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TESTIMONIALS
Thank you for your interest in
References.
If you would like to Contact Us, We are happy to forward onto you the
contact details of many satisfied clients that we have had the
pleasure of guiding. These clients come to us from all walks of
life and all corners of the world. We are sure they will give you
an open and honest opinion, shareing with you some of their own
personal experiences.
Dear Shane,
 I just wanted to take a moment to let you
know how much Carole and I enjoyed our fishing with you on our
recent trip to New Zealand.
It had been awhile since I last fished in New Zealand and, as you
know, our trip was to explore the South Island with a bit of
fishing thrown in. From my previous trip, I know how important it
is to find just the right person to guide, as the stalking of
large rainbows takes considerable talent. I was looking forward
to having Carole see some of New Zealand’s famed trout
streams and truly enjoy her first experience fishing in your
magnificent country. The time we spent fishing with you was one
of the most memorable parts of an outstanding trip.
We found the rivers to be both enjoyable and challenging to fish.
If it hadn't been for your experienced eyes, I know we would have
walked past numerous fish. You were a great companion to us and
your enthusiasm when Carole hooked the biggest fish of her life
(and of the day!) was infectious. It was great fun to be with you
and you seemed to be having as much fun as we were.
You can be sure I will be in touch on my next trip to New
Zealand. I have enclosed a few photos from the trip and look
forward to fishing with you again in the near future. If anyone
would like a personal recommendation for you and your guiding
services, I would be pleased to provide one.
Sincerely Yours,
Robert White
Dear Shane,
 Thank you very much for the photos you sent
over, they were all I could have hoped for. They are a terrific
record of the most memorable trout I have ever (so far?) had the
pleasure of catching. Thanks to your guiding skills and patience,
the duel over 2 days and 16 (I think) different fly’s, to
net and hold that magnificent 7lb brown, is an experience I will
never forget.
I am happy for you to use the photos and this letter for
promotion purposes because I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 days I
spent with you last November. I have no hesitation in
recommending you as a fly fishing guide.
The rest of our fishing trip, further south, went very well. We
all managed to hook some nice fish, and came home looking forward
to another trip to New Zealand, sooner rather than later.
Yours sincerely,
Rick Williams
Dear Shane,
 To anyone considering fishing in New Zealand If you
re planning to travel to the South Island of New Zealand during
fishing season, you owe it to yourself to call Shane Johnston
at New Zealand Four Seasons Safaris. I had the pleasure of
meeting Shane in January when my wife and I were traveling in
Australia and New Zealand. In the interest of marital harmony, I
had left my fishing gear at home and resigned myself to
sightseeing (which in New Zealand is spectacular). But my
willpower was sorely tested when we arrived at the Lodge and
found ourselves surrounded in all directions by legendary trout
streams. Succumbing to temptation, I asked the lodge to recommend
a fishing guide for a day. I m glad I did.
We met Shane the next morning, a warm mid-summer day that made me
glad to be in the Southern Hemisphere in January. In
characteristic New Zealand fashion, Shane exuded an unreserved
friendliness that put us immediately at ease. In contrast to a
number a guides I have fished with in the United States, Shane
seemed genuinely enthusiastic about showing us his country and
the streams he has fished all his life.We decided to fish the
(___) river, a wide and sprawling stream that runs through Alps
which, as I soon learned, holds some enormous trout. Consistent
with what I had heard and read about fishing New Zealand streams,
we spent most of our time sight fishing that is, spotting and
then creeping up on particular fish. What I found startling,
however, was Shane s ability to spot fish from long distances. I
ve been spotting trout in the Rocky Mountains since I was a small
child, and have always thought I was good finding fish, but Shane
s ability to see trout holding in distant mossy bottoms bordered
on X-ray vision.
Early in the day Shane spotted what looked to me like a
three-foot piece of moss. When Shane eventually convinced me that
it was in fact a huge "brownie," we began creeping into
casting range, often crawling on our hand and knees. We
eventually got close enough to cast and nearly brought the giant
piece of moss/brown up for a dry, only to discover that I had
picked up debris on my back-cast, which the fish spotted at the
last minute. After getting a full glimpse of just how big this
brown was, we quickly named it "the monster." I took a
few more casts, but Shane wisely persuaded me to move on and
return later. So we headed off to fish for smaller fry which, in
this stream, meant four to six pound trout. We returned and
retreated from the same run several times throughout the day,
trying to entice the monster a second time. Finally, late in the
day as the sun was beginning to set, the monster moved out into
the current and began snacking on top, eventually snacking upon
my #12 Humpy (another of Shane s stellar recommendations). About
a half hour later, and with a sore shoulder and forearm, we
netted the biggest trout I have ever caught (31 inches/11.6 lbs.)
and by far the biggest I ve ever caught on a dry fly. The good
news is that after a short photo opportunity, we returned the
monster to his rightful place in the (name of river). So if you
re on the Southern Island, call Shane and have him show you where
the monster lives. And when he insists that you re not looking at
a giant piece of moss believe him.
Paul Warenski, San Francisco, USA
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