NZ DEADLY BLOWFLY,SUICIDE BROWN TROUT, DYING TROUT, FFF MCI STEFAN, FLOODING RIVERS,

NEW  SUPERIOR FLIES

YES!! I am about to add some New fly designs and sizes to the site, I,m sure you will like my Stu's Elk Hair Caddis, that with my use of a foam body floats much better than a standard one- great as indicator flies as well- on Tiemco large gaped strong fly hooks as well!! and smaller NZ Deadly Blow flies.

A Trophy Trout! Caught on a Stu,s NZ Deadly Blowfly! Again!

NEW DVDS

This week i should be receiving some more DVD's in so - Check them out as well,  Connect dvd is still the best seller at the moment.

THE DESERT!

For nearly two months in Northern Southland we had no rain, we normally get the rain over late Dec or early Jan , but it never came. The ground was as hard as rocks and there was not much grazing for the farm animals. 

Many rivers had started to dry up , especially the small tributaries, with fish and game rescuing trout stuck in pools on dried up rivers,  Everyday people were coming into the shop with stories of dead  trout in the small streams. All the major rivers were still holding up like the mataura, but very low up to 80% lower flows than normal. It was not looking good.

Derek had a water proof jacket- but turned it into a fly patch!!

THE RAINS- RIVER DANGERS!

Then last week the wet stuff came from the heavens and the hard ground struggled to soak up the water. So the rivers all came up dramatically. Some within 4 hrs came up nearly 3 mtrs. They were all chocolate brown . 

We just made it across- thanxs to the kind NZ farmer! 

I had a half day guiding on the Friday this happened and as the Main matarua river was coloring up and too dirty to fish, we crossed it to fish another small river. As  i was guiding and near the end of the day, the local farmer i know saw me and raced over on his Quad and told me and my client that we better get back across the river asp and use his mobile sheep bridge as the river was raging now and he was about to pull the bridge away as its on wheels before it got swept down stream. 

This is in a way a bit of a warning to others ,especially no locals , if you are anywhere in NZ fishing, and the river starts to rise make sure you are on the correct side for getting home and do not try and cross a raging river- the owner of the land behind my shop did that and drowned a few years ago and he should have known better!! So be careful.

As well as the rain !! yes there was Snow as well- but it has all melted now- NZ weather- be prepared at all times!!

WILLOW GRUBS BEFORE THE RAINS!! 

 Just before the rains, the willow grubs were falling just like rain drops and when the heat of the day came,. The Large browns would come to the surface for the feast. 

The only time we nailed the trout was when i had a client with very good accuracy and dead drift presentation with the imitations , something to remember when targeting willow grub feeders!! and i also notice unless the fist cast and offering was on the money the game we play was over pretty quickly , with the trout knowing that something was just not right with every other cast!

The Fish that were not on Grubs were also coming up for the new smaller size 12  NZ Deadly blowfly that i just added last week to the web shop.

SUICDE  TROUT!!

The past few days i have been guiding and the rivers were all clearing in southland and the fish were pretty much on the munch big time. With good numbers of trout taking the flies every day.

I tried the good old red worm fly in the slightly dirty clearing water to some trout , but not even a sniff! yet at the start of the season with a fresh - they can work well. That was another interesting learning curve this week. But the fly that was nailing them big time was size 18 King pogo tied off the back of a  NZ May Fly bomb with a small yarn indicator above. I tried other small nymphs but this was by far the money fly .

The rivers are dropping quickly and today all are gin clear again.

So it will deadly blow fly and willow grub time again soon.

Dylan- Fishing with a brown Stu's NZ mayfly nymph size 18 in rising water!!

Just before the rains in the evening there were thousands of brown beetles hatching on dark and into the night, One farmer on a river further down south was nailing some big trout on my brown beetle , early in the mornings  while the trout were still focused on the beetle silhouette as a food source.

 LEARNING MORE FLY CASTING STUFF!

At the moment I  have the Casting Guru (FFF MCI- gold medal winner etc)from SWEDEN  staying with me , Stefan  Gangreenfoot. Who  has a infected foot so for a jam sandwich with lots of salt on in has been helping me with stuff. I have also just hired him for a personal fly fishing school- as there is so much to learn ! and i don't know it all. But i will tell you more about what we got up too  another time. But apart from working with another Casting teaching nut which has and is awesome- I,m sure he has poisoned my poor pet gold fish - i think he has been washing his feet in the tank!!! 2 dead two to go :(.

