| Monday: | Paul Arden |
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| Tuesday: | Graeme Christie |
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| Wednesday: | Tracy&James |
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| Thursday: | Martyn White |
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| Friday: | Mika Lappalainen |
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| Saturday: | Rickard Gustafsson |
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| Sunday: | David Siskind |
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Hang on to your shorts
Monday, 3 August 2026
I have a couple of slots available for fly casting coaching. So if you want coaching directly from me then please email or WhatsApp. These slots don’t come up very often!
It’s possible to do the compete course that I’ve been giving for the past 7 years, which I would thoroughly recommend. It takes about a year and you will become a truly outstanding and complete flycaster as a result.
I don’t only coach “elite” casters!!!! I know that a few are surprised by this, but I coach and enjoy coaching ALL levels of ability, and of course welcome everyone!
No Follows. Nada.
Tuesday, 4 August 2026
A ridge of high pressure sat over the North Island this weekend and gave the Waikato a proper winter's day: a 1°C frost to start, fine, light winds. No excuses in the weather. Snow is hitting coastal cities in the South Island as I finish writing this now. NZ is cold at present. Back to the fishing story and to the lower Waikato for round two, below Huntly this time, working the new spots off the latest map. The list of spots is now three maps long.
Data Manipulation
Wednesday, 5 August 2026
Many years ago, at the beginning of my career, I remember being in a technical meeting with some colleagues when one turned to me and whispered, with a cheeky grin, “if you want a straight line you should only make two measurements”. He was, of course, joking and it was more of a sarcastic comment on the quality of the data analysis that was being presented to us at the time by a scientist who should have known better. What brought this anecdote back to mind was some conversations regarding the scoring at the Game Fair competition a couple of weeks back.
Spectral
Thursday, 6 August 2026
Just a quick one from me this week as I'm walking the West Highland Way, soaked and more focused on my blisters than fishing. But I am going mullet fishing soon, so it's
spectra shrimp.
When bar is set high
Friday, 7 August 2026
We arrived late Saturday evening to Kraddsele and had nice dinner from friends. We have small cottage with table and beds, there is coffee machine yet cooking, toilet and shower are in other building. Really nice cabin for sleep, and have morning coffee as it is only purpose to be inside.
Sunday I went check upper part of Vindelån, not really up part yet area which requires walking pretty much. I took bicycle and shortened time to reach area. I found a lot rising trout yet small ones. I saw few bigger fish rising yet either on other side or totally in middle, so out reach. Wind died totally during evening and there was even hatch yet I couldn't find decent trout. I got one small up. It was absolutely peaceful day by the river.
Skills learned via Paul’s curriculum
Saturday, 8 August 2026
When I started to work with Paul I didn’t really know what I wanted to learn in fly casting, or specifically single handed casting. So everything seemed like a good start. Well more distance was off course a goal. My main fishing is blind casting for seatrout a long the coast. Distance and fighting the wind is hard to avoid then. But the rest of the things I didn’t know specifically when I would need, but nice things to have in the toolbox. So I was a bit surprised that it seems like almost everyone else working with Paul is shot taking saltwater anglers. I think that if you are a stream fisherman you want everything that Paul offers in the curriculum.
Please Don’t Stop
Sunday, 2 August 2026
Conditions at the beach and home limited me last week but I got out a couple of times. Despite forecasts of a substantial swell I imagined the full moon would bring grunion in close. I went out Thursday at dawn and fished a green and white clouser in the incoming tide. I paired the overweight SA Sonar 6 wt with my HT8 instead of the HT6 I usually take to the beach. It handled the clouser nicely. I didn’t see any signs of bait in close - two moons ago I saw cormorants slurping grunions and strange big tails. Not this time but an hour in I saw a few corbina in the swash and switched to casting a pink merkin crab at them. The fish were showing randomly, in differing postures, and the big surf created enough foam to make spotting and following them difficult. No one ate. I went out Friday filled with hope, but fewer fish showed and I’m pretty sure I didn’t show anyone my fly. Still starting the day on the beach is a joy.
