Perseverance Pays Off

December 09, 2013

The rivers that surround Owen River Lodge are inhabited by wild brown trout. It’s no coincidence that wild trout live in wild places and it doesn’t matter where you go in this world, if you fly fish for trout the weather can – and quite often does – play a significant role. Indeed, the quality of the wild trout fishery in New Zealand is, in a large part, a result of the amount of rain New Zealand receives.

If you cast your mind back to all the fly fishing you’ve done over the past couple of years, how much of it was in perfect conditions? And, are we talking perfect conditions for the trout or the angler?

When you start to think about the complexities of weather, you open a Pandora’s Box of possibilities – of wind, rain, cloud, droughts & floods. So, the reality is that perfect day, weather-wise at least, is a rarity.

Adrian & Maureen, a delightful South African couple were staying with us last week to experience 3 days of fly fishing in New Zealand. Unfortunately the weather gods weren’t being especially kind. We’d had some rain over the previous few days and the conditions remained moody. The grand total catch after the first two days’ fishing was a single brown of around 6 pounds. The pressure was on for the 3rd and final day and thankfully the sun came out, the mayflies hatched all day and Adrian hooked 11 browns and landed 10 of them – all on dries!

Which just goes to show that in fly fishing, if you stay positive and persist, that big day is never far away.

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Feb 9 2021

Just had an amazing couple of days at Owen River Lodge…superb hospitality & generosity from Felix & Kylie. Delicious cuisine by chef Ryan & all in a beautiful remote… Read more

Tony & Suzanne Auckland NZ : Google

Oct 27 2021

Wow what an experience after 50 years of dreaming about it I finally got to experience a luxury fishing lodge and was not disappointed. Felix and Kylie make fantastic hosts relaxed… Read more

Nicky: Golden Bay NZ : Google Review

Awards & acknowledgements

Owen River Lodge NZ: “Fly fishing at its very best”

Ph: +64 3 523 9075 Address: Owen Valley East Road, Murchison, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand

Email: fish@elevenangling.com