CONTENTS Volume 29 Number 156 August/September 2016 COVER: MADE IN MINIATURE A perfectly formed Cape stream rainbow. Photo by Leonard Flemming.
FEATURES 10 20 YEARS STRONG 2016 TOPS @ Spar Kamberg Trout Festival — by Mark Wilson & Ed Erskine 17 Bungezi Beetle A new take on bugginess — by Rex Fey 20 Materials Matter Fundamental Fly-Tying part 4 — by Gordon van der Spuy 28 In His Boots Part 1: Meeting the master — by Pami Simpson 31 Frontier Catch and Release Competition Brett Blackbeard’s largemouth yellowfish wins him a R7 250 Sage Pulse rod! 10 33 Conning Carp Dry flies they just can’t resist — by Terry Babich 39 Xplorer Big Fish Competition Ian Gibson’s 68cm rainbow trout makes him this issue’s prize winner 40 Good Progress, Bru An update on the Umgeni initiative — by Andrew Fowler 42 Relax! It’s just another rod revolution — by Andrew Savs 44 Big Move! New view for Natal Caravans after 56 years 33 46 The Joy of Chile A DIY fishing trip to South America — by Andrew Vos 52 Learning to Cast — and Teach The benefits of an IFFF experience — by Andre van der Werff 55 Change the Way You Tie Review of Fundamental Fly-Tying DVD — by MC Coetzer 17
DEPARTMENTS
6 From the Editor — by Sheena Carnie 50 Calling all Junior Flyfishers — Win awards from Stealth 6 In my Opinion — by Erwin Bursik 51 Property Sales 7 Items of Interest to FOSAF members 66 Directory Adverts 37 Subscribe and Win! 66 Ad Index Publisher: Erwin Bursik Editor: Sheena Carnie FROM THE EDITOR Advertising Executive: Mark Wilson UST a few weeks and it will be spring ... and the rivers Editorial Assistants: Vahini Pillay will be open! In the meantime it’s been quite chilly — Advertising Consultant: Joan Wilson here in Durban anything below 20 degrees counts as Administration Executive: Anne Bursik “freezing” — and those who prefer staying indoors Accountant: Jane Harvey Jwhen it’s cool outside have been perfecting their fly pat- Exec. Assistant: Kim Hook terns. It’s obviously the year of the beetle, because in this issue Rex Fey unveils his Bungezi Beetle (pg 17) and Terry Contributors: Terry Babich, MC Coetzer, Babich has discovered that a beetle is the secret to catching Ed Erskine, Rex Fey,Andrew Fowler, Sheena Carnie carp on dry fly (pg 33). Also in this issue we celebrate the Leonard Flemming,Andrew Savs, Pami 20th anniversary of the Kamberg Trout Festival (pg 10); many of our readers have no Simpson, Gordon van der Spuy,Andre van doubt spent a misty morning at the side of a dam in the Kamberg and know why it’s der Werff,Andrew Vos and Mark Wilson. such a popular event. Although the rivers have been closed to fishing in recent months that doesn’t mean they’ve been neglected. The #BRU (Blue River Umgeni) Advertising – National Sales: initiative is still in full swing and much progress is being made (pg 40). Angler Publications cc Now I’m off to pack for a trip to Cape Town and the inaugural Flyfishing Expo. Telephone: (031) 572-2289 Our country is just bursting with talented, creative people in a wide variety of Mark Wilson cell: 073 748 6107 guises and I’m looking forward to meeting a host of them at the expo. Joan Wilson: [email protected] Happy reading. Advertising — Gauteng & Mpumalanga: Paul Borcherds 082 652 5659 Sheena Carnie
Publishers: Angler Publications cc IN MY OPINION PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 Telephone: (031) 572-2289 HAT does it take to get you sufficiently moti- Fax: (031) 572-7891 vated to emerge from your comfort zone, e-mail: [email protected] take up a fly-rod and head for a mountain stream, dam or the ocean shore to cast a fly? Subscriptions to FLYFISHING WSome, like myself, will feel that father time and business FLYFISHING magazine is available on sub- commitments — the anchors of life — hinder us from set- scription at R145 per annum (six issues). ting off on spontateous piscatorial forays. For subscription queries, new subscrip- However, a few weeks ago I had more than a wake-up tions and renewals: FLYFISHING Erwin Bursik call; it was more like a hefty kick in the appropriate place Subscriptions Department, and it certainly got me motivated. I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016. South African Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T-SA) presentation at Gateway’s movie e-mail: [email protected] house in Umhlanga Rocks. I was completely captivated, right from the very first • Through www.africanangler.com,or seconds which depicted cockpit chaos on a sportfisher with a marlin in the spread • E-zine digital subscriptions — visit and a fly angler endeavouring to place his bundle of feathers in the marlin’s www.africanangler.com > FLYFISHING > mouth. Two hours later, after many more scintillating moments of video footage, I SUBSCRIBE, then choose your option. was more than anxious to get out my fly tackle and hit the water. • Alternatively,go straight to The fact that the destinations showcased favour the rich and famous is of no
6 • FLYFISHING August 2016 FOSAF NEWS AUGUST WINNER HIS issue’s winner of the members’ draw is Neels van Niekerk, membership no AV0016 of Heidelberg, Gauteng. His prize is a copy of Andrew Fowler’s book, Stippled Beauties, kindly donated by Andrew. Stippled Beauties is about a rich appreciation of the natural world that surrounds Tus as flyfishers. It is no co-incidence that the proceeds of the hardcover limited edition of this book are being used to fund a stream restoration project in the KZN Midlands because it is the KZN Midlands that features strongly throughout the book, as this is the author’s home water. The restoration project is on the upper Umgeni River, favourite fishing grounds of the late Neville Nuttall, and in turn of author Andrew Fowler. Alien wattle trees are being removed from the river banks, to restore the biodiversity and enhance the flyfishing expe- rience. The project is well under way, and by the time you read this around 6.5km of the worst infestations will have been attended to by the hired contractors and volunteers alike. Lighter work will continue, and it is realistic to expect that the project will enhance all 17km of this delicate trout stream. Less than 20 of the special collector’s edition remain; they can be ordered from
NEW MEMBERS’ INCENTIVE A copy of Andrew Fowler’s book Stippled Beauties will be given to every fifth new paid up member who joins FOSAF after 1 August. Four copies of the book have been donated for this purpose. F3T HITS SA SHORES OW in its 10th year, the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) — made its inaugural visit to South Africa in June. Billed as “One of the most anticipated events in the South African Fly Fishing NIndustry”, this ground breaking festival of short flyfishing film certainly lived up to its advertising, delivering a grip- ping and mouth-watering smorgasbord of fly eye-candy from island saltwater to the deep recesses of jungle fresh- water ... and a bit of everything in between. With sold out shows in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, the F3T- SA drew the SA fly angling community together from far and wide. FOSAF was heartened by the massive support shown for this event. The F3T-SA team of Jako Lucas (Captain Jack Films), Keith Rose-Innes (MD, Alphonse Fishing Company) and Pieter Taljaard and Colin Campbell (Vagabond Fly), kindly allowed FOSAF to canvass for membership and to
Left: F3T-SA poster with original artwork by Paul Puckett; Johannesburg hamper winner, Andrew Strachan; Geoff Taylor, Vicki Arderne and Chris Williams at the FOSAF desk at the Johannesburg event; Durban winner, Sheldon Sink, receiving the FOSAF hamper from Jako Lucas, Keith Rose-Innes and Jan Korrûbel; packed audiences in Johannesburg and Durban. Photos by Pieter Taljaard and Mark Murray. JOIN FOSAF NOW
ECOME a member and make a contribution to FOSAF’s most important pro- jects, thus assuring the future of flyfishing in South Africa. FOSAF members also now have the option of subscribing to FLYFISHING magazine at an extra Blow price. The prices reduce every two months as decided by the FOSAF Exco. For further information refer to the FOSAF website. In addition, members may purchase our FOSAF Guide to Flyfishing and the Favoured Flies books at extremely low prices. These items make ideal gifts for a friend or a newcomer to the sport. To join and for more details visit
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 7 fundraise at the three showings across Flyz Inc, Cortland, Yeti, Poison City sound principles and ethics, to the country. FOSAF did well by recruit- Brewery,Nautilus, Columbia and Thomas ensure the recognition of the inter- ing some 45 new members, while exist- & Thomas Fly Rods. Congratulations to ests of flyfishing, trout and other ing members donated generously all who walked away with the wonder- species. towards FOSAF funds. ful prizes! Look out next year for a big- • Negotiating with Government and The FOSAF drive was boosted by a ger and better F3T-SA 2017. provincial authorities on the situa- lucky draw prize hamper of flyfishing As the representative body for recre- tion in the Cape, Mpumalanga and goodies at the end of each of the shows. ational flyfishers in South Africa, FOSAF elsewhere when trout was deregu- People who signed up or donated at the needs member support for all the cam- lated, resulting in the Cape Piscat- three events were all eligible to win. paigns and action carried out to protect orial Society controlling Cape trout The contents of the hampers were trout and other flyfishing priorities. waters and assisting with stocking donated specifically for the membership Among other things, our programme and other permits; actively promot- drive, and each hamper contained a seeks to increase the number of fly ing flyfishing interests in Ezemvelo stream net from Bushman’s River Nets anglers across South Africa. KZN Wildlife’s Freshwater Angling (made by Andrew Savides), a fly-box FOSAF welcomed the opportunity to Forum. with a selection of stream flies from spread the word at the F3T-SA events; • Starting this very magazine now Anglerfish Fly Fishing Services (Jan the success of the membership drive on called FLYFISHING. Korrûbel), a wader/boot bag from The those evenings can be attributed to the • Contributing to and promoting fly- Split Cane Agency (Brett Giles), and a fact that FOSAF had access to a large fishing research projects for trout, copy of Stippled Beauties: Seasons, number of dedicated flyfishing enthusi- tigerfish and yellowfish, and on the Landscapes & Trout (by Andrew asts — a captive audience if you will! In economic value of flyfishing for Fowler). addition, a document was made avail- tourism, rural communities, etc. Congratulations to the winners of able that summarised the dispute with Also supporting officials and acade- the hampers: Andrew Strachan the South African environmental author- mics with study and travel costs to (Johannesburg), Sharland Urquhart ities over the status of trout in terms of conferences locally and abroad. (Cape Town), and Sheldon Sink proposed legislation and the current • Promoting the development and (Durban) — thank you for your support. trout mapping process. It also listed protection of flyfishing waters There were also a number of other some of FOSAF’s “milestones” — initia- against threats (e.g. Wild Trout fantastic prizes from the F3T-SA spon- tives which have been of benefit to fly- Association in EC, permitting prob- sors that were given, thrown and raffled fishing in South Africa, since its incep- lems in Mpumalanga). during the three events. A big thanks to tion in 1986. • Promoting and organising flyfishing all who made this event possible and These achievements include: expos and fly dressing functions. who generously gave R250 000 worth • Providing platforms for policy and • Assisting with the flyfishing section of prizes: Alphonse Fishing Co, Captain legislation discussions and submis- of the Knysna Angling Museum. Jack Films, By Invite Only, Simms, Costa, sions to Government based on • Producing and publishing the Nedbank Guide to Flyfishing Venues in Southern Africa, its suc- cessors and a series of other books on flyfishing and fly-tying. • Developing and promoting flyfishing guides’ training and job creation. • Founding the Yellowfish Working Group (YWG) to promote those species’ conservation and value. • Recognising Exemplary Service of people connected to flyfishing. • Co-operating with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, Highland Crane Group, Birdlife SA,WESSA and others including state entities to protect endangered environments from min- ing and other problem land uses. • Helping form Trout South Africa to ensure the worth of the entire trout value chain is recognised. FOSAF is fighting for the future of your fishing, but we need your support to do more. If you want to protect your fish and flyfishing, for now and in the future, join your representative body today. FOSAF has a proud history and lega- cy of service to flyfishing and we would welcome your participation in helping us grow this into the future. We really want to know what else interests most flyfishers. Without the support of all fly- fishers FOSAF cannot succeed. Please help us ensure there is flyfishing for future generations. #iamaFOSAFmember ... it’s the right thing to do!