Catch you all later and please keep SUPPORTING THE SHOP- as this shop is the REAL DEAL !!! and not a big commercial thing! just PASSION!- BUT ! i do need you all to shop with me for it to survive!

Cheers

Stu

Willow Grubs in NZ Fly news, Felt soled boots & Simms,New Superior Fly Floatant, Mouse eating fish photo, Santa goes fly fishing in Summer

January 2012
I,m about to get a wee bit busy with some fly fishing schools and some guiding for Jan so i,m writing this blog today the 30th of Dec. OH! In my news letter Chris D did not eat any of the willow grubs(that would be dangerous kids) and Miserable Mark my client-  Laughed so much and had so much fun when i was guiding him- i decided to call him Miserable Mark- This is for those that do not get my Humor in the Jan news letter!! :)- if that is what its called!  Remember if you did not get the latest January Stu's News- You NEED to sign up for it!!-(on the front page of the web site)

well over 9yrs to perfect!! One of my Goals in Fly Design- yet so simple.

The weather-
 For the past two weeks its been like the February Summers , No wind and scorching hot! Every other day they forecast rain but it never happens. There is a big water shortage here at the moment, if we dont get rain soon- the farmers will this year be stopped by Environment southland (as they now have triggers on the rivers) from pulling water from the rivers for irrigation! Which can only be a good thing for the future of our waterways.
As you may know i,m on rain-tank water and i nearly have run out-  But my neighbor SUPER Kev(a man who can fix anything) has come to the rescue and we have got a bore in my garden working again! So now the tank is full again and i can now try and water the back section to get that grass i have been trying to grow happening- mind you this is now my second attempt at sowing the seed etc. Some how i,m better at growing weeds  than grass.
Looking at the long range forecast though it looks like wind and a bit of rain coming for  January.

Its Christmas yet! The decorations are melting! Summer is early
Here is a photo of Santa having a laugh!

THE RIVERS & LAKES


All the rivers and lakes are dropping quite quickly and getting low and clear. With already in the upper reaches of some river systems some fish are getting trapped in pools. 
When the rivers drop like this there is only one place for the fish to go and thats down stream , so now you will find higher numbers of trout in the middle reaches of most systems.

With Fish this Fat! there has to be Mice around!

JANUARY TROUT FOOD & FLIES


In the shop and on the banks of most rivers - Blow flies are abundant from small to very large. my Deadly Blowfly with a size 18 killer  or nz grey mayfly nymph seems to be allot of peoples go to trout catching rigs at the moment.
One of my clients caught a trout last week on a Cicada- but although they are chirping - its still not the go to fly.
In the riffles- a mayfly bomb with a king pogo  is pretty lethal - the floating king pogo nymph just dances in the water column, above the stones.
As for the Larvae of the saw fly the willow grubs in this heat are falling from the trees- with everyday people coming in for dozens of my willow grub pattern. Accurate casting, drag free and fine 3.5lb Rio fluro is the key with this pattern- See my news letter this month for all the gory details!

Stu's NZ killer as a dropper works yet again on the west coast!

 AWESOME SUPERIOR FLY COMMENTS

"How cool could you make a fly fishing shop at the bottom of the world?"

cheers

Lewis- UK

"Got your package today. Flies look amazing, can't wait to try them."

See you in Feb.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Dorian- Singapore

"Hi Stu,just had a 8 days in nz and all the flies went well-especially the grey active nymph.will try your new 'hot' nymphs",

Ross,thanks.- Australia

Really appreciate your tying and techniques, they are quite revolutionary! I had seen an article on your flies in Aus/NZ Flyfisher (#9) and I’ve noticed in some of your flies I’ve seen (Mayfly Bomb, World’s Deadliest Nymph, etc) that there is a legging material you attach to your thoraxes that I do not recognize. If I may ask, what is this material and where can I get some of these legs?

Thanks,

scott clifford- NZ

What a year its been again, with so much happening in the world and at the shop. New fly designs and now my move into my own branded products. Just like my flies i will never sell you guys anything that is of poor quality. A years of research has resulted in me working with another in producing the new  superior quality range of floatant and fantastic new line cleaner. 

The New Superior Product Range! Check out the cheap prices!

