Strike Adventure Fly Fishing, May 2017

Fly Fishing the Final Frontier: Phil Clark, Australia, fishes Fiordland on his Epic Roadtrip around the South Island with Zane Mirfin, April 2017.

We had another great fly fishing season, and as always, our customers caught big trout in beautiful places creating special fishing memories along the way…

We fished a mix of local streams and wilderness rivers, accessed by 4WD, Hiking, Boat, and Hiking...

Helicopter fishing as always, was a huge buzz. Chopper access gets you to the last best places fast…
The weather wasn’t always our friend but our 32 years of professional experience, knowledge, and ability, always meant our customers had somewhere good to fish…

We made time to have family fun too, scheduling days off to enjoy together with the kids (4). We fished the Marlborough Sounds, hunted wallabies at Kurow, fished the Twizel canals in the Mackenzie Country, rode the luge in Queenstown, and even caught trout in Taranaki Province of the North Island.

Lake fishing when rivers were flooded out worked pretty well for our anglers. Our Maritime NZ registered boat MNZ134307 was great for accessing lake tributaries, either rivers, streams, or spring creeks…
Skip Herman of USA sent us some early photos of our times together in the 1980's! We’ve also added a few more of our latest fishing adventures with Skip & Meg this past summer. The fish haven't changed much but we sure have...

Our biggest fishing trip of the season was in April with Phil Clark of Australia where we enjoyed 16 magnificent days on-stream fishing the rivers, streams and lakes of the lower South Island. We fished South Westland, Otago, Southland, Fiordland, and South Canterbury with success. Using the boat for access on many days, we were able to fish special waters away from the madding crowd…
Thanks to those who have already reserved their fishing slots for the 2017-2018. We appreciate your bookings and look forward to seeing you soon…

Guiding availability is limited for the coming season so if you want Zane as your guide in New Zealand in 2017 – 2018 we suggest you make contact asap to avoid disappointment…



Hope you’ve enjoyed checking out where we’ve been and what our fishing customers continue to experience and catch. See you in New Zealand sometime soon…
 

Happy Holidays & Seasons Greetings December 2016

Happy Holidays & Seasons Greetings from New Zealand.

Wishing you, your family, and friends a happy time over the festive season. May 2017 be a fish-filled bonanza for you all.  

December 2016 Fly Fishing Photos.

This month we've been fly fishing all over the northern South Island throughout Nelson / Tasman / Marlborough / North Canterbury / West Coast.
 
We’ve had some epic adventures, helicopter wilderness fishing, and great angling road trips.
 
We'll be sure to keep you updated with our ongoing fishing and hunting adventures in 2017.  
Good Fishing Always & Dry Fly Days Forever. All the Best & Kind Regards,
Zane & Aimee
www.strikeadventure.com

After a great USA summer trip to California & Utah (alas only 23 days), we're back in New Zealand. Spring is not too far away so we're busy taking bookings, working on our website (www.strikeadventure.com)  and getting ready for the fishing season ahead.

Our USA visit was an awesome experience and our fly fishing presentation "Affordable Fly Fishing in New Zealand" to seven fly fishing clubs went really well. We had a great time meeting many new people and catching up with old friends.

We'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone involved who made our visit so special and memorable.  It's impossible to list everyone here but we appreciate the kindness and hospitality shown to us by so many. We'd particularly like to acknowledge the seven Californian clubs and their members; Santa Barbara Flyfishers, Fly Fishing Club of Orange County, Pasadena Casting Club, Golden State Flycasters, Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers, Wilderness Flyfishers, and Sespe Fly Fishers; Also our valued friends Jeff Pill, Chuck & Michelle Waterman, Craig & Joanna Adamson, Lynne Howard & Brett Reed, and Ben Taylor. Plus all the fabulous fly shop owners and staff who gave us such a warm welcome and great advice.

America is a wonderful country and Americans are wonderful people. For anyone interested, here are a few photos of our adventures in California and Utah...

Southern Californian Club Circuit

The Show Must Go On: Aimee sets up for our 55 minute presentation "Affordable Fly Fishing in New Zealand" before everyone arrives for club night in Encino.	Top Table: Great food, company, and conversation before our fly fishing presentation in the second half of the evening at Encino.
Ventura Highway: The highways were busy but Southern California is a beautiful place and the land of opportunity. Here we are above the coastal town of Ventura before our evening presentation to Sespe Fly Fishers.	Meet the Locals: Adrian Cid Uribe (L) picked us up from our hotel and led us through the evening at Pasadena Casting Club. We were particularly touched by fundraising efforts to help wounded veterans learn to fly fish and were in awe of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.
Hot Chilli-Dog: Jeff Pill (L) introduced Zane to Chicago-style Hot Dogs for lunch in Burbank.	Casting Championship: Zane and Marshall Bissett (R), Club President of Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers , have a friendly casting session on the Pasadena Casting Pond. Zane Grey, famous author of paperback westerns and the 1926 book "Tales of the Anglers Eldorado - New Zealand" once lived nearby in Pasadena.
Big Box Stores: If you're into shopping then California is a great place to visit. We experienced shopping malls and venues on a scale unprecedented within New Zealand. Here's Aimee checking out Basspro.	Cool Down: It wasn't all work and we enjoyed swimming wherever and whenever we could.

San Diego R&R

Four Have Fun in San Diego: Michelle and Chuck Waterman (L) showed us the time of a lifetime at Mission Beach, San Diego. We explored, shopped, dined, and most importantly, fished.	Sweet Treat: We enjoyed some great USA dining experiences.
Early Start: Launching the boat at Glorietta Bay, San Diego Harbour.	Fly Fishing Freeway: Chuck Waterman heads out into the Bay with the Coronado Freeway Bridge as a fishing backdrop.
Pacific Ocean Guru: Chuck Waterman showing how it is done near the La Jolla Trench, Pacific Ocean.	Double Header: Chuck Waterman catches two Spotted Bay Bass on the same cast.
Different Species: This US trip Zane caught 8 new species of fish. This one is a Mackerel caught amongst giant floating kelp beds.	Braving the California Surf: Aimee swims in the Pacific Ocean at Mission Beach, San Diego.

High Sierra Nevada

High Altitude Wilderness: The Golden Trout Wilderness is a magic alpine wonderland. Gazetted by President Theodore Roosevelt, it is the fly fishing equivalent of the Galapagos Islands with the evolution of three unique trout species within the Kern River Complex.	Little Kern River Magic: Our first challenge on Sierra day one was to drive from Ventura to Porterville, drop our gear, then drive deep into the mountains to Lewis Camp trailhead and hike four miles into the Little Kern Bridge area.
Little Kern River Golden Trout: The fish of the Little Kern look much like rainbows but are classified as Little Kern Goldens (Oncorhynchus mykiss whitei). They are highly adapted trout to a harsh alpine environment.	Dry Fly Only: Little Kern Goldens ate small dries that imitated midges with gusto. It was a short but special afternoon session before a four mile hike back uphill to the trailhead.
Fly Shop Report: We enjoyed Flyshops throughout California and Utah meeting many fine people and getting much great advice. Local flyshops and top guides are always the experts on any fishery.	Showdown at High Noon: Kimberley and Guy Jeans own & operate the Kern River Flyshop and Guide Service in Kernville, CA. Guy is a statewide fishing personality and is also a talented musician.
Kern River Diversity: The Kern river fishery offers everything from alpine trout to smallmouth bass. As we drove up the river system we listened to a Guy Jeans aka 'The Stoneflys' Music CD on the car stereo.	Forks of the Kern Trail: Sierra day two we had the afternoon to get to the trailhead, hike down into the forks, fish, and climb 1.5 hours back up.
Upper Kern River: The Kern river was sure inviting but we were fishing at all the wrong times. Kern River Flyshop recommended fishing 5-11am before the water warmed in the drought flows but Zane fished 4-5pm!	Descent to the Kern: Steep and hot, dehydration and altitude sickness are always possible. Don't forget about bears and snakes.
Fish On: The effort was worth it when trout started to hit small dries and soft hackle wets.	The Prize: Mission accomplished with Kern River rainbows (Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti) in a variety of sizes. They don't have to be big to be trophies.