8 • FLYFISHING August 2016
FESTIVAL
10 • FLYFISHING August 2016 The 2016 Kamberg Festival winner, Trevor Massey Hicks, with his beautiful 3.148kg rainbow hen.
By Mark Wilson ness of the locals. Yup, the bug had bit- To Graham and Sue Armstrong, ten big time and I was caught up by the thank you so much for your generosity HAVE attended this noteworthy fes- Kamberg spirit, hook, line and fly! and for accommodating me for the tival for 14 years now on behalf of FLYFISHING has been the official duration of the 2016 festival. FLYFISHING magazine, and the media sponsors of this event for the full This year’s event, like all those pre- novelty never wears off. Each year 20 years and it’s a privilege we hope to ceding it, was once again incredibly I eagerly looking forward to the next continue with for many years to come. well organised. To all those involved, one with the same anticipation as when In recent correspondence John thank you for once again hosting us all I attended my first “Kamberg Festival”. Geils from Xplorer Fly Fishing told me in your beautiful valley. Erwin Bursik had schooled me in the this was the 19th consecutive year that I asked Ed Erskine, Chairman of the basics of stillwater trout fishing and he’d sponsored the event. Ongoing Kamberg Trout Festival committee to although I blanked on every session support from quality sponsors bears share his personal view on this the 20th during my first festival, I was bewitched testimony to the popularity and quality Anniversary of this special event and by the beauty of the place and the kind- of this particular festival. the history surrounding it...
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 11 By Ed Erskine The Kamberg community run the of 420 fish and a strike rate of 3.1 fish festival as part of their annual fund rais- per angler, I would have grabbed the HE first weekend in June ing drive and although a large part of offer with both hands. Of course this is marked the 20th Anniversary of the revenue generated goes to stocking lower than in previous years, but we the Tops at Spar Kamberg Trout trout in the Kamberg dams, a great deal have to keep reminding ourselves that Festival. Our trout fishing festi- of it goes to support Kamvaru, our own we have had the lowest national rainfall Tval was originally started by Mike local empowerment project which since 1905. Poplett and other visionaries from the focuses on child literacy in rural com- If the 2016 season is indeed the Kamberg Farming community back in munities. worst that 111 years can throw at us I the mid-1990s. To begin with the festi- After the festival someone asked me think we can be justifiably pleased with val was limited to only a few entrants, if I was satisfied with the fishing results the outcome. but it soon grew in popularity and has this year and I had to think about that. We all know that the fishing is just continued to attract a large number of If you had asked me in March this year one aspect of what we do so well in anglers from all over the country. if I would be happy with a total catch the Kamberg. Our hospitality at the
12 • FLYFISHING August 2016 Wheel and Plough is and always has closely with Peak Trout to provide the We are confident that we are on been the heartbeat of the festival. Our ideal stocking solution for all our dams. track with our catch-and-release strate- entire farming community give up a We have every faith that these waters gy which we adopted in 2014. We now long weekend to cook hearty Kamberg will remain the finest collection of trout fish the festival in teams of four anglers country fare, to serve in the pub and to waters in South Africa. and it seems to be working well. provide the warmest welcome to all the We continue to applaud our title Although we have made these subtle participants. This year we served a sponsor,Tops at Spar, and are enormous- changes we’ve still on to most of the Kamberg venison curry which was sub- ly grateful for their support and encour- old traditions of the festival, so you will lime. Good friends come from far and agement of our festival. Wildfly and still see the tagged fish competition and wide to spend the weekend together Xplorer are other key sponsors and you will still see the trophy fish coming and no words can convey how much have, between them, provided huge to a weigh-in, which creates a good deal that means to all our contestants. support and a very impressive prize of interest and envy around the pub in It has indeed been a challenging table valued collectively at over the evenings. year, but we will continue to work R75 000. Our winning fish this year was an
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 13 Make note of the dates for the 2017 festival — 1 to 3 June 2017 — because impressive 3.148kg rainbow hen caught next year’s festival is going to be by Trevor Massey Hicks in Tonbie van der very exciting indeed. It will be our Westhuizen’s Longclaw Dam. 21st anniversary and there will be a big buzz In the catch-and-release section Brett Giles around the theme of turning 21. was the 2016 winner with 14 fish measuring a To begin with we will be offering a mas- total of 501cm. Wian Terblanche was just sive 21% discount to all the loyal anglers who behind him and then Simon Giles placed have fished our festival before. This is avail- third. able to absolutely anyone who has fished in In the team event Team “Split Cane” tri- any of our first 20 festivals, but book soon umphed over rivals, and former champions because if you want to take advantage of this Wildfly to clinch top honors. Collectively special offer a 50% deposit is required before they caught 53 fish measuring a total of 31 October 2016. 1 713cm. The entry fee for the 2017 festival will be Highmoor Dam took top honours in the just R1 975 per angler or R7 900 per team of Winning Dam section. four. For newcomers the price remains R2 500 per angler.Terms and conditions apply. Next year’s festival will be an absolute cracker of a celebration and I have no doubt it will be just as suc- cessful — both on and off the water — as it has been in all the previous years.ook now by calling our new sec- retary, Carla Mountain, on 079 881 3640 or email
14 • FLYFISHING August 2016
MARKETPLACE
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16 • FLYFISHING August 2016 FLY-TYING
A new take on bugginess
By Rex Fey
AM a very simple fisherman so I will never bore you with any tech- nical stuff. As it is I don’t know what half of the stuff out there is or what it means. You would most likely laugh at me if you bumped into me on the river. I would probably be hopping along Ithe river bed either barefoot or in crocs with a small moon bag around my waist, maybe carrying a small daypack.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 17 Two other colour options.
In my moon bag I would have a few that are very simple to tie, but don’t four fish, and I caught a fish on my first rolls of tippet — 4, 5, and 6X — some appeal to me. I have never been a fan cast, my second cast and my fourth cast. floatant and one small plastic fly-box of too much foam — it floats well but it The third cast resulted in a refusal. with a few dry flies and a few nymphs. doesn’t look natural to me. I like to use It may seem like a wham-bam affair, I am a minimalist flyfisher if you’ve ever natural materials wherever possible due but in fact this all took place over the come across one. The area where I may to their natural buggieness and, as an course of a morning. It’s a long walk to fall a bit short as a flyfisherman is that I artist who likes tying flies for fun, I like get to the stream, and then it’s very dif- am a bit of a one-trick pony when it the idea of using feathers and fur to ficult to find the fish. I like to take comes to fly choice. However, it must deceive a trout. some time to actually spot the fish. be said that the few flies that I do fish A thought came to me that I should Over the course of several hours, I are deadly and so 90% of the time my tie a beetle exactly the same as some of sightcast to four fish, all of over a limited fly choice is generally sufficient my other dry flies which have clipped pound, I had three takes and landed all to produce a great day. deer hair or klipspringer bodies. The three. Naturally I was over the moon, I generally fish in streams that are difference would be to just clip the hair but that’s the only time I have used the pristine and mountainous, so if the fish- into a fatter beetle-like shape, alter the fly and you can’t really judge a fly on ing is slow then I have the advantage of head slightly and add a bit of CDC. one outing. being able to say “screw the fishing”and I now have a great production line climb a mountain instead. Yes, to some where I tie up a whole pile of identical PICKING IT APART this may be a defeatist attitude, but I unclipped flies without their heads. The fly has great natural buoyancy with promise you I haven’t had to climb Then I attempt to trim each body into a its deer hair or klipspringer body and is many mountains out of boredom. fat beetle shape which is the most diffi- a pleasure to use. My preferred material The trout where I fish are unselec- cult shape to achieve. If I make one is klipspringer, but it’s difficult stuff to tive feeders although they’re highly sen- heavy handed cut, then it changes get hold of. sitive to presentation and very spooky. course and becomes a more slender The white foam head acts as a good I like to fish big, bushy dry flies that hopper body. indicator when the fly is floating in the look vastly different to the fish’s food film which is how I like it to float. source. The flies must scream BUG to NAMING THE BUG Obviously it can be tied in many differ- the fish even though none of my flies When I finished my first beetle I ent colours, and maybe the hotspot looks much like the real thing. If one realised I had tied something fairly isn’t necessary, but almost every fly I fly doesn’t work then I find fishing the unique as far as I knew. Our domestic have used for the last 15 years has some same fly at a different depth or with a worker was in the house at the time form of hotspot so that’s not going to different retrieve is often more effective and I asked her what this little thing change; it’s a bit like a signature of than a fly change — and it’s certainly looked like. She said,“Hawu! Ifana ne- mine. easier. If that doesn’t work then climb a bungezi.” That means it looks like a bee- I don’t think the Bungezi will find mountain. tle, and so it was named, the “Bungezi its way into many guides’ fly-boxes or I am as passionate about fly-tying as Beetle”. into any fly shops due to the time it I am about fishing, so you might find it Obviously you are now wondering takes to tie. It’s not the type of fly you strange that, being a fairly accomplished if this little fella catches fish. I have to will leave hanging in a bush, it’s the fly-tyer, I use such a limited fly selec- admit that I have only fished the fly type of fly you will swim for and break tion. I have developed a team of juicy once since I first tied it in January this branches for. Although it’s a simple fly dry flies that work a treat, and I seem to year. Due to a combination of drought, to tie, it’s time consuming to tie well do perfectly well enough on the farming and family comitments, I have and it’s the spinning of the hair on a streams where I fish. I might very well hardly fished this autumn. On one of small hook and the clipping of the body do better with a bigger fly selection, but the few occasions when I did get out I into the correct shape that are the I tie flies that I enjoy tying, and those headed for one of my favourite small biggest challenges. flies are all enjoyable flies to fish. streams with three Bungezi Beetles in a Good luck tying and using the You might be more surprised to small container. No other flies allowed. Bungezi, I hope you enjoy it as much as learn that up until a few months ago I It’s a beautiful crystal clear stream I do. It’s importantly a fun fly to tie and had never fished a beetle pattern, let with some spooky brown trout in it. several different techniques are all com- alone tied one. Over the last year or I’ve had many a blank day up there bined in one fly. two I have often thought about how to when the brownies are in a tempera- I would love to hear any feedback tie a beetle pattern of my own. I want- mental mood, but on this particular day on how it’s performed and any modifi- ed something that looked more buggy I was lucky and the fish were out and cations you have made to it. Email me than the commonly tied foam versions about. I saw and presented my fly to on
18 • FLYFISHING August 2016 TYING THE BUNGEZI BEETLE 1A. 1B. 1C.
2A. 2B. 3A.
3B. 3C. 4.
5A. 5B. 6. 7.
