ISSN 1011-3681
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF FOSAF
Jan/Feb 2020 Vol. 34 No.176
Contents - Jan/Feb 2020
Editorial - Andrew Savs...................................................................................................................................................4 The usual editorial guff and a little more First Bite - Andrew Savs ..................................................................................................................................................6 A regular witty column on all things flyfishing and beyond When was the last time that you did something for the first time? - Gareth Webster............................................10 Pura Vida Coasta Rica 2019 - Woz (aka Warren Koch)............................................................................................22 Heritage Flies : Part 6 - Peter Brigg..............................................................................................................................28 Historical series on South African Flies - The Hover Dragon Hunting Hucho - Hucho - Simon Hunter Bunn.............................................. .............................................................34 Embrace the crazy - Andrew Savides........................................................................................................................49 We speak to Gordon van der Spuy A case of mistaken identity - Terry Babich................................................................................................................55 Fishing for Umko Scalies - Andrew Harrison...............................................................................................................59 The strike-indicator Booby - Ed Herbst.......................................................................................................................63 Women in Waders - Bridgette Stegen........................................................................................................................69 2019 has come and gone Introducing the Osah range of waterproof backpacks - Terry Babich..................................................................75 A Review Book review - Ian Cox.................................................................................................................................................80 FOSAF News - Ilan Lax.................................................................................................................................................82
NAVIGATING THE MAGAZINE You will note that we make liberal use of hyperlinks both to pages within the magazine and to websites outside it. Links to external websites will enable you to further explore these topics. The idea is that you can navigate around the magazine from the contents page. Each item on the contents page is hyperlinked to the article in the magazine. This means you do not have to scroll through the entire magazine if you don’t want to, you can access specific articles merely by clicking on the link. We also want you to share the magazine with your friends on social media, just go to the share button when you’re looking at the magazine on issuu.com and you’ll be able to send a link via email, Facebook or Twitter. There is also a hyperlink on the bottom of each page linking you to our website where you can download back issues. Happy exploring!
Picture credit: Gareth Webster
SOUTHERN AFRICAN FLYFISHING: • Available free of charge online at www.issuu.com; • Published bi-monthly; • The official magazine of the Federation of Southern African Flyfishers (FOSAF); • Africa’s original flyfishing magazine LAYOUT AND PUBLISHER: Southern African Flyfishing Magazine (Pty) Ltd Registration No. 2018/356867/07 www.saflyfishingmag.co.za editor@saflyfishing.co.za EDITORS: Ian Cox (082 574 3722) Andrew Mather (083 309 0233) Andrew Savides (081 046 9107) CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE: Terry Babich, Simon Hunter Bunn Peter Brigg, , Ian Cox, Andrew Harrison, Ed Herbst, Warren Koch, Ilan Lax, Andrew Savs, Bridgette Stegen and Gareth Webster. COPYRIGHT Copyright in the magazine reposes in the Publisher. Articles and photographs are published with the permission of the authors, who retain copyright. The magazine and content may be hyperlinked and downloaded for private use but may not be otherwise hyperlinked or reproduced in part or whole without the written permission of the publishers. DISCLAIMER While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this magazine, the publishers do not accept responsibility for omissions or errors or their consequences. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers, the editors or the editorial staff. Cover photo: Gareth Webster.
EDITORIAL It’s high summer in the southern hemisphere. Days are long and the sun is relentless. As I write to you the fearsome heat and Durban humidity has resulted in little pools of water forming on the desk where my arms rest. The air conditioner is doing its best to gain some territory in its seasonal battle against the elements, but it’s taking a hiding. What Toto didn’t tell you about the rains down in Africa is that they no longer seem to come, as they should, in spring and that when they do they’re pretty sketchy at best. Little pop-up windows in the corner of my screen are allowing me to follow a conversation on the Natal Fly Fishers Club group chat and all I see is warnings of dangerously warm water and cries for rain. Depressingly, this is starting to feel quite familiar and at the advice of Robin Fick I’m starting to consider bass and salt species as my summer targets. Our annual few days at Sterkfontein is also now overdue as not just an alternative to trout, but as a world-class experience in itself. On the subject of seasonal cycles, my snail-paced commute to work the last two days has reminded me that the new school year has commenced. This fact almost passed me by as yesterday marked the first time in sixteen years that we did not have to drop off our children for their first days of the new academic year. Times like these are bittersweet for a parent, but they are not all bad. The upside of your children growing up, leaving home and requiring less actual hands-on parenting is that it frees up some time for you to spend more time doing the other things that you love. The downside of it is that it reminds you that you’re getting older and that if you want to tick experiences off your list you can’t sit around waiting for it to happen. In this issue we give even the most jaded angler plenty of options for a refreshed bucket list. We are once again humbled by the people who have so generously contributed to this issue. They have all written authentically and honestly and show us once again what all flyfishers already know - whether it’s the pond down the street, a tropical atoll or an exotic river on the other side of the earth the experience of flyfishing brings us closer to nature, to those who share the experience with us and to ourselves. In this issue of the most content rich magazine of its type in the country we bring you a wide cross-section of people, places and experiences. We go to Europe, South America the Indian Ocean Islands and places closer to home. We talk to legends, read books and manhandle some gear. It’s hard to step away from the editing of an edition of this magazine without having spent much of the time leaning back in your chair and dreaming of places, people and fish to add to your bucket list. The editors of Southern African Flyfishing Magazine wish you everything of the best for 2020. May it be the year where your dreams become your reality. Savs
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Telling Stories
Come On In My Kitchen Savs If you stand in front of a certain hotel in Midtown, New York City, and stare directly ahead of you will see in your immediate field of vision no fewer than three Starbucks coffee shops. The entrances of the two most prominent of them will stare you directly in the face and are separated only by a used bookstore, as grey and dog-eared as the books piled up within it. The third is in a narrow side street. Its existence is revealed by the ubiquitous signage that hangs perpendicularly from above its door and the branding on the paper cups in the hands of the serious, unsmiling people walking briskly towards the crossing ahead of you. The inhabitants of Manhattan take their coffee seriously and it would appear don’t like to travel a long way to find a cup when the craving strikes. In a world where the thoroughly mundane is infinitely customisable the ease with which they order their skinny smoked blonde butterscotch two-pump venti latte with legs is bewildering for a unsophisticated guy from Africa who just wants, without having to overthink it, a little something to knock the spangle off his jet lag. Something tall, dark and strong enough to eat the enamel off an old tin mug would have suited me fine, but I couldn’t specifically find it on offer. With an eye on the overhead menu and an ear bent toward those in front of me in the hope of plagiarising the first thing that I could make sense of I didn’t notice when my turn came up. “What’ll it be?”, repeated the barista for the third time, his eyes not once lifting above the register. “Umm. Oh. A coffee?”, and then in an ultimately futile attempt to fill what was quickly becoming an uncomfortable void in our exchange I threw in a whispered, “please?”.
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The guy behind the counter didn’t even look up. He shook his head, muttered audibly, rolled his eyes beneath his baseball cap, contorted his face in mock agony and asked me my name.
He placed extra emphasis on ‘coffee’ and had an unmistakably menacing tone in his voice. Honestly, hardly anyone ever gets it, but at least he tried. Standing on the sidewalk I took a slug of the brown liquid and tried not to imagine how much of the barista’s most immediately accessible bodily fluids it might contain. The effect of the caffeine was almost immediate and the fugue resulting from the twin horrors of modern intercontinental travel and an alarmingly rapid change in time zones dissipated. I raised my head to orientate myself and set my sights on the hotel lobby across the four lane avenue of death that lay between where I stood and my sanctuary.
“My name?”, I pondered out loud as though it was the first time I’d ever been asked the question. “My name?”. The muttering turned to expletives and the feet of the line behind me started to shuffle threateningly. Feeling no small measure of performance anxiety I shouted out “Frank Sawyer!”, several decibels louder than was absolutely necessary considering that we were three feet apart. I do this when I need to conceal my embarrassment behind a veil of anonymity. Hardly anyone ever gets it and this guy sure wasn’t going to.
The cacophony of the morning commute had reached its crescendo and the road heaved with honking yellow cabs, cubist sanitation vehicles, seventies school busses, restless construction vehicles and sundry other unyielding forms of transportation. As someone who cut his teeth gaming on classics like Frogger the nature of my predicament was as ugly as it was obvious. To make it worse all of the traffic was c o m i n g f ro m t h e w ro n g s i d e . The invigorating effects of my first sip wore off and I felt a relapse coming on.
Pressing into his hand what amounts to a week’s wages for the guys actually growing, picking and processing the coffee beans I took my place in the by now quite small group of people waiting for their orders. “Tom”, called out a voice that dripped heavily with whatever tone is the exact opposite of enthusiasm. “Tom! Americano. Black.” I looked around. “Hey, Tom Sawyer, your coffee” growled the barista.
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Sure, I could have remained on my side of the street from the get-go but there wasn’t a proper coffee shop to be found. My hotel served only that abominable stuff that comes out of a push-button machine and into a small plastic cup. The machine purports to offer six unique coffee formats whereas it’s really all the same liquidised plastic. It could as easily be warmed margarine as anything else.
on their side of the road and waiting for their order to come to them. Even more confusing is that they claim from this some sort of aesthetic, if not outright moral, superiority. The Sensei and I recently spent a long, hard day on a favourite local river. Conditions were good but when you watch a guy who has a cormorant as a spirit animal fish for an hour without reaching for his net the whole enterprise takes on a slightly depressing aspect. In the absence of any movement on our side of the flat reflective surface that divided us and the fish we went to them with moderately weighted nymphs. We eventually managed a to get a couple each but the action was at best intermittent.
