The Mission Fly Fishing Magazine Issue #7

ISSUE 07 JAN | FEB 2018

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THEMISSIONFLYMAG.COM

CAPE ROCK & SURF, THE FISHING SCIENTIST, EXMOUTH, TOAST COETZER, PAT COHEN, BEERS, BEATS AND MORE...

experience counts for everything

Nick Bowles, owner of Ocean Active in Dubai, flyfishes the Arabian Gulf for some of the biggest and toughest fish in the Ocean. Hardcore professionals like Nick are testing our products to the limit every day and push us in our pursuit to build truly great rods. Their knowledge, expertise, and understanding are passed to our craftsmen, who strive for perfection and uncompromising performance in every rod we make.

To us, Nick and his fellow professionals are our unsung heroes. We salute you.

introducing the new t&t exocett ss & exocett series. remarkably light. extraordinarily strong.

est

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T H E R O D YO U W I L L E V E N T UA L LY OW N

www.thomasandthomas.com HANDMADE IN AMERICA

“Is my fishing partner a cooler (see page 8)?”

Flybru’s Nick van Rensburg experiences a blank day on the Breede.

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W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M ISSUE 7 JAN | FEB 2018

CONTENTS Cover image: A man, a van and a plan; somewhere along the Overberg coastline Tom Southwood whips up a surf snack.

Photo: Gary Perkin

18 UNDERCURRENT: TIME WITHIN TIME With Toast Coetzer 22 HIGHS 5S With Craig Richardson 28 FLY FLICKS The African Tiger with Jako Lucas and Dubai on the Fly with Nick Bowles 38 DEUS EXMOUTH MACHINA Fishing in a hurricane in Western Australia 48 THE NOT SO BEST MAN When his brother decided to get married in Colorado, Ryan Janssens packed his Xplorer rods 60 THE FISHING SCIENTIST JD Filmalter on his job that involves catching, tagging and tracking big things that go bleep in the night 74 ROCK ‘N SURF Conrad Botes on what’s out there along the Western Cape coast (if you’re prepared to work for it) 94 FLUFF: THE BALBYTER Ed Truter on the Bokong river’s fabled ant pattern

REGULAR FEATURES 08 Ed’s Letter 12 Wishlist Fish 14 Beers & Beats 16 Munchies

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Salad Bar 84 Payday 90 Shortcasts 92 The Lifer 96

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T U D O R CA R A D O C - DAV I ES

THE COOLER P

igeon holing people according to their star signs, blood types or other flakey theories is not my thing, but I do believe there are definite archetypes in a fly fishing crowd.

There’s the Try-hard, whom I identify with. One hundred per cent for effort, but not so hot on the natural skill and style side of things. I catch through persistence, like the bogfly at the bar who will approach every available girl until one finally relents.

There’s the Bastard. Again, low on skill, but high on attitude and, because Murphy’s a schmuck, time and again Bastards will luck into a big fish, one that keep the chirps coming.

Perhaps even more nauseating than the bastard is the Natural. Everything is seemingly easy for him.

The poise of a heron, the eyes of the hawk, the reflexes of a pickpocket Indian mynah on bath salts; one pin point cast and he’s in. Naturals can’t understand why nobody else catches like they do. There’s a warm place in hell for them.

Then, there’s the Cooler. You know him. The guy who kills all fishing. For everyone. The fishing can be on, as in really ON. On like the FT3 screenings where grown men leap in the air like salmon for a free sunglasses wipe from Brand X. On like the water has been chummed with an umami-flavoured slurry of blood, guts and bugs. On like it would have been a few centuries ago when Darwin was double-hauling brush flies in the Galapagos. On, where the fish, so thick with hunger and demented in their eagerness to chase the fly, leave us both bone-tired and slack-jawed at our good luck to be there on this ridiculous day.

That kind of on.

Then in strolls the Cooler, named after the ghouls of misfortune employed in casinos to bring down the luck of a high-flyer simply by standing near them or touching their elbow*.

The moment his boots tread near water, everything changes.

A cold, listless wind gently slaps your cheeks like someone left the freezer door open; the sun disappears behind dark cartoon clouds that weren’t there seconds before; crabs retreat into any available hole; the pressure plummets like the Randela after a budget speech and the fish go down.

All you’re left with is the memory of the last expanding circles of the last rise finding shallow shores in your brain.

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And questions. Did the chaos really even happen at all?

Or did I just have a psychotic break? Am I actually flailing around in a psych ward straitjacket, raving like some Burger King-obsessed nutter about whoppers and salad days?

It’s hard to identify Coolers at first. They fit in. They do what we do, wear what we wear, fish just as hard as we do.

They’re also not necessarily always Coolers, but they bring the chill so frequently that a certain suspicion begins to follows them like a cat-loving woman with a crooked nose using a broom in 17th Century Salem. In certain crowds they might even catch fish, fairly regularly, but in others they bring a fishless plague. In their wake, a black hole of black drums, the Gobi Desert of Gobies, a vacuum where once there were fish.

Like auto-erotic asphyxiation, there’s also the phenomenon of self-cooling. Take Warwick. When fishing the Berg for carp and, currently looking at lousy stats of 11/0, you can see he’s started to believe he is his own Cooler.

Cursing his own shadow all along the water’s edge, early on his arms become leaden with self-fulfilling defeat.

Snakes and ladders, swings and roundabouts, purple patches and droughts, machines and coolers – good fishing is a multi-layered combination of the real and the imagined, science and superstition. There are the conditions (how the fish self-identify that day, weather, time of year, pollution) and then there’s you and your history at that moment: skill, experience, commitment, fitness, focus, sleep (or lack thereof) and hangovers. And then there’s how you deal with all that.

To drag ourselves out of the estuary mud of a mind game, we focus on controlling the controllables. We get pickier about conditions, trying to ensure we have the best chance of success on each mission. Hook points, knots and other bits of gear are triple checked. We play Eye of the Tiger in the car and go easy on each other for the first few hours to keep confidence high. But most of all, we hope. Just as the roulette ball bounces round the wheel and we hope it will be our turn to get lucky (according to J D Filmater, our main profile, there is an average 250 hour statistical investment for an adult kob), we hope with each cast that it’s our turn to go vas and that the guy next to us is not spreading his contagion. * How creepy would that be if someone did that on a remote lake?

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Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, Andre van Wyk’s toes scare mudbones in the rubble. Photo Platon Trakoshis

EDITOR Tudor Caradoc-Davies ART DIRECTOR Brendan Body CONTACT THE MISSION The Mission Fly Fishing Mag (PTY) Ltd 20 Malleson Rd, Mowbray, 7700, Cape Town, South Africa Info@themissionflymag.com www.themissionflymag.com

EDITOR AT LARGE Conrad Botes COPY EDITORS Ingrid Sinclair Gillian Caradoc-Davies ADVERTISING SALES brett@themissionflymag.com tudor@themissionflymag.com

THE MISSION IS PUBLISHED 6 TIMES A YEAR. THE MISSION WILL WELCOME CONTENT AND PHOTOS. WE WILL REVIEW THE CONTRIBUTION AND ASSESS WHETHER OR NOT IT CAN BE USED AS PRINT OR ONLINE CONTENT. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MAGAZINE OR ITS OWNERS. THE MISSION IS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE MISSION FLY MAG (PTY) LTD. ANY DUPLICATION OF THIS MAGAZINE, FOR MEDIA OR SALE ACTIVITY, WILL RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION AND A STYWE PK.

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CONTRIBUTORS #07 Toast Coetzer, Dave Hadlow, Craig Richardson, Jako Lucas, Ryan Jannsens, Ed Truter, Pat Cohen, Brandt Botes PHOTOGRAPHY #07 Ryan Jannsens, Gary Perkin, Matt Gorlei, Platon Trakoshis, Scaly Boots, Hanro van Tonder, George Filmalter, Nick Filmalter, Fred Davis, Rainer von Brandis, Ewan Naude, Craig Richardson - Flycastaway, Jako Lucas, Bryan Gregson, Jono Shales, Andre van Wyk, Conrad Botes, JD Filmalter, Johan du Preez, Pat Cohen.

@THEMISSIONFLYMAG

FLYLINE. THE SOLUTION TO EVERY CHALLENGE YOU’LL FACE ON THE FLATS.

Distributed by Xplorer Fly fishing - www.xplorerflyfishing.co.za Email: jandi@netactive.co.za or call 031-564-7368 for your closest dealer.

WISH LIST FISH

THE NATAL SCALY IN SOUTH AFRICAN LINGO, BEING ‘SCALY’ MEANS YOU’RE DODGY OR DECEITFUL, WHICH IS KIND OF FITTING FOR THE ELUSIVE NATAL YELLOWFISH OR “SCALY” AS IT IS MORE POPULARLY KNOWN. BELOVED BY THOSE IN THE KNOW, BUT SELDOM ON THE RADAR FOR MOST ANGLERS, WE QUIZZED THE SCALYBOOTS CREW ABOUT THEIR NAMESAKE FISH.

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The Natal Scaly prefers a low GI diet of mulberries and welcomes illegal aliens into its home.

hat: If we asked you what looks like it has had its lips botoxed, sometimes prefers a low GI diet of mulberries and welcomes illegal aliens into its home, you’d be forgiven for guessing we’re talking about a Kardashian with an entourage of cooks, cleaners etc. If you guessed “Natal scaly”, that answer would win you the corduroy lounge suite and a fondue set. The Natal yellowfish or “scaly” (Labeobarbus natalensis) is an indigenous cyprinid species which shares its turf with alien trout and bass.

Where: ScalyBoots say, “Most scalies start getting into shape for summer

by surmounting formidable barriers in rivers ranging from the coastal sections right up to the headwaters.

You’ll find them in most eastflowing rivers of Kwa-Zulu Natal, the most well-known being the Umkomaas, Umgeni, Mooi, Tugela, Umzimkhulu and Bushman’s Rivers.

However, don’t be afraid to try the smallest of streams and tributaries.”

How: “An energetic adversary on fly, scalies are opportunists with a very varied diet. They will eat dries as well as surprisingly large streamer-type patterns. However, European/Czech nymphing and traditional nymphing, with or without indicators, is the Photo: Scalyboots

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most popular method of catching these mofos. Dragonflies, mayflies, stoneflies and caddis fly larvae are some of the many effective nymph patterns. Use 3 to 6-weight floating line setups depending on the size of the stream.”

Who: Contact ScalyBoots scalybootsfishing@gmail.com or @scaly_boots on Instagram.

A regular bunch of guys who have day jobs, they do not consider themselves “experts” per se, they simply like to trek through the rivers of KwazuluNatal, catching and sharing their knowledge of one of South Africa’s best indigenous species.

FODDER

BEERS & BEATS THE BEATS

The Mission Playlist Vol. 5 The “Psycho-fishing, qu’est-ce que c’est?” mix

by Ian Collins

THE BEER - 3 SUMMER THIRST QUENCHERS With Bruce Williamson Vice chairman of the Warthog Brewers, www.worthogbrewers.co.za

Ian Felice 21st century

Fugazi 13 Songs

Red Hot Chilli Peppers Sir Psycho Sexy

Really hot days fishing often call for a more ‘sessionable’ thirst quencher, something that you don’t have to think too hard about, but that hits the spot. These beers are generally enjoyed straight out of the ice box. When the heat is on I prefer slightly lower alcohol beers but they should still exhibit some character. Here are three worth trying.

Tafel Lager is an easy drinking, balanced lager that is inexpensive and comes in 440ml cans. These are really handy and enough to slake a giant-sized thirst.

This lager carries a lot of flavour for a 4% ABV lager.

The Cult Coming Down

Wolf Parade Valley Boy

Neighbors Grizzly Bear

Metallica Master of Puppets

For the hop heads, looking for something really citrusy, with a hint of lime zest, bitter and aromatic, Brewdog Dead Pony Club is extremely refreshing.

It amazes me that this session pale ale packs so much punch at only 3.8% ABV. My all-time favourite, Pilsner Urquell has been a goto session beer for many a summer fishing trip. With its subtle, malty sweetness, yet with a real hoppy twang provided by the Saaz hops, this 4.4% ABV Bohemian pilsner is a masterpiece.

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l

WHO YOU GONNA CALL? TIME IS PRECIOUS AND THAT MEANS WHEN YOU COMMIT TO A BIG TRIP, YOU WANT TO GET AS MUCH FISHY BANG FOR YOUR BUCK AS POSSIBLE. So, when it comes to choosing that bucket list trip, why mess around? Go with the guys who have been doing it for 20 years. Go with the guys who know the best international destinations backwards. Go with the guys who know the best time of year to visit, who have the travel logistics down to a fine art, who have all the right gear for getting that dream fish and who, if we don’t say so ourselves, are damn fine company to share a skiff or a campfire with.

Go with the guys who will get you those memories of the ones that did not get away.

Mavungana Flyfishing Johannesburg 011 268 5850

From Dullstroom to the Zambezi, the Orange River to Alaska, the Amazon, Argentina, India and other incredible destinations, we’ll guide you into trout, yellowfish, salmon, peacock bass, GTs and much, much more. Call Mavungana Flyfishing. We’ve been there, done that and got the T-shirts over 20 years of operation.

Call our Dullstroom (013 2540270) or Johannesburg (011 2685850) stores to book your place on that trip of a lifetime! info@flyfishing.co.za / ww.flyfishing.co.za

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Mavungana Flyfishing Dullstroom 013 254 0270

MUNCHIES

THE SNOEK BURGER TA K E T H E L O W LY S N O E K A N D T U R N I T I N T O T H E P R I N C E O F PAT T I E S W I T H C H E F I A N B E R G H ’ S B U R G E R R E C I P E .

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ditor at large Conrad Botes was out off Cape Point the other day klapping snoekies with his china from another miner, Ian Bergh, head chef of De Grendel restaurant. They got talking about their target that day, snoek, one of the most underrated fish there is, and, what you can make with it. The idea was to come up with a fish dish that’s both sustainable and delicious, highbrow and lowbrow, for a braai at home or wrapped in foil as padkos (road food), designed to be

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smashing in your bear paws while driving and drooling or served to the in-laws with a napkin and in-jokes.

The result was this, the ultimate Swiss Army knife fish dish - The Snoek Burger.

The Fish - Snoek Snoek (not to be confused with Snook), is a member of the snake mackerel family found in Southern Hemisphere seas. Like Jason Bourne

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with multiple identities, in New Zealand and Australia it’s known as barracoota (not barracuda) and in Chile and Argentina it’s the sierra.

In and around South Africa it’s an important species for local coastal communities. It’s super bony, but with a unique flavor that lends itself to pâtés and smoorsnoek (a Cape Malay recipe using sweet and sour elements). If you don’t get snoek where you’re from, substitute with mackerel or haddock.

THE RECIPE

METHOD

The classic approach is to cook a snoek over the open coals, with butter and moskonfyt (grape jam) on the side. There’s a nod to that with Bergh’s grape chutney while the patty is place on the brioche bun and built into a tower with tomato, beer batter onions and baby gem lettuce.

Combine all the ingredients, form large patties, dust in a bit of flour and panfry until golden brown.

Serve them together with the brioche bun (first prize), sliced tomato, baby gem lettuce, beerbatter-fried onions, grape chutney and sliced onion. Have them hot off the pan and wrap any extra in foil for the next day’s mission.

For the patties 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped.

Don’t cry.

For the chutney

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

500g white seedless grapes

400g smoked snoek, flaked and bones removed. If you smoke the snoek yourself be sure not to over smoke or over cook it, as it will be as dry and bitter as your ex.

100ml De Grendel Noble Late Harvest

2 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and crushed like Conan does his enemies.

3 spring onions, sliced 2 tsp chives, sliced 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley 1 tsp lemon zest, chopped 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 small egg, whisked

500ml White wine vinegar 2 cloves 1 star anise

METHOD Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized sauce pot, place on a medium to low heat and slowly cook down to a syrup consistency.

Remove the pot from the heat, set aside and allow to cool, remove the cloves and star anise.

Salt and pepper

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The Wine - De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc De Grendel wine farm, which sits in Panorama overlooking Cape Town’s City Bowl, Robben Island and the West Coast suburbs of Cape Town, has been in the Graaff family since 1890, variously farming stud horses, Holstein cattle and making awardwinning wine. If you are taking this bad-ass burger on the road with you, we recommend stuffing a couple of bottles of the De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc in your cool box.

Fresh, with enough grass to wave a rasta down and a radical ratatouille of capsicum, gooseberries and asparagus up in your palate, it’s also full and packs a longer finish than a milkfish on ‘roids. Think of it as the Wayde van Niekerk of Sauvignon Blancs, the 2013 vintage having taken two Veritas Double Golds.