Eastern Sierra - Lone Pine & Death Valley

The Joshua Tree: It may have been the title of an album for rock superband U2, but Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) are superbly adapted to hot, dry, desert climates.	High Sierra Under the American Flag: Aimee at Lone Pine Visitor Center with the high Sierra behind. Mt Whitney is the highest mountain on the continental USA, outside of Alaska, at 14,505 ft asl.
Sierra Nevada: Imposing and everything Zane had ever dreamed about. The words of American pioneer environmentalist John Muir ring true when he wrote "Everybody needs beauty...places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike."	Climb High for Goldens: Sierra day three afternoon at Horseshoe Meadow. The first stream had dried up, a rainstorm began with thunder and lightning, and time was running out to achieve the three trout trifecta in three days...
Ask the Locals: Park Rangers always have some good advice.	Secret Stream: A trout rose to a natural fly and it was game on.

Lifelong Goal: California Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aquabonita) were carmine-splashed golden creatures with red, white, and spotted features. Truly fish of paradise at about 11,000ft.	There's Golden's In Them Thar Hills: The catching was great and a #18 Lambroughton black hatchmaster dry fly on 6x tippet and three weight rod was deadly in small plunge-pools and riffles alike.
Gold Nuggets of the Sierra: The water is gin clear and many of the golden trout can be sight fished by spotting and casting to individual trout. Achieving the Sierra Kern trifecta was a bucket-list wish - we'll have to come back someday to add Sierra Paiute Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris).	No Water is Bad Water: Between Lone Pine and Burbank lies @10 hours driving across unforgiving desert. Badwater basin is the hottest, driest, and lowest point in North America.
Photo-Op At Zabriskie Point: Death Valley National Park was unlike anything we'd ever seen before. No water = no trout.	Baked or Fried: Whatever way you like it, the desert climate of Death Valley is swelteringly hot at about 45 degrees Celcius plus.

 

Salt Lake City

Great Salt Lake: One of the great natural wonders of the world awaits visitors to Utah. This huge natural basin has no outlet besides evaporation and is surrounded by high desert.	Wasatch Brew Pub: Lunchtime with valued friends Craig & Joanna Adamson of SLC. The Pub had plenty of local beer brew varieties and Zane enjoyed a taste of 'polygamy'.
Antelope Island: The largest island in the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island is also a State Park and home to Buffalo, Mule Deer, Big Horn Sheep and Antelope.	Swimming In The Great Salt Lake: The locals thought we were nuts but with water more than six times saltier than sea water floating in the lake was an epic experience.
Uinta Mountain Escape: National Forests are everywhere in the USA and the Uintah Mountains are less than an hour out of Salt Lake City.	Wild Waters: The mountain waters of the North Fork Provo River are an angler's delight.
Mountain Treasure: Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are a beautiful char species from out East that thrive in the alpine and mountain streams of the West. They are angler-friendly and eat dry flies with a vengeance. We used Mirfz BLT #16 dry flies (commercially available from Manic Tackle in NZ) with great success.	Guide's Holiday: When Zane isn't guiding anglers and hunters, he loves fishing or hunting new places himself. Especially for wild fish in wild places.
All American Journey: Craig Adamson was one of Zane's earliest fishing customers in the mid- 1980's and has been a great friend and mentor ever since. This fishing lunch at a small store in rural Utah symbolises (to Zane) everything great about America.	Wild Rainbows: The Utah rainbows (Oncorhynchus mykiss) of the Uintah Mountains loved NZ trout flies too. Gotta love those Mirfz BLT (Black Little Thing) dry flies.

Provo River Tailwater: The Mid- Provo is one of the West's most famous tailwater fisheries and close to SLC. We caught plenty of brown trout fishing 6x fluorocarbon tippet and #22 midge nymphs, with split shot and indicator.	How the West Was Won: Movie Icon John Wayne was never far away during our travels out West.
Freestyle: Zane tests out his ski skills (not) at Park City Winter Olympic Center in Utah.	Leadlight Window: The USA is full of fine art but this is one of the best fishing pieces we've ever seen.

 

San Francisco

Wear Flowers in Your Hair: San Francisco was somewhere that Aimee always wanted to visit.	Stars & Stripes: The USA flag brackets San Francisco City across the Harbour from Alcatraz Island.
Cable Car City: Riding the cable cars of San Francisco's hilly streets was loads of fun.	Fish Man Of Alcatraz: Zane checks out a prison cell and plans his escape from Alcatraz.
Golden Gate Walkabout: After strolling across the famed Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, it was a 3 mile walk to Sausalitio for fine icecream and to catch the ferry boat back to the city.	Old Friends Catch Up: At 81 years old, Ben Taylor has fished with us in New Zealand many times. Here we enjoy lunch together and celebrate Ben's book "I Know Bill Schaadt: Portrait of a Fly Fishing Legend".
Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club: We were privileged to visit this iconic club and venue in Golden Gate Park - the training ground and competition venue of many of the world's finest fly casters. Here the club holds a memorial service for a valued member.	No Fishing in San Francisco: At least not for us, but fish art, influence, and inspiration were everywhere so we had plenty of ideas to bring home to New Zealand with us...

Prospects for the Upcoming NZ Fishing Season

Coming off the back of a big fish mouse year and with the New Zealand dollar continuing to fall against the $USD (to levels unseen for at least a decade) means the South Island should be in for a big year ahead. We'd encourage anyone contemplating a trip down-under in 2015 - 2016 to lock in their fishing and hunting dates with us soon. Our trout season starts October 1st thru April 30th with excellent opportunities throughout. After guiding across four decades (80's, 90's, 2000's and 2010's) we know where to go and how to give you the best chances of success.Give us a call at +64-3-544 2100 or send us a note and we can advise available dates and adventure opportunities to suit your preferences.

In August and September we're out guiding saltwater anglers, spring chamois hunts, and even some late winter fly fishing on lowland rivers. We've got an outdoor adventure for every week of the year and invite you to join us soon.

Kind Regards & Tightlines,

Aimee & Zane Mirfin  www.strikeadventure.com 

P.S. For our local anglers nearby, there is excellent saltwater fishing over coming months from our MNZ registered boat 'Strike Adventure'. Fish with lightweight sporting tackle for red gurnard, blue cod, tarakihi, and kahawai as the fish move inshore to gorge on baitfish. Our saltwater fishing special is NZ$600 incl.GST for 3 anglers. Pick a glorious sunny spring day and let's head ocean-side!

P.P.S. In November 2015, Zane celebrates 30 years or three decades of professional guiding. There are two weeks available in November and we invite you to share this milestone with us. We'll be sure to fish the St. Arnaud area, Nelson Lakes National Park where it all began...
 

New Zealand Fishing Newsletter - July 2015

HAPPY 4th JULY TO ALL OUR AMERICAN FRIENDS!

We had great summer / fall fly fishing for big trout. Mouse fever was certainly lots of fun for our overseas anglers. Bookings for next fishing season October – April are shaping up well especially with the Kiwi dollar (NZD$) continuing to slide against the USD$ and AUD$ making New Zealand fly fishing  the most affordable it has been for years. We already have bookings for every month of the 2015 -2016 season and encourage anglers to inquire soon for available prime dates.  
In May & June we were out guiding saltwater fishing trips with local anglers. Tasman Bay is a year round fishery and we’ve had some epic fishing with beautifully sunny calm days. Best of all, it is excellent value at only NZ$600 including GST for the winter fishing special that runs through until the end of September.  
Winter waterfowling has been excellent too, with generous bag limits for mallards, grey, and paradise ducks. We hunted some exciting new areas with good potential for next winter's hunting season. In one place, there were trout rising in amongst our decoys!
Today, we’re off on a big overseas adventure to Southern California by invitation from seven fly fishing clubs between Santa Barbara and San Diego. It’s the world circuit of fly fishing presentations and we’re excited to be invited back (our last speaking tour was in 2008). Here's what they are saying about us.../site/strikeadventure/files/ZaneMirfinPresentationUSA.pdf
 
We’ll be presenting an image-rich show titled “Affordable Fly Fishing in New Zealand” concentrating on how to best fish the northern half of the South Island. It’ll be lots of fun and any anyone in California is welcome to attend. We'd love to catch up if you're in the neighborhood.  Here’s the schedule for anyone interested...

