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A Long Weekend in Underberg

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times…no long weekend should ever go to waste. And since it had just been Nick and Tarryn’s birthdays, we decided to do a family trip to Underberg for a little fishing and relaxation.

Sadly my Jeep was in the shop so I borrowed my mom’s Corolla and quickly packed it on Friday morning before the 7am departure time. Amazingly it almost seemed to fit in more than the Jeep and we easily packed all my fishing equipment, including my float tube, as well as Emma’s pram and various other bags. I was truly impressed.

A misty afternoon at Lund’s Dam

We met up with Nick, Tarryn and Mila at our usual garage on the N3 and then headed for Underberg, coffee in hand. The weather was dire with most of the trip being spent in either rain or mist. This meant that rushing for a water was futile since our wives and daughters would be left sitting on a bank in the rain.

So instead of rushing we stopped off at the Pickle Pot, found a table close to the fire, and enjoyed a cooked breakfast and a few more cups of coffee. Rain ran down the windows as we enjoyed the heat, but eventually we paid our bill and got back onto the road.

Our first stop in Underberg was at Alan’s house where he greeted us with yet more coffee. We sipped on the warm cups while discussing our fishing plans for the next few days.

With the weather being a little miserable, and the families therefore not wanting to sit in the mud while we fished, we decided to check in first and to then to head out fishing. Being the adventurous types we also opted to fish a new dam in the form of Lunds which we’d always heard great things about. Saturday’s plan was then to fish Lake Ringstead since Nick was yet to fish it properly. And finally on Sunday we decided to fish one of the dams heading out of town, probably Turner’s Cottage or the Grange.

Nick with a Lund’s rainbow

Warren with a rainbow trout

At 12pm we headed over to The Old Hatchery since they’d kindly allowed us to check in early. The venue itself is fantastic with a lovely small dam (which is apparently stocked, but we didn’t fish it), a restaurant and bar, and varying levels of accommodation. It is also all interlinked with wooden walkways which are always a scenic favorite.

One of the minor downsides of the venue is the distance between the fisherman’s cottages and the parking area. This meant several trips along the wooden walkways and narrow bridges carrying babies, prams and sterilizers. That said this wouldn’t be a problem on a boys only fishing trip.

Once we’d unpacked the families and had settled in it was time for the fishing to commence. We said our goodbyes to the ladies, climbed into the Terios, and headed for Lund’s. Thankfully Alan had given us a map as the route was a little confusing – especially since we had to drive right through the saw mill buildings.

However once we made it to the water’s edge it was truly a sight to behold. The water was calm with a scenic treeline running along the one edge and a derelict old jetty left rotting in the water which once lead out to a small island. There was a slight drizzle with pockets of mist over parts of the relatively large water. It looked mystical and magical and in need of some fisherman.

We decided that, since it was going to be a relatively short session, we would fish off a boat together rather than setting up our tubes. This turned out to be a fantastic idea and soon we were rowing out towards the wall, rain running down our jackets.

I got into a fish on my third cast and had soon landed a rather sluggish stocky. Feeling the water indicated it was perhaps a little cold and the fish were appropriately lethargic. We then noticed swallows skimming the water and headed over to the area where I picked up another small stocky. Then the real fun began when Nick and I doubled up with a nice pair of 2kg rainbows.

From there the fishing improved as we found a hole near a weed bed which produced fish almost cast for cast. Sadly all the fish were a little lazy but we made up for their lack of enthusiasm in sheer numbers.

View from The Old Hatchery

The Fisherman’s Cottages at The Old Hatchery

As the sun set and darkness fell we rowed back to the boat shed where packing up was an absolute pleasure thanks to the decision to not inflate the tubes. Soon we were heading back to The Old Hatchery, ready to jump into the pub and watch the Sharks game. Sadly it was at this point that Nick realised he’d left his phone back in the boat house. Rather annoyed we stopped in at the Himeville Arms to ease the pain, and then headed back to Lund’s Dam.

Amazingly we still arrived back at The Old Hatchery in time to watch the rugga. Alan met us there and we had a quick shower before heading to the pub. It was at this point that the power in our chalet tripped due to it being linked to the kitchen. Thankfully Alan knew the owners and sorted it out while I finished off my shower in the dark.

In the pub the sharks game against the Griquas was a little disappointing. Alan therefore decided to head home while we walked back to our cottages to braai instead. As per usual it was an over-catered affair consisting of rashers, woopsies, steak, garlic mushrooms, roasted vegetables and more. WOW!

We’d heard from Alan that the fishing didn’t pick up until later in the day so the next morning we enjoyed a skottled breakfast rather than rushing out at the break of dawn. Strong and fill we then headed over to Lake Ringstead where Alan met up with us as we were paddling out onto the water.

Again I picked up a few stockies in the early stages of the session. Nick was meanwhile left sulking about the lack of fish. This however soon changed when, after an hour or two he picked up a lovely 2kg cock fish. I then had a run of bad luck when a bus of a fish snapped my braided leader (the bastard). After that we landed a few more fish before things quietened down and we eventually left that water at around 4pm.

Frozen spider webs

The plans that evening were to braai at The Old Hatchery. Sadly however there was an issue with the water pipes and as such we only had a trickle of cold water, while Nick and Tarryn’s unit had no water at all. Thankfully Sharon had bathed Emma during the day (and I opted for a cold shower) so we were all good. Nick and Tarryn were however left stranded having not bathed Mila. They therefore headed over to Alan’s place to shower and braai while Sharon and I relaxed in our cottage.

We headed to the restaurant for dinner but found them fully booked. Thankfully however they were kind enough to prepare our meal and to bring it to our cottage. So a big thumbs up for the service.

The next morning we again opted for a slow start since the fishing had been better at around midday. Sadly this didn’t seem to be the case on our final day as we arrived at Turner’s Cottage at 10am and rowed out. I immediately picked up three stockies and Nick got into one. Things then quietened down and eventually, at around lunch time, we opted to call it a day.

