Dirt Road Wild Trout Festival 2020 Dave Walker dave@wildtrout.co.za or info@wildtrout.co.za
Many present-day folk may not have heard of or even come across an action/adventure television series that ran from 1983 to 1987 known as “The A-team”, starring, amongst others, the late George Peppard as Col. John “Hannibal” Smith. Occasional immersion into their fantasy world in the absence of anything worthwhile to watch on the SABC broadcasts of those days was the order of the day.. Apart from the lighthearted, fleeting entertainment, the only thing that I recall was Hannibal’s bottom-liner of ”I love it when a plan comes together”.
requirements that go into the festival - but I digress…! Sunday, the 15th March, heralded the arrival of a handful of participants who had been able to arrange for their absence elsewhere for a full week. They duly made use of their time appropriately and booked beats for the days before the main event. Guides that had also arrived on Sunday occupied their time with stream assessment to better equip themselves for the task ahead. A few more folk trickled in on Monday from a fishing venue near Rhodes where they had spent the week-end. Tuesday saw the arrival of the bulk of the participants and registration commenced with the issuing of goodie bags. The evening dinner started with a word of welcome, event housekeeping and the introduction of the guides.
This year’s event was much the same. Those of you who have organised any events will appreciate the amount of time and occasional frustration that goes into all of the pre-event stuff. Planning the programme, getting the word out there, responding to enquiries, reminding folk to submit their entry forms, reminding some of them to fork out and much more is one part of the picture. Bearing previous negative experiences in mind and at the behest of the regular participants, a single gathering and dining point was preferred, in particular Walkerbouts Inn was the venue of choice. Being based in a remote village, menu planning and execution is but a fraction of the logistical www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
After breakfast on Wednesday morning, the annual “Tackle Fair” at the River Park on the banks of the Bell River, hosted by local resident, Sean de Wet on Wednesday morning got underway heralded by perfect weather. The fair creates an opportunity for participants to “get the feel” of alternative tackle to their own. 59
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