Heli Fishing Reefton Delivers Big Browns Once Again
I developed our Reefton Heli program well over a decade ago and I felt compelled to do so for a variety of reasons. While there are some truly superb trout lodges on the South Island, for me personally, I’ve always felt them to be a bit too structured in terms of the daily schedule and having to adhere to it. A couple of them are very high end and when staying at these excellent facilities, I often feel like a square peg in a round hole, having to watch what I say and making sure that I don’t accidentally drop a F bomb, etc. Another major reason why I put the Reefton program together was because at the lodges, you can have a drink with the guides back at the lodge after fishing and then you don’t see them again until the next morning when they come to pick you up. I never felt that one drink after fishing was an adequate time to deconstruct the days events with my guide and I kept feeling like I was missing out on opportunities to learn more if I could spend more time with these remarkable NZ fishing guides. 15 years in and the guides who work for me on the South Island, and in particular, in Reefton, are dear friends whose friendships I value enormously. My Reefton weeks have always been set up where the guides drink, socialize, and have dinner with us every night. This creates a really special après fishing environment for the clients, where the time off the water is every bit as much fun as when we are in the helicopter or on the river fishing. It’s a powerful combination that creates a unique and exceptional client experience, that goes well beyond just catching fish.
Another big reason why I love the Reefton area for trips is because its strategically located between the mountains of the Lewis Pass and the west coast. The enormous Beech forest that stretches between much of this area, offers an incredible assortment of rivers that hold some of the largest Brown Trout in the country. This area is strictly a Brown Trout fishery and the only way a Rainbow Trout may be caught during the Reefton week, is if we fly over the Lewise Pass, into Canterbury, which we will occasionally do, depending on the weather and river conditions. Many of this area’s rivers are quite physically challenging and Reefton is not a place for bad back, bum knees or hip issues. You have to be relatively fit and ready to walk over uneven terrain for the entire day. It’s definitely not for everyone! But for those who are up to the task, the angling rewards are many. The Reefton area rivers will range from small intimate tributaries streams to large rivers that can span over 50 yards in places. Most of them are anywhere from 15-25 yards across, with decent locations where you can cross from one side to the other. Average water depth varies from river to river and most of the time we are fishing in water that is three feet deep or less. Almost all of the fishing is dry fly and by far the majority of the week is spent sight casting to specific Browns, the way saltwater anglers’ sight fish to bonefish. The water is gin clear, offering remarkable visibility for anglers casting to fish. Only if a fish refuses to come up for dries, with multiple pattern changes, will the guide finally relent and switch up to a nymph with an indicator. Four of my six guests this year landed their personal best Brown Trout during the week and the two who didn’t, had landed their personal bests in Reefton the year before. The week is of such high caliber that its usually a third to 50% filled with repeat guests.
The 2027 week at Reefton is already fully booked out.