With the drought drilling Cape Town at present, one positive is that this should mean another stellar vintage from the 2017 harvest.

“IF YOU DON’T GET SNOEK WHERE YOU’RE FROM, SUBSTITUTE WITH MACKEREL OR HADDOCK.”

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UNDERCURRENT

TIME WITHIN TIME W E A R E C R E AT U R E S O F H A B I T A N D T O B R E A K F R O M O U R R O U T I N E S E E M S T O B E C O M E H A R D E R A S W E G R O W O L D E R . A S T R AV E L W R I T E R T O A S T C O E T Z E R D E S C R I B E S , G E T T I N G A WAY F R O M I T A L L M E A N S TA P P I N G I N T O A N O T H E R R H Y T H M A LT O G E T H E R .

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his is going to come out sounding ungrateful, but getting away from it all isn’t that easy when you’re a travel writer by profession. I relish my job and throw myself into each and every trip, whether I’m scoping out the town of Reitz for the finest milktart or slogging up the slopes of Mount Nyiragongo in the Congo.

Even though at the top of Nyiragongo it smells like gunpowder and not the sweet cinnamon dusting of Reitz’s finest, these missions are the same to me. I must return from them with notes and photographs from which I have to render an entertaining travel article to transport the reader to this very wedge of milktart, to every marble-sized pumice stone, conspiring to slip from under my foot It is a wonderful, rare job. But a job it remains, and I find it very difficult to completely ‘switch off’ when I’m on leave or on holiday. I cannot look at an appealing stretch of gravel road ribboning from under my tires to the horizon where, just at the point where the foot of the koppie touches the windmill, it dummies to the left before thundering into the dusty oblivion, without thinking to myself that this would make a great photo for the magazine. That this scene could be the image spread over two pages luring you, the reader, in from that first wonderful moment when you open the magazine, catch the title of a story, run your eyes over the few sentences right underneath the title and decide, flip, I’m going to read this right now!

I think about these things all the time.

About how a field of Namaqualand daisies can become the cover image at the start of the next flower season, or how a quick pull-in at a padstal can become 500 words of worthy copy, directing a faithful reader towards just the rusk he or she has been dreaming about for months (the rusks for sale at the only shop in Vanzylsrus are pretty solid, by the way).

Instagram has made things worse. Now I can’t even stroll around a Saturday city market without thinking how this could become an Instagram story.

Before I know it, I’ve got my phone out and I’m taking five second clips of video and combining instructive text (‘How’s the size of this carrot?!’) with line art (you know that glowing pencil effect thingy?) and uploading it all so our Instagram followers can share in the vibe.

But once in a while true escape can be had. A few years ago it started with a phone call from my friend JP. JP doesn’t do niceties on the phone.

He doesn’t start off by asking how you are, or what you’ve been up to.

In fact, he doesn’t even say, “Hi”. JP launches into phone conversations with a subject line. This would often be about cricket, so a typical subject-lineas-first-line of chat could be: “AB.” And then I’d know that we are going to be discussing AB’s current form, or whether he should be captain, or whether he should play all formats, or (and I’m sorry for bringing this up) that terrible pop song AB once recorded Illustration: Brandt & Conrad Botes

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(which you can Youtube but I beg you not to).

But we weren’t going to talk cricket this time.

“I found the place,” JP said, and then kept quiet.

“The most beautiful place in the world,” he added helpfully, and then hastily, “but you can’t write about it in your magazine because then everyone will want to go there.”

Then something weird happened.

I suddenly knew exactly what place JP was talking about. He started talking about a recent trout fishing trip to Rhodes, but I interrupted him halfway up the Bokspruit part of his description, before he could mention the name of the farm, because I knew what it was going to be: “Gateshead,” we said simultaneously.

How could it not be? More than a decade before this conversation with JP I had already been to Gateshead.

I finished studying journalism in 1999, but had stayed on in the Journalism & Media Studies department as a teaching assistant.

I worked under a man called Monty Cooper, the photojournalism lecturer at Rhodes University. Monty would always look for cool ways to entertain his students. Late that summer he organised for a bunch of students, under the guidance of himself and his trusty new teaching assistant – me – to head up to Rhodes to photograph the annual wild trout event.

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UNDERCURRENT It was a field trip of pure genius. The town was fully booked with trout fishing fans from all over the country.

In the evenings we would hang out at Walkerbouts Inn, where Dave Walker would feed his platannas in the aquarium set into the bar’s wall, and pour us whiskies we’d never heard of.

By day the group of photographers would split up – some joined those fishing the Riflespruit, others would head for the Bell or the Bok. These were the glorious years just before digital photography. We had endless canisters of black and white film, which we had loaded ourselves from bulk rolls, and would return to Grahamstown later to develop and print at leisure in our department’s darkrooms (now long since demolished). I also had a clutch of treasured Fuji 400ISO film, my favourite at the time for its luscious colour reproduction.

It was on one of these days that I found myself on the upper reaches of the Bokspruit. Those who have driven this road will know its beauty. Poplar groves whisper their leafy promises when you drive past them with your window down. Old farmhouses beckon with the ghosts of a way of existing now almost forever gone for those of us living in cities. The river becomes a living thing, under the wheels of the bakkie, as you wiggle and waggle over bumpy bedrock crossings.

The road ends at a farm called Gateshead and, from there, we hiked into the narrowing kloof, finding our way between sometimes thick stands of oubos. I recall reaching a specific pool. I looked at the mountains all around, the way they enclosed me. I had lost the rest of my student troop.

Everyone was so hungover in any case that the best thing for us all was to disappear into our own bubbles.

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I found my bubble on a large boulder overlooking this magical pool. In the pool a fisherman stood, lacing his line lazily through the air, drawing mesmerising patterns. I photographed him for a while, and then lay down on the boulder, the sun perfectly warm on the outside of my hat, which I had drawn over my eyes. I napped, who knows for how long, dreaming of this perfect place I had found, where sky met mountain, water sprang forth and tiny fish shimmered like polished pebbles underneath the surface.

“IT WAS ALL ABOUT BEING ROOTED IN THAT SMALL RIVER, ITS ENERGY TUGGING AT OUR LEGS. IT STARTED TO FEEL LIKE WE BELONGED THERE, AND OVER MORNING COFFEES FIRED UP ON THE GAS STOVE WE IMAGINED OURSELVES HERMIT-ING HERE FOR LIFE, LIVING OFF THE LAND.” So it was to Gateshead that JP and I returned. I had been out fishing with him a couple of times before, borrowing his gear. We’d previously been up the Du Toitskloof when he lived in Cape Town, but now that he was back in Grahamstown the mountain streams of the north-eastern Cape had become his haunts.

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I was in the middle of a work trip, driving South Africa’s entire coastline along public roads between Alexander Bay and Kosi Bay. I called my editor and told him I was taking a mid-trip break: the coastline was going nowhere, and I could return to it after a jaunt into the interior.

From Grahamstown we drove up through Fort Beaufort, Queenstown, Cala and Elliot. Just north of Elliot, the landscape rears up as the Drakensberg’s southern reach comes to a halt in the form of weirdly shaped sandstone cliffs. We biffed the bakkie up Barkly Pass and hooked a right on to the gravel road to Rhodes.

We popped in at the owners of Gateshead (who live on another farm en route) to pick up the keys, then took the Bokspruit.

I can’t remember how long we stayed. Three or four days, maybe it was five. We fished and caught small wild trout. Size didn’t matter. It was all about being rooted in that small river, its energy tugging at our legs. It started to feel like we belonged there, and over morning coffees fired up on the gas stove we imagined ourselves hermit-ing here for life, living off the land. On the last day we didn’t even fish. We hiked into the mountains and saw a bearded vulture sailing over our heads with its diamond-shaped tail. We searched for Sloggett’s ice rats but found only their burrows.

When we eventually had to leave, we had no need for words. Those precious few days in the belly of the mountain healed us from whatever ailments of heart, body and spirit we might have had. We had seen the beauty of life, and our small part in it.

We had found time within time.

Toast Coetzer is the travel editor of Go/ Weg magazine. Follow him on Instagram @toastcards.

For your nearest dealer contact Frontier Distribution on info@frontierflyfishing.co.za

GUIDES

HIGH 5S

A R A P I D - F I R E C AT C H U P W I T H F LY C A S TAW AY ’ S ST BRANDON’S HEAD GUIDE, THE SHAGGY BEAR OF T H E F L AT S , C R A I G R I C H A R D S O N .

Photos. Craig Richardson / Flycastaway

5 things about fly fishing that you may never understand?

1) Why rods are getting so fast and the lines are getting heavier.

2) Why people care so much about what other fishermen are wearing.

3) Why, whenever we pick up a fly rod, we must cast a full line into the backing even though we know it’s not necessary.

4) Why feathers look so tasty to a fish.

5) How fish don’t see the hook.

5 bands to listen to while on a road trip?

1) Counting Crows.

2) Sublime.

3) Chris Stapleton.

4) City and Colour.

5) Fat Freddy’s drop.

I like acoustic stuff but I’ve really started enjoying blues and country over the last few years.

5 things you would take up if you weren’t always fly fishing?

1) I would probably try to brew my own beer.

2) Grow a veggie garden.

3) White water rafting could be cool.

4) Get more involved in scuba diving.

5) Join the NSRI. 5 best things about St Brandon’s?

1) You hardly see any people.

2) You have bonefish that you can fish for in water so skinny that they can barely move to the fly.

3) I love diving for kreef (crayfish) and I get to do that on my off day so that keeps me pretty happy!

4) You get to see massive GTs herding schools of 5-6lb bonefish and smashing into them. They suck a bone down like a noodle!

5) The last reason St Brandon’s is the best

place in the world is the amount of IndoPacific permit we get to fish to and the fact that we get fish tailing around the lodge pretty much every day.

Dullstroom’s finest woolly buggers. We did manage a fish on a purple fritz!

5) Losing four permit in one day. That was heart breaking.

5 things you are loving right now 1) Simms Intruder boots.

2) Veevus tying thread.

3) Flying Dodo beer.

4) A band called Stick Figure. I was introduced to them recently and they have been blowing my mind!

5) Waterproof Bluetooth speakers. They are an absolute game changer!

5 indispensable flies for saltwater?

1) Old Faithful, the Clouser minnow.

2) The Merkin.

3) The Puglisi Spawning Shrimp.

4) The Brush fly. It hardly ever lets me down, so I always have a lot of them in different sizes.

5) The Gotcha. It’s a fly that is stupid simple but always seems to do the damage.

5 of the most difficult guiding experiences so far?

1) My toughest experience was on Jozini dam four years ago. I had spoken a lot about the spot we were going to fish and had explained how the longer boat ride would be worth it. As we arrived at my “secret spot” I noticed a couple of drums floating around. We got closer and saw that there was about 500m of net stretched across a bay where I had previously found some really big tigerfish. That was a really horrible day out.

2) On St Brandon’s two years back we had 40 knots of wind on the flats and we could not hear each other at all. It was white noise of rain and wind, enough to drive most people insane.

3) Another tough one was losing all the 12-weight fly lines we had on the boat to GTs and not landing one. We ended up losing two more 9-weight lines and still didn’t land any. It was crazy.

4) I had a day on Sterkies when I first started guiding where I managed to lose all my tippet, drown my phone and lose a fly box, only to realise that the guys I was guiding didn’t have any tippet with them and only had about a dozen of

5 favourite fly fishing destinations across SA? 1) Sterkies would be number one every day of the week.

2) Vanderkloof.

3) Middle Vaal below Parys.

4) The Broederstroom in Limpopo.

5) The Croc river in Gauteng.

5 indispensable flies for freshwater?

1) On the freshwater side I like to keep things pretty simple. Pheasant tail nymph.

2) CDC & Elk. 3) Parachute Adams.

4) Rusty spinner.

5) A big black leech.

5 favourite fly fishing destinations globally?

1) The Henry’s Fork and …

2) The South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho are right up there for me.

3) The Tweed river in Scotland for browns.

4) The Ribnik river in Bosnia.

5) St Brandon’s Atoll.

They all offer a huge variety of fishing styles that get me very excited. I like fishing for fish that I can see so these waters mostly provide that.

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5 common mistakes that most clients make?

1) The biggest mistake clients make is not knowing where their fly lands in relation to their line. The fly line might be in line with the fish but the fly could be nine feet to the left or right.

2) Trying to cast too far. All you need to be able to do is cast 50ft accurately. You’ll catch more than the guy that can cast 100ft with no accuracy. Not being able to back cast also is a limiting factor.

3) Panic casting is also an issue. Remember, you have a lot more time than you realise if you are focused on the fish.

4) Walking too fast on the flat. If the guide says you should walk slowly there is a reason for it. You make more noise when you walk fast so essentially you spook more fish.

5) Using flies tied on bad hooks is a major mistake. Most commercially tied saltwater flies are tied on bad hooks.

5 of the most underrated species in your book?

1) My favourite fish that I don’t think gets the credit it deserves is, without doubt, the Large-scale yellowfish. They are super picky and very pretty. They also live throughout the Northern part of Jo’burg so it takes me about five minutes to get to them.

2) Carp are slowly getting the credit they deserve. The beauty of carp is that they are available to everyone. I don’t know of any places in SA that doesn’t have a dam with carp nearby.

3) Small-scale yellowfish are also a lot of fun and there are some really great sight fishing options for them.

4) Bluefin trevally. If they grew the size that GTs do, Bluefin would be the chosen fish.

5) Redbreast kurper can be a lot of fun on dries in the warmer months.

5 flies to pack (in the smuggler kit under your driver’s seat) to cover most species?

I’ve got few flies stuck on the visor in my car.

1) A pheasant tail nymph.

2) A parachute pheasant tail.

3) A CDC and elk.

4) A black woolly bugger.

5) A tan over white clouser.

5 people you would like to guide or fish with?

1) A few of the guys I have already fished with, but every time I get to fish with them I

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learn a lot and/or laugh a lot.

2) Rene Harrop.

3) Mike Dawes for permit.

4)John Horsey.

5A) Dan “Rooster” Leavens for steelhead.

5B) Steve Rajeff.

5 fish on your species hit list?

1) Atlantic permit.

2) Tarpon.

3) Steelhead.

4) Milkfish.

5) Pacu.

5 shower thoughts that have occurred to you while fly fishing?

1) I always ask myself why I travel halfway around the world to throw a piece of fluff at a fish and then unhook it and send it back.

2) I also try to understand why fish think a really, really gross-looking fly is so desirable.

A merkin is the perfect example!

3) I wonder what permit say to each other when they meet each other in the deep.

Do they act like they’ve been abducted by aliens?

4) How flyfishermen can see beauty in a troll, like a carp or a muddy?

5) Why no fly shops in South Africa sell beer!

5 destinations on your bucket list?

1) Number one on my bucket list is Mexico.

2) Belize is a close second.

3) The Big Hole river in Montana is up there.

4) South Island of New Zealand.

5) Southern Patagonia.

5 flies that, to look at, make no sense but that catch fish all the time?

1) The blob.

2) Pats rubber legs.

3) The sparkler.

4) Salty bugger.

5) The Royal Coachman.

5 essential ingredients for an incredible mission?

1) Lamb chops.

2) Hansa beer.

3) A lot of fire wood.

4) Good speakers 5) My boat.

Your last five casts were to….

Bonefish and permit on St Brandon’s, Largescale yellows on the Crocodile River, rainbows and browns in the Kamberg and smallmouth yellows in Parys.

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TIGER, TIGER, BURNING FLESH TIGERS IN AFRICA? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT. WITH THE FLY FISHING FILM TOUR 2018 UPON US, WE QUIZZED JAKO LUCAS (AKA CAPT. JACK) ABOUT THE AFRICAN TIGER, HIS NEW RELEASE, ON CHASING 20LB+ SURFACE-FLY-SMASHING TIGERFISH IN THE REMOTE BUSH OF TANZANIA.

The Mission (TM): What’s your personal history with tiger fishing?

Jako Lucas (JL): Over the years, I have seen and experienced some crazy things on the water - from feeding frenzies to trying my best to land a tiger and, in the process, suddenly losing it to a bigger, more badass tiger. I also witnessed, first-hand, how tigerfish actively hunt and eat swallows. I was also lucky enough to witness the GTs doing eating birds in the Seychelles, but seeing it again in Africa?! Can you imagine the aggression and speed a tiger would need to catch a swallow in mid-flight!?

Unbelievable.

TM: Was 2017 your first hunt for Tanzanian tigers?