We picnicked under the beautiful trees lining the bank, chatted to a friend who arrived for a visit, and then called it a day and headed back to Hillcrest. The end of yet another successful weekend’s fishing in Underberg.

It won’t be long until we head back once again.

A Wintery Nyala Pans

With the (trout) streams having been closed for almost two months now I was starting to get some serious withdrawal symptoms. I needed to get into a river, and I needed to do it now. So I picked up the phone, gave Nick a call, and we put together a trip to Nyala Pans to fish for the Natal yellowfish (or scaly as it’s perhaps better known).

Knowing that the fish are a little lethargic in winter I got off to a leisurely start and climbed out of bed at 6am. By 6:30 I was on the road and by 7:30 I was at the water, cup of coffee in hand, and kitted up. The drive had gone by quickly and the condition of the dirt road had been fantastic. As for the fishing conditions, well the temperature on the waters edge was around 5 degrees and I’d seen lows of 2 degrees during the drive.

I wondered down to the waters edge in a thick mist and began fishing my New Zealand style rig in an upstream fashion. The water was chilly and very clean, and I was hoping to pick up a couple of fish despite the cool weather.

Nick arrived shortly after me with his wife and daughter who were along for a picnic. After setting them up he joined me in the river and we worked our way upstream. By 12pm neither of us had landed a fish although I had missed one. Nick then decided to head back to his family for lunch while I remained positive and carried on upstream. Despite finding some fantastic water I eventually called it quits at 1pm, still fishless.

After a quick lunch on the grass we picked up our rods and got back into the water. The air temperature had finally risen and the water was also feeling a bit warmer. These two minor changes seemed to do the trick and I picked up a feisty scaly of just under a kilo on my third or fourth cast.

Warren Prior with a scaly

A little later I also picked up a nice fish of around 1.5kg which gave a fantastic fight. Both fish were in good condition although one did have a small growth on its skin.

Sadly Nick was not as lucky and when we eventually wound up at around 3pm he was forced to concede defeat and head home fishless. That said his day wasn’t a complete loss as his daughter took her first steps during lunch time, and I’m certainly going to claim credit for them.

All in all it was a fantastic day’s fishing in some tough conditions. We’ll be back!

The Boston Fly Fishing Festival 2013

Sunset on route to the Boston Dargle Fly Fishing Festival

After having taken part in the inaugural Boston Dargle Fly Fishing Festival in 2011 (and having then missed the second festival due to my wedding) there was absolutely no chance that we were going to miss the third running of this (now) legendary festival. So we made sure we got our entries in early and then counted down the days until the festival began.

View over Ivanhoe

When Friday, the day of registration, finally arrived my day in the office dragged. Thankfully I managed to sneak out a little early and headed for my house where two of my team mates, Nick and Neill, were meeting me at 4pm. We threw all of our kit into Neill’s bakkie and hit the road for the Boston. The adventure had finally begun.

As we advanced on Boston the banter grew and the temperature dropped. Slowly it neared the single digits and we were suddenly thankful we’d made a trip to the Columbia Sportswear store earlier in the week where we’d stocked up on a few Omni-heat items to see us through the weekend.

When we arrived in Boston at around 6pm the bar was already abuzz with friendly fishermen enjoying everything from sherry to beer, and rum and shots. We grabbed a quick drink and then headed through to the registration table where we signed in and collected our measuring sticks and festival jackets.

At this point it’s definitely worth mentioning just how friendly and welcoming the local ladies were. They manned the registration and “weigh-in” tables, cooked us multiple dinners, and made up the most amazing breakfast and lunch packs. I can’t image that cooking food for 60+ fishermen is easy, and yet they never stopped smiling. I’m also convinced that they slept far less than the fishermen, so a BIG thank you to all the smiling ladies.

Nick with the first fish of the festival

Warren releasing a fish

Amazingly the entire local community was just as friendly and welcoming as the ladies. The local farmers opened their homes to the fishermen and most of us spent the weekend sleeping in their cosy farm houses and enjoying their hospitality, coffee, and breakfasts. So a BIG thank you to them as well. As far as I know it’s the only festival of this format and I can’t imagine any other community being as welcoming as Boston. In my opinion this is the sole reason that the festival works and is such a success.

But back to the festival; it works on an honestly system and fish are measured rather than weighed. As such everyone is given a stick on which they mark off their fish. These lengths are then totalled and prizes are awarded based on the total length of the bag. This system works well as it promotes a healthy catch and release system and minimises any harm to the fish.

Having signed in and collected our goodies we gathered around the large map on the wall and took note of where our first day’s dams were. Our fourth team member, Alan, then arrived from Underberg and quickly took ownership of the directions thanks to his local knowledge of the area. As such we quickly found our way back in the bar and the drinks once again began to flow.

The ladies then served a fantastic, steaming stew for dinner which we all scoffed down before gathering back in front of the fire. Nick quickly deemed the fire to be too small and promptly threw pretty much every piece of timber in the room onto it, resulting in a roaring inferno, which he seemed rather proud of.

Slowly, as the night progressed, the bar emptied as the more serious fishermen headed home for some rest before the competition began the following morning. We weren’t far behind, lunch packs in hand, wondering what our accommodation for the weekend would hold.

Thankfully we found our farm without too much difficulty, and were relieved to see that everyone was still awake. Helen, the lady who was kind enough to house us for the weekend, showed us to our room while explaining that her whole family was staying with her for the weekend (her daughter was getting married) so we didn’t have the cottage as she had planned.

Despite the confusion we got a fantastic room with 4 beds, a kettle, coffee, rusks and a heater. We really couldn’t have asked for more. Her hospitality was amazing and we had to fight her off as she tried to do everything for us including cooking us infinite extra meals. So thank you Helen.