I did indeed try to find something better on my block. Walking around earlier I discovered on the corner a small tearoom owned by a nice enough Lebanese gentlemen. He clearly seemed to specialise only in lotto tickets, $13 a pack Marlboros and $3 a giant-slice pepperoni pizza. Between the pizza and the cigarettes it was hard to determine which would kill you first and so, with the New York lotto having rolled over that Wednesday to $113 million, I spent my long saved and meticulously budgeted lunch money on two quick-picks. (I didn’t win, in case that’s not obvious, and write to you from a dining room table in a modest home in a very middle class neighbourhood rather than from the deck of a yacht in the Florida Keys.)
Later that afternoon we independently stumbled onto midge hatches. Look, they were far from the ‘cosmic’ hatches that we read about in books but swallows were diving, fish were feeding and we were able to change patterns, extend our tippets and pick off a half dozen each by drifting dries to individual risers. It’s at times such as these that I am almost tempted to throw in my lot with the dry or die brigade. The thrill of taking sighted fish on long, delicate casts is almost universally considered as being second to none. The only problem is that the opportunity doesn’t present itself too often and that, at least for me, one of the basic underlying objectives of flyfishing is that one should actually catch a few fish more regularly than just occasionally.
Now, given what we can extrapolate from the visible number and geographical dispersion of America’s favourite coffee outlet, I might have, given a long enough period and extraordinary patience, simply stood in front of my hotel and waited for one to open alongside me. You can be absolutely sure that this would have happened, too. Sooner or later. The point of this anecdote should by now be entirely obvious. It serves to illustrate how ‘dry or die’ flyfishers approach their world.
No, whether it comes to something as complex as catching trout on a fly or as simple as crossing a busy New York City street for a coffee you’re well advised to follow the advice of blues great Robert Johnson. Get up off your arse and come on in their kitchen*.
Do try to keep up. Where I live trout do not rise to a dry with any sort of regularity. Hatches are sparse, infrequent and, I’m led to believe, happen mainly while we’re drying our boots and preparing our dinner around a fire. Despite this there are those that persist in standing www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
*Come on in my kitchen - Robert Johnson, 1936 8
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pura vida LAST TIME WHEN WAS THE costa ricaSOMETHING 2019 THAT YOU DID Woz
FOR THE FIRST TIME? (aka Warren Koch)
Asks
"Beware, you will be consumed Webster wholly by this take for the rest of Gareth your life - when you kiss your partner, while you drive to work and with your last thought at night"
pura vida costa rica 2019 Woz (aka Warren Koch) "Beware, you will be consumed wholly by this take for the rest of your life - when you kiss your partner, while you drive to work and with your last thought at night"
How Living Began I remember the first time I caught a trout on fly. I was eleven years old up in the mountains of the Queenstown district with a three-piece Snowbee glass "package set" rod in hand. It is still one of my fondest memories. My brother introduced me to flyfishing and shared that special moment with me. His words are still clear in my mind, "strip your line, if you leave it to sink too long the crabs are going to eat it�. One strip and I was on. Fast-forward some twenty-odd years and I received a message on Facebook asking if
I’d be interested in doing an interview for a position in the Seychelles. The night before, while celebrating a decent Eland bull I harvested that afternoon, I still joked with my mates how the year had been an amazing one and the cherry on the top would be moving to the Seychelles to pursue a career in guiding. That morning, freezing cold and hangover from a night out on the town in Molteno, I read the message. At first I figured it was a practical joke from the lads around the fire the night before and I had a chuckle and went back to sleep.
The Journey Now don’t get me wrong, for most landing a job in the Seychelles is no easy feat and getting to this point had literally taken me years. From building up somewhat of a mediocre reputation in the competitive flyfishing scene to emailing anyone and everyone in the industry for just a foot in the door, to finally getting that offer of a lifetime is just the beginning. From GOP applications, blood tests, ensuring your skippers license and STCW are all up to date it can be quite a process. Then comes the tackle and gear. Now I am in no means a tackle junkie, however I do like to be prepared. Thankfully I have a few people to rely on when asking advice and between them and google I like to think that I could not have been more prepared.
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It’s now eight months later and my life has been filled chock-a-block with some of the most amazing experiences possible - a lot of them being firsts for me. The biggest change of them all is having to sacrifice fishing time. Yes of course, being a guide you spend plenty of time on the water and obviously have those rare days to go out and catch a few fish of your own, but being blessed enough to work here comes with sacrifice. This is not by all means a bad thing as there is something quite fulfilling having a client land either their first permit or sailfish on fly, or an absolute nube hooking into a St Joseph’s bonefish a rod length away from them. The shrieks of laughter as the line peels off the SL6 and her fingers taking an absolute beating as I lunge over and tighten the drag makes it worth it. Return to contents
Creating lifetime Memories
feel the pinch when my guest, absolutely soaked from a resent squall, calmly said to me, “I’ve never caught a sailfish on fly, what are the chances we get out of the rain and give that a bash?”.
Taking people to some of the most isolated and beautiful places on earth has certainly been a highlight for me. Being based on Desroches we are in very close proximity to two very special islands, Poivre, known for its hog Indio-Pacific permit and the idyllic St Joseph’s atoll. The look of absolute awe and anticipation on people’s faces for the day ahead as we turn into the channel between Darros and St Josephs is really what makes this “job” special.
It was music to my ears! The sea looked amazing with birds working in the distance and, if anything, I knew we would be connecting to something from the deep.
Not too long before being asked to tell my story was I fortunate enough to guide a wellknown American attorney. Making contact with him over email to cross check tackle requirements before the time we got to know each other and it became apparent he had fished in some of my bucket list destinations. He was a regular at Alphonse and Cosmo, along with some other well-known destinations back home on African soil. It was his sixtieth birthday and, after completing a short trip for Tigers in Africa, he wanted to treat himself to some fishing in Seychelles and hopefully connect with his first Indio-Pacific permit on fly, something that had eluded him over the years. The pressure was on! He booked with us for five days on the water and we set off with high expectations. The plan was to fish both St Josephs and Poivre for two days each and then accordingly decide on what to do the final day. As with many days when fishing, things didn’t go to plan. For some unknown reason the flats were just not cooperating with us. On the third day I was beginning to www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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I set up the teasers, gave the skipper some instruction and off we headed. Not long into things we had some action behind the boat. It wasn’t a sail or anything significant, but a fly was presented and a decent Job fish was landed - a new species on fly for Tom. Things continued this way and after landing a few bonito in a bait ball we decided to call it a day and decided that we would focus on pelagic species for the final two days.
separated by water of over a thousand metres in depth this atoll is surrounded by the most insane drop-off which, in turn, results in a bountiful mix of pelagic species. My favourite of these is the sailfish. With teasers rigged and a fly rod stripped and waiting in Toms hands we reached the drop-off just east of Shark Rocks. I sent them out and we waited not ten minutes for the first sign of movement behind the boat.
Desroches too is a special place. It has blessed me with my first ever permit on fly but can be a frustrating place at times to fish on the flats, however where it really does show off is in the deep water. Located thirty-six or so kilometres east of the Amirantes Bank and www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
When she showed I brought her in nice and close and we made the switch. The fish turned on the fly, I gave the instruction for Tom to set and the reel started to scream!
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Sail on… It was perfect, not a long fight but the fish swam off into the blue to fight another day. This was another two firsts that day for Tom, wahoo and of course a sailfish, both on fly.
Two bills showed behind the boat and I brought them in. These fish unfortunately weren’t interested and after a couple minutes we decided to move on. I sent the teaser out again and again I saw a black shadow and bill come out the water. Thinking it was the same fish I thought we would give it one last try but on bringing the teaser in the fish sunk down a little deeper. Tom flicked the fly out and the fish ate with a vengeance, turned and the reel started to sing.
The final day we raised a further eight sailfish, with three being our biggest group, but as is the nature of billed fish on fly none of the hooks set that day. Tom asked if the boat was available the next morning as he was only flying out that afternoon. With a quick radio call to base a short four hour trip was on the cards for the following morning - and what a four hours they would prove to be.
What I initially thought was a monstrous sailfish turned out to be a marlin. It revealed itself to us with a jump far off the port side of the boat, with backing still running out at the stern. The fight didn’t last long after that and ended with utter silence onboard.
Things were looking very fishy as we rounded North Point that morning. Reaching the drop I let the teasers fly. A hour went by before we headed a little deeper as things were suspiciously quiet and things turned in our favour.
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Such is the nature of deep-water fly fishing on Desroches.
