Pure Fly NZ

Lake Otamangakau provides wilderness fishing to the southwest of Lake Taupo. It is set is high in moorland and has a stark, barren beauty and sense of isolation. In the first Epsiode of Pure Fly NZ we visit The Big O with Andrew Harding & Matt Hince. The lake lives up to its reputation for big, wily trout but with some good old-fashioned hard work and persistence the boys both land enormous trout.

Southland, as the name suggests, is the Southern area of land on the South Island, and it is well known for producing quality angling. Episode 2 of Pure Fly NZ sees the team head into the deep south following a hot tip about trout in the Southland estuaries feeding aggressively on a large run of smelt (tiny bait fish) on their annual spawning migration.

The Yellowtail Kingfish is NZ's premier sport fish and they grow to massive proportions. It is one of those species that has it all, they often aggregate in good numbers, they fight incredibly hard and they look spectacular. In this episode, Julian Danby & Anton Donaldson shine a light on the exciting world of saltwater fly fishing, targeting hard fighting Kingfish in the shallows of Golden Bay.

When most people think of fishing the Rangitikei River, they associate it with fishing pristine headwaters found in the remote Kaimanawa Forest Park. This episode sees Cory Scott & Chris Sharland venture deep into the Kaimanawas courtesy of the team at Helisika Helicopters for some challenging but ultimately rewarding remote headwater fishing.

Out of New Zealand's most popular trout rivers, the Tauranga Taupo River is the most unique of all. It's loved by fly fishers for its ease of access, the length of season, and high number of fish. Episode 5 sees Andrew Harding team up with Rene Vaz of Manic Tackle Project on the popular river. The fishing is certainly fast and furious in this one!

Located in the Southwestern corner of New Zealand's South Island, The Otago Lakes district is home to some of the country's most wild and dramatic scenery. In the next episode of Pure Fly NZ, we follow Jeff Foresee & Ronan Creane as they chase the bright, fresh run fish of Autumn. These guys are best mates but hail from opposite ends of the world and they both now call New Zealand home.

Undoubtedly, the quintessential kiwi fly fishing experience is to be found on crystal clear rivers, deep in the beech forests of the South Island. Episode 7 sees Mike Kirkpatrick and Jack Kós fishing the famed Kahurangi, an epic slice of back country New Zealand that is home to a large number of trophy brown trout.

The first day of October signals the start of the main fishing season in New Zealand. In the final episode of Pure Fly NZ's first season we head to the mecca of the sport, Southland with Mike Davis & Sam Yule to take in the excitement of this quintessential kiwi event, and bag some stunning footage in the process. There's action a plenty, and a lot of laughs.