You are only as old as you feel...

What could possibly possess a 102 year old retired dentist to pack up his belongings and move from the UK to New Zealand? Why the fly fishing of course! Via The Daily Express:

But Eric’s bout of wanderlust may be down to more than just his wife’s welfare. They first met in 1993 when he was on a fishing trip to New Zealand and Eric became hooked – in more ways than one. He admitted: “I am a very keen fly fisherman. There is very good fishing in Britain, but some say New Zealand has the best in the world.”

Trout vs. Mouse

New Zealand's Southland Times reports about one angler's catch of a large brown trout who's eyes were bigger than its stomach.

Invercargill angler Alan Hoffman said he landed the large brown trout on Friday morning and noticed it had a hard bulge in its stomach.

On gutting the fish he discovered what looked like a "long possum tail". However, on closer inspection it turned out to be a large number of mouse hairs, which had matted together.
"It's looked like it had swallowed a large piece of drier lint."

Mr Rodway said the fish had a large head relative to the size of its body, which indicated it had been losing weight because of the obstruction.

Photo via Fishing Flies Online

Fishing Smarter for Trout: Free Online

New Zealand fishing guide Tony Bishop is offering his book "Fishing Smarter for Trout" to read for free via his website: "Fish with Bish in New Zealand". However, purists be warned:

The book is aimed primarily at new fly fishers, but it does seemed to been read by many better than novice fishers. But be warned if you are a purist, save yourself a heart attack, and count your dry flies instead :)

Be sure to visit his Blog "Bish on Fish" in between chapters.

Review: Trout Bum Diaries Vol. 2 - Kiwi Camo

The Angling Exploration Group could rightly be called pioneers of fly fishing's new media. Their Trout Bum Diaries: Volume 1 set in the fly fishing paradise of Patagonia, opened the door for a new sort of fly fishing video. This new format shuns the teaching of technique in favor of pure entertainment value and adventure. It was for this reason that we were excited to watch their newest offering, Trout Bum Diaries: Volume II Kiwi Camo.

Kiwi Camo chronicles the trout bum's four month adventure to fish the back country rivers of New Zealand. During their journey they brave everything from biting swarms of bugs to a sheep traffic jam in their quest for some of the largest trout on the planet. We get to watch as they perfect a style of fishing that is somewhat foreign to them. Long leaders, light tippet and big flies mean that they often find themselves ditching graceful casts in favor of the "chuck and duck."

The rivers in the shadow lands are huge and the giant trout are scarce, so fishing here often becomes a team sport with one person acting as spotter and directing his fellow angler's casts with both sharing in the joy of a successful hook up or the disappointment of a missed bite.

One of the things I have always enjoyed about the AEG's work is that they show both the good and the bad. Their videos seem to tell us, "Sure you can fish New Zealand with us but you better not mind the smell of sheep or be bothered by a few dozen sand flea bites along the way." It reminds us that the payoff of the trout bum lifestyle, while rewarding, requires that a price be paid. These guys and gals gladly pay that price and the reward is getting to fish.

Kiwi Camo's production quality is a step up from AEG's first video. Volume two has a decidedly more professional feel with less narration and more dialog. The scenery is sublime and the fish porn outstanding! My wife always has "problems" with me after viewing a Trout Bum flick. After watching one, I can't help but do the math to see just how long the money in my 401k would last on my own trout bum adventure.

Trout Bum Diaries: Volume 2, Kiwi Camo is available from the Angling Exploration Group's website for $26.95 (as of this printing). It is a 75 minute long letterbox DVD wth dolby digital stereo sound. You can view a trailer by clicking here.

Painful fishing moment of the week

From an article about a possible law change to better regulate driving on the beaches of New Zealand.

"Regional councillor Ian Walker agrees there is a problem with driving on beaches.
His eight-year-old son nearly lost a hand when his fishing line got caught by a car and dragged him 20 metres along the beach. "Some time in the future somebody's going to get seriously hurt," he says."