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- If you were on the Tongariro River on the morning of Sunday 12th November, you would have noticed about 40 women fly fishing under the guidance of experienced mentors. These were the participants experiencing ‘on water’ mentoring as part of the 2nd Women on The Fly NZ workshop hosted at the Tongariro and Lake Taupo Angling Club Inc. (TALTAC) in Turangi. 40 workshop participants from across the North Island and one from the South Island attended the two-day workshop. Many of them were beginner and novice fly fishers. Registrations came from the WoTF NZ community via social media, a growing email list and word-of-mouth. Remarkably, no external promotion was required to fill the available spots which filled quickly due to heavy demand. The post-event feedback survey tells us that the participant’s motivations for attending included:
● Experiencing or reconnecting with fly fishing
● Making friends with other women who fish
● Boosting confidence in their fishing ability
● Increasing skills, knowledge and gaining practical tips
Overall there was a very high level of satisfaction with the highlights being the quality of the learning, the energy and enthusiasm of the group, and the feeling of connection and community. Insights from the post-event survey helped us identify areas of strength such as learning and social interactions, and as well as areas for potential improvement, including more focus on gear setup and additional river time. Saturday consisted of a rotating series of workshops in groups of eight. Master fly tier, Bronwyn Wilson (Taupo Anglers Club) led fly tying classes, while Rachel McNae (Captain NZ Fly Ferns) gave a practical riverside lesson covering entomology and landing trout. Kapiti Fly Fishing Club/WoTF coach, Gordon Baker provided casting tuition alongside South Island professional guide Kristina Placko, and Cherry Twaddle of the Taupo Anglers Club.Other topics covered included setting up gear/backcountry fishing by Rebecca Taylor (Tauranga
Anglers Club), while three different approaches to fly fishing (Euro nymphing, wet lining & indicator nymphing) were skillfully hosted on the river by Sarah Delany (NZ Fly Fern), Ivy Carter-Morrison and Lesley Smith (USA Women’s Fly Fishing Team past member). The 2023 workshop planning team consisted of Greg du Bern, Gordon Baker and Leigh Johnson of the Kapiti Fly Físhing Club Inc, Rachel McNae (Captain NZ Fly Ferns), Marion Hall (TALTAC committee) and Betty Mani. Many thanks to the catering team who produced delicious meals and the TALTAC committee (especially Marion Hall and Robyn Gray) for providing a fantastic venue. The event is funded by participant registration fees, contributions from the Pelorus Trust, KFFC
and from a variety of fishing retailers, organisations and groups. A huge shout out for the generous support from these sponsors and stakeholders.
- Wellington Fish & Game
- Hunting & Fishing NZ
- Fish & Game NZ
- Pelorus Trust
- Kapiti Fly Fishing Club
- Manic Tackle Project
- SpeedlineFishing
- Fly Fishing with Tony (Tony Entwistle)
- Sporting Life – Turangi
- NZ TroutApp
- I Love Fly Fishing
- Creel Tackle House & Café
- Southern Latitude Guides
- FishScene
- Tongariro National Trout Centre
- Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board
- Stray South Fishing Outfitters (Kristina Placko) Icebreaker
- New World Turangi
- Waikato Hunting & Fishing
- Hutt Valley Angling Club
- Taupo Fishing Club
WoTF is now a rapidly growing community/network of several hundred women across New Zealand linked through friendship, social media and an email list. It is hugely rewarding that WoTF NZ is being supported and recognised for its role in the growth of women’s participation in freshwater angling in New Zealand.
Your questions and comments are welcome.
Leigh Johnson
Coordinator – Women on The Fly
