Southern African Flyfishing Magazine May 2019 by saflyfishingmag

ISSN 1011-3681

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF FOSAF

MAY/JUNE 2019 Vol. 33 No.172

Contents - May/June 2019 Editorial - Andrew Mather..............................................................................................................................................4 The usual editorial guff and a little more First Bite - Andrew Savs .................................................................................................................................................6 A regular witty column on all things flyfishing and beyond Taking a Knife to a Gun Fight - Clem Booth ................................................................................................................8 Un Lugar Para Hacer Recuerdos Trash Fish fall to the Zulu - Terence Babich.................................................................................................................16 Carp...CARP...yes please! Plek and die Sponsvreters - Hennie Viljoen...............................................................................................................23 Th Good Doctor's Beetle Homo Horrendous - Hugh Chittenden .......................................................................................................................33 The hazards of discarded fishing line Fly Fishers Association - Laurence Davies .................................................................................................................38 Congratulations are in order XFA River Trout Clinic - Andrew Savides ....................................................................................................................39 The zen of modern angling The CDC and Elk Emerger- Gordon van der Spuy.....................................................................................................46 A Buffet fly of note! Semonkong, Lesotho - Ian Cox...................................................................................................................................50 The land of big wild Browns The Dirt Road Wild Trout Association Fly Fishing Festival - Miles Divett....................................................................56 A journey to the Centre of the Universe Herinneringe - Mac Muller ..........................................................................................................................................64 Die begin van my lief vir vlieghengel Heritage Flies : Part 2 - Peter Brigg..............................................................................................................................67 Historical series on South African Flies - the Mountain Swallow and Walkers Killer Nariel Creek - Arno Crous ..........................................................................................................................................70 Fishing small streams "down under" Women in Waders - Sindi McBain ..............................................................................................................................82 A river runs through me The 10 Commandments of Wading - Dave Goetz and Steve Mathewson.............................................................86 Wading safely in our rivers Transvaal Fly Tyers Guild- Hennie Viljoen..................................................................................................................88 Book Review - Ian Cox ...............................................................................................................................................93 Wilder Lives by Duncan Brown FOSAF - Ilan Lax ..........................................................................................................................................................96 An update of news and developments from the Chairman of FOSAF

NAVIGATING THE MAGAZINE You will note that we make liberal use of hyperlinks both to pages within the magazine and to websites outside it. Links to external websites will enable you to further explore these topics. The idea is that you can navigate around the magazine from the contents page. Each item on the contents page is hyperlinked to the article in the magazine. This means you do not have to scroll through the entire magazine if you don’t want to, you can access specific articles merely by clicking on the link. We also want you to share the magazine with your friends on social media, just go to the share button when you’re looking at the magazine on issuu.com and you’ll be able to send a link via email, Facebook or Twitter. There is also a hyperlink on the bottom of each page linking you to our website where you can download back issues. Happy exploring!

Photo: Andrew Mather

SOUTHERN AFRICAN FLYFISHING: • Available free of charge online at www.issuu.com; • Published bi-monthly; • The official magazine of the Federation of Southern African Flyfishers (FOSAF); • Africa’s original flyfishing magazine LAYOUT AND PUBLISHER: Southern African Flyfishing Magazine (Pty) Ltd Registration No. 2018/356867/07 www.saflyfishingmag.co.za editor@saflyfishing.co.za EDITORS: Ian Cox (082 574 3722) Andrew Mather (083 309 0233) Andrew Savides (081 046 9107) CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE: Terence Babich, Clem Booth, Peter Brigg, Hugh Chittenden, Ian Cox, Arno Crous, Laurence Davies, Miles Divett, Dave Goetz, Ilan Lax, Sindi McBain, Steve Mathewson, Mac Muller, Andrew Savs, Gordon van der Spuy and Hennie Viljoen. COPYRIGHT Copyright in the magazine reposes in the Publisher. Articles and photographs are published with the permission of the authors, who retain copyright. The magazine and content may be hyperlinked and downloaded for private use but may not be otherwise hyperlinked or reproduced in part or whole without the written permission of the publishers. DISCLAIMER While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this magazine, the publishers do not accept responsibility for omissions or errors or their consequences. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers, the editors or the editorial staff.

EDITORIAL How time flies...here we are bringing you our fifth edition since taking over the publication from Angler Productions. It has certainly been a learning curve for the three of us. In this edition we bring you another content packed edition. Andrew Savs breaks the ice with his wacky views on "lunch". Clem Booth takes us on an exotic journey to Patagonia; a place many of us dream of visiting. Clem heads for the Rio Barrancoso, the breeding grounds of Lake Strobel in search of gaint chromers. Armed with his eight foot six weight bamboo wand he recounts the joys of fishing this fantastic resource. Staying true to our intention to provide to a wider readership by publishing in languages other than English, we have Hennie Viljoen writing about our beloved "Sterkies". Sterkies is a well known destination and is one of the jewels in our Yellowfish fishery. Hennie describes Sterkies as "legendary"...we cannot argue with that! And then we have Mac and his "herinneringe." Common carp feature as a flyfishing species in a story by Terence Babich. While some see this a species they would rather not catch, they are clearly underrated quarry. Terence gives the reader a good start on how to approach these fish and even goes so far as sharing his secret fly. In this edition we give two report backs on the Dirt Road Wild Trout Association flyfishing festival held in Rhodes and the successful series of flyfishing clinics held by Daniel Factor of XFA. The catch rates at the Dirt Road festival are increasing in leaps and bounds as the fish recover from the devastating drought over the last few years. If you have fished at the centre of the Universe then best you prepare for the 2020 festival. Daniel Factor ran a series of specialist river clinics which went off very well I"m told. I was down to go but couldn't make it in the end. I'm told that the participants learnt and lot and many are considering selling their beloved shorter rods as they have seen the light with 10ft rods! The Heritage Flies series by Peter Brigg aka "the doyen of KZN flyfishing" takes us back to our roots and reintroduces us to the Mountain Swallow and perhaps the better remembered Walker's Killer. Also on the flytying front Gordon van der Spuy serve up his "buffet fly" of CDC and Elk hair...a winner on rivers for trout and yellows. Heading down under Arno Crous shares a small stream in the pristine upper portion of the Murray River. In habitat very like Rhodes he succesfully targets wild trout with bright yellow hoppers. Our ladies feature in the Woman in Waders regaling tales of their antics. Safety is always a consideration while flyfishing and we introduce a three part series starting with wading safety. Into the tail end of this edition, we review Duncan Brown new book Wilder Lives, feature, the gen on the Transvaal Fly Tyers Club and the latest news from FOSAF. Enjoy Andrew Mather

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Telling Stories

LUNCH Savs It's Saturday morning, 05:05, and I’m standing in my kitchen sprinkling micro rocket over ham rolls and feeling for all the world like a Michelin-level chef. “Micro rocket”, I tell myself, “you classy bugger, you”. You’d never say it to look at my not inconsiderable girth, but food is low on my list of priorities. I could eat a burger from my favourite place three times a day, forever, and never think twice about it. Indeed, for several years my onstream lunches, such as they were, were a few bars of something called “Race Food”. I would buy them at the garage shop on the way to the stream as I stopped for my habitual pre-dawn coffee. As far as food goes they’re bloody horrible but, I assured myself, until that wonderful day when science fiction becomes reality and I can take a capsule every few hours they’re the next best thing. They were developed for marathon runners who need an occasional meal but who don’t have the time to stop to eat or, I think more accurately (and to not put too fine a point on it), crap. They’re a small, perfect-to-eatin-one-gulp-between-casts, calorie dense, chocolate bar looking little thing. Don’t be fooled, they taste exactly like the bodily function that they're designed to repress, but they get the job done (provided that the job is one that needs to be done quickly and without any lasting satisfaction). When it comes to meals while angling there are two distinct schools of thought. I’m of the “stay one step ahead of death” school. I’m not entirely Bear Grylls about the whole thing (for instance, I carry sufficient drinking water) but I’m also certainly not of the “cast thine gaze yonder, there stands a comfortable tree - let us perambulate hither and sojourn in it’s ample shade to enjoy a light al fresco luncheon” school either. Truth be told, the school to which you align is not something that anyone really consciously decides, so I’m comparing rather than judging. Like political beliefs or sexual orientation it’s just an instance where one leans naturally to either the left or the right as a result, perhaps, of a trick of nature or nurture.

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Despite a need for haste and simplicity I will concede that I do like a coffee while tackling up. I simply refuse to drink that foul chicory stuff but my coffee doesn’t have to be overly terrific either - all I need is something that’ll perk me up and prolong the buzz of what is typically the four cups I’ve already knocked back since waking. If gourmet coffee is your thing and you spend time on arrival grinding beans and priming stoves so be it, but you’re going to need to walk several pools upstream to serve to me my cup. Also, I find that an ice cold coke, full of sugar and caffeine, is a potent tonic after a long hot day and it sets one up perfectly for the drive home. Beer, to my profound dismay, makes me drowsy and I’ve been known to slip within seconds into full REM sleep in the passenger seat. I obviously won’t have one shortly before driving myself home, and neither should you. Nothing ruins a good day quite like dying does. I digress. So, I’m standing in my kitchen, artfully sprinkling my micro rocket, and my mind drifts to a recent conversation that I had with a friend. He’s in the Swartberg as I write this and he sent me his menu for the week, whether for affirmation or to gloat I can’t be sure. His list of meals is astounding. Lunch on the bank is a cheese platter with oddities like pine nuts and capers. A chilled bottle of wine of notable vintage and impeccable cultivar is a given. It’s all very much more civilised than a half loaf of white and a bag of Niknaks, I’ll grant you that, but it’s time consuming and to my mind thoroughly unnecessary. Any activity that keeps you away from the water for any length of time is an activity worth culling from your routine. As for his dinners! Oy vey, this guy will never see the evening rise. I didn’t even begin to understand most of his dinner menus and had to consult my teenage daughter and resident Masterchef devotee. “Puddleduck”, I shouted, “what the heck is ‘jus’ and why would you put it on your lamb ribs?”. I pronounced 'jus' phonetically, mostly because I lack culture. “Daaad”, she sighed, “it’s pronounced 'jous' and it’s like basically the scrachings of www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

what’s left in the roasting pan. Don’t even say it, it’s not what you make, you just burn everything .” She makes a tidy point. But jus? My god, what has reality television done to us? I like to think that I’ve had some small hand in weaning some my regular circle off their propensity to complicate things that benefit from a monastic level of simplicity. McGupta, for example, makes toast and jam for breakfast every day. You’re not looking for variety here, just calories. The Supermodel handles lunch and buys preprepared chicken mayo and bashes it onto rolls before we leave. He’s practical, that one, and it’s an endearing feature of his personality. Less practical is The Sensei who eats a family-sized bowl of muesli in the morning despite the fact that early morning roughage is the midmorning nemesis of the wader-clad angler. Doc, the first time that I fished with him, took me entirely by surprise and remains a tough nut to crack. Towards midday he stepped onto the bank and behind a tree. Thinking that he was one of the muesli munching lunatics I shuffled up and nabbed the next pool until it finally registered that he was repeatedly calling my name. I turned around and on the bank under the tree was spread a red and white chequered table cloth. On the tablecloth, on wooden boards and bone china, was an assortment of foods from crackers and cheese to pork pies, the ubiquitous Durban samosa and various other posh nibbley things. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth I sidled up and quickly started shoving things into my face. I swear, it was by far the most romantic thing that has ever happened to me and I was quite overwhelmed. When, after our freshly ground and espressed macchiato (in a le Crouset cup, infused with Amarula, topped with fresh cream and accompanied by an imported chocolate ball), he leaned in on one knee I fully anticipated that he was going to propose to me. As it turns out he was just tidying up. It’s a funny thing, but right there, under that tree, full of exotic foodstuffs and thoroughly replete I would probably have said yes. 7

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TAKING A KNIFE TO A GUN FIGHT Un lugar para hacer recuerdos CLEM BOOTH I’m unashamedly going to put it out there; this is such a great title to an article! However, being a person who mostly tells the truth (yes, even in matters piscatorial), I am bound to mention - just in passing you understand - that it sadly wasn’t my idea. Indeed, it was your esteemed editor, philosopher and obsessive lover of the eclectic, Andrew Savs, who uttered these words after I’d regaled him with details of my most recent escapades in Patagonia. Seemed to capture the scene perfectly! But, let me take a step back and first offer a smidgin of context. Most people - myself included - primarily travel to ELV Lodge in Southern Patagonia to have a crack at what is considered by many to be the finest wild rainbow trout fishery on the planet; the giant Lago Strobel, an extraordinary body of water if there ever was one. Eight by ten miles of crystal clear water inhabited by a vast number of eager (occasionally anyway) to please fish of a lifetime. Every year in late January, together with a few fellow fishy pilgrims, I make the long trek to Patagonia, full of anticipation, excitement and more than a dash of gratitude at being able to undertake such adventures. When it comes to ELV Lodge in Patagonia, there’s a fairly good chance of making lifelong memories; of the place, the people and, yes also the fish. It’s a trip I can most heartily recommend. There is however a story behind the story and that is of Rio Barrancoso; for most of the year a modestly-sized, snow-melt fed freestone stream that bubbles and gurgles its way down a gorge into Lago Strobel. Over the years, Rio Barrancoso has added some truly amazing pages to the book of my www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

angling life. Some might remember the 1965 movie epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told”; what the Barrancoso epitomises - for me anyway - is the greatest story seldom, if ever, told. In the early part of the season after the snow melts the river fills up and hundreds if not thousands of trout from the lake wend their way up the swollen waters in search of a “piscatorial partner” with which to share the urges of the reproductive cycle. The Barrancoso constitutes the breeding grounds of the immense Lago Strobel; impressive indeed such a little stream in producing generation after generation of spectacular trout. But, in case you’re wondering, no, I’m also not referring to this time when the river is chockablock with lake fish. There are actually two runs of chrome rainbow trout from Lago Strobel into the Barrancoso and without doubt these spawning runs offer spectacular fishing opportunities. However, it’s something altogether more subtle and challenging that floats my boat year after year. What gets me excited - in a bit of a lather actually - is the time after the flood. Akin to that period in biblical times after the floods receded and Noah was able to convincingly proclaim “Hey peeps and animals, we can do this shit!” This is the side of the Barrancoso that has forever captured my heart. After the water drops back, a delectable calmness descends on the river as it reassumes the persona of a little trout river no larger than the streams of the incomparably beautiful Cape that defined my youth and which I still regularly hanker after. There is however a difference, and a rather 9

