“Get out and have fun!” – with Kylie Sargeant

In this edition of our Wading Through Time series, we catch up with Kylie Sargeant, a dedicated angler and certified casting instructor whose journey began by chance during family holidays in Australia. Now a Fish and Game Councillor and passionate advocate for the sport, Kylie shares her insights on the meditative nature of fly fishing, the importance of environmental stewardship, and her commitment to helping women find confidence on the water.

How did you get into fly fishing, Kylie? 

By chance actually. I started fishing as something to do on school holidays with my kids back in Australia. We first dropped a handline off a footbridge at the beach and they were successful and caught fish, so they wanted to do more. Then we got them little spin rods and it was just something we did on holidays. On the annual Christmas pilgrimage to go and see family, we would stop at places and they would go for a fish. 

One trip we camped next to a Scottish fly fisherman and he had the kids sitting around his camp table showing them how to tie flies, and he showed them how to cast. I also had a go and really liked it, thinking it was something I may like to pursue.

Although we lived in Queensland, we would drive down through the Snowy Mountains in NSW, which is one of the nicer places to catch freshwater fish in Australia. 

Through frustration on one fishing trip, I thought I either have to get good at this or I’m not doing it anymore, so I took myself off to fish by myself. My intention was to cross the river and try and fish up the other side. I got halfway across the river, and there was a fish feeding in front of me and I hadn’t spooked it, surprisingly! I stopped mid-stream and I watched this fish for about half an hour… it would come up and take something, then it would go back down. Very, very carefully I tied on a fly and tried to tempt it: it looked at my fly, and then it just went back down again, then rose again to take the bug it was focused on. That was just gold – that’s what fly fishing is about!

My decision was made, I had to get good at this, so after that trip, I joined the South East Queensland Flyfishers Club Inc. Fortunately, they had a few trout anglers I could learn from, including 3 casting instructors. It was amazing. They often did casting clinics on the weekends so I went along.

One of them mentioned that there was going to be a casting certification test in 12 months time and suggested that I go for it. I was an educator in Australia, so I was pretty good with needing the discipline of a test date to get stuff done and that gave me something to work towards.

I was the 2nd female in Australia to get the Fly Fishers International Casting Instructor certification. It was fun and it gave me something to do in between the occasional fishing trip! 

Who have been your mentors over the years?

John Burgess was one of the casting instructors in the South East Queensland Flyfishers Club Inc. and I did quite a few lessons with him. I liked his teaching style and he made a lot of things click for me. I also did a couple of casting clinics with Peter Morse in Australia.

I was quite a novice when I started this journey, and I am pretty good at just going down rabbit holes and finding the information I want and persisting until I get it! I have a lot of resilience. I got very good at practising for the test, but there’s a whole different ballgame between casting on the grass and casting in a river to a fish. Practice is the horse before the cart! 

I had a couple of friends in Australia who had Breast Cancer and I was keen to use my casting instruction to help and teach others. I researched the charity Casting for Recovery and realised there was not a chapter in Australia at the time. I wanted to explore the feasibility of setting one up.

Through my research, I saw that there was a chapter in New Zealand, so I reached out to the coordinator in New Zealand, who was Sherry Feckett at the time. We had many conversations and then she invited me to attend and help at one of the retreats she was running on the North Island. This was a great experience and I was in awe of the beauty of New Zealand… then my life got busy and somewhat messy back in Australia, so when I had the opportunity to take a sabbatical for a few months in New Zealand I jumped at the chance!

Ten years later I am a New Zealand citizen, loving my new life here, fishing, travelling to fish, a Fish and Game Councillor and helping with Casting for Recovery on the top of the South Island (as well as a few other things not related to fishing!).

What was a specific “aha!” moment that changed how you fish?

I would have to say that little story I told you about watching that fish’s behaviour. That was the real aha moment in saying, “okay, this is what this is all about”. There’s the scenic beauty and being so present and in-the-moment. It’s the quintessential thing of dry fly fishing – watching a fish come up and take a fly.

Of course there’s nothing like catch and release where you can tempt this fish to take something that’s very similar to what it’s actually feeding on: you can hunt for it, catch it without killing it and thank it for the brilliant experience as you let it then swim away.  

What’s your number one tip for women entering this sport? 

I think joining a club is really valuable because there is a collective wealth of experience and a great opportunity for you to learn from many, as well as potentially find a fishing buddy that you’re comfortable with. Most people in a club are there because they are passionate and want to share with other people. 

Also: practise! I used to love the practise and I still do because it is quite meditative. I love the rhythm of casting and just watching the loop unroll, and practising your accuracy with a target: perfect practice makes perfect in time.

Then when you get to the river you can focus on the fish, the water flow and pristine environment! 

What do you hope the Aotearoa New Zealand fly fishing scene looks like in 10 years?

I would just like women to feel confident to give it a go, and to surround themselves with people that share the passion. Appreciating the whole package: the pristine environment, the opportunity, being really present and focussing on what you’re doing and forgetting about everything else.

Fish & Game have done research that supports the positive impacts fishing can offer to one’s mental well-being…so get out there and enjoy the experience, wherever that may take you.

We know that it’s about being present in a beautiful environment, and we’re so lucky to have so many options to do that here in New Zealand, or pack your rod and travel… fish live in beautiful places, go find some! 

On the conservation side of it, I think fly fishers are advocates for the environment.

Keeping our rivers and streams healthy and keeping the fishery healthy is important – look after your fish once you have caught it.

For a lot of people it is a lifetime achievement to come to fish in New Zealand. They spend thousands of dollars to come and hunt for large, wild brown trout living in gin-clear water and we have it in our back yards!

Living and fishing in New Zealand is a privilege, treasure it!  

1. Permit, caught in Cocos Keeling Islands, off the Western Australia coast, on a 9 weight rod.
2. Tusk fish caught in Wessel Islands, off Northern Territory, Australia on a 9 weight rod.
3. Giant Trevally, caught on a 12 weight rod in Aitutaki, Cook Islands.