The 2008 New Zealand National Pairs championships took place at Lake Rotoaira this last weekend. I wasn't able to fish the comp this year which was a shame as it is by far my favourite fly fishing comp every year. I did manage to pop down the night before the event and talk to the guys. The event was well attended and fished very well considering the extremely winding conditions (I heard on the news that wind gusts in the area were well over 100km/h).

To perform in any competition, preperation is the key and this came through clearly in this event with the team from Taupo's Hunting and Fishing Fly and Gun shop taking the honours this year. The team consisting of Gary Lyttle and Sean Andrews practiced before the event, to find the hot spots on the lake and also to test fly patterns.

Gary Lyttle mentioned " All possible methods and conditions were practiced for the event on both Rotoaira and Otamangakau , we used Scott S4 and S3 rods in 10' 7# for the event because they offer the power to put out big lines in all conditions smoothly and can handle the punishment required for lots of sinking line work, we also needed rods that had the delecacy to handle big fish at close quarters with barbless hooks that are prone to bounce out when trying to bully fish to the net with most other fast action rods. A good alround team effort from all four team members which included Geoff Stent and Paul Jenkins who fished in a Fly and Guns second pair"

What was great for us at Manic is to see that both Sean and Gary fished Scott rods once again showing that Scott make the right rods for all of NZ's conditions. Also the team fished Airflo Sixth Sense sinking lines, with the non-stretch build of these lines the guys were able to feel every take even in the tough conditions.

As for what flies they fished............well they won't tell me. But next time you're in Taupo ask for either Gary or Sean at Fly and Gun and find out for me, because I'm definately wanting to fish next year's event.

For details of Hunting and Fishing Fly and Gun click here.

Thanks to Gary Lyttle for these great photo's

It's been such rubbish weather this weekend, I decided to stay at home, catch up on some work and tie some flies for an up coming trip to chase sea runs in the Canterbury rivers. In fly tying you always need something new to play with and for me this weekend I had the C&F epoxy fly drier.

To chase these big sea runs I've tied a stack of big bearded zonkers. They are basically a rabbit fly with a fox fur beard. I've tied these in a bunch of bright colours as attractor flies, some natural colours with silver flash to imitate the silveries that the sea runs feed on and then also a few black versions for change of light and after dark. I'm hoping for big fish so all of the flies are either tied on Partidge size 1 salmon hooks or Size 2 Black Magic B series fly hooks. I added some lead to the bodies to help get them down, I know they are going to be super heavy once wet but I'm going to fish them on a double hander so I should be able to handle them.

To finish the flies off and give them an added realism I stack on prismatic eyes, epoxied teh heads and then dried them on the epoxy fly drier. The idea of the fly drier is that it rotates the fly so the epoxy doesn't run to one side and create a buble or a drip on one side. Instead you get a nice and round epoxy head.

I find fly tying a critical part of my preparation steps to a big trip. I know I can't buy flies like this commercially so it's worth taking the time to tie up exactly what I want. I normally try and imagine what I'm likely to come up against during the trip and then make sure I have all of the right flies to meet those challenges. Anyway it beats working.

I've just been fishing for the last few days in Nelson with Zane Mirfin and a few of his team from Strike Adventures. Zane's been guiding for something like 23 years so he totally knows the game down that way. Actually Tony Entwistle who's been Zane's primary mentor over the years reckons Zane know's the South Island rivers like no other person.

I've only had a few days in the area in the past and I often forget how much many top class rivers run through the region. In summary we caught a stack of fish (well Zane caught a stack and I managed to fluke a few). I definately learnt a few things.

1. If you've got limited time then a guide like Zane can get you onto fish straight off the bat. As I mentioned I've fished the area in the past and always struggled to make the most of my time.

2. Don't let Zane fish in front of you because he doesn't leave anything behind.

3. Don't let Zane fish behind you because it's embarressing when he starts pulling fish out of water you've already fished.

4. The Nelson region is a must go destination in NZ, the fishing is hard but super rewarding.

Well it's been a wet winter but the rivers are finally open and I've managed to sneak out a number of times on my travels to poke a few flies at some trout. I spent opening day in the hills with Sean Andrews who guides out of Poronui Ranch and Fly and Gun Shop in Taupo. It was a brutally cold day and visibility was poor but we took our time and managed to pick off some nice fish.

The start of the season is never what you hope for, the rivers are normally high and the spring winds always make casting a challenge. My main tips for early season is look for smaller tributaries which often clear faster than the main rivers. Fish are rarely difficult to catch so focus on finding the fish and take your time to make the right casts and get the right drifts.

Most importantly don't wait for perfect conditions but get out there and make the most of the season. At least winter is finally over.

We're sending out the first orders to stores of the Scott rods. To start with there are two models, the fast action S4 and the medium fast G2. Scott have always been famous for the fuller flexing rods but like me you may not have known what they were like in the quick rods. So here's some thoughts about Scott's new quick rod the S4.

I've been fishing the 9'0" #6 4pc S4 for around nearly 12 months now and I was so impressed we picked up the agency. To put that into perspective I love the G2 but it would be impossible to justify just bringing in that model, so for me the fact that Scott have really got their fast action rods sorted is critical for us taking on the brand and truly believing in the product line. Anyway here's a few pics and the things I liked about the S4. (Excuse the grubby handle this rods done a stack of fishing).

The first thing you'll notice about the S4's is that they are light. At 3oz the 9' #6 is about 20% lighter than the primary rod in the market you'll compare it to. Cosmetics are very clean and simple, not glossy or flashy.

I've spent a fair bit of time designing and building rods in the past and one of the easiest area's to compromise is on quality componentry. The S4's are fitted with REC recoil snake guides, which are not only super durable, they are the lightest (and most expensive) guide on the market the result is when you swing the rod the guides don't affect the action and more energy is transfered into the fly line.

To back up the REC snakes are Fuji SIC strippers.....the best!

For a reel seat Scott have used custom REC seats, they call the insert "extra select buck-eye burl". Importantly it looks awesome. You'll notice the've engraved the butt cap for some added class.

As far as actual build quality Scott are simply the best. With unlimited attention to detail, like the hand written length markers for 12" and 20". Maybe we should get some bigger measurements added for NZ.

Again attention to detail, all of the ferrules have dots on the male and female parts to help you to line them up properly. One other thing you will notice in this shot is the rod blank is not ground ie instead of the rods being sanded and polished smooth they have a raw spiral finish. This is huge benefit to performance, it means the walls can be designed exactly to spec and strength is increased by well over 25%.

As for casting performance. The rods are delightful. They are a fast action rod, but unlike many of the fast action rods on the market these days. They have really nice soft tips, this means they cast well at any distance, can handle light tippets and have improved accuracy as the tip works throughout the cast.

In summary, check out the S4. It's likely to impress!