July 7th: Santa Barbara Fly Fishers - www.sbflyfishers.com
contact: Diane Honaker 805/432-1064

July 8th: Fly Fishing Club of Orange County - www.ffcoc.org
Contact: Andy Frumento 714/996-8655

July 9th: Pasadena Casting Club - www.pasadenacastingclub.org
Contact: Seymour Singer 323/445-5936

July 13th: Golden State Flycasters - www.goldenstateflycasters.org
Contact: Mike McClain 760/591-0700

July14th: Wildness Fly Fishers - www.wildernessflyfishers.org
Contact: Jeffrey Pill 818/504-9171

Sespe Fly Fishers - www.sespeflyfishers.org
Contact: Gary Bulla 805/340-6624

July 15th: Sierra Pacific Flyfishers - www.spff.org
Contact: Marshall Bissett 818/259-1551
 
We’re looking forward to some California sun and summer heat on our holiday but also hoping to do some fly fishing too. We’re in contact by email (zane@strikeadventure.com) or Aimee’s cellphone is on international roaming at:
+64 274 726079
 

Wishing you Happy Holidays…
….and a Great Year in 2015!

Dear #Customer.FirstName#,

We've been out catching more great trout in December 2014...

“A wonderful finale to our day of wilderness heli-fishing. My largest brown ever, caught on a small dry fly in the lashing rain. A great adventure. Thanks Zane for your expertise, support and friendship” Peter Dimbylow, UK, 7 December 2014.

Fly Fishing Success - December 2014
Our anglers Peter Hansson, Andreas Lundqvist (Sweden), Peter Dimbylow (UK), Mathias & Jorgen Hausberger (Austria), and Scott Crawford (USA), were an inspiration to us and awesome company onstream. We fished Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast regions. Here’s a few photos of what we got up to…  Here's some more December photos...
Big Trout Year

Valued Customers: Jorgen & Matti Hausberger, have done a lot of fishing with Zane already this season and have caught some great trout along the way...

There are some grand trout around this summer, nicely fattening on rodents, thanks to beech tree seeding last summer. We’re dialled in on the best places to go and are seeking anglers who can walk far, cast well, be flexible in fishing options, and maybe use helicopter access to get to the hot spots fast.

Who knows - You may catch the trophy brown trout of a lifetime. We’re always keen and still have availability 11-18^th and 24-25^th January, 12-15^th and 25-26^th February, 2-13^th and 25-26^th March. April is a good month to combine fishing and hunting too. We’d love to talk fishing options with anyone interested at phone +64-3-544 2100 or www.strikeadventure.com
 

Saltwater
We haven’t been out in Tasman Bay much lately (lots of trout fishing!), but the fishing at sea is always good. The snapper are out there in good numbers and size, with lots of red gurnard, trevally, kahawai, kingfish, tarakihi, blue cod etc to make an impressive selection of fish to target. Our premier species, albacore tuna, are due in the Bay any day and usually hang around until May. Last year these hard fighters were @ 20lb, and are fabulous sport trolling big surface lures. We now do multi-day saltwater trips based from the Marlborough Sounds too.

Nelson City Fishing: Blake, Neville, and Scott enjoyed saltwater success in December 2014 - catching 8 species for the day.	Snapper City: Tasman Bay snapper are readily accessible from Nelson City, Richmond & Mapua. We have wild, rugged & isolated coastline, golden sand beaches, and estuary fishing options.
Versatile Sportsfish: We catch snapper on bait & berley, jigging, casting lures, livebaits, flies, even trolling - it's fun!	Alberts Galore: Nicknamed 'Alberts' Albacore Tuna are great sport on light tackle, sounding deep and really pulling some string. With pearlescent shades of loveliness, they are a real trophy fish of Tasman Bay.

Professional Hunter Academy (PHA)
After 29 years of guiding experience (since 1985), It’s always good to go back to school…
The New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association (www.nzphga.com) takes hunter safety and guide training seriously, and every member is expected to complete the Professional Hunter Academy (PHA) Course.

West Coast Solitude: The long drive South was as beautiful as ever. Zane stopped for a burger and fries at Hokitika, enroute to Whataroa, South Westland.	Magnificent Otago: Lake Wanaka is a shining jewel on the way to Lake Hawea. Both lakes are big, full of fish, and have legendary fly fishing tributaries.
Big Classroom: The NZPHGA Professional Hunter Academy was held in the Glen Dene Station woolshed, Lake Hawea, Otago.	Big Stags: Glen Dene Station produces some marvellous red stag trophies each hunting season. Here Zane Mirfin holds a beauty scoring 420 SCI.
Home on the Range: Testing rifle technique and accuracy is all part of hunting and guiding. The Glen Dene rifle range scenery isn't ugly either.	Leader of the Pack: Course Tutor James Cagney (green earmuffs)) is one of New Zealand's finest hunting guides and his experience and professionalism set the standard for the PHA.

The five day course (15-19^th December) was held at Glen Dene Station, Lake Hawea, Otago, with course tutor being Masterguide James Cagney of Canterbury. We had classroom and practical sessions with plenty of input from experienced course participants. The course covered 23 topics from river crossing and firearms safety, to taxidermy and client considerations. It wasn’t all work though and we had a lot of fun learning about lodge etiquette, private game estates, and Aerial Assisted Trophy Hunting (AATH). The course venue was a great place to meet new people, make new connections, and be inducted into the inner sanctum of the hunting industry.

Helicopter Training: Safety around helicopters is paramount and all course participants got practical training in and around helicopters.	Would you like Tines with that?: Some of these trophy stag heads are truly incredible.
Chief Butcher: NZPHGA Member, Dan Rossiter of Hawea is a highly skilled man with a knife. Dan impressed everyone with his ability to teach meat skills and how to get the best cuts off an animal.	Talented Taxidermist: David Jacobs of Queenstown (www.taxidermy.co.nz) is the standard against which all other New Zealand taxidermists are measured. Here David demonstrates the correct way to salt a headskin.
At Day's End: It wasn't all hard work. Here tutor James Cagney (L) shares a beer with T. Liavaa, Gordy Watson, Duncan Stewart, and Barry Dodds.	Helicopter Practice: Hill pick-up and drop-off is an important skill for pilots and guides, as is animal retrieval and transport.

Lodge Hosting Skills: Making sure guests are comfortable and have a great time is important on a hunt. Here Richard Burdon, owner of Glen Dene Station (far end of table) proposes a toast to the hunt. On the left in Blue, is Sue Telford of www.flyfishhunt.co.nz. Richard & Sarah Burdon (www.glendenehunting.com) were gracious hosts over the 5 day course, worked tirelessly, and the food was awesome!	Does Yours Measure Up?: Barry Dodd of Hawea (L) (www.doddsyshunting.com) and James Cagney measure a big Glen Dene Stag by the Safari Club International scoring method.
Big Crossing: River skills are important in a country like New Zealand and working together can make the big crossings manageable. From Left is Gordy Watson, James Cagney, Stacey, Olly Burke (www.leithenvalley.com) and Zane Mirfin. Stacey was the sole female guide on the PHA and she was awesome.	Emergency Rope Skills: Hauling guides across the Hawea river, with and without packs was a fun emergency tactic to learn. Angelo G. was on the end of the rope on this "crossing".
Laird of the Loch: Richard Burdon of Glen Dene Station points out some stags in the half light of morning, with Lake Hawea in the background.	Successful Glen Dene Hunt: "Client" Gordy Watson of Minaret Outfitters (www.minaretoutfitters.com) with his "Trophy" (red deer spiker) and "Guide" Zane Mirfin (www.strikeadventure.com). Thanks to Richard Burdon for the deer.

Political Mastermind: Roger Duxfield (L) of Putaruru, North Island, is a life member of the NZPHGA. He is a key member of the NZPHGA executive committee and also a Government appointee on the NZ Game Animal Council. His vision has shaped the NZPHGA to what it is today. Here Gordy Watson and Zane Mirfin enjoy a break on the hill with Roger.	All Legal: New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association Certificate 2015. Thanks to Membership Secretary Chris McCarthy of Lake Hawea Hunting Safaris (www.hawea-hunting.co.nz) for advice and mentoring. John Berry, Treasurer NZPHGA (www.johnberryhunting.com) was awesome too.

Guru Guide: Gary Joll of Fairlie, South Canterbury is one of New Zealand's greatest hunting guides. Pioneer, innovator, and original co-owner of Lilybank Station, Gary Joll is rightly regarded as the man who set high professional standards within the industry. Interestingly, Gary trained iconic fishing guide Tony Entwistle at Lilybank in the early 1970's, and years later in 1985, Tony trained Zane Mirfin. Here we are in Gary's personal trophy room, where he signed Zane's copy of his recent book "Fifty Years of Trophy Hunting".