Step 1: My preferred hook size is a #12. flat underneath and then use a few Step 5: Tie in a strip of foam over the To begin with spin your first chunk of aggressive cuts to get the basic shape antenna and dub the head with a spikey deerhair as an orange or red piece before neatening it up. It needs to be a dubbing mix like hare’s fur. which, when clipped, will be a hotspot. bit like the shape of a pear, cut in half. Then use your deerhair in a colour of If I make a bad cut then I just trim it Step 6: Pull the foam back over the dub- your choice. Remember to pack the further and make it into a more slender bing and tie it down. Clip off the hair tightly between spinning each body which I turn into a hopper. It excess foam. chunk of hair. I compress it together really is difficult to get the shape right using my thumb and forefinger at the in the beginning, so don’t stress. Step 7: I like to tie the fly off with a few back and front to squash it all together. half hitches over the thorax. I then, very Spin the hair three-quarters of the way Step 3: Use the split thread method to thinly, dub over the thread with a few to the eye before tying off with a few tie a brown or white CDC collar against wraps. Then I take the dubbed thread half hitches. the clipped hair. straight to the front of the fly, where I create a second finish. Step 2: This is the most difficult part. Step 4: Tie in two small antenna. I have I don’t like the look of the bare Clip the deerhair into the shape used two mongoose hairs but a small thread in the middle of the fly,but that’s required. I like to start off by cutting it feather stripped bare will do the trick. just cosmetics.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 19 FLY-TYING
By Gordon van der Spuy Photos by Leonard Flemming
OST people buy fly-tying material the way they do groceries. Guys literally, walk into a shop with fly-tying grocery lists picking packets off the shelves like one would do whenM buying groceries. The problem with fly-tying material is this — feathers and furs are products of nature and, as such, vary in quality from time to time, even when you’re buying products from a reputable brand like Whitings. Fly-tying materials are not unlike avocado pears in this regard — you actually need to feel them out to see if they’re what you’re looking for. Inspect the stuff before buying it. Buy materials based on the flies you fish and the function these flies need to perform. Don’t just aimlessly buy cupboards full of stuff, narrow it down, buy materials which are versatile and focus on the quality of the materials as opposed to the quantity. You don’t need three truck loads full of materials to tie a wide range of effective patterns; I have two moder- ate tool boxes and that covers me for most eventualities. People are half surprised when they hear this but it’s true. I fish for stream trout mostly so that is reflected in the materials I own. Your material selection needs to be based on the type of fishing you do. For example, if salt- water flyfishing is your primary focus then having 20 top Whitings dry fly capes would be superfluous. To start with get a core selection of materials based on your fishing preference — this article will give you a good idea of where to begin. This article covers the items that will cover you for most freshwater eventuali- ties in this country; these materials are my bread and butter basics ...
20 • FLYFISHING August 2016 FLYFISHING August 2016 • 21 quality beads with a high tungsten content. Morne Bayman sells decent beads as does Craig Thom at Stream X. His new anodised beads are also quite nice. I like them in both slotted and unslotted varieties depending on the application. Slotted beads are used with jig hooks and are reserved for those flies I intend fishing on the point. The jig hook combined with the slotted bead keeps the nymph fishing hook point up resulting in less snagging and more fishing. I generally use convention- al beads and hooks for the flies I fish on the top droppers. When fishing dry and dropper rigs I like to use the smaller tungsten beads — 1.5mm and 2 mm.
Brass and glass — I personally don’t like using tungsten beads for my stillwater flies; here copper and glass beads come into their own. We tend to be very single-minded with beads and there seems to be a massive emphasis on tungsten nowadays, but you would be short changing yourself if you didn’t fish glass and copper beads too. You don’t always want a fly that plummets to the depths of the river or dam; sometimes mod- erate or minimal weight is all you want. This is particularly true when you’re fishing nymphs and buzzers as emergers just subsurface on a floating line. Tungsten beads on tiny, moderately flowing streams just doesn’t sit well with me either — it feels like I’m dropping Beads. bombs on innocent civilians! I prefer a gentler approach, hence the use of glass and copper beads on smaller, slower TOOLS flowing streams. To be fair, I’ll fish tungsten if the flow rate is I covered this aspect in the February 2016 issue of FLYFISH- high, but if it’s not I’ll happily fish copper beads. ING magazine. Craig Thom has some great copper beads in stock in a wide range of colours, and I get glass beads from the local HOOKS bead shop. I like the glass beads with the silver lining inside I covered this aspect in the April 2016 issue of FLYFISHING the hole because they seem to appeal to fish. magazine. PHEASANT TAIL CENTRE TAIL PAIRS THREADS Look for feathers with vibrant colouring and long fibres with I covered this aspect in the June 2016 issue of FLYFISHING clean, whole tips. Sometimes they harvest the birds too early, magazine. resulting in short, fibred feathers, so be selective when you buy. Wapsi and Veniard have decent tails. I like my tails in BEADS their natural colour because that’s part of the magic of pheas- Tungsten — I like tungsten beads for most of my nymphing ant tail. The fibres have great colour variations, making for work in faster flowing rivers and I have them in 1.5mm up to very natural looking bodies. I don’t like using pheasant tail 4mm sizes. They come in many different colours but I like fibres as a tailing and legging material as they are rather frag- them in silver, rose, copper, black, fluorescent white and ile and thick, but wound as a body with a decent copper rib orange. The important thing with tungsten beads is to buy they’re great.
Whole pheasant.
Pheasant tail.
22 • FLYFISHING August 2016 COQ DE LEON These feathers offer excellent fibres for the tails of both nymphs and dries, and are also useful for halo hackles. They have excellent markings and ample fibre length so they’re easy to work with. Whitings in the USA provide capes and saddles which are great in this regard, but the real Gallo de Leon feathers from Spain are unsurpassed in terms of quality. The fibres on those feathers are thinner, shinier, have pronounced markings on the pardo varieties, have decent tips and are much better than the Whitings. These feathers come from the original breeding region in Spain. I did a full article on this in the April 2015 issue of FLYFISHING magazine. Unfortunately they are hellishly expensive and almost impossible to find here, but if and when you do locate some they are well worth the investment. Charles Stewart at the Fishing Pro Shop in Pretoria had some in stock at one stage.
COPPER WIRE I use the thinnest stuff I can get as I use it mostly as a ribbing material on small nymphs, but thicker wire is needed if you like Copper Johns etc. A visit to your local bead shop can be rewarding in this regard. I also tend to get copper wire from small transistors, so speak to your local mechanic or comput- Whiting genetic hackle. er technician.
PEACOCK HERL & EYE FEATHERS can; Morne at the African Fly Angler sells them from time to Eye feathers provide lovely quills for nymphs, dries and time. If you want different colours you can always cut the emergers, but finding eyes with quills which are light in skin in to pieces and dye them accordingly. I have them in colour with a nice dark edge can be tricky and you don’t natural, olive, red and black. always get them. Veniard and Polish Quills supply nice quills I occasionally also get skins in but they go out as quickly but they are expensive and I really enjoy collecting my own. as they come in; I’ve literally got people on waiting lists for I recently acquired an immature peacock tail and the herls skins. It’s worth taking a drive around the suburb of on it were great — thin herls with bright irridescent colour- Newlands in Cape Town because you often find useful road- ing unlike anything I’ve seen before. With the herls being thin kill. they are great for small dries. Sometimes herl is too thick for this as it adds too much bulk to the fly. PRISM AND UV DUBBING An important thing with herl is to get fresh stuff because Prism and UV dubbings are great because they add that little it needs to have that vibrant look to it. bit of flash to a fly. I have a pearl Prism dubbing which I like mixing into other natural dubbings to give them added flash. SQUIRREL When you mix orange Prism dubbing into a natural squirrel I simply love squirrel fur for dubbing — it’s spiky yet easy to dubbing you get a mustard coloured dubbing which is great work with and the stuff just looks buggy. The tails are also on yellowfish flies. Use the Prism dubbing sparingly in your very useful for ParaRABs. I’d suggest you get a full skin if you mixes. I also like peacock Prism dubbing which I use a lot.
Peacock.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 23 UV and crystal dubbing up close. Dubbing.
FINE DRY FLY DUBBING Hareline do a really nice fine dubbing that’s great for dries and emergers and I’ve got it in Adams grey, dark olive, light olive, tan, brown and black. It’s perfect for thoraxes on dries. If you’re not one for mixing dubbings and want ready mixed dubbings which are awesome look no further than the SF Dave Whitlock dubbing blends. I’m also quite a fan of seal fur dubbing and have noticed its availability in a few shops. Hansie from “Catch me if you can” had a great selection at one stage and Craig Thom at Stream X also has some.
DMC 1402, PEARL AND UV MYLAR TINSEL OR FLASHABOU These are great as ribbing materials and are also good for flashbacks on nymphs and emergers. Get thin stuff because it’s more versatile. Pearl and UV flashabou can also be coloured with copic markers to great effect. When they’re covered with UV resins, these materials are awesome for thin, slick, fast-sinking nymphs. I like the DMC embroidery threads for ribbing on Zaks and emergers.
PARTRIDGE SKINS Flashabou. You need two skins here, one in olive and one in natural. It’s better to get skins than loose packets as they offer you a wider size range of feathers which are neatly packaged on the skin making finding matching pairs easy. These feathers are great for soft hackles but equally useful for Papa Roach and Killer-style flies. Partridge feathers also make for very nice legs on damsel fly nymphs. Veniard do a really nice skin as do Hareline and Wapsi, but they are expensive. If you know a hunter then local francolin skins are equally good; we have many species of these birds here in South Africa. Someone once gave me a box filled with 30 skins which I dished out to my local tying group.
ELK, DEERHAIR AND KLIPPIES Here you want hair with clean tips and straight fibres with a sponge like texture when you squeeze the hair patch between your fingers. Straight hair just works easier. Keep in mind that I’m not referring to frizz; frizz is fine, but the actual hair must not be bent in a sickle-like fashion. I love using elk, klipspringer and deer for wings on dry flies like Elk Hair Caddis and hoppers. I rarely spin with the stuff but when I do I use my really bad quality klippies with broken tips because you end up trimming the stuff anyway. It also dyes well; yellow is a great colour for DDDs. Natures Spirit and Hareline sell great hair. Veniard have Crystal flash. good hair occasionally, and I bought some nice natural roe a
24 • FLYFISHING August 2016 Deerhair and klippies.
Klipspringer hair up close. while back but it’s a bit hit-and-miss with them; sometimes their hair is really bad. That said, if you’re selective when you buy this is hardly a problem, just don’t buy the bad stuff.
CUL DE CANARD Good quality CDC is very hard to come by in South Africa and most of the stuff commercially available is not great. A decent quality CDC feather should have a dense fibre count along the feather stem with many tiny micro barbules on each fibre. Longer fibres are more versatile. It needs to be soft but with structure; avoid feathers which look like pillow fluff. Swiss CDC and Petitjean do a good Select CDC, but unfortunately they’re both hard to come by. Spirit River and Dohiku have decent stuff but I find them to be a bit on the fluffy side. Those barbules are sometimes a bit big, and this fluffy type of CDC tends to be better for nymphs and soft hackles. Egyptian goose CDC also has this fluffy quality to it. As South Africans we aren’t exposed to top quality CDC on a regular basis so we literally don’t know what it looks like. Here’s a clue: decent CDC is easy to work with, bad qual- ity CDC is not. Natural Egyptian goose CDC.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 25 Zonker strips and rabbit fur.
