It all began with a Hiller 12E helicopter. At age four, South Island ‘Coaster’ Bryan Wilson took his first ride. And although he was just a kid, a helicopter was a natural place for him to spend time. Bryan’s dad, Ivan Wilson, ran Alpine Enterprises as a helicopter hunter in the 70’s, at the pioneering of “deer farming.” Heli pilot hunters sought out and captured wild stock with varying methods and success, from “bulldogging” (men dropping from helicopters onto deer and wrestling them to the ground) to net-gunning and everything in between.
These efforts eventually created self-sustaining farmed herds, behind wire to meet the growing venison market in Europe and Asia. A day of this work included flying above the South Island’s wild ranges and grassy valleys where the wild red deer herds could befound. When Bryan tagged along as a young kid with his dad for a day of work, it was usually in the air. That began Bryan’s interest in exploring New Zealand’s backcountry.
As he grew up on the family farm, Bryan spent time spin fishing on the banks of the Inangahua River. Flowing northwest through Reefton, the Inangahua is a major contributory to one of New Zealand’s longest rivers, the 110km Buller River that empties into the Tasman Sea near Westport. The Inangahua is full of brown trout, and it provided a perfect playground for a young and adventurous kid to grow up with. Later in the mid 80’s, Bryan was inspired to fly fish by an old American angler named Ron Granneman, a seasonal visitor from Montana’s Big
Horn River.
Seeing this sport in action, Bryan followed his new passion for fly fishing and bought his first fly rod. It was a Kilwell Customline 5493 Fiberglass 4-piece, durable and easily broken down to accommodate his backcountry adventures into the rugged reaches of the West Coast. He says the first fish he caught on a fly rod was a 4lb brown trout with a big mouse pattern. From then on, Bryan was a fly fisherman 100%.
Bryan has worked as a helicopter hunter, a saw-miller and a coal miner throughout the years. But in 1997, he began guiding and has since developed a reputation for his guided trout fishing abilities. For Bryan, his work is more than simply getting clients into a good catch. He says he’s in it for the “whole adventure.”
From the moment he picks up his clients at the airport, Bryan aims to create a unique and tailored fly fishing experience for them. He varies his guiding agenda, combining the use of a quad, truck and helicopter, if desired. Although, he says now the number of helicopters used for fly fishing New Zealand’s backcountry has made it a bit crowded at times. He says he prefers to find the “happy” fish in his local waters. After all, the local guy knows his local waters best.
Over the past 20 years, Bryan has guided hundreds of people from all over the world. He’s met enough people to keep hisretirement years booked with visits to his many clients-turned-lifelong friends. The photos Bryan takes on the river are pretty simple. For safety reasons, in the West Coast backcountry he always carries a mobile phone. Mobile phone cameras have progressed over the years, and now even a guy who chooses minimalism can take a decent picture. It’s almost impossible not to get a lucky shot in a place like New Zealand. These photos are Bryan’s lucky shots.
Kelley Moen
Contributed By
Bryan Wilson
Bryan Wilson is a native ‘Coaster’ based in Reefton on the South Island of New Zealand. Most of his life has been spent fishing and hunting the rugged streams and forests of the West Coast. He’s worked as a helicopter hunter, saw-miller and coal miner, but since 1997 has developed an excellent reputation for his guided trout fishing abilities.
Bryan is a member of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association and assists anglers from all over the world to share in the adventure, excitement and achievement of tackling the fantastic fishing available on his doorstep have been waded by Joe Brooks, Ernie Schwiebert, Roderick Haig Brown, the Kreigers and many fly shop owners, guides from other countries and trout bums. Most days we floated 14 miles of a pristine trout stream and never saw another angler.