Hunting season starts soon with stags in hard antler from late February. Come and hunt red stags, fallow bucks, thar, and chamois with Zane over the rut (between March – July depending on species). We hunt both public and private lands, with or without helicopter access. Other species available include goats, pigs, rams, and waterfowl. We can combine fishing and hunting trips year-round too (www.strikeadventure.com)
Give Zane a call to discuss all the options for a great 2015 New Zealand hunt.

Fishing Northern Queensland, Australia, March 28^th – April 2^nd

Co-Owner of Far North Sports Fishing (www.farnorthsportsfishing.com.au), Tony Fyfe, just sent us the latest photos from a week filming with Australian TV fishing star, Mark Berg, of Mark Berg's Fishing Addiction.
Help!! – We need more anglers to come on this fabulous Australian trip-of-a-lifetime, hosted by Zane. Zane has been on the mothership ‘Blue Martini’ with Far North Sports Fishing (www.farnorthsportsfishing.com.au) twice now and can vouch for how good the fishing is. You’ll visit some of the remotest water in Australia between Cape York and Cape Melville, in the northern most extremity of the world famous great barrier reef. The variety of fish types and species is incredible, as is the fishing operation - including mothership, state of the art fishing dories, service, cuisine, and top quality guides. All fishing gear is supplied and you just need to meet up with us in Cairns to start this epic journey utilising helicopters to access ‘Blue Martini’ mothership in remote Princess Charlotte Bay. Zane knows the owners and staff well and no corners have been cut to make this one of fishing’s last great adventures.
If you’d like to know more about this trip give Zane a call at +64-3-544-2100 to hear more…Only AUD$9150.00 pp ex. Cairns, Australia for 6 days / 5 nights / includes return long distance helicopter transport - an absolutely incredible and un-rivaled fishing journey!
Happy New Year for 2015!
All the Best for a wonderful 2015. We wish you, your family, and your friends, happiness and prosperity.

'Twas The Morning of Christmas: Many of our valued friends and customers ask about the kids. Here they are early on Christmas morning 25th December 2014. From left, Izaak (Ike) 12, Charlotte (Charli) 9, Rosanna (Rosie) 11, and Jacob (Jake) 14.

These Boots Are Made For Walking: There are many miles to walk yet this fishing season and we'll be doing it in Riverworks X Series Wading boots (www.riverworks.co.nz). Designed here in NZ with a one piece moulded sole these state-of-the-art boots are the finest we have ever worn on-stream. Our overseas customers think so too. You can buy yours from Strike Adventure for NZ$299.00

See you in New Zealand.

We're out there catching fish...

"Another fantastic day here in New Zealand, with Zane as a guide.  A perfect day, perfect guiding, it's fantastic!" Jorgen Hausberger, Austria. 18th November 2014

Our fishing stars in this November newsletter are Juerg Nagel (Switzerland), Nathan Blackburne & Jason Munce (Australia), Peter Conley & Mike Craig (NZ), Mike Fitzgerald (USA), and Jorgen Hausberger (Austria).
We've still got availability throughout the season till the end of April 2015 so give us a call and we can advise on dates.
 

October 2014 Newsletter

The onslaught has started…and we’re declaring war on the trout population.

"I had a fantastic two days with Zane in October.  Zane is a pleasure to fish with, given his unparalleled knowledge of New Zealand rivers, conditions and fishing techniques.  Plus his patience, personality and ability to spot wild trout!  The next trip is already planned". Peter Conley, NZ

 The general fishing season opened on October 1st and the fishing is great!

First Trout in NZ: Jorgen Hausberger of Austria in action	October Magic: Jorgen Hausberger in Marlborough.
Lowland Rivers: Early season action on the Rai River.	Rainbow Connection: Bright feisty trout.

Power Finish: Last brownie of the day for Pete Conley, NZ. Took us downstream through 5 pools in a small, fast flowing, snag-filled stream.	Wilderness Stream: Pete Conley with yet another brownie, stalked, sighted, and caught on a small nymph.

We’ve had some awesome weather with high sun, light winds, and clear sparkling waters.
September fishing on lowland waters went well too. Now that we’re full on fishing we’ll be sure to give you regular reports about where we’ve been and what we are catching...

Our website is: www.strikeadventure.com or email: aimee@strikeadventure.com

First South Island Brownie: Andrew Vanner, North Island, NZ, in September on the lower Motueka River	First Fly Rod Trout: Maria Rzoska proudly holds her first South Island trout, and first on fly, with Andrew Vanner looking on.
Rainbow Man: Stevie Bell, Australia, loved the September rainbow trout	Woolly Buggery: Pink buggers worked well.

Saltwater
From a saltwater perspective, red gurnard and blue cod are close inshore and hungry and the snapper have been heading south from deeper winter waters and are coming closer to land by the day. There’s always some great year-round fishing in the salt and Tasman Bay is probably fishing the best it has in forty years according to the old timers out there. A great day out whether you are local or from out of town.

Exotic fish: Red Gurnard look good and taste great.	Gurnard City: Edie Stevenson (L) got hooked on fishing.
Family Time: Greg Buckingham (R) enjoyed some quality father / son time chasing blue cod.	Homeward Bound: Tasman Bay was like a mill pond as we sped for home.
Double Header: Tarakihi are an abundant and tasty reef fish	Delaware Bay: Bountiful coastline ripe for the fishing. Not a boat in sight - just how we usually find it.

Beast Master: Scott Mirfin with a great winter Kingfish	Fly Time: We use flies to catch many of our saltwater species.
Abel Tasman National Park Fishing: Samantha Chisholm, UK, with her first fish of the day - a spiny dogfish.	Hole-in-the-Rock: Brother Scott Mirfin took Zane for a fun day to D'Urville Island in his 3 metre inflatable.

Wild Coast: The rugged coastline of Tasman Bay offers great fishing for up to 40 species of fish	Great Ride: Homeward bound with a boat load of fish.

Hunting
The Spring / Summer season is a great time to hunt with animals coming out in the open onto all the fresh growth after a long winter in the forest. No trophy stags because they are all growing velvet antlers which will harden in late February - but lots of good hunting. Our other animals like goats, pigs, rams and chamois keep their headgear year-round. This is a fabulous time to take a heli-access / fly-camping /hunting trip into our remote alpine valleys and mountains. Peak trophy hunting season is during the red deer / fallow buck / chamois buck / Bull Thar rut in April, May, June. Zane is now a member of the New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association.

Red Stag: No antlers but tasty burgers and great memories.	Outdoor Hero: National President of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association Bill O'Leary has done much to advance the interests of all New Zealand hunters. Here we are at the Taupo Sika Show, North Island, 28th September.
Fabulous Trophies: The Sika Show in Taupo had wonderful Sika Deer trophy antlers on display(above). Also great sambar, red, rusafallow, ram. goat, and boar trophies taken in the past year from around NZ.	Evolve Outdoors Team: CEO Rob Wilson (L) with Alex Broad & Steve Doughty at the Sika Show. Zane Mirfin (R) is on the pro-staff hunting team and endorses both Hunters Element and Riverworks brands.
Guiding Icons: It's amazing who you run into at the Sika Show. Here's guru North Island fishing guides Simon Dickie and Alan Simmons.	First Hunt: Todd Ballance ,13, NZ, with his first goat on a hunt with Zane.

Paradise Found: high alpine basins accessed by helicopter are prime summer places to hunt and camp.	St. Arnaud Hunting Lodge: Come and stay at the Mirfin's Lake view lodge at Nelson Lakes National park

Northern Queensland Hosted Trip with Zane
Just a quick plug for our hosted trip to remote northern Queensland March 28-April 2nd. ( 6 days fishing, 5 nights, ex Cairns) This is a once-in-a-lifetime tropical adventure where you will catch a large variety of estuarine and marine fish species like barramundi, queenfish, giant trevally, nannygai, sharks, fingermark, cobia, you name it! We’ll be staying onboard the 70ft luxury mothership ‘Blue Martini’ operated by a top skipper, top chef, and top guides. This trip (Zane's third) we’ll be going straight to the honeypot – Princess Charlotte Bay, one of the remotest fisheries in Australia and on the planet. We’ll fly in and out by helicopter to a wilderness white-sand beach pick-up, but what a fishing adventure. It’s not cheap at AUD$9200 per rod but an investment in the fishing experience of a lifetime. What will you be doing on March 28 – April 2nd ?
Central North Island Fishing
We’ve also had a two week exploratory trip up to the central North Island in September / October. The Mirfin family had a blast. We towed the boat up north, crossing the Cook Strait by ferry, checking out some famous river, lake and delta fisheries and catching trout in the heart of rainbow trout country. This is a great place for a North Island fishing roadtrip with Zane if anyone wants to see something different on their next visit.

