Manic Monday - Ladies Weekend

This month I had the good fortune of being able to host a group of New Zealand ladies on the Waihou River for a weekend of Euro Nymphing tuition. I had ladies from as close as Taupo and as far as Wellington despite extremely short notice. Given that three weeks ago the event wasn’t even a concept, it came together brilliantly, with a dozen ladies fishing each day.

Saturday began with an in-depth introduction to rod and reel selection, leader construction, and knot tying. Some anglers were well seasoned, and for others it was their first taste of Euro Nymphing, so everyone shared knowledge openly. After a short demo the ladies hit the water, and it wasn’t long before everyone was into fish. I’m pleased to say that every angler showed either natural talent or pure determination and there were massive improvements made over the course of the weekend.

As I made my way from one angler to the next, we worked on casting, correct drifts, contact, and in a lot of cases, how to fight and land fish. Nothing could thrill me more than watching a first timer pull over half a dozen fish out of one pocket of water! Saturday night was fly tying at the Taupo Fishing Club rooms, covering three types of nymphs suitable for Euro Nymphing from start to finish. Plenty of drinks and laughs shared by all, and some beautiful flies tied for the following day.

Sunday we spent a lot of time trying several different nymphing rods in different lengths, weights and price ranges to see what suited each angler with one rod due to be released soon coming up trumps. Watch this space…

As the day wore on the overall feeling of support and comradery was undeniable. None of these ladies had been to, or even heard of a ladies event like this one in New Zealand, but the friendships made are sure to see more events like this popping up in the future!