Fly-Fishing in New Zealand is a well written and comprehensive guide to how to fly fish. The book is best suited to those new to the sport through to intermediate fly-fishers. It is however a wealth of information that even the experience fly angler will find useful.
There are many very readable books available on fly-fishing. These typically share the author’s lifetime of experiences, theories and some practical advice. Fly-Fishing in New Zealand is not one of these but more in the nature of a field manual on how to fish for trout with the fly rod.
In my experience, starting out fly-fishing is similar to an apprenticeship. Beginner anglers typically have to invest many hours learning the art before they can begin to regularly catch fish unless they have the great good fortune to stumble upon a spawning run or insect hatch where almost anyone could catch at fish.
Derek Grzelewski recommends those new to fly-fishing engage a guide to learn the basics. This is sound advice but the challenge for the new angler is to recall everything learned from a day’s guided fishing the next time they head out. What flies to use, lures, nymphs or drys? What size, colour and weight? Where are the likely places in the river or lake to find the fish? What cast and where to cast to get the right drift. Are the trout actively feeding and if yes, on what? These and a myriad of other questions answered in this book provide the unique appeal of fly-fishing for trout.
Fly-Fishing In New Zealand, What You Need to Know should be a very useful source for new a and intermediate anglers to help them through their fly-fishing apprenticeship.
Reviewed by Andrew White, keen fisherman.
Bateman Books