Dear fellow angler, welcome to WANAKA FLY FISHING ACADEMY, where passion for trout and fly fishing blends with excellence and know-how. And this is how it all began, on a trout river near Wanaka, New Zealand.

Client, casting"I've been fishing all my life."

Guide grumbling to himself: "And, have you ever caught anything?"

The guide was at the end of his tether. His hands were bleeding from the thorns of the matagouri bush which his clients flyline found on everyother backcast, and though the day was sunny, frustration around the two was thicker than a winter fog. The fish were rising everywhere but the client just could not get a fly out to them.

The guide longed for the client to catch these fish the way a chef wants to satisfy a dinner guest but it was as if the guest's hands were tied. He could watch the feast before him but could neither touch nor taste any of it. In growing despair the guide began casting for the client, passing the rod over each time, and in the end they had a few fumbled hook-ups. The drive back to the lodge seemed longer than usual, the windscreen wipers still working hard against the snowstorm of insects.

"I can't believe this. It was sooo frustrating!" the client said.

"For you too?" said the guide. "Hatches like this are rare. This should have been the day of days."

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't know fly fishing in New Zealand was so hard, and so....exciting."

"It's as good as it gets. And as hard. That's why even guides have to practice to stay sharp. Our trout are no fools"

"Now I know. I feel like I've come to the altar and was found wanting," the client said and the guide did not disagree. They drove in silence, the client calculating and mulling over something.

"Listen", he exclaimed a while later. "Would you teach me how to fish, from scratch? I've got a few days left in New Zealand, and I'll adjust my itinerary. Put a program together for me, three days, five days, I don't care whatever it takes. I just never want to go through this frustration again.

And he never did. 

Derek Grzelewski, the guide in question, got in touch with his fellow Wanaka guides Craig Smith and Ian Cole, and drawing on their combined experience they put together a learn-to-flyfish program that became the foundation of  the Wanaka Fly Fishing Academy. The client, both motivated and delighted by how much more there was to fly fishing, followed the program meticulously.

A week later, on another river and in the midst of a much less spectacular mayfly hatch, he was picking the fish off with the confidence of a pro.

"You've been fishing all your life", Derek teased him. 

"No", he smiled. "I've only just started, but I love it, more than I ever thought possible". 

Where are you at with your fly fishing? Is your casting letting you down? Presentation not all it could be? Or perhaps you're just beginning this journey of discovery that is both an adventure and an art?

Wherever you find yourself now we can take you further, to the next level and beyond. Casting, river craft, presentation, etiquette, entomology, fly tying, knots, equipment, and more. We offer a distillation of thousands of hours of our own river days into the unique single malt that is fly fishing.

We invite you to join one of our Fly fishing seminars designed to bring out the best in you, while enjoying every step of the journey. Come, invest in yourself, as we show you the whole new world of fly fishing and share our passion for trout with you.