Some call it The General. I’ve heard others refer to it as The Submarine. But this particular fish is reputed to be the hardest trout to catch in the entire KZN Drakensberg. I saw the General one morning, going about its business, cruising slowly back and forth in an unusually large pool in the Mahai River. The Mahai is not normally made of large pools, but this one was. From my vantage point high above the hard-cut rock bank you could see the General meant business. It had a more relaxed manner about it than the other trout, more carefree and confident in its ways.

And I’m not making this up, I personally estimate the General to be pushing well over 2 kilograms. It took me 15 minutes to get a convenient casting location. At this point I must tell you I threw everything I had the General’s way. I threw things that sank slowly, things that sank quicker. Things that didn’t sink at all. I even towed streamers in its path. Finally I threw in a multi-legged thing that wiggled strangely as it moved through the current. An Australian fisherman had handed it to me with a knowing smile as we stood waist deep in the Mzimkhulu one evening. This didn’t work either.

Click in images to enlarge them

Short of using a harpoon the General is not going anywhere, I suspect many have tried to deceive this titan of the small stream, but failed. And why not use a harpoon in such a desperate situation? On the internet you can purchase modern lightweight harpoons that can be fitted into backpacks which have been designed by 21st century Inuit fishermen. On one level, I suspect the Conservation authorities would object. On another, I suspect the use of this tool would affect my reputation as a gentleman, if indeed I have ever had such reputation in the first place.

I love the Mahai River, though really it’s a tributary stream of Tugela. It’s the closest KZN Drakensberg stream to Gauteng. I often stop here on my drives back to Durban. The Rainbows in it are not plentiful, but are on average larger than most places. The day before my desperate encounter with the General, I landed two 14 inch fish in an hour on an Elk Caddis. They seem eager to take dry flies, greedily lashing them off the surface, maybe a shortage of food in these waters.
It’s not a heavily fished stream either. Its banks are covered in forests of Yellowwood trees, while closer down toward the abandoned Royal National Park hotel tall pines provide shade.

The old hotel once entertained only the best people, Michael Caine and even Queen Elizabeth the Second stayed here. I imagine some of these people once fished the Mahai for the General’s ancestors. I don’t know how high up into the valley the trout go in the Mahai; rangers say Gudu Falls is the upper limit. I’ve seen incredible waters further up, but not ventured down to inspect them. In the adjoining valley the Vemvaan and Devils Hoek streams also contain fish, most look small though. But I’m open to dispute on this.

Mungo Poore