JL: Yes. They’ve been at the top of my bucket list ever since I saw ‘that’ photo of Keith Clover holding a monster Tanzanian tigerfish. When the opportunity came up I jumped right in. Having been privileged to guide and fish for tigerfish on the Zambezi for a couple of years, I always

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wanted to explore other fisheries in my hunt for bigger fish. On the Zambezi, a double figure fish was considered a trophy. I even landed a 16,5lbs tigerfish. A monster, I thought. That is, until Tanzania messed me up and made me re-evaluate my life choices! Whether you guide or fish for these tigers there is nothing that can prepare you for that first hit. If I had to try and describe it, it would start with… strip, strip, hit! Lines screaming, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air along with a bunch of erratic foul-mouthed shouting. When a massive tiger launches out of the water, all you can do is hope that you are lucky enough to eventually get your hands on this vicious beast.

Unfortunately, most of the time, it ends in tears.

TM: Describe the Tanzanian setup for us.

JL: Getting there is an experience in itself. You can fly directly to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from Johannesburg or approach it via Dubai or London. Once in Dar, you overnight in order to catch an early morning charter flight

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"It's a tiger!” Happy couple Stu Harley and Jako Lucas celebrate their new arrival. Greg Ghaui with the midwife assist.

into the bush. Upon landing you are transported in a Land Cruiser for a short ride to the main Dhala Camp. There are two camps, both are very comfortable, with tents that get re-built and set-up from scratch every season. They are super spacious which gave us the added bonus of having loads of space for camera gear and generators for charging equipment. We were definitely not roughing it.

The safari operation is run by Kilombero North Safaris who do a mind-blowing job. They are in charge of everything relating to the hunting and of course, the safaris. When it comes to guiding and fishing, the crew from Tourette Fishing runs the show. The continued success of these fisheries can be attributed to the pioneering concession and fishery management, with strict guiding protocols that are implemented and enforced by both Kilombero North Safaris and Tourette Fishing.

TM: Can you describe the fishing?

JL: Most of the fishing is done by drifting in 16ft aluminum

boats with 25hp outboard motors. The guide and boat driver put you into position all the time with the motor or a hard-core push pole. We also did quite a bit of wade fishing. That meant listening very carefully to our guide. It is a wild place with hippos and crocs all around, so you have to pay attention. During your week there, you will get the opportunity to fish two rivers, the Mnyera and the Ruhudji.

You will fish the first river for three days before you are driven to another camp. These two rivers are so different to my previous fishing/guiding experiences for tigers. It is a lot further removed from the world and definitely more remote. There is no phone signal/Wifi… just you, the wild life and the rivers. The rivers are a lot more intimate as well, much smaller and shallower than I would have imagined for such huge fish. It is a very healthy system, with lots of food for the tigers. A stand-out for me, was that we were able to wade and fish for these monsters in big slow pools and fast-moving pocket water. We mostly fished with floating lines and a skater fly called “The Harley Shake”, developed

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by one of the Tourette guides, Stuart Harley. Traditionally, most of my previous tiger fishing was done with sinking lines and heavy flies. I still loved every moment, but now imagine not only the excitement of a hard-hitting monster tigerfish, but with the added thrill of being able to see that aggressive, armed-to-the-teeth, Alpha predator coming up to smash your fly. Now that is mental!

TM: How many anglers did you have on The African Tiger?

JL: We were two anglers on this shoot. I was fishing quite a bit more than I would normally on a shoot. Then there was Rebekka Redd from Canada. We were also working with a crew from Drift Media, Paul Bourcq and Jeremiah Hamilton. Both are super legit and have worked on some really big projects and they both love fishing! It is always great working with people behind the camera that also have a love of fishing as they understand what shots

“ONE OF THE KEY SHOTS WAS TO GET A TIGER TO EAT A DRY FLAY ON THE SURFACE. THAT MEANT LOOKING THROUGH A CAMERA WITH A 200MM LENS FOR HOURS ON END, UNTIL THE POINT WHERE YOUR ONE EYE IS SO OUT OF FOCUS FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, YOU FEEL DRUNK.” anglers want to see. And then, of course, we were there with the Tourette Fishing guiding crew of Stuart Harley, Greg Ghaui, Mark Murray and Rob Scott.

TM: What are the obstacles you face filming in remote areas like this?

JL: Fishing in a place where only a handful of anglers venture to, let alone film there, was a privilege in its own.

But to go that far means it comes with a whole lot of challenges. To give you an idea, the crew had to travel from all over the USA, Canada and South Africa. We embarked on this journey with not only our usual fishing gear, but also a truckload of camera gear. It took us about two days just to get there. Our gear almost went missing and we were interrogated by customs on what we were doing or planning to do. Once there, we had to make sure all the batteries were charged, memory cards clear and to

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put our camera and fishing gear together. Then came the planning… how, what, where, when and making sure we had our ‘shot list’. We had 6 different cameras (2 x Sony, 1 x Red Epic, 2 x Canons, 1 x Panasonic) plus accessories, as well as two drones and a few GoPros. We set out every morning on a long drive up river to try and get the shots and would come back at the end of the day, unpack, download footage, charge batteries and reload for the next day. For me one of the key shots was to get a tiger to eat a dry fly on the surface. That meant looking through a camera with a 200mm lens for hours on end, until the point where your one eye is so out of focus for the rest of the day, you feel drunk.

TM: Did things fall into place or did you have to graft your nuts off?

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happy with is through working his nuts off. Some would say it is pure stupidity, but when you see the reaction and show people something they never thought was possible, that is definitely worth it. For example, as a camera guy, you always have to be up first thing in the morning, loading your gear or getting those early morning shots. After a hard day out you will also be the last to go to bed because, after dinner, you are downloading footage and charging batteries. Not to mention having to carry everything around and being on point every moment, because if you don’t have the camera rolling, you simply don’t get the shots. I have made peace with the fact that something is always going to go wrong at some point. It is either really bad or super bad! Just deal with it.

TM: Some of the most memorable moments for you?

JL: I think everyone on this project had that special and

memorable moment, with both Drift Media guys catching tigerfish well over 15lbs and Rebekka getting her monster 19lbs tigerfish. Unfortunately, my most memorable moment of the trip is a classic fishing story that ended in tears. We had just worked our way up river and were getting ready to hit the rapids at the top when Stuart Harley stopping at one of those spot every guide has, said, “Let’s quickly give this spot a few casts.” We did, but as with every time you go on a shoot, we made the mistake of not having the camera rolling. Anyway, first cast and, “F@&%! Sh*&!”… a burnt finger and SNAP! “What the hell just happened?” We all thought the rod had broken, but it was actually the line. A second later and about 100 meters down river there she was, hands down the biggest tigerfish I have ever seen, grey-hounding away from us with my fly still in its mouth. What can you do? This is what tigerfishing is all about.

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F LY F L I C K S

QUEENS OF THE DESERT IN DUBAI ON THE FLY, SOUTH AFRICANS NICK BOWLES AND BRENTON SHARP BRING URBAN QUEENFISH TO THE BIG SCREEN AND PUT DOWN A MARKER FOR DUBAI AS A FLY FISHING DESTINATION.

guiding or even information. And certainly nothing about fly fishing.

I started an informational website called Ocean Active, as a hobby, and then started receiving a lot of enquiries. We set up Ocean Active as an outfitting business and have been loving guiding and introducing clients to Dubai and Oman ever since.

Photo Bryan Gregson

Brenton Sharp [BS]: I grew up in Ballito, KZN, just north of Durban. I have fished as much as I can for as long as I can remember - out at sea from the age of five, trying to keep up with the big boys. I reached a turning point where the future was looking stressful if I was to remain as a deep-sea charter captain. Nick put me in touch with a high-profile Emirati boat owner who brought me out here to manage his fleet and to facilitate fishing as needed. It was an amazing experience. Now, I’m with Ocean Active full-time and also work as a fine artist.

I

The Mission caught up with them at home in Dubai to learn about the allure of the Middle East and what it can offer the seasoned global angler.

The Mission [TM]: What pulled you to Dubai?

Captain Nick Bowles [NB]: We were living it up in London, as many young Saffa’s do after school, and studying, when Mich, my girlfriend, —now wife—accepted a job with Emirates in 2000. I stayed on in London, but after a year decided to join her in Dubai. It wasn’t hard. A quick Google search was underway as I had no idea about Dubai. The results claimed there was sun almost year-round, the sea was blue and there were lots of fish in the Arabian Gulf! No-brainer. I packed the bags and left the cold rainy weather of London 15 years ago and I have never looked back! There was not much in the way of fishing

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f we discount the 2011 Ewan McGregor rom-com Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, this will see a Middle East fishery featured for the first time on the fly fishing big screen with the release of Dubai on the Fly at the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T). South Africans Captain Nick Bowles, owner of Ocean Active, and Head Guide Brenton Sharp, were at the helm of this firstever film produced collaboratively by Beattie Outdoor Productions, Off the Grid Studios, Dubai Tourism and Drift Media.

TM: Why would international anglers be drawn to Dubai?

NB: Fly fishing off Dubai is unique and we refer to it as “urban fly fishing”, as you are, at times, fishing in front of the 7-star Burj Al Arab Hotel, Atlantis Hotel or the 200 skyscrapers in the Dubai Marina. The city’s incredibly accessible, located in the middle of the earth and a travel hub between East and West, North and South.

Through Emirates, you can reach Dubai from most places on the planet within a few hours. Plus, there are all the high-end hotels, restaurants, shopping and amazing attractions, as well as world-class fly fishing. “Why would someone not want to come to Dubai?” is more the question. I once had a client say to me in amazement,

“Dubai is Disneyland for adults.” If you add on the option of Oman, you can fish Dubai for a few days and get the most chic and metropolitan of the Middle East and then head on to a more remote and rustic coastal location where Sinbad used to sail.

feed on the stunned bait. So for us, the retrieve is very important--to have a good strong retrieve, but if the fish does not take, to let the fly drop for half a strip. Normally, the queen will then swim on to the fly and take it!

Game on!

BS: For anglers looking to venture to Dubai, the location offers something for everyone, be it family vacations, business travel or a boys’ trip, with the added appeal of pretty straightforward fly fishing. “Straight-forward” in the sense that anglers of all levels can do it. Obviously the more experience you have, the more successful shots and hook-ups, but at the same time, huge numbers of our fish are hooked no more than nine feet from the boat.

TM: Which flies are essential?

BS: Typically, we throw clouser variations with great success. The foundation of strong hooks and a 25- to 30-pound fluoro leader is key. In some cases, it really doesn’t matter what you throw, as long as it’s presented accurately and stripped in like a madman. Our little trick has been very sparse material, ideally buck tail with minimal micro-flash.

Colours consist of a two-tone, white base and any of the following— black, grey, tan, olive, blue, pink or chartreuse.

TM: How do fish use the habitat around Dubai? Where do you find them and why?

NB: The Arabian Gulf is a shallow body of water that has a huge abundance of life, from the smallest baitfish to the biggest pelagics. Dubai has built everything bigger and better and this includes building the biggest manmade reefs in the world. The Palm and World Islands have changed the face of the city, but more importantly, created huge habitats for small fish which attract game fish, and in turn attract us as fishermen.

BS: Agreed. These huge artificial reefs are visible from space. The man-made islands are surrounded by breakwaters built with rock, concrete and imported sand that have created enormous nurseries for all kinds of fodder. While the Gulf itself is rich in baitfish, this development seems to have localised their hangouts, which in turn have brought the predators to us in vast numbers.

TM: What’s your top tip for hooking and landing queenfish? ​NB: Queenfish are a fantastic fly fishing species, as they are aggressive, the takes are all visual, they jump and, they shoal in big numbers. But they do come with some intricacies.

Queenfish slash at the bait and will take a few baitfish and stun a few then turn around and come back to

TM: How was filming Dubai on the Fly different from any other media projects you’ve worked on?

NB: This idea was a pie-in-the-sky.

No fly fishing film has ever been made in the Middle East, so for me to see it become a reality is a milestone for us developing the industry in a new region. Getting the local support from Dubai Tourism and international support from top industry professionals and companies like Thomas and Thomas fly rods, was tremendous. We’re excited to share the Dubai fishery with viewers in all parts of the world.

I mean, come on, a fly fishing film in the Middle East! If you watch any international news channel this would be a totally ridiculous idea!

BS: This was my first professional film project and that goes for Dubai and the UAE collectively. Although I can’t say much by way of comparative criticism, I can confirm that working with the crew was truly amazing.

Between the laughs and outlandish ideas over a few beers during the planning stages, when it came time to execute, they did just that. I’m just proud to be a part of this project and to show some big respect for the professionalism that made it all possible.

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TM: What’s the most peculiar thing you’ve encountered on the water in Dubai?

NB: Dubai is a weird and wonderful place on the water, but one of the oddest things that’s happened is almost being cut off on a fish by a super yacht. Literally, you are in the middle of a busy modern city busting fish and trying to avoid mega yachts!

TM: What’s the most challenging cultural bridge you’ve had to cross?

NB: Growing up in South Africa, we are used to a wide diversity of cultures, so Dubai we found an easy, safe place to live. The main point I always make to clients is to show respect for the culture and people.

This is something that should be done wherever you travel, but so many times, I have seen people who arrive and try to act like they do in their home countries. You are in someone else’s home, so respect it!

TM: What was the most challenging part of completing a film of this kind?

NB: I didn’t realise how much time and effort go into a production like this and the dedication it requires from the crew—from initial conversations about the film, proposals, storylines, shooting days, logistics, budgets, editing, sound, etc. I thought you just picked up a GoPro, filmed a bit and edited!

Hell no, this is a serious project and I take my hat off to the team that did the film and made it possible - RA Beattie, Sarah Grigg, Paul Bourq, Bryan Gregson, and Frank Smethurst. It’s a bloody hard job, plus you have to sit and watch someone else fish, then edit all the footage! It’s something that is way above my pay grade!

For more information on both films, check out the Fly Fishing Film Tour website (https://flyfilmtour.com), for screenings in South Africa visit the F3T SA (www.f3tsa.co.za) and for more on the players - visit Capt. Jack (http://cptjackfilms.com) and Ocean Active (www.oceanactive.com).

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DOWN UNDER

DEUS EXMOUTH MACHINA WAITING OUT A HURRICANE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA, CONRAD BOTES MANAGES TO FIND T H E S I LV E R L I N I N G A N D S A LVA G E S O M E G O L D Photos: Jono Shales, Conrad Botes

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Go home tree, you’re drunk.

Day 4. 4am. In the pre-dawn light I stare at the silhouette of a solitary palm tree in the back yard, swaying like a drunk as it’s being tossed around by a gale force wind. It kind of echoes the scene on the back porch around me; the remnants of a crate of beer lies scattered over the couch, the table and on the floor. I check the time and reach for the bottle of water. Don’t want to get up with too much of a hangover. From the comforable perch of my bed, set to the far side of the porch and my room for the week, I scan my surroundings. I spot my tackle bag laying unopened in a corner. A wave of disappointment and depression floods over me. Here I am in one of the best fly-fishing destinations in Australia and the prospects of doing any fishing soon does not look good.

I arrived in Exmouth earlier in the week after months of planning and corresponding with my mate, Jono Shales of Exmouth Fly Fishing. The plan was to join him for ten days while he took his annual break from professional guiding to fish with him. But Murphy threw me a very bad curveball when a massive tropical storm hit Exmouth and large parts of the surrounding coastline a few days before my plane touched down in Western Australia. Exmouth, situated on a peninsula, received a record amount of rain that flooded the semi-arid desert landscape and drained into the Gulf of Exmouth, turning the normally crystal clear water into a coffee-coloured soup. The prospects of fishing was zero and we’d already spent the days since my arrival chilling and pouring over pictures on Jono’s computer of literally thousands of epic fish caught by his clients.

I try to think of possible scenarios of how the trip could still work out, but as my dreams of catching that monster queenfish, permit or milkfish slip away, I drift back into the netherworld of sleep.

Deliverance Day 5. While we are having breakfast of coffee and croissants at the bakery in town, we notice some sun breaking through the clouds. ‘Let’s rig some rods and see if we can get a fly in the water,” Jono says. I’m excited as all hell, the lack of fishing is killing me. The plan is to hit Wapet Creek which enters the Gulf of Exmouth a few kilometres south of town. We’ll be fishing the creek itself since the water in the gulf still resembles the cup of creamy coffee I had earlier.

But it was not to be. The odds continued to be properly stacked against me. As we head out of town the skies darken and soon big drops of rain start pelting down again. Despite the windscreen wipers going full tilt, soon it’s pissing down so hard I can hardly see the road in front of us. When it eases up, I see the landscape for what it is.

The desert in flood. Large flat areas under water.

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Ditches next to the road turned into miniature rivulets.