Chilly starts

That night we opted not to set an alarm and finally woke up at around 6am. Alan was the first out of bed and quickly set about lining up a hot cup of coffee for each of us. Adequately warmed we all climbed out of bed, packed our fishing kit, and headed out for dam number one.

Our first water was Ivanhoe 1 which was a half an hour drive from our accommodation. We found the farm easily enough but when we got to the dam there was no sign indicating that it was the correct water. Alan therefore headed up to the dam above where there was another group of fisherman. In the meantime Nick and I, in our eagerness of youth, began pumping up our tubes and kitting out our rods.

A few minutes later Alana returned with Andrew in tow to inform us we were at the wrong water as it had been changed at the last minute. Unfortunately Alan also picked up a flat in the process so, after a quick tyre change, we threw our tubes onto the roof and Andrew lead us to our actual dam.

Our “new” dam looked fantastic but was a tad chilly as it sat in the shadow of a large hill. None the less we pulled on our Columbia beanies, slipped onto the water and kicked out to our chosen spots. It took a while but eventually Neill got into a nice fish directly in front of the cars. Nick soon followed suit with a couple of fish of his own. And then it was Neill’s turn again with a few more fish.

A misty Neil McKenzies

A couple of these fish were released into a cage floating in the water and were later used to harvest eggs for a small hatchery located on the farm. It’s always good to help out these initiatives so hopefully these fish were put to good use. Sadly however, with just one cage on the water, it was often difficult to reach and therefore most fish were released where they were caught.

Alan and I meanwhile kicked around the dam trying every fly in our boxes with no success. Eventually, at around 11am, Alan finally got into a fish. Sadly however it was not my morning and I was eventually forced to paddle to the bank fishless, hoping I’d have more luck on our afternoon water.

Neill enjoying a frosty start

We enjoyed a quick roll or two from the fantastic lunch packs provided (which also included muffins, fruit, yogurt, chocolate, water, coke and a panado which I think a few of the fishermen were very happy to find) before shoving our still inflated float tubes into the vehicles and packing up the rest of our kit.

The trip to Tillietudlem, our afternoon water, took 20 odd minutes on very dusty roads with our tackle rattling around in the back of the bakkie. It was a pleasure to finally enter the estate and to drive through the local and international game including eland, wildebeest, nguni cattle, and what appeared to be imported deer with their proud antlers.

It took us a while to locate the parking spot for the dam but, once we’d found it, we were got quickly onto the water. I was incredibly relieved when I hooked into a 45cm rainbow on just my third cast. The pressure was finally off.

Tillietudlem 2 was a lot smaller than our morning dam with a lot of underwater structure in the form of sunken trees. This resulted in a lot of lost flies but thankfully we also landed a fair number of fish so this wasn’t really an issue in our lives. Flies that worked for me were Kamberg nymphs, Mrs Simpsons, and the ever deadly wooly bugger.

When the sun dropped below the treeline the temperature once again plummeted but we continued fishing until 5pm when our time was up. Us youngsters then enjoyed a few beers on the water’s edge while our team’s ballies poured themselves a cup of steaming coffee. Perhaps they were more experienced than us after all?

From Tillietudlem we headed back to our farm where we enjoyed a hot shower (in an outdoor room with around 8 gas heated showers) and a nip or two of Jägermeister to keep the heat in. Then it was back to the Boston Club to catch up on the “friendly” banter and log our day’s catches. As per usual the reports varied from some very good waters to some which produced no fish. On a whole though everyone had caught and the fish were generally in the 40cm+ range and in good condition.

Nick with another rainbow trout

Warren landing a fish

After a few beers we all enjoyed a fantastic chicken casserole, courtesy of the very hardworking farmer’s wives, and then headed back into the pub for further lubrication of fatigued casting arms. The bar-ladies were friendly and the drinks reasonably priced so before we knew it far too much fun was being had.

It was at around this point that Nick continued his self-appointed role as fire master and warmed the bar area to an “acceptable” level. This did of course involve using up the majority of what was a rather large wood pile. I meanwhile took up a few coinage challenges at the bar which should perhaps go unmentioned in this blog.

Eventually however, thanks to our older and wiser team mates, we were ushered from the bar for a few hours rest before the final day’s fishing.

The following morning once again began with coffee and rusks in bed courtesy of Alan. We then rushed over to our morning water, Neil McKenzies, which had been changed the night before. It was a lot closer than our previous day’s waters so we made good time and arrived shortly after 7am.

Thankfully there was cell phone reception at the water and I took the opportunity to phone my wife and wish her a happy 1 year wedding anniversary. Simply put, my wife rocks!

Despite the relatively late start there was a lot of frost around and a beautiful steam rising off the water. Neil McKenzies is apparently a private (potentially syndicated) water and was a lot larger than our previous waters. This made it a little intimidating as there was far more surface area to cover. It would also be difficult to fish the inlet due to the sheer distance required to paddle there.

Nick and I quickly jumped into the water and began fishing a bay close to the parking area. Almost immediately Nick got into a fish and I managed to hook into one while he was still enjoying the fight. Sadly I lost mine as I was in the process of trying to film his fight, but at least it was a good start and the water immediately seemed less intimidating.

Alan and Neill then joined us and opted to fish along the wall while Nick and I decided to take on the mammoth paddle to the inlet. Pretty soon we’d all landed fish and things were looking up for a great morning.

Team Baha Fly Fishing

The morning was then made even better when we discovered that the small cottage on the side of the water was occupied by a group of young ladies celebrating a birthday. As we fished the fringes near to the cottage the ladies could be seen running down the cottage’s jetty and jumping into the icy water, much to our amusement. So if the fishing ever slowed down there was plenty to occupy our time. Thankfully the fishing never even hinted as slowing.

Nick enjoying the fantastic meals

During the morning I picked up 8 fish, mostly at the top end of the dam, on a small minnow pattern. Neill and Alan each picked up a similar number of fish along the wall while fishing orange flies. In general the fish along the wall were slightly longer than those at the inlet, and Alan picked up a nice 62cm rainbow in the corner. Nick meanwhile moved around a fair bit and picked up 7 fish all around the dam.