BIOTS inherent buoyancy; hence the need for quality hackle. I love biots; they’re simply awesome for making the bodies of There are two names I trust here — Whitings and Collins. nymphs and dries. Biots come from the primary flight feath- Whitings provides a good quality dry fly hackle at a reason- ers of birds, and the larger the bird the bigger the biot. When able price; their bronze saddles and necks are great and ample wrapped they make for easy, no-fuss, effective, good looking for one’s dry fly needs. I would suggest you have them in bodies. grizzle, brown, dun and black. If you want an olive you can Turkey biots are great as they are long and are thus easy to always dye some of the grizzle feathers. work with.Wapsi has very good turkey biots. Goose biots are Good dry fly hackle has the following attributes: fine but sometimes they’re a bit on the short side so you tend a) Thin pliable feather stems which are straight — this is to run out of biot as you’re wrapping. They’re useful on small- very important as a thick stem will trap fibres when the er flies, though. My favourite has to be peacock — Mark hackle is wound, diminishing structure. Krige introduced me to them many years ago. They’re long, b) Dense fibre count along the feather stem with fibres thin and, used as is without dying them, they have a lovely tan which are stiff and springy. edge to them. They’re also easy to come by provided you c) Minimal web (small barbules present at the base of fibres) know someone with peacocks. Peacock biots also dye readily. with a large sweet spot on the feather (a section of feather Biots give flies a lovely taper as you’re overlapping slightly with no web). on each consecutive wrap, giving your fly that lovely carrot- Webby feathers tend to retain water, and you don’t want like shape. your hackle sucking up water hence the need for clean, web-free fibres. ANTRON YARN, POLYPROPYLENE, MCFLYFOAM d) Consistent fibre length along the feather stem. All these yarns are great post materials for dry flies; they’re Saddles offer more material than capes, but they have the also ideal as wings for spinner patterns. Some people also use disadvantage of having limited hackle sizes. Obviously that’s the fibres of these yarns for shucks on emergers. Wapsi does a not a problem if you’re tying dries in a specific size range. In really nice polypropylene while Veniard do a very good terms of economy saddles are the way to go. Antron yarn. Collins do a great cape but they’re unavailable in this Some people use aero wing which has hollow fibres and is country. Their hackle is traditional Catskill-style hackle so it’s said to improve flotation. I use polypropylene and Antron for not as dense as modern Whitings feathers but very good posts mainly. When they’re used like this these materials are nonetheless. I have a few and they’re superb, especially when not in direct contact with the water’s surface and the hackle I want a sparser hackle. Their saddles are not ideal for dries wound around it performs this function. Hollow fibres for but are useful for Woolly Buggers. That said, Charlie Collins posts are thus not necessary although they are relevant for breeds his chicken specifically for their capes and he gives spinner wings. That said, I use CDC for spent spinner wings the saddles away with the capes. as I feel it gives the wings a more translucent look when viewed from below. MARABOU I have these yarns in white, grey, fluorescent red and These feathers are very versatile; they’re perfect for nice black. mobile tails and filamentous bodies, and are also useful when used in split thread applications and are spun and wrapped as DRY FLY HACKLE a soft hackle of sorts. This stuff is essential for dry fly tyers. Good hackle offers I like marabou which has long fibres as they’re exception- one’s fly structure which in turn provides resistance against ally versatile, and I use varying types for different applica- the surface film, thus keeping the fly afloat. Hackle is not tions. The fluffier stuff is brilliant for tails while the thin, buoyant, so traditional hackled flies float due to design, not sparse, less fluffy fibres found on some feathers is used for
26 • FLYFISHING August 2016 wrapping bodies on damsels. Remember that marabou needs • Form buyers’ groups. I would suggest teaming up with a to be lush, so have a close look before you buy. group of friends and buying material like this. You can then divide the materials amongst yourselves and end up MONO with a larger variety of material for your cash. This is a Basically just fishing line, thin tippet materials are wonderful particularly good idea when it comes to buying things like as ribbing material. I use thicker mono for eyes. Maxima capes and saddles. ultra-green in 40 lb is perfect when melting eyes for damsels • Buy from people who know what they’re talking about. and dragons. If you want bigger eyes use thicker mono. Some You don’t go to your local mechanic to get your Dental people like to use plastic bath chain for this purpose. It’s not work done and vice versa. Tying is no different. Speak to bad, but I believe that I get a more natural eye shape by melt- guys who are knowledgeable and are good tyers them- ing mono. selves. Their track record will show. If he sells it to you he should also be able to show you how it works. ZONKER STRIPS • Study materials. Take time getting your brain around what These are awesome for minnow patterns and are also great attributes to look for in individual materials and what when used in split thread applications and wrapped for leech makes them useful. YouTube and the internet can be great bodies etc . Hareline and Wapsi produce decent zonker. resources here. Let go of the shopping mentality and get Would suggest buying zonkered pelts — Wapsi and Veniard do into the understanding mentality. Once you know what to good ones — because it’s more cost effective buying zonker look for you’ll also buy smarter. Don’t just assume that the like this. I like zonker in olive, Chinchilla grey, black and pur- guy helping you knows what he is talking about, some- ple. Don’t ask me why,but purple works exceptionally well. times they don’t. Someone at a reputable flyfishing retail- er once tried to convince me filoplume was CDC. The guy INDIAN AND CHINESE CAPES AND SADDLES was inexperienced and new to the shop so I let it go, but It’s essential to have some cheap capes and saddles although this kind of thing can be a problem for the inexperienced nowadays none of them are that cheap. I can remember rum- tyer. maging through boxes of awesome Indian saddles at Sollys Anglers in Pretoria as a school boy; they cost us R15 a pop WHERE TO BUY MATERIALS back then and were perfect for our needs. These are some of the local shops where you can get fly-tying Indian and Chinese capes and saddles offer hackles which materials. are ideal for Woolly Buggers and tails on nymphs. I prefer Coq • The African Fly Angler — An online shop specialising in de Leon for tails, but fish won’t be discriminating if you use quality materials. Morne has some really decent stuff and cheaper hackle fibres instead! his prices are really good too. He also imports Fulling Mill hooks. The abovementioned items are what I would regard as • Frontier Fly Fishing, Johannesburg — Stockists of your essential selection of materials. A decent selection will Whitings,Tiemco and Natures Spirit. I’m not a fan of the put you back a few grand, but one can collect over time as Spirit River stuff, but the Natures Spirit materials are great. you go, buying what you need when you need it and slowly • Stream X,Western Cape — They have a wide general selec- building up the kit that way. tion of materials including lots of Veniard products and are the local distributors for Hanak hooks and beads. They COLLECTING MATERIALS also sell a range of material called “Stream X roadkill” Times are tough, and I’ve learnt a few useful things over the which includes some really good materials. I get the years. Here are some tips that might help you ... bronze mallard I need for my classic flies from them too. • When you find quality material at a good price buy as • Upstream, Western Cape — Stockists of Dohiku hooks as much of it as you can. I’m not joking here; I’ve been well as a range of other products from them. The Dohiku known to blow R5 000 just on hackle. A mere five years CDC is great for collars on competition style nymphs. ago one could still get Whitings half capes for just under Upstream also have some beautiful beads. R400 each — those very same capes are now almost three • The Complete Angler in Kloof, KZN. Neil has a surprising- times that price. Hoard when you find quality, even if it ly large range of stuff for such a small shop and his prices takes ten years to use the stuff up; view it as an invest- are very competitive. I visited the shop last year whilst on ment. Fly-tying materials are going to get more expensive, tour in KZN and bought some great bargains. He had not cheaper, so buy for the future, and if you have excess Petitjean CDC selling at R80/packet so I bought 20 pack- you can always trade. Decent tying material is never a bad ets. He also has a few Keough capes selling at R630 per investment! cape. I’m generally not a fan of Keough, but the grizzle • Don’t be afraid to collect your own. We happen to live in cape he had there was good. a country with some fantastic fly-tying material running • Mias Woodmead, Johannesburg — They stock a massive around. Make use of hunters, zoos, bird parks and road kill range of materials, but you need to know what you’re to collect materials. You’ll be amazed at what you find. looking for. I have found some really nice things here and This is a list of materials I own that were collected in this it’s a great place to shop for the experienced tyer. They way: sell lots of stuff that no one else sells and while some of Yellow weaver skin these materials are utterly redundant for the tyer of trout Squirrel skins with tails flies, they’re brilliant for salmon fly tyers. I’ve bought Rabbit skins decent GP heads as well as Amherst capes from them Macaw tail feathers before; all classic tying material. Francolin skins • Catch Me If You Can — Hansie Meyer brings in the Hends Full peacock skin with tail products which include some interesting materials that Egyptian goose pelts are worth a look. White tip turkey feathers In this country the biggest challenge with regard to fly- Nice township hackle — R50 for the cape and saddle tying materials seems to be availability and there is little con- Guinea fowl skins sistency in this regard. Go and look for decent CDC and hack- Most of this stuff is in the salmon tying kit I put together. le if you don’t believe me. Material importers have a tough • Trade materials — I do this all the time. Swop stuff you time bringing in the materials, so when you find decent mate- have in surplus. If you belong to a fly-tying club or a rials buy like there is no tomorrow! Don’t let your wife know forum on Facebook this is easy to do. I said this!
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 27 PEOPLE
By Pamela Simpson
HEY say you can’t understand thick and heavy (telling tales of nature’s not a flyfisher make. My husband another person’s experience most elegant and fussy fish) and put a understood the need to get me hooked until you’ve walked a mile in rod in my hand. A few casting tips later by orchestrating a little of that adrena- their shoes ... it’s true. I had hooked my first trout and that was line one experiences through catch and TWhen I learnt to flyfish I started in the beginning of the long and reward- release, but it was just the beginning. borrowed gear from my then boyfriend, ing journey on which I now find myself. The question still hung in the air now husband. He took me to a dam But having beginner’s luck and between us like suspended fly-line: well stocked with beautiful golden and catching a few stockies in a fashion Would I take to the sport long enough rainbow trout, laid on the romance more akin to trolling than casting does to stick with it?
