Dan Root Photo
Carl McNeil, pictured, has been fishing in Southland’s lakes and rivers since he was a young boy. Now he’s made one of the best fly rods in the world.
He started fishing as a “wee nipper” 40 years ago with his dad in Te Anau, and is one of just 100 or so people in the world to be a master-certified fly-fishing casting instructor.
Now Carl McNeil and his small Wānaka business have been recognised for making some of the finest fly-fishing rods on the planet.
Epic Fly Rods had two of its fishing rods named amongst the world’s best by Field & Stream, one of the most respected outdoors magazines in the United States.
“This win is an acknowledgement of the hard work every member the Epic team has put in over the past few years, and I am proud of what we have achieved together,” McNeil said.
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“Field & Stream pitted us against the best of the best from throughout the world, and to beat all-comers is vindication of what we are doing here in Wānaka.”
McNeil was brought up in Southland.
“Like most Kiwi lads I went [fishing] with dad. He taught me fishing when I was just a wee nipper in Te Anau,” McNeil said.
Dan Root Photo
Epic Fly fishing rods have hit the world stage.
“It was all trout fishing back then, a cheap rod and a chuck and chance.”
He has improved his fishing a little since then, becoming a master-certified fly-fishing casting instructor – an accomplishment that took him six years.
The Epic company produces fly rods made from carbon fibre and fibreglass for both fresh and salt water fishing, exporting to anglers all around the world.
Recreational fishing is a growing, multibillion-dollar dollar industry with predictions it will be worth US$15.4 billion (NZ$35.79b) by 2026.
Dan Root Photo/Stuff
Field & Stream named Epic’s Reference 476 Fastglass rod the world’s best small stream rod.
New Zealand is internationally renowned for the quality of its trout fishing, attracting anglers from around the globe. About 100,000 trout fishing licences are sold every year.
The Field & Stream judging panel put the fly rods through a week of testing on New York’s Delaware River, eventually recognising two of Epic’s rods as finalists.
It named one – Reference 476 Fastglass rod – the world’s best small stream rod, calling it “perfect” and the nicest looking rod in the test.
“Fly-fishing is a huge international business, so for a little Kiwi company to out-compete international competitors with multimillion-dollar research and development budgets is quite incredible,” McNeil said.
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