- R44 – Helicopter Fly Fishing
Using a helicopter to gain access to remote fisheries in New Zealand can be an awesome experience and not just for the fishing alone. Flying out of the hanger and heading deep into the Alps of New Zealand admiring the awesome scenery is quite wonderful in itself. Knowing you are going to a remote river that would take days to walk into that hold big brown or rainbow trout trout (or possibly both) that haven’t seen the pressure of rivers that are much more easily accessible can be quite inspiring for many fisherman.
Not that it means you will catch more fish or even bigger fish. However heli fishing is usually about providing access into the headwaters systems where trout numbers are often lower (but not always) but the size of the fish is usually bigger (but not always). The skill level of the fisherman still needs to be quite high as one wrong cast on the crystal clear waters of our back country streams can easily make the trout sidle off into the depths or sit dogo which means it’s time to move on and find your next quarry to tango with.
Many people ask for quotes for heli fishing and then decide it’s just not in their budget. It’s definitely not a cheap way to go fishing but is a lot of fun and you can’t beat the scenery.
The cost for heli fishing works like this:
Cost of the machine per hour x the fly time + any landing fees.
Most of the helicopters we tend to use in NZ for heli fishing are:
| Machine Type | Pilot and Passengers | Approx Cost per hour (NZD) |
|---|---|---|
| Robinson 44 (R44) | 1+3 | 1500.00 |
| Hughes 500 | 1+3 (4 at a squeeze) | 1700.00 |
| Eurocopter Squirrel | 1+6 | 2200.00 |
Basically the bigger and faster a helicopter is the more expensive it is to operate!
- NB. The above costs are approximate and are subject to change due to fuel costs and different helicopter providers at any time!
Landing fees vary on the location but are usually between NZD 15.00 per head and 50.00 per head or sometimes based on landings.
Right, now lets get to the nuts and bolts. We will choose the Hughes 500 (which although an old airframe many pilots consider them as the Ferrari of the helicopter world) for a drop off/pick up heli fishing expedition to river X.
Hughes 500 @ NZD 1700.00
Flight Time 1.3 hours
Landing fees NZD 50.00
Total Cost would be (excluding guides fee) NZD 2260.00
I have found over the years (like almost any style of fly fishing) the most important factor in deciding when and where to heli fish is based on what the weather is doing. NZ and particularly the South Island has very fast moving and changeable weather patterns and pre-determining which day to take a helicopter and which river to go to is often a recipe for being blown off the water.
Clients who wish to book a one off day heli fish or include a day heli fish during a multi day expedition are best to budget around the NZD 3000.00 dollar mark (not including guides fee) which will allow us to fish the more remote rivers but on the actual day dependent on the weather conditions we might end up using less flying time (not flying to so remote areas – but back country rivers closer to our departure area) so we can work around weather issues.
Many times the plan has been to heli fish remote river X but due to wind or other weather issues we have reverted to river Y which is protected from the wind but costs less in flying time.
As I get my clients to pay on the day for heli portion of the fishing expedition you only get charged for what we actually use.
I use a number of different helicopter operators (all extremely professional and with great safety records) depending on where we are based, where we want to go and what machinery is available.
It is no problem to book a helicopter the day before (or even the morning of) an expedition but it is best that I know prior (when booking an expedition with me) that you would like to try to include a heli fishing excursion on your fly fishing expedition whether it is a day expedition or a multi day expedition. If, on the day the conditions are just not suitable to fly we will revert to the good old 4WD!
I have the ability to offer multi day heli fishing expeditions where we stay in a hut or tent overnight – these are still a drop off pick/up trip but can involve 2+ days fishing into a remote river. These expeditions incur additional expense due to the additional food and accommodation requirements.
For those that want the heli fishing experience of a life time, chartering a helicopter for the day may be an option you wish to consider. This means we keep the machine for the day and can fish multiple rivers and have a good look around the country side. The basic requirement for this is to pay a minimum of 2 hours flying time + any landing fees. As the day goes on and you are getting close to the 2 hrs flying time we will advise you and you can then choose to keep going and pay the extra or finish the day within the 2 hours flying time. These trips can be absolutely stunning and allow for non fishing partners to come and enjoy the day with you.
Please inquire here if you would like a heli fishing expedition.
Phone: +64 (3) 4421950
Mobile: +64 (0) 27 216 3787
Email: siwilkinson@xnet.co.nz