World Famous in Turangi: The Tongariro River was made famous by American paperback western writer Zane Grey in 1926 with his book 'Tales of the Angling Eldorado - New Zealand'	Great Access: Drive right to the mouth of the famous Tauranga-Taupo River where the rip enters Lake Taupo.
Volcanic Trout: The Mirfin boys in action on Maori owned Lake Rotoaira under a smoking Mt. Tongariro Volcano	Girl Power: Rosie & Charli Mirfin with a beautiful rainbow from Lake Kuratau, Taupo District.
Expert Guidance: Top Murchison Guide, Peter Carty points out trout and a prime pool on the Hinemaiaia River, Taupo District.	Hinemaiaia Success: Ike Mirfin, 12, enjoys success while Ivan Fisher works on catching the next rainbow.
Spring Creek: The Waitahanui is a world class rainbow trout fishery.	The Big O: Lake Otamangakau is a stunning lake fishery for trophy rainbows under the shadow of 3 volcanoes - Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu
Rotorua Lakes: Lake Tarawera is a sceniallyc beautiful place with a rich volcanic history and big rainbow trout. Need a break from fishing? We'll soak in the natural geo-thermal hot pools!	Tongariro Calling: Ike & Jake Mirfin with a Tongariro River rainbow trout caught in the lower river.

Available Fishing Dates for 2014-2015
Interest in fishing trips has certainly picked up. Thanks to those of you who have already confirmed your slots for the coming South Island season and for the 2015-2016 season too.There’s still plenty of opportunity if you’re considering making a fly fishing pilgrimage. Give us a call.
We can help you with available dates and opportunities.

Tight Lines & Kind Regards, Zane & Aimee

July 2014 Newsletter

Mouse Year?

Mouse Trout: Bill Jeans & Mark Parker, Australia, with a double figure 'toad' from 2010

Will 2014 - 2015 be another season of the mouse? Who knows? The Minister of Conservation described a "plague of biblical proportions " in the media recently, but we'd rather wait and see.

It's true that when mouse years occur they can turbo-charge a trout fishery, although all the stars need to align. Last summer did see a massive beech flowering and seeding (mast year) in native forests throughout the northern South Island, but it's also a fact that it has been a very wet winter which may effect the seed fall and the rodents that follow.

Beastmaster: Jim Stievater, USA, and friend in 2010.

Nature always has a way of balancing things up and we won't know what's really happening out there until our fishery opens on October 1st. Whatever happens we will always have our fingers on the pulse of the fishery and we'll be sure to keep you updated...

Winter Fishing

It may be mid-winter here in NZ but we’re still out fishing….. We’ve had the home fire burning brightly too, but the good news is that we’re closing in on spring, the trout have finished spawning, and we’ve been getting organised for the 2014-2015 fishing season ahead…

Re-certification: Sorting out all the paperwork and coping with bureaucrats behind the scenes.	Fly Tying: Good guides always have good flies tied on top quality chemically sharpened hooks.

Escaping the office: You can't beat a good mid-winter day out fishing.	Mirfin Family WWI History: Read about Zane's grandfather and his three brothers who feature on new NZ Post stamps, 100 years since WWI began.

Gone Hunting

Expanding hunting opportunities on public and private lands continue to excite us... On a political level, the advent of the Game Animal Council offers an exciting future for the management of valued big game animals on public lands.

Wildside Column: Read Zane's article about NZDA  national conference & rifle range.	First Deer: Read Zane's article about taking son Izaak, 12, hunting.

Queensland - Australia - Fishing

The Australian invasion has begun! In late March, Zane went ‘troppo’ and returned to Northern Queensland to fish with Far North Sports Fishing again, aboard the luxury mothership ‘Blue Martini’. The cuisine, service, guiding, and fishing equipment supplied was just incredible and our group had so much fun. This is an awesome tropical fishing adventure amongst some of Australia’s most remote and productive barrier reef fisheries. Our group caught a great variety of fish species including barramundi, mangrove jack, nannygai, fingermark, giant trevally, sharks, queenfish, cobia etc. We plan to make this an annual part of the Strike Adventure offering and invite you to join us on our next hosted trips in March – April 2015, ex Cairns. We’re inviting expressions of interest now so we can lock in our team and dates. Come and join us - it’s the fishing adventure of a lifetime. Read Zane's newspaper stories - Living it up on the Great Barrier Reef  and Taking sides for the great barra quest

Back to New Zealand…

It’s only two months to the opening of the 2014 -2015 fishing season and we can’t wait. Thanks again, to those anglers who have already booked their adventure with us. Those big trout have had five months free from anglers and will be happy and hungry.

See you soon!

Kind Regards, Aimee & Zane Mirfin

PS. It's never too late if you're considering a fishing trip down-under. We can help you and your friends too at www.strikeadventure.com or phone +64-3-544 2100.
 
 

June 2014 Newsletter

30 January 2014 #2 Newsletter

January 2014 Report

It’s Fishing Time...

It’s high season and we’re out fishing. Here’s what we’ve been up to since our last newsletter…
 
We’ve still got fly fishing dates available in February, March, and April and welcome your call.  
Don’t forget we operate year-round with saltwater fishing adventures and helicopter-access free range hunting too, so we’ve always got a great adventure for you to enjoy whenever you can make it to NZ.
 

Barramundi / Blue Water Fishing Adventure 25-30th March 2014

 
Princess Charlotte Bay, Northern Queensland, Australia.
 
Join Zane back in Oz in late March to fish the rivers and reefs of Northern Queensland. Like Star Trek, we’ll be going to the edge of the fishing galaxy where we’ll catch barramundi during the premier run-off season and also go bluewater fishing out deep for all sorts of ocean-going beasties.

See these links for more info...
 
The pricing is heavily discounted at 40% off normal luxury charters so you’ll never get a better opportunity than this. Check out the following attachments (including some of Zane’s piccies from October) to read all about this fabulous offer fishing with Zane which is limited to 5 anglers only. You’ll need to move fast because this offer won’t last long so give Zane a call at +64-3-544 2100 to register your interest in this awesome adventure.
 

Meanwhile Back in New Zealand...

 
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on our latest adventures over coming months.
 

December 2013 Newsletter

Seasons Greetings

Wishing you peace, joy, and prosperity in 2014.

...and plentiful fish along the way.
 
'Twas the week before Christmas 2013: No snow in sight, rivers are low and clear, and the trout are biting.  Australian anglers James Yerbury & Kimberly Price-Dawson in action.

November and December are always awesome months to fly fish New Zealand and we’ve had some great summer conditions with optimum river levels and no other anglers in sight.

James Yerbury, Australia	Dave Smith, USA
Kevin Kallaugher, UK	Lawrence Schicker, NZ

 Saltwater fishing is hot too, and the snapper have moved into Tasman Bay for the summer and autumn. We’ve always got great year-round reef fishing and the albacore tuna are out in force over summer.

Tasman Bay Snapper. December 2013	Double Header: Brian Elvy, UK, catches two red gurnard with one cast.
Maitai Memories: Zane fished his boyhood river, the Maitai , in December for Auld Lang Syne.	Rare Beast: Groper are often caught in 200m of water.  this surprise turned up in 30m inshore waters within sight of Nelson City.

 'Gone Troppo' in Queensland
 
In October Zane had a fabulous time in northern Queensland, Australia scoping out a new fishing product that will be simply amazing. Far North Sport Fishing is developing one of the world’s great fishing adventures in the tropical waters of Queensland for reef and blue water fish, with the added bonus of wonderful inland freshwater barramundi fishing. Accommodation is aboard the luxury ‘mothership” Blue Martini and fishing is from three first class fishing dories and separate gamefishing boat. We’re seeking expressions of interest from our anglers who are interested in joining a hosted trip with Zane in April / May 2014. We’ll see the bright lights of Brisbane, fly north to Lizard Island, sample the delights of the Great Barrier Reef, explore ultra-remote exciting fishing venues around Cape Melville and catch multiple species of exotic fish – as well as enjoy top food and creature comforts aboard ‘Blue Martini’
 
 Meanwhile back in New Zealand….
 