28 • FLYFISHING August 2016 Would I persevere long enough to Pleasantries were exchanged and I enjoy the thrill and satisfaction of stalk- gushed on, trying to get the words ing finicky fish that sometimes never out. This lovely man looked up at take? And, the most important me as I shook his hand, seeming- question, would I join in on all ly bemused at my girlish fum- the fishing weekends or hin- bling, and invited me to sit der them? with him. I told him the The answers came story of the boots and he quickly as I begged to be was delighted. We had allowed “just one more more than the boots in cast” one Sunday after- common, after all we noon when he gently are both writers, we reminded me we needed both write for the to pack up and go. same magazine and we After two seasons of both love river fishing float-tubing and “easy” the most. Ed was so fishing I wanted to try welcoming and was fishing a river. That more than willing to meant I needed some new open up his vast trea- boots as my husband did- sure chest of knowledge n’t have any extras. We to me as we spoke. went to one of the flyfishing Then, to my surprise, he shops in Cape Town and found offered me a second pair of they had a pair of second-hand boots — much sturdier than river boots that would fit perfectly the first and tailor-made to his over all the layers of warm woolly Ed Herbst with Pami Simpson. personal tastes for our specific socks I like to wear when fishing. rivers. A few emails later I became the When we went to pay for them we owner of said boots as well as a few were told that they had once belonged other useful items of flyfishing para- to Ed Herbst, the legendary flyfisher. I phernalia. had heard all about “Mr Herbst” from to my lucky Ed Herbst boots with My husband and I, along with our my husband who read and collected pride. Then, at an end of year function baby son, subsequently visited Ed and many of Ed’s articles through the years. kindly arranged by the Cape Piscatorial could have stayed for hours longer lis- Ed had only worn the boots a handful Society in conjunction with the Boland tening to all the fascinating tales and of times before becoming ill and having Flyfishing Association, I saw him — Mr tips he had to offer. We struck up a to give them up. Herbst himself — sitting across the friendship that will no doubt last much There I was, laced up in one of room talking to a few people at a table. longer than any footwear. South Africa’s top flyfisher’s river boots, I was instantly star struck! I And all because of a pair of boots ... wondering if I could ever do them jus- grabbed my husband’s arm and pulled. forget Cinderella and the glass slipper tice. “Those are some big shoes to fill,” “I want to meet him!” I whispered in — this was my true fairy tale! They said the clerk at the sales desk. I felt his ear, barely able to hide my excite- sure were big shoes to fill, but as they honoured and gained a new sense of ment. I wanted to meet the legend, and came with a mentor in tow, I think I’ll determination to do my best. tell him all about his boots! Being do just fine. A few years on and much stream slightly on the shy side, I needed a little wading later, my boots were starting to Dutch courage and the help of a mutual • Part 2 of In His Boots will be pub- come undone at the seams. I had them acquaintance to make the introduc- lished in the October 2016 issue of FLY- re-stitched and re-soled, and I hung on tions. FISHING magazine.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 29 MARKETPLACE STALK TROUT IN COMFORT All you need for wading and float-tubing
Advertorial
OR 12 years the folks at Frontier Fly Fishing looked for a manufacturer for their V-boat premium float-tube, and in 2013 they found what they were Flooking for. The manufacturer in question produces the world’s finest float-tubes and pontoon boats, so Frontier Fly Fishing were assured of offering to the public the best possible V-boat on the market. With a combined 95 years stillwater fishing experience amongst Tom Lewin, Dean Riphagen and Mike McKeown, all the best features were incorporated into the ini- tial design, and after sending the required specifications to the manufacturer, two sam- ple V-boats were tested in September 2013 at Highland Lodge in the Eastern Cape. After some minor modifications and tweaks were made to the initial prototypes,a container-load of Horizon Troutstalker boats arrived in May 2014 and are available to South African anglers looking for the best V- boat on the market. Only the finest materials have been utilised in the construction of the Horizon Troutstalker. The top and side panels are constructed of tough 420 denier nylon fab- ric, the bottom is constructed of super tough 500 denier 30oz PVC fabric for maxi- mum puncture resistance, and the main bladder is constructed of heavy-duty, heat- seam-sealed urethane. A foam seat and backrest are standard with each boat, but an air seat and air back- rests are available as an upgrade. The Boston valve is located in the right-hand cargo pocket to avoid any possibility of line snags, and there’s a large mesh stripping apron for easy drainage. The 30mm raised lip on the strip- WADING IN STYLE ping apron ensures the wind will not blow RONTIER Distribution also recently launched your line off the stripping apron. No sta- their series of breathable waders, the Horizon biliser bar is required to hold the stripping Guide breathable stockingfoot waders. These apron tight and in place, and a quick-release waders have all the features of the world’s best buckle on the stripping apron allows for Fwaders at a fraction of the price. easy access. The waders are constructed of three-layer fabric on The Troutstalker also features two conve- the upper surface and four-layer fabric on the waders’ nient side carry handles, two large side cargo lower surface for added puncture resistance. The artic- pockets and a large back utility pocket ulated seam is cut away from the inside knee area to behind the backrest, so there’s plenty of stor- reduce wear and abrasion, and comfortable neoprene age space. The zippered pocket inside each suspenders ensure all-day comfort. cargo pocket is the ideal place to store valu- The waders also feature a zippered external chest ables, like your car keys. pocket, a reach-through, fleece-lined handwarmer Two built-in rod holders on the inside of pocket, a built-in webbing belt with flush-fitting belt the cargo pockets eliminate the need for add- loops, and integrated gravel guards to prevent annoying on rod holders. The Blaze orange panel on the gravel and sand from entering your wading boots. They bow of the medium blue/dark blue boat sell for R2 750. means it’s always easily visible. For further information on the Horizon Troutstalker The Troutstalker has a 130kg (290 lb) carry- V-boat and other products, contact Frontier Fly Fishing ing capacity, and a repair kit is also included. on (011) 463-9048 or visit their website The boat weighs 7.5kg and sells for R3 250.
30 • FLYFISHING August 2016 Win great prizes when you release your catch
HIS month’s winner of a Sage fly-line, then I began a short, jerky strip HE Frontier Fly Fishing Pulse rod is Brett Blackbeard retrieve which only made it a third of Freshwater Catch-and-Release who caught this largemouth yel- the way back to the boat, when bang! competition is an exciting lowfish on the Vaal River. Brett The rod was almost wrenched out my opportunity for readers to sub- Ttakes up the story: hand. Tmit photographs of freshwater fish I have been on a quest to capture a A sizeable fish rolled on the surface caught and released in South Africa and proper largemouth yellowfish for a almost immediately and it was clear win great prizes. number of years. Having sampled a few from the long golden body that I had The competition promotes catch- smaller specimens while nymphing and the targeted species on the end of the and-release and also affords one lucky a few hefty smallmouth while fishing line. That did nothing to calm my now reader the opportunity of winning a streamers, I decided it was time to seek very wobbly legs and quivering hands! 9 foot 5-wt Sage Pulse rod worth professional advice and hired the ser- The fight is still a bit of a blur but I do R7 250 each issue! vices of a guide in the Parys area. know that many a silent prayer was This is how it works: Submit your The day eventually arrived with said regarding the steadfastness of the catch-and-release photograph with a clear blue skies and a few wisps of mist barbless hook in the corner of its short story about where and how the rising from the mighty Vaal. Given that mouth. When I finally saw the stunning fish was caught and what fly was used. we were close to new moon I felt opti- primordial-looking beast in the net it The competition is limited to fresh- mistic that this might just be the day! was a surreal and somewhat emotional water fish caught in South Africa with- My hopes were somewhat dashed moment given that my quest had come in a year of entering. when we took a temperature reading to an end. E-mail your entry to and found the water was only 11°C. The fish was gently weighed in the
TECHNIQUES
Dry flies they can’t refuse
By Terry Babich
ARP have recently become popular fish to target on fly and the meth- ods vary from sight fishing, bubble bashing, constructively retrieving and fishing to tailing fish. One method that is seldom tried with suc- cess is targeting them with a dry fly. I am not talking about targeting Cfish in a small, controlled environment where the fish will happily eat bread or a pellet imitation, but targeting fish in a huge dam that will spook and speed off at the first sign of a human being. Fish living off the land so to speak; wild fish of self-sustaining populations.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 33 Another beauty that fell for the beetle.
These fish are present in most of time you put it in their path. The carp black. The crazy thing was that our dams and if we just took some time is a thinking man’s fish — if you want although my fly drifted right through out to wade the shallows of these dams to be able to catch them under all con- loads of fish on the surface I couldn’t we would be amazed at just how many ditions and in any dam or river you see any fish eat the fly — nothing! It carp there are and the number of have to be clever about it; there’s no was weird. Those I did hook I didn’t opportunities that exist to catch them. constant recipe, you just have to be even see. Before long they all disap- Winter months are ideal for this flexible and prepared. peared from the shallow water and I kind of fishing although each dam has I recently began guiding for carp on had to go find a new spot. its own times. Sometimes the trigger a dam that offers many opportunities I decided to wade across to an for carp to surface feed presents itself for targeting them. On my first day at island that few people are willing to with a staunch wind blowing insects the venue my client, a flyfishing novice, wade to. It was a long wade and with onto the surface or creating a foam caught 14 carp. Early that morning the the heavy wave action it wasn’t fun at froth that captures all the floating carp just swam past us, showing no all. As I trudged across I began thinking debris in it along with the insects. interest in our flies, but as the day that with such big waves there was If you’re a diehard angler and you warmed up and the sun rose higher almost no chance of me finding fish; the get out on those chilly, windless winter they changed their lofty attitude and water was too deep anyway. days, you’ll see carp sunning themselves behaved like stupid, hungry fish that However, on my way there I noticed in the surface level of the dam where will eat anything. dark clouds below the surface of the the water warms up first. Although it’s water. I knew they had to be fish, and cold the fish still have to feed to main- as I got close I could see mouths bob- tain their strength through the winter, bing up and down in the surface layer. so take advantage of the opportunity. My beetles Thinking back to the few surface fish The most obvious time to target I’d hooked earlier without seeing the carp on dry flies is just as the sun is set- were far too bite, I came to the conclusion that I was ting when there’s an insect hatch. Carp missing the bites. My beetles were far can be very tricky to catch and are tasty for any too tasty for any fish to ignore. sometimes very selective feeders. I know beetles work well for carp Although a hatch may seem like the fish to ignore and the black ones were sure to be bet- best time to target them, if the carp ter received than the red ones. have become selective they may just I had noticed some fish on the sur- Apparently not, but that’s a story for ignore almost anything you throw at face early in the morning but they another day. them. quickly disappeared when we I focused on a few fish that looked The first thing everyone asks is: approached so I didn’t think much of it. like they were feeding in a positive What fly? What fly? Carp fishing isn’t The next day was my day to fish. manner. They weren’t skimming off the like that and there’s no single fly that Conditions were very different — the surface like normal hunting fish but will have the fishing jumping onto your temperature had dropped, there was a seemed to be hanging there, suspend- line. You need to be cunning with carp; 40km/h wind blowing and the water ed. This was a really a good sign as long decide on your approach wisely. Being was dirty so sightfishing was out. It as their lips moved. an animal behaviouralist would help; was like a switch had been flipped — I quietly waded closer, moving slow- watch what the fish is doing, how it the fish disappeared and the few I ly; no sudden movements. Carp have responds to you being the water, how it could find would not eat a thing. good eye sight so I had to be careful responds to your fly and your casting, I saw a few carp mouthing off the not to spook them. Due to the condi- figure out what it’s doing before you surface in the distance but they would- tions I decided I would try something interfere — and then decide how to n’t let me get close, so distance casting not normally done with dry fly and I approach these fish. was the name of the game. I did a cou- tied on two dry flies. I placed my flies I’ve seen carp ignore a wide variety ple of long casts and landed four fish on in front of a fish no more than 3m away of offerings whether big, small, brightly a beetle pattern. Success! from me — yep, that close; it was so coloured or imitative, and then eat My lady beetle pattern had worked windy you couldn’t present a fly accu- something totally unnatural and out of very well in the past but it took ages to rately any further away than that. the norm. But then they eat it every tie so I had tied a simpler version in A carp gently hovered just below
34 • FLYFISHING August 2016 my fly, not breaking the surface; I could see him eye-balling my fly. He just hung there and then my fly was gone — I saw nothing. He sucked it in from a dis- tance, not even breaking the surface. No change in body posture, nothing! That was why I couldn’t see my bites on a long cast earlier in the morning. I subsequently watched other fish do the same thing — inspect for what felt like eternity and then suck it down, sometimes from several inches away. I had a few cruising fish that just smashed the fly off the surface, but for the most part it was all subtle. In less than two hours of fishing I landed more than 40 fish with a couple of fish up to 15 lb. When you’re fishing for any species it’s all about being aware of behaviour, and of course with carp the position of your fly is paramount; it needs to be very strategically placed close to their mouths. Once you get the recipe right you’ll have a memorable day’s fishing.
TYING A CDC FOAM CARP BEETLE This fly can be used to catch trout, yellowfish, catfish, bass, grass carp and common carp and should become a go-to fly in your box. It’s very buoy- ant, and for those people who battle to keep their flies afloat this could make dry fly fishing a breeze for them instead of the headache that it often turns out to be. Many of us very seldom fish dries and so we’re not prepared when the occasion to do so presents itself. Now there’s no excuse.
MATERIALS To tie this fly you need a thin wire scud hook of a size suitable for your target species. For carp I would be happy using a #10. You will also need a strip of foam, some glister dubbing or UV dubbing, a dry fly hackle and a few CDC feathers.
TURN OVER FOR METHOD...
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 35 METHOD FOR CDC FOAM CARP BEETLE fine if they look scruffy; there’s no 5. Take your cotton to just behind the 1. Dress the hook and tie the foam in neatness contest with this fly; hook eye, bring your foam forward two-thirds of the way up the hook scruffy is better. Tie off and cut and trap down. Trim off the excess shank. Trap it down and loosely away the remaining quills. Gently foam. You can whip finish at this wrap the thread down to the point coax the feather downward towards point if you like or you can use your where you want to add your dub- the hook point. You can moisten it cotton to make a pointed head sec- bing in. Make a few extra wraps at if that helps. tion and a thorax like I have done in the back of the fly to secure the 4. Pull the foam forward and trap the pictures alongside. Apply head foam and prevent it from turning on down securely. Make a small area of cement if you prefer to do so. the hook. wraps the width of where you want There you go, a simple and effective 2. Lightly dub the body half way up your hackle to be. Tie in your hack- fly. If you battle to tie them I can make the hook, but just loosely so you le of choice, trap it down and clip a bespoke order for you. Phone don’t compress the foam too much . off. Make sure you have pulled hard 083 8676 423, email
Hooked on beetles!
