Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing / Films
See what the fishing actually looks like.
A photograph can show you a trout or a stretch of river. A film gives you the pace of the day: the time spent looking, the boat moving through a run, the walk between pools and the country around the fishing.
New Zealand / Southland
A week based at Dunrobin
Dunrobin is our base in the Aparima Valley. From there we can head towards the Ōreti, Mataura, Waikaia, Waiau, Mararoa or smaller waters according to what the rivers and weather are doing.
This film gives a feel for the clear water, sight-fishing and the rhythm of a week where four anglers fish in pairs with two GVFFC guides.
United States / Montana
Three regions, with time to look around
The Montana journey moves through three distinct fishing regions: the Missouri near Craig, the rivers around Dillon and the greater Yellowstone country.
Three guided days in each region give you time to get to know the water before moving on. The travel days between them are part of the experience too: small towns, mountain roads and a broader look at the American West.
Victoria / The Goulburn River
A day in the drift boat
The Goulburn is our home river. We began guiding it from rafts in 1994 and later introduced purpose-built drift boats to the river.
A drift gives you access to banks, seams and long sections of river that can be difficult to reach on foot, while your guide manages the boat and positions you for the fishing.
From the archive
Films, television & print
GVFFC has been photographed, filmed and written about for more than thirty years. Some of the material below belongs to a very different chapter of the business: the Thornton lodge, the old fly shop and people who have since moved on. We’ve kept it here because it is part of the story.
FlyLife archive
From the magazine pages
FlyLife / Archive
Let’s Get Started
A look back at a week-long school fly-fishing program at the original Thornton centre. Students learned casting, knots, insects, streamcraft and eventually put those skills to work on the river.
The article reflects GVFFC as it operated at Thornton at the time and includes people, facilities and prices that are now part of our history.
FlyLife / Archive
Guided on the Goulburn
FlyLife joined us on the Goulburn during the Thornton years, including an afternoon drift with Anthony and a close look at the river, its hatches and the subtle rises that make this fishery distinctive.
It is also a snapshot of an earlier GVFFC, when the fly shop and lodge still sat beside the river at Thornton.
More to watch
The GVFFC video archive
There are more films, older fishing clips and pieces from different eras of GVFFC on our YouTube channel. Some were made simply to show clients what the river was doing at the time; others have become a small record of the business and the people around it.
Curious about the people and places in the archive?
The story begins with David Pickering and Geoff Hall, a Zodiac raft and a small room beside the Four Ways Café in Thornton in 1994.
Seen somewhere you’d like to fish?
Give me a call or send a message. I’m happy to talk through the fishing, dates and whether a particular trip would suit you.