SIMMS BRINGS BACK FELT SOLED BOOTS

Yes - felt soled boots are banned in NZ. I also hear they are this year about to be banned Alaska!  Yes the guys that turned the wading boot world on its head announcing they for environmental issues would stop producing felt soled boots, with many of the other companies saying they would follow suit- Have reneged in what they have said - as they still have demand for them and can make heaps of money!  So it does make me wonder! How much money do some need!
I personally think felt sole boots are a vector for spreading many different invasive species- as i know from experience they are very hard to clean and penetrate the sole with cleaning agents!!! Just some Stu Thoughts!! :)

Check out the new Superior line cleaner and accelerator- after treating your line with this new formula - it will float and shot much better , and last much longer!!

I Wish all of you the best for 2012 and may you and all your Keep friends Supporting Stu's Fly Shop for another year. Hopefully you still in 2012. You will like my new designs and news letters etc.


Happy New Year!
Cheers
Stu - "driven by sheer passion and living the dream"

Merry Christmas, Mice in the NZ beach forest,NZ fly fishing Guides, Manuka beetles, Stu's Superior flies,

MERRY CHRISTMAS- TO ALL -THAT READ MY BLOG AND THE MILLIONS THAT DONT!!!! :)

Make sure you let all the millions, know about this blog and Stu's fly shop- so they can support Stu's fly shop , that has more passion than a 60yr old man after taking  Viagra! thats that wee pill they say makes your willy stand to attention!

This happy guide from Montana- knows the benefits of using Stu's Superior flies!!

 THE - SHOP- OPEN WHEN !

Hey guys and girls ,you will have to bear with me this year- so no more death threats if you turn up and i have had to work else where, please., as the shop has been quieter than normal- so if i have guiding i have to shut the shop as there is not enough funds for wages for staff.

But do not worry help is coming in a tartan KILT!!

If you want to contact the best way is to email me and i,ll do my best to get back to you asap.

TERRESTRIAL TIME

! Stu's Deadly Blow fly with a killer nymph as a dropper is working a treat, although many big trout seem to be taking the Deadly blow fly- !! Manuka beetles are also floating down the backcountry rivers , although hard to see sometimes- believe me the fish in some areas are very keyed into these metallic morsels.

A deadly blow fly victim! on a spring creek! Honest i have seen this  fisherman smiling before, he does not always look that serious!! but hey those sand flies!

A NICE COMMENT

Thanks very much for the fantastic new fly patterns. They are beautiful and look just too good to use. The little tags really show that they are special.

They also came in "Stu's Superior packaging" it's almost man-proof! : )

That Blowfly is the best looking blowfly I've ever seen. Ticks all my boxes, sight post, profile, buoyancy, a real winner, it's even got Stu's trademark legs!

I also like the killer nymphs, slim profile, quick sink, legs, another great pattern. I'd present these to any trophy fish no worries. 

You have a great eye for catching the essence of a fly and creating an abstraction that using appropriate new 'techy' materials.

Martin Simpson- - NZ

THE RIVERS

All the rivers are  either at normal flow ,but are dropping, so we need some rain, plus i need some rain for my water tank and my bad attempt at growing a new lawn.

So the rivers are gin clear and the trout are all starting to look up for terrestrials. This does not mean that you still will not have fun with nymphs as remember about 90% of a trouts food comes from under the surface!!

I have heard a few reports in the Fiordland area of people getting to rivers on the other side of the lake to find others already there. I suppose its always a gamble when you go to any spot that others may be there or have been the day before. Usually most people can sort it out and all have some water, in some river systems  you do not need too much water to have a fun day. But for some i ask myself what is a fun day! - lots of fish! , no people, meeting lots of people! eating the lunch that your partner made for you on the river bank!? - just some Stu thoughts ;)

Pretty awesome imitations!

I few people have come through the shop that have walked up the greenstone river and have commented how many fish they caught and lost , all mainly on Manuka beetles and blowflies.

MICE!! IN THE BEACH FOREST!

There seems to quite a few mice around in the Glenorchy area , with many folks telling me they are running all over the place in the day ,when they have been doing say the Routeburn walk. This Means that at night there will be even more falling into the rivers,lakes and swimming across . Soon the trout will key onto these swimming cheese burgers.

A local fishing club did there annual outing to Mavora lakes and fished into the night with mouse patterns with the largest trout being caught - weighing in at 8 1/2 pounds.

Question- are these nymphs!

Remember i have two sizes of deer hair mouse flies available on Tmc bass hooks, if needed.