We’re a year-round fishing company and have the South Island’s best range of fishing opportunities for you to experience and enjoy. We’ve always got an awesome fishing or hunting adventure available for you, whenever you can travel.


Zane Mirfin fishes Nelson Lakes, November 2013 Photo: Kurt Olesek

We wish you and your family Happy Holidays.
See you soon. Kind Regards, Zane & Aimee
 

 

October 2013 Newsletter

Only three more sleeps to go 'til Opening Day.

1st October and the world is your oyster...

 

Opening day of the fishing season is always a reason to celebrate and we’re looking forward to getting out there over coming days, weeks, and months. All those rivers and streams that have had a five month break from anglers will be ripe for the fishing and we just can’t wait.

 

We’ve been busy over winter getting ready for the fly fishing season but also guiding anglers too. We’re a year-round guiding operation with saltwater fishing and hunting options to cover a wide range of experiences for our diverse global customer base.
 
Saltwater fishing has been awesome in the hallowed waters of Tasman Bay and the Marlborough Sounds. Bird hunting and bigger game are great fun too. Here’s a sample of what we’ve been up to over recent months…
 

Noel Birss, Australia, May 2013, Mallard & Paradise Ducks.	Dominico Zame & Grandsons Henry & Andre, NZ, June 2013, Gurnard, Kahawai, Tarakihi & Blue Cod.
Shu & Chisora Hada, NZ, July 2013 Red Gurnard & Barracouta.	Rachel Oldham & Heather Cole, NZ, August 2013 Red Gurnard etc.

Steve & Andy Black, UK, September 2013, Helicopter Access for Wild Goats.	Rachel Reese, Nelson, NZ, September 2013, Fishing Tasman Bay.

Aimee Mirfin has been out trout fishing this month too, on a local lowland river open for year-round fishing. Aimee hooked a few, lost a few, and landed four brown trout in less than 2 hours of fishing. She must be married to the right guide (Zane).

 

It’s still not too late to book your dates for the coming summer and autumn months. 
If you’re considering a fly fishing trip down-under in 2013-2014 please give us a call @ +64 3 544 2100

www.strikeadventure.com
 
We’ll be sure to update you on the fishing as the season progresses.
 

 

August 2013  Fly Fishing Newsletter

   

December 2012 Fishing Newsletter

Merry Christmas from Strike Adventure Fishing.  We wish you a great festive season and a prosperous New Year. Trout of the Month: Peter Rossi of California caught his dream brown trout of 10 1/2 lb off the side of the road on December 16th 2012. Guides of the Future?: The Mirfin cousins learn the fine art of fly fishing supervised by their Dads, Scott and Zane Mirfin.  Lake Brunner, West Coast, 24th December 2012 Fishing has been great.  Still lots of opportunities if you are planning on coming over January - April inclusive.  See you soon. September 2012 Fishing Newsletter

One More Sleep 'til Trout Fishing Season Opens!  We're looking forward to getting out fly fishing on the river tomorrow - wish you were here... Time to Fish!: Our trout season runs 1st October 2012 thru 30th April 2013 and there is good fishing throughout. www.strikeadventure.com  (Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate) Photo: Cathy & Barry Beck. Angler: Zane Mirfin Cathay Pacific Airline Discovery Magazine: We made it into the Cathay Pacific In-flight Magazine for September 2012.  The article by journalist Richard Shaw is called "Come Fly With Me - The world's best fly-fishing spots" Read about Zane, Strike Adventure, and Nelson Lakes on this link  We are towards the back end of the article, use your keyboard arrows to scroll down. Strike Adventure is on FACEBOOK: We've come out of the dark ages and joined Facebook! You'll now be able to share our fishing highlights like never before. Like us on Facebook.  We appreciate your help getting started. Winter Tasks: We've been working all winter to be ready for you when fly-fishing season rolls around.  Bureaucracy never sleeps...but our gear and systems are ready, and so are we. Carrots Galore: We had some great winter saltwater fishing while we were giving the trout a holiday... a Red Gurnard above. Zane & Tony are ready: Looking forward to being out fly fishing on a Kiwi trout stream with you soon.

August 24th 2012 Fishing Newsletter

Winter here in New Zealand is over.  With warmer weather and sunny skies ahead, we're thinking about fishing...

This is our first newsletter for a while but we've been busy and active making sure it's all systems go for the upcoming trout fishing season, which opens October 1st.

Here goes with a selection of images of what's been happening over the past few months. (NB: You may need to use your up and down arrows on your keyboard to scroll in the link windows)

April Fishing: Craig Henderson of Melbourne, Australia, in action.	Heli-Pickup: See more photos from this Wilderness Fishing Trip.
Aussie Magic: Hugh Foxcroft with friend. See Photos	Blue Moon: Read Zane's article. See Pete's testimonial.
Red Stag and the Senior: Read Zane's June Article
West Coast Success: Read Zane's Sandfly Article See more photos of this trip.	Nelson Lakes National Park:  Lake Rotoroa boat access.
Great Mates, Great Times: See more photos from two fishing trips last summer.	New Species: Tim Vining, USA, pioneers a new species with Strike Adventure - Flounder!
	Zane Mirfin & Rob Wilson of Evolve Outdoors NZ: Read Zane's campout article.
July Duck Hunt: Gerald Beattie, NZ, scores a good bag of Grey, Mallard and Paradise Ducks.	Small Stream Brown:  Trevor Fowler, UK, enjoys a special moment.
Late Season on the Motueka: Good hatches and beautiful weather close to Nelson City.	Loyal Friend:  Read about Zane's mid-winter hunt wth Clayton Nicholl of Blenheim.
	Casting for Recovery:  NZ Celebrity Lynda Topp wth guide Bill McKenzie of Nelson. Read about CFR.

Snapper Fishing:  Check out more photo files at New Adventure.	Backcountry Hut:  Baxter & Joe Roberson, USA, at home away from home. Read Zane's Hut article.

2012-2013 Fly Fishing Options
A big thank you to those anglers who have already booked their slots with Zane & Tony for the upcoming 2012-2013 fly- fishing season ( October -April inclusive) - we appreciate it.  Please feel free to forward this email newsletter to your fishing friends. 

If you are considering making the pilgrimage down-under this fishing season, please give us a call.  We love talking fishing and can advise you of the best options and available dates.

Or go direct to our Fishing Options   or our Website homepage www.strikeadventure.com
 

June 2012 Fishing Report

Late season fishing was fun.  May was a busier month than usual for us with good results fly fishing on the Motueka River.  We have great off-peak saltwater fishing action on offer June-Sept, fishing for gurnard, tarakihi, kahawai, blue cod etc

February 2012 Newsletter

Happy New Year from Strike Adventure Fishing!
Fishing has been great!  Zane & Tony have been busy guiding anglers to every point of the compass and dry fly season is upon us...

Late season prospects are looking excellent.  The trout are big and colourful and you'll usually have the rivers all to yourself.  We've still got availability in late Feb, March and April so it's still not too late to make sure you get your unfair share of the fishing.  Give us a call and we can advise available dates for YOUR fishing adventure.

Here's a few photos to show you what our anglers got up to in January 2012.  

December 2011 Newsletter

Seasons Greetings from Strike Adventure.  We hope you have wonderful holidays and a prosperous New Year.

At Strike Adventure we're busy fishing but will have Christmas with Aimee's family in Blenheim before heading to Nelson Lakes National Park to catch up with Zane's family and for Zane to be back into the fishing on 27th December.

December has been a busy month fishing with some good trout caught despite some variable river flows.  The summer is beginning to warm up now and the trout are rising to the fly.  Here's a few photos to show what our anglers have been up to this month.

 

October 2011 Fishing Newsletter

Greetings from Strike Adventure Country….

We had a great winter here in the northern South Island with mild sunny weather and only a few cold blasts along the way. Spring is here now and river conditions are looking really good. Thanks to all our anglers who have already booked their fishing trip(s) for 2011-2012 with Zane, Tony and the Strike Adventure Guide Team.

Happiness is a Honeymoon with Trout: Janie Howe and Paul Dickson Jr, from southern USA, enjoy Janie's first ever trout on the fly. Lower Motueka River, September 21st 2011

The general fishing season opened on October 1st, right as the rain came down so the trout have had a little protection for the first few days but fine weather is predicted this week…so watch out trout! We’ll be sure to keep you updated on how the fishing is going and what opportunities are on offer over the next few months.

