area as well as a breakfast bar counter, whilethe two bedrooms each have an en-suite bathroom. There is adequate provision of kitchen appliances, cutlery and crockery. The deck features folding glass doors providing an enclosed seating and braai area with floor to roof glass panels that were to die for. The wind really gusts here in the afternoons and the enclosed patio with panoramic view is splendid when one tires of the main attraction and wants to simply admire the scenery. That brings me to the real reason for our visit — to cast a fly. The trout are of a decent size, most around 1.5kg with some much larger fish of 2.5kg upwards. I never consider fishing success based purely on the numbers and weight but, let’s be honest, size does count when it comes to fishing. When pushed for a fly preference, Charles suggested that the trout would attack any fly justly presented and, whilst this may be true, I experienced this phenomenon only once and that was around midday after four hours of casting into the wind. During the windy morning only two trout had been caught and released. Suddenly it was as though someone flicked a switch and monster trout swam to the surface to gobble wet flies as they hit the water, before they even had a chance to sink. Some trout even jumped at flies in the air and it was like a race amongst them all to see which fish could snaffle the fly first. I have never had such total enjoyment with monster trout on a feeding frenzy, and if I ever need to find a reason to return to this venue then I have only to rekindle in my mind those takes in an hour of pure bliss. The frantic experience was, however, short lived and in the late afternoon an entirely differ-
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ent tactic was required to entice a few more trout onto the fly. The wind had dropped by then and the moon soon rose, illuminating the waters for some early evening sight casting. A deadly slow retrieve and then an abrupt cessation of all activity resulted in an ever so delicate suck, observed through a slight movement in the line. Again this was flyfishing at its best and another equal test between the quarry and fisherman. Trout Hideaway has four sizable dams, but we only tried two and had no inclination to venture to the river or weirs. Acacia provided the largest fish whilst Willow won hands down in terms of the number of trout caught and released. During our stay I took a hike up towards the source of the natural spring waters which cascade down into the weirs, dams, waterfalls and river below. It was as natural as you could ever hope to find it. There are also a few ponds in a fenced off area which might appeal to the novice angler. In short, there is fishing to cater for every whim, and even if you don’t partake in this activity there are lovely walks that abound and it’s a beautiful place in which to spend quality time with family, read or just be. Sadly, the time to depart arrived all too soon and we bade farewell to Trout Hideaway. The return trip was somehow a lot easier on both the vehicle and our kidneys. We all felt rested and grateful for the relaxing time in relative solitude. As we reached the smooth tar road I yearned for another pull of the fighting trout and recalled the vision of the really big one that had tired my forearm and snapped my line, along with the others which had just spat out the barbless hooks. I smiled contentedly and concluded that it had been a fair contest. Will I return? Do fish swim?
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