By the time 12pm rolled around and we started packing up we’d picked up over 30 fish as a team. It must be said that, chatting to the other teams, Neil McKenzies may well have been the water of the festival with all teams producing good catches on this water.

After a quick roll and Bar-One (while chatting to the team taking over the water) we jumped into our cars and headed for our final water, Good Hope Dam.

Good Hope was one of the waters in the competition that is managed by The Natal Fly Fishing Club (NFFC). It had recently been taken over from the old Mondi Fly Fishing Club and had apparently had 2 good stockings since then. As such we were hoping to get a few more fish in the afternoon. After all, our morning session had been great and for a moment we thought we may be in with a chance of picking up a prize.

We quickly got onto the water and soon discovered that the dam was quite heavily weeded. The wall provided some good weed free water but, as you moved away from it, it quickly got shallow and weeded. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as weeds provide a good source of food for the fish. That said, you do still need to find some holes or channels in the weed beds, and these seemed few and far between.

Warren fighting a fish

We fished the water for around an hour without any of us seeing the slightest hint of a fish. At that point we decided to fish the lower dam (as Good Hope apparently offered 2 dams) and packed our tubes into the car. It was only then that we discovered that the bottom dam had no road access or paths. It was also surrounded by reeds and would mean carrying our tubes long distances though the bush to fish it.

At this point, have not seen any signs of fish, we opted to call it a day. We sat on the side of the dam and enjoyed a few cold beers while watching the water in hope of spotting a fish. Nothing. We then headed back to the farm and repeated the process of a hot shower and a few shots of Jägermeister before shooting over to the club.

As expected the evening began in the pub and tales of a 70cm fish being caught quickly spread through the room. But once dinner was announced the stories were quickly forgotten and there was a sudden rush for the roast consisting of a horde of famished anglers. And then…once everyone had enjoyed their fill of meet and apple pudding…prize giving began.

One of the nice things about the Boston Dargle Fly Fishing Festival is that there is not a lot of emphasis on the prizes. In fact a lot of the better prizes are either lucky draw prizes or for strange categories such as the smallest fish (which was apparently 10 cms).

After the initial thank-yous, lucky draws, and individual prizes they finally got to announcing the team prizes. At this point we were really hoping for a third place finish after our good morning on the water. But when third place was called, it wasn’t us. Then second place was called – also not us. And finally first place was called – Team Baha Fly Fishing! There was cheering and screams of delight, although admittedly it was all from us.

Prize giving

We proudly collected our prizes and retook our seats. Neill then managed to sneak in another prize when he won one of Mario Geldenhuys’ hand-made nets (http://www.customflyrods.co.za/) – and an absolute beauty at that – for the second longest bag.

With prize giving out of the way there was just one more formality, a talk by Mario Geldenhuys on the intelligence of trout. The talk was based largely on Bob Wyatt’s books and his theories on the selective feeding habits of trout. It was a fantastic presentation and got most, if not all, of the fly fisherman in the room thinking seriously about their past beliefs in fly selection.

From there our celebrations began in the bar as the festival came to a close and fisherman slowly said goodbyes to friends old and new.

We will definitely be back next year to defend our title.

Teach The Teacher With Peter Hayes

Sunrise over Eland Dam, Kamberg Nature Reserve

Thanks to the KZNFFA Peter Hayes spent several weeks in South Africa offering fly casting courses, and in his free time fishing the local waters. As part of his trip he was kind enough to get involved in several upliftment projects involving some of South Africa’s local communities.

Warren releasing a rainbow trout

One such project revolved around the Thendela community which is located directly outside the Kamberg Nature Reserve on a stunning stretch of the Mooi River. The long term plan here is to divide their river frontage into beats and to then get the locals to guide tourists on these stretches of river.

For the fishermen involved it would provide access to some great water as well as a view of tribal life and a little adventure. For the locals it would provide a sustainable source of income and would hopefully teach them to earn money off of the resources readily available to them.

Obviously part of putting this plan into action involved training some of the locals as fly fishing guides. To get this rolling the Durban Fly Tyers were kind enough to spend the weekend with the guides training them in the art of fly tying. Jay from Jvice was also kind enough to hand build them their own training vices which he also kindly donated for future use.

As for their ability to cast a fly, well this is where Peter Hayes got involved. He ran a course for them entitled, “Teach the Teacher,” which is aimed at instructing fly fishermen on how to teach fly casting.

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Toilet rolls as teaching aids

Nick and I were lucky enough to be invited to attend this course. We grasped the opportunity with both hands and, since the course was only scheduled to start at 9:30am, we decided to head to Kamberg a little early to allow us to get in a couple of hours of fishing before Peter arrived.

As such we climbed into the car just after 4am, grabbed a cup of coffee on the road, and headed excitedly for the Kamberg Nature Reserve. We arrived at around 6:30am and, after taking a few photos of a stunning sunrise, we kitted up our rods. It was at this point that Nick informed me he was short of flies and borrowed a Kamberg favourite from me. Shortly after this he opened his fly boxes which were amazingly rife with flies. This lead me to comment, “You bastard! I hope that fly breaks.” All in good spirits of course.

Knowing that Eland dam had been recently drained we headed down to Erskine and set about prospecting the water. Nick quickly got into the first fish of the day and, amazingly, as if I possessed some form of magic powers, the hook shank snapped and the fish was lost. And then, to make matters worse, I immediately got into a fish which I promptly landed.

We picked up a few more fish in Erskine before deciding to give Eland a bash to see if it had indeed been restocked. Thankfully it also produced a few fish although they were, as expected, a little on the small side. The good news however is that Eland has seem some maintenance and now has a few new jetties, an improved bridge to the island, and some of the reed beds have been trimmed back.

