SKYBOUND SOUTH
New Zealand’s Premier
Hosted Heli-Fishing Expedition
SKYBOUND SOUTH IS NEW ZEALAND’S PREMIER HOSTED HELI-FISHING EXPEDITION.
Next Dates: November 2025, South Island, New Zealand.
Three days. Two anglers. One guide. All helicopter-accessed.
Welcome to Skybound South – a fully hosted, three-day heli-fishing adventure into the remote backcountry rivers of New Zealand’s South Island. Designed for advanced anglers chasing truly wild, trophy brown trout.
This is not just another fishing trip. It’s a high-country wilderness expedition with logistics, guiding, food, and gear all taken care of – so you can focus on one thing: the fish.
WHY HOSTED?
We handle everything. From the moment you land in your South Island base, your guide and host will be with you every step of the way – organizing transfers, meals, gear, and camp setup. You’ll be fishing remote rivers that we’ve scouted for decades, supported by professional backcountry expertise and on-the-ground experience.
Hosted trips mean no guesswork, no stress, and no fluff – just serious fly fishing with serious support.
THE FORMAT
Duration: Five days total (including arrival and departure days)
Expedition: Three full days of heli-accessed backcountry fishing
Basecamp: Riverside hut or tent-based depending on conditions
Group Size: Two anglers + one guide per expedition
Skill Level: Advanced anglers only (unless you just want to come for the ride)
WHAT TO EXPECT
This is New Zealand’s brown trout fishing at its most remote and rewarding. We’ll helicopter into a handpicked stretch of river where the fish are large, smart, and seldom disturbed. Expect long walks, cruising browns, crystal clear water, technical presentations, and fish in the 8-12lb+ class, plus consistent daily shots at trout in the 5-8lb range.
Skybound South is built for anglers who want the real thing:
Trophy fish in wild places
A fully hosted experience
Zero distractions — just water, fish, and the cast ahead
DATES
Three expedition windows in November 2025 (two are now booked out)
Spaces are extremely limited. Contact us for availability.
If you are unfortunate to miss out last window for 2025, we will run Skybound South again in November 2026.
BOOK YOUR SPOT
Skybound South is only offered early in the NZ season each year – and sells out fast. If you’re keen to fish deep into the New Zealand wilderness with a crew who knows it inside out, this is the trip. Get in touch now to check dates, ask questions, or lock in your place.
ITINERARY
The Day Prior: We relocate into the nearest town the day prior to our helicopter transfer into this wilderness river. We can pick you up from most major New Zealand towns or cities, so let’s discuss a possible schedule when you book with us.
Local hotel accommodation, dinner and drinks are included in your trip fare, plus an early breakfast the following morning before we fly in.
You’ll need to bring quality wading boots (no felt soles), quality polarised lens sunglasses and your typical fishing gear. A comprehensive packing list is provided after your booking is confirmed. We typically wet-wade but quality chest waders are also available. We’ll supply you with a muted colour cap/hat plus we can provide or procure any fishing rods, reels, lines, flies and other tackle you require.
Trip Day 1: As early as practical, we fly by helicopter directly to the hut/riverbank, dropping all gear at our camp before being flown downstream for our first day of fishing back up to the campsite. Prepared lunch, snacks and a hearty dinner/beverages are all provided, plus flies and photos!
Your team of two will settle on an agreed approach to fishing for the day to share the fun. If you’re good at listening to – and following – your guide’s instructions, you should expect to get some decent chances to fish for trophy New Zealand Brown Trout.
If we elect to camp by the river, we have modern clean MSR 3-4 season tents, fresh down sleeping bags and inflatable mats, cooking stoves and all the gear to make your remote camping a memorable experience.
Trip Day 2: After a hot rustic breakfast, we pack lunch and head upstream for a full day on the water. Depending on the river we elect to fly into, there will be an opportunity to fish smaller tributaries, backwaters, even an isolated high-country lake – casting for fish of similar size in crystal clear water. Lunch, snacks and warm drinks will keep you energised, but be prepared for long walks and cool starts.
Trip Day 3: The way we spend our last day is often dependent on your success and favourite spots during the previous two days. You can revisit those most elusive trout, fish your favourite water, or continue to explore up or downstream. We’ll decide the night before over the campfire and plan your final day accordingly.