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pura vida costa rica 2019 Woz
(aka Warren Koch) "Beware, you will be consumed wholly by this take for the rest of your life - when you kiss your partner, while you drive to work and with your last thought at night" Pura Vida is a common saying in Costa Rica that translates in English to Pure Life. This is the essence of the Costa Rican people, extending to their culture, outlook and mentality to their world-class coffee. Little did we know that it also extends to fishing. Few places in the world can offer both saltwater prizes of the Pacific like roosters, sailies, marlin, etc. and then on its east coast jacks, snook and the ultimate fish known as the ‘silver king’. We read and see plenty of pics on social media of tarpon but there is something fundamentality soul-enriching about being in the vicinity of giant ‘yellowbelly’ tarpon. These ‘poons’ migrate along the Caribbean coast and seemingly enter into some special brackish river inlets. One of these famous inlets lead to Lake Nicaragua, which has become the home of these infamous beasts. I had the pleasure of another great hosted trip by Tom Lewin and Frontier Fly Fishing to this very special place in a very special country. I previously had the good fortune of catching these giant poons on conventional tackle but not on fly. We as fly fisherman often question four weight versus six weight fly rods and the merits of a seven versus a nine weight. This is the land of fifteen and sixteen weights! You pretty much know this is a www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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place of jurassic beasts and their stories when your charter plane flies near a volcano that is constantly in the distance with her trail of smoke. This is definitely not another fishing story of meeting new good friends for life, smashing personal targets and fish measurements. To qualify the last point, most people dream of catching a tarpon anywhere near a 100lbs every poon landed by our group was upwards of 100lb to 200lbs. Every fish a fish of a lifetime. We decided shortly after the first day that fishing in this place carried a different ethos. No numbers, no weights. Jus pura vida. The accommodation was perfect in every way and was situated on the landing strip that runs through the middle of this quaint, peaceful jungle town and a was short walk to the river pier to board a fleet of first class boats. We are privileged in South Africa to have some amazing guides that will impart knowledge about many species in many environments across the globe, but the guides here are dedicated giant tarpon fishing guides. They were born in this village and giant tarpon is their life. I’m again reminded of the difference between a boat guide and proper world-class fishing guide.
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As we headed out for the first session I started to get excited and nervous. Excited at the prospect that I could finish with a world record and nervous about the tides as my sea legs are not always the best. I had done significant research on the topic of seasickness and brought along meds ranging from epilepsy stabilisers to pure ginger root. By the end of the day I had dispensed with all of them as the gentle neap currents along with the one-directional currents were in fact relaxing and comparable to those in a river. I believe I had just taken my first step to curing seasickness. A truly special place indeed.
fly. Many have ventured educated views based on experience, but it’s true that when you hook a 100lb club poon no education will prepare you. Time seems to slow down and even though the guide and your mates volley a chorus of instructions for a split second you just try and ‘manage’ the violent and brutal chaos. The truth is that you simply hang on for dear life and hope the years of muscle memory guide a finger of forgiveness. The trick is hooking the bugga in the first place!
The 'pain cave' - a place where for two hours your strength, endurance and humour are tested
On previous trips we had to deal with stronger spring tides and fast 700 grain sinking fly lines were used. In the true spirit of flyfishing flexibility and adaptation is key and in the slower tides we changed to a mix of 500 grain and even intermediate lines. We had tied a range of large tarpon flies with the usual purple and green colours but we did not know that some shrimp boats would be in the area. This resulted in an orange fly delivering some beasts. It must be noted that the fly out-fished the odd ‘insurance bait’ at the back of the boat!
The first 10 minutes is prolific with massive aerial jumps and drag-breaking runs before you enter the “pain cave”. This is a term created for the time after ten minutes and the next hour to two where you will test every side of your strength, endurance and humour. However, beware, you will be consumed wholly by this take for the rest of your life - when you kiss your partner, while you drive to work and with your last thought at night.
Some people have asked what it is like hooking, fighting and landing giant tarpon on
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Watching the Rugby World Cup opening game at 3AM A personal mark on this story is my own overcoming obstacles (in fishing and perhaps in life, which is fair, because fishing is life). After returning from the last morning session I discovered that I was the only angler to have had zero action.
motion of the waves against the boat best trying to sync everything and most importantly smiling in gratitude at this thing we call life. Did it work? Four takes, a double hook up and two landed. As the boat gently steered us home it was nothing less expected than to see the fishing gods see us off with a tarpon shaped cloud in the sky. This is the reason some of us live.
I do not compete at life/fishing and live for myself and my own dreams, yet I felt a failure. An honest and open reflection resulted in my fellow SAFAs coming together within an hour to give me a new leader, a new fly, a new outlook, a cold beer and a pep talk. I listened. As a sort-of-guitarist I immediately kindled the wise words from Tom who linked this passion to the water and fish. “Play those strings”. So, with a smile and the expectation to catch (yet no grading on the trip if I caught) I set out for the last cast. I cast my line out and started to retrieve, listening to the
Picture credits: Woz (Warren Koch), Schalk Van Rensburg, Tom Lewin, Reghard du Toit, David “Frikkie” Spangenberg, John Riddle
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Heritage Flies - Part 6 The Hover dragon. Peter Brigg The Hover Dragon – 1985.
He was Roger Baert, the creator of the Hover Dragon in 1985. Roger’s dragonfly nymph imitation was arguably the first design to mimic the spurt and slow-drop movement of the natural insect. Roger says that the basis for the fly was laid in 1983 but that it reached its final form in 1985 with the addition of the red Edge Bright eyes.
He was the son of a diplomat, born in Shanghai and his boyhood years were spent in many parts of the world. His first angling memory was at the age of five on the coast of Japan – a broken arm prevented him from swimming and his father took him fishing instead. But many will remember him as the guy behind the counter at the Flyfisherman in Pietermaritzburg with the warm, welcoming smile, a good sense of humour and knowledgeable, the guy who was known as the father of float tubing in South Africa and sometimes controversially, subduing large stillwater trout on an Orivs Superfine 6’6” 2 wt. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
I asked Roger about story behind this fly – “It needs to be tied to last. But it also needs to sink very slowly, on an even keel. It was the much-missed Keith Miller who was behind my ideas on the subject. Keith, who tragically drowned when his float tube deflated on a trout dam in KwaZulu Natal, used to keep nymphs in a fish tank to study 28
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He told me that the dragonfly nymphs always sank, but very slowly, whenever they stopped expelling water from their rear ends. That's where the word ‘Hoverdragon’ comes from. The fly cannot truly hover, but it needs to sink slowly and steadily whenever your retrieve is interrupted. The buoyancy and the stability of the fly are achieved with the use of toe puff material, the stuff that shoe manufacturers use in shaping the front end of a shoe from the inside. You must cut a coffin shaped section out of your sheet of toe puff material, of about two thirds the length of your hook shank and lash it onto the hook with its wide end to the rear.
tyer Barry Kent was good enough to supply me with a drawing of the procedure to follow when preparing a piece of toe puff for the tying of flat bodied flies. Various types of dubbing can be used, synthetic or natural. My preference is hare’s ear fur with lots of guard hairs in a range of greens and olives. The dubbing must be wound on in several fine layers of which the lower ones should be anchored to the toe puff base with super glue. Eyes are always an important feature in the appearance of all Odonata imitations. I have used many types of eyes (but never weighted ones, of course), but finally settled for a material called Edge Bright. The original distributors of Edge Bright were a mom and pop shop which no longer exists. It is now being distributed by Hareline. The colours of the eyes that I prefer are either green or hot orange, but I could never tell which colour was the better one.
This material is buoyant and has a rough surface into which your tying thread can get a firm purchase when lashing it to the hook shank. This insures you against the damage that a trout's teeth can easily do to your end product. Lots of super glue and tying thread will ensure that this base is properly secured to the shank of your hook. The famous fly
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My method of applying Edge Bright eyes to a hook shank is as follows. You have covered the rear two thirds of the hook shank with your short tail, your fat welldubbed body and now have the front third of your hook shank free for the eyes, legs and head.
position. You now pluck a few fibres from a saddle hackle and tie them onto both sides of the hook between eyes and body, pointing outwards. Then, cover your tying thread with dubbing and figure-of-eight all visible parts of the hook shank, the lashed in eyes, the hackle legs and possibly an optional glitter or two of Krystal Flash. Whip finish and you are done. Various retrieves can be used when fishing the Hoverdragon, but the basic and most reliable one seems to be long, slowish pulls followed by pauses of varying duration.  Each pull brings the legs alongside the body and each pause causes them to flutter back out very realistically.�
Cut a thin strip of Edge Bright (3mm wide by 25mm long). Lash it firmly to the top and middle of the bare hook shank with figure-ofeight turns. You now have equal lengths of the makings of your eyes sticking out at right angles to the hook shank. Then fold in and lash down, one at a time, each protruding end of your strip of Edge Bright. Snip off excess eye material as you lash the bits into www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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Dressing Hook - Long-shank hook size 6-10. Thread - 6/0 pre-waxed, colour to match dubbing. Tail - Very short hackle fibres the same colour as the body. Body - Toe puff material cut to shape plus blend of brown/olive hare’s fur with guard hairs. Legs – Saddle hackle fibres sticking out to the sides of the fly between the head and the body. A bit of Krystalflash can be added to enhance the perception of movement in this area. Eyes - Edge Bright – green or hot orange.