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important one at that, and that is the presence of a smallish number of colossal rainbows that continue to inhabit the Barrancoso’s pools and runs alongside the extraordinarily beautiful resident trout. Often not fished for or if so only in passing by traveling flyfishers, the combination of skinny water and skittish leviathans is to say the least mightily appealing to an unreconstructed small stream nut. I couldn’t possibly imagine a trip to ELV Lodge without also some spending quality time on the Barrancoso. I’m also a thoroughly unrehabilitated split cane addict and within my personal forest of Tonkin cane is a little eight foot six weight in a four piece format that was created especially for the Barrancoso by Gary Marshall, an acknowledged national treasure within the guild of U.K. rod makers. It is an

exceptional wand; firm and purposeful, yet delicate, and, importantly, capable of dealing with the Patagonian wind. But, here’s the rub; “the Patagonian”, as I dubbed it, was actually designed with the smaller resident rainbows of the Barrancoso in mind. Packing this little rod to a showdown with the giant interlopers in the Barrancoso is indeed akin to taking a knife to a gunfight! Improbable as it may sound, this bamboo toothpick has proved itself time and again in tangling with the monster trout of what has become one of my very favourite streams. I’m not excluding the need for an occasional dash up north on the M1 to beseech Gary to tend to this or that battle scar although this fine bamboo stick has so far more than earned its keep. Fast forward to the latest trip in 2019. I’d High Noon on the Barrancoso

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Like me, Nano hankers after little rivers and clambering down sheer cliffs and over boulders to target specific fish. Nano, BTW soon to be a Dad, is also an aspirant civil engineer and not a year passes without my nagging him to finish his studies although spending season after season in the Patagonian wilderness is an outstanding excuse to bunk classes. Don’t tell him I said so though! We gingerly climbed down into what is the most frequently fished part of the river from whence the idea was to work upstream on the first day and downstream on the second. It’s heavy going; I’m in my 65th year and, as my chiropractor once observed, “subtleness might not be your strong suit” so I take it slowly and methodically following behind the 35 year old Nano who in a former life might well have been a klipspringer!

some were won and others decisively lost; and, anyway, some things are best left to the imagination. But allow me nonetheless to mention two; one victory accompanied by understandable elation and the second distinctly more akin to a decisive Pumas win over the Springboks. In a small pool no larger than a Koi pond in the posh end of town, we spied not one but three absolutely huge fish; not dark as they eventually become after a time in the river but bright and visibly in the “pink” of condition. All three were comfortably into double figures; fish of a lifetime on any river let alone on this tiny stream. Trembling hands and sweaty palms? Oh yes! I’ve fly fished for 50 years but the excitement of these moments is still overwhelming. I need to actively calm myself with a well rehearsed routine to avoid making a total hash of it. Climbing down the steep rock face, I concealed myself behind a rather conveniently placed boulder right on the edge of the pool. The fish were - I kid you not - a mere rods length away. After a good forty minutes carefully covering the three fish countless times, one veered off like a Spitfire over Dover and ate my #14 nymph. It was a memorable battle, pandemonium might be a far better description now that I think of it. I’ve actually no idea how long it took before Nano eventually slipped the net under what was a twelve pounder in perfect condition. A magnificent specimen it was; a couple of pics and we slipped it back to rejoin its comrades. Springboks ahead with a splendid converted try, Pumas yet to score. At that point, all was indeed right with my world. The second was in a somewhat larger pool a little downstream. A pod of fish were visible, at least one seemingly in the fifteen pound plus range. Yes, fifteen pounds!! Let me pause for a moment and say that accurately estimating the weight of these big rainbows in the clear water is next to impossible; nevertheless one fish stood out from the others and was clearly a big old beast. Once again, cautiously navigating the rock face I got into position. Quite quickly I hooked and landed a lovely rainbow of

I’ve actually no idea how long it took before Nano eventually slipped the net under what was a 12 pounder in perfect condition. As an aside, you can and probably do spend a lot of money on fly fishing tackle; my advice is to avoid skimping on wading boots. Buy the very best of the best; they might cost a lot an arm and a leg but so does breaking a leg in a place like Patagonia. It’s a long and bumpy way to the nearest hospital! On the Barrancoso, excellent boots with strong ankle support and stickiest of studded soles are a must. Over the course of two mornings that Nano and I explored the Barrancoso this year, numerous, and I mean hundreds, of resident trout were taken and what great fun they were! But, a crack at some of the huge many 8 pound plus - trout that lurk in these tiny pools was always going to be the real target. Whatever one might say, size matters. It turned out to be a wonderful time, a change of pace from Lago Strobel and we made lifelong memories together. Isn’t this what fly fishing is all about? It is for me. I’m not going to bombard you with detailed descriptions of all of the battles; www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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Nano Peralta, guide extraordinaire, slips the net under a wild 12 pound rainbow perhaps eight pounds and lost another a little heavier. But we were both obsessed with the monster at the head of the pool that dwarfed all the others. Eventually, it rose to a small streamer and I shall truly never forget the mayhem that ensued. Precariously perched on the lower part of the rock face, I needed to quickly make my way down to the water while this giant rainbow thoroughly tore the pool (and my confidence) to shreds. In the end, it was not to be. After a battle royal I seemed to slowly be getting the upper hand, but then in stepping forward and trapped a loop of fly line just as the fish set off on another screeching run. The twelve pound tippet stood not the ghost of a chance at all www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

and I was left not only “Salmonid bereft” but trembling from the excitement of it all. No arguments when losing a fish this way - it happens and that’s all part of the game. Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I guess it’s fair to say that the Pumas scored a decisive penalty try under the posts. But, as I pen these words, it was an OK outcome and no less of a memory than if I’d have prevailed. When you take a knife to a gunfight, be prepared to have to extract the odd slug from your body in the aftermath! Some of these fish are going to batter you although now and then one will come to the net. That’s the nature of the game. 14

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Two unforgettable moments among so many more during our magnificent mornings on Rio Barrancoso. My journal records that we eventually hooked eleven of these massive fish, and netted seven. None were less than seven or eight pounds and quite a few were in double digits. And, let’s not forget the many residents we caught in addition, some of which were of excellent size and exquisite colouration. It was indeed a time to savour and to be grateful for. Over the years Nano and I have caught a heap of big chromers on Strobel; they are beyond special and are quite simply breathtaking. And we will continue to pursue these magnificent creatures despite the wind and the enormity of the lake; it’s the raison d’etre of the trip after all. Lago Strobel is unique, extraordinary and to my mind, a destination permanently belonging on any

bucket list. Luciano and Roberto Alba’s wonderful lodge is also something to behold and one is treated like royalty throughout your stay. But when we sit quietly together nibbling an empanada, sipping a drop of Patagonia’s finest and chatting about life in general and trout in particular, invariably it’s not only Lago Strobel but also the little Barrancoso in skinny, low water mode, stalking huge trout and waving a little bamboo wand that brings a special smile and knowing glances to our faces. Rio Barrancoso: “Un lugar para hacer recuerdos” a place to make memories Please do come along sometime - you won’t regret it!

A windswept Rio Barrancoso with Lago Strobel in the distance www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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TRASH FISH FALL TO THE ZULU TERENCE BABICH I am very guilty of spending hours targeting fish that most people wouldn’t even steal a glance at. I will spend days targeting fish that others won’t even spend a minute or two on. One of those species that seems to have a bad rap and is often described as a trash fish (or worse) is the common carp. The really nice thing though about carp is that they occur in abundance almost everywhere and they can be targeted in a myriad of ways. Some techniques are already known to us and there are many www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

more still to be discovered. Mostly, I find that we are very narrow-minded in our methods to target carp. I have become seriously guilty of this and have for the most part partaken in the snobbish method of sight fishing for them. Hahahahha, it’s funny how an angler’s ears prick up and how their attention is captured the moment you mention sight fishing or dry flies. Yeh, we are snobs, but I believe that there is actually really good carp fishing to be had blind fishing for them.Blind fishing to carp is probably even better than most of our days 16

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spent toiling away on a trout dam trying to catch pellet-fed, stocked, miniature trout. Just kidding, trout are fun too. The point is though that we could be fishing a little closer to home a lot more often if we were to try blind fishing for carp - or even sight fishing for them, for that matter. Coming back to the point of being narrow minded and set in our ways, we often forget what has brought us to the point where we are currently. I am very guilty of fishing a three fly rig for carp, loaded with a variety of fritz patterns and sometimes mustard caddis flies. I have fallen into the comfort zone of being able to fish my flies a long way away from my body and being able to use my top fly as a “sighter” so that I can accurately place my

other flies in close proximity to the feeding fish’s mouth. This is, of course, the easiest and most effective way to catch these fish, isn't it? I was guiding Leonard Fleming and Jack Lotter a few weeks back for some catfish. For some unknown reason the catfish fishing was on the FRITZ. “They weren’t biting”. Leonard comes from the Cape and without a second thought he pulled out a fly that I would have fished many years back when very little was known about carp. Back in those days we stalked carp and got so close to them that we could see their eyeballs. Leonard did some of the most amazing heron-like stalking and bagged a bunch of fish with the good old Zulu fly pattern - he was extremely effective. A trash fish falls to Leonard Fleming's Zulu

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Coming from the Cape this would be the absolute method to target carp, and it is extremely effective. Us Vaalies have been spoilt and I am inclined to think that our carp are a lot easier to catch on fly. As a result of this there is an element of complacency in the way we (or at least I) target them. Often we are given the choice of so many “presents” to fish that we can choose the size or even just keep presenting until something takes the fly. Leonard’s way of fishing is extremely rewarding because you have really stalked and outsmarted the fish. My way, let’s call it, is so brutal that just by sheer number of quick “presents” I will still find a few fish dumb enough to attack my fly with abandon. This has brought me to the notion that it’s time to give the old Zulu a revisit. I will fish it

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and compare results to my current methods of fishing predominantly fritz flies and carp tuggers. It will be interesting to see how it performs. Fly fishing is often looked upon as trying to imitate the natural food source that fish feed on. From this perspective the Zulu ticks all the boxes and is in great contrast to my fly choice. My approach is that, if you were the fish, you’d better eat this fly quickly before it attacks and eats YOU. I will probably make some changes to the Zulu. I might still be inclined to fish three Zulu flies at a time as I believe this just allows me a greater chance of putting the fly into the zone and close to the fish’s mouth. This is the best way to catch carp as they don’t always move far to eat a fly. Having said that, and reflecting on my blind fishing statement, a big enough fly in the right area

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where there isn’t much food or where the food source is mainly crabs and small fry could easily induce a chase from a carp. These carp will probably be bigger on average than those that we target on the edges or in the shallows. Also, taking a look at the fly itself, I will try a variety of weights using tungsten beads and lead. This allows for a heavier fly and gives me more control over the fly in windy

condition. It also has an advantage especially for spooky or moving carp of getting the fly quickly into the feeding zone before it spooks or moves off. So, if your wife asks ”where are you going ?” you can reply “I’m going to take some trash out”. Happy carpin’

THE ZULU REVISITED Hook: Grip 12723BL #12 Bead: 3.5mm tungsten Tail: red wool Body: glister peacock Hackle: black deceiver

in getting it into the zone quickly and also in standing up against elements like wind. The silver tinsel is replace by gold copper wire to reduce the bling and to create an effect of natural segmentation. The hook used is a strong, wide gape hook to increase hook-up rate. A carp isn't a predatory fish and doesn't close its mouth onto the fly when feeding. The gape then become a crucial part in your ability to successfully hook fish on a regular basis.

Revisiting the original black Zulu fly pattern comes with a few small but deliberate changes. A tungsten bead is added for some extra weight to help with the control of the fly, both

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THE ZULU REVISITED Step-By-Step

TERENCE BABICH Dress the hook with 18/0 grey nano silk. This creates a base for the rest of the materials to stick to without turning or slipping into the bend of the hook.

Trap the red wool down behind bead and secure it down the length of the hook shank. The tail can be trimmed to required length whatever you think is best for your current conditions. As a rule though, the same length as the hook shank should be a good allround length. Tie medium or small gold copper wire in and trap it down. Maintain a fairly level body, it will be accentuated as you add materials onto it.