We’ll have our gear packed and ready for the transfer back to civilisation before we depart camp for a third day fly fishing, and advise the helicopter by satellite phone where to pick us up. By late afternoon we’re in the chopper, heading back to the hotel for a hot shower and a celebratory dinner in town.
The Day After: After breakfast, we deliver you back your New Zealand metropolitan location as agreed when planning the trip together, or we say goodbye at the hotel so you can continue your New Zealand adventure. Finally, we’ll edit our awesome trip photos & videos and send these to you to share with your friends.
SKYBOUND SOUTH – FARE
US$4,875 per angler
Includes:
All helicopter transfers + road transfers in South Island
Professional guide & full trip hosting
Local accommodation before/after the expedition
All meals, camp setup, backcountry lodging
Gear and tackle support
Excludes NZ fishing licenses and domestic/international airfares.
South Island backcountry trout fishing SUCCESS
If you’ve fished New Zealand’s South Island and have come up short on securing an impressively large Brown Trout, or if fly fishing New Zealand is still on your bucket list, our three day Skybound South heli-fishing expeditions are the best way to success.
During the booking process, we work with you to plan your visit from start to end to ensure you have the maximum chance of success on your trip here.
We’ll provide full gear lists, advise on casting and tackle requirements, consider the menu, include your favourite beverages and snacks, and do everything we can to make your heli-fishing expedition highly memorable.
GENERAL INFORMATION
TRIP ENQUIRIES
Please contact us by sending us a message via our Contact Form, or calling us to discuss availability.
We will share more trip information with you email and phone, and discuss your fitness, fly fishing experience and understand what you’re looking for from this expedition.
WEATHER DELAYS
November is spring in New Zealand. We’ve selected this time for Skybound South to maximise your chance at early fish before the summer season brings increased trampers, anglers, low water and more traffic to the backcountry.
If there is severe weather across the South Island of New Zealand and we have to make the difficult decision to delay your trip, it will likely be due to the helicopter not being able to fly into our selected backcountry location due to high winds, heavy rain, snow or low cloud.
We will be in frequent contact to discuss implications to your travel in moving dates forward or back, or adding a fourth day to ensure you get the best chance on the river subject to your travel requirements. If travelling to New Zealand specifically for this expedition, we recommend setting aside a few days either side of the expedition dates to allow for the unlikely shifting of dates or location.
SATELLITE PHONE/MESSAGING
We carry multiple Garmin Inreach Mini2 messaging devices, an Iridium Extreme Satellite Telephone and a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) on every trip. You can call home, send messages to cellphones as you wish, or message between teams on the river, plus this technology allow us to receive weather updates daily throughout the expedition, and to schedule our helicopter pickups.
In the event of a medical emergency, we will have direct contact with our helicopter pilot for urgent evacuation to the nearest medical centre.
FARE PAYMENT
The fare for this expedition is outlined on this page in US Dollars (USD$) and will not change after confirmation of your booking, regardless of any fluctuations in international currency, fuel or travel costs. A detailed list of what is included is provided with your booking. Individual anglers are invoiced separately or together as you wish.
Currency: Payment can be made in US Dollars (USD$) into our Montana USA deposit account or our New Zealand bank account as you choose. If you wish to pay in NZ Dollars (NZD$), we will agree a suitable foreign exchange rate into NZD$ from your preferred currency at the time of booking.
Credit Cards: Alternatively you may wish to pay by credit card. We accept most major international credit cards and can provide a link for online payments.
Deposit: A deposit of 50% of the fare is payable to confirm your booking. Payment of deposit is deemed acceptance of our Terms and Conditions.
Remaining Fare: We require settlement of your full account 30 days before the trip proceeds. If you are a visitor to New Zealand, proof of comprehensive travel insurance and any required medical insurance will be required at this point.
Additional Travel or Tackle: We can arrange road or air transfers, and provide fishing gear for you to keep after the trip. Any costs for these will be invoiced directly to you and are payable before the trip commences. Any additional trip preferences, changes to the expedition travel, or specialist gear obtained on your behalf at your request will be payable on invoice.