Flywater Exposed is a blog dedicated to showing the planning of the ultimate fly fishing and photographic adventure. I will be sharing my search for the perfect location, as well as the ideal equipment to capture both the fish and the images.
Along the way, I will also show you things that I find relevant, interesting, entertaining or inspirational. These may include, but are not limited to art, photography, books, magazines, blogs, websites, and even people. I may even carry out some reviews and some crazy equipment tests from time to time - just to keep things interesting. Hopefully all my research will be useful when I reach my as yet unknown destination - flywater x.
The main goal is to come away from the adventure with an exhibition of photographs, but I am sure the biggest reward will be in the experience involved in planning and finally going on this adventure.
About Adam Zappia - Creator of Flywater Exposed
Fishing
Adam is from Adelaide in South Australia and has been fishing ever since he caught his first fish at 18 months old. The story goes that he was holding a bait rod while fishing on a local Adelaide jetty waving the rod around. His father, not too impressed mentioned that he wouldn't catch anything that way, however Adam managed to attract the attention of a tommy ruff (a local herring species) which he reeled in with the help of his parents. From that moment on he was hooked, and went on to catch a good variety of both fresh and salt water species on bait and later lures. During high school, he read about fly fishing in magazines and had to give it a try. He save his pocket money to buy his first fly outfit, consisting of a Daiwa Turbo 8'6" 6/7wt and an all plastic Shakespeare fly reel. A no-name 7wt DT line was eventually received as a gift from his parents and the outfit was finally complete. With no real idea of how to cast, he set about teaching himself (rather unsuccessfully) and attempted to catch bream locally. His first fish on fly eventually came on a family holiday to the Northern Territory where he had hoped to catch a barramundi. On the long drive north, his family stopped for a break at Mataranka. There, on a fly he tied himself on a size 12 hook with purple sewing cotton for thread and yellow and white budgie feathers as a wing came his first fish on fly. A small archer fish. Despite its small size, it was a very satisfying capture, especially as it was caught sight casting and on a fly of his own design. No other fish were taken on the fly on this trip, nor when he returned. The struggle with casting and lack of interest from the local bream population saw his first fly rod disappear for a few years.
Adam on a Yorke peninsula beach on a flat calm day
A few years after packing the fly rod away, he started reading FlyLife Magazine after spotting it in the newsagency among the other fishing magazines that he regularly such as Modern Fishing and Fishing World. Now, as a young adult with an income of his own, he finally had the opportunity to buy some reasonable fly fishing equipment. He purchased a Penn International 9' 9wt rod and an Abel Super 8 reel and again tried to teach himself to cast. This time at least he had read about it rather than just guessing how it was done. Actual instructions would have been better, but still he managed to hook a number of large Australian Salmon on an intermediate line and deceiver fly from a rock spot on South Australias Yorke Peninsula not long after getting the outfit. Though not exceptional, his casting was still adequate to catch two mulloway on fly tackle quite early on in his flyfishing career. For those that know the species, this was quite an achievment, especially as they were caught sight casting from a jetty, again on the Yorke Peninsula. Since then, Adam has gone on to catch a number of species on fly and is always hoping to add new ones to his list.
Photography
Adams initial interest in photography came about through wanting to have a magazine article published. He had the opportunity to learn the basics of using an SLR in high school, but didn't own one of his own until his early 20's. Due to the cost of film and development and his very "average" income, he did not shoot a lot, and the dream of an article being published was pushed aside. Eventually he studied visual arts at university where again he became interested in photography. At this time he also purchased his first digital SLR and this was where photography became a big part of his life. He didn't see a career in art at the time though, and left university after only one year. Eventually, he moved to Sydney to work with photographer David Anderson as an assistant. During this time, he lugged equipment and set up lighting on shoots with local and international celebrities and learned more than ever before about photography. Adam is now back in Adelaide, slowly working towards building a photographic business of his own as well as carrying out his own personal work - which includes this blog.
Despite the desire to be published in a fishing magazine, to this day it still has not happened. Thankfully it is because he has not submitted anything to any editors yet and not due to lack of skill. He has decided to wait until he can put together a story with a collection of images that he is reasonably happy with, in one of the few fishing magazines that he considers to uphold the highest standards. He now has a collection of images which he considers worthy of publication. All that is required is to write the article to go with them. No doubt in the near future he will make his first submissions.