At this point a few cars arrived for the Teach the Teacher course and so we headed back to the car, packed away our kit, and caught up with the guys from Fishtube.tv, the KZNFFA, and anyone else brave enough to meet our gaze.

Peter Hayes

During our conversations Peter wondered around looking for the best place to present his workshop. Once he’d chosen it we all gathered around, took a seat on the lawn, and waited to be wowed. He began by explaining what he took into consideration when choosing the best sport for teaching. For example your students should always have the sun behind them, making their lives more comfortable since they won’t have to squint into the sun for hours and can also see the fly line clearly in the air. Other considerations included the wind, nearby trees and reeds, and a few other factors you’ll need to learn by attending my new fly casting course.

With that out of the way he began explaining what being a good teacher entailed. In his opinion it boiled down to having multiple ways of getting the message across (for learners of different types) and of course being as entertaining as possible. After all, casting on grass without a hook can be a little boring. Making it entertaining means a lot more buy in from the students.

We then moved onto a few basic cast types and how to teach them. This focused primarily on the roll cast since it forms the basis of so many other casts. I think this was also due to the type of fishing they do in Australia and at his lodge, which can often be rather tight and/or in faster moving rivers. He also explained the pick-up and lay down cast, as well as false casting, which is far more common in our country and on local still waters.

As he progressed through the day, keeping us entertained with his unique style of teaching and humour, we learned about casting aids and were shown “hundreds” of tips and tricks to help remove bad casting habits. And although a lot of his teachings were aimed at teaching beginners (for the guides from Thendela) I think we all learned a lot from him, and went home with a few tricks up our sleeves to improve our own casting.

Peter Hayes roll casting

At around 12:30pm we took a short break for lunch which gave most of us the opportunity to chat to Peter and to ask any questions we hadn’t managed to sneak in during the course. And then we got right back into it.

The post lunch segment of the course took place more on the water than on the grass. This allowed us to see Peter putting into action what he’d been teaching us on the lawns. Watching him throw full lines using only a roll cast and the snap of his wrist was nothing short of spectacular. He also took this opportunity to show how the stickiness of the honey (which is what he calls water for emphasis) both aids and effects casting.

After the water segment we ended off the course by being taught how to tie a few new knots, as well as how to tie our favourite knots more quickly and easily. The sheer number of tricks up of Peter’s sleeves was incredible.

With all the theory out of the way we finally got to pick up our rods and to spend some time with some of Peter’s teaching aids. He wondered around helping each and everyone individually as well as passing on further pearls of wisdom.

Sadly however the day eventually came to an end and we said our goodbyes, climbed into the Jeep, and headed home slightly older but far wiser…well, in casting tuition anyway.

The Baha Boys and Thendela guides with Peter Hayes

A Family Fishing Trip To The UHTFC

Since the birth of my daughter fly fishing has taken a bit of a back seat but, being who I am, that was of course definitely not sustainable. So when I was told that Peter Hayes was offering a clinic to the Aids orphans in Underberg I immediately took Friday off, packed up the family, and headed for Underberg. Neill was meeting us there but sadly Nick was unable to make it. Strange that we fish together almost weekly and yet have never done an Undies trip together.

Anyway, moving on. Sharon and I were woken at 4am by a sick daughter. This was not the start I was hoping for as we trolled the internet in the dark working out whether, at 6 weeks old, we needed to worry and perhaps visit a doctor. In truth I wasn’t worried about the cold, but was concerned as to whether the cold Underberg weather would worsen the situation.

Eventually we decided to head up knowing that we could always return if need be. As such we made a casual start to the day and eventually got on the road at around 8am. Our first stop was at the Pickle Pot, which was a little chilly to say the least. The plan was to feed Emma, change her nappy, enjoy a hot breakfast and then to move on.

We walked in to a crackling fire in the corner and quickly picked a warm table next to it. Bad idea! The fireplace was clearly poorly designed and, after the manager threw on a log, we watched the room fill with smoke. I cracked a window which was clearly frowned upon as he came running over and promptly closed it again.

So our options were either to freeze outside or die of smoke inhalation inside. We opted for warm and smoky, fed Emma as fast as possible, ordered the quickest item on the menu, and were back on the road in record time.

When we arrived in Underberg Alan’s house was deserted and, since he wasn’t answering his phone, we therefore headed to the shops and stocked up on food for the weekend. I must say that the meat in the local Spar was impressive and we were soon stocked up on beer and man sized steaks.

Thankfully when we got back to Alan’s house he’d returned home and we set about unpacking and enjoying a hot cup of coffee. This is when things got a little awkward. We’d borrowed Nick’s camp cot which he’d been unable to collapse and had had to download instructions for from the internet. I was therefore adamant I would not suffer a similar fate. Alan and I promptly began setting up the cot and, ten frustrating minutes later, Sharon phoned Nick (let the mocking commence). Amazingly we’d been doing it correctly but just weren’t pulling hard enough to lock the sides in place. I didn’t want to break the cot after all.

With the cot set up Neill arrived and we all sat down for a fantastic lunch of steak and avo before heading to the Country Club for the Peter Hayes clinic.

Peter Hayes with the Underberg kids

Sadly the weather wasn’t playing ball and it was both cold and misty. We promptly setup the rods for the kids and then snuck into the bar for a warming sherry and to watch the Shark’s game. Thankfully the rain seemed to be holding off as Peter and the kids arrived. Sadly however this bit of luck was short lived and soon the skies opened up and the rain came down.

Peter was kind enough to stand in the rain while the rest of us huddled under the clubs balcony and watched in awe. He taught everything from roll casts to distance casting and introduced some amazingly clever aids and techniques to teach them all. I was truly impressed.

Eventually the rain started to lift but sadly the kids were forced to say their goodbyes. Peter was kind enough to offer to rerun the clinic the following morning in the hope of better weather. This would allow him some much needed hands on time with the kids rather than just demonstrating the various techniques.