Roger is also the author of his delightful book, Meandering Streams, covering an eclectic mix of angling subjects, stories and experiences, some chapters anecdotal others tactically useful. A worthwhile addition to any flyfishers library. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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HUNTING HUCHO - HUCHO Simon Hunter Bunn
Well, where do we start this story? Maybe at the beginning, the first time I showed Warren Bradfield and Andrew Savs a hucho hucho on the Sava River in Slovenia while we were fishing for trout and grayling on their last trip here. At the time, you see, the season for hucho hucho was closed and would only open in the winter six months later. We never took a shot at one. We were walking along the banks early one morning and were checking on fish activity so that we could fish accordingly for the day. Lo and behold there she was, a trophy fish of around 110 cm holding midway down a long run in about 2m of water next to a big boulder. We all just froze and, to be honest, I can't remember exactly what was said, but the look on the guys’ faces seemed to imprint itself in my mind. They were looks of a sort of disbelief, with their jaws dropping and them rubbing their eyes to make sure that they were not dreaming. The guys were impressed, that’s for sure! Knowing Warren's background in big game fishing I wondered how long it would take for him to come back for a hucho hucho hunt. He had a rather distant gaze in his eyes for the rest of the trip. Fast-forward about twelve months and the call came. Warren was keen to get the ball rolling on planning a trip to hunt in the 2019 winter season, so that's what we did. Savs was tied up and couldn't make it so Warren and I were going to fish together.
We planned and planned. In my experience that’s all that one can do simply because there are two major factors that come into play after the planning: weather and feeding behaviour, and they go hand-inhand. The rest can be dealt with (fishing is fishing), but with no control over the weather even if one hunts as hard as possible it doesn't mean that the fish will be biting and that you'll be catching. Hucho hucho are the kings of the river and they will do just as they please, when they please! We can only hope to be positioned in the right place at the right time. They can switch on and off in an instant. The big fish that we would be chasing are largely piscivorous and feed on other fish the likes of trout, grayling, sculpins and a wide variety of white fish. It is basically opportunistic and if something is vulnerable, it will be eaten. It will supplement its diet with a variety of dietary supplements such as ducks, rodents, squirrels and snakes if they present
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themselves. However, conditions have to suitable and because of the size of the prey items the fish will often just hold in its lurk to digest its food. This is a process that may take some time, even up to a few days. So, our plan was to hunt for them for ten days, and it was just as well that we set so much time aside for it. We got hit by some really adverse weather on the tour and the rivers were turned upside down. Chasing hucho hucho is more widely referred to as a "hunt" in the Danube drainage system of the Balkan area that they inhabit. It's not a fish that gives itself away easily and it requires some hard work to even get a sniff at one. You also have to hunt for them in angling pairs due to the high danger involved in the pursuit of these monster predators. Warren’s arrival was imminent and for me the pressure was mounting as I watched a weather forecast that wasn't looking good for the trip.
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It looked however as though we would have a few days to have a go before the approaching storm of all storms hit and I wondered if he actually knew what he was in for. One good thing was that it was still in the beginning of the season and the ice cold hadn't arrived yet - but we can just put that down to global warming (ha ha).
ready to make his trip all that more adventurous while covering km's of water over the next 10 days. As always Warren was full of banter and in good spirits - which helps when going hunting for hucho hucho. Back at the house we quickly went through all the gear for the tour. Warren is a little OCD about gear, but that's a good thing as we lost nothing on the trip and always had what we needed. Prior to the trip and while I was back in SA for a while we made sure to go to see John and the guys at Xplorer to get to get all the gear we needed.
The day arrived and there he was, in a teeshirt at 18:00 at a cold and wet Ljubljana Bus Station, but with the biggest smile on his face. Yeah, he was ready! He was looking buff from training sessions at the gym and was www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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(At the end of the article is a list of tackle that we used for the trip). The guys at Xplorer were super helpful and even ordered in what we were looking for. So, with all the gear sorted and packed it was time to rest up for the next morning.
We got to the spot, not a secret spot, but a rather obvious weir next to the Sempeter Fishing Club that on a previous trip had produced a great 85cm hucho hucho for me. It’s just a great place to start the day off. Cast after cast we searched all the likely places, and even the unlikely ones, without any strikes - well at least not from the species that we were looking for.
I could hardly sleep, as it is most nights before a tour. Warren was keen for a hucho hucho and I was keen to christen the T50 and to realise my goal of the last two seasons to be the first to take the Xplorer range through their paces hunting these big kings of the river.
Sensing that it was time to change spots I asked Warren if we should head to ‘100% Pool’. We had clocked about eleven kilometres of walking the previous day so we wanted to try all of my main waypoints in the vast area we were in by car. The rivers vary a lot throughout the season with the ever shifting free stone that moves through it course and you need to travel to find the best spots. Off we went 100% pool.
Here's how it went down....... Up at 05:00 in the cold and rain and off to the Sava River. This was to be the biggest river that we would fish and is known for big hucho hucho. We needed to fish her first as she carries the water of a great many tributaries out of Slovenia and she's normally the first to go when big rains arrive. Even though the fish were there she proved be hard to fish.
Arriving at 100% Pool we had a look around before each choosing a great position in the head of the water we were fishing. I had caught fish here before and felt that this was probably going to be a good spot. It couldn’t have been more than ten casts and a small hucho hucho had a go at my fly, but missed it. I told Warren and he gave me one of those great fishing buddy glares. The next cast I was on! What a great moment, it was a solid fish in unbelievable condition and was very fat. Although at around 80cm it wasn't the longest fish it was strong it really gave a good fight.
The water levels were not at the best for flyfishing, making the day a challenge and difficult. The Sava was running at around thirty-five cubes a second but over the next fourteen days she would see in excess of a thousand cubes a second passing through. This was to be the last chance that Warren would have on the Sava because of the rising water levels and the current keeping us at a distance from the good spots. The flow was swift and the rocks were slippery.
I've learned that with hucho hucho you have to break them in the first ten seconds of the fight. They are really, really strong, are super fast and if the fish gets the upper hand they love to run down stream and are easily lost. The way they make your line cut through the water at such speed is something to see.
After a tough but lekker day with no strikes we opted to go back, grab all of our gear and head up further to the north east the following morning. The absolutely stunning Savinja River, a tributary to the Sava River, is where we decided to stay for the next couple of days before the storm arrived. The Savinja River system is great for hunting hucho hucho as it has always produced the highest strike rate on fly. This is where I knew Warren was to get his introduction, although when exactly I wasn't sure, but I was sure hoping it would be soon. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
Man, my adrenalin was pumping and the fight was on but I kept the pressure on and was soon to be rewarded with an awesome fish. One of the tricks in fighting them is to keep the line as short as possible and when she ran downstream I walked my way down, keeping good contact. If you let too much line out they will snag you up in something. 39
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Warren filmed the fight and it was pretty short but with the fish in the net it was time to get a few pics for the memory banks. What a moment! My smile was back and it always feels great to release them back into the river for another day. I had to have a laugh, as now my dilemma was looking at Warren for the rest of the day. I was hoping that he would have got the first fish so now the pressure was really on. We went to a few spots within walking distance and spotted one fish that had a go at his fly but soon disappeared after spitting it.
together. Practice time was over and we knew what we had to do. We went straight back to the spots where we had luck before and although the weather was tough on us our spirits were way stronger. We started off in a downpour. The first stop brought nothing and we moved to the second. Action! It wasn't long before we both saw and lost fish as they were hitting and spitting the flies just as quickly. The heavens opened up again and it started to pour down but as there was no lightning we pushed through after a break and a big lunch. We decided to finish off the day at 100% Pool.
With no more strikes for the hard session in cold, wet weather we went to check into our accommodation and went out for supper at the Mozirje Fishing Club.
We went our respective ways as we did on our last visit but as entering the water I remember commenting about the smell of fish and that the water was rising. These are perfect conditions for big fish to come out.
We stayed close to the Mozirje Fishing Club waters at and sun-up we soon noticed that we wouldn't be the only ones one the water that day. With the river running super clear and all the fisherman around it became obvious that this was going to be a difficult day. It was the opening week on the club waters that we had planned to fish on. A small front had also passed through during the night and the fish were on edge. The day was pretty drab with a cold wind blowing and we ended up scratching around looking for place to flyfish among a lot of spin guys. We had no luck and although we saw some fish they were extremely spooky and vanished soon after being spotted. We fished ourselves stupid into the cold and dark before we retreated to base to plan the next day.
Warren was in position and was casting away as I was starting to get my line out. A short flick and I sent the streamer down some fast water close by. Nothing.
We had planned go back downstream to the Sempeter Fishing club where we were the previous day. We hadn't seen another angler around, so we knew we would be left to hunt in peace and quiet… and the cold... and the rain. The anglers that we had met on the river the day before were great guys but it’s always better to hunt away from the crowds. The pressure was now on for sure as there was a massive front hitting us in the afternoon and there had already been some flooding in the west. We had seen, had strikes from and had already caught fish so it was time to get it all www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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A flick a little further and there they were. A big shape appeared from the depths and rose at the fly but the water was going at pace and it just missed it. I was trying to get Warren's attention, flicked the fly again and this time I saw a massive tail splash out of the water.
him what had just happened and the game was on.  First cast and he was on, but the hook didn’t set and the fish came off. Next cast, again the same thing! The fish were thick in that spot they were all holding and were smashing bait fish as they flushed down stream. A few more casts saw no action until another fish hit and again came off. It went quiet for the next few casts but adrenaline was now pumping. I said to Warren that he should change his fly as the fish had all had a go and were now rejecting it.
