east, you see the flat and mostly treeless plains of the Argentine pampas.

While there are some good waters near the Andes crest, one of the major attractions of fishing Argentina are the estancias. The Argentine estancias are large, privately owned ranches. Many of them have their own rivers and streams and, best of all, these are privately held waters and access is limited to guides who have arrangements with the land owners. Also, there are some waters which can host a wonderful three or four night float trip.

Patagonia’s Southern Hemisphere summertime provides wonderful options for a wintertime getaway when our skies are gray and cold

Either phone or drop us an e-mail if you have questions or would like more information about any of our destinations.

An enthusiastic traveling fly fisherman,