Brad is top notch! When I came to New Zealand with my boys I had high hopes of getting into those big South Island fish. Our 2 days with Brad exceeded expectations. He worked with us and put on the fish of a lifetime, more then once. He was great with my sons and also a blast to be with.
Fishing with Brad was a true pleasure. I have had many guides over the years (mostly in the US), but Brad had the vision of an eagle when it came to spotting trout. In between sighted cast opportunities, Brad kept the trip lively with good humor and fantastic stories. For anyone who travels to the South Island, I would recommend spending time with this gentlemen. You will not be disappointed!
I cannot fully express my satisfaction with Brad from Chasing Tail in this short review. My wife and I called Brad the night before and he took us out on short notice. Brad was an excellent guide who was strongly determined to get us on fish. He was so actively engaged and constantly strategizing. He has amazing instincts when he is on the river. He is a positive and encouraging coach. We battled the wind a bit and he’s quick to untangle or re-rig. He changed the fly 40+ times throughout the day, doing whatever it took to make those fish eat. I highly recommend booking with Brad for those with any skill level. His business is aptly named as we were truly chasing tail. Thanks Brad for the fish we caught and the special moments in between!
Brad clearly knows his stuff. He's not just passionate about fishing, but also the fish and the various environments he operates within. My uncle and I were incredibly lucky to meet Brad who was so generous with his time and advice. If you have the chance, book in a session with Chasing Tails and level up your fishing game. You just can't comprehend how much you will learn and enjoy yourself during the experience. Cheers for the yarns on the canal 👍👍
I spent 5 days fishing with Brad, who was recommended to me by a fellow guide. I have been fly fishing since I was 14 and now 60. My bucket list ambition was to catch a big brown in NZ. Prior to fishing with Brad I had already fished Northlands, Taupo and the West Coast over a 5 week period. Brad clearly took my desire to heart and went above and beyond cycling through various locations that most wouldn’t know or understand to get me the fish of my dreams. Along the way he was incredibly patient and supportive as I made poor casts and or got hung up in the bushes and various other ways of demonstrating that despite my experience I still had much to learn. Brad was never critical, always positive, patient, supportive and helpful to make me more effective and bolster my confidence. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Brad and felt that we became a real team. Over the 5 days we caught a large number of fish including 2 that exceeded my wildest dreams. I am still processing the beauty of the places Brad took me to and the fish we caught together. So grateful to have had Brad as my guide.
I contacted Brad in August 2024 to help me put together a 3 day guided fly fishing adventure in New Zealand, South Island, for February 2025. Brad coordinated a wonderful adventure in the Ahuriri River area including a beautiful lodge with mountain views and timely access to the braided Ahuriri River. We had a great three days and were well cared for by Brad and his fellow guide Scotty. Together they attended to all details and made us feel welcome and important. While the weather and conditions challenged our fishing, we all caught fish and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Brad is a focused, ethical and attentive guide who I would be happy to fish with again.
Brad is an excellent guide. I spent four days on the water with him and had a blast. His knowledge, skills, motivation, & determination will help you catch some of the most beautiful trout you'll ever land. Even if you're a little rusty. It's clear he really cares about his clients. Fly fishing in New Zealand has been a dream of mine for over forty years. Both New Zealand & Chasing Tail delivered. Thank you, Brad, for an incredible trip. One that I'll never forget.
Had a great day fishing with Brad. He showed great patience and knowledge. He knows the fish behavior, the tackle, and the water inside and out- and hes good company. Had to work for it that day, but with his extensive bag of tricks, he got me onto the most amazing Brown and Rainbow I'll probably ever land. Epic day. Highly recommended!
Have had a brilliant few days with Brad and learnt a lot. The day on the dry fly droppers sight fishing was incredible and the next day after a rugged off roading experience I caught my biggest ever brownie and lost a bigger rainbow. The last day I learnt to egg roll which was more fun than I expected and my friend battled a 20lber but lost it, which was a sight to behold. Brad worked very hard for us each day and was the best guide I’ve ever fished with. He is really passionate about the local fishery and knows the rivers so well, and he genuinely cares about you having great experiences.
