The best thing about fly fishing is the new friends you make on the way to chasing libidinous Tongariro steelhead in New Zealand, monster rainbows in private Scottish Lochs, bad tempered pike in English Rivers, good natured rainbows in Ireland, restless sockeye Salmon in British Columbia … for a travel writer, it’s all research, you see. Work just never stops.
This section reviews some of the world’s most beautiful rivers, that provide nourishment for the human spirit and their adjoining lodges that provide accompanying sustenance for the body. The lodges where you can take your young family, or your older family – especially the son in his twenties who never calls, or the gen Y daughter with tattoos she can’t show her father … you know the score. Get to know them again and relive favourite experiences while you can. And if the kids are too busy, take along a few old friends. Sit by the fire with a single malt and a good book and make up fishing stories. Works for me.
It helps if you have a lodge or accommodation where you can feel welcome, whether you’re in a new five star luxury unit with spa and a river view, or an old shearers’ cabin with kerosene fridge which the host remembered to turn on, as they threw with some well used soap in the outdoor shower.
For new fishing waters it also helps to have a guide who enjoys the job – and remembers to bring a camera in case you fluke that magic ten pounder.
This is where we review the best spots and the best hosts to share them with.