Take a deceiver hackle and strip a little off one side near the point. Leave the feather as is where the quill thickens. This is to maintain a body that isn't too heavily hackled but has a little more hackle density just behind the bead.

Using glister dubbing dub a light cover over the shank of the hook. Try create a little bit of a taper towards the bend of the hook, just to add to the overall profile of the finished fly.

Wrap the hackle forward in widely spaced turns. Trap it down just before the bead and wrap the gold wire forward, trapping the hackle quill down securely. Trap the wire down at the bead and snip it off. Then take the remainder of the hackle and wind it around the hook just behind the bead. Trap it down with thread and finish off. Your fly is ready to fish.

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Plek van die Sponsvreters "Dit is soos om vir die eerste keer seks te hê, en dan meteens te besef dat jy dit al 'n geruime tyd gelede kon ervaar het as jy jouself net vroeër al toegelaat het om die kat in die donker te knyp."

Hennie Viljoen Sterkfontein Dam is een van daardie bestemmings wat jy nie vir iemand met woorde alleen kan beskryf nie. Jy kan selfs nie hierdie magiese plek geregtigheid doen met foto’s of videomateriaal nie. As jy in SuidAfrika bly en enigsins in vlieghengel belangstel, is dit moeilik om nie bewus te wees van Sterkfontein Dam en die legendariese droëvlieg en sighengel geleenthede wat dit vir die kranige vlieghengelaar bied nie. Soveel mense verwys na Sterkies (soos die meeste plaaslike inwoners dit noem) as 'n wêreldklas vlieghengel bestemming, en sommige mense gaan so vêr as om te sê dat dit moontlik die beste stilwater droëvlieg hengel bestemming ter wêreld is… Vir die een of ander onverklaarbare rede het ek nog nooit Sterkfontein Dam besoek tot ongeveer 2 jaar gelede nie. Tot my absolute ellende het ek toe ontdek dat ek nog al hierdie tyd wat ek in Suid-Afrika vlieghengel (21 jaar) myself nog nooit toegelaat het om hierdie asemrowende plek te beleef nie. Dit is soos om vir die eerste keer seks te hê, en dan meteens te besef dat jy dit al 'n geruime tyd gelede kon ervaar het, as jy jouself net vroeër al toegelaat het om die kat in die donker te knyp. In elk geval... So, nadat ek met baie van my vriende en mede vlieghengelaars gepraat het, wat al vantevore by Sterkies was, het ek vir David Weaver gebel. Hy was hoogs aanbeveel en sommige mense www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

beweer dat hy die Sterkfonteindam Zenmeester is. Die man, die legende, “Dawie Gras” homself... Snaaks genoeg, ek is gebore in Harrismith, en beide my pa en ma se families het daar geboer, vir generasies lank. So dit was ook vir my ‘n tipe van ‘n tuiskoms uittog, onder andere. Ek het met David oor die telefoon gepraat, en hy het geklink soos 'n kom tot die punt toe tipe ou, geen strooi praat nie. Alhoewel ek rondom daai stadium van die geveg toe redelik skepties was, het ek nogtans 'n bespreking met David vasgemaak en toe begin voorberei vir my maagdelike reis na die legendariese Sterkfontein Dam. Daardie aand het ek 'n e-pos van David ontvang, met 'n paar waardevolle inligtingstukke aangeheg. Dit was met betrekking tot Sterkfontein Dam se uitgeslape geelvis, die vlieë wat werk, wat 'n mens alles moet saamvat, sowel as voorgestelde tegnieke. Ek kon sien hierdie man het geweet waarvan hy praat, en dit het my regtig gemoedsrus aangaande die hele situasie gegee. 'n Goeie vriend van my, Emile Smit, was ook baie gretig om Sterkfontein Dam te gaan verken; só het ek hom toe saam genooi. Hy is nie eintlik 'n baie goeie vlieghengelaar (of in werklikheid selfs 'n goeie vriend) nie, maar ons het met sy bakkie gery, en dit het my darem 'n paar rand aan brandstof onkostes gespaar... 23

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So, wat is die heel eerste ding wat jy doen voordat jy op 'n vlieghengel avontuur gaan? Jy ry na Frontier Fly Fishing toe vir kundige advies en natuurlik om onnodige skuld te gaan maak (wat jou vrou nie van weet nie). Soos altyd het die manne by Frontier (Tom Lewin, Dean Riphagen en Mike McKeown) 'n groot hoeveelheid kennis gehad om te deel, asook 'n paar aanbevelings om 'n suksesvolle avontuur na Sterkies te verseker. So stap ek toe daar uit met sakke vol Simms en natuurlik ‘n plat beursie. Die volgende stap was om vlieë te bind. Ek is 'n vreeslike uitsteller wanneer dit kom by vlieëbind, maar moenie ‘n fout maak nie, ek het 'n enorme passie daarvoor. Maar soos die gesegde lui: “Van uitstel, kom afstel.” Die absolute staatmaker vlieg vir Sterkfontein Dam se geelvis is die “Good Doctor’s Beetles”. Die drie variante van die vlieg (die oorspronklike “Good Doctor’s Beetle”, die “New Generation Beetle” en die F.O.B. – “Foam Only Beetle”) is die handewerk van www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

Dr. Hans Van Zyl, 'n algemene praktisyn van Harrismith. Hy is die “Godfather” van Sterkfontein Dam, en hy het heel waarskynlik al meer kleinbek geelvis op droëvlieg as enige iemand anders in die land gevang. Hy is ook ‘n vreeslike aangename man, en ‘n ware legende in die SA-vlieghengel kringe. Nadat ek die internet holrug gery het, kon ek steeds nie die presiese instruksies vir die sponsbehandeling opspoor wat die Dok vir sy "Beetles" gebruik nie. Ek het toe besluit om die goeie Dokter, in persoon te kontak. Hy was ‘n absolute heer oor die foon en was niks minder as tegemoedkomend oor die hele affêre nie. Hy het my 'n lys van die materiaal gegee, asook aan my die proses verduidelik wat gebruik word vir die voorbereiding van die spons. So, nadat ek hopeloos te min tyd spandeer het agter my J-Vice, as wat ek moes, het ek toe darem 'n vliegboksie gevul met ‘n klomp van die Dok se "Beetles", gereed om vir die eerste keer na Sterkies toe te gaan. 26

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So opgewonde soos ‘n meisie voor haar matriekafskeid, ry ek en Emile toe sak en pak na Harrismith. Na so drie ure se ry van Pretoria af, stop ons toe by die Rose Garden Manor gastehuis in Harrismith waar David en sy vrou Gill ons toe gasvry verwelkom het. Daardie aand kuier ons saam met die Weavers, rondom hulle kombuistafel asof ons hulle al jare lank ken. Dis min wat ‘n mens iemand ontmoet, wat jou so vining, so tuis soos familie laat voel. Julle almal het al daai gesegde gehoor wat sê: “Where you arrive as a guest, and leave as a friend.” Nou dit was omtrent so iets. Die volgende oggend vroeg haak ons toe die boot “Zen Zak” se sleepwa aan David se Isuzu (hy het darem nou intussen vir hom ‘n Hilux gekoop) en ons vat die pad na Sterkfontein Dam toe! Daar gekom het ons gou ons stokke en dinge reg gekry, en voor ons weer ons oë kon uitvee, vaar ons uit op

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die pragblou water. Ek was stomgeslaan om daardie water vir die eerste keer te kon beleef… Hoe kan damwater so skoon wees? Ek was al baie plekke in ons land, maar nog nooit het ek sulke ongerepte staande water met my eie oë gesien nie. Ons ry heel eerste na ‘n plek wat David die “Quarry” noem. Daar gekom, maak ek ‘n paar gooie, en kort voor lank was ek toe aan soos Japan! Kyk, ek het al bokkoors in my lewe gehad, maar as jy daardie eerste Sterkfontein gele aan jou garingdun voorslag het, dan vloei die adrenalien! Wonder bo wonder skep David toe die vis met die net, na ‘n redelike intense gespook en gespartel. Na n vinnige foto het ek die vis terug in die water geplaas en aandagtig na haar gestaar terwyl sy weg geswem het, diepwater in. Net daar sê ek vir myself: “Self, jou avontuur is klaar gemaak. Jy kan maar huis toe gaan.”

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Alles van Sterkfontein is kontrasterend, die blou water, die bottergeel visse, die grasgroen veld en omringende sandsteen berge. Die hele omgewing is darem maar net vir jou prentjiemooi. Om ‘n lang storie kort te maak, het ons werklik ‘n asemrowende tyd saam met David gehad. Die storie, soos meeste van my stories, gaan nie werklik soveel so oor die fisiese visvang aspek van die avontuur nie, maar meer oor die mense wat jy ontmoet, die dinge wat jy sien en ervaar - nie die hoeveelheid visfoto’s wat jy op Instagram gelaai het nie. As jy iets saam met jou kan neem uit die artikel, dan moet dit die volgende wees: • Maak gebruik van ons plaaslike gidse. Hulle weet meer as ons. En al dink jou kapokhaan maatjies op Facebook hulle is kaas; dit wat hulle nog moet leer, het manne soos David al vergeet. • Ondersteun ons plaaslike vlieghengel winkels soos Frontier Fly Fishing en ander

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soortgelyke instansies. Die manne het almal internasionale ervaring en weet waarvan hulle praat. Ja, van die goed wat hulle verkoop, is soms duur, maar jy kry waarvoor jy betaal, soos met enige iets in die lewe. Tensy jy hou van kitskoffie, goedkoop whisky en die WP (want dan is jy op jou eie). • Staan saam. Ons bedryf is klein en daar is baie dreigende gevare wat ons geliefkoosde tydverdryf bedreig. Steenkoolmyne (Dullstroom), kortsigtige regeringsamptenare (DEA & NEMBA) en natuurlik grootskaalse besoedeling (Vaal Rivier) om net ‘n paar voorbeelde te noem. Staan saam en ondersteun organisasies soos FOSAF wat namens ons baklei, sodat ons naweke eerder kan gaan vlieghengel as om by die huis te bly, gras te sny en om te kyk hoe die Bulle alweer verloor. Oukei dan, ek is klaar gepreek. So, tot ons weer gesels; gooi hom diep in, en laat hom lank lê…

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THE GOOD DOCTOR'S BEETLE Hennie Viljoen

Hier is die materiaal lys, asook ‘n oorsig van die sponsbehandeling proses (julle almal skuld my ‘n bier), want is ek is ‘n lekker ou: GEBRUIK SLEGS EGTE HERITAGE CRAFT PRODUKTE! • Seal Skin deur Heritage Paints • Copper - STUDENT’S ACRYLIC METALLIC COLOURS • Amethyst - STUDENT’S ACRYLIC METALLIC COLOURS • Purple Navy - STUDENT’S ACRYLIC 250MLSTANDARD COLOURS • 2mm Swart spons • 6mm Liquid lace van ‘n krale/kuns winkel (dis wat die Dok gebruik) of dan alternatiewelik rubberbene • Ice Dub Holo Copper, Holo Golden Orange of Rusty Orange dubbing - Koper Besie • Ice Dub UV Brown of UV black dubbing – Pers besie

• Bruin hackle - Koper besie • Swart hackle - Pers besie • Grip 14723BL weerhaaklose hoeke in #8 en #6 * Sny die spons skuins, teen 'n hoek van so 30 grade aan beide kante. 7mm breed vir #8 en 8mm breed vir #6. ‘n Skalpel of 'n Minora lemmetjie werk die beste vir die oefening *Meng 2 dele Purple Navy tot 1 deel Amethyst * Verf die gesnyde spons met jou gekose kleur (bo en onder), en droog dan vir 24 uur * Doop in Seal Skin en droog dan weer vir 24 uur * Doop weer in die Seal Skin 1 uur voordat jy met die spons gaan begin bind (dis ‘n baie waardevolle stukkie advies van my goeie vriend Wim Slabber, ‘n bobaas veearts op Harrismith) * Maak seker dat enige lugborrels wat vasgevang word tussen die Seal Skin en die spons met ‘n naald stukkend gesteek word, wanneer jy begin bind

Homo Horrendous Hugh Chittenden An Appeal to fishermen to act more responsibly. The following set of photos graphically illustrates some of the worst traits in humans, and I for one hang my head in shame at our irresponsibility, and the knockon effects to wildlife that we profess to care for. How have we become insensitive to our surroundings? In this case, the blame for discarded fishing line lies squarely at the feet of fishermen.

at the water's edge, let alone bunches of discarded fishing line. Sadly however, and judging by the amount of fishing line that one sees lying around on the margins of dams and along beaches, the majority of fishermen seem to have no concern for the way they litter! All the photos below show fishing line injuries to three separate Woolly-necked Storks. Stork Nos 1 & 2 photographed at Albert Falls Dam near Pietermaritzburg (March, 2019), and Stork No 3, photographed at Mtunzini, June, 2014.

Not all fishermen behave irresponsibly of course, I have friends who are keen fishermen & I know they act very responsibly and would never discard a single matchstick

Stork No 1, with the right foot showing stump-end & loss of toes from a previous (healed) fishing line injury. Left foot now undergoing similar constriction and potential further loss of toes.

