Fishing for big brown trout with Koura flies in NZ

Practice fly casting regularly at home so you can focus on fishing on the water.

Our Local Fly-tyer/ designer/ mate Bevan Clinch shares his thoughts and discussions around the topic of 'Intruders flies' and commonly asked Questions he gets about fishing these Intruder flies inner Zealand.

Fly boxes for intruder style flies and fly tying storage

Find out the best hooks for trout trolling lures.

new C3 flies added to the range

New Extra Select Craft Fur colours now available

new season fishing regulations

Tim and partner Katherine Hart are both world casting champions and master casting instructors… they know what they are talking about.

Learn to fly fish

Peter is an Umpqua registered fly tier and creator of many original fly patterns. Peter is also well known for the work he does with Casting for Recovery and the fabulous fly brooches he creates.

One item we have come across recently that fits both categories are our hand turned Maire priests. Probably New Zealand’s hardest wood, Maire is naturally heavy, strong and very durable making it ideal for the task and ensuring it will last a lifetime.

The Rod clip is so simple, and does exactly what it says. Pin it on your vest or wading jacket, and when ever you need two hands, just clip your rod in.

This is a very simple clip that makes line management simple, and really works. They come in a pack of 3 colours, making it easy to select the line you want in a hurry.

what excuse do you really have for NOT fishing with barbless hooks?

One regular visitor that most locals will know well is South Island Dave

Testing the Loop Cross S1 5 weight fly rod in New Zealand back country rivers.

new season

I have been using this Fluoro in the 8 and 6 lb for the last month and have given it a thorough testing on a number of different rivers. I make my own tapered leaders and usually run a section of 12lb line at the top, then a section of 8lb and finally 6lb for the tippet

New JellyBean lures from Black Magic

I have been using the Fishpond Encampment pack for about 6 months now and I am a convert, don't think I will ever go back to a vest now.

We are very proud to announce our new in-house brand, “Trout HQ” !

Up coming activities at the Taupo Fishing Club

Winter time is river fishing for us, but now that spring is here we are starting to get back out on the lake.

We have added some cool new features to our website this week, I hope you will find them helpful:

Once you have been tying flies for a while you soon realise that keeping your gear organised is vital. We end up with so many tools and materials thats it’s hard to keep track of everything. One great piece of equipment that really helps is a fly tying bench. Gary has been making these great little mobile benches for a couple of years now, supplying many of the tiers in the Taupo Fishing Club. Gary has added little improvements along the way

About 12 months ago I found myself nymphing the Tongariro River along side Jack Kos and a pile of other fisherman from around the country. Now, I have no illusions about being a great caster, but I can get the line out there, catch fish when I need to and I usually hold my own. Most of the effort I put in to improving my fishing is in the area of fly tying, exploring new water and just spending as much time on the river as possible.

Winter is truly here, frosts are getting more regular and the heater is on in the shop. While we have had some solid little runs of fresh fish already, as soon as we get some more rain the rivers will really fire. High river levels with a bit of colour in the water provide ideal conditions for Spey casting.

Joining your local fishing club is a great way to meet fellow anglers and get more involved in our wounderful pastime. If you are in the Taupo area then your local club is the Taupo Fishing Club. The club rooms are open every Friday night from 5:30pm for drinks. This winter the club has various events and activities to enrich your fishing experience.

Today we got to experience one of the great opportunities for kids here in Taupo, the Kids Fishing Day at the National Trout Centre. We have some guests staying from overseas and the young boy wanted to try fly fishing. We were lucky enough to be able to get a booking at the Trout Centre, as these events are always booked out come fishing day.

Tube flies have been common place internationally for a long time, salmon flies in north America, pike flies in Europe, and salt water flies everywhere. We have been playing around with these ourselves a bit lately, and have been very disappointed at the lack of tube fly materials and equipment available locally. So we decided to change that.

Summer has been crazy as usual so far, fun family times, flat out in the shop and on the rivers, and trying to fit in as much time on the lake as possible. So many exciting things are happening and its hard to keep on top of things, but the top story I suppose is the continuing great fishing out on Lake Taupo. We have had so many families in over the school holiday period who are completely new to trout fishing, and I am pretty sure we have man

One thing all fisherman love to collect are lures. There are so many varieties available these days that its hard to keep up with all the latest releases. We have NZ’s largest selection of trout trolling and spinning lures from the old traditional Black and Gold Toby, to the very latest Spinsect from Black Magic.

Fishing continues to be excellent out on the Lake Taupo. Early morning harling has slowed down a bit now, with mostly smaller fish being caught, and many dropped fish due to them biting the tails of longer flies and not hooking up properly.

I finally got myself a proper fly tying table, somewhat of a life long dream. No more piles of feathers and dubbing shoved in the corner of the lounge, hooks spilling onto the carpet, always upsetting the rest of the family.

Lake Okataina is one of those very special lakes that can offer solitude, scenery and trophy fish all in one afternoon. I managed to get over there this week with good friend and avid fisherman Peter. It was Peter's first time on the lake, so the pressure was on for me to put us onto fish, especially as I had been bragging for weeks about how well I know the lake.

Each angler derives their own pleasures from fishing.  For some it's the solitude of the river, a well derived brake from the pressures of life.   For others it's the hunter-gather instinct, providing food for the family table or a special occasion.  Many of us just love the shiny gear we get to collect and play with like little boys with new toys.

I had the great opportunity to stay at Kereru lodge this week, in the secluded reaches of the Tauranga Taupo river. After a busy few weeks in the shop, a night up here with a couple of fishing buddies is just what I needed. Being my first time, I was really surprised how remote and peaceful this place feels, considering it's only 3km off the main Taupo - Turangi road.

After a long, dry summer, it seems that we are not going to get much of a winter either. Conditions here in Taupo remain mild and dry...

Some nice fish are being caught in the lake lately, but in general a lack of ran in our region has continued to leave our rivers low, clear and difficult to fish.

The new Taupo season started this week, so a little reminder to come on in and renew your Taupo Region fishing licenses.