At this point Neill and I decided to head to a nearby water to put a quick fly in the water. Sadly we had left it a little late and by the time we arrived, kitted up the rods, launched the boat, and stripped out our lines, it was dark. We fished for 15 minutes but soon realised that heading home for a much needed braai was a better option.

Sharon and Emma had settled in nicely and thankfully the cold didn’t seem to be worrying her, despite her cold. We managed to put her down and were soon enjoying a few glasses of red wine around a roaring fire. This was of course followed by a fantastic meal.

Trelevens 4 from the wall

Neill fighting a nice rainbow trout

Warren releasing a trout

The next morning Sharon decided to hang around Alan’s house while Neill and I went fishing. We opted for Trelevans 4 which I’d fished on a previous trip when it was very low. We’d been less than successful on that occasion and wanted to give it another try since the water had finally returned to it’s previous levels.

I began the morning by fishing my way along the wall. Sadly I didn’t even see a fish and began to wonder whether we’d picked the correct dam. I then kicked over to Neill, who was targetting some week beds in the middle of the dam, and got into a small fish as I pulled up next to him. It was only a stockie but at least I was on the board.

Soon after me Neill also got into a stockie and then all hell broke loose as we pulled stockie after stockie from the water. As fun as that was I was hoping for a bigger fish and therefore moved up to the inlet hoping for better success. Things went quiet again and eventually I headed back towards the car as the sun rose higher in the sky.

As I reached Neill he hooked into a fish that definitely wasn’t a stockie. A few minutes later and he landed a nice rainbow of around 2kgs. Shortly after that I hooked into a similar size rainbow which also fought well for it’s size. After that the stockies went quiet and we landed another three 2kg rainbows between us before heading back to Alan’s place for lunch.

Thankfully Emma seemed as happy as Larry despite a stuffy nose and cough. We enjoyed a quiet lunch and then headed out to our afternoon dam, which I’d never fished before.

The dam offered a great array of structure from a 10 meter deep dam wall to a weeded inlet, rocky sections and sandy bottoms. I was the first to get into a nice 5 pound cock fish over the reeds. It put up a noble battle but I finally got it to the bank and snapped off a few photos.

Alan Payn with a lovely rainbow trout

Alan was the next to get into a fish of similar size and landed it as the sun was setting. By this stage the dam was alive with fish and I managed to loose two more who fought downright dirty. Neill also managed to loose a monster of a fish.

Happy with our success we packed up the Jeep and headed back home for another fantastic braai.

The next morning I opted to skip the fishing. Sharon had kindly looked after Emma alone for the whole previous day and I thought she needed some relaxation time too. We packed up early and headed home when Neill and Alan headed out to the water.

We once again stopped at the Pickle Pot for a nappy change and feed. Thankfully this time however it was a beautiful day and we sat outside enjoying the sun. Emma even got to enjoy her first ever ride down a slide, so go Emma! The food was also fantastic so I guess they’re forgiven for the smokey reception on our previous visit. All in all a great weekend.

A Day On The Bushmans

It’s been a slow river season for the Baha Boys with only a few trips having been undertaken. And of those trips Lesotho is the only one really worth mentioning. A raging Lotheni River over Christmas meant 5 fishless days for myself, and the birth of my daughter also meant a short lull in the fishing.

So when Worker’s Day rolled around, and both Nick and I had a free day, we grabbed the opportunity with both hands and headed for the Bushman’s River. I guess there’s no real point in introducing the Bushman’s as (almost) every trout fisherman in South Africa knows it as perhaps the best wild brown water in the country. That said there have been numerous recent reports around the vast number of rainbows coming out of the water after the local hatchery flooded and around 1500 fish found their way into the stream.

Nick fishing a pool on the Bushman’s River at sunrise

But back to the trip – With the price of fuel ever rising we left the trusty Jeep and Terios at home and headed for the Drakensberg in Nick’s frugal Seat. The up and down BP garage produced a fantastic doughnut and cup of coffee and the N3 through Pietermartizburg was finally complete. All in all things were looking good for it to be an amazing day.

We opted for the Mooi River route thinking it would be quicker thanks to more freeway-time and less windy-Kamberg-road-time. This was far from the case as the road from Mooi River to the Giant’s Castle road has more holes in it that a Swiss Cheese. Suddenly we longed for the soft rides of the 4x4s instead of the low profiles and hard suspension of the Seat.

Thankfully the slow journey and bumpy ride was quickly forgotten courtesy of the sprinkling of snow of the top of the Berg and the thoughts of what lay ahead.

Thanks to our early start we arrived at our stretch of the river at 6:30am and immediately set about kitting up in the chilly 3 degree mountain air. With bags packed we then headed down the road back to the start of our beat, sucking on a Monster and commenting once again on just how thin the air was.

And then the day really started…

First fish of the morning for Warren

Nick with a nice rainbow trout

We dropped into the river at a large, roadside pool and started prospecting for fish. Nick opted to attack the water with a dry fly, hoping for some surface action, while I started with a simple nymph-under-an-indicator rig. My thoughts were that the river was rather full, flowing well, and that the fish may be reluctant to rise. Nick’s thoughts on the other hand were that while the dry fly may produce less in these conditions, the pure exhilaration of surface fishing was worth it.

We targeted the first pool for around 15 minutes as fish were actively rising (perhaps going a little against my initial nymph theory). I managed to get into one nice rainbow and dropped another just as we were about to move on. Things were a little quieter for Nick however with no rises anywhere near his dry. Eventually, satisfied that we’d given the pool the attention it deserved, we headed upstream.

Nick headed for the next big pool further upstream while I hung behind and targeted some of the smaller pools, runs and riffles. I picked up a few more rainbows in the hour or so it took me to catch back up to Nick, but there were still no wild browns in sight. Perhaps the situation was as bad as people had suggested?

