... a small, independent fly company based in Taupo, New Zealand.
Anyone who has been fortunate enough to fish the wilderness rivers of New Zealand will have a good understanding of how technical it can be. Gin clear water with some of the spookiest fish on the planet that require pin point accuracy and the right choice of fly. Category 3 creates those flies!
Big Sky Anglers &
Category 3 Flies
BSA co-owner, Jonathan Heames was first introduced to Category 3 Flies, and veteran New Zealand guide Sean Andrews, while fishing with a group at Poronui Ranch, located in the Taupo region of the north island. Sean is a hard-working, patient, and charismatic guide who has developed a series of tried and true, guide-tested flies for the famously wary kiwi trout - Category 3 Flies.
Category 3 Flies are all tied to handle large trout, to last, and to be effective in NZ waters, but have proven to be equally effective on all trout waters from Big Sky Country to Patagonia. All Category 3 Flies flies are tied on stout Tiemco hooks and are available in sizes that can be difficult to find in the US for the large kiwi mayfly imitations, up to size 10. They are tied in the right colors for New Zealand waters and have all been tested thoroughly for many years. Simply put, they work on kiwi trout. Most NZ guides that we know have a strong selection of Category 3 flies in their boxes.
We have found these guide-tested patterns to be equally effective on selective trout from Big Sky Country to Patagonia, and we are sure they will be deadly on your favorite waters too!
refined to
perfection
For the last 15 years Sean Andrews has spent over 150 days a season guiding anglers from all over the world on the wilderness rivers of New Zealand and over that period of time he has been constantly developing new patterns and tweaking old ones to create a selection of flies using quality materials and construction techniques, that work around the world.