When Warren finally looked at me he gave me that look - not such a cool look, I must say, but it quickly changed to a big grin when he realised that I was hooking up on my streamer and was gesturing for him to come and stand next to me. I explained to
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While changing we had a very quick pep talk and I told him to hold the line tight in right hand trigger finger and strip strike the next fish like he would GT cruising the shoreline. The fly hit the water and was straight-away engulfed by a monster.
put my gear down as I would need to help Warren land this big fish. I lost my footing, took a fall straight into the icy water and noticed that I didn't get wet at all inside with all of the layers of gear that I was wearing. This was a good thing as I had soon realised that the only way to land the fish was to wade out into the current, head down to the snag and try to free the line. Warren at this time was just holding pressure on the fish and getting into position because as soon as the line was free the battle would be back on.
The hookset was perfect and Warren was on. His rod bent in a beautiful arc as a bus of a hucho hucho turned and powered its way straight through the main current downstream, around a rock and under a log jam. With the light fading and the river rising I opted to make the dash back to the bank to
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and a few pics later she was released for another day. From that moment on Warren became known as One-Metre-Warrie! Here's the thing though, the fish seemed familiar as when I netted her I noticed a small scar on her tail. Back at base and so super stoked to have got a great hucho hucho the pics were brought out for inspection. What a fish! An absolute beaut of a fish, but still, it looked very familiar. I quickly went onto Instagram to check out a fish I caught last year. We compared pics, got some ID markings and soon confirmed that it was a fish that I had caught the previous season. When I caught her she had measured in at 101cm but now came in at 105cm and a few kilograms heavier. She was in stunning condition and she had grown. Last season some guys had laughed at me when they saw my barbless flies, but it just goes to show that they work and how they have almost no impact on the fish when released. I am an ambassador for catch and release. Hucho hucho are under major threat in the Balkans due to the number of hydroelectric projects proposed in their habitats and commercial exploitation. The Sempeters Fishing Club's outlook on the safeguarding of their waters is fantastic and be easily seen when on the water. The monitoring of the fish and the environs in which they live lead to a fantastic fish quality, which in my opinion all result in great flyfishing memories.
In I went and with the current at my back I sort of treaded and floated to the big rock, released the log and then the line, hoping that all would still hold. When I was done the fish was still on and I made my way back while Warren was getting stuck into the second half of the fight. When I got see the fish in full I realised that Warren was battling a fish of a lifetime! She was still green and went off on another run. Line screamed off the reel but the drag eased the initial charge and stopped the fish getting back into the current. When they do this all one can do is to hold on. It was as if time started to freeze and the fish headed straight towards me and again we could see how big she was. Splash! She turned again and went on another small run but her runs were getting slower and slower, so on the next chance Warren led her straight to the net. She filled the net with half of her great bulk still sticking out - but that was of no concern as we only needed to keep her under control.
That night the heavens opened up into deluges of rain and by the next morning the water volume had doubled and the river was just a roaring torrent of toffee-coloured water. The storm had covered most of Slovenia and the alpine rivers were in no shape to fish. We quickly packed up and headed south to the Krka River, which is a chalk stream. Chalk streams tend to take longer to fill up so we hoped that there was a chance that we would be able to fish it. It was also blown out and we went to meet a friend, Gregor, at his fishing shop where we spent a long time planning what to do over the next few days.
He had done it! Not only was it on his first trip, but he had entered the world of the One Metre Club on fly. She was a trophy fish and measured in at 105cm. Lots of shouts of joy www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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Pike fishing was on the cards in a contained lake that doesn’t get affected too badly by storms.
surface with the fly deep in its mouth. Time again seemed to freeze as the fish broke the surface while I was trying to set the hook. It must have hurt him to watch this with me on his rod. Ten or so big head shakes and the fly came whizzing past my head as the beast spat it out. We both fished a little harder after that but our pickings were zero and we called it quits when the rain came back.
We got more gear, the necessary tickets and leased a stable boat. The next day we got to the lake just glad to be able to chase one metre fish again. Lake fishing with 9wt rods can be tiresome so we kept the banter going and just after lunch One-Metre-Warrie had a big pike charge his fly close to the edge of the boat. It was the only pike that we encountered and the next day looked bleak, to say the least.
We spent the next day resting and while we were soon ready to hit the rivers the problem was where to fish. The big rivers were very full and only a few of the smaller rivers were fishable. We tried calling a few clubs to book water but had no luck and everything except for their ridiculous prices seemed to get lost in translation. Tired of wasting time we left behind the politics and went back up to the Savinja River, even though the waters were still high and there was more rain on the way.
The next day was pretty much the same and banter again set in with the boredom. The rivers were now out of control and we were getting boat fever. We switched rods to check out each other’s gear, chirping about the performance until my line went tight and a monster pike charged for the www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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We had been subdued by the weather for so long that, no matter what, we both just wanted to get one last fish each. The rivers had subsided to the point of being only just fishable . We left 100% Pool for last and found it fishable from only one side. Warren was up first with a small hucho hucho of 60cm, but it was a catch to be happy about as the rain was coming again and conditions had worsened through the day. Shortly after that I was gifted with a surprise fish on my first swing of the fly, a perfect little 70 cm Hucho Hucho to end the tour.
We had been tested to the max throughout the trip. It is no easy feat to hunt hucho hucho but we managed our patience, pushed our endurance and kept our emotions in check to be rewarded with memories that will last a lifetime.
The rain had arrived again and we headed back to headquarters to get Warren packed up for his return to a sunny, dry South Africa and to reflect on what was an awesome tour.
So good luck listening to those stories of small stream fish from back home, I know you'll have a distant gaze in your eyes while thinking about hunting monsters.
Well done One-Metre-Warrie on your never-give-up and chase-them-hard attitude. You achieved your goal but now I fear that the hucho hucho have dragged you into the thrill of the hunt which is whole new world to dwell in.
HUCHO HUCHO FACTSHEET The huchen, Danube salmon, sulec (pronounced suletz ) and King of the River are some of the more common names for this freshwater fish of the salmon family. Order - Salmoniformes Family - Salmoninae Genus - Hucho Speicies - H.Hucho Its not anadromous, meaning that it only lives in fresh, cold waters and doesn't run to sea. It is a cousin to the Siberian taimen (hucho taimen) as well as Japanese taimen ( hucho perryi ). Huchen can grow up to 1.5m in length and can exceed 50kg in weight, although their more common average catch lengths vary between 60cm and 120cm. The vast majority of fish are caught spinning gear as it is much easier to target them that way. Only true die-hard fly fishers chase them on fly. Big flies are used for big fish and unweighted streamers between 15cm and 20cm long are coupled with a variety of lines, normally an intermediate line. TACKLE USED All of the gear listed below is available at Xplorer Fly Fishing Concept Store or online at www.xplorerflyfishing.co.za Simon Bunn used a Xplorer T50 nine foot, nine weight rod, a Redington Behemoth 9-10 supertorque reel and matched this with a Rio Coastal QuickShooter XP Coldwater WF9I intermediate fly line. Warren Bradfield used a Sage XI3 nine foot, nine weight rod, a Shilton SL 6 reel matched with a Rio Coastal QuickShooter XP Coldwater WF9I intermediate fly line. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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"EMBRACE THE CRAZY" WE SPEAK TO GORDON VAN DER SPUY SAVS My parents realised that I wasn't a standard-issue child. Luckily they embraced the crazy so it all worked out in the end. I first met Gordon a few years back on an evening that, as far as this magazine is concerned, was fairly significant. With a few beers in hand I popped by Terry Andrews at his ‘Trout Talk Global Headquarters’ to collect some hardwoods that he’d tracked down for me. I burst through the door and into the middle of one of Gordon’s fly tying classes just as he was instructing his class to draw a mayfly nymph. I mumbled an apology and opened a beer as an excuse to stay and watch the man who was holding court wearing a pair of bright surfer's baggies, a shirt with a pattern seemingly designed to flush out latent epileptics and hair as wild as his hand gestures. I was introduced to him, Andrew Mather (who blinded me by not removing his weapons grade headlamp before looking up), and Ian Cox (who was in the corner tying a red eye damsel and not as much participating in the event as being present at it).
with him to chat about it. FFM: Where did the idea of a book come from? GVDS: I've had the idea for a book for a while. There's nothing new in it per se but I do approach the subject from a fresh angle. Form follows function. You should be focussing on what you need the fly to do when you're fishing it and then tie it to do that. Too many people tie by numbers as it were. It's limiting. I just feel life is short. If you're going to do something give it horns. Really go for it. If you fail you fail, so what? FFM: Tell me about how you selected patterns. Are they things that float your boat currently or are they patterns that incorporate techniques that you think every fly tyer should master first? Where does one even start?
Gordon’s approach in having his students identify and draw naturals before tying them impressed me and has stayed with me. Over the last few years our paths have periodically converged and my respect for him, what he does and how he does it continues to grow.
GVDS: The patterns were flies that appealed to me. They're all patterns that I have a personal story with. The idea has always been the ideas or concepts behind the patterns as opposed to just the patterns themselves. The patterns are merely a vehicle for the message.
He’s a difficult guy to sum up; as enigmatic as he is charismatic. With his first book on fly tying nearing completion we touched base
This isn’t a standard step-by-step book. It’s more about my philosophy surrounding how I go about tying flies.
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A 'Fra Diavolo' tied by Gordon Photo by Tom Sutcliffe FFM: We’re loving your drawings. This isn’t a side of you that we’ve seen before.