SAGE REELS

- For those that are waiting i should have these in this week and also some more fishpond gear. Also in stock with  only a few left are- women in waders calendars 2012 , connect dvd and a few models of the Sage ONE fly rod as well as heaps of other cool sexy gear!

 CHOOSING A GUIDES- DO YOUR HOME WORK!! 

If you are coming to NZ and getting a guide do your home work.

At this time of year the yellow bloom of Gorse and Broom is intense!

Every year i hear of guides turning up without any flies,tippet or leaders when guiding some clients. One even managed to forget fly rods. Remember anyone can be a guide in NZ - or say they are- there are no laws, guides license etc- so if you looking for any guides, do your own home work, sometimes its best not to go on what some one else says, do not be disappointed with using a guide- a good guide will assist you in catching nz trout and becoming a better angler as well as having a bit of fun! and if that all fails - you will still have to pay him!

Have a fun time during the Festive season!

Cheers

Stu

Movember,Water beetle fly design,Nz brown trout, Orange fly line and Pink fly rod

A still water/back water deadly pattern! The water beetle

As you all know the rivers have been up and down , dirty and clear all season.
But now i can officially confirm that all the waterways that i know are running gin clear, Maybe with a few  in the deeper pools still having that cloudy snow melt color.


WATER BEETLES
When the waters were dirty , i  sent a few folks off to some lakes , who also had some fun using the water beetle pattern. Usually i have a 10ft trout leader and tie on about 2 ft of fluro 5lb tippet. Spot my target and cast well in-front of it as it nears the fly i give it a wee twitch and 9 times out of ten they nail it. You normally do not feel the fish as they can inhale and spit it all so quickly , watch for the white of there mouth or a tell tale trout feeding move and lift the rod.

Clear water- all round for December!!

Movember has just gone past and i,m not sure that all of you know . All over the world people mainly guys grow facial hair(although some women manage well) :). To raise money for prostate cancer and depression. This year the local cafe organized the event Movember Athol.
 About 20 males from around the area , entered the comp as there was a big cabbage to be won for the best Mustache. 
I gave it a crack and on the final day of judging we all lined up and got out facial hair judged by some lady judges.
I did not win the cabbage and it was a nice big one as well on a wooden plaque. But between us all we had a laugh , and managed to rasie over  $8oo nz for a very good cause. So if you can next year do your best to raise some money and have some fun for Movember. :)

Two weeks into Movember and the facial hair growing, This trout could not resist kissing this french man!

Connect the dvd ,that i had held up in customs for some time , has arrived and is now shipping for Xmass.

ANOTHER VULGAR JOKE PLEASE DO NOT READ!

I woke up this morning, got dressed and went in the kitchen where my wife was already fixing breakfast.

I looked to see what she was cooking, and I see one of my socks in the frying pan."What are you doing?" I asked her.

"I'm doing what you asked me to do last night when you came to bed very drunk," she replied.

Completely puzzled, I walked away thinking to myself........"I don't remember asking her to cook my sock."!!

Thank you for all your awesome support everybody

Cheers

Stu

Red Hot Killer nymphs, fly casting lessons, Mataura river dirty,New fly designs coming!

One day late!!
Sorry- flat stick here guys and i may have to start doing this blog once every two weeks! so not to disappoint you and keep you all amused :)

In two days time without any rain it may be clear enough

Mataura river
Yes the might Mataura river has blown out again and nearly every other  river and stream in Southland and other areas due to some big 24hr rains we got at the weekend.
I was lucky to be out guiding two lovely Scottish guys on Sunday and we managed to get 10 fish to eat the flies and landed 5 of them. They also managed to get plenty tangles- but where quick to remind me they are called  Fankles in Scotland- But i,m sure i never got any of them things when i was fishing in Scotland!! :)

From the car window on my morning river check

Interesting though they had fished by themselves the first day of arriving and caught nothing but spotted heaps.
After guiding them  on a southland river i found out the next day in the shop that another group of anglers , that i had guided before on the same river and had success,were just above where we were fishing and had got skunked.
So that goes to show for me and anybody else that guides and has used guides in the past, what the actual guide must do when he is out there assisting other fishermen, which is sometimes well overlooked by some clients, until they go out alone!!
I always say to my clients its not about catching fish with me - its about all of us learning from each other and becoming more efficient at our fishing/guiding and having fun out there doing it! :)

Hot Red Killer Nymphs On Fire

Red Hot Killers the go to fly!

