Auckland Regional River Championships 2024 - Aaron West's Triumphant Return!

The Auckland Regional River Championships, held on the Ohinemuri River, marked the first river competition of the season with a strong turnout that included members of both the Silver Flies and Fly Ferns squads.

The event showcased the high level of competition in New Zealand fly fishing, with experienced anglers and rising stars
vying for the top spots. This competition is always notable for its challenging conditions but the Ohinemuri River, which had faced a potential toxic event a few weeks prior when it turned bright
orange, was in excellent condition for the event.

Despite mid-week rains pushing the flow up to 50 cumecs just two days before the competition, the river fished exceptionally well, rewarding those who could adapt to its demanding nature.
Compared with the same event a year ago when 102 fish were returned, this year’s event saw an amazing 312 brought to the net !

At the end of the first day, there had already been some record scores with Billy Thrupp setting a new top target of fifteen fish in a session and Tim Rich just one less, but it was relative newcomer Tom Johnson who led, closely followed by a number of experienced rods.
Sadly for Tom, he had a tough final session with just two fish, but still finished a very creditable fifth in such a strong field. After a 12-year drought, Aaron West emerged victorious, claiming his first competition win in over a decade. Phil Connor, fresh off a win in the Waikato Lake Championships the previous week, secured second to further stake his claims for a place on the Silver Flies team and Hugo Pearce, last year’s winner completed the podium.

Rachel McNae was the top female angler, and the biggest fish of the event was an impressive 47cm rainbow, caught and released by Ivy Morrison.
Aaron West, reflecting on his win, said, "Really stoked! After a long break from the sport, I returned 3 years ago to help share my knowledge. But quickly realised that the game has changed so much that I have a lot of catching up to do. Been enjoying the challenge and know there is still so much to learn and hopefully pass on to others.
I would like to thank everyone for making it such a friendly competition and I Love Fly Fishing for their support and I look forward to getting knocked down a peg or two (or more) at the next event"

Aaron attributed his success to a focus on performance, particularly casting accuracy and drift control. He primarily employed Euro nymphing techniques, using a Traper GST Euro nymphing rod with 0.12mm tippet and Hanak 450 Jig Superb hooks. His fly selection was notably consistent throughout the weekend, relying almost exclusively on two patterns: a JP Beadhead on point and his version of Lubos Roza's Dark Neon nymph on the dropper.