Amazing couple of days with Brad. We came down last year fished local rivers on our own and got a couple. This year we fished a couple of days with Brad and he got us into some stunning rainbow and brown trout on nymph and dry fly. We learnt new techniques and he took us to places we couldn’t access on our own - it was worth every cent and we’ll be back.
Had a fantastic experience with Brad from Chasing Tail, pursuing big browns for two days in the Twizel area. Brad is relentless when it comes to finding big fish and getting his clients on the action. I learned so much from him over a two day period and I can’t wait to apply that knowledge on my home rivers back in Canada. Thanks again Brad for an amazing experience and helping me land my dream fish against the backdrop of the incredible scenery around Twizel.
Looking at videos on YouTube from the Twizel canals, I wanted to find out myself ( with my wife) and see how it is. Well, the morning started a bit slow. The salmon didn’t play the game. I think 🤔we sent the reminder too late. On we moved to a different place. Seen quite a few trout along the canals, one decided to jump on the hook. But lost him as quickly as I got him. Off to the 200+ ratbags that did our heads in they must have been trained by some professional on how not to get hooked.Thanks to Brad and a bit off trickery we finally got our first one, followed by a couple more ranging from 5 to just under 14 pounds.
All in all a good day in trying conditions.
Thanks to Brad my wife and I appreciate the ten hours you put into the day to help,educate us on fishing for trout and salmon and showing us how central South Island does it.
I was bought a half day guide with Brad for my birthday and what a treat it was he helped me improve my confidence and teach me some new skills all whilst catching the fish of a lifetime for me a beautiful 17lb brown trout. I cannot recommend Brad highly enough he is an amazing guide.
Reply from Chasing Tail Adventures NZ Fly Fishing Guide
2023.11.18
Was awesome to watch it all come together for you this morning goes to show a few simple little things can definitely make a huge difference.
Look forward to catching up in the future for fish👍
Look forward to catching up in the future for fish👍
I've travelled down to the canals on four previous occasions and love it, but only managed to catch 2 fish. I'd read up everything I could get hold of about good locations & techniques and appeared to me that I was doing the same things as other fishermen were. So I was struggling to understand why certain guys were hooking up way more than me & others. I figured it wasn't just luck. Given the expense of a trip, I wanted to be getting more out of it, so I decided to employ Brad to take me out for a day. WOW, I learnt so much about the fish behaviour, tackle to use in different circumstances, where to place that tackle, how to know when one location isn't going to happen & where to try next. I also learnt about a number of different spots, I'd never read about. Canal fish & fishing is so very different from rivers & lakes. Without Brad's help, I doubt my success rate would have ever improved much. But now I'm confident this has improve 10 fold. Totally recommend Chasing Tail Guide Services to anyone serious about getting the maximum enjoyment out of this incredible fishery.
We came to Twizel this week in the hopes of catching a large trout. Fishermen on YouTube made it look quite an easy thing to do. Me and my son spent 2 of the 3 days trying out a number of different spots on the Canals and a variety of different bait options with no fish in hand or even a single bite. We were very lucky to meet Brad from Chasing Tail Guiding Services at the end of our 2nd day on the water. Booked a session with him for our last day and managed to land around 20 fish including a 14.5 pound (6.6kg) Brown Trout. Fishing with Brad definitely made our trip! If not for him, we would most likely have left empty handed. Brad's knowledge of the Canals, timing and food preferences of the fish made all the difference.
We both look forward to fishing the Canals again👌
Reply from Chasing Tail Adventures NZ Fly Fishing Guide
2023.08.27
Thanks Anton for such a positive review. I had an absolute blast putting young Tim on to fish after fish it was an epic wee session that’s for sure.
Look forward to see you guys again in the future😉
Look forward to see you guys again in the future😉