So what flies were the go for my clients recently- Well it was the Hot red Killer nymphs nearly every time ,with a couple of nice browns also falling for the NZ creeper pattern.
Maybe the hot red killers were working ,due to the floods and the amount of earth worms that may have been washed down!! But hey at the end who cares! ,because the fish have been nailing them ,big time. The smaller sizes in the riffles and the larger sizes in the deeper pools and runs, seems to be the norm.

 FISHPOND, ROD AND REEL CASE!
I just also got some more Fishpond gear in and i can  recommend the Dakota rod and reel  case , to you all.
 It is  great to store all your gear in and is well made and sexy to boot!

 If you have more than one rod and reel and are feed up searching for all your gear - this is the awnser- i have been using my one for nearly two years and its magic- Xmas is coming to be quick i at the moment have limited stock!

DUTY AND CUSTOMS
Customs seem to be stopping every package being brought into NZ and demanding duty and clearance fees, which does not help trying to keep all my prices as low as i can.
Last week they stopped two of my orders which has delayed my Connect dvd orders going out, but any day now they should arrive, so if you wish one of the best new DVDS , order it now.

The fishpond Wasatch Top selling vest/pack in stock

 A SUCCESSFUL DAY

Today i spent most of the day running a fly fishing school for a client, He was a very quick learner so at the end of the day we went out for a fish and we managed to land a nice Mataura brown from the edge of a pool in clear water. Which was awesome for Peter and myself.
Tomorrow we are out all day in pursuit of things with fins and its looking like Mavora lakes sort of direction ,in search of clear water. Best i get some small water boatmen in my box for some lake edge stalking!! and then straight to bed. :)

You all have a great week and thanks again for your orders and comments! Awesome!
Cheers
Stu

Oreti river,Huge Mayfly Dvd, Brown beetles hatch in New Zealand, Stu's Bionic brown Beetle

 MAINLY BROWNS IN SOUTHLAND
At the moment the shop is still very quite , but a few more fishermen mainly from Australia are starting to pop in .

Get your brown beetles ready- Check out Stu's Beetles!!

A few guides from other areas have been on tour with  a few fishermen ,who have stopped in for some flies mainly, have been getting a few nice browns in the 4lb range. they mainly are after. Rainbows seem to always be second choice down this way.

 THE RIVER CONDITIONS
The river in the area at the moment because of the rain and hot sunny days have a little color too them mainly from the snow melt and unless the fish are out on the sides feeding spotting them can be difficult. So its best to sometimes using a double nymph rig and indicator to fish all the likely looking water.

The Big fence goes up to stop tourists walking into my house!

 THE UPPER ORETI- TRAFFIC JAM
I just had a good friend stay with me from overseas who went to the upper Oreti yesterday on all the access points there was cars, he spoke to a few fishermen gearing up ,who were mainly from Australia who said they were also struggling to find a spot to fish. He then went to the very last access and there was 4 cars and no notes on them -or cards in the windows. He decided to fish up stream for a while and then got back to his vehicle and met two other vehicles pulling up with fishermen moaning that it was full of fishermen- Well i said to him it was Sunday and good weather and it was the Oreti  !!!

 BLISTERED HANDS WHAT A WHIMP!

A bit of raking and grass seed to sow

Its been slightly chaotic at the moment with getting the grounds done , but in a way i,m nearly there, with some huge days well into the dark ,with blistered rake hands. The fences are up gates re-hung and gravel is down though. The grass seed i have also just sown  and now i just hope the birds do not descend and gobble it all up. The good thing though is the weather hot days with the odd rainy day which is good for growing grass.

 A STRANGE THING IN ATHOL
A strange thing happens in my small town every year for a few weeks a  travel and chain of shops in Australia called !!!!! (had to take the name off- due to ?? ) . Brings groups of people over on fishing trips to a campground in town ,just behind my shop.
They -yes grown men are told not to come into my shop ,because basically i will not sell there not so good own branded products ,due to it all falling a part and me complain about it to the owner, years ago.

So they proceed to drive up beside my shop and in front and i see them at the local cafe and they just turn away,  Being me i am over nice, wave and say hello!
Its hard top believe people can behave like this on holiday and be told to do so.!!!
But the odd time there is one or two of the group sneak away from the owner and come in and have the crack and a wee shop- and as usual they will be back , to NZ on their own! So there are real men out there!! :)

 BROWN BEETLES DESEND ONTO THE WATERWAYS!
In the Twizel , Wanaka, Queenstown and Southland areas the brown beetles have been gradually hatching at night .
One  clients of mine who catches and cooks the odd fish in the Queenstown area was telling me last week that the two fish he kept for the smoker from some small lakes were full of brown beetles, one he counted over 60 in the stomach.