We’ve been out and about over the winter, with a few successful fishing and hunting trips under our belts.

Late Season Ducks: Gerald Beattie, NZ, after a successful day. Read ZM Wildside Newspaper Column: Nature saves her best for late season hunters.	Mid-Winter Trout: Rod Duke catches his first Motueka brown trout on August 1st 2011, while Lloyd McGlew looks on.  Read ZM Wildside Newspaper Column: Fishing for hardy souls.

Rugby Cup fever is full-on here in New Zealand at present with some magnificent world class rugby played so far. We’ve had 3 games here in Nelson (Italy vs Russia / USA vs Italy / Australia vs Russia) which were a great success and a lot of fun. The big games are still ahead as we move forward into the quarter and semi-finals of this huge international event. 

We've been out enjoying the rugby and having some great recreational saltwater fishing, ahead of another trout season.

Your Country Needs You: The Mirfin Family (and Uncle Sam clones) enroute to Trafalgar Park, Nelson to support the USA Eagles Rugby Team vs Italy, 27th September 2011	Recycled Metal: Zane caught this Sea Perch on a recent recreational fishing trip to D'Urville Island, with a special lure recycled from a plate that had been in his ankle for the past three years. Read ZM Wildside Column - Fish lured with aid of spare parts

We’ll have plenty of great trout photos to show you soon.  The general fishing season is now open and the world is your oyster. Are you coming fishing with us this year?

There are still plenty of opportunities for anglers considering coming fishing over the 2011-2012 season and we’d love to hear from you. 

April 2011 Fishing Newsletter

Greetings from Strike Adventure Fishing Country! We’ve been busy and the fishing has been great.

Magic Time: Steve Lennard, Brisbane, Australia, March 2011	Wilderness Adventurers: Christian Wurzinger and Christa Wuethrich, Geneva, Switzerland, March 2011

You may have heard of the February 22nd Christchurch Earthquake. While it was a real tragedy with significant loss of life, we’ve been very fortunate that our family and friends down South are all OK.  Ours thoughts are with all of those whose lives, properties and businesses have been affected.  It's probably fair to say that the two Christchurch earthquakes (September and February) didn't help South Island tourism this season. 
 
But life here goes on and nothing has changed in the northern South Island. We never felt the quake, there is no damage or disruption to our lives and it’s business as usual.  Virtually all our anglers fly into Nelson airport direct from Wellington and Auckland, and those who have come through Christchurch have experienced no disruption.  In fact, Christchurch friends tell us you wouldn't even know anything had happened out on that side of town.

The dry fly fishing here has been great in the northern South Island, with low, clear rivers and not many other anglers around. The trout have been taking terrestrial bugs with gusto over recent months. Cicada fishing has been good on wilderness streams and on local waters trout have been keying on willow grubs and passion vine hoppers.

Big Dries:  Late Summer trout can be suckers for big terrestrial dry flies.	Golden Brown: Another speckled beauty on its way home.
Local Dry Fly Action:  Kathy Wilkins hooks up on a shallow water Brownie, husband Mark enjoys the moment.	Wedded Bliss: Heidi Schambra and Adam Griesemer enjoying their honeymoon with a spot of fishing.

We’ve included a few photos of recent success and invite you to join us for some great late season fishing or to book your dates for the 2011-2012 fishing season starting October 1st. Don’t be put off by media coverage showcasing the Christchurch CBD because the trout don’t watch TV!  Please feel free to forward this email on to your fishing friends.

The A Team: Old friends Graham McDermid (L) of Christchurch and Graeme Kennerley (R) of Wellington with Graham's boys Cam and Matt, enjoy a special moment.	Quality Time:  The McDermids enjoy some father / son bonding. Cam (with fish) was only 10years old when he appeared in Zane's book Brown Trout Heaven - Fly Fishing New Zealand's South Island in 2000.
Star Angler: Patti Moore tames another wilderness beast.	Team Effort: Tony Entwistle films Patti and Dave Moore 25 years after being filmed by Dave and Patti's father Bus Entsminger.  Patti on rod, Dave on net.
Beauty...: Christa Wuethrich with a small stream prize.	...and the Beasts!: Christian Wurzinger has always enjoyed hunting and has enjoyed many fishing trips in the back country with Zane.

Drive-to-River: K.C. Bishop and Mark Nordheim experienced an 'Epic Roadtrip' catching some nice trout along the way.	Wilderness-Heli-Stream:  Mark and K.C. took the opportunity to fly into a remote stream for a day trip with Zane. The fish were on! Mark with a backcountry beauty.
Aussie Mates: Matt Wheadon and Nathan Dickens had a great 'Brown Trout Heaven' experience.  Strike Adventure has a base at St Arnaud, Nelson Lakes, with full access concessions to maximise your fishing opportunities.	Molesworth Tarns: Not many people realise we have legal guiding access to Molesworth Station, an area of approx. 600,000 acres.  We are one of only two fishing companies with a special DOC access concession.  As well as rivers, there is some first rate stillwater fishing for cruising browns in shallow water.  Nathan Dickens enjoys the alpine waters.
Pot of Gold:  Our local river, the Motueka, is a nationally significant year-round fishery.  With great riffles, runs and pools, it holds one of the greatest densities of fish of any NZ river. In Fall - Autumn, we get some great mayfly hatches.  September fishing is good too.	Stairway to Heaven:  Back country fishing is a great way to experience the best of NZ fishing.  We are experts at organising these adventures, with hundreds of awesome trips over the past 25 years.

You can read more at our website: www.strikeadventure.com

We have the latest fishing adventures on offer, comprehensive articles and newspaper columns written by Zane and Tony, new fishing photos and information about planning your next trip.  We will be working to improve and update our website over the winter so check us out from time to time.

A successful trip is not just fishing.  Here are a few non-fishing moments from the past summer:

Days End: Our accommodation options offer privacy from the madding crowd, off the main tourist routes.  We have a wide variety of options to suit the best fishing at the time.  Best of all the price is right.	Praise: Nathan reflects on a great adventure while Matt ejoys the ride home.  Sometimes getting to and from the rivers can be half the fun.
Pub Time:  Explore fun local character where you'll be the only one with an accent.  The locals are friendly and you'll have a true Kiwi experience.	First Light: Reefton was the first town in New Zealand to get electricity - and not much has changed since... Our road trips take you to unique areas without breaking the bank.
Fine Dining: Richmond and nearby Nelson City have many fine restaurants and cafes, including Richmond's Bouterey's Restaurant, Winner of Cuisine magazine's NZ Restaurant of the Year 2010 -Best Smart Dining.  Sharon and Tony Entwistle dine with Patti and Dave Moore at Bouterey's.	While...:  Aimee catches up with valued Strike Adventure anglers, Linda and David Richards, at Bouterey's, who always fish with guide Cameron Reid.

We've been doing some late season recreational fishing ourselves.  The kids have been guiding Dad lately...

Triple Success: Ike Mirfin,9, with his friends Hannah and Greta Clark of Richmond.	Crack of Dawn: You don't have to be up so early to see the sun rise in late season.
Teamwork: Rosie, Ike and Jake catch another rainbow on a recent family trip to the Cobb Reservoir, Kahurangi National Park, April 2011	Rainbow Connection: Jake Mirfin,10, with his first ever rainbow trout, assisted by Uncle Scott Mirfin, and sister Rosie,7.

Fishing is all go here at Strike Adventure Fishing and we just wanted to make sure our anglers know we're all fired up about next season and looking forward to talking to you, #Customer.FirstName#, about your next fishing trip with us.


 

January 2011 Fishing Newsletter

HAPPY NEW YEAR from www.strikeadventure.com ! It's hard to believe 2011 is here already.  We've been busy fishing and we'd like to share our fishing success with you.

First Double Digit Brownie of 2011

Happy New Year: Jon Pepper, UK 28"long, 18" girth, 10 1/4 lb brown 4th January 2011

Jon struck major snow and ice at Heathrow Airport and encountered rain and big water early in his NZ fishing sojourn but didn't let it stop him.  Skill and luck came together when he landed his biggest trout in multiple trips to NZ over the years - Well done Jon!

Blue Sky Fishing: Jon got to fish some totally new rivers this trip	Nice Brown: Jon caught trout in the 6-8lb range as well.

The Cicadas are Popping

It's official, the trout are on the cicadas!  there's just nothing like large brown trout slurping down big terrestrial dry flies to get your heart pumping.  Fishing in February, March & April should be HOT!