Drawings give more detail than a photo can. I can also manipulate the drawing easier than a photo.
GVDS: As a kid I loved drawing. I'd draw cows, birds of prey, fruit bowls, my granny, the dog - whoever and whatever sat still long enough. I guess that's when my parents realised that I wasn't a standard-issue child. Luckily they embraced the crazy so it all worked out in the end.
The problem is as the drawing develops I find myself wanting to redo stuff. FFM: Over the course of a few discussions with you the topic of writing keeps pulling through as a theme. Are you drawn to writing? Do you for example tell anecdotes in your book?
My mom and dad used to drop me off on my mom's uncle’s farm in Ogies. I'd roam free on that place in school holidays adventuring and drawing as I went. I loved it.
GVDS: I write out of necessity. I'm no great shakes as a writer. I'm no Deon Meyer but ja, I say it like I say it and I guess people appreciate the fact that I'm not trying to be smart - I’m just talking to them.
FFM: In a world that is dominated by digital images why did you choose to go with drawings?
My book is full of stories and personal experiences. I don't view myself as anything special, I'm a boy from Witbank (was born there) who happened to smaak flyfishing. Writing has always been part of what I do. I have written two plays to date, one for an educational theatre company and the other for a corporate for ABSA
GVDS: The thing with drawings in tying manuals is that if they’re done right they should represent real proportion and give one a very real feel of the fly. It takes forever to work in this style but it conveys the sense of the flies very well.
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FFM: So is writing then part of your formal craft, I mean in terms of acting and theatre, and has it helped? Do you draw on your formal training outside of the theatre or off the screen?
exposure in terms of releasing my book eventually. Our market here is limited. One should be casting the net as wide as possible. FFM: Tell me about Fanie? Has he gone to the big fish in the sky or as a character does he still have legs? I love poking fun at anything that even remotely looks like tweed or tea in china cups on a riverbank. Me and Fanie could braai lekker langs 'n dam saam.
GVDS: Acting definitely helped shape the way I communicate. It taught me how to communicate efficiently and effectively. A writer should be true to their voice, say what you want to say and say it like you say it. You don't need to be Gierach, the world already has one, just be you.
GVDS: Fanie was really the brainchild of Flybru. I came up with the character but the concept is theirs. If they're ever keen to do it again I’ll be keen. It was great fun doing something slightly left field. I hate ordinary things. I love things and people who are off beat.
FFM: When I write I get a sense that if I’m saying something that a thousand people have said before I shouldn’t even bother. I suppose that it speaks to authenticity in one’s writing. Is this something that you think about?
FFM: How did you come to being involved in the sport? What turns you on in terms of fishing? You do the Bokong annually, fish the Cape streams, etc. Are there places that stand out?
GVDS: I totally agree with you. Write if you have something to say. Too many people think they're smart when they're writing. Self indulgence is crap. It's a bit like a beautiful girl who is aware of her beauty. It makes her less attractive whereas a fairly average looking girl can be super attractive because she's not trying too hard and just being cool. One should never force things. Just let it happen.
GVDS: I learned to fish in the Drakensberg at boarding school. I was in the choir school and music and trout fishing have a symbiotic relationship. A boy named Jan Theo Steenkamp was practicing his casting on the lawn. It looked cool. I asked him to teach me and that's where it started. I love fishing for fish in unlikely places. I caught a trout in the middle of a desert a while back - thanks Leroy! But I’m not fussy, if it has fins I'll cast to it. I love fishing in the doggy park near my house. It has these mean-ass Cape kurpers that hijack a fly more than they take it. I love it!
FFM: Tell us about what you're up to with Fly Fishing & Fly Tying. How did you get involved with them? Do you have a long view or is it part of a greater ambition? GVDS: I emailed Mark Bowler, started chatting to him and we got on. I sent him a piece and he liked it. That's how it started.
Love the Bokong, it's my happy place. Chilling on that mountain flicking flies to fat yellows just does it for me.
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FFM: I think, from the form follows function philosophy that I know a little of where you stand - but where do you stand? You tie full dress salmon flies in a tradition where it's all form; those things aren't even fished. Is there a sort of conflict that comes from that or are you able to reconcile the two approaches?
on the level of salmon flies, but do you also see a bunch of guys who tie like the masters but who actually don't have the fishing chops to back it up? I know guys who tie like hell but are pretty ordinary on a stream. GVDS: Some people are great tyers and suck as fisherman and visa versa. Occasionally you get someone who has the chops in all aspects.
GVDS: Well, traditional classic salmon flies are still fished by a small group of people. They’re surprisingly effective. Spey flies with their Heron hackles move and pulse wonderfully, for example. There is something quite zen about dressing a nice classic and catching a fat silver salmon on it. It's not about just catching a fish, it's about the journey in getting there.
Mark Krige is a classic example of that. The dude ties like a champ but is also a natural born fisherman. He is the type of guy who can catch trout with a broomstick, a piece of tippet and a soft hackle. I'm not a particularly gifted fisherman so I don't pretend to be either. My joy of fishing isn't derived from how good I am at it. I just smaak it, there is something quite spiritual about spotting a fish, presenting a fly to it and then watching it eat the fly.
Tying classics is meditative once you get past the initial nuts and bolts phase. I love tying them because they challenge me. They also help one develop as a tyer. You can't tie classics and not improve as a tyer overall. They open your eyes up to certain things. Classics in a way shaped me as a tyer. They forced me to become technically better.
I think flyfishing and fly tying are extremely subjective. It is what you want it to be. It's a personal thing. I tie more than I fish but enjoy fishing just as much even though I tie better than I fish.
FFM: Are fly tying and flyfishing once again seeing a minor divergence? Not quite
A 'Mar Lodge' tied by Gordon Photo by Tom Sutcliffe www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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FFM: We saw you post recently about a show that you’re working on. Your explanation of it really moved us.
that you try to reconcile? Does it take ‘management’ or are you comfortable stepping in and out of roles as you go?
GVDS: I love acting but did get disillusioned with the industry and how it functions.
GVDS: I am whoever I need to be to get the job done but am fully aware that the journey is as important, if not more so, than the end goal. I always try to be in the moment I'm in. Things are easier when you compartmentalise things.
I wanted to do something useful so wrote a one man show titled "Dare to Dream”. I started performing it at schools but have also performed it to corporates who lack gees.
Too many people are blind to the world around them. I believe in the concept of being a significant human being. I'm at peace with who I am and who I have become, I'm far from perfect and have come to accept that that's just human.
Positive energy is a great thing. Sometimes people just need a wake up call. The show is not conventional at all, it's a bit of a mix between a stand up comedy show and a motivational speech.
Shakespeare said, "To thine own self be true". It's probably the best thing he ever wrote.
A lot of people never realised their full potential because they simply lack the courage and balls to chase what they want. Humans are good at settling and very few people achieve their higher calling. Life is short, best you grow a pair, go for it and milk it for all it's worth.
FFM: Someone said to once that “if you have to be there be all there”. It stuck with me and you certainly live it. So, back to where we started - the book. GVDS: The book is a labour of love. So many books have been written on tying but I decided to write it because I felt there was a lot that people weren't saying or communicating in terms of tying even though thousands of books have been written on the subject.
The show is worked out. I tested it out on my children and used them as a barometer regarding what works and what doesn't. Too many people underestimate their children. You can learn a lot from them! FFM: On the subject of schools, are you still doing one-on-one tying classes?
The book is a story as much as it is a book about tying. The message is solid. I have an amazing team working on it with me and that helps.
GVDS: I love giving one-on-one classes and have a few regular students who I teach. I get more done teaching one on one. It's effective.
The nice thing about the book is that it is proudly South African. The idea is to release it internationally. The South African flyfishing community has a lot to offer the rest of the world. We box way above our weight category. We have world class tyers, guides, rod builders, outfitters etc. We need to be proud of that and punt it globally.
I think in a way I am a teacher more than anything else. Entertainment is the medium I use to convey a message. People retain info when they're engaged. FFM: You’re a creative. An actor, tyer, illustrator, writer. But you’re also an organizer, administrator, networker, teacher, facilitator. Which is the real Gordon? Are you Fanie or the guy who ties salmon patterns that bring me close to tears sometimes? Is it something www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
FFM: Thanks for sharing, Gords, it's been fun. All the best for the book, the show, the writing and for whatever you find yourself doing next. 54
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A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY - THE CARP TUGGER TERRY BABICH The Tugger originated after I returned from fishing for carp at Bronkhorstspruit Dam. I was frustrated because the wind blew my flies all over the show and didn’t allow me the opportunity to present my flies to the carp that were darting through the gaps in the grass - faster than Flash Gordon!
All this was looked at with the understanding of how a carp feeds and what it likes to eat. Carp can be very colour and size specific and this design allows for changes to size and colour when tying it. It also allows for hackle, legs, etc. to be add if required. The permutations are endless.
The gaps between the grass clumps were small and the spaces didn’t allow for much time to present a fly, so I had to come up with a plan. The only knowledge I had to refer to was that of the art lure guys. They were using curly tails and jigs to catch carp. I realised that a little weight would help with control and positioning the fly in tight and windy conditions. It would also allow me to place the fly quickly and accurately.
