Straight From Our Clients

I had the opportunity to fish a day with Chris Bell a guide in New Zealand, having been a fly fisherman and have been lucky enough to have fished all over the world it was great to finally get a chance to fish the South Island. Chris and I were scheduled to fish for 3 days, but a huge storm came in and mudded all the rivers, so we were only able to fish one day and had to take a helicopter into a head water to find some clear water. Chris did an excellent job of finding some fish [...]

Just wanted to thank you for a couple of great days fly fishing South of Christchurch. Excellent fun stalking, and then casting for sighted fish in the clear waters. A new experience for me, and I learnt a lot, particularly how to spot fish, but also the techniques and methods you use fishing in New Zealand, including trying a number of methods to catch one fish. Successful outing with plenty of fish seen and caught.

Chris provided a great experience for two first time fly fishermen. He took the time to show each of us the correct process and provide constructive feedback when needed. We even learned about how the fish live in their surroundings and what they eat. We started fishing right away as Chris was excellent in spotting the fish. Even after a couple snags, Chris was always very patient in showing the right technique. Very quickly we both had fish and his excitement level kept us both excited to keep fishing. It was great getting to know Chris and learn more about [...]

My first fishing trip to New Zealand turned out to be an unforgettable adventure. Despite the excessively long New Zealand leaders, we managed to land a good number of spooky fish which just kept getting bigger and bigger every day. Thanks a lot for a great trip in a wonderful country - I can't wait to be back in December!

My buddy and I hooked up with Chris through the South Island Adventure Fly fishing website to plan our fishing trip. We are both experienced fishermen, but neither had experience fishing in NZ so we decided to hire a guide. Chris responded to our email inquiries right away and made planning the trip a breeze. Even through email, it was obvious that Chris was courteous, knowledgeable, and absolutely loves to fish! Based on Chris’ recommendations, we booked a two day helicopter trip to a remote headwater river. Chris helped us make all the arrangements and locked in dates with the [...]

When planning a trip of a lifetime to fly-fish in New Zealand, you want to find that special professional guide who has the knowledge, experience and personality that will make your dream come true. I was most fortunate to find those qualities in Chris Bell. Spending a day with Chris was a delight as we shared our experiences doing what we both love to do in a most unforgettable location. His major attribute is his drive for you to be successful in catching fish no matter what the conditions. As a former guide and outdoor educator, I highly recommend South [...]

My son and I both thoroughly enjoyed our adventure of a lifetime pursuing New Zealand browns with Chris as our guide. His fun personality, fishing expertise and client focused service was really outstanding throughout our four day backcountry adventure. In addition to all the laughs, one of the many elements we really enjoyed about his guiding was the flexibility you offered to optimize each day based upon the conditions and in alignment with our desire to experience a variety of different waters. His approach allowed us to experience a great time whether on drifting on the lake, or wading various [...]

I have met few people more passionate than Chris. His passion for ecology, people, and catching really big trout is incredibly infectious. Amazing fishing trip and experience. Fishing with Chris is a blast. He puts you on to the best water, knows exactly where fish will be holding (I swear he was a fish in a past life), and gets as excited, if not more, as you when a "cracker fish" is landed. Chris made a father / son fishing trip truly memorable. My father and I have dreamed of fishing for big browns in NZ for years and Chris [...]

I found South Island Adventure Fly Fishing on the web. Over a few weeks Chris and I emailed back and forth and got the logistics down. I knew by our correspondence that he was an up-front guy. I had the opportunity to spend 2 enjoyable days with Chris this past summer. The trip was a real adventure. Driving ranch roads to a hut was a real adventure in the rain but we got to our destination safely. The scenery was fantastic and observing the different ranch stock was interesting. Waking up the next morning with the rain ending, 50 meters [...]

My son Ned & I had a great day fishing with Chris on a West Coast lake in February 2015. We were warmly welcomed by Chris in his 4 wheel drive vehicle in the early morning at our motel in Christchurch. Chris drove us over the spine of New Zealand’s South Island offering views and scenery that must be seen to be believed. We stopped to survey the scenery and wildlife at a number of locations on the way and we chatted easily about fishing exploits and techniques during the drive. Once at the lake, set up was fast and [...]