So you want to be a fly fishing guide ?

September 03, 2019

By Felix Borenstein

Owen River Lodge is one of New Zealand’s premier fishing lodges. We are seeking to take on a guide intern, so they may learn from the very best guides in the business and hopefully become full time members of our guiding team.

Owen River Lodge will help perfect your fly fishing techniques. Being a good fly fisher and the ability to spot fish are essential elements to being a guide at Owen River Lodge.

You must be able to demonstrate your abilities in order to instruct and explain techniques to our guests. We will focus on your casting, presentation, stream craft, safety, entomology and environment stewardship.

A large part of being a professional fly fishing guide is being a good fisher. We’ll teach you / help you refine the following skills:

Guiding skills: Guiding is more than helping people catch fish. Guest interaction is critical. Our experienced guides will show you how to deal with the many different situations that will occur during your days guiding.

Fly-casting: As a guide you are also an instructor. Many of your guests will need assistance with their casting. We’ll show you the best methods to get your guest casting.

Fishing Skills: In addition to the above skills you will learn entomology, fly selection, where fish hold and why they hold there, how to fight and land fish, fishing etiquette and much more.

Knot tying: This is an often over looked skill. Losing the fish of a lifetime because the knot you tied failed will put you in a world of pain in no time. We’ll teach you the knots you need to know and how to tie them efficiently and confidently.

Fly tying: Whether you are a beginner or experienced fly tier you will learn to tie flies from our team of professional guides. These might not be the prettiest flies you’ve seen, but they catch fish !

Fishery management: You will learn how to help care for our unique wild fishery and the environment.

Safety: Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our guests. We will teach you safe wading techniques, how to use all our safety equipment and lots of general safety tips to look out for.

There are 4 mandatory criteria you must meet in order for your application to be considered

• Be a skilled fly fisher. Do you have a passion for fly fishing that will rub off on clients?
• Maturity—Will you be able to handle yourself in difficult situations without becoming flustered?
• Dependability—Will you show up for work every day?
• Be a New Zealand permanent resident or citizen (This is non negotiable)

Thank you for your interest, we have filled this position.

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