Cicada Time: Jon took this great photo of a typical brownie with a ZM cicada still intact.	Hot New Dry Fly: NZ's Manic Tackle markets some great trout flies.  this Mirfz BLT (Black Little Thing) #16 worked well on East Coast waters.  There are other ZM patterns in the Manic Tackle range that you can buy from us here at Strike Adventure.

Fishing Before Christmas

We've had some great fishing trips since the last newsletter...Here's an adventure selection:

Dale is one of the most experienced anglers to visit NZ waters annually.  We had some great heli-wilderness fishing on both sides of the Southern Alps, fishing the dry fly.

Exciting Heli-Pickup: Landing on boulders is all part of the fun.	Magic Kahurangi: Kahurangi National Park has some great rivers running through it.
Awesome West Coast Day: Blue Sky, clear waters, large trout!	Awesome West Coast Brownie: See...Large Trout
Guides-eye View: A little morning fog obscures our river. Dale's in the front seat of the helicopter.	Nice One Dale: Another big West Coast brown is tamed.

Murray is a New Zealander who lives in the North Island - This was Murray's second trip with us this season.  We fished the western rivers on an epic road trip including a great overnight heli-campout on a remote river.

Leopard Spotted Browns: West coast fish can be beautifully coloured trout.  Murray holds a representative specimen.	Gunsight Pass: Murray navigates a few boulders and catches trout en route to our campsite.
Fish-eye View: Trout are beautiful creatures that live in pristine waters.	Tent camp: Nice soft moss made for s great camping spot.
Roadside Trout: Murray with a more accessible trout.	Staring at the Embers: Murray contemplates the day of fishing with a cup of red wine.

 

Bill Classon of the Australian fishing Network, publisher of Freshwater Fishing, Sportfishing Australia, Yak Fisher, Flyfisher, Fishing Gear Guide and Sportfish DVD Magazine is a great guy to spend time with.  We rafted big rivers, fished a lake, and made a DVD magazine clip with cameraman and top-angler, Chris Parkinson

 

Raft time: Zane Mirfin and Bill Classon at Lake Haupiri.  Thanks for the photo Chris.	Christmas Venison: Steve Young and friend.

Blenheim GP Steve Young is a busy man.  We had a drive-to overnight campout on a wilderness river.  Steve caught some nice trout and obtained some Christmas venison.

Walt & Paul were fishing the length of the South Island with our guide buddy Otago's Selwyn Shanks, but had time for a few days fishing St James & Molesworth Stations with Strike Adventure.

 

Magnificent: The East Coast has some fabulous trout water.	East Coast Success: Walt with another brownie.

Ted treated himself to some fishing after a tour of NZ Academia.  We fished the rivers of Nelson Lakes at Brown Trout Heaven during some inclement weather.  Ted's best trout was an 8lb'er from the Owen River.

Molesworth Magic: Paul hooks up on the Acheron River.	Ted's Most Excellent trout: Ted enjoys an Owen moment.

 

February, March & April 2011 Fishing?

It's not too late to plan your February, March or April fishing trip to NZ!  If you're still thinking of fishing NZ in 2011 -we still have availability over the coming months and can advise the best trip options based on the latest river intelligence.

There is no need to stay at expensive accommodation when we can take you to the best places for the best trout in the northern half of the South Island.  Our fishing trips are a unique offering.  Give us a call and we'll guarantee you a great adventure.

Please feel free to email this newsletter to your friends or get them to subscribe on our website for future newsletters.  All our contact details are on our website
www.strikeadventure.com
 

November 2010 Fishing Newsletter

Fishing Season opened on 1st October to high rivers from recent rains.  Joe Roberson from Northern California was our first fishing customer starting his week's fishing on 4th October.

North Canterbury Brown	West Coast Gold

 

Big Water Magic	Restaurant Empty: Joe & Zane toast a great fishing trip

Since then we've had some great days out. November and December fishing booking have picked up nicely and there are some excellent trout around.  This bodes well for fishing January-April.  If you're thinking of coming over fishing this year, we still have availability and can advise the best trip options based on the latest river intelligence.  Give us a call and we'll guarantee a great adventure.
 

First Fish: Murray Creighton's season opener.	Every Angler's Dream: Murray in action again.

At this stage of the season we've guided our anglers on Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast, and North Canterbury trout streams and rivers.  We've landed fish to 9 1/2 lb but are expecting bigger as the season progresses.  Our local rivers like the Motueka are fishing well and there are exciting roadside fishing opportunities if anglers are looking to keep the cost down and by-pass heli-fishing.  Best of all, we've had the run of the rivers having hardly seen another angler!
 

Fish On: Murray Creighton hooks up yet again.	Emerald Pool: Joe Roberson in action.

As it's Zane's and Tony's birthday month, and Zane's 25th Anniversary of guiding anglers in the Northern South Island, we have a special offer. For all new bookings before 30th November 2010 there will be no charge for hire equipment required by anglers. 

Our fly selection offer was popular last time too, so any new booking of three of more days before the end of November also receives our special silver anniversary selection of Zane Mirfin's & Tony Entwistle's favourite dozen trout flies.
 

September 2010 Newsletter

Are You Fly Fishing New Zealand’s South Island in 2010-2011?
Greetings from Zane, Aimee, Tony & the Strike Adventure Guide Team.

Thanks to all of you who emailed to see if we were OK after the Earthquake on Saturday 4th September.  We're all fine and the earthquake fortunately didn't affect our area.  We wish our customers and friends in Canterbury all the best in getting back to normal and are glad that everyone is safe.

Talking Fishing...we thought you’d be really interested to see what our fishing customers were catching last season…
 

2009-2010 Fishing Highlights

Last season was fabulous – we caught more large trout than ever before. Mouse-fed trout put exciting bends in rods and pulled scales down to maximum weights. We caught plenty of normal NZ fish too!

Jim Stievater, USA – Great bloke with a great attitude who caught great fish up to 13 ½ lb.	Bill Jeans & Mark Parker, Australia – Bill broke his rod in half fighting his big 12 ½ lb trout in heavy water, but we landed it anyway.
Mary & Keith Crane, Australia, have been fishing NZ for decades but Tony Entwistle guided them both onto their record NZ trout.	As Mary told Zane in her email "Just a couple of small ones - half an hour and 2O metres apart, both exactly 11.75lbs and both on our last cast of the day".

New Look Website

Aimee has been working hard on our new look website at www.strikeadventure.com Our 'Articles & Videos' section is full of fun and educational fishing articles written by Zane Mirfin & Tony Entwistle over the past decade, with more being added every week for your reading enjoyment.

Read about Tony 'the Red baron' (remember Zane wrote this story before Tony guided the Cranes to their big trout)
 

Guide Tony Entwistle: The 'Red Baron' of New Zealand Fly Fishing	Guide Cameron Reid: A busy day at the office.
Strike Adventure Award for Excellence 2010: Zane presents guide Bill McKenzie with his trophy.	Last Cast: Brian Chambers, Australia, and guide Martin de Ruyter with an 11lb friend.

Our guide team had many highlights too, Cameron Reid won most of the trophies at the Nelson Trout Fishing Club annual awards, Bill McKenzie won the Strike Adventure Award for Excellence 2010 and Martin de Ruyter’s highlight – last cast of the trip and first double-figure trout as a guide!
 

Spring News

It’s been all go here at Strike Adventure! We’ve been training, tying flies, renewing commercial access concessions,permits & insurances; updating first aid certificates and a thousand other essential tasks to make your fishing trip look easy. We’re ready for the start of the fishing season come October 1st.

Fishing Prospects 2010-2011

It’s been the mildest winter for years with a light snowpack meaning rivers will be low and clear right from the start of the season. Mouse populations should have over-wintered well and we’re expecting more big trout again this season. We still have availability on a first-come basis so give us a call now to check out available dates and best 2010-2011 moon-phases.
 

'Famous' Zane Mirfin Road Trips are Back

Zane can't wait to get back on the road again in search of the best fishing and the best adventure. Join him again this season in search of the holy grail of New Zealand fly fishing. Limited availability so you'll need to book your dates soon.
Read about Road Trips here.



Locally Produced: Zane with an 11lb Brown Trout, January 2010

We'd love to take you fishing in 2010-2011 and welcome you back to our beautiful New Zealand rivers. We're only a phone-call or an email away and always keen to talk fishing and advise on options and opportunities for the upcoming season.

Back to HOME Page