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When storks become entangled in fishing line, the line often becomes tight, stopping the flow of blood, resulting in swelling and eventually foot or toe loss. This also means

that the entangled birds can no longer roost on tree branches at night as they no longer have the capability to clasp onto the branch when the wind blows.

Stork No 1, with the right foot showing stump-end & loss of toes from a previous (healed) fishing line injury. Left foot now undergoing similar constriction and potential further loss of toes.

Stork No 1Â attempting to find aquatic prey along the shallow margins of Albert Falls Dam. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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Stork No 1Â in flight.

A woolly-necked Stork on the edge of Albert Falls Dam, completely oblivious to the danger of fishing line just one meter behind where it is standing! www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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Stork No 2. Within minutes of photographing the first Woolly-necked Stork entangled with fishing line, a second bird was seen limping badly with a swollen toe dangling and about to fall off!

Stork No 3. This bird, in obvious pain, was found limping badly at the edge of the Umlalazi Lagoon, Mtunzini. Umlalazi Nature Reserve.

Finally, in November of 2015, a Palm-nut Vulture, was photographed at Mtunzini with fishing line attached to its one foot. The insert (below) shows one toe badly swollen and would have in all probobility lost that extremity shortly after this photograph was taken! Msinsi Holdings manage the Albert Falls and do a good job of running these facilities.

H o w e v e r, t h e r e s h o u l d b e m o r e accountability with not only keeping water margins clean of debris, but also signage to alert and educate fishermen re the dangers of items such as discarded fishing line. Fisher men are urged to act more responsibly, both along coastal shore lines and at inland fishing sites.

Be responsible with your used Mono and Flourocarbon line. Get yourself one of these at R130 and do your part in preventing this happening.

https://www.xplorerflyfishing.co.za/product/monomaster/ www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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Fly Fishers Association The Fly Fishers Association (FFA) applauds the efforts of the triumvirate, namely Andrew Savides, Andrew Mather and Ian Cox in “rescuing” the Southern African Fly Fishing magazine and producing a world class product. Members of FFA were heavily involved in the initiation and early production of the magazine which was envisaged as a mouthpiece of FOSAF at the time. Angler Publications took over the production of the magazine and produced an excellent magazine, but in the end it was too much for them, and it looked like the death knell of the magazine, until our triumvirate came to the rescue. Prior to the magazine, the FFA had provided one of the few avenues for budding writers of the angle with their monthly newsletter, The Leader, at a time when the only available fly fishing magazines were from overseas, at considerable cost. The editors included the likes of Jack Blackman, Robin Fick, Dean Riphagen, Derek Thomas, Rob Brett, Gillies McDavid and Laurence Davies. Dr Tom Sutcliffe, the FFA President, had written his book, My Way with a Trout, using selected weekly articles which he had produced for The Natal Mercury. He offered the FFA the balance of the newspaper articles for The Leader, but the FFA editorial team felt that these articles deserved more than this and suggested to Tom that we could produce another book using these articles. And we did, producing Reflections on Flyfishing, together with NFFC (Tom was an NFFC Vice president). Rob Brett and Marc Basel and family, printed books for the two clubs to market, with all funds being shared between the two clubs, as was the good doctor’s wish. The FFA is but a shadow of its original might, with emigration and relocation, in the main, taking its toll on membership, but we still www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

have bi-monthly social meetings, invariably with a guest speaker or demonstration, at The KZN Hunters and Conservation’s premises in Pinetown, on the second Tuesday of the month. All are welcome. Paul (Croc) McLaughlin is the current chairman and any club queries can be addressed to him on 0828975629. Dr Tom Sutcliffe is our President and Jake Alletson and Bob Crass (RIP) our Vice Presidents, three gentlemen who provided tremendous support and inspiration to the club, especially in its efforts to spread the gospel of fly fishing. Laurence Davies

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XFA River Trout Clinic The Zen of MODERN ANGLING SAVS We arrived at Tierhoek during loadshedding, our headlights cutting through the evening gloom to reveal a smiling group of men standing around a fire. Despite Warren and I being among the first to sign onto the XFA river clinic we were, by some hours, the last to arrive. The comedy of frustrating errors that lead to our tardy arrival were all but forgotten as Daniel Factor stepped out of the throng to greet us warmly. The format for the weekend was straightforward: dry fly fishing on Saturday and nymphing on Sunday. Friday and Saturday nights were set aside for some theory and prepping gear for the next day. The only instructions given were to bring along a soft-tipped ten foot, three weight rod and a matching Euro and conventional floating line. A small selection of imported gear that is not available locally was to be available at the event. It couldn’t be simpler, really - a fact that Warren and I ignored by bringing a forest of fly rods and sundry other gear well in excess of what was mandated. We reasoned that these are our home waters and that we’re fairly competent anglers with a pretty effective fishing formula, so why wouldn’t we? That was our first mistake. Daniel held court at the bar cum lecture hall. At his side were his able, if not entirely lovely, assistants, Gary “let’s draw a vector diagram of that” Glen-Young and Marius “I’ll just tie a few flies while we wait” Grobler. A whiteboard appeared as if from nowhere and our re-education began. Discussions were informal and started with some theory, most of it aimed at how to recognise drag and strategies to overcome it. The message was, basically, that setting yourself up to achieve a perfect drift is www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

something worth becoming painfully obsessive about. Marius busied himself with passing out gear while everyone else set about lashing unusually tapered leaders to fly lines and attaching long lengths of gossamer-fine tippet. It was no different on Saturday night when the fundamentals of “Euro” nymphing and how to properly gear up for it was discussed and demonstrated. Questions ranged in complexity from “what do you mean by drag?”, “is this a floating line?” to “but surely the dropper, with a force and at a distance, exerts a moment of force on the point fly and results in micro-drag?”. It speaks well of the XFA crew that every question was discussed and answered fully and without making the angler needing to feel self-conscious about asking it. Daylight hours were spent on the stream. The looks on the faces of a guy and his son fishing a run on the Bushmans as the twelve of us, rods in hand, made our way down the hill in their general direction was priceless and was worth the price of admission alone. To their obvious relief we behaved like perfect gentlemen and slipped in downstream of them. Daniel demonstrated drag and how the longer rod and unusual leader could negate it. After this we broke into three groups, each under the close tutelage of one of our instructors, and we went after some wild browns. Now I’ve fished that river more times than I can remember (the truth) and I’ve caught on the dry fly more of its brown trout than I can possibly count (probably a lie), but I have never fished it with such ease. The combination of the longer rod, specific leader configuration and modified cast resulted in the longest, sweetest drifts that I have ever been able to achieve. 39

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From the braai to the whiteboard It really was something of a revelation, and I don’t say that lightly. I took a fish on my first cast and Rob one-upped me by taking fish on each of his first two casts. We all landed more fish than would have been strictly necessary to call it a good day and we arrived back last, again just in time for the steaks to hit the braai. I was less successful at the following day’s Euro nymphing session. It’s not something that I’ve done before but I left confident that even though I’m not much good at it yet, I at least have a grasp of the fundamentals of it and that I am set up correctly to progress. No amount of YouTube tutorials and tips from friends give you anywhere near to the experience of having a virtuoso angler demonstrate and then correct errors in your technique. I can’t overstate the benefit of having a team of tutors of the calibre of Dan, Gary and Marius at your side. “Guide” is a word that I’ve specifically tried not to use to describe the XFA team. A guide, you see, is there to put you onto fish. It is how he is judged and is his calling card. His role is entirely different from an instructor or a tutor. An instructor is there to improve individual technical aspects of your game that come together to meet the combined objective; in this instance to catch fish under a variety of conditions by utilising a variety of techniques. It helps, I suppose, to think of this like spending time with a golf pro on a driving range (a terrible mental image, but you get my point). www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

As a side-note while I’m on the subject, Marius, our nymphing instructor, is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. An angel, really were I guiding me I would’ve held my head under water for a few minutes to end the obvious misery that I was inflicting on myself. Still, I got a few, and I’d like to think that not all of them were what Marius calls “the village idiot”, but I’m not totally convinced of that. So, I bet you’re wanting me to tell you exactly what we learned, and I don’t mind sharing it with you. It’s just not that simple. Superficially, I could give you diagrams of leader configurations and note the knots used. I could describe the casts and try to explain what constitutes a properlycontrolled drift. I could give you a shopping list of leader materials and floatant dips and all manner of strange and foreign things. We learned about all of this, but that’s not what I took away from the weekend. In fact, I’m not sure that they are even the most important part of it. The role of competition angling in the advancement of the sport is something that is worthy of a book of its own and it doesn’t get the recognition that it deserves. What strikes you most when you spend time with top-flight competitive anglers is how differently they think about what they’re doing. There is nothing that they don’t question, deconstruct, analyse and reconstruct in a way that makes perfect sense. 42

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Rob Pretorius under Daniel Factor's careful instruction Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not very complicated, to be honest, but you need to make a break with conventional flyfishing logic. The absolute minor technical nuances are probably unnecessary outside of a competitive environment, and I have no inclination to ever compete. The thing is though that on the whole what they are doing enhances rather than detracts form the art. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a fundamentally mechanical

process for them, as you may expect; they genuinely love fishing, being in the outdoors and, it goes without saying, catching fish. Very often what their reconstruction leaves them with is a concentrated form of fishing where anything that is not required is simply discarded. Perhaps, ultimately, this makes modern, comp-style anglers the real purists of the sport. There you go, I used the P-word.

Late afternoon dry fly action www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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What you take out of a weekend with XFA is really up to you. I took away an appreciation for the fact that I can, and should, challenge my thinking around how I fish. Warren and I drove home Sunday afternoon with a revitalised perspective on the sport and our forest of unused fly rods in the boot.

My wife tells me that I’m resistant to change, and she’s normally right, but right now I’m finalising the specifications of a ten foot, two weight. Even more out of character is that I will be selling a bunch of my current rods to fund it. For enquiries contact dfflyfishing@gmail.com

Jayson van Schalkwyk putting his training into action

The CDC and ELK EMERGER Gordon van der Spuy

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Egyptian goose biots are brilliant. I love the fact that they are long and thin. This makes them easy to work with for a wide range of fly sizes. I also love their coloration. That charcoal colour is a prevalent feature on a lot of aquatic organisms. Using Egyptian goose biots is not dissimilar to using stripped peacock quills as it gives you a very similar effect. I love contrast in fly patterns as I feel it makes them more visible to fish.

the taper is created. The only help they need when using them is a bit of spit to make them a bit more pliable when being wrapped as wrapping dry biots will often cause them to split. Soaking them in ones mouth for a few seconds prior to tying them in is all that is needed. Barring a thread body a biot body is the simplest and fastest way to achieve a lekker body on a fly. Peacock biots are also very useful especially if you’re going for a lighter coloured body. They are a tannish colour with a nice red brown edge to them. They can be used just like this or dyed depending on your requirements. If you’re lazy a copic marker on stream will do the trick too. Like the Goose biots they have excellent length and are nice and thin too.

That dark charcoal colour ridge on the lighter goose biot gives you this effect. The ridge of the biot has tiny micro hairs on it which imitates the gills on mayfly nymphs brilliantly without having to go through the pains of tantric fly tying (not that fish actually care about the gills on mayfly patterns). The advantage biots have over peacock quills is that they require minimal maintenance. You don’t need to strip them or anything like that.

Mark Krige put me onto them years ago when I walked into “Upstream” to buy Turkey Biots. Biots as bodies are simply put just brilliant. They’re quick and easy to manufacture, dirt cheap and are extremely effective in giving you that lovely taper. It’s not surprising then that I use them on about 80% of everything I tie. The CDC and elk emerger is no exception.

They are also great in that they are naturally tapered which allows one to achieve excellent tapered bodies without having to lay a tapered thread underbody to get the job done (this saves you time). By slightly overlapping the biot after each wrap

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The CDC and elk emerger is nothing new. I got the idea for the fly from Mike Mercers ingenious “Missing link”. Mercer’s pattern was tied to specifically imitate crippled caddis flies. The defining feature of the fly for me was that Mercer used an Elk hair wing which doubled as the post of the fly. A hackle is basically wrapped around the base of the wing parachute style. What this does is push the elk wing higher away from the hook shank and render the fly more buoyant in the process and less prone to getting water logged as the wing angle prevents water from seeping into the fibres. It simply floats better and for longer than the traditional down wing style of tying an elk wing. If you don’t believe me try it! I think it is pure genius.

I replaced Mercers hackle with cdc instead as I felt it gave the fly more movement along with a buggier profile. Cdc imitates the optical play of light on an insects appendages and micro body hairs better than any other material I know of so including cdc just made sense. In slower flowing water and in pools it is just better than conventional hackle as adds static mobility to the pattern, with tiny fibres moving even when the pattern is completely static. Like the klinkhamer it could be a wide range of things. It really is what I like to call a ‘Buffet’ fly. It represents nothing in particular but could be a number of different things. It presents well, floats well, is easy to spot in a wide range of lighting conditions and can be tied in under 5 minutes. I’ve fished it far and wide and it’s caught fish wherever I’ve used it. Fish just seem to come to it like Kids to soft serve! All in all a winning combination. Nothing new as I said, just a bunch of cool existing ideas thrown together to provide me with a solid user friendly emerger.

My pal James Leach ties a small piece of fluorescent red antron on top of the wing as an additional sighter. It’s amazing from how far off the fly is visible even when tied in small sizes. The nice thing about this is that the sighter is not visible to the fish at all due to the way the wing is tied in.