A nice Bushman’s River brown trout

At this point it’s worth mentioning that we’d been asked to throw any rainbows caught onto the bank (or to take them home) in order to preserve the Bushman’s River as a wild brown water. This isn’t something I was immediately keen on and therefore most of my fish were released (I did however take a few home to eat as they were pan size). That said, by the end of the day, I think it may have been the correct thing to do. The stream is overrun by rainbows and if we wish it to remain a wild brown water, something needs to be done.

Anyway, moving on…

When I reached Nick we had a brief chat about the fishing. He’d picked up a few fish but the dry fly was clearly not producing as well as the nymph. That said he had at least picked up a wild brown so the dry was working to some degree.

Hearing about my success on the nymph he added a dropper to his dry and immediately upped his catch rate. In fact he eventually replaced the dry with an indicator since it was getting almost no hits and was causing more issues with casting than it was worth.

Once reunited we fished together for the rest of the day which, as per usual, produced some great moments. A lot of these moments revolved around the sight fishing opportunities which presented themselves once we started fishing together rather than competitively.

With one of us spotting and one of us targeting sighted fish, we really upped our catch rate in both volume as well as size. One of the better fish was taken this way by Nick while I directed his casts to the fish from a nearby hill. The fish rejected the fly over 20 times and, had I not been watching it, he would never have known it was there and moved on. Thankfully we persevered and after 2 fly changes finally got Nick into the fish. Amazingly, when he finally hooked into it, he never even knew the fish had taken the fly. His indicator was water logged and had sunk out of his vision. Thankfully I could still see it from above and told him when to strike…fish on!

A nice pool on the Bushman’s River

Lunch was of course served on the banks of the river and consisted of rolls, dried fruit and nuts, biscuits, chips and more. Having decided to keep a few fish, and having forgotten to pack packets to store them in, we ate far more than was required in order to free up a packet or two as well as a Tupperware.

Back on the river, with our fish now safely stored away, we continued fishing successfully back up to the hatchery where we ran into Simon. He informed us of a few good fish sitting in the weir below the hatchery so we headed straight back down. We fished it for a short while and picked up some rainbows of over a 1kg as well as a nice brown.

After that we fished for another half an hour until we decided it was time to head home. We cleaned our fish in the river, packed the car, and cracked open an ice cold ginger beer. What an incredible day it’d been.

We finally stopped at the Notties pub for our traditional post-domination beer and once again ran into Simon. I guess all that I can say to finish this story off is that it was another shit day in Africa.

Warren Prior with a nice brown trout

Two Days, Two 4am Starts, And A Handful Of Fish

Although I consider Casino Beach to be a low tide venue, it is actually ideally fished at neap tides. This is when the wave action is not too overpowering and the holes open up nicely. Low tides means a flat beach with fewer holes while high tide means fighting the surf.

So when the tides reached neap (or near neap) on a Wednesday we decided to go for a quick pre-work session. Nick picked me up at 5am and we planned to meat Neill on the beach at sunrise.

Things took a turn for the worse when we reach the beach and I took my rod tube out the car. It was empty! My only hope was that Neill (who lives nearby) had not yet left home and could bring me a spare rod. A quick phone call revealed that he hadn’t yet left home…and that he also wasn’t planning to. Nice Neill, wasn’t this your idea?

Thankfully our phone call (and begging) spurred him into action and he quickly joined us on the beach with a rod.

A standard morning at Casino Beach

Conditions looked ideal bar the chilly air and drizzle – clearly winter is on the way – and there were a lot of small fish around. I got a small wavie as well as a few bastard mullet and Neill pulled out the same. Nick on the other hand somehow blanked, claiming he was fishing big flies and targeting big fish. Ja, ja.

Flies that worked for me were the usual orange and white charlies and salty buggers. Slower strips work better than fast strips as long as you can find a break between waves.

And then it was off to work…

Always needing more fishing we opted to head out again the following morning. This time, being a public holiday, we opted for the Durban harbour as our venue.

I picked Nick up just before 5am, hooked up the boat, and we had launched by sunrise. Our first port of call was kingie corner which I opted to fish with a flipper as the sun snuck up over the horizon. I was soon into a small kingie but sadly it came off during some mockery of Nick.

Nick meanwhile fished sub surface and had a few hits but hooked into nothing. Judging from the structure and number of missed fish I’m assuming that the fish were small. But then a fish is a fish.

A few minutes later I spotted some action on the surface, threw a fly into it, and missed another small kingie. The wind then started to pick up and things went quiet.

We opted to move to springer alley where we positioned ourselves amongst a few other boats (including some other fly fisherman). Sadly things were quiet there as well an no fish came out on bait or fly.

Eventually we moved back to kingie corner hoping the kingies were still around. Sadly they were and as such we opted to call it a day and headed home for a braai and a few of our recently brewed ginger beer. They rock! True story.

Another Casino Outing

A little wavie at Casino Beach

After a night out at the rugby (and a few too many beers) I decided that a quick trip down to the beach was in order. I was in desperate need of fresh air as well as a little exercise, and a flicking a fly into the surf checked all the right boxes.

Checking the tides indicated a roughly mid-day low so I threw my kit into the car and headed for the beach.

There was a fair amount of wind around but not enough to deter me. The beach was crowded and it was great to see an abundance of surfers, children, people running on the boardwalk, others building sand castles and more generally having fun.

I opted for my usual deadly orange pattern and walked across the sand and waded into the water. The tide was lower than expected and I had to wade quite far in to reach slightly deeper water. The good news is that there were lots of new little holes and I began prospecting the ones other fisherman had no beaten me to.

Soon I was rewarded with a small largespot pompano. Another two followed in the hour that I fished before I decided to call it a day, feeling content, and headed home.

The local beaches are always worth a visit, even if it’s just for an hour. Never forget that.

