Ben Henton’s sport of choice is more unusual than many others.
He loves fly fishing and has become so good that he’s been chosen to represent New Zealand at the Fly Fishing World Championships at Vyssi Brod in the Czech Republic.

It’s not somewhere Henton has ever been or knows much about, but he’s excited at the opportunity to fly fish against some of the best in the world.

“There is no prize money or anything involved in the competition, just battling out to see who is the best angler and bragging rights.
“My goals for the champs are to get the best possible result for our team, to share good intel in the hopes that my other teammates can do well also and to have fun, enjoy the opportunity and meet some cool people.
“I am looking forward to the world's bucket list achievement and proud to represent the Bay of Plenty and New Zealand.”

Fly fishing is a sport Henton has been interested in since he was a child.

I got into fly fishing when I was about 10 years old. My dad was heading out to fly fish only to spots where I would tag along but couldn’t fish, so I had to change that by getting involved and haven’t looked back.”

Henton tries to get out on the water whenever he can, although it’s difficult at times.
“Having a young family, a three-and-a-half-year-old and a new two-month-old, means that’s changed a bit from weekend missions to being more local.

“I go out a few times for shorter hour-long sessions each week, focused on different techniques that will hopefully help at the world champs.”

He is looking forward to experiencing the Czech Republic

“Seeing all the culture and history in the towns, experiencing new types of water to fish on and meeting new people that are just as keen as I am.
“Conditions will be similar in the sense of rivers are similar everywhere you go, but there are a lot of  different fish species we don’t have in New Zealand, so we have to get over there and adapt fast with the different techniques to catch them.”

Henton has always enjoyed the challenge of fly fishing.

“I love the challenge of catching a fish. Big fish or small fish. There is always a unique challenge to adapt to and fool each fish. Also, being out there in the outdoors in nature, just you and the fish, is pretty cool.”
He never thought about giving the sport a good crack competitively until he learned there was a national team.

“I didn’t ever consider taking it seriously until one day I heard about the New Zealand fly fishing team. It was always a bit of a dream to make it, but I didn’t even know how you got onto the team.

“Many years later, I was curious and my wife was the one who encouraged me to do my first competition as I’m a bit of a procrastinator. I’m sure she regrets it a little bit as competition fly fishing takes up a few weekends away from the family. She's very supportive though, and I couldn’t do it without her.”
Henton finds fly fishing incredibly relaxing and encourages others who are into fishing to give it a try

“It is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable hobbies I can think of. Once a person catches that first fish on the fly rod it’s pretty addictive. It’s a bit of an obsession for me.”

As yet, it’s been a case of close but not quite in his search for national glory.
“I haven’t won any national titles yet but in 2022 I came second at the national river championships on the Mohaka River, which put me in third overall for championship points in 2022.

“In 2024. I again came second at the river national championships on the Whanganui River.

“I have also won a few regional comps like the Waimakariri (Tauranga river champs) twice and the first competition I ever entered was on Lake Maraetai for the Waikato Lake Championships which I managed to win.”

Sport Fly Fishing NZ covers Henton’s entry fee for the world championships and an extra $1000 but he must fundraise the rest of the cost.

If anyone can help his fundraising efforts or wants to sponsor him, they can get in touch on Instagram @Hentonguiding.