The Author with a nice Yellow caught on this fly. Photo credit: Tourettes Fishing

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List of materials needed Hook: Gamakatsu C12 #18 - #14 Abdomen: Egyptian goose biot wrapped around the greater part of the hook shank ( treat the thread lightly with zap a gap before wrapping the biot, this will just render the fly more durable) Wing: Bleached elk hair or natural comparadun hair . Tie this on top of the hook shank. Pull the hair up and make a few thread wraps around the base of the wing to lift it up slightly. Sighter ( optional) : Fluorescent red antron Hackle: CDC in a split thread that is wound parachute hackle style.

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Semonkong, lesotho Title written by Ian Cox First Second Name Photos: other name

days. Perhaps that is why the Chinese were prepared to lend Lesotho the money to build the road in the first place?

Roads are revolutions. Just think, a couple of years ago it took a 4X4 and twelve hours to drive from Durban to Semonkong. Now you can do it in a compact in about six. No that is a bit of an exaggeration. I did it in just over six hours in my trusty Toyota Hilux. A compact would find the going between Matatiele and Quacha’s Nek slow going so add an hour or so. But once in Lesotho compacts were everywhere. That is what a tar road does.

Whatever the reason for its existence, the road is something else and well worth the trip just for the experience of driving it. But this time the road trip was incidental to the fishing and the fishing was special. Back in the 1950’s Semonkong was a small agricultural outpost that boasted a runway lodge and a and a fishing spectacular waterfall. Getting there involved a long ride on horseback or a hairy flight in a light aircraft. However, fishing was such that enough fly fishers were prepared to dice with death and fly in often enough to make the Lodge viable.

Yup the road from Quacha’s Nek to Semonkong and then onto Maseru is now tar. It was built recently by the Chinese though God alone knows how the Lesotho people will pay for it. Perhaps they will make Gauteng pay through the sale of water. After all Lesotho and its water pretty much controls the fate of that Province these

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So, Thursday afternoon was spent in the pub downing Maloti quarts and chatting to the united nations that were the varied nationalities of our fellow guests, while we waited for the Johannesburg contingent to arrive. Rob Mulder and Richard Adams arrived just in time for dinner having left Johannesburg somewhat late on a busy day doing other things. As I said that road is amazing!

That Lodge is still there albeit in a far more luxurious condition and is still offering fishing trips in addition to the more touristy fair of abseiling the Maletsunyane falls, pub crawling the local shebeens or riding about the place on horseback or donkey. I am morphologically ill-suited to riding anything more exciting than a motorised seat but this did not matter as I was there to fish for the large brown trout that inhabit the river between the Maletsunyane falls and the weir some 5km upstream. The river is stocked with Rainbow trout below the Maletsunyane falls but that is quite a trek. A less ample me did it a few years back and no doubt I will do it again but thankfully time did not permit on what was a long weekend weekend trip.

You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss dinner at the Semonkong Lodge. The menu is small, but the food and service were amazing. Bar prices are also very reasonable. Johnathan runs a tight ship, so it came as no surprise that our accommodation was comfortably perfect for a bunch of aging fly anglers. Happily, the lodge offers a spread of accommodation so for those who are allergic to spending their fishing money on a room you only sleep in, there is dormitory accommodation or even camping available. And the rates are reasonable. Bed and breakfast in top end accommodation will cost you between R1370 and R2055 per night. The dormitory accommodation will set you back R250 per night bed only and the camping R150 per night. Food prices range in the family steakhouse category but as I said the food is much better.

Yup, my mate, Karl Schmidt, and I left Durban late in the morning on Thursday 26 April and would have had plenty of time to catch the evening rise were it not for those rains that swept through the country a couple of days earlier. Johnathan Halse who owns the Semonkong Lodge said the river was a little busy. I judged it unfishable. He assured us, however, that the fishing was best when the river came off a flood and that it would be much better in the following days. He was not wrong. The river was fishable on Friday, good on Saturday and bloody fantastic the day we left. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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The reception at SemonkongLodge Fishing is limited to flyfishing and catch and release only. Thankfully no one said anything about barbless hooks because once you hook into one of Semonkong’s monsters you do not want to lose them. Fish have been caught north of ten pounds so leave your small stream stuff at home.

you pay for that stuff nowadays makes your hair curl but that is another story. The fishing is also a guided affair. This is to support the local community in its efforts to preserve the fishing and the general appearance of the river. It is working. The river was noticeable less littered than when I was last in Semonkong. A day ticket will cost you R180 per day which includes the cost of a guide.

I tried a 3wt for a while, but truth be told, I was much happier fishing with my Guide 2 10ft 5wt. We got away with 3x tippet in the dirty water on Friday but had switched to 4x with the cleaner water we encountered on Saturday. I would have switched to 5x on Sunday had we fished. It goes without saying that the quality of your tippet material is important. In this regard I’ve found that Stroft mono performed the job admirably. The zipper mouth lads swear by it and it is by far the best bang for buck of the premium quality tippet material. Some of the prices www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

We were ably assisted by Baputhi Makafane. He is the lodge’s head of river guiding. He was very enthusiastic and was excited to learn about what we were doing in South Africa to extend the trout fishing value chain into rural communities. He is on Facebook and can be contacted through Facebook messenger.

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We split into two groups with a day each fishing the waters above and below the lodge. This is a big river, so we had more than enough water to keep us fully occupied.

guides recommend hopper patterns when fishing dry, not that we did much of that. The river was flowing far to strongly. They favor woolly bugger type streamers when fishing wet, but we preferred small nymphs. All our fish were caught on nymphsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; imitations of the Zak or damsel variety. My two fish, a 41 and 45 cm were caught short line nymphing, but Rob Mulder and Karl Schmidt caught using a more traditional upstream cast and retrieve wet fly technique.

Access to the river is easy and it can be waded but not when we were there. There are paths a plenty and the guides will show you the best way to get about. I do recommend a wading staff of some sort as you spend a lot of time clambering up and down over rocks. I use a cut down surf rod which is fantastic. A decent hat and sunscreen are also essential as the sun is fierce at altitude. You will also need to carry your own water as the stuff in the river is most definitely not potable.

We did not catch much but the fish are plentiful if the evening rise in front of the lodge is anything to go by. Karl picked up one on a DDD but we would have all been much more successful if we could have waded into a position where one could better manage drag.

The fishing itself is surprisingly uncomplicated for a brown trout fishery. The

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But somehow one fish a day did not really matter. The whole experience was sublime as was the cosmopolitan nature of the space. Both Rob and I were strongly reminded of trekking trips we had done in Nepal. The guests really came from all over the world. During our short stay we met a bunch of Thai scuba divers, a couple of Japanese, another couple from Holland, an Oxbridge man who had cycled the Nile not to mention the American lass who worked for their coast guard. And this is the tip of the iceberg.

revolutions, and this is certainly true of Lesotho. The place has changed noticeably since my earlier visits before the roadbuilding started. There is a lot more economic activity about the place and a hustle and bustle that was not there previously. The opportunities to fish some of the more remote areas that were previously almost inaccessible has also greatly increased. Johnathan has plans in this regard to watch this space. The trip was short, but I loved every bit of it. I will be back. You will as well, if you take the trouble and make the first trip.

I started off by saying that roads are

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The Dirt Road Wild Trout Association Fly Fishing Festival 2019 Miles Divett

For the past decade or more, the annual Wild Trout Association fly fishing festival held in Rhodes was officially named The Epson Wild Trout Association Festival in recognition of the lead sponsor of the event, Epson Printers South Africa. After it’s decade or so of loyalty to the festival, Epson last year announced that the 2018 festival would be its last, and it was with sadness but huge gratitude that the organizers and participants in the festival said goodbye to Epson at the end of that event.

the overheated and low rivers prior to the onset of the rains in January 2018. And once it then started raining, it didn’t stop leading to the unfortunate loss of fishing days during the festival and a scramble for the high altitude streams offering the prospect of clear water, albeit in very high and fast conditions. The weather of the previous year pretty much repeated itself for the 2019 event, with the rains again starting only in January and, having started, they then came with a vengeance!

2019 accordingly saw the advent of a new sponsor and new name for the festival and the event this year became The Dirt Road Wild Trout Association Festival. While “dirt road” is an entirely appropriate name for the event, given the absolute non-existence of anything but dirt roads in the entire area of the festival, this name in fact honours the new sponsors of the event, Dirt Road Traders, a Pietermaritzburg company manufacturing and selling, inter alia, high quality adventure a n d o u t d o o r w e a r. O r g a n i z e r s a n d participants alike gratefully welcome Dirt Road Traders as the new sponsor of the festival and we hope that the 2019 festival marked the start of a long and mutually happy relationship.

This rendered the whole of the Sterkspruit and Kraai rivers unfishable for the duration of the festival, along with the Bell river below its confluence with the Klopperskoekspruit and the lower sections of the Riflespruit and Bokspruit While unfortunate, given the potential of these rivers, there was nonetheless plentiful clear water for participants to enjoy and, thanks to the mercy shown this year by the Weather Gods, no fishing days or even hours were lost. And the fishable waters were not exactly short of fish. Anglers caught 1243 fish in total with those anglers accustomed to fishing fast water doing beter than average. As has been the norm for the past few years, and after wining and dining the night before at Walkerbouts Inn, the festival action kicked off with a tackle fair held on the green lawns of the riverside park. Here, one could try out various new rods, encompassing each of the graphite, fibre glass and split cane varietals.

The 2019 festival ran from Saturday, 16 March until Wednesday, 20 March. As always, the number of participants was limited to 40. Sadly, a number of last-minute cancellations predicated by the need to keep the economy going in spite of Eskom’s woes meant that there were ... actual participants, to which must be added the complement of 10 guides, giving a “doctor to patient ratio” bettered to my knowledge only by the American Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia !

I for one always appreciate this opportunity to try out the new rods as well as the chance to berate the members of the Bewildered Bamboo Band, a latterday version of the Klu Klux Klan and just as dangerous, for their cliquist and backward looking tendencies!); or one could watch such fly tying masters as Peter Brigg and Jan Korrubel in action at their vices, and talk fly tying with them; or spend time with casting maestro Mark Yelland to hone casting skills, or very occasionally to try and find some casting skills, before hitting the rivers at about mid-morning.

Leading up to the festival, the same weather worries existed as for the 2017 event, that being the drought year from hell when the number of fish caught during the festival plummeted from over 1726 in 2013 to just 93 in 2016; and the 2018 event when it only started raining in January meaning the loss of thousands of winter spawned fish in www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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Participants arriving at the top of Naudes Nek Pass, celebrating their arrival in Wild Trout Country

Test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test

The tackle fair having run its course, the assorted anglers headed off to their allocated beats for the balance of the morning and afternoon sessions on river. A word of thanks and appreciation here to Tony Kietzman for seeing to the beat allocations each night with far greater efficiency than existed in the years when he and I did them together!

hugging demeanor accompanied by a notquite-total onset of lockjaw! Nor were they much impressed by the countless dry flies thrown at them, deigning largely to eat only deep sunken nymphs. The riddles and inconsistencies raised by fly fishing are neverending. The upper Riflespruit at Francis Dale and Mount Mourne, while clear, was too high to fish for most of the festival, with the numerous river crossings required to fish these beats being positively dangerous. However, on the penultimate day of the festival an intrepid group went up to Francis Dale and caught some good fish including a smallmouth yellow fish. In 2018, we saw that the baby yellows had reestablished themselves massively on Francis Dale for the first time since the times long ago when Ron Moore’s grandparents lived up there, amazingly because Francis Dale is high up in the mountains. In the decade or so that I owned this property, there was not a sign of yellow fish. And on the last day of the festival Paul Carreira and his group had fabulous fishing up there, catching fish hand over fist with nothing less than 10” coming to hand.

And so to the fishing..... The upper and middle Bokspruit fished well throughout the festival. The undisputed stars of the Bokspruit beats were Upper Gateshead, for those with the stamina and drive to hike up over the saddle to fish its amazingly beautiful and productive waters; and Bothwell, which provided fabulous fishing every day, and which revealed numerous fish of 16” up to 20” some of which were actually caught! However, beats such as Birnham and Knockwarren also produced well. Surprisingly, given conditions and the action enjoyed elsewhere on the Bokspruit, lower Gateshead fished somewhat slow. The fish taken from this section were all fine fish in peak condition, but by and large they seemed to have developed a bottom-

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The upper Bell fished really well throughout the festival. The fishing on the Bell was limited to the escarpment sections, at Ben Lawers and Tenahead with the former being split into two beats, but outstanding dry fly fishing was enjoyed by those who fished there.

something quite that small and then registering amazement that they were catching better and chunkier fish there than on much of the lower and bigger water they had previously fished ! It is indeed a beautiful piece of headwater stream to fish.

And it was amusing to see the reaction of some who fished the slip of the river that is the Bell above Tenahead Lodge, with their faces and body language initially doubting that there was much point in fishing in

And then we were all almost done, with just the Last Supper and Auction to come, along with the merriment accompanying the levying of fines and penance for onstream and offstream behavior unbecoming.

