Kiwi Bad Boy

New Zealand’s South Island is famous for its bronco busting, predatory brown trout. Holding ground over a spot of river shale and gravel drop-off, this brown would occasionally roll skyward to intercept drifting nymphs. This is the last trout hooked before heading back to Queenstown, and then home to the USA, a last parting gift for anglers. This image was the featured cover photograph for the 2021 Loop Magazine.