Our colleague Simon Perkins recently honeymooned in New Zealand with his wife, Els, and he captured this amazing footage. Here’s how he explains it:
My wife and I were fishing with friend/guide Dean Whaanga in New Zealand when a combination of bad weather and good timing resulted in a fish giving us the experience of a lifetime. I crawled on my stomach with my camera to the water’s edge, hit record, and watched what was one of the coolest moments I have ever witnessed.
I won’t ruin it by describing the action, but take my word for it: you must watch this in HD and at full screen.
WOW!!!! That is some incredible footage!!
That was pretty awesome! Can’t wait for this icy cold weather to subside so I can hit some trout streams.
Venture seekers ought not miss the means to pay a visit to Manali. The lovely valley features much to make available for all form of adventure athletics like going, skiing, outdoor camping and normal water rafting.
That is amazing! Big Browns eating big dries.
Bravo!! It brought tears to my eyes……loved the music too!
Absolutely stunning!
awesome, great work!
http://www.scale-magazine.com
Absolutely amazing video!
Wow! That’s awesome!!
Water ballet
Its like a NatGeo/Discovery special on Sharkweek for trout lovers~
Exactly what I was thinking! South African Great Whites have nothing on New Zeland Trout!
Sweet! Kept thinking,,, how long is it going to take Simon to drop an artificial on them??? loved the slow mo!
Thank you, I enjoyed this video. I grew up hanging out at the Ada, Michigan Orvis shop as a kid, then found myself working at Orvis in SF. Gosh did we have fun. My buddy Steve and I got to do a Splish Splash, it’s a Fish Fash pic and article in Examiner about getting ready for trout season to open. I love you guys, thank you.
That is truly incredible video, wish I could be there…
I told my wife, walking up on this scene, and having a damsel in your box, and being able to land this beast, would be THE pinnacle of any fly fishermans life.
She looked at me like I had two heads……
This is amazing, I’ve live that myself fishing the Fonk lake at Argentinean patagonia with my bro on float tubes. Believe me, being there is much more impresive!
Kudos to them for filming it and thanks for sharing it! 🙂
Absolutely amazing! Poetry in motion! If I saw this in person today and died tomorrow, my life would be complete!
Who is doing the music on this video. It is beautiful!
Wow, Wow double Wow! Please post a damsel fly pattern. Everyone I’ve tried to tie has wings that collapse.
Way, way cool footage guys, awesome job!! I saw a nice brown come out of the water 4″‘s to grab a damsel off a low hanging branch on my favorite stream in Northern MI….never did get em with my artificial, but was fun trying!!
What a fantastic bit of filming great work.ATB Steve.
Oh so beautiful! Every fly fisher”s dream
Simply stunning video… Just confirms why I love to fish.
Fantastic footage, but I was surprised at the number of near misses where the damsels got away.
Simon… that was sensational… fantastic piece of work.
This is awesome never seen this before.
Fantastic! Kinda shoots down the whole “ya ain’t gonna catch fish with your fly in the air, son” adage used by guides everywhere…
You rock, Simon Perkins!
Truly “Art On The Water”
Thank you so much for this inspirational video! I blogged about it yesterday and tonight I created a new pattern to mimic adult damsels – bring on the Summer! Best regards and tight lines – metiefly
What a fooken wonder that was. That photografer takes us there doesn’t he? I wonder how I’d fare? Not so well I’d think. But I loove to see it no the matter.
WOW! That fish is eating!!11! And it’s slow mo…..
Absolutely brilliant footage, thanks for sharing, now where is the flight schedule for Christchurch, can be there tomorrow.
Abso-bloody-lutely wonderous, NZ browns at their best
Fished on South Island 2 years ago for browns, going back and after watching this it will not be soon enough. If it’s not on your bucket list maybe your already dead…………
It is now.
Why I fly fish…it’s so much more than that…I am an avid photographer and would do most anything to have the opportunity to capture what you did with the Damsel in Distress video…GREAT JOB!
Fantastic footage! That was a once in a lifetime opportunity to capture that on film (film? I’m dating myself)
amazing stuff!!!!!…A/A Kill artist truttas….
Makes you want to watch, rather then fish!
THIS has been the best medicine for a long brutal winter. I cannot watch this enough! It’s well edited and should seriously win SOMEthing for compilation. Thank you so very much. I will cherish this video.
Terrific video. Beautifully shot, great music, terrific editing.
Outstanding! Thank you, Phil.
Does Tim Flagler have any damsel fly tying instructions in the pipeline?
BOOM! https://www.orvis.com/news/fly-fishing/video-how-to-tie-a-damselfly-dry/
Beauty!
Awesome video. It prompted me to plan/book a fly fishing trip for some hog Browns this summer. No more procrastination come on Spring!
Looks like someones been Fonged, Well done Deano, pretty standard Upper Taieri fare I thought – Rowdy
After watching “Damsels in Distress” on a New Zealand Stream a film by Phil Monahan… I was so pumped I sat down and couldn’t stop painting
https://robert-corsetti.artistwebsites.com/featured/brown-takes-damsel-rob-corsetti.html
Awesome video… Reminds me of smallmouth bass on the James around the 4th of July.
thanks for posting!
Bob