My original favourite colours were either a white, red or yellow tail with a black body and a bead to match the purpose. I have tied this fly in more variations than I tie for a woolly bugger. Carp have definite colour preferences in different colour water. They can be very moody some days and display extremely specific colour preferences.
I was on the right track. I decided to use a strong, wide gape scud hook that I could really yank on to keep the carp from going into the weeds and reeds. The idea was to tug hard, lift the fish’s head and prevent it from swimming too far too quickly - hence the name “Tugger”. The tungsten bead adds to the weight but also acts as an attractor hot spot for the carp to hone in on. It looks like an egg and carp love egg flies. The body was tapered to imitate a leach or caddis or the like and the profile alone would be enough to entice a carp. Lastly, the marabou tail thins in the water and allows for great movement, like a curly tail would. It is a great material as it adds colour and looks like a worm or some other tasty morsel that a carp would eat.
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The dilemma when fishing for cats and carp is the carrying of two rods and I decided to put the Tugger below my catfish BBB fly. This would allow me to change target species in a heartbeat. Little did I know, the Carp Tugger would prove to be the dominant fly for catfish in deep water and early morning conditions! The BBB became more of an afternoon fly and works well when the fish were really on the fly. Some days up to 90% of my cats are caught on a size 6 or 8 Carp Tugger. The fly lends itself well to catching cats as it makes a very distinctive plopping sound on the water that the cats really like. The other advantage with it is that cats often sit on the bottom of the dam waiting for whatever made the plopping sound to sink so that they can gobble it up. It sinks quickly into the zone and right to where the catfish is lying before he gets bored and swims off.
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The Vaal-Orange river system lends itself well to targeting catfish as I discovered when I did a trip with a group of guys on the Orange River near Douglas. The trip was not for any specific species and as the smallmouth yellowfish were not really on the bite they were quickly dismissed when the guys started targeting catfish and were catching largemouth as a by-catch to the catfish they were targeting. The lucky ones in the group caught not only their first river catfish but largies too. Mmmm…. who would have thought it?
and although the Tugger has splashed largies into biting on the mighty Vaal and Orange rivers it has also proved to be a good fly in other places. In the last sixteen months or so I know of more than one hundred largies having been caught in dams and rivers while splashing for catfish. I target various dams on the Vaal system and recently there have been a large number of largies caught on the Tugger, in some cases these have been actively targeted. If a fish is seen rising a cast or two is made and the largie hits the fly like a madman. They come onto the fly with gusto and snack it, normally very close to the bank and with just two splashes he is there.
It seemed that this part of the Orange River is a little dirty and the largemouth were slightly more prone to zoning in on things that made a noise. Catfish in dirty water are by the same principle also prone to chase things that make a noise or plop on the water.
So now, is the Tugger really a carp, largie or a catfish specific fly? No, wait for it, there’s more!
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If you fish it under a few more fishing condition you are sure to land blue kurper, smallmouth yellowfish, big trout, bass, etc. Besides my own catches, many others have caught other species on the Tugger. I know
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anglers who use it exclusively as a deep water trout fly‌.. Who would have ever guessed? Clearly a case of mistaken identity‌.
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Fishing for Umko Scalies Andrew Harrison It surely makes life easier taking advice from experienced anglers, but cracking the code by one’s self is inestimably more satisfying, no matter that it was by accident. The path was marked with orange sticky notes. It cut through dense bush with the Umkomaas river noisy but hidden by a wall of brush and reeds. A male bushbuck, horns laid back, flushed nimbly up the shale scree, somehow negotiating a steep passage through the thorn thickets.
my son, Ruari, not hampered by knee replacements, skipped ahead. Missing sticky notes should have given away that we were on the wrong track in spite of the well-worn path that we were following. Noting my puffing progress; “Stay here Dad, I’ll check it out,” came a distant call from around the corner. Not to be deemed ‘past it’ I soldiered on to finally catch up and survey seemingly the only path down to the river. An irrigation pipeline offered a route clear of scrub but loose gravel and a daunting slope was not going to make it easy. It crossed my mind that the laying of the pipeline must have been a major challenge.
The path got progressively steeper as the rising sun reduced the river to a silver ribbon in a canyon and a raptor’s view of a leguaan swimming undisturbed across the current. Using my rod case as a staff, I struggled up the winding and increasingly steep path as
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With the prospect of retracing our steps down the equally precarious path recently travelled, the call of the river after a sweaty climb, swayed the decision. The rod case, containing my precious Dean’s Bigwater, was again sacrificed as a walking staff to prevent a 50m tumble into the boulder-strewn floodplain.
Natal scaly and a visit to the Umkomaas, courtesy of a local famer. Taking advice from articles in angling periodicals, we strode forth, confident in our ability. The river-rounded boulders that littered the river bed and reed-fringed banks, made wading difficult and often treacherous in this stretch of the river but an occasional drenching was welcome.
The trip was a first. A first in a hunt for the
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An arm-aching five hours later under a blazing sun, the temperature topping 42 degrees according to the car’s thermometer, we had success. In a state of angling ennui in a long, deep, slow-moving pool bordered by a sheer rock face, numerous frustratingly rising fish and under the spell of the spectacular scenery, the fish www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
hooked itself! Brough to the net with reverence and the obligatory photos, it was eased back into the depths of the pool. Seconds later my son hooked into a whiskered grey head that poked its head clear of the water. Two fish under a blistering sun was scant reward for our efforts. 61
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What had we done wrong? The farmer had assured us that they had ‘clubbed’ the fish on the previous weekend.
takes were subtle although most often just the fly bouncing along the bottom, I struck. The line ripped off downstream and a strong fish was played as delicately as if it were a marlin before being netted. The feeding fish were in the fast water, not in the pools like we originally thought! The day passed in a blur of fish as we prospected all likely rapids, Ruari’s newly acquired 3-weight, often bent into the cork.
Back on the river the following Sunday, armed with a box-full of newly tied size 18 and 20 bead-heads in any description you wish to imagine. We were determined. Enlightened by the previous weekend, having followed the orange stickies marking a path along the river bank back to the car, the mountaineering start to our previous visit was avoided as we negotiated many rapids and pools that had escaped us on an easily navigable path - one bush and a sandy drop-off having concealed an otherwise obvious entrance.
Once, in an effort to avoid a rock-strewn flat to the last accessible rapid, I detoured through some thick bank-side brush and a pair of warthogs got the heart racing as they barrelled out of a hidden wallow. With the sun, low we headed back to the car, passing a group setting up camp for the night with rods pointing into the ‘home’ pool like quills on a porcupine, bait tins alongside camp chairs and beer coolers.
Years in front of a laptop screen had even made the ‘Clicks 2+’ spectacles redundant and it was left to my son to knot the spiderweb of fluorescent leader, strike indicator and flies while I enjoyed the scenery beside an inviting rapid where we had previously started fishing.
Light fading quickly but tempted by the last rapid that emptied into a deep rock-fringed slot, it produced the fish of the day.
Handed my rod while Ruari sorted himself out, the idea was to cast up and across to some likely looking water along the far-side bank. Hot from the walk and working out some kinks in a stiff casting arm, the first cast landed in the middle of the fast water. The strike indicator dipped and remembering advice from some or another article that
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Buoyed by success, the following Sunday we were confronted by a ribbon of muddy water as the mid-week thunder storms had triggered the dreaded run-off and high water, ideal for the hordes of canoeists but marking the end of the spring scaly season on the Umkomaas.
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The Strike-Indicator Booby Ed Herbst FOSAF held its first national AGM outside Gauteng in April 2016 and Alan Hobson was their host in Somerset East.
DDD. He took six trout in ten casts and later told me that this is a very effective tactic on his home water, Middelpunt Dam in Gauteng.�
The delegates took some time off to fish Mountain Dam above the town.
I wanted to create a buoyant, easily-visible fly to anchor a blood worm which had a more realistic silhouette than the DDD.
Alan takes up the story: “Peter Arderne dead-drifted a bloodworm imitation below a
Catching trout on the dead-drift. Alan Hobson on Mountain Dam in Somerset East
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The thought process which led to the StrikeIndicator Booby began in 2013 when Basie Vosloo and I visited the dam above his home on the farm Birkhall in Barkly East.
2499SP-BL is one half of the equation. The other half is a strip of Larva Lace foam doubled over to mimic the abdomen of a dragonfly nymph.
The veld around the dam literally shimmered with hundreds of dragonflies and I realised there must have been a mass emergence overnight.
There is nothing else on the market as good as this foam. It is soft and has a subtle sheen. I wish local fly fishing shops would stock it. In-between these two segments, I tied some speckled rubber legs which provide the movement which the DDD lacks.
Australian fly anglers have long fished this hatch and have developed patterns such as the Cordulid which relies heavily on the silhouette which trout see of the nymph against the night sky as it moves to the shallows to emerge.
Some forty years ago Dave Whitlock started putting red nail varnish on the top of his deer hair beetles to make them easier to track during the drift.
The GISS (General Impression of Size and Shape) concept used by birders has always seemed logical to me in fly design terms and what I was looking for was a highly-visible foam rubber version of the Cordulid which could, like the DDD, be used to anchor a bloodworm pattern.
Since then we have seen the advent of UV light-cured resins such as Solarez Copper Shimmer which contains orange glitter dust and I coated the top of the foam abdomen to create a sighter. To make it even easier to see I used a mixture of Solarez red resin mixed with red glitter dust which costs about R7.50 at local craft shops such as P ‘n A.