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The reasons for penalizing participants cooked up by Messrs Mike McCoon and Debbie Harry (who is indeed a Mr not a Ms), with help from their fellow guides, were as contrived as ever and created some merriment and much sampling from the Jagermeister bottles. A word regarding the Editor of this online publication ... he was penalized and rightly so for bringing rock and surf tackle to The Dirt Road Wild Trout Association fly fishing festival, for which he was universally condemned and shunned. The fact that he did so in the form of cutdown rock and surf rods to make very effective wading staffs, while undoubtedly innovative and smart, could not excuse his lamentable lack of decorum at the Centre of the Universe where the only acceptable rod, in no matter what form or degree of beneficiation, is a fly rod.

the wholesale abuse rained down on them every year by one Mr David Walker remains a complete mystery). Numerous items of fly fishing paraphernalia, books written by persons both present and absent, art work and other diverse goods were up for auction. For those not aware of the fact, the proceeds of the Auction supplement the coffers of the Wild Trout Association in order to enable it to fund worthy or necessary steps in the furtherance of the great fly fishing resource it administers and indeed fly fishing for trout in this country as a whole, as well as muchneeded projects in the local community. The WTA has contributed significantly to funding the costs incurred in defending our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trout resource against Governmentled attack, a battle which is ongoing, costly and sapping. The Auction in total raised the amount of R29 281,50 and sincere thanks go to all those individuals and businesses who contributed items for auction. Their support for the work of the WTA is magnificent.

The Auction was once again conducted by the same Messrs Mike McCoon and Debbie Harry. (Why they are still willing to do it given www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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Auction items The 2019 Dirt Road Wild Trout Association Guidebook is now on sale @ R315 per copy including postage in SA. It is almost 200 pages of information and fly fishing related articles on the Eastern Cape Highlands in full colour. Contact the secretary, Margie Murray at info@wildtrout.co.za to order a copy.

In conclusion, the Dirt Road Wild Trout Association Festival was yet again a great success, both in fishing terms and in the annual gathering of fishing friends from around the country that it facilitates and the often hilarious social interactions which flow from that. When you participate in this festival, you become part of a family, one which almost to a person regroups annually at Walkerbouts Inn for food, booze, stories both short and tall and Mr Walker’s abuse; and then on the rivers for fishing in the most splendid of environments. It is always a terrific experience.

have to contend with extremes of heat and low water conditions which no selfrespecting remnant of the Ice Age should ever have to endure. And as the final word here, the Joyce Carreira Floating Nymph, sculptured by Joyce and given by her to the festival last year to be awarded each year to the most merit worthy person involved in that year’s event, was unanimously awarded to the one and only, the unique (in the true sense of the word), Dave Walker - a mountain of a man without whom neither this festival nor the WTA would exist. It should be said that Dave was angry with us for awarding the trophy to him, but we were ad idem that there was no one more deserving or even remotely close.

For those who believe in statistics, a total of 1243 fish of all sizes were caught during the festival, based on catch returns lodged. Just two years ago that number was down to 93 in the terrible 2017 drought and last year the number rose to 244. This is a testament to the remarkable resilience of the trout of the North Eastern Cape Highlands, which often www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

And so this year’s event closed as it opened, in much the same way as always, with an angry Dave Walker ! 63

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HERINNERINGE Ek kon vir ure na my leermeester in aksie kyk. Hy was 'n kunstenaar en jy kon in sy lynvlug as hy gooi en hengel die gevoel sien.

Mac Muller Herinneringe. Hoe ver gaan dit terug? So baie van wat ons identiteit in vlieghengel bepaal lê vasgevang in ons herinneringe. Ons het elkeen n verhaal, 'n eie storie, 'n unieke en spesiale verslag van gebeure wat ons gevorm het. Een ding is seker: die meeste van dié verhale sal 'n leermeester in hê. 'n Persoon wat die taak aangeneem het om ons te leer en lief te hê as kind, vriend of broer. My verhaal begin in die sewentigerjare toe vlieghengel in Suid Afrika minder bekend was. Die meeste mense wat jou gesien hengel het, sou jou medikasie aanbied oor jou vreemde optrede. Dit was 'n wonderlike tyd en ‘n geleentheid om iets te doen wat uniek en nuut was. Dit was 'n kuns wat in daardie jare net soveel aspekte soos vandag se vlieghengel gehad het. Een van my gunsteling herinneringe van my pa is by Swartwaterdam waar sy silhoeët in die laatskemer 'n lang, droeëlyn uitgooi in die mees oorweldigende vliegontwaking waarvan enige hengelaar kan droom. Ek kon sit en kyk tot sy net onder n forel ingly en was vasberade om net soos hy te wees. Ek kan nou nog onthou hoe hy agter my staan met sy hand oor myne om my te help met die ritme van my gooi totdat ek verstaan het waar die aksie moes stop. Sy aanmoediging was altyd daar. Sy kennis is ook oorgedra tydens koue wintersaande in die buitekamer waar ons sy aan sy gesit het om vlieë te bind. My eerste vlieë het soos wolkuikens gelyk, maar Pa se aanmoediging het hulle deurgetrek. Ek kan hom nou nog hoor: "Nie te veel materiaal nie. Hou jou vlieg fyn en skraal." Ek het ure spandeer om te oefen met bindkaarte uit Engeland wat die basiese beginsels help vestig het. Pa het weldrae met mý vlieë www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

begin hengel en dit was soos om sy kroon op my kop te dra. My pa was nie net ‘n leermeester nie, maar 'n gunsteling hengelmaat. Hierdie vele pragtige oomblikke bly my by: Die vroeg wakkerskud deur Pa se hand op my skouer, die warm beker koffie en sy woorde: “Trek aan, die kar is gepak”. Daardie eerste sonopkoms met die sonstrale wat kwaste vol rooi en oranje oor die hemel smeer, insekte jag vir voorbeelde om vlieë te bind of die bewyse wat jy in visse se mae kon kry oor hul gunsteling maaltyd. My eerste visstok wat binne-in my bed geslaap het. Die oomblik van skrik en opwinding om ‘n vis amper so groot soos ekself te kon vang. Die skop in my hand toe ‘n pragtige vis wegswem om nog 'n dag te veg. Katrolle wat saam skree en lyne wat deur stokogies sis soos slange.

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'n Forel wat uit die dieptes spring om 'n bloedrooi naaldekoker van 'n takkie se punt af te vang of een wat vlieënde miertjies van onder die oppervlak afsuig, om nie te praat van 'n 10-pond wyfieforel wat 'n vlieg amper tussen my voete gegryp het en op loop gesit het om vier of vyf keer heeltemal uit die water te spring om van die vlieg se hoek ontslae te raak nie. 'n Vlieg gebind van my ma se silwergrys hare het 'n reuse rivierforel geflous. Daardie vlieg is Joey gedoop en is nou nog in die familie-arsenaal. Die klingel van 'n spaan in 'n kano by Dap Naude en my vingers wat in die yskoue water woel terwyl my pa ons roei na die inloop. Mis so dig soos 'n kombers om jou, sodat jy skoon bang voel, want jy hoor die dag ontwaak, maar kan niks sien nie. Die lag en gevoel van samesyn waar niks buiten die oomblik saak gemaak het nie. Op koue wintersoggende by Machadodorp het die yskristalle aan die karavaan se luike gehang. My Pa het 'n forel in die Blyde Rivier by Pelgrimsrus gewaar en eers 'n paar springkane vir hom gevoer om my te wys hoe hy opkom vir sy maaltyd. Toe vat Pa sy stok

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en vang dieselfde forel met ‘n kunsspringkaan. Dit was ‘n pragtige vis met een blinde oog. My pa se verblykte denim vliegbaadjie en sy gunsteling DAM-katrol bly kosbare skatte. Die groot dag toe Pa my eerste trofeeforel in ‘n net skep en my optel en vasdruk van trots en blydskap. Ja, so kan ek aangaan en dalk 'n boek skryf, want so het ons elkeen ons verhaal. Dit dryf ons na die volgende keer. Nou leer ek my seun. Soms wonder ek wat hy dink. Wat voel hy wanneer hy so staan en intens konsentreer? Hy het op ons laaste uitstappie sy eerste vis alleen gehaak en genet. Daai gesiggie sal my vir ewig bybly. Nog 'n hengelaar in wording en een wat dit eendag vir sy seun sal leer. Ek wens partykeer ek was weer klein: ek sit langs my pa voor in sy Audi en ons twee is oppad na die volgende hengel avontuur. Ten minste het ek my herinneringe. Dit wat my gevorm het. Dit kan niemand van my wegvat nie.

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Heritage Flies Mountain Swallow and Walkers killer Peter Brigg Mountain Swallow - 1935.

trout caught. It was a winged wet fly in which the colours orange over blue predominated following the salmon fly techniques of tying. The feathers were originally derived from the Carmine Bee-Eater although there is debate about this some believing that they were rather from the European Bee-Eater which was commonly known as the Mountain Swallow.

Although not a well-known fly the Mountain Swallow was considered to be the first local fly that was design and created with specific intent. Fred Bowker (Kingfisher) was the creator. He wrote two books, A Trout Fisher in South Africa (1922) and Trout Flies (1938) and it was in the latter that he described a fly of his own design, the Mountain Swallow.

Commercial patterns locally and later internationally substituted the Bee-Eater feathers for dyed rooster feathers. It has not been possible to find an example of the original fly. However Bill-Hansford Steele in his book Fishing Flies for Africa, (2009) at page 128 provides a picture of the Mountain Swallow and includes some additional interesting background information.

He contended that strict imitation did not matter and that presentation was far more important. To prove it he designed the most outlandish fly he could think of, the Mountain Swallow. In the 1935 season Bowker fished this fly exclusively and keeping copious records proved his point by showing that there was no reduction in the number of www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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The tying recipe is given as Hook - Size 10 or 12 down-eye Silk - Blue Tail - Mixed dyed orange and blue cock hackle fibres Body - Orange wool ribbed with flat gold tinsel Wing - Slips of dyed Mallard primary. Blue as the bottom slip with the orange slip on top. Throat - Mixed dyed orange and blue cock hackle fibres.

Walker’s Killer – 1950s.

W. Reed, Wellington 1971) says the first person to tie flies in this style was Frank Lord of Rotorua who developed the Lord’s Killer during the 1940s. Not surprisingly then, the Walker’s Killer was the product of a New Zealander, Lionel Walker, who fished the Tongariro River and Lake Taupo in the 1940s. Walker met and married a South African woman who had gone to New Zealand as a teacher. and his wife Isabelle returned to South Africa where he remained until he died in 1964.

Arguably South Africa’s most famous fly, the Walker’s Killer, was designed and tied in the early 1950s. Commonly referred to as the “Killer” design which involves a series a feathers tied vertically in a sequence on either side of the hook shank. However, the Walkers Killer had its origins in New Zealand based on the well-known Mrs Simpson fly, that was tied using this method. However, the New Zealand author, Keith Draper, in his book Trout Flies in New Zealand (A. H. & A. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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What makes the fly unique is that the original was constructed of eighteen English partridge feathers tied in three vertical tiers of three feathers on each side of the hook shank - nine feathers on each side. This gives it a most desirable characteristic - it feels soft, resilient, plump and succulent.

- dragonfly nymphs and the freshwater crab. The crab, Potamonautes, is not found in the Northern hemisphere and also does not occur in trout streams in South America, Australia and New Zealand. It is however, an important seasonal constituent in the diet of trout and other freshwater fish in South Africa.

Since it was first introduced the Walkers Killerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has deceived tens of thousands of trout and its success is largely attributable to its resemblance to two of the staple constituents in the diet of South African trout

The Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Killer remains a fly of choice of many, although whilst still popular, its reputation has to an extent been eroded by some of the modern stillwater and big fish patterns.

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Nariel Creek - a hopper heaven Arno Crous

The Hume freeway heading north linking Melbourne and Sydney, stretches flat and boring over the plains that skirt the rugged mountainous Victorian High Country. We eagerly take note of the rivers that we cross, knowing that some of those harbour some fantastic trout water higher up, but down here on the plains they run way too hot, sluggish and sediment laden to provide a home for our speckled friends. Some of them hold some good sport in indigenous fish like Murray Cod and Golden Perch or introduced species like Redfin (English Perch) or carp, but that all for another story or trip… This trip is to explore a minor tributary of the Murray River, the Nariel Creek. Much more of a river than a creek, but never the less, it’s been on our to-do-list for some time…

there rounding off the picture… our dreams and imagination weren’t too far off either. I felt like arriving home when we pulled the tired, insect splattered Nissan Patrol in under the welcome shade of the oak and poplar trees of the camp ground. As the old Patrol rests lazily with her exhaust ping-pinging as it cools, we hastily un-packed and set up camp while admiring the idyllic camp ground right on the banks of the river. The haste was because the trip up from Melbourne took most of 4 hours out of the daylight after a later than planned departure, so the sun was hinting at a good night’s rest behind the horizon and we still needed to explore the valley. Our camp ground is at the bottom end of the open valley (or top end if you look at the map with the N symbol at the top) with one access road running up (or down) the guts of the valley for about 10km, crossing the river half a dozen times, before the valley proper pinches down to where the farm land ends and state forest takes over.

