FLOG

New Zealand continues to pollute itself

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:59:23 +1300

How does 875,000 litres per day of diluted effluent sound to you? - a big load of shit?

Well that’s only the beginning. Three companies have applied to establish massive factory farms in the Mackenzie Country, housing 18,000 dairy cows in cubicle stables. The site is just outside Omarama - the catchment for the Ahuriri river and lake Benmore, an area that is renowned for it’s rugged beauty and world class angling.

Three companies – Williamson Holdings Ltd, Southdown Holdings and Five Rivers Ltd are each applying for land use consents and effluent discharge consents to establish a total of 16 new farms, housing nearly 18,000 cows in cubicle shelters for 24 hours a day, 8 months of the year.

Williamson Holdings Limited – CRC100227, CRC100475, CRC100478, CRC100479 & CRC101541 Applications for activities associated with three new dairy farms at Killermont Station, near Omarama, with a maximum of 3,850 cows. Cows will be housed in cubicle stables from March to October, and for 12 hours a day from November to February. Involves the discharge of 308,000 litres per day of diluted effluent onto land.

Southdown Holdings Limited – CRC100224, CRC100480, CRC100481, CRC100482 & CRC101542 Applications for activities associated with six new dairy farms at Glen Eyre Downs, Omarama, with a maximum of 7,000 cows. Cows will be housed in cubicle stables from March to October, and for 12 hours a day from November to February. Involves the discharge of up to 560,000 litres per day of diluted effluent onto land.
Five Rivers Limited – CRC100787, CRC100788, CRC100824, CRC100827 & CRC101540
 Applications for activities associated with six new dairy farms at Ohau Downs, Omarama, with a maximum of 7,000 cows. Cows will be housed in cubicle stables from March to October, and for 12 hours a day from November to February. Involves the discharge of up to 875,000 litres per day of diluted effluent onto land.

Ok - now read that again and add up the combined effluent discharge that is being applied for...

...I just about shat myslef too

I find it absolutely incredible, incredibly selfish and unbelievably greedy that private enterprise would even consider making a buck at our expense.
These companies show a total disregard for all New Zealanders that enjoy the outdoors and take pride in our natural heritage

It’s laudable that this proposal has even seen the light of day - it's bad news for water quality, animal welfare, our iconic high country landscapes and our (ahem) clean, green image.

Please take 2 minutes to make an online submission, it’s very simple to do and your opinion really does count

Here’s how - http://www.greens.org.nz/actionalerts/action-alert-factory-farming-mackenzie-country

New Sage 99 series Fly Rods

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 12:03:32 +1300

When Sage’s Marc Bale described the new Sage 99 series as ‘a real Cadillac ride’ I couldn’t help but smile.
But after my demo arrived and I got to throw a line through it that smile turned into a full on grin - this thing is a thunder stick.

At 9 feet 9 inches long the 99’s are specifically designed for nymphing and throwing the big weights that tend to go with subsurface fishing. The 99s feature oversized guides placed to make stack mending, shake-out and line feeding easier.

It’s an interesting beast; first off the rod is designed to flex more into the middle sections which will apparently (more on this shortly) create a wider loop - desirable to help avoid the birds nests that tend to go with those two and three fly nymphing rigs. I like this action - it feels like a very powerful yet smooth rod.
Second, the tip is comparatively stiff which improves responsiveness and contributes to the overall lively feel of the rod.

Now, about that ‘designed to create a wider wide loop’ bit - As a casting instructor I’m duty bound to scoff at that. As any caster knows it’s basic body mechanics that dictate how wide or narrow a loop is formed off a rod tip - any rod tip, regardless of action.
If you want to control your loop size, learn to cast and you’ll be throwing any loop size from just about any rod you can imagine. If you want lazer like loops from a 99, you can do ‘em no problems.

That bit of marketing mumbo jumbo dispelled, I have to say the 99 is my new favorite rod, it’s a fun rod to throw and i love it. My standard 9ft stick felt distinctively club-like after taking the 99 for a ride.
The combination of additional length, fast tip and deeper action (yes, I know what you're thinking. This is not the start of a bad joke) make for a truly unique stick that stands out from almost every other rod I’ve tried.
The Sage 99 is an innovative design and if you’re after something a bit special, a bit different, you won’t be disappointed - mine’s not going back.

Check out the 99 rage at Sage Fly Fishing

McNeils Mad Mouse

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 08:07:09 +1300

When Rene over at Manic Tackle wanted a mouse pattern it was pretty obvious we weren’t going to use the one i tied in the film.
So over a barrage of emails we set to work designing the worlds funkiest mouse pattern. And yes, there actually was some thought and design put into this pattern - some
Notice the aerodynamic ears and rubber legs - I have no idea how the red eyes got there...