Soon we hit a left turn, leave the tarred road and make our way over to the creek mouth. We should have come in Jono’s new boat. The dirt road we took resembles a small river.

When we eventually reach the creek, there’s a brief gap in the weather, but it doesn’t matter. The creek is in flood.

Doesn’t look like any fishing will be happening soon.

We get out and while we take a walk around, we bump into two locals. They are wearing boxers and nothing else.

They stare at us for a while before the one starts to speak. A certain scene from Deliverance comes to mind. Apparently they are collecting crabs, a big pastime in this neck of the woods. Jono makes small talk and takes a peek at the the fruits of their labour, being kept in a plastic bucket. Jono’s not happy and confronts them.

“Those are undersize, you’ve got to put them back” They pack out laughing, offer a “Fuck you mate!” and walk off.

On our way home, I’m told that this is common practice.

“It pisses me off that these guys don’t have conservation

ethics. You should see the meat squad pulling in here with big boats, killing and filling freezers. Morons!”

Billfish Day 6. The weather has settled enough for us to go to sea. We pack early and take the boat up to the slipway next to the military area north of town. It’s only been a few weeks since Jono returned from Broome with a brand new custom-built vessel designed specifically with Exmouth and fly-fishing in mind. The idea is to head towards a group of islands on the outer rim of the Gulf of Exmouth. “Heading north is our best chance to get away from the dirty water of the Gulf.” We’ll be targeting billfish specifically and I’m pretty amped since I’ve been looking at pics of Jono’s numerous clients cradling sailies for the last couple of days. He’s had an epic run with the billfish with one client landing no less than three fish in one session.

On our way to the fishing grounds, we stop at several reefs and islands. But everything is dead quiet and the water has a milky appearance; a result of the floodwater being washed out to sea. After a couple of stops I started becoming despondent again. Where did all the

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fish disappear to?! From what I understood, these reefs would normally be crawling with metre-plus queenies and long fin tuna.

Eventually we start fishing for billfish. First up is a demonstration and a couple of drill repetitions, going over the teaser being pulled in and the fly presented, should Mr Billfish make an enquiry. My job was to watch the teaser like a hawk with the fly-line on a neat pile to my left. When the time comes I’m supposed to make a single back-cast and present the fly to the fish, which should be about 15 meters behind the boat. Piece of cake, I thought. Five hours later and it feels like needles are stuck in my eyeballs. I’ve been watching the teaser like numerous different raptors, hawks included and we’ve covered countless sea miles, but alas, not a single enquiry. A wahoo stealing our teaser bait did relieve the monotony briefly, but other than that, nada. It was time to hit the throttle and head home.

Golden Hour Day 8. After another fruitless day at sea the day before, trying to raise billfish, we woke up to strong winds. Wind direction and velocity rendered a day at sea impossible, but Jono reckoned that it would be possible to wade some flats on the Ningaloo side of the peninsula. No matter how bad the winds are, there’s always a place somewhere that would be protected and allow for some land based fishing.

I didn’t really care where we fished at this stage, I just wanted to be near the water with the prospect of catching a fish. Any fish really.

After about an hour’s drive around the peninsula, we stop at a spot on the Ningaloo side. The Ningaloo Barrier Reef is the second longest in Australia, after the Great Barrier Reef, and offers protected lagoons and bays that are home to a large number of species including bonefish and permit. It also has many channels open to the ocean, which is what allowed the dirty flood water to be dispersed much quicker than the Gulf of Exmouth.

We find a perfect little sand flat and start wading. I’m making a pig of myself catching heaps of small trevallies and yellow-lipped emperors, while Jono scans the surrounding flat. It’s not long before he shouts and beckons me to haul ass and follow him. He’s spotted something and is wading up the flat at top speed. While I’m trying to catch up, I’m also trying to find what he’s spotted. I see nothing but do my best to make way in the thigh deep water. Eventually I catch up. “School of big goldens. There. Nine o’clock.

Forty meters out. Must be ten to fifteen fish.” Then I see them. All of a sudden three or four golden tails break the surface as the goldens start feeding. My heart is racing.

Damn, they are big too if they’re tailing in water that’s probably deeper than thigh depth! We try to catch up with them, but as soon as we close in, they move further out of range. By now, I’m frothing at the mouth; I really want to catch one! Just one big golden trevally please! It’ll make my trip! We keep on hauling ass but it seems like they have spotted us and are keeping their distance.

“Should I change fly? I’ve got this ridiculously small bunny shrimp on”

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“Nooit bru, no time!”

At some point I frantically ask Jono if I should take a shot.

It seems we are about 25 meters away and I recon that with some luck, I might make it. “Wait, you’ll get your shot”, Jono replies. Cool as a cucumber. I wait, but after five minutes we see no more tails. More waiting. Then Jono shows me, they’re tailing about a hundred meters away from us. I suggest to Jono that we get out and run up the beach. “No can do, that fence over there marks the start of the reserve, restricted area. But wait, they’ll come back”. Come back, my ass. It’s pretty clear to me that I’ve blown my chance.

Should have made that cast. After twenty odd minutes I’m ready to head back to go catch some rats and mice again, but Jono convinces me to stay. While I’m contemplating the futility of our time wasted waiting, Jono points to the left.

“Get ready, they’re coming back”. Then I spot them too, heading down the beach straight towards us!

Hooking that magnificent golden trevally will forever me etched in my mind. It was nothing short of classic; the fish tailing intermittently, ever closer to us. Me wanting to shoot a cast and Jono telling me to please wait! And then half a dozen tails in the air about 10 or 15 meters in front of us as I lead the pack with a few meters.

Three strips and a bow wave pushes as a pod of goldens charges the fly and the winner slams into it hard.

Minutes later I’m cradling a magnificent fish in the shallow water close to the beach as Jono shoots some pics with my camera. And I remember thinking then that it’s only one single fish that can make or break a trip. And this fish made my trip so worthwhile. I was super stoked.

Deus Exmouth Machina Day 10. I was happy to accept the weather and conditions I got after catching that golden. I thought all things considered (a hurricane FFS), Exmouth has been kind to me. So it was without expectations that we launched Jono’s boat in the Ningaloo lagoon on my last day in Exmouth.

The hour long boat ride south was as new for me as it was

for Jono. It’s the first time since the cyclone that he’s been there. The flood damage is spectacular. Most of the white sand is covered in silt and large parts of the Ningaloo lagoon are still murky. We stop to inspect a heap of stones, sand and rubble the size of three football fields that got washed into what was previously a sand flat. Eventually we find clean water and clear sandy bottom. We also immediately get stuck into fish. “Dude, this is a normal day at the office, I’m so bummed that you are only experiencing it now,” Jono says after I land my third big golden for the morning.

I can’t believe it. It finally happened, Exmouth started lifting her skirt. We catch fish, have laughs and take selfies with a pelagic bird taking a rest on my head. The trip finally came together. As the sun dips in the afternoon, Jono hits the throttle. I assumed we’re heading home, but he has other plans. “Let’s head out to sea and catch a billie before you go.” Happy to do whatever you suggest, I assured him. And so I found myself watching a teaser bait with the 12 weight ready and only one hour of daylight to go on my last day in Exmouth while contemplating bad luck changing for good luck and how one fish can save the day. As I stood there thinking about the last ten days, staring at the water behind the boat with the sun very close to the horizon, I saw a black broomstick coming out the water for a split second. Another split second of incomprehension until Jono started shouting and the world turned into chaos. Without thinking I realized that I delivered a perfect presentation and watched the fly and intermediate line slowly sinking. Three seconds, five seconds. “He’ll come back! Wait!

Wait!” And the next thing I know I’m strip striking very hard before a black marlin launches itself out the water!

Adrenalin and pure stoke! One second the fish is tail walking and heading for the horizon, then it races straight back at us and I cannot get the slack reeled in quick enough! “Reel!

Reel! Reel! Reel!” Jono is shouting at the top of his voice and I’m hollering and shouting and laughing with disbelief.

Minutes later we have a magnificent baby black marlin at the boatside.

I’m beyond blown away. As we make our way onto the slipway at last light, it occurs to me that terrible odds may well be the reason why some experiences can turn from mediocre to memorable and then perhaps even truly epic.

“IT FINALLY HAPPENED, EXMOUTH STARTED LIFTING HER SKIRT. WE CATCH FISH, HAVE LAUGHS AND TAKE SELFIES WITH A PELAGIC BIRD TAKING A REST ON MY HEAD.” 46

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COLORADO WITH X P L O R E R F LY F I S H I N G

THE NOT SO BEST MAN… T Y I N G T H E K N O T TA K E S O N A W H O L E N E W M E A N I N G W H E N T H E W E D D I N G I S I N C O L O R A D O , A S R YA N J A N S S E N S D I S C O V E R E D WHEN HIS BROTHER DECIDED TO GET MARRIED IN T R O U T C O U N T R Y. Photos: Ryan Janssens

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H

e flips through my passport a few times, scanning each page and looking more and more satisfied with himself with each passing second. Eventually, he breaks into a smile – the first of our interaction - shoves my passport back across the desk to me and says, “No Schengen Visa, no entry into Munich, no America.” The tall, geeky, German immigration officer was absolutely adamant, there was no point in arguing. Instead, I got hushed and pointed back in the direction I had come from. Turns out, you can’t change airports in Germany without a Schengen. Now I’m half way to America, but have been denied entry to my connecting flight, which is about to leave for Denver with all my luggage. No one is helpful and I have just a few hours to sort this mess out before they ship me straight back home to Cape Town.

Four hundred Euros, a six-hour layover and an expensive life lesson later and I’m on a direct flight to Denver. There goes my budget for those Colorado fly shops.

So why the US, why Colorado and why trout fishing? To be honest, trout aren’t my first love. I fish for them in and around the valleys of the Western Cape in South Africa; plucky little aliens holding out in the cool, clear waters of their mountain strongholds. Sure, I like them, but if you had asked me a few months ago if I would part with my hard earned Randelas just to go trout fishing in Colorado, the answer would likely have been, ”No”. There were other fish and other destinations a little higher on the priority list, but this, the trip to Colorado, was a package deal.

My little brother Stephen was getting married. Who wouldn’t pack a fly rod or three?

I’m a South African photographer and, fully aware of how this sounds, my day-to-day varies from being trapped in the middle of a sandstorm in the Atlantis dunes outside Cape Town shooting a bunch of unruly

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model kids who are in desperate need of a hiding from their parents, to filming topless models for a catalogue in Mauritius. Seriously, those really are semi-normal office days for me. I was busy working on location when a Whatsapp message honked its arrival: “Hey Bro, guess what? I’m getting married in Colorado this summer. You should come. Also, it’s pretty much the trout fishing capital of America…

Just saying.”

“DAY AFTER DAY OF BROWNS, BROOKIES AND RAINBOWS. BIG ONES, SMALL ONES, FATTIES AND FIGHTERS. LAKES, STREAMS AND RIVERS. THEN THERE WAS THE CHANCE TO CONNECT WITH MY BROTHER AGAIN - FINDING HIDDEN ROADS AND SECRET SPOTS; TALKING KAK; SNOOZING IN HAMMOCKS; GUIDING EACH OTHER INTO FISH; CHIRPING THE OTHER’S FAILURE AND HOWLING AT OUR SUCCESS.” Stephen is my ‘little’ brother because he’s three years younger than me, but in reality, he’s double my size, a trained MMA fighter and can kick my ass with his eyes closed. We grew up in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal and since we could walk we’ve been fishing together. After high school we went our separate ways; he to Haiti as a volunteer building schools after an earthquake destroyed the place, while I moved to Cape Town

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to start my struggle as a film maker/ photographer. Almost ten years later and, although we haven’t seen much of each other, I think we have both done alright. I have spent most of my time in Cape Town or travelling, visiting Congo, Indonesia, Hawaii, Mozambique and Mauritius, but our paths have hardly ever crossed.

Stephen met his wife, Katie, in Haiti. In time they moved to the US, he got his green card and they decided to make Denver, where he has a carpentry business, their home. Although I still see him as a South African, when I ask him a question he will reply with a strong American “YEAH” instead of the softer South African “Ja”. Other than that, we haven’t changed much.

Thirty five hours after leaving Cape Town, I am standing in Denver airport, a bit poorer but, German immigration officials be damned, I made it.

Land of the free (really free I think to myself as I spy a weed shop inside the airport)!

Land of my brother!

Land of the Rainbow, the Cutthroat and the Brookie!

Stephen and a bounty of trout await.

Or so I thought. My ignorance of border controls and Schengen visas is about as thorough as my knowledge of wedding procedure. Two days into my Colorado fishing/wedding trip and having not cast a single line, it suddenly dawns on me that weddings are in fact a hell of a lot of work. I thought, as best man, that I’d just get to rock up, hang out with Steve, say a small speech, drink all the beer, dance with the bridesmaids and get to fish all day. I was mistaken.

A week of rehearsals, lists, checking, stress, meetups and family reunions later and I think I’m going to die...

A plan (or plans) to fish have to be made. If I had come all this way and didn’t manage to fish, I’d regret it.

Gradually I start to drift off whenever I can. The family knows I’ll deliver

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when it matters (small speeches and beer drinking are highlights on my CV) and for everything else (cake sampling, remembering long lost cousins names), I’m a lost cause.

As the wedding week moves to different venues, I get the chance to fish different water. There are small creeks, bigger rivers I wouldn’t want to fall into in waders and Alpine lakes. A short drive in any direction and there’s world class water teeming with native trout. That was one of the major differences about fishing in Colorado as opposed to where I fish in South Africa – the trout (specifically the rainbows and brookies but not

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the browns) are indigenous, whereas our rainbows and our browns are colonial aliens desperately hanging on in their mountain redoubts. In Colorado, the geography is similar, only the pines and spruces are native there and back home in South Africa they are aliens. The fish? They belong there.

I was amazed to find sections of river with heavy pressure. I learned quickly (via spinners being lobbed at my dry fly as a guy with three mates all armed with spinning rods and a dog decided to share the same spot) that if a place has easy access to the water, it was not worth fishing there.

Finding a quiet spot was essential.

The other major difference is the fishing pressure. At home, I fish in the mountains, exploring deserted valleys with no sight of other people.

If you fish a regulated river and ever happen to encounter another angler, that will be it for the day, as they head to the beat above yours. In Colorado

Sometimes, if I shouldered my Xplorer pack and took a short hike or drove for an extra 20-minutes further around the corner, I’d find great fishable water and with that wilder fish and better fishing. Crowds are forgotten when you are knee deep in wild rainbows and brookies. Weaving

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our way through the pine and aspen forests alongside the sheer cliffs, my brother and I made our way up steep valleys sluiced by fast flowing rivers segmented by big pools, perfect for the 5-weights. There was no sign of other people apart for the single track dirt road and sign posts warning of bear and mountain lion activity. This is the fishing I was more used to back home, well except for the bears…

As the wedding weekend approached, time began to run out for my brother. Packing all our shit into the car we headed out to a ranch in the middle of nowhere to get him hitched. What this really meant was

that we were going to spend the weekend up in the mountains, away from the crowds, away from cell phone signal and wifi and away from over-priced fly shops charging $5 a fly. We were going right into the thick of it, the back country.

Arriving at our ranch, we were greeted by a gun-wielding cowboy and a sign warning of bears and rattle snakes. But more importantly, behind the old-school, wooden ranch house, was a private stream holding a very healthy population of brown trout that see very few guests because, well, trespassers will probably be shot.

Running for about five kilometers in

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“WEAVING OUR WAY THROUGH THE PINE AND ASPEN FORESTS ALONGSIDE THE SHEER CLIFFS, MY BROTHER AND I MADE OUR WAY UP STEEP VALLEYS SLUICED BY FAST FLOWING RIVERS SEGMENTED BY BIG POOLS, PERFECT FOR THE 5-WEIGHTS.”

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"Well boet, there's your single life going up in smoke."

either direction from the house, this beautiful little stream was ours for the next couple of days.

Despite being pushed and pulled in every direction by never ending wedding preparations, Steve and I still managed to get some epic sessions right on our doorstep whenever the chance presented itself. Only one last thing to get out of the way, the last day of my brother’s free life…

It’s all a blur now, but this is how I remember it. Wake up bright and early; sneak off to the river without waking anyone; catch a fish; sneak back and pretend I have been there the whole time; offer my two cents worth while everyone gets ready; clean myself and suit up. My brother and I pose awkwardly for the paparazzi; make the pilgrimage through the valley to the wedding

venue. We pose for more photos; greet guests; make small talk; find the bar. Then I stand alongside my bro as he gets hitched. I clap, drink, pose again, dance, deliver a speech, make a toast, drink more on the way home, eat a tub of Ben & Jerrys and pass out with all my clothes on.

