BACK FROM FISHING THE EASTERN CAPE HIGHLANDS
I just had ten days on Birkhall in the Eastern Cape Highlands, getting back this last Saturday evening.
The trip was, as always, pleasant in that I was fishing a part of the world that I love for its scenery, its abundance of streams and lakes, its remoteness, its pretty trout and because when I’m there I’m obviously away from work.
(Click in images to enlarge them)
The weather was unusual for March – hot and dry with the occasional scattered thunder showers that once fell on Birkhall and a few times fell miles upstream in the Sterkspruit and Bokspruit watersheds, where they dropped enough water to put the rivers out for days at a time.
In fact one storm left the Bokspruit really high and muddy and that in the space of a few hours. I’d driven over the river a few hours before when it was like gin.
And almost the whole time I was there the Sterkspruit stayed slightly discoloured, but mostly fishable.
I got a few decent trout in the streams, had good fishing on Birkhall’s lakes, enjoyed the company of my pal Billy de Jong and the Vosloo family who own Birkhall and spent time with my good friend Ed Herbst now living in Rhodes.
Billy and I tied a couple of interesting patterns (particularly a brilliant stillwater pattern of Billy’s, a hot spot damsel nymph, that I will post separately) and I took a few passable pictures.
I was also quite disciplined about checking the stomach contents of the trout I caught and made a few interesting discoveries doing it. Again I will post a whole series of stomach content pictures. Only in fly fishing could stomach contents be interesting to viewers!
One lovely discovery we made was that the dam above Basie’s house – the one he repaired only a year and a half back – was already producing some decent rainbows from the original trout resident in the tiny feeder stream. We caught a heap, ranging from three to four and a half pounds.
In September 2011 I took a walk up this little stream no wider than a city sidewalk. I found a heap of fry and then a pair of adult fish, a cock and a hen lying side by side in a pool the size of a small bath tub.
Basie never stocked this lake so these are the progeny of those stream trout I found way back in 2011. Talk about a lovely, clear-water lake with wild and pretty trout!
In contrast, the Birkhall dam just below the house was suffering a minor algae bloom so the water was far from clear. But the trout were still splendid.
Note the slight discolouration in the water due to algae
SAGE CLICK 1V REEL FOR SALE
Sage Click IV reel - R1,800 and Sage Click IV spool - R900
Reel is in excellent condition. Comes with Sage reel pouch, original box and warranty card.
Sage spare spool is in excellent (unused) condition. Comes with Sage reel pouch, original boxes and warranty card.
Technically rated for a 4 or 5wt line, since the reel is so light weighing only 1/8oz (3.5grams) more than a Click III, I happily fished mine on 2 & 3wt rods, while having a larger arbour.
http://www.sageflyfish.com/fly-fishi...shwater/click/
Contact Gary Glen-Young on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SAGE SP 489-5 FLY ROD FOR SALE
8’9” 4-weight, 5-piece Sage factory-built rod in tube and with extra tip section.
Asking price R2000
Contact Mark Krige on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
EPSON WILD TROUT ASSOCIATION FESTIVAL
Held this past weekend in Rhodes, 35 anglers enjoyed some good fishing with around 1500 trout reported caught and released.
Russell Dickson on the Glen Nesbit Stream during the WTA festival and below, with Sharland Urquhart admiring a brace of Steve Boshoff bamboo rods
MAXIMILIEN JOSET
Rolf Frischknecht in Laupen, Switzerland writes:
Maximilien Joset was one of the inventors of the CDC flies and made only a few winged flies and the Sedge. They were enough for him to be very successful fishing the famous Doubs chalk stream in Switzerland.
The flies I sent you are originals, the first ever made in CDC by Joset, nearly 100 years ago. They were found in a box in Soubey, Switzerland, and were identified by the grandson of Maximilien Joset as being original Joset flies.
(Rolf exchanged a half dozen Joset flies for two signed copies of my books. Fair exchange I thought. Below is a picture of the Zebra trout found in the Doubs.)
See more on http://www.swissflies.ch/originale_joset.php
UPSTREAM ‘S NEW FLY SHOP
John Yelland’s well known fly shop, Upstream Fly fishing, has moved into new premises in Wynberg Cape Town that are attractive and cheerful and provide abundant parking. On the day I visited his assistant Mark Krige was at the helm.
PORTABLE TYING LAMP
From Ed Herbst
Ian Cox was tying at the WTA Festival with this brilliant portable, battery-powered light which is available from Outdoor Warehouse. See the link for an outlet nearest you.
http://www.outdoorwarehouse.co.za/alva-flexible-led-grill-light.html
AWARD WINING PHOTO
Damon Mathfield of Pretoria won himself a good camera with this fly fishing shot he took.
UPPER UMGENI REPORT
Quentin Austin writes of the Upper Umgeni earlier this month in the Midlands of KZN
Here are photos I took on the very upper Umgeni and of two of the four fish I landed and the stream. The condition and colouration of the fish I'm sure you will agree is great!
(This is a brown trout stream I got to know very well. It flows through the Dargle Valley in Kwa-Zulu Natal and is joined by the Furth Stream that flows down from the mountains that cradle the famous Rainbow Lakes and the Old Dam on the Heatherton syndicate)
Tom Sutcliffe
