That time of the year had finally come around and we found ourselves heading NE on our annual trip to the Rhodes district, to our holding spot on the Bokspruit River in the Eastern Cape Highlands. Over the past decade, this had become a common trek for me and my family.

Dave Walker’s FOSAF report indicated that after a long dry spell the area had finally received a good dose of rain. Dave is the proprietor of Walkabouts Inn and lives in Rhodes. I felt relieved after seeing the photo taken from the bridge at Moshesh’s Ford, as previous news indicated that as some of the streams were barely trickling the fish had been forced into the deeper pools.

It was New Years Day and the roads reminded me of an old school Sci-Fi movie where the entire population has been teleported to another galaxy and we were the only ones left behind.

It wasn’t long before we were heading in a southerly direction following the Bokspruit to our destination. The river sparkled in the mid-afternoon sun. The level was slightly on the full side, but crystal clear, as the Bok so often is. It felt great to be back in the place we love so much.

Click in images to enlarge

The first two days were spent fishing the early mornings, as some close friends had decided to join us for three days and we needed time to show them around the delights of this part of the world, including Dave’s famous pizza at Walkerbouts.

The weather was perfect, but a little cooler in the mornings compared to past years. Walking along the stream under crack willows, we saw a young rainbow clear the water trying to catch a large Dragonfly.

Crack willow along the Bokspruit

A # 12 Meadow Hopper 12 did the trick. Slapping the pattern down next to overgrown trees a trout took it viciously. Really healthy and wild populations of Rainbows inhabit this pastoral part of the stream. I could feel my 6X tippet stretching as the fish sped off downstream.

On the afternoon of the second day, we had good rainfall. The stream turned chocolate and was flowing over the little bridge to the farm. The water took two days to clear and subside to a fishable level.

After that, afternoon showers became clockwork, eventually forcing us to fish a productive stillwater in one of the neighbouring valleys. We also took this opportunity to visit Basie and Carien Vosloo on their farm Birkhall.

Finally, with our options limited, we decided to fish the Loch Ness Lake at Tiffendel the following day. The Carlisleshoek stream was also flowing full where we passed by it as we started our ascent up Ben Macdui.

Loch Ness was picture perfect and slightly overcast. My fishing friend, Grant, opted to inflate his V-Boat, while I head up to the inlet on foot. Walking was difficult going with small troughs of water seeping everywhere through sodden vegetation.

At the inlet I gently waded out about 10 meters parallel to the channel clearly visible to my left.  On my fourth cast I connected with a strong fish that put on an amazing display of leaps.

It was a four pound rainbow that felt like a six-pounder. This proved to be one of the hardest fighting fish I have ever come across.

After the release and a few more casts the rain started.  It was apparent that the weather was setting in and we slowly made our way back down the steep road into the village. I had hoped for a break so that I could scout the edges and search out another spotted beauty.

The Bok was once again running over the farm’s bridge and we got back to a very wet homestead.  Sitting in the kitchen over a beer I was wondering how much longer it could possibly rain. Suddenly there was knocking at the back door. A farm worker insisted that I urgently come and look as the river was flooding. 

In a matter of a few minutes the river level had risen tenfold, flooding the plains above the river. I came to a worrying conclusion - we would only be able to leave in the next three or four days – if we were lucky! Never mind the likely damage to the bridge at Welgemoed, from log jams.

Now feeling relieved that we left Tiffendel when we did, we returned to the safety and warmth of the Kitchen.

The experience reminded me of an article I once read by IIan Lax titled ‘High Water Caution’. It describes a similar incident experienced on the Lower Boarman’s Chase on the Bell River when it rose so fast Ilan could easily have drowned.

Next morning we walked to the stream to assess the previous day’s devastation. Entire stock fencing was removed by the sheer power of the water; bushes looked as if they were flattened by a giant footstep.  A huge log was lying ten meters from the stream. It was an amazing thing to witness the raw power of the water. It is a form of energy that I have truly grown to respect.

As suspected, we were only able to start our trip back home to Port Elizabeth on the third day after the flood. From previous experiences, I have known the Bok to drop its level, as quickly as it clears.

With perfect timing, we were greeted by workers at Welgemoed who had just completed clearing the bridge.

The Bokspruit Bridge at Cleft Hill

With a final stop on the bridge over the Bokspruit at Cleft Hill, we sighted a log jam, the height of the bridge itself. This makes one wonder how high the water level really had been during the flooding.

This year’s annual excursion to the Bokspruit was a different experience to those of years past, but it was interesting and revealing all in its own way.