Weddings are often over-the-top affairs. A celebration of differences and a feast of connection ridden on a wave of over-indulgence. Colorado was like that for me, but also on the fishing front. I made a pig of myself.

Day after day of browns, brookies and rainbows. Big ones, small ones, fatties and fighters. Lakes, streams and rivers. Then there was the chance to connect with my brother again - finding hidden roads and secret spots; talking kak; snoozing in hammocks; guiding each other into fish; chirping the other’s failure and

howling at our success. The sheer volume of fishable water pushed me towards life-changing day dreams.

I fantasised about staying there; going fully feral; living off the land and the fish; befriending the bears and cougars; speaking to the stars and the North wind; only occasionally turning up at my brother’s in Denver for a hot meal, to restock on tippet and to jump on the wifi.

But, as Steve and Katie awoke to their new start as a married couple, I had my own journey ahead. I had an air ticket back home to Cape Town via Germany. No doubt there’d be a complimentary zen-like conversation with a grumpy German immigration official.

Colorado won me over. I’ll be back, if not for my brother and new sister-inlaw, then at least for the trout.

DESPITE BEING PUSHED AND PULLED IN EVERY DIRECTION BY NEVER ENDING WEDDING PREPARATIONS, STEVE AND I STILL MANAGED TO GET SOME EPIC SESSIONS RIGHT ON OUR DOORSTEP WHENEVER THE CHANCE PRESENTED ITSELF. 58

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C O L O R A D O W I T H X P L O R E R F LY F I S H I N G

SHOP THE MISSION 2)

5)

3 & 4)

1)

1) Xplorer T-50-5wt fly rod 2) Xplorer Guide II 905-5wt rod 3) Xplorer Orion and XPLA II 5/7wt fly reels 4) RIO Gold and RIO Mainstream fly lines 5) Xplorer Large Silicon Insert fly box PG45) Xplorer Highland Technical pack & Deluxe wooden net with Catch n release mesh www.xplorerflyfishing.co.za W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

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JD with what he would consider a respectable adult kob and what fly anglers would estimate at being 4m long. Photo JD Filmalter 60

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THE FISHING SCIENTIST T H R O U G H A N E X T E N S I V E TA G G I N G A N D T R A C K I N G P R O G R A M M E , F I S H E R I E S S C I E N T I S T J D F I L M A LT E R A N D H I S C O L L E A G U E S K N O W M O R E A B O U T T H E S O U T H A F R I C A N S A LT WAT E R S P E C I E S W E TA R G E T THAN EVER BEFORE. FROM HOME RANGES TO STRANGE HABITS, H E R E V E A L S W H AT H E H A S L E A R N T A B O U T T H I N G S T H AT G O B L E E P I N T H E N I G H T.

By Tudor Caradoc-Davies

You get anglers and then you get fishermen.

Most of us fall into the former category. It’s recreational. We’re blue-collar or white collar, nine to fivers who fish on weekends or whenever else we can. The other kind fishes for a living many as commercial fisherman, some as scientists. One of the best of the latter bunch is JD Filmalter, aka The Fishing Scientist.

As we sit down to talk, JD fields calls from scientist mates prepping for their annual tagging research trip to Mozambique; sourcing heavy gear that will pull beast GTs away from humungous bull sharks. This is not trip-of-a-lifetime stuff for JD, it’s the norm. So was doing surveys off the armpit of West Africa as part of his degree, spooning with the crew on a Korean commercial boat for 65 days at sea. So is catching, tagging and analysing the movements of adult kob (mulloway/jewfish), leervis (garrick) and grunter (spotted dicks). This is a guy who did his Masters in the Seychelles and his PhD in France, where he studied bycatch issues in global tuna fisheries. He was brought into that programme because he knew how to catch tuna, having grown up in Simonstown where his family had a commercial boat. “I grew up fishing commercially. We would take it in turns – my brother, myself and my dad – skippering the boat and catching pole and line yellowfin and longfin.

Then I went to university, learnt about fisheries and realised that we (humans) have impacts.”

A fishy man, from a fishy place and a fishy family who studied in the fishiest corner of any university in South Africa (Rhodes University’s renowned Icthyology & Fisheries Department), JD is now based, for the most part, on the Breede River studying estuarine species. He does what he does for science, plus, obviously, he likes to fish both with lures and flies. We picked his brain on specific species, fish stocks, fish migration and more. From how destroying an estuary in Kwazulu-Natal impacts on an estuary in the Cape, to what actually qualifies as an adult kob (hint: your ‘whopper’ is actually a juvenile).

What he told us may help you understand fish better, could help you become a better angler and will, hopefully, make you think twice about keeping your catch, especially that big old breeding stock. Read on.

The Big Picture “The Largescale Movement Project is called SANCOOP (South Africa – Norway, Research co-operation) – a collaborative project between the Norwegian Institute for Nature and SAIAB (South African Institute for Aquatic Bio-diversity) where I work. We have a national array of acoustic receivers which forms part of a global array of receivers. It’s a collaborative network which allows data-sharing of animal movements beyond national borders. Our array called ATAP (Acoustic Tracking Array Platform) is run, managed and housed by SAIAB with much of the annual running expenses covered by the Save Our Seas Foundation. It runs along the coast and in many of our estuaries from the Mozambican-South African border to Hout Bay. When fish swim along our coastline we can ping them and see how they move. Our project specifically

“A FISHY MAN, FROM A FISHY PLACE AND A FISHY FAMILY WHO STUDIED IN THE FISHIEST CORNER OF ANY UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA (RHODES UNIVERSITY’S RENOWNED ICTHYOLOGY DEPARTMENT)” W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

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Photo George Filmalter

looks at the movement of adult fish of four estuarine dependent species kob, spotted grunter, leervis and white steenbras. The project is designed such that small groups of fish are tagged at different locations along the coastline ultimately giving you a large sample, but it’s spread around so you can see how the populations move.”

Science = Surprises “One of the major objectives of the adult movement programme is to look at stock separation. We’re trying to establish if we have coherent stocks of the same species along the coastline that don’t really mix. Can and should the kob in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape be managed locally or should they be managed as a single stock nationally? If they are moving along the whole coast, then they are a national stock. In theory, if fish don’t move out of a 100km region their whole lives, you can manage them locally within that range. We don’t have this information in South Africa for most of these species. The historical movement model for white steenbras for example was that in winter, the adults migrate to the Transkei and spawn there, because, traditionally from fishing information, you catch adults in the Transkei in winter and catch them in the Western Cape closer to summer. You connect the dots and go, “That’s what’s happening.”

Now, with acoustic tagging, we know they are probably separate stocks. The fish we have tagged in the Western Cape haven’t gone anywhere and the

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ones in the Eastern Cape never went anywhere either. We tagged a massive white Steenbras one year, 20kg, a prime breeding adult. Its tag was supposed to last for four years, but ended up lasting for six years and in that time it never left Algoa Bay where it was originally tagged. It means that in all likelihood it spawned in Algoa Bay during that time period.”

Getting with the programme “While I was taking a year off and spending some time at the Breede river, I offered to try and tag some kob for Dr Paul Cowley who was my supervisor throughout my studies and is now my boss at SAIAB. Through him I was exposed to the long term monitoring project using conventional tags (similar to those provided by Ocean Research Institute) being run in MPA’s and elsewhere along the South African coast, as well as acoustic tagging studies on estuarine fishes. The first year at Breede he sent me five tags and, having never really targeted kob in the river before, I was thinking, “I’ll try.” I started tagging a couple of kob and very quickly it became a lot of kob. Through all of these tagging studies that we’ve been doing, we know from looking at the data that it usually takes about 200 hours spent fishing per adult kob caught. So, for a fish of over a metre, that’s what it takes. I worked with some Breede locals and managed to get a whole bunch of fish in a few days.

Paul sent me more tags and we ended up with 30-odd fish in a short space of time, maybe two weeks. The catch per

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unit effort went from 200 hours to less than 10 hours for an adult fish. It was mind-melting stuff.”

Bragging about your giant fly-caught estuary fish? Think again…

“In this national programme of adult movement, we focus on four species – grunter, kob, white steenbras and leervis so we have tagged small batches along the coast. The minimum size that we consider for tagging is 60cm fork length for grunter, for the leeries it’s 70cm fork length, the white steenbras is 60cm and the kob was 1m. For me a small kob is under 80cm, because for an estuarine dusky kob, that’s still a juvenile.”

Kob go through a teenage stage “Their behaviour changes as they grow.

Up until about 60cm they live in the estuaries almost permanently. As they grow bigger they start to venture out to sea for short periods. It’s like teenagers; you get a bit older, start going to the odd club or party a bit further away, get a car maybe, go study somewhere away from home, travel the world. Maybe you die in a car crash or get caught… in the case of fish. Or, maybe, you live a long happy life. But home is still sweet so they do like to come back. We don’t know yet if the juveniles will return and use the same estuaries when they are adults. That’s a really long term study because it takes so long for them to go from being juveniles to becoming adults. A second phase of our project is to look at a bunch of smaller fish, 65cm70cm, that have not yet moved into the

Up close and leery with an estuary-caught leervis (garrick), the long distance travellers of South Africa’s estuarine species. Photo Nick Filmalter W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

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sea-going phase but will soon. Within the next eight years they will become adults and grow to 1,10m or 1,20m, if they are not caught before then. We’ve tagged a bunch of adults and can see what they do and how much time they spend in estuaries and we know that the babies are essentially permanently inside. This gap in our knowledge of the teenagers we will hopefully fill in the next five years.”

It’s not all fishing “I usually spend the day either tagging or crunching data from tagging. If I know I need to tag three leervis then I make a defined window of fishing time to be in a specific location at a specific time, only spending an hour or two doing it.

If I don’t get them, then I’ll go the next day. Most of my time is spent sitting at my computer. When I needed to tag a lot of leervis, my day changed and it was full day, full speed targeting and tagging big leervis. For tagging kob, it meant six hours of sleep. It was very much a job. My wife is exceptionally understanding.”

Here be dragons. And sharks.

“Our tagged fish can be detected almost everywhere. Because we have this tracking platform, everybody shares information. It’s all number codes so if something swims past that I do not know, we can go back to our central database and see what it was. In the Breede last year, I got this unfamiliar code and we discovered it was a small

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cow shark that was tagged at Robben Island. It swam all the way from there, went several kilometres up the Breede and out on the same tide. It’s the first record of a cow shark entering an estuary, ever. It was not eating, no one was catching it, so we would never have known. With this technology, one tiny layer of mystery is removed.”

That grunter giving you the middle fin yesterday? It’s still right there.

“When it comes to grunter, we’re noticing very high rates of residency. It looks like adult grunter actually seldom leave the Breede, which means that they are very likely spawning in the Western Cape, something that was not historically considered to occur. It’s highly likely that they spawn at sea or close to the sea. Grunter have surprisingly restricted home ranges within the estuary, individuals will generally only live within a few kilometres of river. It goes against what we always believed; that the grunter movement is strongly driven by the tide. That’s how we always fished for them. You catch some here, then they go off the bite and you move up a few kilometres with the pushing tide, get ahead of the fish and you catch them again. The data suggests that they actually stay in one place, in their area.

The fish you saw yesterday? It’s very likely to still be there. To date, none of the grunter or kob that we have tagged in the Breede river have gone anywhere beyond the Gouritz estuary which is 100km away.”

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Photo Rainer von Brandis

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The tags of dead fish will not show up at Ethical Eric’s Fish ‘n Chips “What happens is people gut the fish, find the tag inside and then phone us.

The way these tags work is that they are not actually transmitting the thing’s position. We have fixed receivers that listen to the tags and then we go and take the receiver out and download the information. Every time it hears a tag, it stores the time and ID of the tag in its memory. We then reconstruct the fish’s movement historically. We don’t know in real time what it’s doing, but you can see retrospectively where it went.

Grunter vs White Steenbras – Turf War It’s very difficult to target adult steenbras in the Breede River because, while

Photo Fred Davis

Leeries? Frequent flyers for the most part.

“We have a good handle on the migration patterns of leervis now.

They’re quite predictable – several of the adults we’ve tagged in the Breede go up to KwaZulu-Natal every year.

We’ve picked them up in Port Alfred, Durban Harbour, Richards Bay, Aliwal Shoal. We don’t know how they travel, whether they are traveling in-shore or coming back down the Aghulhas current, but we know that the population tends to move every year, very likely for spawning purposes in KwaZulu-Natal which is when guys catch them so heavily. It’s early days. These tags last for eight years and the whole point is to see beyond inter-annual variation. What we are trying to establish is whether they skip years. I’ve definitely observed a couple of adult-sized 75cm individuals over-wintering in the Breede. There was one that we tagged that stayed in the estuary, apart from going out to sea every now and then for a few weeks at a time. But it would come back in for a few weeks and stay in the area. I tagged it in March, it did that for the rest of the summer, through the winter, through the next summer and only then, after over a year and a half later did it migrate with a bunch of other fish. As soon as he got to Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, he was killed, less than two months after leaving the Breede.”

there are quite a lot of juveniles, which is great, the numbers of large ones coming in are so low. In the history of the Breede River, there was this change from white steenbras dominance to grunter dominance. In my father’s youth and probably to the mid 80s, the system was dominated by white steenbras and until he was about 30, he had caught only five or six grunter in the Breede, all in the 8kg range. Then it switched, the steenbras kind of disappeared and now it’s totally dominated by grunter. I think it’s probably due to a combination of factors. There was a big flood in the mid 80s in KwaZulu-Natal and also the degradation of a lot of the estuaries in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal which was primarily grunter habitat.

Lake St Lucia was a huge part of our national estuarine environment and that basically does not function any more. So with habitat loss and the co-occurring climate change the population seems to have shifted slightly. Imagine a fish’s temperature tolerance. It’s happy to a certain temperature in winter, but

maybe a one-degree change is enough to allow the fish to over-winter further south. Just enough. We are definitely seeing changes in water temperatures.”

Dorado in Knysna lagoon, Wahoo off Cape Point – expect to see more odd catches “Certain species are showing up in strange places. With things like climate change and environmental changes, you do get these fish moving in a more systematic way. On the East Coast more sub-tropical species are coming further south. Dorado are in Knysna lagoon and off Cape Point. My dad caught a wahoo off Cape Point. Lizard fish and tropical yellowtail are caught in the Breede river every now and then. Fifty years ago that was very, very unlikely but now there’s a couple every year. With those pelagic species, that’s because of currents and pockets of warm water holding together.

Think of a nice piece of warm blue water with some flying fish in it - that wahoo was just sitting in it, he doesn’t know where he is. If it’s warm around

“WHEN IT COMES TO GRUNTER, WE’RE NOTICING VERY HIGH RATES OF RESIDENCY. IT LOOKS LIKE ADULT GRUNTER ACTUALLY SELDOM LEAVE THE BREEDE, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY ARE VERY LIKELY SPAWNING IN THE WESTERN CAPE” W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

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him, he just hangs out. If it gets cold, he’ll try and go somewhere else. My friend’s grandfather lived in Kommetjie and over the course of his lifetime I think he found five or six seriously big black marlin washed up on Noordhoek beach. Those are fish coming down in the current, hitting the upwelling and then freaking out and dying from the cold shock.”

So you want to keep a big fish?

Don’t. Ever.

“Look at the whole red steenbras debacle. Recreational anglers took the Department of Fisheries and Forestry to court and had the ban on catching red steenbras turned around. You are now allowed to keep red steenbras whereas, for a few years, you were not allowed to. One of their arguments was that lots of red steenbras are still caught in certain areas, so therefore the species is not in bad shape. A scientist from UCT countered that a fish stock is only considered to be truly at pristine levels when you start catching adults at the extremes of its range. Massive red steenbras used to be caught off Rooikrantz and off Kalk Bay harbour or Cape Town pier, before there was a harbour. When we see that again, then the stocks are healthy. But that’s not happening at all. You’d need a ban of 30 years, because the adults are so old.

People fail to understand how slowly our fish grow and if you take an adult red steenbras out, it’s going to take that amount of time for one of its offspring to grow to that size and take its place.

The same goes for kob. One of the first fish we tagged out of the Breede was 147cm which is about a 38kg fish, between 25 and 35 years old. The growth curve, especially for kob is really clear. As a juvenile it’s quite steady each year until they get to maturity at about 1m. Then it flattens out. Every kilo a fish puts on takes that much longer and the bigger you are, the longer it takes, so the really big fish have almost stopped growing. Maybe a centimetre a year. The 170-175cm fish are very old, around 4550 years. The oldest kob that came out of an aging study in the mid-90s was 42 and that was about 165cm which is not even the max length, of around 180cm.

