FlyLife was born out of a frustration with existing fishing magazines which tend to be full of articles driven by advertising, and which lack serious fly fishing content. Having contributed to most of the existing magazines, popular writer Rob Sloane decided to stop complaining about their editorial standards and set about producing something better. Rob believed that there was room for a collectable Australia / New Zealand publication dedicated solely to fly fishing, and that fly fishers in general would appreciate a high quality product with articles selected on their merits rather than their commercial benefits.

In September 1995 the first issue of FlyLife hit the stands. The rest, as they say, is history. Now beyond its 14th year, FlyLife has been a great success and has an avid readership across Australia and New Zealand and a growing list of subscribers in 50 countries worldwide. FlyLife is a proudly independent publication, designed by fly fishers, for fly fishers.

EDITOR - ROB SLOANE
Editor Rob Sloane has a PhD in fish biology, having served time as a trout biologist and fisheries administrator. As well as many scientific papers, Rob has hundreds of fly fishing articles to his credit having been a regular contributor to popular magazines in Australia and New Zealand. His scientific background adds depth to his articles which reflect his passion for debunking the myths and complexities of fly fishing.

Rob's book The Truth About Trout (1983) is regarded as an Australian fly fishing classic and he followed this up with More About Trout (1989), Trout Guide (1991), Fly Fishing Fundamentals (1993) and Australia's Best Trout Flies (1997). Fly Fishing Fundamentals offers a great introduction to fly fishing and has been reprinted many times. Rob's more recent book, The Truth About Trout Revisited (2002), is a reprint of the original The Truth About Trout with updated text spanning the twenty year period since first publication. Rob also compiled and edited the fly-fishing short story book Short Casts (2004) and, most recently, the travel book Fifty Places To Fish Before You Die (2006), highlighting the best fly-fishing destinations across Australia and New Zealand

A resident of Richmond in Tasmania, Rob Sloane has fished as far afield as the United Kingdom, Europe and South America. In Australia his favourite trout waters include the Monaro streams, the rivers of north-east Victoria, and the Western Lakes in his home state of Tasmania. Rob regularly fishes New Zealand waters and has fished both islands extensively.

Rob is a recent saltwater convert and has now taken a variety of species on fly including tuna, queenfish, Australian salmon (kahawai), golden trevally, giant trevally, Spanish mackerel, bream, cobia, barramundi and bonefish.

FLY-TYING
Regular FlyLife contributors include Peter Leuver, author of Fur & Feather (1991), a talented illustrator whose step by step fly-tying illustrations are simple to follow. Feedback indicates that many readers are putting Peter's instructions to good use. North American columnist Steve Dally keeps FlyLife readers updated on the latest product developments and news from the USA. Regular columnist John Clewlow provides light-hearted advice for beginners. Saltwater fly-tier Chris Beech presents a column detailing a different pattern each issue, with step-by-step tying photographs and instructions.

TRAVEL
For the travelling fly-fisher FlyLife has a unique Travel Guide section where all the best lodges and guides are advertised, and globe-trotting correspondents contribute to a regular Postcard column from far flung corners of the world.

PHOTOGRAPHY
The photographic reproduction quality achieved in FlyLife is an aspect which receives comment from around the world. Photographic contributions from staff photographer Brad Harris and other professionals including David Anderson, Bill Bachman, Derek Grzelewski, Les Hill, Sean Larkan and Andy Trowbridge have set the standard. Beautiful pictorials add to the appeal and collectability of FlyLife.

FRESHWATER FEATURES In terms of feature articles, FlyLife contributors have included Daniel Agar, Nigel Birt, Mark Cloutier, Steve Dally, Greg French, Tom Gleisner, Derek Grzelewski, Daniel Hackett, Brad Harris, Marc Griffiths, Mat McHugh, David Tasker, Neil Grose, Peter Elks, Danny Spelic, Philip Weigall, Brett Wolf and Bob Wyatt. Lesser known and new writers are also encouraged.

SALTWATER FEATURES
The saltwater and native-fish content has been provided by the likes of Nat Bromhead, Micah Adams, Kaj Busch, Dean Butler, Henry Gilbey, Rod Harrison, Lefty Kreh, Scott Mitchell, Peter Morse, Alistair McGlashan, Col Roberts, Warren Steptoe, Mark Williams, Michael Winterton and Craig Worthington. FlyLife's commitment to saltwater fly-fishing recognises the enormous potential and growing interest in this modern branch of the sport.