Happy Holidays From Fly Water Travel - 2024 in Review

The fact that we get to work with such an interesting, accomplished, and passionate group of traveling anglers is not lost on us. While our travels and catches are a welcome by-product of our profession, our relationships with folks like you bring true meaning and enrichment to our work. Thank you all so much for making this possible.

2024 was an upbeat and dynamic year for Fly Water Travel. We traveled broadly, visiting valued outfitting partners, and bringing new ones on board as well as hosting groups to the far corners of the globe. We also made great strides in launching Sage Experiences which will enable guests to greatly simplify their pre-trip preparation and arrive at lodges where state-of-the-art Sage rods and reels are at the ready loaded with the most current and best matched RIO Products fly lines. By the end of the coming year, the number of lodges included in this program will be greatly expanded enabling anglers to experience the finest tackle in the environments they were designed to perform in. 

We continue to invest in sending our crew to personally experience our complete catalog of destinations. Since the inception of our company in 1999, our strong belief is that personally visiting the destinations we represent is crucial to the success of our guests by providing first-hand expertise and knowledge of our offerings.
Below is a compilation of our travels and destinations visited over the previous year.

Ken Morrish - Co-Founder and Director of Travel Sales

In January, Ken began his travels by hosting a couple's group to the newly established Rumbo Patagon operation on the outskirts of the Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. Stunning landscapes, great day hikes, unpressured fisheries and down-home hospitality made this trip a winner. You can read his trip report HERE. From there he headed over to Argentina to finally visit Las Pampas Lodge, which had been on his list for 15 years, and it exceeded his expectations. His next trip was back to Christmas Island with a group of old friends and great new guests. Find all the details on his trip to Christmas Island HERE. In August he headed to Alberta to set up and photograph the emerging Eastslope Outpost program. The hope here was to create a simple affordable program with unbeatable dry fly fishing, and it worked perfectly. Read the report HERE. His last trip was to Skeena River Lodge to experience first-hand reports of a stellar B.C. steelhead return. Find the Skeena River Lodge Destination Report HERE.

Brian Gies - Co-founder and Director of Travel Operations

Brian couldn't resist heading back to the Providence Atoll in the Seychelles with a hosted group. He considers this destination to the ultimate saltwater wilderness, and you can read his report HERE. On the way he stopped to check out the permit fishing in Oman and later in the season he toured Iceland and made a special trip to Heidarvatn, which is a wonderful accommodation for private groups in what amounts to a private nature reserves with hiking, a trophy lake and a private stream.

Dylan Rose - Marketing Manager

Dylan embarked on his second trip to Africa with our longtime partner African Waters in November where he led a group of longtime and experienced Fly Water guest. African Waters' Tanzanian camps in the Kilombero Wilderness Reserve is only place in the world where fly anglers can consistently target tigerfish over the 10lb mark. The trip combines hardcore fly angling for trophy tigerfish and an immersive experience sleeping in tents in the African bush, complete with elephants, hippos, nile crocodile and lions. Stay tuned for more from this incredible experience and view African Waters' Tanzania Trophy TIger Safari HERE.

Dylan also visited our long tenured destinations focussed on juvenile tarpon. Both Isla del Sabalo and Tarpon Cay Lodge are stalwarts of our saltwater program. These programs are doing phenomenally well these days. Keep an eye out for Dylan's report soon.

Landon Mace - Jungle and Salwater Destinations Manager

Landon began his annual travels with a visit to one of our longtime favorite peacock bass destinations, the Agua Boa Amazon Lodge. In addition to catching heaps of bass he caught a slew of other species and had some great wildlife encounters. You can read his report HERE. His next trip was and epic tour of Belize where he visited El Pescador Lodge, Copal Tree Lodge, Garbutt’s Fishing Lodge, Blue Horizon Lodge, Thatch Caye Resort, Belize River Lodge, & Turneffe Flats Lodge. You can read his full report HERE.

Jake Crawford - Patagonia Destinations Manager

This year Jake made two trips to Argentina. During his travels he revisited Estancia Rio Pelke with a special night out at their Dome Camp. Read about a night at the domes HERE. Next, he hosted a small group of friends to Casa de Campo for a multi-day float trip and fishing/adventure program. You can read his trip report HERE.  He also stopped in to meet new partners at Le Fario Lodge and Patagonia Drifters outside of Trevelin. Last but s certainly not least, he visited the soon to be announced Limay River Ranch on the Middle Limay River, and a new king salmon program on the Rio Guanaco near El Calafate.

Max Salzburg - New Zealand, Europe, and Western Trout Destinations Manager

Max traveled both within and outside of the US this season. In the spring he met up with our longtime outfitting friends the Rentons and a Deschutes River Float during the famed salmonfly hatch. Then in the early fall he did another major tour of Iceland highlighted by Battle Hill Lodge, a unique new sea trout operation where guest fish three different rivers for big sea-trout, Atlantic salmon and sea-run char. He also visited Highland's Trout Lodge and Heidarvatn, all of which we will be introducing in coming months. Later in the fall Max made a redfishing tour visiting Sportsman's and the Dogwood in Louisiana and then on to Bay Flats Lodge in Texas which is now part of our expanding Sage Experiences roster. 

David Kalinowski - Alaska and Northeast Destinations Manager

David made ventured out to Jerone Wohe's new operation Salmon Hole Lodge, in an incredibly remote portion of Southwestern Newfoundland where anglers can target Atlantic Salmon on surface flies among healthy populations of returning fish. Read the Salmon Hole Lodge Destination Report HERE.

Anil Srivastava - Christmas Island, Northern Argentina Dorado Destinations Manager

Anil made his 13th trip to Christmas Island in the early part of the year, affirming him as one of the most experienced anglers in the field when it comes to all of the dynamics that a trip to Christmas Island encompasses. You can find Taylor Goodhue's Hosted Trip report from the island HERE.