Some people want to keep and kill stuff and no matter what you do, no matter

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how much evidence you give them, they just can’t change. It’s easier to change the younger generation that has more exposure to information. We are seeing a big change in attitudes. The worldview that the sea holds an infinite bounty is no longer true. It wasn’t true back then, we just didn’t know it. The problem is that advances in technology is enabling us to catch fish more easily. It can give the impression that there is a constant supply of fish. You are still catching the same numbers that you used to. But you don’t realise that now you know when to go and where to do it whereas 20 years ago you didn’t have a clue “ Catch limits – Blessed are those who experience growth spurts “Currently we have minimum size limits so you are encouraged to catch bigger fish and let all the small ones go, but what that does, in a heavily fished population, is that it removes the fastest growing fish, the ones that get to size first. You’re slowly leaching the genetic pool that is promoting fast growth. If you put a maximum size limit, you do exactly the opposite. Because your fish will all be growing towards a maximum size, the ones that get there first are the first ones safe and will spend the longest time in the protected zone so you are taking out the slow-growing genes in the fishery. It means the size of individuals in your population will, over time, be bigger and get bigger faster. Because you protect your adults and your fastgrowers, your population is better able to handle extraction pressure and removals. Your big ones are producing exponentially more eggs and there’s lots of them so you’re getting huge recruitment every year.”

Shallow Advantage “For work I use lures or bait, but fly fishing can definitely be more effective than lure fishing under certain times and conditions. When the water is too shallow, a topwater lure scares grunter.

You can’t approach a fish or get it near enough to them without them freaking out, but a fly you can sneak up on them and they’ll eat.”

Myth-busters of the Breede “Going into this dedicated study on the Breede, there were popular beliefs among the local fishermen about how

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the kob behave. They were convinced that the fish came into the estuary to spawn. The guys with old knowledge also believed that at the end of winter the fish come into the estuary and swim far upriver. Sometimes, under certain conditions they would come down, eat a bit and be exposed to the guys fishing.

A few would be caught and, the theory was, that they would then disappear back up river, spawn there and then at the end of summer with the first rains, the fish would get pushed out again. As they passed through the low reaches,

Photo Ewan Naude

some would get caught and the rest would go to sea and be gone for winter.

This belief was passed down over many generations. All of the established estuarine research suggested that most fish don’t spawn and can’t spawn in estuaries, but we went in open to hearing these theories. The fishermen were adamant that this is what they did.

The fish are caught up there, with giant ovaries and the males squirting sperm, they are up there to spawn! After the first few months it was very clear that the fish don’t do that at all. They spend a

very short amount of time in the estuary and they come in and out at their own will. The ones that were caught up river just happened to be caught there while visiting the estuary. It was a human interpretation of what you are seeing.

“Most of what we know, even as fisheries scientists and as a fishing community, is based on fish that want to eat, because you have to catch them to know they are there. But, the fish does not necessarily want to eat all the time and that’s where we lose out. Because we can’t see them,

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the belief is, “I’m not catching fish here so, obviously, there are no fish here.”

There are fish right there, they just don’t want to eat. Acoustic tracking allows you into their world throughout their entire lives, not just when feeding. Whole ideas can be turned on their heads, which is amazing. Those old Breede families still know a lot, but it’s more the when and the where, not the reasons why. This is the beauty of the kind of work that we do. It’s a window into a world you can’t observe as humans.”

Follow JD (IG:@the_fishing_scientist)

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S A LT

IT’S ONLY ROCK & SURF …

(BUT I LIKE IT) COLD, WINDY AND INCONSISTENT, WESTERN CAPE SALTWATER FLY FISHING IS NEITHER FOR THE FLAKEY NOR THE FAINT OF HEART. WITHIN IT, THERE ARE SUB-DIVISIONS OF DIFFICULTY. A STEP-UP FROM THE CALM OF THE ESTUARIES IS THE CHAOS OF ROCK AND SURF FLY FISHING. IT TAKES EXPERIENCE, PERSISTENCE AND DETERMINATION TO GET IT RIGHT, BUT THE MYRIAD SPECIES ROCK AND SURF OFFERS UP TO THE HARDY FLY RODDER, WILL MAKE YOU FORGET EVERY BLANK DAY.

By Conrad Botes Photos: Conrad Botes, Andre van Wyk

You get two types of saltwater fly fishermen in my neck of the woods; those who fish exclusively in rivers and estuaries, and those who fish in the ocean as well.

I belong to the latter. It’s like hanging with a bunch of anarchist punks - The Salty Dogs, The Brine Maggots, The Rock & Surf Squad - content at operating outside the flow, redrawing the rules of what should and should not be possible with a fly rod. Come summer or winter, rain or shine, you’ll find these crazies trekking miles and miles on foot to find un-spoilt water, spending the better part of a day or night being slapped around in the surf only to return home having caught nada. Wading a sand bar at low tide knowing full well you’ll be washed off and left swimming with all your gear when the tide turns? Par for the course. Sharky, offshore reef at night in a float tube?

Bring it. Negotiating a boulder field in the surf after dark?

Sure, it’s slippery as all hell, but if it offers up a shot at a decent fish, we’ll head-bang our way through it.

This is not light music, my friend, nor a recording studio with second takes and soundproof rooms. It’s the live gig; a rough, raw distortion of the senses.

Compared to the trippy jazz of estuary fishing, immersing yourself in the surf zone is like jumping into the mosh pit of the fly fishing world.

Why choose difficult water with less chance of catching fish, you might wonder? Why not stick to estuaries where locating fish and reading conditions are much easier?

Maybe it’s because I grew up with my ass in a tidal pool, because the first fish I ever caught at the age of three was with a hand line in a gully. Maybe it’s because my dad and

fishing mentor spent season after season teaching me the secrets and intricacies of rock and surf fishing. From him and his kind I learned the subtle science of reading water, taking note of which wind was blowing and pushing the warmer water into the inshore zone. Maybe it’s because I understood from early on that murky ginger-beer water from an onshore wind was much preferred over the lifeless clear water that a brisk offshore wind brings.

Perhaps it’s because I tried spearfishing as a laaitjie* and became very familiar with how fish behave underwater in gullies and around reefs. Where they hold, how they feed and which species like to hang out with each other, like the big white musselcracker that often follow a group of galjoen around.

It could be that because I developed a keen understanding for the finer mechanics of inshore currents and how the tides work after being a life saver during the second last summer of high school. And the fact that tides, the wind, trying to pick up girls and summers were always rolled into one eternal unfathomable puzzle. Perhaps it’s because I hated playing rugby at school and chose surfing instead, spending every free minute on the beach, year after year. It could be because I went to a specific university because of its proximity to a certain surf spot, rather than its academic merits and it was there, as I discovered Rock & Roll that I gave each of my favourite breaks a theme song. Maybe it’s because when years later I eventually graduated with that MA in Fly Fishing, it was to a Rock & Surf song.

Or, it could be that deep down, when life gives me a choice, I prefer chaos to calm.

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THE LINEUP KOB The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child The headline act and probably the most sought after inshore species along our coastline, kob (aka, kabeljou, mulloway or jewfish) are by far the largest of the bony fishes to be found along our coast, growing to lengths in excess of 180cm and 75kg.

In the Western Cape we target two species of kob; the silver kob, Argyrosomus Inodorus, is the dominant species west of Cape Agulhas, while to the east dusky kob, Argyrosomus Japonicus, rule the roost. Fly anglers familiar with the reefs in False Bay have in recent years learned a lot about silver kob and where to catch them. Targeting inshore reefs and gullies, it’s possible to catch tallies of close to ten fish in a session, which is pretty impressive for kob. But what they have in numbers, they unfortunately lack in size; the biggest that we’ve ever caught were around 65cm. The largest of all kob species, dusky kob are that mega band with huge specimens caught in very shallow inshore surf on beaches and over the bricks by conventional anglers.

We normally focus our efforts in shallow water behind the shorebreak on beaches and on the bricks, specifically at dusk and dawn, but they often hold in holes and gutters close to shore on sandy beaches.

Most streamer patterns will work for kob and in my opinion delivering the fly to where the fish are holding is more important than choice of pattern. That said, my most successful fly patterns for this species are silicone mullets, DMAs (Dropshot My Ass) and SpongeBobs.

LEERVIS Led Zeppelin - When the levee breaks.

Like many fly fishermen that I know, the first saltwater fish that I ever caught on fly was a leervis/garrick, or leerie as it’s known in the Cape. But unlike most, mine wasn’t captured in the calm of an estuary, but from the rocky boulder field surf zone next to Struisbaai harbour. It’s a magnificent species to target, especially in the surf. Known for their aggressive chases and spectacular smashing of topwater patterns, in my experience leeries must be the strongest fighters of our inshore species.

Hook an 80cm+ leerie (a trophy on fly) and watch the levee break. Goodbye backing. You’ll find them backstage in bays and big shallow gullies protected by outer banks and barrier reefs. They are often found laying up in the calm water of these backwaters, waiting for the incoming tide to access the shallow reefs, beaches and shelves where they hunt mullet and other baitfish. Some of my favourite fishing has been sight casting to laid-up leeries, basking on the surface with their dorsal and tail fins out the water. Silicone Mullets and Flippers in size 4/0 are considered the best patterns for these fish.

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ELF Red Hot Chilli Peppers – One Big Mob Master fly tyer, Bob Popovics, designed his famous pattern, The Surf Candy, with one specific characteristic in mind: to withstand the onslaught of elf (bluefish) and not get shredded the moment it comes in contact with their gnashers. They are aggressive, they are fast and they have razor sharp teeth.

Unfortunately, due to decades of over-exploitation, today our elf fishery is a far cry from what it used to be and catching a trophy specimen is rare. Yet, despite the fact that our bluefish, as they are known in the US, are generally on the small side, catching them when they are around in good numbers is very exciting. Like a pissed off mob of psyched-up teenagers, they will smash anything that crosses their path. They will venture very close inshore to annihilate bait behind the shorebreak. Streamers all the way, but use synthetics when tying as they will shred your bucktail on the first bite.

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Foo Fighters – I’ll Stick Around At first we thought of wildeperd as the bonus track you might get when you are fishing for blacktail. But, while similar, they are a stand-alone act. More difficult to entice, despite the fact that there are often large numbers of them to be seen on the flats, they are also more desirable to catch than blacktail. Prettier, generally bigger and they fight. Hard. As time passed and we spent more time fishing for wildeperd, we started learning more about their habits and the way they moved on the flats with the tides. They now have their own place in the lineup of viable target species and we target them at specific spots on certain tidal cycles.

GEELBEK Metallica – The Call of Ktulu Ask any experienced saltwater fisherman and they will tell you that catching a geelbek, aka Cape salmon, on fly, from the shore is downright impossible. It’s statements like these that gets Jimmy Eagleton’s adrenalin going. When he decides to catch something in a certain way, he won’t stop until he’s cracked it.

I like the fact that you find both species in different terrain.

You’ll catch them in deep gullies and when the tide pushes over shallow flats, you’ll see them tailing like grunter. While Steve Austins are their kryptonite, they’ll smash a variety of flies. Hell, I’ve even caught blacktail on Gurglers and 4/0 SpongeBobs! But the thing I like most is the fact that they are such an eager species. I loved taking my brother Herman to my favourite blacktail spot and, in his first ever surf session, watching him catch more than 20 fish on a 5-weight in just three hours.

I got an excited call from Jimmy late one evening telling me that he had just caught his first ever geelbek on a DMA in some remote part of our unforgiving West Coast. It generated quite a bit of hype in our circle of salty fly dogs, but the unspoken sentiment was that it was a fluke not to be repeated. A few of us, myself included, even trekked up the West Coast and joined Jimmy on his nocturnal missions in the hope of catching one, but to no avail. As if Jimmy could read our minds, he set out to prove us wrong, and it wasn’t long before he repeated this impressive feat.

Geelbek, on fly, at night, on foot, off the bricks.

BLACKTAIL & WILDEPERD Nirvana - Smells like teen spirit.

Like that first band that reveals an entire genre to you, blacktail opened up rock and surf fishing for me, so they should actually be top of the list. They rock. Hard.

Through blacktail I discovered that you can actually catch fish on fly, on foot and in the surf, every month of the year. By targeting these hard-fighting, eager fly eaters, I learned that there are other species to be caught, like its grungy sidekick, wildeperd (aka zebra fish). It was through targeting blacktail that I discovered new spots where I also caught kob, leervis and elf.

“ASK ANY EXPERIENCED SALTWATER FISHERMAN AND THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT CATCHING A GEELBEK, AKA CAPE SALMON, ON FLY, FROM THE SHORE IS DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE.” W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

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SANTER Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around Santer is the kind of fish that you’ve heard of before, but if someone asked you to describe it or where to fish for it, you wouldn’t know where to start. Like Johnny Cash for me. I knew of him, but didn’t really know his music until I listened to an album. I liked it and then some. In no time, I was hooked.

Before Aidan de Jager started catching santer consistently a few years ago, I didn’t know it was possible to target this species regularly. Six months ago we spent a weekend pursuing them along with blacktail and other inshore stuff.

We only got one santer that weekend, but the fact that Jannie Visser set out to pin one and succeeded, proved that it’s a species that can be targeted. They like deep gullies and rocky ledges. Don’t be shy with fly size. They have an appetite for big streamers so DMA’s, clousers and silicone mullets will get the job done. Did I mention they pull like hell?

BRONZE BREAM The Velvet Underground - Heroin Bronze bream are the latest addition to the species we have discovered worth targeting in the Western Cape. At first we didn’t know what they were. They show up as bright blue fish in very shallow flats terrain, and are fairly skittish and difficult to approach. We even speculated (and hoped)

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that they were white musselcracker. Then, while fishing on my own, I came close enough to a group to identify them.

I spent the entire pushing tide chasing them but got no interest from them whatsoever. Just before I packed it in I thought that one had had an aggressive go at my fly. But I wrote it off and decided that they’re near impossible to catch on fly. A couple of months later I was back at the same place with Mike Gradidge. I showed him the blue fish and explained that they showed no interest. Like me, Mike started chasing them like mad. I kind of felt sorry for him, knowing that they don’t eat flies. That was, I felt sorry for him until he presented a Steve Austin Blacktail fly to a cruising bream and got it to flat out inhale the fly. After that I was just jealous. Determined to catch one myself.

Hooked. Like heroin.

SANTER IS THE KIND OF FISH THAT YOU’VE HEARD OF BEFORE, BUT IF SOMEONE ASKED YOU TO DESCRIBE IT OR WHERE TO FISH FOR IT, YOU WOULDN’T KNOW WHERE TO START.

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WHITE MUSSELCRACKER That one act you’ll almost never catch This fish is like that band that you’ve always been dreaming about seeing live: Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, David Bowie.

You’ve spent hours trawling the internet for a possible performance date and tickets… nothing. Dream on buddy, it’s never going to happen. And then a friend returns from an overseas trip and tells you he saw them perform in an intimate little club somewhere, for one night only.

This happened to me two years ago when Mike Gradidge and I were fishing for kob off the bricks. It was dark, with a few kobbies on the scoreboard, when we decided to call it a night. “Let’s give it five more minutes,” was Mike’s reply.

On possibly his last cast for the evening, Mike’s silicone mullet got eaten by what, at first, we thought was a big kob. Eventually I caught sight of it and almost shat in my waders when I realised he was about to land a white musselcracker.

It’s probably safe to say that this is not a species that you can set out to target and expect to catch regularly. But the fact

that our buddy, August Lohann, went out two nights after Mike caught the first mussel cracker and pinned another one of the same size, proves that anything is possible.

There’s always a wildcard element. You never know what you might connect to next with rock and surf fishing.

BACKSTAGE PASS Don’t ask me how to get into the golden circle. When it comes to secret spots, we all have them and we all love them. With a coastline as long as ours, there are plenty of spots for everyone. The best thing about secret spots is that you can keep on discovering new ones, sometimes right in the open and in plain sight.

That doesn’t mean it will be easy, it won’t.

It’s hard, it’s cold and it’s mean with its bounty.

It’s only rock and surf.