Years of study goes into my designs!!

So get those beetles on in the evening and early morning - Cast them to sighted fish or tie them on a very short piece of tippet too a visible dry fly and cast it out to the drop off and wait!!
The other night one banged off my window , so i did a wee photo shoot , To show you the triggers that i have but into my fly design of, size silhouette , legs and color all the ingredients and study to create the perfect wee brown beetle.

So best you purchase some from me :), as they are exclusive only to Stu's Fly shop- Support the designer and the passion! and catch more fish !
Thank, you all, for your great comments and feedback.
Have a great week.
Cheers
Stu

New Casting arena at Stu's Fly shop, Musky country the dvd,The rainbow rivers open, Sage Z-axis fly rod

 MUSKY COUNTRY DVD

When i was in the states  this year ,I was guided by some lovely passionate guys who chase the Musky!! with flies.(YES-I even hire guides-so much to learn from the best ones)

They have made this Musky fly fishing dvd with a very good film maker and producer ,which i now have in stock.(i,m interested to see what this guy does next!)

So ok its not trout fishing- but hey! some of the best dvds i have watched have not been about trout- plus you can always learn something watching how others fish for different species and if you want to see how the experts fish HUGE streamers ,then look no further. I stayed with these guys and never got to watch the dvd until after i left them and the amazing thing for me was how they talk about the musky and how they,guide and live is exactly the same as in the dvd. These guys are so dedicated. 

It is also one of the best produced films i have seen.

I,m pretty sure after watching the film you will be wanting to visit Musky Country!!

This is a great video to have in your collection -

A great dvd- worth watching

NOVEMBER SNOW

2 days of cold weather 1-2nd of november

The 1st of November- was the first day that all the rivers flowing into the lakes basically opened. Now all the river systems around are open and the choices are now some 30+ river systems for me to guide my clients on . 
Next week i start more so with my guiding, but i do notice with my bookings most of my clients are from New Zealand now days and  have hired me to up-skill, which is very rewarding for me working with clients who want to learn and no doubt i will learn as well!


 STU'S GOLD BEAD NZ MAY FLY NYMPHS - TAKE LARGE NUMBERS OF TROUT!

 Stu's wee NZ tungsten Mayfly nymphs- Grey and also brown

A few of the Southland guides have started to get busy and have been hitting the rainbow rivers, and having some great days 10-18 fish days , They have been having success with my wee NZ tungsten gold bead mayfly nymphs.
I had to open my shop yesterday especially early for one guide ,who  was desperate for some as he had run out and had two clients in his car waiting for him as he bought up nearly all my gold bead nz mayfly nymphs- Funny how some people think you cant catch trout with gold beaded nymphs- at this time of year they seem to take them with aggression. 




Z- AXIS - IN MY GARDEN

I still have 2x z-axis 5 wgts for sale- at special low prices!

Sage- Z-axis in my garden- Funny how everything i seem to do or touch is to do with fishing- even this machine made me laugh when i spotted its name.

As you  can see- My new shops casting pond for you all!!!

 For over 5 yrs  i have been gradually improving the shop and the shop grounds . Some people think i just jump in feet first, but i actually had the visions of what i,m doing some 5 years ago- but like all good things ,it all takes time and money.

Maintenance free , grounds is what i really want, as i do not have the time to be doing gardening and pruning trees- So out with all the trees and off with the grass and down with the Gravel.

At the moment its not the best thing for me as i have a full load of work, but it looks like with the help of  some others i,ll be raking , picking up stones and sowing grass seed on the newly leveled  back section, Which will be great for casting ,when its finished- I was going to put in a casting pond- But that would be more maintenance and i have the Mataura river right on my door step.

So if your passing bring your rake! :)

ALL THE BEST

I just heard that i lovely lower Matarua guide , was rushed to hospital and had a pretty big operation. No doubt ,David you will pull through , you tough bugger! I wish you all the best with your recovery and no doubt see you back in action out on the river ,you love the most- The Lower Matarua - is calling!:)

Thank you all for your feed back and comments on my fly designs - and photos  . Sign up for the news letter!!! asap! i,m doing a t-shirt special with orders this week- watch for your Stu,s special email coming this week!

Cheers

Stu