Today, the plan was to fish small creeks and a section of the main river which holds good numbers of small trout and to try get some filming done. It gets quite busy over the summer months down here in New Zealand (especially the South Island), so for once we decided to escape the crowds, feel no pressure or need to beat someone to the spot! We thought it would be quite cool to do something different and just enjoy ourselves.
As we were working the water, picking up fish after fish on dries, something caught my attention in the head of the run, right in the corner on the other side. Sure enough, there he was just sitting, with no idea we were there. When I look back at the footage we picked up quite a few browns just bellow this fish, but he sat there undisturbed… Equipped with light gear (Airflo fiberglass 3wt, 5x tippet and no backing on my reel) I knew it will be quite hard if not impossible. But what the hell could possibly be the worst thing that could happen?!… spooked or lost fish, broken rod? Well, it’s part of the beautiful game called fly fishing… So let’s do it!
Photos: Jason Kelly. Check him out on Instagram @jasonckelly!
Text and edit: Jakub Kanok. Check him out on Instagram @jakub_kanuk_dtd!
Drone footage: Andrew Little