Pictures I’ve seen of it thus far brought back memories of my beloved streams and rivers around Rhodes and Barkley-East in South Africa’s North Eastern Cape. Inch worm eaten semi-bare willows lining pebbly gravel based classic pool-run-pool stream, with the odd stand of thin, tall poplar trees here and

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From here on there is still a massive amount of river all the way up to its source high up, but it is virtually impassable terrain. Despite being in the freely accessible state forest, it is rugged enough to see maybe a rod a decade, if that. A rough gravel track does climbs the ridgeline next to the river valley, but it is soon snakes up away from the river in its effort of providing save access across the steep mountainous terrain. It does drop down the other side of the mountains to another gem of a trout stream, the Gibbo River… also on our to-do-list and hopefully to be reported on in the not too distant future…

excited in our journey along the valley road as we stopped at every possible viewpoint of the river… cameras clicking away while we strain to catch a glimpse of trout activity… and we were not disappointed… a rise or two was enough of a confirmation to vigorously stoke the fires of our excitement. Heading towards the tail end of a hot summer we expected the river to be very low and getting uncomfortably warm for our speckled friends, but the flow didn’t look too bad with picture perfect pools and runs seemingly stretching for ever either side of each vantage points. This stage of summer pushes a healthy amount of insect life into the skies over the streams, including a smorgasbord of hoppers in broad selection of sizes and colours. On the way up, the patrol ploughed a tunnel through the insects, collecting, amongst others, a large hopper that got stuck under the driver side windscreen wiper. It was dressed almost exclusively in bright yellow. Bright yellow body. Bright yellow wings… everything.

Australian state law ensures that virtually all rivers and streams are state owned (the streambeds up to normal high water level or something…) and the land owners can’t deny you being in the streambed for recreational purposes, provided you either find access to the water via a public bridge, road crossing or politely ask permission to cross private land to get to the water. This makes any river crossing the heaviest fished section of any river, but still we were childishly www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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It reminded me of a hopper pattern I bought a while ago, but never got around to casting it to a trout. It’s called a Wee-CreekHopper and I bought it in bright yellow because the locals swear by it, but I always thought it looked too bright and too simple to fool a wisely trout... now, looking at the real thing though, the pattern made sense. When glancing at the hopper trapped under the windscreen, I could understand the triggers that Murray Wilson was after when first dreaming up this fly. Simple and very quick to tie, it looks buggy, is highly visible in any light and floats all day like Donald Trump’s ego.

specific fishing beat to either guarantee exclusivity to a section of river, but it also doesn’t tie you down to only one section for the day. After much deliberation and discussion, we settled on a river crossing closer to the camp with no parked vehicles that would have indicated fishermen already on the water. It’s normally then difficult to know if an empty parked vehicle indicates a single fisherman or two or whether the fisherman has gone downstream and is fishing back up or fishing upstream from where parked. Even though it’s already well into the latter half of the afternoon, the temperature is still climbing into the mid-thirties with light variable winds. At least we knew what insects loved this hotter weather and we were thus not surprised to find the grass on the river bank swarming with grasshoppers of all sizes and colours.

Like kids in a candy store it took will power to keep moving on past all the awesome water until we have scoped out all the sections we could see… and no, it didn’t help make the choice of first fishing spot easier. With angler access allowed anywhere along the river, there is thus no booking a www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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Every step lifted a small cloud of hoppers clicking away in flight. I fished out the WeeCreek hopper from my terrestrial’s fly box and it seemed out of proportion once attached to the long, light leader.

could move up and free his flies. My first cast almost meets the same fate as the sneaky breeze is still trying its tricks, but it only caused the fly to flick in nicely under the shadows of the branches. The Wee-Creek hopper riding the surface film perfectly, while the bright yellow drawing the eye to easily follow the drift. A large snout appears around the fly and gulps it down. My timing was out and I don’t hook up. I was convinced I just put down a very nice fish, but Daryl urged me to chuck another drift through… the trout must have been extra hungry, but at least this time I was ready when the snout came up again and I neatly pulled into some weight. My trusty old 4wt G.Loomis bending and bucking under the strain until Daryl neatly slid the net under a 24carat bar of gold, dipped in melted butter! A good sized brown, as pretty as they get. What a start! After a quick pic or two, while cradling it as close to the water as possible, it was gently released.

I managed to sneak first cast ahead of Daryl as he graciously loses the no-you-first, no-you-first, politeness contest. As I work the run under the bridge I only manage to scare out a young trout from under the rock where he was hiding. At least we now knew there was trout around despite our initial concern of the water feeling a bit on the warm side (both of us neglected to bring a thermometer to confirm). Daryl took the next run with a medium depth pool half below the overhanging branches of a young willow. A lost little breeze chose the wrong moment to visit us and at a crucial moment pushed Daryl’s stimulator with small trailing nymph into the low-hanging branches of the willow. Not wanting to disturb the pool, he graciously moves down and across while keeping the line off the water to allow me to work the pool until we

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At this stage I pointed something out to Daryl that I have noticed a few times before. Usually upon release a rainbow dashes for cover with vigour, while I have noticed a brown seems to takes things more leisurely… it normally drops down to the streambed, looking slightly annoyed at having been outsmarted, slowly building up dignity before lazily wafting away across the current as if that’s what it’s been wanting to do all along. We saw this repeated several times over the next few days, but not sure if it’s a thing or not, plus trout never seem to read the instruction manual anyway, so don’t quote me too closely on this.

condition. Clearly hoppers were on the menu. I stuffed up twice notably that day. The first one was in the lee of a clump of willow trees, the pool ran deep, dark bottomed, but crystal clear. Daryl just released a nice energetic brown from that pool and more to get my eye in and set up for the next part of the pool higher up, I flicked my hopper into the same spot in the same run that should have been devoid of trout from the disturbance of Daryl fighting his trout. Slowly a golden log separated itself from the streambed, drifted up through the clear water, slowly opened its mouth and sucked down the wee-creek hopper… in my disbelief of what I have just observed, my muscles completely ignored my brain’s instructions to act and only after Daryl started shouting did I lift, but way too late. Missed a log of a brown! Strangely I was not entirely disappointed. The vision of that massive brown appearing from where it was not supposed to and then slowly drifting up to intercept my fly will stay with me as a thing of beauty for ever… or that’s what I told Daryl, while I couldn’t quite make eye contact with a straight face at the time…

Now that the ice was broken, it wasn’t long before Daryl drifted the next pool into another brown of equal proportions giving his 00wt a serious workout. Beautiful buttery colourations of a brown in good shape and size. Further up the next pool, where a fallen tree pushed the current wide, I made a long cast into the edge of the current seam, where the wee-creek hopper on the long, light leader fooled another brown. This one even a bit larger with a fighting spirit that tested the 5X tippet before the paparazzi could move in as it lie semisubmerged looking embarrassed and camera shy in the net. With gentleness that would make a brain surgeon proud, we dislodge the hopper jewellery from its lips. The lowering sun supplying a perfect lighting stage for a couple of quick pics, before it gently slid out of my hands, to do its compulsory sulk on the stream bed. That satisfied feeling of the successful release still giving a tingle in the back of my mind as I type this.

In the other instance, another good brown made it all the way to the net before I fumble things while trying to lift it out the water and accidentally push the fly out of the trout’s lip with the net’s rim. The trout flopped onto the rim of the net and like a basketball at the last seconds of a tense close scored NBA season finals, balancing enticingly for a moment or two on the rim before falling outside the net… therefore it didn’t count as a score and the home team wins!

It turned into an epic day’s fishing. Some pools we had to drift a few times before we connected, others it was first cast. Everyone a brown of good proportions and in great www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

Finally the setting sun forces a close to a remarkable day as we strolled back to the waiting Patrol, contently analysing our memories of the day. 79

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Never before have we caught so many good sized browns one after another. We knew that the river was meant to hold equal amounts of rainbows and browns, but that day the rainbows apparently didn’t get the memo. It took until later the next day before Daryl found a rainbow in the throat of a run and a good one at that. A bunch more browns came to the net that next day, plus more than a few very good fish that didn’t and left us breathless with conflicting

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thoughts of the what if… The Nariel has carved out a special place in our hearts, but so has the fly of the day… for me at least. I am now a devoted fan of the Wee-Creek hopper. I have tied it in various sizes and colours and I can recommend it as a go-to hopper pattern that’s really easy to tie, even for clumsy fly tiers, like me.

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WOMEN IN WADERS - A River Runs through Me Sindi McBain

I consider myself still new to fly fishing, particularly as we’ve “focused” more on still water. I started my fly fishing adventure and many hours of practice on still water where I’ve became rather comfortable and confident and haven’t had the urge to try other aspects of fly fishing. Going out to the dam and catching rainbow trout was my idea of trout fishing until I attended an event with the legendary river expert Peter Brigg.

brownies are extremely skittish and get spooked very easily but “we can leopard crawl and stalk them can’t we?” these my words (proudly) to my fellow anglers. I believe that this is part of the fun, leopard crawling on the edge of the river banks, literally stalking the buggers. As we set off up river in the Kamberg Nature Reserve the excitement grew with every crawl! Watching the crystal clear water with hawk eyes, in anticipation for any little rise or movement. My rig, perfect, a tiny dry on 5x, surely I could entice and land one.

After our fireside chat evening with Peter, I was extremely interested in his experiences and memories along the river banks which ignited a fire. I decided it was time to step out of my comfort zone and explore a different kind of fly-fishing. Early January 2019 was my first experience on a river, and attempt to catch a brownie.

Then all of a sudden a rise was spotted and my heart raced, like a child in a candy store. Filled with excitement, a mere lack of concentration and I missed my step.. next thing I knew, I was on my rear-end in the middle of the river, with a broken Orvis rod!

So I’ve learned that river fish aka the

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So after a few laughs and tears I was back on my feet and determined that this small hiccup was not going to stop me. Needless to say, a few meters up river, another hungry, feisty little brownie was spotted and I knew I probably only had one shot to land the perfect cast.

was now a 9 foot, five piece rod and proceeded to catch my very first brownie! After spending a few minutes examining the beautiful patterns and colors and taking the proud moment photos, I released my prince back into the flowing water, but he didn’t want to leave. He hovered between my boots for what felt like forever. A moment I won’t easily forget.

I continued to fish with my 10 foot which

River fishing is a completely different experience. What I like most is the surroundings, which we are fortunate to experience on our doorstep. They are magnificent, and taking in the fresh burg air is my peace of heaven.

that learning something new is incredibly rewarding in its own right. I love being outdoors and I have a serious passion for flyfishing. I cannot wait to get onto the river again with my beautiful fellow woman in waders! The ladies are heading up stream!

I think this is my new favorite hobby! Exploring different types of fishing and stepping out of my comfort zone has definitely given me more confidence to become a better fisherwoman. I have found www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

Check out our latest event on our Woman in Waders Facebook Page: Walk,Wade and Fish with Peter Brigg planned for the 4th May. 84

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the 10 Commandments of Wading "Commandments of wading are many, and for good reason. A couple years ago, I decided to cross a side channel in the Yellowstone River to an island which would give me access to a superb run. Dave, my podcast partner, and I were fly fishing in Yellowstone National Park. The side channel was only about 25 yards wide. But the current turned out to be stronger than I anticipated. The side channel was deeper than it looked. I made it halfway across before I decided to turn around. Even then, I wasn’t sure if I would make it back safe and dry. But I did,

thanks to obeying a handful of the “10 commandments of wading” which I was tempted to break that day. The lawgiver who delivered these to me was not Moses, but Duane Dunham – a veteran fly fisher and friend who used to teach fly fishing at a community college in Oregon. Dave and I have obeyed (most of) these commands over the years because we have no interest in drowning or taking a bath on a 40-degree day in March. Or, if that unwelcome bath happens (it hasn’t yet), we want to survive it".

1. The faster the river is flowing, the lower the depth level you can wade.

smooth-rock bottoms, like the Yellowstone River. They are controversial because for years, it was thought that fly fishers who didn’t fully dry out their soles and then fished in a different stream contributed to the spread of invasive species.

This means wading only mid-thigh in swift water. I’ll go deeper than that in some slower stretches of the Lower Madison or the Wyoming Bighorn. But I stick to shallow stretches when I’m on a stretch of raging river.

If you take the time to wash your felt soles and to let them dry before going to another river, you eliminate almost any chance of spreading an invasive species. Metal studs work well too – either as an alternative to or (better) in addition to your felt soles.

2. Keep your strides short. Panic leads to larger strides which can result in getting “stuck” in the current with your feet about a yard apart. This makes balance difficult. Besides, when you try to take a step, the current assaults the one leg on which you are standing and raises the odds that you will end up making a splash.

4. Use a wading staff. For years, I’ve simply used whatever stout branches I could find along the river’s edge. Finally, last fall, I purchased an Orvis wading staff. Simms make a good wading staff, too. But you can assemble the Orvis in much less time.

3. Make sure you have the right soles. Felt soles, though controversial, are still the best, especially in fast-moving rivers with www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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5. Angle downstream when crossing a river.

wading for the day. I’m serious!

This enables you to work with the current, not against it. The current will actually push you along. Remember command #2 and take short strides.

8. If you fall in, don’t try to stand up too quickly. And keep your feet down river. Stay in a sitting position and wait until you reach knee deep water before you try to stand up.

6. Don’t try to turn around in fast current! This is where a lot of anglers get into trouble. Either use a sidestep. Or back up carefully. Remember to take short strides and to angle downstream as you back up towards the bank.