I reckon this is by far the best mouse pattern out there, and I should know - I’m the ‘mouse guy’. Believe it or not you can thrown this puppy on a 6# no problems (see, those aerodynamic ears do make a difference)
Big ups to Rene for getting cool shit like this to market.

...Just never ask me to tie you one

McNeils Mad Mouse is distributed by Manic Tackle - you can see it on Rene’s excellent site www.manictackleproject.com

Nevis Wild Rivers Day

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 08:06:43 +1300

Over the weekend of November 28th right across the country the organisations involved with Wild Rivers held a "Day on a Wild River" to help everybody understand the beauty and importance of New Zealand's remaining wild rivers. Events included raft and kayak descents, fishing, bush walks and tours, environmental talks, picnics and bbqs.

Our local Wild River event focused on the Nevis River - the level of support and turnout was outstanding with over 200 people enjoying perfect weather in the breathtaking Nevis Valley.

Get active and show your support by visiting these websites:

Support the Wild Rivers Coalition
Save the Nevis

once in a blue moon wins drake film comp’

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:05:29 +1300

Once in a Blue Moon took out the award for ‘Best Film’ at the 2009 Drake Fly Fishing Film Competition at the Denver Show - Cool huh

Check out the Once in a Blue Moon winning clip on YouTube

Bugs!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:31:40 +1300

If you’ve not checked out Jason Neuwswanger’s troutnut.com - you really should take a look. The site a jam-packed with incredible macro photography of the insects that makeup trouts (and other species) diet.
The big news for us is that Jason has agreed to collaborate on the the ‘4 on the Fly’ series and his awesome photography will feature in each of the four films - sweet!

Copyright - Jason Neuwswanger - TROUTNUT.COM

We're on the Patagonia site

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:00:38 +1300

The nice people at Patagonia Outdoor Clothing asked to use one of our clips from ‘Once in a Blue Moon’ on their Tin Shed site. We umm’d and ahh’d for about 2 nano seconds and said yes!
You can find our clip by going to the Tin Shed and clicking on the fly box, once this comes up click on the video camera Icon and you’ll see us there - in blazing HD glory. Nice

Fantastic Fish

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:28:05 +1300

Incredible as it seems, this gorgeous brown trout is not a photograph - it’s a painting; and it comes from the brush of renowned New Zealand Artist Martin Simpson.

This is just one of a collection of gobsmackingly beautiful fish painted by Martin. We’re delighted to announce that Martin has agreed to work with us to feature these amazing artworks on the covers of our 4 Seasons On The Fly DVD’s. There’ll be one unique painting for each season - we’re stoked!
Check out more of Martins art at his website

New Toys

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +1300

Well, you really know you’re committed (or should be) and underway when courier packages start to arrive at the doorstep.
We’re taking delivery of plenty of new toys for the project. The new HVX has arrived along with a 64gig P2 card, which will double our continuous shooting time.

The editing suite has been upgraded and is now running Final Cut Studio 3 (FCP 7) - it looks great!. DVD studio pro now has Blu Ray capability so we’ll be churning a few of those babies out for sure.

Also on the way from Japan is a new HD P.O.V cam, this will be pimped out to build a kickarse pole cam which will really increase our underwater filming capability. The Amphibico is great, but it’s just too big for those sneaky fish shots we love so much.

I’ve also modded out the crane with a gybmal and Manfroto bowl mount so we can level it just about anywhere - so expect some very funky crane shots in the 4otf series. ...No it’s not a motorized head like the one below - but this was the first decent crane photo I could find....

Brian O’keefe

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:54:24 +1200

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few years, Brian O’keefe should need no introduction.
http://brianokeefephotos.com

Brian’s images and writing have featured in the Los Angeles Times; the New York Times; the Miami Herald; USA Today and many others. He has had cover shots in: Field & Stream; Outdoor Life; Fly Fisherman; Fly, Rod and Reel; Fly Fishing Salt Waters; Fly and Fish Magazine; Outside Magazine and Mens Journal.

More recently Brian broke new ground with the launch of Catch Magazine, an online periodical featuring stunning stories, photography and video from around the globe.
www.catchmagazine.net - if you haven’t signed up to receive this beautiful publication, you’re missing out on something very special indeed.

We’re delighted that Brian has been good enough to agree to be involved with the 4onthefly series - His beautiful images will feature in each of the films along with a special features section taking a closer look at Brian and his stunning photography.

www.catchmagazine.net