But I like it. * Young ‘un

“DON’T ASK ME HOW TO GET INTO THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. WHEN IT COMES TO SECRET SPOTS, WE ALL HAVE THEM AND WE ALL LOVE THEM. WITH A COASTLINE AS LONG AS OURS, THERE ARE PLENTY OF SPOTS FOR EVERYONE.” W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

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L AT ES T R E L E A S ES

THE SALAD BAR

PATAGONIA - MLC 45 You’d be forgiven if you bypassed this briefcase-looking bag on your way to browsing Patagonia’s other more extremelooking packs and slings. The MLC 45 - the MLC stands for Maximum Legal Carry-on – is one of those subtle products that could change the way you travel. On a recent trip to Gabon, we had the pleasure of arguing in broken French with an air hostess about our precious fishing day-packs which were doubling as carry-on luggage. They’d been deemed an inch or so too large for a domestic flight. Now, if we’d had Patagonia’s MLC 45, we might still have lost the argument, but we would have been right. And sometimes, that makes you feel a little better about losing at life. Capable of carrying three to five days’ worth of clothes, the MLC 45 sports multiple pockets for separating clothes from shoes, travel docs and electronic crap.

Wear it over the shoulder, carry it briefcase style or pull out the hidden straps and wear it as a backpack. And it’s soft so you CAN stuff it into the overhead bins. Take that mademoiselle! www.flyfishing.co.za, www.patagonia.com

FISHPOND – BURRITO WADER BAG We can just imagine the conversation at Fishpond HQ. “Er…Will?”

“Yes, Ben?” “What should we name our new wader bag?”

“Hmmm, looks like a burrito.”

“Yep. Write that down.”

“Wanna grab some lunch?”

Perfect for keeping your soggy waders, boots and pack away from the pristine interior of your car (assuming your car does not smell as though a hobo lives in it like ours does), the Burrito features a built-in roll-out changing mat for that awkward hopping transition from wading gear to civilian togs.

Closing with the pull of a cord, this simple, all-encompassing bag manages your mess. Just remember to empty it out later. www.frontierflyfishing.co.za, www.fishpondusa.com

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I N F O @ T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

REDINGTON – CRUX ROD “The best rod we’ve ever built,” should be all you need to know about how highly Redington rate the Crux. From increased connectivity between the tip, middle and lower sections, to their Angled Key Grip pre-condensed cork material designed to reduce hand fatigue and increase durability, to the Line Speed Taper that gives you both short and mid-range confidence as well as the balls for extreme distance, this sexy-looking, fast-action rod gets right to the…er…crux of what a good rod needs to do. And yes, there’s a lifetime warranty too.

Available from 3-weight to 10-weight. www.xplorerflyfishing.com, www.redington.com

HODGMAN – AIRPRENE GUARD SOCK In some parts of the world, it’s waders 24-7, no matter the season. In other (more fortunate parts of the world), you get to wet wade a lot. Hodgman’s Gravel Guard Airprene Socks keep your feet warm while wading in cold water when it’s baking hot above water (the mountain kloofs of the Western Cape come to mind). With an anatomic stocking foot fit, these socks sport Airprene along the base of the foot to ensure quick drying and water-drainage (and fewer dead orca odours in your car).

They also have a built-in gravel guard. Hodgman say “guard sock” or “gators”; we say allday stokies for the modern fly fisherman. www.flyfishing.co.za, www.hodgman.com

SIMMS – CAMO FLASK We drink when we’re happy (celebrations over landing whoppers), we drink when we’re sad (soulful drizzing over the loss of a fish or melting ice caps) and sometimes we just drink because it’s the last Tuesday of the week. If your heart has cockles (whatever they are) and those cockles need warming on the water, this spiffy Simms flask is just the receptacle to carry the hooch that will bring the heat. www.frontierflyfishing.co.za, www.simmsfishing.com

SIMMS – GUIDE PLIER Some things you can skimp on, others you can’t, like pliers. Quality pliers will save the day time and again (de-barbing hooks, testing that Improved Homer Rhode Loop, removing flies from your ear lobe etc.), whereas cheap ones will eventually let you down when you need them most (rusting shut, the grip slipping, failure to cut). With corrosion-resistant stainless steel jaws, a tungsten carbide blade, anodised aluminium arms, a bottle opener with a bevelled edge for tightening knots, a holster and a leash, in these Simms Guide Pliers you’ve got an essential tool for a lifetime of hard fishing. www.frontierflyfishing.co.za, www.simmsfishing.com

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THE SALAD BAR ORVIS – HELIOS 3D 5-WEIGHT

HOWLER BROS – BANDANA TWO-PACK

Helios is the sun-god and if he fished, this, the 5-weight in Orvis’s new Helios 3 range, would have been his stick.

When it comes to casting, Orvis cannot account for certain variables (how crap you are, the trees behind you, the wind etc). However, with this rod, they reckon that regardless of what’s going on behind you (e.g. Bigfoot humping a grizzly), the energy of your forward cast is “crisply released through a tight window created by the most significant reduction in horizontal and vertical tip frequency ever conceived.” They also call it “a rifle in a world of muskets.” Translation: incredible accuracy and all the power you could ever need. Sun’s out, guns out! www.flyfishing.co.za, www.orvis.com

Can your face mask make your dog look like a shmodel pooch? Can you pick up a hot skillet with it? Blow your nose with it? Mop your brow after schwitzing on the flats?

Didn’t think so. We see your face mask and we raise you these old-school bandanas from Howler Bros. Just don’t call them hankies. $28, howlerbros.com

YELLOWTAIL – BRUSH FLY HARDY – DEMON ROD Hardy does not really do ‘entry level,’ so to put it another way, this is their most ‘accessible’ range of rods. Easyloading with a high recovery, like an amiable teenager moving furniture, the Demon is based on the Sintrix 330 blank construction, giving you a very well-balanced, highperformance rod that does it all from technical small stream work to nymphing, long distance casting and grunt work in the salt. What’s demonic about that? Available from Mavungana Flyfishing in size 5, 6, 7 and 9, covering the weight spectrum of fat trout to largemouth yellowfish and respectable saltwater opposition. www.flyfishing.co.za, www.hardyfishing.com

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If you live near the Western Cape of South Africa, then you’re in luck as we approach yellowtail (aka Kingies) season. Richard Wale at Big Catch Fly has been churning out these simple yet lethal flies as the big schools get active off Cape Point and Robben Island. Big Catch Fly also stocks a wide variety of custom flies like Floating Turds and G-Route Shrimps for local species like grunter, as well as a full range of flats flies for those tropical bucket list trips. bigcatch.co.za

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I N F O @ T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

TAYLOR - ENIGMA ESD REEL

THE LINEUP

We like Taylor (www.taylorflyfishing.com), mainly because they remind us of ourselves. A plucky startup originally launched off Kickstarter, Taylor make great quality rods and reels at affordable prices. Take the Enigma ESD. Built with an unsealed drag that gives you many of the desired qualities of a sealed drag, the Enigma ESD (which stands for exterior sealed drag) is a hybrid somewhere between a sealed and unsealed reel. Machined from aerospace 6061 T6 Bar Stock Aluminum with a large arbor design for a fast retrieve, the Enigma converts easily to both left and right hand retrieves, features multiple O-rings to seal the drag from water and other kak and has a powerful carbon fiber disk drag system that will handle behemoth fish and protect your lighter tippets. It also looks mighty schweet. Available in 2-4, 4-6 and 6-8-weights from R2850 at www.justflyfishingsa.com

AIRFLO – COLD WATER SALT INTERMEDIATE 35 - 40 yard casts with 6/0 hooks, 10-inch wire trace and fly dressings as heavy as your mum’s budgie?

There’s a reason Airflo’s Coldwater Intermediate has always been the Holy Grail of Western Cape saltwater fly lines. Fortunately, there’s a new improved range and it’s in plentiful supply at Big Catch. bigcatch.co.za CORTLAND – TROUT BOSS As in gaming, a fish that truly tests your skills is THE BOSS which is why Cortland’s new Trout Boss Floating line talks to us. Built a full-size heavy, this line’s 35’ head helps load fast-action rods and increase line speed. With a complex new taper, thinner core and a new heat-tempered surface treatment, it’s quick-loading, high floating and easy-casting, allowing you to boss the boss. bigcatch.co.za

REDINGTON - RISE 3 REEL All rise! What’s got a large arbor, a compact carbon fibre drag system, quick release spool, a lightweight design, softtouch handles, an oversized drag knob and is about to raise your game? Correct, your honour. With its smooth fish-stopping torque, the new anodised aluminium Rise 3 reel from Redington is feature-rich, available in sizes 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 and 9/10 and comes with a lifetime warranty. www.xplorerflyfishing.com, www.redington.com

RIO – PERMIT LINE Rio Permit sounds like the equivalent of a Vegas Pink Slip, but this line comes with no regrets. With an easy-casting taper that loads at close range, yet gives you the juice for distance, the line’s weight distribution and front taper reduces impact on the water. That means more ghost crab less crab curry, as careful presentation helps you avoid spooking the wary tailing teasers of the flats. www. xplorerflyfishing.com, www.rioproducts.com

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THE SALAD BAR

TONIC SUNGLASSES One of Australia’s bigger fishing sun glasses brands, Tonic polarised eyewear is just the tonic if you are looking for that in-between price zone – not too pricey, not too cheap. With decentred lenses that cut glare without losing clarity, users can see straight ahead, up, down and peripherally without any optical distortion. Need a hero to peg them on? Try Merve Hughes, the legendary handle-bar moustachioed Australian fast bowler who now has his own fishing show.

Our selection? The Torquay frame in a photo-chromic copper lens. Each pair comes with a 12 month new-forold warranty. From R2 395 www.xplorerflyfishing.com, www.toniceyewear.com.au

MAUI JIM – CHEE HOO! Who? Chee Hoo, that’s who. We’re excited about 2018 so the Hawaiian slang meaning something along the lines of “yeehaw”, “yahoo” or “whoop whoop”, is, we feel, an appropriate name for one of Maui Jim’s new frames.

A classic, rectangular-shaped lightweight acetate frame, combined with their patented SuperThin Glass lenses, gives you a bloody good-looking pair of shades for duty both on and off the water. Of the four colour/lens options available, our selection would be the HCL Bronze lens which is versatile in changing conditions. mauijim.com

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FISHPOND – THUNDERHEAD SUBMERSIBLE LUMBAR PACK If you’re neither a backpack fan, nor a sling or chest-pack aficionado (never mind those lanyard minimalists), then by a simple process of elimination it’s likely you’re a lumbar pack fan. If you are also the kind of angler who gets wet a lot chasing fish downstream, fjording deep pools or simply falling in from time to time – then you should seriously consider the Fishpond Thunderhead Submersible Lumbar Pack. This thing is fully waterproof. That’s thanks to the bag’s airtight closure system and the TIZIP waterproof, submersible zipper. From your camera, to fly boxes and your lunch, there’s 10-litres to fill. And, unlike your Christmas feasting, it sits on the hips in all the right ways, ably assisted by a shoulder strap with tool and accessory attachments. www.frontierflyfishing.co.za, www.fishpondusa.com

SIMMS – FISH SKINS BOTTLE OPENER BELTS A belt that opens beers. Whatever will they think of next? Shoelaces that do your tax? Once you get past the awkwardness of aiming bottles at your midriff (and ban all pelvic thrusting around that move), you have an accessory to alcohol. Guilty your honour. www.frontierflyfishing. co.za, www.simmsfishing.com

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GET TRIPPY

Big C a exclu tch Fly a G.Lo sive stoc re the omis kists of fly us an d che rods. Vis it ck ou new of ro Asquith r t the ds an NRX as well a ge , Cro s the GLX s and t sCurrent he IM X Pro rang es.

LOOKING TO CATCH CAPE STREAM TROUT? HOW ABOUT GRUNTER, KOB, LEERVIS, SAND SHARKS, SKIPPIES, YELLOWTAIL AND YELLOWFIN TUNA? WITH BIG CATCH FLY YOU CAN GET STUCK INTO THE BEST THE WESTERN CAPE HAS TO OFFER! Sometimes, the best things in life are right under your nose, like the variety of incredible fishing the Western Cape has to offer. From freshwater to saltwater, this is our backyard and the team at Big Catch Fly knows their way around it. From chasing stunning small stream trout in the mountains of the Western Cape to stalking the estuary systems for sand sharks, kob, grunter and more, to heading offshore for skippies, yellowtail and yellowfin tuna – our team of professional guides knows exactly how to get you in to fish.

ODYSSEY FLY FISHING

Contact Richard Wale on 0840706728 to plan a trip, tackle up with the freshest gear and get out there! Can’t get to the shop? Visit our online store www.bigcatch.co.za instead and enjoy national delivery on your online purchases.

Stockists of: Patagonia bags, Cortland Lines, Costa sunglasses, Flyzinc flies, Varivas leader material and a whole lot more.

www.bigcatch.co.za / Contact Richard Wale on 084 070 6728

M U S T H AV ES

PAYDAY

ABEL REELS – JOHNNY CASH Do you need a larnie, limited edition Johnny Cash reel? No. Will it make you fish any better? No. Will it tickle some deeply satisfying nerve buried in your soul that links the pleasures of fly fishing with that of great music; that bliss-point of exhilaration, exultation and peace? Quite possibly.

Abel’s Limited Edition Johnny Cash reel (which should have been named The Reel In Black), is based on the detail of the legendary star’s D-35 guitar silhouette and comes in two sizes (5/6 and 7/8) in the Super Series model. Only 250 were made and each is individually serialised so, assuming you have the Pat Cash to spare, you’d better move quickly or be prepared to horse trade on the online forums. $1355 abelreels.com

ROCK THE BOAT – GESTALTEN Always dreamed of that place in the mountains? How about that place on the water where exploration and a new morning view are part of the package? If you’ve ever fantasised about selling everything and moving to your favourite waterway to fish away your days, Gestalten’s new book on moveable homes will talk to you.

From the lake dwellers of Kashmir to architectural wonders, floating saunas and DIY rafts where you get to live out your Huck Finn dream, the possibilities of what qualifies as a houseboat only stop short of including a float tube. Sorry. €39,90.

Shop.gestalten.com

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吀䠀䔀 唀䰀吀䤀䴀䄀吀䔀 䘀䰀夀 䘀䤀匀䠀䤀一䜀 嘀䔀䠀䤀䌀䰀䔀 䠀䄀嘀䔀 䘀䰀夀 刀伀䐀匀Ⰰ 圀䤀䰀䰀 吀刀䄀嘀䔀䰀㼀 圀䤀吀䠀 䄀䰀唀ⴀ䌀䄀䈀ᤠ匀 嘀䔀䠀䤀䌀䰀䔀 䄀䌀䌀䔀匀匀伀刀䤀䔀匀 刀䄀一䜀䔀Ⰰ 夀伀唀刀 䈀䄀䬀䬀䤀䔀 伀刀 㐀堀㐀 䌀䄀一 䈀䔀 吀刀䄀一匀䘀伀刀䴀䔀䐀 䤀一吀伀 吀䠀䔀 䘀䰀夀 䘀䤀匀䠀䤀一䜀 䌀䄀䈀 夀伀唀ᤠ嘀䔀 䄀䰀圀䄀夀匀 圀䄀一吀䔀䐀⸀ 圀攀ᤠ爀攀 琀愀氀欀椀渀最㨀

ⴀ 氀漀挀欀愀戀氀攀 搀爀愀眀攀爀猀 昀漀爀 礀漀甀爀 爀漀搀猀Ⰰ 爀攀攀氀猀Ⰰ ˻礀 琀礀椀渀最 洀愀琀攀爀椀愀氀猀 愀渀搀 洀漀爀攀 猀漀 礀漀甀 挀愀渀 猀眀椀琀挀栀 昀爀漀洀 猀愀氀琀 琀漀 昀爀攀猀栀 愀渀搀 戀愀挀欀 愀最愀椀渀 眀椀琀栀漀甀琀 攀瘀攀爀 栀愀瘀椀渀最 琀漀 最漀 栀漀洀攀 愀渀搀 最攀琀 礀漀甀爀 漀琀栀攀爀 爀椀最猀⸀ ⴀ 爀漀漀昀 琀攀渀琀猀 愀渀搀 挀愀渀漀瀀椀攀猀 眀椀氀氀 爀攀猀甀氀琀 椀渀 洀漀爀攀 洀攀 ǻ猀栀椀渀最 愀渀搀 氀攀猀猀 洀攀 猀攀攀渀最 甀瀀 挀愀洀瀀⸀ ⴀ 愀 猀氀椀搀攀 漀甀琀 昀爀椀搀最攀 昀漀爀 琀栀漀猀攀 ǻ猀栀 漀昀 愀 氀椀昀攀 洀攀 挀攀氀攀戀爀愀琀漀爀礀 戀攀攀爀猀⸀

愀氀甀ⴀ挀愀戀⸀挀漀洀 愀渀搀 挀栀漀漀猀攀 昀爀漀洀 漀甀爀 爀愀渀最攀 漀昀 猀琀愀渀搀愀爀搀 瀀爀漀搀甀挀琀猀 琀栀愀琀 挀愀渀 戀攀 挀漀洀戀椀渀攀搀 琀漀 挀爀攀愀琀攀 礀漀甀爀 嘀椀猀椀琀 愀氀甀ⴀ 瀀攀爀昀攀挀琀 䘀氀礀ⴀ䘀椀猀栀椀渀最 爀椀最⸀

䌀漀渀琀愀挀琀 䄀氀甀ⴀ䌀愀戀 愀琀 眀眀眀⸀愀氀甀ⴀ挀愀戀⸀挀漀洀

䠀攀愀搀 伀ϻ挀攀㨀 䌀愀瀀攀 吀漀眀渀 吀攀氀㨀 ⬀㈀㜀 ㈀㄀ 㜀 ㌀ ㌀ ㈀㠀 焀甀攀爀椀攀猀䀀愀氀甀ⴀ挀愀戀⸀挀漀⸀稀愀

㐀 刀攀愀搀 刀漀愀搀Ⰰ 伀伀攀爀礀 䔀愀猀琀 㜀㠀 Ⰰ 䌀愀瀀攀 吀漀眀渀Ⰰ 匀漀甀琀栀 䄀昀爀椀挀愀

SHORTCASTS M E Z CA L T O WA K E T H E D E A D, C H A M P I O N C I GA R S , F LY F L I C K S , FA C T S A N D M O R E BORE YOUR FRIENDS with facts about fly fishing fungi. Tinder Fungus is not something you get from swiping right too many times with the wrong people (e.g. our art director Brendan Body). It is in fact another name, for Amadou (Fomes fomentarius for the latin freaks), the stuff you use to dry your flies. And, as the name might suggest, if you’re up shit creek and desperately need to start a fire, Tinder fungus is very useful on that front too.