9. Let your fly rod go. If you need to use your hands to stroke to shore, give it up. Better to lose your fly rod than your life. You might even recover your fly rod downstream. If not, you now have an excuse to buy the latest and best fly rod you’ve been drooling over in your local fly shop.

7. Wear a wading belt with your chest waders. Seatbelts save lives (like the time I rolled my truck and landed upside down in a small creek). So do wading belts. They keep your chest waders from filling up with water if you slip and take an unexpected bath.

10. Don’t wade fish alone! It’s not worth the risk. At least avoid certain rivers or stretches or runs.

If you forget your wading belt, forget about

If you’ve rolled your eyes at any of the ten commandments of wading, let me I remind you how shocked your body will be especially if the water is cold. Let me remind you, too, that one slip can lead to a broken arm or (worse) a head injury that can limit or incapacitate you. So when you break these commandments, you put yourself at risk. Keeping them will protect your life. Wade safely, my friend. Wade safely. Also check out Orvis wading guide (https://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/video-lessons/chapterfour-basics-of-stream-fishing/316-safe-wading-techniques) http://frontierbushcraft.com/2012/08/28/how-to-wade-across-a-river/ Acknowledgements: Partially reproduced and edited article based on “The 10 Commandments of Wading" by www.2guysandariver.com. Thanks to Dave Goetz and Steve Mathewson for permission to use this article.

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TRANSVAAL FLY TYERS GUILD HENNIE VILJOEN The Transvaal Fly Tyers Guild was formed in 1991 by a group of flyfishers who wanted to further their own knowledge and to pass on to others information on the art of fly dressing. The Guild meets on the second Monday of each month from January to November. The venue for meetings is the Tennis Club building at the Bryanston Sports Club in Payne Road, Bryanston. Meeting time is 19:00 for 19:30 and meetings normally finish at around 9:30pm. Evenings begin with an Introduction by Chairperson with news items followed by a guest tyer who demonstrates the evening’s fly and how to fish it. The fly is generally seasonal, i.e. Yellowfish, Trout, Barbel, Bass, Saltwater etc. All that you have to bring along for the evening is your vice, fly tying tools and thread. The required hooks and material are provided by our generous sponsors. The guild relies heavily on these sponsors who generously provide materials and prizes for each gathering. Our current sponsors are Grip Hooks, Fish Fluff and Dr. Slick Co. A big thank you goes out to each of these companies. We are truly appreciative of your goodwill and association. After the demonstration of the tying technique, the materials for the fly are put out on a table and made available to members to sit down and tie the fly for themselves. This gives the member the opportunity to practice the technique in tying the fly and to ask for help with any problems that he may have. Flies tied on the evening are entered into a competition to pick the evening’s winner. Participants who did not win have the opportunity to ask the demonstrator the points on which their fly let them down. Each month’s winner goes forward to an annual competition for the best-dressed flies of that www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

year. Many well known South African fly fishers and fly tyers have been guest tyers on a regular basis, including Murray Pedder, Herman Botes, Ian Courier, Daniel Factor, Gary Glen-Young and Pieter Taljaard. Guild members also arrange ad hoc fly fishing outings and clinics with the aim of improving the skills of members and, if they would like to fish competitively, to try out for the Northern Gauteng Fly Fishing team. Individuals in the Guild have gone forward to represent the Province as well as the Proteas in international fly fishing competitions. The Guild has a Facebook page and has more recently set up a YouTube account to share with any fly fishers interested the patterns tied at each meeting. Please visit the guild’s website at www.flytyersguild.co.za The TFTG is always looking for new members to join in on the fun and to be a part of our fly tying community. All ages are welcome. One of our youngest members is only eleven years old and she is already a force to be reckoned with! Should you be interested in joining the TFTG, please contact us through our website. Membership fees for 2019 Single Membership: R350.00 Family Membership: R400.00 Student Membership: R150.00

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The mastermind behind the Hippie Stomper is Andrew Grillos, a well-known US fly tyer & designer, famous for several successful fly patterns. His flies are also commercially tied and sold by Umpqua. Andrew brings almost two decades of guiding experience gained while working for some of the industry’s top outfitters in Colorado, Alaska, Washington, Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand to the table, all

while fanatically tying flies all along the way. Grillos designed the Hippie Stomper with the purpose of having a highly buoyant, visible fly that attracts fish. Hennie Viljoen was the guest fly tyer at the Guild’s meeting in March 2019. He tied the Hippie Stomper, which has proven to be a very effective fly pattern for Smallmouth Yellowfish on Sterkfontein Dam.

TFTG THE HIPPIE STOMPER Hook: TMC 3761, 6-18 or similar Thread: Ultra Thread, 70 denier, Black Tail: Black Deer hair Underbody: Olive ice dub & red holographic flashabou Overbody: 2 Layers of foam: 2mm black on top, 1mm olive underneath Overbody Sizing: Size 6-10: black layer is 2mm foam, green layer is 1mm foam Size 12-16: both layers are 1mm foam Size 18: black is 1mm, green layer is 0.5mm foam

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Wing: Hackle: Legs:

McFlylon or Polypropylene Yarn Grizzly Fine round rubber, barred (white & black)

“A couple of years ago I read a blog post on Midcurrent titled: “Where Have All The Hippie Stompers Gone?” and after that it was love at first tie...” I don't really fish small CDC ant patterns, etc. like most other guys on Sterkfontein, I believe in the Hamburger Theory... "Give 'em some meat and they'll come up to eat" - Hennie Viljoen

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HIPPIE STOMPER - ROYAL Step-By-Step HENNIE VILJOEN Lay down a thread base and tie in your black deer hair, about equal to the hook length.

Cut two foam strips equal to or slightly wider than the hook gape. I use about 1cm for a #8 hook. One will be the black overbody and one will be the green underbody. To avoid creating a bulky tie-in cut the end of the strips into a point and then tie them in.

Add a small amount of dubbing and then add the flashabou. Add another small amount of dubbing, after which you the pull your underbody foam forward and tie it off.

Put a tiny drop of superglue on the top of the underbody and then pull the overbody forward and tie off. Trim the foam “head” so it’s equal in length to the thorax.

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Tie in a poly yarn wing on top of the fly.

Tie in legs on either side of the hook shank.

Densely wrap your hackle and tie it off. I use about 6-8 wraps for a nice thick hackle collar.

Carefully pull the foam head and wing out of the way and tie off and glue your thread at the eye of the hook. Trim the rear of the wing so it’s half the length of the foam overbody. Trim the front of the wing so it’s a little bit longer than your hackle. Trim the legs so that they’re slightly shorter than the overall fly length. Trim the underside of the hackle nearly flat on the bottom. This doesn’t affect the fly’s buoyancy and ensures that it will float upright on nearly every cast. Trimming the hackle also forces the fly to sit lower in the water, giving the fish a better look at their next meal.

For more information on the Hippie Stomper, please visit Andrew Grillos’ website at www.andrewgrillosflyfishing.com www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

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Wilder Lives by Duncan Brown A Book Review by Ian Cox Thus when looking at Wilder Lives he recounts his forays into wild trout territory in Rhodes and Somerset East. He uses these experiences to interrogate what he has learnt about wild. This resonated for me as I have fished the places he writes about and have had the same experience, especially when fishing in Somerset East. In these trout based interactions with wildness he suggests that wildness is not so much a case of wilderness, as a place unimpacted by mankind, but rather one where human impacts such as the introduction of trout, are respected and celebrated because they can survive in the wild. In this Duncan deftly crafts a subtle distinction that both celebrates wildness while turning traditional South African beliefs of the superior merits of biotic nativeness on iheir heads. It is an important distinction that speaks to a gentler more natural interaction ecosystems and the human environment. And, that in many ways is the joy of this book. It is not an easy read, but it will sneak up on you if you keep at it. By sharing Duncan’s jour ney and thinking about it, your perception of the wild and wildness and our place in the wild will also “be invigorated, expanded, reoriented” by thinking through, about, into ‘the wild’ and ‘wildness'.

Wildness is traditionally defined in the negative as not domesticated. However, this distinction is becoming fraught as our planet becomes increasingly domesticated and wildness becomes the exception rather than the rule. Duncan Brown takes us on a personal journey where he examines what this means to him as a human being, as an academic working in the arts and as a trout angler. I found this to be an intriguing and elusive read even though I have thought deeply on many of the issues he deals with. Being a lawyer, probably does not help. We are trained to reach conclusions based on our assessment of fact and principle. But this is not that type of book. Duncan Brown does not advance an argument. He reaches no conclusion save to say that we need to think more about wildness and that doing so has enriched his understanding of what wildness means to him. This book describes a journey of the mind and while it is elusive at times it is also refreshingly nonjudgmental. This is a serious academic work that benefits Duncan’s occupation as a Professor of the Arts. However, this is not an academic tome either. Duncan has broken his journey down into bit size chunks with each chapter dealing with a different aspect of the journey. But what makes the book even more accessible are the frequent breakaways to how this journey impacts upon his real life as a trout angler.

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Buy this book.

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FOSAF NEWS FOSAF/YWG STATEMENT ON THE VAN DER KLOOF PROJECT It emerged later that gill-netting was among the exempted and permitted project harvesting methodologies. FOSAF/YWG strongly opposes the use of gill nets for the capture of any species of fish either for research purposes or as a harvesting method. The purpose of the advisory group is to ensure that the project complies with its management plan. In the light of information that has now emerged it would appear that the project did not fully comply with the management plan. Following a range of allegations reported to higher authorities at Rhodes University, the project was suspended in late March, pending further investigation. The exemptions and permits have now expired. FOSAF/YWG have been informed in the last few days that the project did not have ethical clearance and has been terminated. FOSAF/YWG will continue to monitor and provide input going forward. Should there be a new application for this project, FOSAF/YWG will continue to support lawful and ethical research however we will NOT support gillnetting.

There has been a great deal of misinformation in the media recently regarding the role of FOSAF/YWG (Yellowfish Working Group) in the Vanderkloof Smallscale Experimental Fishery Project. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to set the record straight. Here are the facts: The project required a range of exemptions and permits from national and provincial departments dealing with endangered species, fisheries issues and related activities. FOSAF/YWG knew that the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Studies (DIFS) DIFS at Rhodes University had received exemptions and permits for this project. FOSAF/YWG was not involved at all in obtaining the permits or exemptions for the project. FOSAF/YWG knew that there had been some opposition and that an advisory group was formed, which included all affected stakeholders. FOSAF/YWG was not a part of the advisory group, because we simply did not have sufficient resources to get involved at that time. The advisory group approved the management plan for the project, not FOSAF/YWG. South African Consolidated Recreational Angling Association (SACRAA), a member of the advisory group, periodically kept FOSAF/YWG informed about the project. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

Ilan Lax National Chairman on behalf of the FOSAF EXCO 30 April 2019 96

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resignation. We have all developed close relationships with these stalwarts of flyfishing over the years and we are indeed going to miss their efficiency and commitment.

It is with sense of regret that I announce the news that Liz and Stuart Tough have resigned as the FOSAF Secretariat. They have been the backbone of FOSAF for the last 23 years running the administration of FOSAF. Their many task and duties included dealing with the FOSAF membership issues including renewals and communication with new members, liaison with the magazine and lucky draw prizes as well as producing the Tippet, financial management and payments. Apart from running the administration so effectively, they have also demonstrated excellent organising skills in looking after the logistics and communication for AGMs and the Executive Committee meetings and communication between EXCO members. This was indeed not an easy job, as they have had to deal with individual members scattered across the country as well as Chapter Committees situated in each region.

We would like to thank Stuart and Liz sincerely for having looked after the FOSAF administration so well for such an extended period. It is my privilege to express our very great appreciation and admiration on behalf of all of us at FOSAF as well as other members of the flyfishing community for all they have done over the years. We wish them well and everything of the best in this next chapter of their lives. I am also pleased to announce that the FOSAF Secretariat has been transferred to Bronwyn Konigkramer who is based in Pietermaritzburg and may be contacted on: Cell phone: 073 457 5963; or Email: fosafsecretary@gmail.co.za.

Stuart and Liz have decided to relocate to the Cape and hence the reason for their www.saflyfishingmag.co.za

FOSAFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Banking details will remain the same for the time being. 97

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Southern African Flyfishing Magazine May 2019

Articles inside

FOSAF/YWG STATEMENT ON THE VAN DER KLOOF PROJECT

Wilder Lives by Duncan Brown

TFTG THE HIPPIE STOMPER by Hennie Viljoen

TRANSVAAL FLY TYERS GUILD by Hennie Viljoen

The 10 Commandments of Wading

Nariel Creek - a hopper heaven by Arno Crous

Heritage Flies - Mountain Swallow and Walkers killer by Peter Brigg

Herinneringe by Mac Muller

The Dirt Road Wild Trout Association Fly Fishing Festival 2019 by Miles Divett

Semonkong, Lesotho Ian Cox

The CDC and ELK EMERGER by Gordon Van Der Spuy

The XFA River Trout Clinic The Zen of Modern Angling by Savs

Fly Fishers Association

Homo Horrendous by Hugh Chittenden

THE GOOD DOCTOR'S BEETLE by Hennie Viljoen

Plek van die Sponsvreters

TRASH FISH FALL TO THE ZULU

TAKING A KNIFE TO A GUN FIGHT By Clem Booth

Telling Stories Lunch by Savs

Editorial