Calling the Fly fishing manne

[GrahamS2]

Ha Ha thats definatly the same dam just a different angle.

 

Absolutely beautiful. Will definatly be going back.

 

Did you use a float tube? I ended up wading out without any waders, the water was pretty cold though once I stopped feeling my legs it was ok. 

 

Ill need to invest in a proper pair of waders next, and possibly a float tube but I cant really justify the cost for the amount of time i go fly fishing 

You definitely need a tube on that water. The drop-off's are all opposite the dam wall and near impossible to get to by wading. Tubes are not that expensive if you shop around (floattubes.co.za for example) and they will transform your fishing experience. There's nothing that comes close to spending a few days on a 90Ha lake and figuring it out

[bertusras]

Who's hit the WC streams since they've opened for the season?

[DJR]

Who's hit the WC streams since they've opened for the season?

Not open yet, big date is 1 September. Only private streams are open if owners allow it. All Cape Piscatorial controlled streams are closed from 1 June to 1 September to allow fish to spawn in peace. Also, most of the mountain streams are not fishable due to high water flows (not this year though). 

[DJR]

FINALLY! I have managed to get to the water for a little much needed hydrotherapy, which came just in time to prevent a stroke or worse!

 

We left Cape Town in a real stressed huff and a puff, with work, life and a cold front chasing our tails, but as soon as we left civilization behind, all that nonsense fell away. What mattered was the road and the steady purr of the Landy as we put the miles behind us. The sand storm and the howling wind as we entered the Richtersveld didn't bother D and myself because we knew that we could look forward to a few fish on fly.

[DJR]

We pitched camp, on the Lower Orange, at Potjiespram, as quickly as possible to still get a fish-before-dark. The whole focus of this years pilgrimage was going to be about catching big ones. We came prepared, with heavier rods, bigger flies, planning to target the Largemouth Yellowfish in particular. 

[DJR]

Sommer there and then, on his third cast, with the sun gone and the light fading fast, D caught a beautiful Smallmouth Yellowfish of about 500mm. We thought it was going to be easy from there on.......

[DJR]

The next morning we put the boat in the water and first paddled downstream, looking for fishy looking spots. In the process we shot a few very adventurous rapids, which is a little tricky in a double kayak, but we made it through with nothing worse than wet pants.

[DJR]

By mid-morning we were into fish after fish, but all medium to small Smallmouth Yellows. No matter what we did, the bigger ones were missing. We got no reaction to any of the usual Zonkers and baitfish patterns fished across and down in the deeper pools below the rapids, that are supposed to get you some Largemouths. Our only luck was with Chech Nymphs and a short line technique, directly below and in the rapids. But, fish are fish and we had some fantastic fun in fantastic scenery. The afternoon paddle back upstream was hard work, but the dreaded wind was now in our backs and helping.

[DJR]

The next day we moved camp to "the" fishing spot in the Richtersveld National Park, at De Hoop. The scenery on the way there is something to behold, but they "dumbed down" the road a bit to make it easier for the non-Landy drivers. Somewhat like having your favourite gap-jumps turned into table-tops........just kidding!

[DJR]

How is this for a decent camping spot? Twenty metres from the fish, shade, privacy, a view, rapids making music......and within minutes after stopping, I was into a fish......In fact, we could see numerous yellows in the very shallows directly in front of our camp, but the water was so clear, they were extremely skittish. I managed to catch one on a nymph below a strike indicator. Great fun, sight-fishing for yellows like they were trout.

[DJR]

But the big ones eluded us, no matter what we did. Perhaps the water was too clear? Perhaps the full moon messed with them? We only caught smallish fish.  On many, many occasions I floated a nymph past really big fish, that were clearly visible, mostly in the slower water, but it got totally ignored. No interest, not even an inspection. I had one take from a massive Largemouth but he broke me off all too quickly.  This is how clear the Orange is currently running.

Edited October 8, 2017 by DJR

[DJR]

I enjoyed reading Ed Herbst and Peter Briggs new book on flytying (a punt if you ever saw one). What better place to sit and read about South African flyfishing than the Lower Orange?

[DJR]

I climbed the mountain behind our camp on foot to make up for the week spent off the bike........can't let all the hard work go to waste, can you? Also, it is good heat training....when I could see again after that effort, the view was this:

Edited October 8, 2017 by DJR

[DJR]

D caught a new species on fly, a first for any of us, a little tilapia, the smallest of our fish, but very pretty.

[DJR]

We saw an amazing congregation of Mudfish, literally a hundred or more, all big ones, spawning in the extreme shallows, totally oblivious to our presence. I had to read up a little, and learnt something new: When they are ready to spawn, they turn a much darker grey, almost blueish, black colour. The rest of the year they are much lighter grey, almost silvery.

[DJR]

You know that feeling when it is your last day before leaving for home? You fish until the very last possible moment.......just one more fish.......just ten more casts.......I can still see my hand in front of my face........well, that was how our last afternoon on the water worked! Lekker, but a bit sad.