Pre-work Surf Session

Sometimes a picture is worth 1000 words. Yesterday morning, before work, was one of those days…

Fly fishing the surf at sunrise

If you’re interested in the conditions, they were close to perfect. Neap lows, a slight breeze and manageable surf. The result; a handful of bastard mullet and largespot pompano. What a way to start the day.

And you’d rather be at gym?

Cape Vidal – Another Trip With The DFT

Wading at Cape Vidal

Friday saw 6 DFT fly fishermen climb out of bed at 4am in pouring rain and howling wind to make the 320km drive to Cape Vidal to lay claim to the kingfish that frequent the area at this time of year. The weather reports were not good but we were confident it wouldn’t be as bad as they made it out to be.

First kingie of the trip

I picked up Steve and headed to the first rendezvous point to meet the rest of the gang and travel up in convoy. At about 5:30 we were all together; Steve, Neill, Bruce, Joe, Graham and I. And after a quick cup of coffee we were on our way.

This trip seemed to be missing something. There was no mocking and no bullshitting, and then it dawned on me, Warren had opted to stay at home in fear of missing the birth of his child that was due later in the month.

We arrived at the Whipme in St. Lucia where our fears were confirmed. The wind was howling, close to 40km/h, and it was pouring with rain. Nevertheless we scoffed down our breakfasts and headed to the beach.

Once on the beach we knew that conditions for fly fishing were far from ideal. I kitted up my 5wt and 9wt and made my way out onto the reef whilst Neill, Joe and Graham walked north on the beach in search of holes. After a few attempts at casting my 5wt straight into the wind I decided to change tactics and use the T-50 9wt. What a machine! I was now effortlessly casting full lines with minimum effort. Bruce then joined me at the end of the reef were we both slogged the water while Steve worked the water up along the reef’s drop-off.

Fly fishing Vidal under a rainbow

Things were rather dismal with only a kingie, needle scale queenfish, stone bream and a handful of moonies and wavies coming out for the session. We booked in at around lunch time, had a few beers, discussed tactics and then headed back down to fish the incoming tide for the late afternoon. By now the wind had dropped to a gale and it was now slightly fishable.

We were all huddled in the corner of the bay with the wind behind us. The water was looked like a washing machine with the incoming tide meeting the intense side wash and creating prime kingie territory. A few moments later the water was boiling as bait fish scrambled to get away from the predators beneath. We were throwing all sorts of flies into the mayhem but sadly to no avail.

Finally, with the full tide, things calmed down and everyone left except for Bruce and I who stayed to fish into the evening. By this time the moonies had moved into the bay for protection, which was good fun on my Xplorer Guide II 5wt. Finally, at about 18:30, we could hear Charles beckoning and called it a day.

Steve Brookes with an awesome kingfish

Graham fishing the ledges

That evening saw us braaiing in the rain where Steve made a machine of a fire to combat the amount of water falling from the sky. We had a relaxed evening (with copious amounts of rum and whiskey) while talking large amounts of bullshit.

Saturday morning was slightly better in that there was no longer any rain, but the wind still was blowing. Steve got up before sunrise and made his way onto the beach. This seemed to be the right move. The bait fish again had the water boiling. Steve was fishing ideal “big fish” flies on his 12wt and it paid off! He got into three decent sized kingies, one of which smashed him off on the bricks. Thankfully two were landed and photographed before being released to fight another day.

The rest of the gang slowly appeared from the night before (complete with packed lunches) with Bruce heading South and Neill and Joe going north. Graham and I meanwhile waited for the water to drop so we could head out onto the reef again.

After producing nothing I too walked north fishing the very limited holes along the way. Again only (damn) moonies were coming out and I was yet to catch a wave garrick. Steve however, smiling ear to ear, went back to the cottage to catch up on a few winks.

By lunch time I had thrown in the towel and returned to the cottage for a quick bite and to tie up some flies for the following morning. Bruce, Neill and Joe returned a little later with a very bleak looking Bruce. When asked what’s wrong he showed us half a fly rod – apparently the other half was in the surf somewhere along the kilometers of north coast.

Fly boxes were restocked, tippets changed and we were off for the evening session. After hearing of Steve’s buses we were all in high hopes. Big flies were the order of the day. Unfortunately the bait fisherman pulled in by the dozens after seeing what was lurking under the surf. This made it harder as most of them would cast out and then sit on the beach boozing it up while their lines would be washed up onto the beach by the strong side wash. This was rather annoying and after voicing our anger they sorted them out so we could all fish.

Nick with a kingfish at Cape Vidal

Things had gone quiet again and I decided to take a few pics of the gents in action. I must say watching Steve Brooks in action is truly a majestic site. He effortlessly casts his 12wt and is best described as art in motion. I’m sure we could all learn something from his technique.

Again, as the sun fell behind the dunes, the moonies plagued us. They were literally cast for cast, shot for shot. We continued to fish until there was no light and then headed home for an ice cold beer.

Neill and Joe had taken it upon themselves to get the fire going while the rest of us showered and got meat ready. We were lucky enough that the bush pigs came to our chalet first. In fact Joe was over the moon that they were so close. I started luring them closer with bread until they were about 3 meters from us when, without Joe noticing, I dropped a slice of bread at his feet. Well that was him! As the pig charged forward to get his treat Joe dropped a coil and hid behind Neill who was in hysterics.

After a delicious meal and copious amount of rum we tucked in for an early morning start.

The boys

Steve again was up at sparrows and was on his way to the beach before any of us had risen. By the time we were on the beach, just after sunrise, the ski boats had launched and ruined any chance of getting into the bigger fish. Again a few wavies came out, as well as a couple of moonies and a juvenile kingie.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend away with like-minded people. A total of over 100 fish came out between the 6 of us and for once we were not robbed by the resident monkies that have become a problem over the years. I’m not sure if the Parks Board have started culling the pests but whatever they have done it seems to have worked.

The next Vidal trip will be towards September this year, so keep an ear to the ground!

Till next time. Tight lines!