For more than 20 years, Rod Barford has been pointing fly anglers to fish, and guiding
many more through their first tentative steps as fly fishers.
What started out in 1988 as simply by teaching fly fishing to a few friends, gradually
developed into a profession for Rod Barford. Having fly fished since 1963, Rod had
developed a few skills of his own, and more than a tad of knowledge of trout and
what it takes to catch them on a fly.
From this wealth of experience gained over 45 years as a fly fisherman comes a very
relaxed manner and a confidence earned through countless hours squinting through
polaroids at submerged trout.
Whether it’s pointing out 'hopper feeders on the Bundarra, sneaking up on spinner
sippers among the willows on the Goulburn, or sneaking up on cruising dun feeders
in Tasmania, Rod has lost count of the number of people who have achieved their
personal best in his company, whether it’s their first trout on fly, largest trout,
or just their ‘… best day ever!’, these occasions make the fuel that drives him.
“I love watching people get excited about fly fishing, especially when they execute
their first good cast. They don’t need me to tell them they’ve got it right, they
can feel it and instantly know they’ve done it right. It’s a real buzz.” He expresses
similar sentiments about guiding them into their first trout, but says the icing
on the cake is when a fish that has taken long hours of careful approach, fly selection
and painstaking casting and drifting, finally accepts the offered fly and is brought
to net. “The sense of achievement, the absolute euphoria, is just written all over
the client’s face – now there’s a grin that you couldn’t remove with a hammer &
chisel" .
Flytrek Australia offers a wide range of all-inclusive fly fishing tours covering
Victoria & Tasmania, plus a comprehensive array of tuition options, including personalized
one-on-one tutoring that is suited to all levels of competency right up to experienced
anglers.
Victoria's longest running guiding operation, and one of the longest running in
Australia, Flytrek Australia is an accredited member of the Professional Fishing
Instructors & Guides Association, and a fully accredited tourism business.