36 • FLYFISHING August 2016 FLYFISHING August 2016 • 37 MARKETPLACE WADING WITH REDINGTON
N recent months there has been increased interest in breathable wading pantsI for shallow-river wading or pontoon boat fishing. The Redington BEST 5-WT FOR Palix River Pants are now available in SA and are load faster action fly-rods. The ultra-low perfect for these applica- YOUR MONEY stretch ConnectCore provides ground- tions. HE recent 5-wt fly-rod shoot out breaking levels of sensitivity for intu- Redington’s Palix in TCFF ranked the Xplorer T-50 itively better cast timing, easier line lift River pants are construct- 9’0” 5-wt as the best rod under and sharp, precise mends. ed from triple-layer, R4 000 in our market. A well- waterproof/breathable Tdeserved accolade and something DWR coated fabric, Xplorer have known since the initial days they feature high density neoprene when they designed the rod. The high LIGHTEST ROD booties and strategically-placed seams modulus graphite resulting in a super far removed from high-wear areas. A light-weight blank, premium ALPS fittings IN ITS CLASS wading belt and integrated gravel and 4A grade cork, would confidently ESCRIBED as the lightest rods guards are also included to keep you compare to any international brand rod in their class, the Redington safe in the water. A great feature-set at a in that price range (and higher). Hydrogen fly-rod family is great value, they’re available in medium New to the T-50 range is the 9’0” 7- designed especially for the to XXL sizes. wt four-piece model. The prototype Dtrout angler. A fine-tuned, medium-fast has been tested for over 12 months action is combined with the lightest with various guides and seasoned weight components available to give anglers spending some time on the anglers incredible performance with a water with the rod. They were all light in-hand feel. Skeletonised CNC super impressed and reluctant to machined, anodised reel seats helps to return the rods, wanting to know when reduce weight and single-foot guides they will be available. Well, they’re provide increased tip recovery, while here. the rod actions and models will match The 7wt has the same Alps triangle any trout fishing scenario. shaped, aluminium reel seat that has The three Euro-nymph mod- been anodised with a matt copper/ els (10’0” 3-wt and 4-wt and brown finish and fighting butt, the same 11’0” 3-wt rods) offer refined as the 9-wt. Xplorer have used premi- competition or recreational um Alps S-6 stripping, snake and top performance. guides that are made from marine grade The rods come in a fully SS316 stainless steel. The blank has the protected cordura cov- same fast action, ultra lightweight feel ered rod tube with that you would expect from a T-50 fly- dividers and are rod. backed by Redington’s The current T-50 range includes a lifetime warranty. 7’9” 2-wt, 9’0” 5-wt, 9’0” 6-wt, 9’0” 7-wt There are 11 mod- and 9’0” 9-wt, with more models cur- els in the range rently being tested. All the T-50s carry from a 7’6” 2-wt REDINGTON Xplorer’s unique No Fuss lifetime war- to 9’0” 6-wt ranty. The complete range is back in plus the three stock and available at leading tackle Euro nymph SWAG dealers nationwide. models EDINGTON has added some mentioned new swag for 2016. the above. Redington Electric Mayfly NEW OPTIONS hoodie is produced on a heavy Rweight, 100% cotton fabric and has a zip front design. The Redington Electric FROM RIO Mayfly print is also available on a short HE In Touch RIO Grand fly-line sleeve shirt. The long sleeve Redington is now in stock! Designed for logo t-shirt is now on sale in SA. fast-action fly-rods, with ultra- All these products are available in low stretch performance, the tackle stores around the country. For TInTouch RIO Grand is a full line size details of your nearest stockist contact heavier than the industry standard and Xplorer Fly Fishing on (031) 564-7368 features more weight distributed or visit
38 • FLYFISHING August 2016 THIS ISSUE’S WINNER
Ian Gibson is this issue’s winner with his beautiful 68cm rainbow trout. Ian takes up the story: “It was mid-morning on the outskirts of Somerset East. After casting towards a big rise I hooked into what immediately felt like a decent fish. The fish took me into my backing multiple times and I started think- ing I’d foul hooked it. After a 45-minute fight I landed this absolute gem of a 10 lb trout. It ate my Papa Roach fly and fought like a beast. What a privilege to land this beauty and even better to release him.”
Congratulations, Ian. Please contact Xplorer Flyfishing on (031) 564-7368, or e-mail
By Andrew Fowler tors and the pulling power of the started at the top boundary of the farm farmer’s tractors and TLB. These partic- in question and we worked down- INCE the River of Hope article ular days were made possible by a stream in the hopes of reaching the that appeared in the December R10 000 donation from a long standing point of our earlier upstream progress. 2015 edition of FLYFISHING member of the Natal Fly Fishers Club We didn’t quite make it, but that was magazine good progress has who wishes to remain anonymous. because, on the spur of the moment, it beenS made in clearing the upper Then, in late April, fearing a naturally was decided to clear both banks of the Umgeni River of alien vegetation. waning appetite of volunteers, two con- river completely. The results are quite In March this year, on two separate secutive days of clearing were conduct- astounding. The landscape has been days, a heavily wooded section of the ed with a large team of hired contrac- transformed and a once-shaded, inacces- river was tackled, where beautiful tors. This included a team from the sible stream now flows through clear indigenous forest margins at the river’s Duzi Umgeni Conservation Trust rocky grassland. It really is a very pleas- edge were inundated with some large (DUCT), who have come on board with ing result and we all look forward to old wattles. Clearing was done on both the #BRU initiative. fishing this “new” piece of river in the sides of the river by volunteers, contrac- On these two days clearing was spring.
40 • FLYFISHING August 2016 The Furth before (opposite) and after the big clean up.
In May a group of volunteers from soon be arranging another day with hired contractors to work the northern Michaelhouse and St Johns College contractors to do the last of the south bank of the river and complete the spent a morning on a lower section of bank clearing on the farms Brigadoon overall transformation of this riverine the trout water doing the all-important and Furth. Meanwhile WWF clearing landscape. follow up work of clearing saplings and on the Furth stream is nearing comple- It really has been wonderful to be bug weed. tion. A volunteer day is planned for part of such a tangible, feel-good initia- The boys were joined by a few of bramble spraying in October and spirits tive, and plans are being made to cele- the die-hard volunteers as well as farm are high. brate this in late 2016 with a family day workers from the farms on both sides The last 20 or so limited edition for flyfishers and conservationists of the river. It was wonderful to extend copies of the book Stippled Beauties, alike. the vision of a blue ribbon Umgeni to the proceeds of which are being used the youth. to fund the #BRU initiative, are selling • For further details about the #BRU At the June committee meeting of steadily and the hope is that they will initiative or to make some kind of con- the NFFC a further R10 000 donation to be snapped up by year end. That tribution, contact the author, via email the cause was approved and we will money will fund another two days of
Alfred Zuma of the DUCT team gets his hands dirty.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 41 BY THE WAY
By Andrew Savs sheer disbelief, pure lies and blatant fray and opinions and their holders
42 • FLYFISHING August 2016 before seen HyperPowerStiffFlexQXD7 On the streams that I fish a 12m cast how many fish you catch and at what (patent pending) technology that will is a long cast. A 15m cast is considered distance from them you accomplish it. make the last rod you bought from “miles”. Despite this, every time I try a They aren’t trying to be “the best that them (about ten months ago) seem as new rod I peel fathoms of line from the they can be”. It’s none of these things. soft as chewed gum on a midsummer’s reel and try to hoik it all a few dozen What it is is a race to your wallet. sidewalk. I know, their last model yards over the horizon. Why do we do Market share. Units shipped. Graphs promised to set the thrusters to warp this? Well, actually, I know why. It has on walls, sales projections, returns on speed, but the world turns quickly and nothing to do with our reason for hav- investment and, ultimately, executive last spring’s warp speed is this winter’s ing the rod. We do it to not look like a profit incentives. zimmer frame. rank hacker in front of the tackle shop Like every other brand in the world It’s a special thing, this rod. Having jock. rod makers are competing for your tested pre-release models in the large Where does it all end, this lighter, soul. They’re cashing in on your need hadron collider the white coats at better, faster, further, more approach? to belong; to be perceived in a certain CERN have stated that this stick is Does all technology result in a better way by your peers and by yourself. beginning to challenge our entire product? I’m not sure that it does. In They imply that a true angler only ever understanding of the nature of physics. fact, I’m convinced that while it has cer- makes casts that reach far into the back- Were this pole any faster, they say, as it tainly raised the quality of the average ing. They’re reminding you that deep approached the speed of light it would rod by some way, at the top end of the inside you’re slightly empty — and that potentially slow down time and possi- spectrum what you’re seeing is a scale for a great many shekels they can fix bly precipitate the beginning of the end of rapidly diminishing performance that emptiness. of the universe. returns. Rod makers know this and are Don’t feel bad, similar things are They didn’t go as far as to call it the now chasing some sort of composite fueling the resurgence in glass and bam- “God Rod”, but I’m told that the term material nirvana where every stick is boo. Being an anti-establishment hip- was scribbled into the margins of jour- everything to everyone. Stuff like ster is also a symptom of a certain nals and was mumbled about from “faster but with exquisite feel”,“lighter pathology. Don’t get me started on behind grey beards. but with astonishing rigidity” and tenkara. Bolstered by the irrefutable might of “longer but with a better presentation” I’ve always said that I want to be the scientific evidence it only takes a seem to be appearing everywhere, and guy who arrives streamside with the nanosecond to forget that Teeth-of-a- it’s pretty annoying (and not just worst tackle but who catches the best rake Johnny needs braces and that the because they sound like condom com- fish. I’m halfway to my goal already. house desperately needs painting. mercials). Still, despite this I’ve decided that I’m Seriously, you rationalise, his teeth You see, this is not a race for the getting the new model in both the aren’t that crooked and the house can ultimate fishing pole. The developers three and the five weight. hold out until next summer. are not trying to improve your experi- But only after I’ve had the house Sigh. ence or your capacity. They don’t care painted.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 43 BITS & PIECES BIG MOVE AFTER 56 YEARS New view for Natal Caravans & Marine