WATCH THREE RUNS – FLY FISHING ESCAPISM trailer. From Stephan Gian Dombaj and the crew at Fly Fishing, comes this peach of a trailer for their 15-minute film on the Ponoi river in Russia. With the production values and feel of a high-end music video, incredible footage of salmon eats and the general devil-maycare vibes we’ve come to expect from Dombaj and co, if the film is anywhere near as good as the trailer suggests it will be, we may have a new favourite. vimeo.com/ffnmedia CHECK OUT THE CONVERSE CHUCK 70 UTILITY HIKER - a sneaker and a hiker, a style statement and functional footwear, something that would work for urban fly fishing and be worn in (relatively) polite company. The Chuck 70 Utility Hiker from Converse with its waterproof Gore-Tex seam sealed membrane, high vis. panels in the uppers and safety orange sockliners, gives you 70s basketball style that you can take up a valley or through a city canal chasing after mudbones (carp). Available in black, khaki and neon orange for those that like to put out a vibe. $150, store.nike.com

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PUFF

EYE OF THE SHARK - Some fish and some fishing trips are worth celebrating. For some that’s through photos or shared playlists, for others it’s in the tradition of a good cigar. Voted Cigar Aficionado’s 2017 Cigar of the Year, the $12,25 Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark is up to the job. Wrapper from Cameroon, interior tobaccos are well aged and grown in the Dominican Republic and, most relevant to you the angler, if you look at it horizontally its taper is supposedly reminiscent of a great white shark.

Expect nuts and leather (not sitting naked on a couch), cedar and cider. www.arturofuente.com DRINK CORTE VETUSTO MEZCAL. Meaning “Ancient Cut,” Corte Vetusto is actually a new mezcal brand from Oaxaca with a 4th generation mezcalaero behind the still. Why should you try it? Well, at its first IWSC (International Wine & Spirit Competition), it won the agave category (which used to be named the tequila category because only tequilas had ever won). Appreciate the tru flavor of the agave and the subtle smokiness of Corte Vetusto by drinking it straight as you would a whisky or, if you want a cocktail, go for a mezcal Negroni, try it in a Paloma or something as clean and simple as a mezcal and tonic. Fun Fact: The current area under the Denomination of Origin for mezcal is about five times the size of Tequila’s and seven times the size of Scotch Whisky’s. With big brands jumping on the mezcal train and Corte Vetusto leading the way, expect to drink plenty more mezcal in 2018. cortevetusto.com

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FLUFF

THE BALBYTER T O U R E T T E F I S H I N G ’ S L O C AT I O N S C O U T , E D T R U T E R , R E V E A L S T H E O R I G I N O F H I S P AT T E R N , T H E B A L B Y T E R ( B A L L - B I T E R ) , P E R H A P S T H E M O S T L E T H A L F LY O N L E S O T H O ’ S I N C R E D I B L E B O K O N G R I V E R .

I was beside a rocky run, crouching over a slab of basalt on Lesotho’s Bokong River, trying to keep out of sight of the stream of fish jostling past me in the current. I’d caught enough of them over the preceding days not to need to catch anymore. But, I do relish experimenting, and an endless flow of fussy eaters in plain view is a perfect laboratory.

For a long while I had been trying to tie the perfect hopper, an insect which is in constant supply in Lesotho’s summertime meadows.

My dry fly box was so crammed with hopper variations that I had to prevent them from escaping each time I opened the lid. I would tie on a hopper, present it to the nearest pod of fish and study their reaction.

The responses varied from being spooked silly, to the odd soft take. In my mind, that was a complete failure.

My philosophy is that each fish that’s willing to feed is catchable, and if my fly is failing to get eaten by even one such fish, then it’s time to look closer at things and adjust both theory and application. After trying six different hoppers and not scoring high enough, I changed the subject completely. Typically, chunky terrestrials are the flavour of sunny days in Lesotho and the new tie was a big-ant imitation with an added dash of beetle, a pinch of iridescent wasp and an appetising footprint of CDC (Cul de canard aka duck’s arse).

The first fish to spy the fly almost left a cloud of scales behind in its haste

to suck it down. From there it was a one hundred per cent win and the Gevaarlike Balbyter (dangerous ballbiter) was born.

The idea for this fly was spawned when I was sifting through Pierre Swartz’s fly tying kit while he was based on the Bokong. Among the motley mess of Pierre’s supplies I scratched out a section of non-slip rubber mat. It was that stuff that’s a gauze that looks like it’s had blobs of foam rubber dribbled on to it. I noted that the blobs of foam had the forms of an ant’s head and abdomen respectively, with the section of naked fibres in-between the blobs forming the thorax. So I snipped off a section, and strapped it to a hook.

An Egyptian goose CDC hackle, some peacock herl and rubber legs tied in the middle, all with red thread, and that was that. Of course very few flies are really original, in each of our minds we have a database of thousands of images of all that we’ve absorbed over the years, and that’s often the framework that serves as the foundation for something “new”.

The foam rubber foundation of the first fly was soft and disintegrated after about ten fish. But what remained, dominated by the CDC, continued to attract zero-hesitation takes. Seeing that response really affirmed for me the importance of CDC in a dry fly. One of the things about the dynamic of CDC fibres interacting with the water’s surface and in the film, is the way that there’s

a play of light with the mix of fibres.

Tiny hairs and air bubbles create an optical, visual footprint that looks nearly identical to that which forms around real insects trapped in the film. To see this, one can do a few experiments in a drinking glass with insects and CDC flies, assuming the CDC is correctly tied in. The end result is that the fish sees something that’s already been imprinted on its brain, a food trigger that screams, “Something alive is trapped in the film!” So that explains the CDC hackle.

The white CDC wing is there because it’s a great sighter and also because CDC is so buoyant; it helps bring the fly up in rough water. I believe there’s something in white wings that turns fish on. Think about proven fish catchers with white wings like the Royal family of dry flies; like the Royal Wulff.

The peacock herl is there because it’s got fish-catching magic, and it adds some scruffiness to what would otherwise be hard-lines along the thorax. Hard lines should be avoided in a fly even though they exist on some real insects. Beyond the use of CDC, scruffy edges help create the optical pattern, discussed earlier, that typically forms around a real insect trapped in the film.

Flash in the wing (one strand per side) is there because many insects have subtle iridescence in their wings.

“NO-ONE’S BALLS GOT NIBBLED IN THE NAMING OF THIS FLY. THE PATTERN IS SIMPLY NAMED AFTER THE 1-2 CM LONG CAMPONOTUS SPECIES OF ANTS CALLED SUGAR ANTS, BUT OFFICIALLY KNOWN IN AFRIKAANS AS BALBYTER ANTS.” 94

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Tourette Fishing guide Brent Poultney on location on the Bokong river in Lesotho with a fine, fluffy Balbyter. Photo Johan du Preez

The red thread, tied scruffily, is there because historically, we know that red, especially when used in conjunction with peacock and white, really works. Red also has great contrast when set against olive green should the fly taking a swim in the turbulence. In most clearish waters the background is green.

The legs should be flat silicone because it doesn’t perish like rubber and moves more. The antenna are there for the silhouette.

No-one’s balls got nibbled in the naming of this fly. The pattern is simply named after the 1-2 cm long Camponotus species of ants called sugar ants, but officially known in Afrikaans as balbyter ants. The real balbyter ants actually have furry, tanorange, abdomens. The fly is meant to imitate any ant or similarly-structured terrestrial. Its form and silhouette, with clearly defined head, thorax and abdomen and bold legs, leaves little doubt in a fish’s wiring that it’s seeing

an insect. And in streams like the Bokong, where fish focus heavily on terrestrial fallout, especially when the river is crammed-full of yellows and there are many mouths to feed, it’s playing straight into the fish’s game.

The version I use hasn’t evolved much, but others have fiddled with it a bit. I don’t think that any pattern is ever static. I’ve seen some versions that use a synthetic wing, but I’m not a fan of that because, although it may be quicker and easier to tie-in the synthetic, the qualities added by having a white CDC wing are lost. Substitutions and changes are all good, but shouldn’t be done just to mess around, they should be carefully thought out and considered, and one should ask oneself the questions: Does substituting X material take away the magic that Y material was adding? Am I really using the “best” material (i.e. most fish-catching material) for the job? Some people have also experimented with how

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and where the foam is tied in, but again it’s important to ask oneself questions about form and function.

For example, foam interfering with how the CDC hackle lies could compromise how the CDC flares and gets trapped in the film, negatively affecting the formation of the footprint that makes the fly what it is.

I tend to try it everywhere I think I might get a bite on a dry. I used it as a suspension-indicator fly on the Smalblaar River and when the day warmed up and the rainbows switched from nymphs to dries, they ate the balbyter every time.

I’ve also used it successfully in flying ant (termite) hatches, the most memorable of which was on Lake Tanganyika, when schools of usually very difficult to catch Varichorhinus (chiselmouth) turned on to the stormdowned insects. And just a few days ago I sight-cast it to basking blue kurper who were sufficiently moved to idle over to it and sip it down in a Southern Cape pond.

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THE LIFER

THE ARTIST T Y I N G M U LT I - C O L O U R E D F R O G S , F I S H A N D B I R D S T H AT M O V E L I K E T H E R E A L T H I N G , TAT T O O A R T I S T T U R N E D F LY S C U L P T O R , PAT C O H E N O F S U P E R F LY ( R U S U P E R F LY. C O M ) H A S C A R V E D A N I C H E F O R H I M S E L F I N T H E W O R L D O F F LY T Y I N G W I T H DEERHAIR BASS BUGS THE LIKES OF WHICH WE’VE NEVER QUITE SEEN BEFORE.

The first fish I remember catching was probably bluegill. I think we all started out on little panfish with worms and a bobber.

I’ve lived in a few areas and travelled a fair amount but always ended up back in Cobleskill, New York. Now we own a house and five acres of land there. It’s a very rural area filled with mountains and woods. Lots of farmland and free of congestion. You can barely hit my closest neighbour with a rock.

I fish the Susquehanna River quite a bit. It runs from New York all the way down to Maryland into Chesapeake Bay. It’s a warm water fishery for the most part so a lot of smallmouth bass, walleye, pike, muskie, carp and channel catfish which are way down lower in the water. It’s a pretty diverse fishery but a pretty good one.

I started work as a graphic designer and screen printer. I worked in embroidery as well as with a digitizer, which means that I turned images into stitches and programmed embroidery machines to work. I then got involved in sales and had a career in sales management. I wasn’t in love with that so I worked really hard and became a professional tattoo artist. I did that for ten years before getting involved in fly tying and fishing. I have tied flies for a living for almost six years.

My day consists of a ton of vice time. I get up around 6:30 am, get

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some coffee and I write for about an hour. Then I hit the floor for my calisthenics workout. You’ve got to stay in shape so six or seven days a week I work out. Grab a shower and some breakfast and it’s off to the vice.

I’m on my vice by 10am and I usually quit around 8 or 9 pm. I spend the rest of the night recovering from sitting all day. That usually includes chilling with my other half and watching some strange movie. It’s a demanding way to make a living, but I love it.

I listen to a lot of ska and reggae as I work. Slightly Stoopid is probably my all-time favourite band. Old-school punk like Ramones and Minor Threat.

Old school rock like Metallica, Alice in Chains. A lot of bluegrass too, I love bluegrass. The Devil Makes Three, Trampled by Turtles, The Native Howl. I love Frank Zappa and Tom Waits too…I kind of switch it up.

One skill you need for tying with deer hair is patience, more patience, then just a little more patience.

Deerhair has so many different characteristics. You can weight it, you can play with buoyancies, you can play with the density. The more water it absorbs, the lower it’s going to get in the column. If you make them supertight they will ride high and dry on top.

You can blend colours, you can carve it to shoot around differently in the water. When you build a bass bug it is both a positive and a negative form of creation. What I mean is that you are forming these colour combinations

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on a hook into a giant mass of fluff that looks like nothing, the positive, the rough block. The negative is the removal or carving of that positive into the predetermined shape you are looking for. You have total freedom to do what you want with it.

Not all hair is created equal.

Most of the hair is belly hair from whitetail deer. I buy it from wholesale distributors, pour it out on the floor and sort it. I look for certain qualities like hair that has a little bit less taper, that’s thicker, longer, with an even dye all the way through and a little bit less underfur if I can find it. The fine hair you don’t really want; you want coarser, rougher hair.

If we are talking about just the fishing aspect of my life, then the thing I am most proud of is the ability to inspire and teach others about deer hair bugs and warm water fishing. I love being part of the shift in fly fishing that has moved away from being trout-centric and focuses more on other species on the fly. I am proud of the fact that I have been able to take something that I am truly passionate about and turn it into a business. I will never get wealthy doing this, but I live a rich life. I get to work creatively all day and share my knowledge of tying and fishing with other people. What’s not to love about that?

I have always been artistic Of course you have to work to develop those skills further, like

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learning a language. Just because you are born with art skills doesn’t mean anything; you’ve got to work on them and enhance your vocabulary. I really had to work on myself. To follow what you believe to be true and correct for yourself, without being swayed by outside influences, is very difficult.

Just doing my thing and not worrying about what other folks thought has been a trying thing in life.

The best advice I’ve ever been given? A good friend of mine told me never to get angry. He said when you are angry no one else gives a damn but you.

When I first started fly fishing, it was all about numbers of fish.

I wanted to go out and I wanted to catch 50 fish in a day. If I didn’t I was pissed off and wrote it off as a bad day of fishing. The older I have become, the more important the experience has become. It’s more about who I spend that day with, the belly laughs and what we experience when out there. I have had absolutely

terrific days out with no fish to hand just because the vibe was right with the people that I was with.

If I could change one thing in fly fishing, it would be the ego. There’s a lot of ego in fly fishing. There’s also a big divide between tackle and fly. I’d like to see people chill out a bit, after all, we are all after the same thing.

Looking back, I don’t think I’d do anything differently. I’m pretty content with who I have become as an adult and where I stand in life.

I think that who we are is a sum of all our experiences and part of the journey. It’s nice to think, well, if I had done whatever years ago, I would be that much better off. The truth of it is, you are where you are because of those different directions life took you at that time. Things might not have ended up the way they are now if you hadn’t followed those other paths.

When it comes to getting into fly tying, my advice is to start with the basics. Learn the techniques; don’t jump ahead of yourself; take your time; there’s no rush and keep it fun. This whole thing – fly fishing and fly tying – if you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.

Experiment, learn from other styles of fishing. Keep an open mind. The tackle industry has the money to do the science so don’t think for a second when you’re on a river and there’s a bait fisherman sitting down there catching fish, that you can’t learn something from that person. Don’t think of yourself as too important because what we’re all doing is taking dead stuff or synthetics, putting it on hooks and throwing it at the fish.

As I’ve become older, I’ve become a lot more open minded about things

The last fish I caught was a smallmouth bass.

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that maybe I hadn’t understood.

My views have become a bit more liberal in some areas and conservative in others.

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