Fly fishing success in New Zealand is greatly enhanced if you able to learn how to visually locate your fish. In a similar way to hunting, trout can be stalked, increasing both your chances of locating and thus catching trout.

A pair of polaroid sunglasses, wide brim hat and drab/neutral colored clothing are essential items for sighting fish. Once a trout is located, it is then a matter of presenting a suitable fly pattern to the fish, hopefully imitating a food item that the trout is searching for.

Sighting trout is a skill which is gained with experience. However, your skills can be greatly improved by fishing alongside a more experienced angler that iis able to point out tell tale signs of a fish.

Quite often for the beginner sighting fish is very difficult but with practice it becomes second nature to scout along a river bank or lake shore spotting fish and with further experience it is possible to sight fish in the most difficult of conditions such as overcast weather, strong wind or discolored water.