ATAL Cravans & Marine, the well-known caravan, camping and boat dealership, who have owned and occupied their landmark premises in Kirk Road, at the foot of Field’s Hill, Pinetown, for the past 56 yearsN are moving. From 1 August 2016 Natal Caravans & Marine will be situated at 1 Wareing Road, Pinetown (opposite Gelofte High School), previously the home of Dales Auctioneers. In making the announcement, Geoff Courtis, Managing Director of the company, said there were a number of factors contributing to this decision. “The most important among these were logistical consid- erations in terms of operating a modern outdoor leisure store,” said Geoff. “With the growth in popularity of off-road trailers it is important for the various models to be displayed with their canvas components fully erected to enable cus- tomers to evaluate and compare features. The market for camping tents has also increased substantially, and with this growth, the range has also grown and needs to be displayed. “Our present facility has limited indoor display space and we often regret our inability to permanently display even just one conventional caravan indoors, with its tent fully erected. Furthermore, the positioning of our buildings is very disjoint- ed, with our two busy workshops, servicing both caravans and boats, being remote from our Campworld store and main office facility. Compromise of efficiency and customer conve- nience is a potential consequence, and overcoming this is a constant challenge,”he added. The new premises will provide a perfect all-under-one- roof facility with ample safe parking. Clients bringing in a boat or caravan for service, repair or valuation will see promi- nent signage directing them to the appropriate drop-off loca- tion. Just a few paces from the parking area is the main entrance to the building and a wonderland of Campworld Tweaking the layout of the new premises. Karam Soorjbully, outdoor products including the Jurgens, Sprite and Safari cara- Wikus Radley, Bill Harrison and (front) Brian Courtis, vans and trailers together with the boats all fully rigged with Veronica Dippnall and Geoff Courtis. their Yamaha engines. Under the same roof and on the same level is the entrance and reception to the two fully equipped and competently staffed caravan and marine workshops. Just one floor up will be another wonderland — 250m2 devoted entirely to what will be the largest display of camping tents in KZN — and quite likely in South Africa. In summing up his and the company’s position going for- ward, Geoff emphasised that only the location of the business will change. Ownership, which has been in the hands of the Courtis family for the past 50 years, will remain the same. The Courtis’ well-known and highly regarded commitment to good, old-fashioned customer service and fair dealing, facilitat- ed by their popular and highly experienced team of loyal staff members, will not change. The long standing franchise arrangements with the Jurgens CI group, for the Campworld, Jurgens, Gypsey, Sprite and Safari brands, and with Yamaha for their marine products will continue. Arrangements with all other suppliers with whom the company has enjoyed long standing relationships, will also be unchanged. The telephone number — 031 702-7291 — and the email address
44 • FLYFISHING August 2016 FLYFISHING August 2016 • 45 PLACES
The positive aspects were that Chile is relatively easy to reach from our shores via SAA with an in transit stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and then a LAN flight to Santiago. South African passport holders do not require a visa to visit Chile for such a trip I adjourned to Pennington on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in early December 2015 for boat inspection purposes and let my wife, Mymie, loose on the internet to investigate the possi- bilities. After much discussion John Joy’s Tres Rios Lodge, based close to Puerto Varas in Chile’s Lake District was top of our list. This decision is quite a big step as one is basically going in blind and trusting reviews on sites such as Trip Advisor. Obviously one is organising one’s own trip with none of the guaran- tees or experience of a locally-based outfitter, but that’s they way we wanted to do it. One of the reasons we chose Tres Rios Lodge was that John offered a cheaper rate for non-fisher(wo)men. With our selection made after a good few days intense research and prelimi- nary email communication with Tres Rios Lodge, it was time to commit and make our reservations. This involved paying John his required deposit (about 10% of the total fee), coincidently as Nenegate exploded, and booking our flights to Santiago. John was very helpful in his emails and gave us plenty of advice about fish- ing tackle, flies and weather conditions. Finally our departure date arrived. We left OR Tambo International Airport By Andrew Vos at 11am and, taking into account a five- hour time difference, reached our hotel Y interest in flyfishing in • Which was the best area to visit. in Santiago at midnight. Our anxiety Chile was piqued by Bruce • What guided facilities were on offer. about our hotel shuttle proved ill-found- Birkett’s article published in • Whether my wife could accompany ed since the airport was a hub of activi- the August/September 2014 me and what she could do if I was ty, the shuttle was waiting for us once issueM of FLYFISHING magazine, but. I away fishing all day as she’s not we had worked out where to find it and had a few parameters of my own that interested in fishing at all. and the hotel was expecting us because would define where we ended up ... • The overall cost. we had previously alerted them to our very late arrival. After spending two nights in Santiago, a friendly, vibey and interest- ing city, we caught a domestic flight to Puerto Mont on the low-cost Sky Airline. When we disembarked after the two-hour flight, we were met by John and taken to his lodge via Puerto Varas, a popular tourist destination with a strong historical German connection, which is situated on Lake Llanquihue. The lodge itself is located on the slopes of a volcano which had erupted about fifteen months previously, spew- ing huge amounts of ash over a vast area. For safety reasons, all the local res- idents had had to be evacuated for a while, and ash was still evident every- where. The lodge has a wonderful view of Lake Llanquihue and the dormant
46 • FLYFISHING August 2016 Osorno volcano (another volcano in the The author with a beautiful area) with its snow-capped peak, and brown trout measuring 45cm. the view could scarcely be improved from our upstairs bedroom with en- suite bathroom. The evening settled into a late sun- set with pink-tinged clouds ringing Osorno, local beers and red wine (espe- cially Carmenere), and a delicious three- course dinner prepared by John’s wife Theresa. The rate we’d been quoted for the week included all meals, drinks (local beer ,wine and pesco sours) and guided fishing on float boats on the local rivers. Excluded was a fishing license, which John obtained for me, and guide tips. Meals were well planned, plentiful and tasty — just what was needed to sustain concentrated days of fishing. One disadvantage of choosing this particular lodge is that it’s not on or near any water, so to get to river loca- tions one has to drive some distance. On the Sunday Edgar, one of the guides, took me to the Rahue River for my first day of fishing. We had to drive for about 90 minutes to reach an access point on the river for the float to start. This was no problem from my point of view as we drove through a lovely dairy farming area reminiscent of Nottingham Road here in KZN. Edgar’s brother Werner met us at the launch site to shuttle the car and boat trailer to a take out point about 11km downstream. I had taken my own tackle — a 6-wt nine-foot rod, sink- ing tip line and leader material. Edgar had previously tied a number of big pancora streamer flies, pancoras being the imitation of the freshwater crayfish present in the rivers. During the drive Edgar had asked me what grain of line I would be using. I said that I had no clue — floating, sink tip, intermediate and sinking was the extent of my knowledge. While I managed to start catching rainbows almost as soon as we Another 40cm brownie started down the river, he said that a comes to hand. 200 grain fast sink tip was the best option. Their average rig consists of a A 50cm Chilean rainbow trout short tippet, 0x flourocarbon of only is nothing to sneeze at. about one metre, tied directly to the fly line with no leader. The modus operandi was for me to stand at the front of the inflatable boat balancing against a roll bar with a strip- ping net placed at foot level while Edgar controlled the boat on its down- stream drift. I would cast downstream at about a 45° angle towards the bank trying to land the fly as close to the bank as possible. “Just don’t catch mon- keys,”Edgar warned. As soon as the fly landed one had to start a fast strip and with the big fish often the take would be almost instan- taneous. At other times it was wonder- ful to see the fish chasing and then eat- ing the fly. High speed retrieves were
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 47 The driftboat ready to be pushed but also held plenty of fish with some into the picturesque Rio Rahue. especially big browns in certain sec- tions. Lower down in a fast flowing section John said “That wasn’t a log snagging you, it was a big brown!” The fish beat me! We then drifted down into the tidal zone of the estuary where good fishing can be had but the tide was ebbing and I was also fairly tired after a long day of casting so we didn’t catch anything there. We went across in March, and at that time of year fast sink tip lines and streamers yield the best results. At dif- ferent times in the season dry fly options are also apparently great. The local guides are only too keen to advise on local conditions. In the following days we revisited different sections of the Rahue and Petrohue rivers and each visit added to the experience. For the last three days my guide was Estevan and he put me onto a large rainbow at the end of Lake Todos Dos Santos, which is just before the start of the Petrohue River and once again a lovely fish beat me. I did, how- ever, get a nice brown under his guid- A rapid section on the Rio Petrohue on a cloudy day. ance on the Rahue River. The guide-client relationship is an interesting one from my point of view. The guides see many different types of fishermen with varying personalities and abilities, but at the end of the day they just want you to catch fish. “You are false casting far too much ... Let me show you how I strip ... Strip faster ... Did you see that fish that you missed? It was very big...”A huge plus is that at Tres Rios Lodge the guides all speak English well — with an American accent — so communication is no problem. Elsewhere in Chile an almost complete lack of English presented many communication challenges and much amusement (thank you Google translate). The rivers vary in size and clarity with flow rates also varying from rapids and riffles to slow, lazy sections. Fishing might only start at 10.30am or critical. journey and have thrived in the local even 11.00am, but the sun remains high Edgar had obviously reported back rivers ever since they were introduced until at least 7.30pm in summer so one to John on my abilities and tackle, early in the previous century. While I can comfortably fish until at least 6pm. because when we got back to the lodge tried to entice a take with my 8-wt rod, Speaking of sunshine, we had bright John lent to me a brand new Sage reel I found the casting and drifting of a and hot weather while we were there. appropriately loaded with 200 grain heavy line and fly into the right zone Apparently it’s normally far wetter and sink tip line. challenging. The salmon were no consequently cooler at that time of the The following day it was John who longer feeding and had to be provoked year, with the river levels also being took me to the nearby Rio Petrohue into a take. Apparently once hooked quite a bit lower than usual. The El where we pushed the boat into fast the fish in the 30-40 lb weight range Nino effect perhaps. flowing rapid water. It was exhilarating take up to two and a half hours to bring Would I go again? Certainly if per- to cast into pockets and catch rainbows to the net. In the lower sections of the sonal circumstances would allow. and browns in the fast flowing river river there were quite a few boat and Mymie did not get bored and I loved which originates in the lakes and flows bank fishermen trying for the salmon Chile and its friendly, cheerful people. into the Pacific Ocean. using conventional rods with spinners After the week at the lodge we ended Later in the day as we drifted down, but I never saw a hook up. our time in Chile on the tourist route the river became wider and slower and Tuesday was another day and anoth- with bus trips to Chiloé Island and in known pools we started sighting er river — this time the Rio Maulin. Valparaiso before heading back to king salmon (Chinook) rising and jump- This river was slightly cloudy in com- Santiago for the flight home. ing. These fish were on their spawning parison to the other crystal clear rivers A joyful trip indeed.
48 • FLYFISHING August 2016
YAN Schoon IAM van der Merwe (9) started (14) of Umtentweni Rflyfishing the Lcaught this beauti- summer before last, ful brown trout during but only really got the recent Matatiele going this past Mountain Lake Compe- spring when he tition. The brownie went on a trip to weighed 1.84kg and is the Orange River his personal best brown and caught small trout. and largemouth yel- The weather was fan- lowfish, barbel and tastic with a very light mudfish. breeze blowing all day Closer to home long. Ryan spends week- Liam was using a 5- ends and holidays wt rod and an intermedi- chasing bass, carp, ate line. The fish fell for grunter, leerie and his blue Fritz fly with an more yellows. He’s orange tungsten bead hoping to add trout Great catch, Ryan Fantastic, Liam which was retrieved to the list too. very quickly.
