The Weekly Five - 40
32 Fahrenheit in October
EXPLORATION ANGLING TWF:40
Welcome to The Weekly Five, Issue 40. We’re gearing up for half an inch of snow on the ground this week. If I were writing from Bozeman, that wouldn’t be a surprise — but I’m sitting in Wanaka, New Zealand, listening to heavy rain hit the roof. Again. Good to get it all out of the way in October, I guess.
We’ve had three fierce storms roll over our little South Pacific paradise in the past seven days, with angry winds downing trees and knocking out power in remote areas. But hot weather is on the way — or so they say. The local trout won’t stay safe for much longer.
If you’re heading down to New Zealand, you could do a lot worse than to study the angling craft of jet-setting duo, Tuva Bjerketvedt and Vebjørn Kielland, in their South Island series shot during the summer of 2024. This is the last of their NZ videos and features some heavily pressured water.
At Southflyfisher, we’re tackling some reel reviews this week. The chat has already started about preferred drag systems in saltwater fly reels: sealed disc drag or the old reliable cork drag. If you’re new to this, disc drags use friction from materials like carbon fiber to create smooth, precise resistance (unless saltwater sneaks in). Cork drags, on the other hand, use a bar that presses a cork plate against the spool, providing a robust and often very durable drag — and they’re easy to rinse. We’ve also kicked off a compulsory poll — give us your vote!
Hungarian custom rod maker Stickman Rods isn’t widely known beyond the serious gearheads. These ultra-premium fly rods feature finely tuned blanks rolled by Maxia in Spain, then finished by expert hands back in Hungary. The highly respected Ti6 (below) is a perfect match for New Zealand’s big backcountry browns. Order in advance — there’s a 2 to 3 month lead time.
A destination chat with some mates turned to the subject of chasing Jacks off the Texas coast. The underrated Crevalle jacks (Caranx hippos) to be precise, a worthy GT substitute. Here’s a Texas teaser from RA Beattie (one of our favorite fly fishing film directors) and the crew at Off the Grid Studios.
Speaking of geets, five of us are off to explore a ridiculously remote atoll next year. A quick whip around the group this week revealed some serious early excitement. More so after talking to a village local this weekend who confirmed the big GTs hang right outside the lagoon entrance. We have space for one more to join us.
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