Granchester – The 5 Year Return
This morning I returned to Granchester, one of the Natal Fly Fishing Club's most popular dams, after a 5 year break from the venue. A quick review of the blog reminded me that it had been a tough outing with Nick picking up the only fish (you can read the story here). I was hoping for better luck. The drive up proved to be spectacular with mist filling the valleys, while the golden sunrise highlighted the autumn hues of the surrounding trees. In fact the view was so spectacular that I even put my fishing on hold to stop and take a few photos. [caption id="attachment_2842" align="alignnone" width="1600"] A golden sunrise in the Natal Midlands[/caption] I arrived at the waters edge just after 7am. It was 4 degrees (Celcius) with…
The Boston Fly Fishing Festival 2016
"I can safely say that the Boston Fly Fishing Festival is by far my favourite festival." Yes, it's a line that I often start my annual Boston post with, but it remains true. And this year was no exception, despite what were very tough fishing conditions. We got off to a great start by entering two teams instead of our usual one. The more the merrier proved to be true, although sadly we were unable to find a farmer who was able to accommodate all eight of us at a single venue. Neill, Bruce, Keegan and I therefore stayed with Helen, who had put up Team Baha for several years, while Andrew, Richard, Dan and Dave stayed in what became known as cat cottage. Now I'm not 100% sure what that…
Friends Of Baha At Uitzicht
[caption id="attachment_515" align="alignleft" width="225"] Hayden Ellis With A Trout[/caption] Baha Fly Fishing decided to take a FOB (Friend of Baha) fishing for the day. It was a rather chilly late winter’s morning, nevertheless the car was packed with float tubes and rods and the journey began. We arrived at the water’s edge at around 7:30am and were instantly greeted by the polar bears (a mere 1 degree). I knew the conditions were going to be tough when the water we opted to fish was lower than I’d ever seen it and was only 6 degrees. But that said Hayden and I had a cup of coffee whilst rigging up and deciding on the correct method to attack the tricky conditions. I opted to use my Xplorer 5wt with an intermediate…
NFFC Members Day
[caption id="attachment_473" align="alignright" width="300"] Autumn At Pump Dam (NFFC)[/caption] Sunday morning was the much anticipated NFFC club day and I climbed out of bed at 5am. Nick met me at Plantations at 5:30am and we were soon joined by Hans who had requested to fish with us at Pump Dam. Hans was kind enough to offer to drive so we climbed into his Fortuna and headed for the Drakensberg eager to catch some fish. Things however got off to a rocky start. The first mistake was me realising I'd left my R70 drinks at home and needed to stop off at yet another garage to purchase more. This however was soon forgotten when we can to a complete standstill on the N3. We're still not exactly sure what happened but,…
A Tough Day At Granchester
[caption id="attachment_423" align="alignleft" width="200"] Tree Climbing Sheep[/caption] The weekend started for the Baha Boys at 4:30am on Saturday morning as I climbed out of bed and packed the final few items for a fishing trip to the Berg. The summer humidity seemed to be breaking and we'd decided to give Granchester a go to find out whether the trout fishing was improving. Nick picked me up at 5am and we started the 100 odd kilometer drive to Granchester, stopping for the usual cup of steaming coffee. When we pulled up next to the dam the conditions were difficult to read. It was partly cloudy and there was a stiff breeze creating a strong ripple on the surface of the water. The dam itself was completely full and the water was slightly murky.…
A Tough Mornings Trout Fishing
[caption id="attachment_413" align="alignright" width="225"] Jeep Reflections[/caption]Rest is for the wicked and so I dragged myself out of bed at 5am on Saturday morning and headed for the Midlands. Sadly I'd been unable to find a fishing partner but this did little to deter my enthusiasm. In fact, if anything, I was more enthusiastic as I prefer the odd trip alone on the water. It removes any competition and allows me to focus on experimenting with new techniques and flies which I otherwise may not risk (with someone breathing down my neck). I pulled into the water at around 6:30am and was fishing by 7am. Sadly conditions were far from ideal. In a slight miscalculation I'd opted to fish one of our closer club waters rather than drive for another hour…
The Uitzicht Curse
[caption id="attachment_373" align="alignleft" width="300"] Nick's Uitzicht Rainbow[/caption] So after a slow, shaky start due to the night before being Warren and Sharon’s engagement party, and the Tazz having morning sickness, Tazz and I made it to the customary coffee stop at 6.20am. The weather was not looking too good from home, but hey, I had to collect my jacket that I had left behind on a previous drinking trip (I mean fishing trip). As I had confirmed from Durban the weather was miserable; 10 degrees, rain, mist but no wind! I finally made it to the dam after some 4X4ing through the mud (manly grunt here). I must point out the actual Kamberg tar road is full of pot holes that even a 4X4 feels, it almost felt like I…
Nick’s Uitzicht Curse
[caption id="attachment_318" align="alignleft" width="300"] Morning Over Uitzicht[/caption] Sunday's fishing was as exciting as always. Nick's (read Tarryn's) Terios had gone in to have the tow bar changed but he had luckily been lent another Terios. After picking me up we stopped for the usual cup of coffee before heading for Uitzicht in the Kamberg area. The temperature was -1 when we passed through Nottingham Road which always makes me feel a little manlier. We set up the tubes, sipped down that final cup of coffee and kicked out onto the dam in what seemed like pristine conditions. The water was a chilly 9 degrees, crystal clear and looked like a mirror. My only real concern was that the fish would see us coming from a mile away, and for some…