ARCO Forno (16) ICHOLAS Louw (15) and recently went flyfishing his family embarked on a Mat The Bend in the KZN Ntrip to Gondwana Game Midlands with his grandfather, Reserve near Mossel Bay in June. who was visiting from the UK. After an enthralling game drive Fishing conditions were ideal Nicholas finally found himself — cool weather with cloudy creeping through the reeds on the skies and hungry, rising fish. As bank of a muddy dam in the “preda- the sun broke through the tor-free zone” which has no lions clouds at midday the fish started and only one cheetah. biting. Despite their guide’s gloomy Between the two of them predictions, Nicholas landed three they caught 11 rainbow trout. bass on his 6-wt rigged with a dry Marco hooked this trout from dropper and a mayfly nymph. The the jetty using a slow retrieve on biggest fish measured approximate- a 5-wt rod with floating line and ly 40cm. A second visit to the dam 4X tippet. The fish fell for a with two more bass landed round- Klinkhamer. ed off the perfect weekend. Good job, Marco Well done,Nicholas
LYFISHING magazine, in conjunction with, Stealth Fly Rod (Pty) Ltd, is proud to offer all junior flyfishers the opportunity to win Rules: awards for excellence in flyfishing. If you are 16 years or 1. Anglers must be under the age of 16 years at the time the fish was younger, and submit a photograph of yourself and the fish you caught. Fcaught, you will be eligible to receive — in recognition of your achieve- 2. A good quality photograph of the angler and the fish must be submit- ment — some great goodies from Stealth and FLYFISHING magazine. ted. In the event of a released fish, a photograph of the angler with Upon ratification, all junior flyfishers who submit entries will receive a his/her rod and reel at the venue where the fish was released, will also handsome certificate suitably inscribed. And there’s more …Once a year be acceptable. the names of all junior flyfishers whose photographs appeared on the 3. Include an 80-word story on how, when and where the angler Junior Flyfishers’ page will be included in a lucky draw. The winner of the caught/released the fish as well as a written statement that the fish draw will receive a magnificent Stealth fly-rod and reel. What a prize! was caught on recognised fly tackle. 5. All entries should be sent to: Junior Flyfisher Competition, Keep those photos rolling in – By post or email: Flyfishing Magazine, PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 or [email protected] e-mail
52 • FLYFISHING August 2016 — AND TEACH
half days’ of intense training and prac- of three distinct parts. were finally internationally certified. tice, we realised that we still had a long • Certified Casting Instructors It was a long but very rewarding way to go. We would have to put in a Workshop and Written test:This part process of about 11 months in total and lot more time honing our techniques if tests the candidates’ overall knowl- it took many practice hours to become we were to have any chance of passing edge of flyfishing and all aspects of certified, but all of us who saw it the stringent exam. the mechanics of fly-casting. It’s a through to the end found it to be a An important part of the exam was comprehensive written test on vari- worthwhile experience. demonstrating a very good understand- ous aspects of casting and teaching. A big thank you to Cheryl Heyns ing of casting techniques and mechan- • Performance test: All instructors from SAFFA for arranging this and also ics. We also had to be able to transfer must be skilled, well rounded cast- for the financial contribution from SRSA this knowledge and teach these skills to ers. This second part of the test is to and Lotto that she procured. This was a any student. We were encouraged to demonstrate a high level of practical once in a lifetime opportunity for most each enrol a beginner student and prac- knowledge. The candidate casting of us as South African candidates. tice our teaching skills on them so that instructor must show mastery of all Many of us don’t have the opportunity we would be comfortable with teach- casting tasks set by the examiners. to travel internationally on a regular ing when it came to the exam. • Teaching test:The largest part of the basis and at the moment that’s the only I was very fortunate that Leslie test requires candidates to demon- other way that one can acquire this Thiart of the Jacaranda Flyfishing Club strate an ability to teach casting. qualification. invited me to practice on their new This includes the ability to convey SAFFA is currently in the process of members and novice casters. This concepts; identify, analyse and cor- implementing this qualification locally seemed like the perfect win-win situa- rect flaws; field questions and make and are up-skilling potential coaches to tion as we could work on our newly the learning accessible and enjoy- be recognised and registered SAFFA acquired skills and the newbies to the able to any level of student. Casting Tutors. The next step will be to sport could learn the correct way of Students learn in three different get Master Casting Instructors certified casting right from the start, thus pre- ways: by seeing it/visual; by hearing through the IFFF in order to train and venting them from forming bad habits. it/verbal and by feeling it/kinaes- assess local prospective Casting That exercise turned out to be a thetic. All casting instructor candi- Instructors. great success and we were invited back dates have to show that they are Specific mention must be made of to do another session, this time aimed able to teach fly-casting in all three Tim Rolston who played such an impor- at an intermediate level of casting. This ways. tant role in getting candidates prepared; experience was a great help in prepar- This qualification stands out Ken Quick and Linda Gorlei who ing me for the upcoming exam and also because all lessons are based on the worked as the regional co-ordinators a big confidence booster. I was sur- essentials of fly-casting and do not and Mark Yelland who did a great deal prised that I enjoyed the teaching part intend to change a student’s personal of practical work with the candidates. so much and found it to be a very casting style, nor try to teach a student Thank you! rewarding experience. to adopt the tutor’s style of casting. In Congratulations to Tim Rolston and Next came weekly training sessions addition the tutor’s teaching ability is of Matt Rich from the Cape, Richard Gorlei of around four hours each with my cast- utmost importance and his/her teach- and Gillies McDavid from KZN as well ing partner Leslie, then daily one to two ing ability to all levels of students is as Evert Minnaar from Gauteng who are hour sessions during the last two weeks thoroughly tested. all registered IFFF Casting Instructors. leading up to the exam. Forty-two candidates signed up for I’m proud to say that I am also now a Thomas Berggren an IFFF Master the course, but due to various reasons registered IFFF Casting Instructor. Caster on both single-handed and Spey ranging from their personal motivation Please contact any of these CI’s for rods came all the way from Sweden to (some were only there to improving casting tuition if you feel the need to examine all the South African candi- their casting), time constraints, the iron out those niggly faults and improve dates and was assisted by Tim Rolston. intensity of the course, its duration, and your casting or if you want them to The allocated time for the exam was other commitments, only 18 students teach casting to a beginner — it will be three hours per student and consisted took the final exams. Of those, five well worth it.
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 53 54 • FLYFISHING August 2016 THIS & THAT CHANGE THE WAY YOU TIE
and a natural teacher, and Fundamental Fly Tying showcased these talents to perfection. The combination of great fly-tying skills, a good dose of humour and phenomenal photography already makes this DVD a must have for anybody wanting to improve their fly-tying skills, but I believe that Gordon man- aged to convey much more than simply explaining to us how to tie his favourite fly patterns for streams and stillwaters. In Fundamental Fly Tying Gordon focuses on three important aspects. The first is that fly-tying is based on a limit- ed number of techniques and by mastering these techniques a fly-tyer will be able to tie absolutely any fly pattern. Techniques like thread control, pinch-loop, applying dubbing, using split-thread techniques and many more are demonstrat- ed in detail and clearly explained so that any level of fly-tyer can understand and apply the principles involved. The sec- ond important aspect focuses on selecting and using the best materials for each application. With the knowledge and skill to select the best materials and correctly executing the differ- ent fly-tying techniques we are able to copy any fly pattern we see in books or on DVDs. The most valuable aspect that sets Fundamental Fly Tying apart from almost all other fly-tying publications is what Gordon refers to as form following function. Gordon pays particular attention to this aspect and the value of under- standing this concept is that it allows a fly-tyer to adapt and improve fly patterns to best suit his or her specific conditions or locations. Once you open your mind to this concept you move away from merely imitating what other fly-tyers have done by incorporating your fishing experience into the way in which you tie flies. My favourite and all time best salt water fly-tying book is Pop Fleyes by Bob Popovicks and the reason this particular book has so much value is because Bob understands and con- veys this same principle of form following function in a salt- Fundamental Fly Tying with water fly-tying milieu. When you read Bob Popovicks’ Pop Fleyes you quickly realise that Bob is a very talented fly-tyer but, more importantly, you realise that he has a deep under- Gordon van der Spuy standing and experience of why he ties flies in the way that he does. Photography by Tim Wege Bob’s focus and ultimate purpose is to teach the reader Reviewed by MC Coetzer how to use technical fly-tying skills, combined with a good understanding of the different material options, to design fly S fly-tyers we have access to millions of instructional patterns that perform specific functions and that fish in exact- fly-tying videos on the internet and it is often difficult ly the way that you intend them to fish. Gordon achieves the to justify spending our hard-earned cash on purchas- same result in Fundamental Fly Tying and I believe that this ing a hard-copy DVD. When Gordon asked me to is what sets Gordon’s approach to teaching fly-tying apart Areviewhis new DVD, Fundamental Fly Tying, I was con- from everything else on the market. cerned that this production would be just another fly-tying In short, I believe that Gordon’s Fundamental Fly Tying DVD explaining to us how to tie a few random fly patterns will change the way in which you tie flies and fish that work for Gordon on his favourite waters or under specif- them. ic conditions. I was, however, very pleasantly surprised and can assure you that Fundamental Fly Tying will improve The DVD runs for 84 minutes and sells for R320. It is avail- your fly-tying skills, irrespective of whether you are just start- able directly from Gordon; to order your copy phone 074 113 ing out in fly-tying or whether you are a highly accomplished 1382 or email
CONSERVATION VANDERKLOOF CONCERNS ASSESSED HE proposed development of a small-scale commer- indicated to them that they too would not be able to issue a cial fishery on Vanderkloof Dam has resulted in a sig- permit for gillnets in a commercial fishery (under NEMA and nificant level of concern amongst the freshwater NEM:BA). The refusal of a permit in both cases is due to the recreational angling fraternity. threat posed to the largemouth yellowfish which is listed as TSince January 2015 The South African Consolidated Vulnerable. This is the opinion SACRAA and SASACC have Recreational Anglers Association (SACRAA) has formally been held since the inception of this committee. involved in the process, representing the interests of recre- The authority did not have any supporting documentation ational anglers and SASACC, the controlling body of organised to present to the committee but said they would hopefully sport angling in South Africa. have something for the next meeting on 6 July. SACRAA have taken very senior legal opinion on the legal- Representatives of the Northern Cape Department of ity of provincial administrations granting permits for gillnet- Environment & Nature Conservation were unable to make ting on Vanderkloof Dam in the light of largemouth yellow- the May meeting so there was no further progress with fish inevitably being caught either by design or in error. It regards permits from Northern Cape. However, it is unlikley would appear that SACRAA has a very strong case. to be a problem provided there is a release clause for the A number of meetings have been held with various stake- largemouth yellowfish. holders and at the meeting in March the Provincial authority Freestate Nature Conservation are also a part of this responsible for permits stated that while they could issue a process as there are kraals on the Freestate side of the river permit (under Provincial ordinance) to use gillnets on the and they are on record as stating they will not support the dam for research purposes, they could not issue a permit for catch, kill and sale of largemouth yellowfish but will support nets to be used in a commercial fishery. the kraal fishery for all other species. We will keep readers Likewise, they reported that the national authority had updated on the progress of this issue. TAGGING TIGERS IN THE KAVANGO
By Francois Jacobs
OR decades northern Namibia, especially the Kavango River and its adjacent floodplains, has been considered an important Ffishery. In recent years however, the area has faced unprecedented popula- tion growth and a major concern for this system is the depletion of the nat- ural fish resources. The responsibility to ensure conser- vation, restoration, protection and sus- tainable utilisation of all inland fisheries resources within Namibia falls within the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. To achieve these objectives, an understand- ing of the biology and ecology of vari- ous fish populations is of paramount importance. The tigerfish is a charismatic species endemic to African rivers and is consid- ered one of the most important subsis- tence, recreational and commercial species. Their functional role as top predators is crucial in maintaining ecosystem functionality. Despite their importance, limited information exists tagged fish is monitored constantly. return the tag to Kamutjonga Inland on the movement of tigerfish in the Recapture data is of vital impor- Fisheries Institute (KIFI). Kavango River. tance for the success of this study. Tags Future management guidelines will A new study therefore aims to docu- are imprinted with all the necessary be compiled from the outcomes of this ment behaviour, migration and habitat information, so if a marked fish is cap- study to ensure the sustainable utilisa- use of the African tigerfish Hydrocynus tured, please record the date, tag num- tion and conservation of this species in vittatus. ber and place of capture (GPS co-ordi- the Kavango River. Tigerfish will be captured through- nates if possible). Please SMS this infor- For additional information please out the Kavango River using a range of mation to (+264) 812 868 168. contact Francois Jacobs, Senior Fisheries techniques. Each individual fish will be If a radio tagged fish is captured Biologist, Kamutjonga Inland Fisheries taggedwith a highly visible and easily please return the fish unharmed to the Institute, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine identifiable tag. Release sites are river, but if for some reason a fish carry- Resources
FLYFISHING August 2016 • 57 DIRECTORY
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58 • FLYFISHING August 2016