From the 29th to the 31st of January a bunch of decended on Middlemarch for the Annual FFF Conclave. As always we all had a laugh, threw a few loops and all came home having learnt a bunch of different things about fly casting, tackle and drinking beer in front of camp fires.
Bob Wyatt is the guy who started the Middlemarch conclave and the inspiration behind it. It's a credit to Bob that we were all so well fed and looked after during the whole 'clave that it was hard to leave.
A regular attendee, entertainer and instructor at the Conclave is Queenstowns Chris Dore.
From "Once in a Blue Moon" fame Carl McNeil filmed a few things and helped a bunch of us with our casts. In my mind Carl is NZ's leading authority in fly casting........little wonder why he is one of the few people globally who hold's the FFF Master Instructor Certification.
These funky stables created the perfect venue for the event. For $50 attendee's got two and a half days worth of instruction plus four meals and countless other treats.
A bunch of us ran classes throughout the weekend. I ran my class on Spey Casting with Single and Two Handed rods.
Chris Dore ran a great class on presentation casts and line control.
Other great sessions were run by Peter Morse from Australia and Hans Weilenmann from the Netherlands.
in this shot of Chris's session you can see the carpark, it's a great place to bring your camper or Unimog. Or if you're a soft Aucklander like me, there are motel units available.
Daniel Isbister put together a great casting tournament, with hoops to cast through, barrels to cast around and numerous tricky targets to hit. Next year there are rumours of an egg and spoon race also.
And if casting rods and hanging out with a bunch of mates during the day aint cool enough, then drinking a few beverages of choice and sitting in front of an open fire is the perfect way to end a day in Middlemarch.
Middlemarch is positioned smack in the middle of Central Otago which in my mind offer some of NZ's best fishing opportunities. I made sure I tagged into my trip a couple of days with Chris Dore from Queenstown's Trout Safari's. I can't remember the name of this river, but if you manage to make it down to next years conclave I'm sure there will be plenty of guys there who can head you in the right direction.
Wanaka's Hamish Bartlett works a great looking run on one of the local rivers.
Gin clear rivers and blue top days, this is what summer fly fishing is all about.
Oh and the odd one of these makes it all worth while too. Hopefully we'll see more of you in Middlemarch next year. |
0 comments
