Pure Fly NZ

The pairing of Cory Scott and Chris Sharland have been a mainstay for the first two series of Pure Fly NZ, we team them up again for another hilarious adventure into the wilds of the North Island's backcountry. What should be a simple foray for some 'easy' wild rainbows turns into another roller coaster ride of emotions.

The New Zealand trout season of 2020 was one of the best years for big trout in living memory, a beech tree masting event led to a massive mouse plague that the trout took full advantage of. Veteran fishing guides Mike Kirkpatrick and Hans Kreuer journey to a river that has been producing a lot of big brown trout. The results are mind-blowing even for these seasoned anglers.

High in the alpine tiers at the base of the Andes Mountains is a lake that has gained a reputation for producing rainbow trout of incredible sizes. Most fishermen know it by its nickname 'Jurassic Lake'. We travel there with Nick Reygaert and his good mate Craig Rist for a week's fishing. The first few days are plagued by relentless wind but once it drops the fishing goes into hyperdrive.

This episode features Rene Vaz, Yohsi Nakagawa, Cam Forsman, Nick Reygaert and Chris Reygaert as they explore the surprising variety of winter trout fishing available in New Zealand to the enterprising angler, proving that in NZ the season never really ends!

For hardcore salt fly anglers, a big kingfish on fly is probably NZ's greatest challenge. To put the odds in our own favour we took the Pure Fly NZ crew of Anto Hall and Jeff Forsee on a huge mission 60km offshore to Manawatāwhi/Three Kings Islands and put our tackle to the ultimate test on some huge kingfish and trevally.

In a new concept for Pure Fly NZ, we pit two rivers against each other. The first, the Hutt River that flows right through an urbanised area in Upper Hutt very close to the nation's capital. The other river, a remote backcountry system that requires a great amount of time and expense to access. The same two anglers, Andrew Harding and Peter de Boer spend a day on each river.

The lakes of MacKenzie Country offer spectacular scenery and are also fantastic trout fisheries. The duo of Jeff Forsee and Ronan Creane, Pure Fly NZ regulars, take a late season foray to these spectacular waters. These two gun anglers love their lake fishing for trout and with their expertise and passion we find some hot lake-edge action.

Every year the number of female anglers participating in fly fishing is increasing. Hannah Clement and Sharna Parker, are two young women living the dream and leading the charge. These two fish together whenever their busy lives allow and we were lucky enough to tag along on an epic, multi-day adventure deep into the South Island backcountry.