The Veniard Floozy Eyes - developed for booby patterns - tied on a short shank hook like the # 10 Hanak 550BL or the Tiemco
The author’s Strike Indicator Booby – buoyant and easy to see
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Tom Sutcliffe has been using a wind-drifted DDD plus bloodworm for years but warns that, if a barbless hook is used for the bloodworm, you invariably lose the fish on the strike. Daiichi makes a micro-barbed red hook which it calls the Chironomid 1273 which Frontier in Johannesburg stocks. Alan has found that they were straightening the conventional hooks and 1273's on his blood worm patterns and he now uses the red Daiichi 1153 for this fly, especially on Thrift dam.
Here’s my pattern on this hook.
Step 1 – Coat the hook with superglue and wind on extra-small Semperfli or UTC red wire in spaced turns. Further anchor the wire with a coat of Loon Fluorescing UV Clear Fly Finish which gives the fly a blue glow.
Step 2 – Apply a mixture of Solarez red UV resin mixed with red glitter dust. We are indebted to Alan Hobson for discovering the important role that predacious diving beetles play in the diet of trout and yellowfish and he recently accompanied Stream-X proprietor Craig Thom and author Duncan Brown to that renowned big trout venue, Thrift Dam near Tarkastad in the Eastern Cape.
The author's bloodworm pattern tied on the Daiichi 1273 hook under UV
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The author's bloodworm pattern tied on the Daiichi 1273 hook under natural light showing the embedded red glitter dust particles
The trout were feeding on snails and blood worm but Alan found that they were straightening conven8onal hooks on his blood worm pa;erns and he now uses the heavy wire red Daiichi 1153 for this y.
Alan Hobson's blood worm on the Daiichi 1153
To make his foam rubber diving beetle imitations easier to see, Alan has coated the back of the fly with a lurid combination of UV resins and you can see why he calls it the ‘Fried Egg”. Alan said the combination of the Fried Egg with his version of the time-proven San Juan worm proved as effective on Thrift as it usually does on Mountain Dam at Somerset East. I was delighted to hear from Alan that Craig Thom now has the agency for the salt water Ahrex hooks which are made in Finland because the NS150 Shrimp Hook is my choice when tying dragon fly nymphs While GISS-type flies provide new avenues to explore, there is comfort in using a DDD knowing that you are continuing a tradition which started decades ago in the foothills of the KZN Drakensberg.
Alan Hobson’s Fried Egg which he uses to anchor a bloodworm
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To make it easier to follow on the water, do what Tom Sutcliffe, Bill Duckworth, Hugh Huntley, Roger Baert and John Beams were doing all those years ago – just add an upright piece of flashabou when you tie in the hackle.
The DDD - a fly that changed our thinking in an era when the Walker’s Killer reigned supreme
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WOMEN IN WADERS 2019 has come and gone... Bridgette Stegen 2019 has come and gone, I’m still trying to figure out exactly how it all happened that fast. Reflecting on where 2019 took the Women in Waders, it was a year of stepping outside comfort zones and into new experience. We explored the Bushman’s with the charming & uber talented Peter Brigg, we fished our way into the finals of the Tops Corporate Challenge (TCC), we explored different techniques on the river that we had only seen on TV or heard the “buggers” chatting about, we learnt to tie new knots, embrace new rod sizes and, saving the best for last, we travelled to a new country to fish different waters. Our 9th place win at the TCC took us, four women, on a road trip to the abrasive yet abundantly beautiful land of Lesotho. This
trip was an experience I will never forget & I plan to spill the tea in an upcoming issue but for now let me whet the pallet a little. We never in our young dreams of starting this group of lady fly-fishers thought we’d be living the glossy pages of a fly magazine, but that’s truly how we felt. Enduring blistering heat, gale-force winds, hikes that scaled mountain faces technically more difficult that climbing Kili (as told by a Kili climber herself, Lydall Blaikie), extreme drought waters and takes so fierce we still have wild dreams about them. Lesotho was a “pinchme” moment that for a long time seemed wildly impossible, yet it is on our doorstep, accessible to anyone with patience for winding roads, hiking to find the sweet spots and comfortable with the bare necessities.
2019 was the Women in Waders “red letter year”.
me, but it hasn’t been without the (I’m told, normal) claustrophobic, stressful feeling of being caught in the rat race; and the increased urges to be ‘feet on the ground’ aside of a body of water, breathing in crisp air, distracting the keyboard stress with the familiar “kooor” of the Ringneck dove.
Personally, it was a momentous year for me too. I leap frogged from being my own boss to working for the man, a decision that changed my flexibility from free flowing to wall bound. This was the right decision for www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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I suppose we all dream of living a life of flowing water flexibility. One where our hobbies can become our daily practice, and we don’t have to long much to be out there, we can just go. I never quite valued how much I should have taken advantage of my “backyard” while I had the chance until I made the decision to start clocking in. Perhaps one of the bigger lessons (blessings?) 2019 taught me was to treat work stress like a commodity in my life, not in the sense that it can be bought or sold but because without it we wouldn’t place the same value on our retreat. Without it, that fly trip you planned would simply be that fly trip you planned. With it, you are entering a new realm of reality. Suddenly that fly trip you planned is an escape, an opportunity to reset, re-charge and re-focus.
knots & new techniques. Since I started fishing as a kid with my step-dad in the lagoons, river mouths and rivers of the South/ Wild coast I have always been keen on knowing everything from beginning to end, I want to embrace the learning curve with wide and open arms. A couple months back I went fishing with fellow WIW Sindi and her fiancé, a great friend of mine, Andrew Beach. Unlike my normal river fishing spots, he chose to fish the deeper pools of the Bushies, my first time. To help get us comfortable with the depth of the water and familiar with the new type of river fishing we were doing, Beachy gave me a little strike indicator. Naturally, I was waiting for this thing to be violently eaten, fully submerged before hooking the sucker that chose my fly. In my mind I was envisioning a red and white bobber on the Kei river mouth. After about 5 minutes of having my gun in the water, retrieving with the current, Beachy turns to me and says, “what was that?”. I looked at him perplexed. It was nothing. “You just missed it” he said. I could have sworn nothing happened; my float never dunked.
So where to from here. I have always loved a new year. It’s a blank page, an open diary, a fresh beginning. I’m a dreamer though. Personally, I want to spend a lot more time enhancing my skill in the river. Familiarizing myself with the bodies we have around us and better understanding depth, fly choice,
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I did miss it, I came to realize when I saw the flash of its tale in the afternoon sun as it zipped back around to tell all it’s mates it almost got duped but the chick www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
on the other end was too slow. That day I expanded my knowledge on the art of subtlety on the river. A mere turn, twitch or twist and the strike is on. 73
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The Women in Waders have two big weddings to plan this year, myself and Sindi are tying the knot (we knew learning to fish would pay off). As such we haven’t got any big festival plans, but we intend to initiate more get-togethers with like-minded women who are eager to share a story (and beer), or two on the banks of our beloved waters. Look out on our Instagram and Facebook pages for more details.
Facebook: Women in Waders SA closed group. Thank you for the overwhelming support we received last year. We look forward to bringing you more adventures in the life of a female fly angler & remember, with a small change in perception, stress can be viewed as a commodity that brings new value to old hobbies. Tight lines and tall tales, Bridge Stegen.
Instagram: @women_in_waders_sa
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INTRODUCING THE OSAH RANGE OF WATERPROOF BACKPACKS A Review Terry Babich As flyfisherfolk we looooove gadgetry and are guaranteed to carry far more goodies than are required to get the basic function of flyfishing done. So, we need place to put things, or maybe just to justify our need to hoard - you know, as outdoor enthusiast we need to be prepared for any eventuality, especially things like water in whatever form it presents itself. I suppose that goes without saying, hahaha. This brings me to the product review for this edition. I investigated and used two of the water resistant bags available from OSAH (www.osah.co.za). If you check their web page out you will see they have a full range of products that will meet most of your outdoor and not just fishing needs. Being a guide I always carry a dry bag of sorts in which I store the essential gadgets, the picture-don’t-lie camera or cell phone and the fishermen-don’t-lie electronic scale. Oh, the cell phone can of course also be used for emergencies too so this piece of equipment is essential to what I do. I was given an OSAH Drypack Backpack 30 to smash around. I threw it in the water, floated it and swam with it - like all good fly fisher folk should (not) do. I put it through the mill a bit to see how it compares with similar bags that I have had in the past. It was very noticeable that the 500d PVC was thicker than other bags I had tried before. As someone who might use the pack more than most that was a plus for me. It didn’t leak. There is a small zip pouch at the back for carrying easily accessible items. I www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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didn’t submerge that part of the pack but I didn’t notice any water getting into it either. The main water resistant part of the pack was generously splashed and put under water and there was no leakage there, so that held up well. The bag has two padded section on the back for your back and shoulder comfort. I must say that I had no feeling of irritation or lethargy caused by using the bag while walking and it was very comfortable to use. As for the straps, well, it has more than any sane person knows what to do with. I suppose for long hiking this would add to the support. For flyfisherfolk who like a little extra and then some I am sure there are enough straps for everything you can think of. The designers of this pack have obviously thought of everything. It has welded seams and this is much better than any glued seam. It has an IP66 rating which should allow for even high pressure water to be thrown at it without it failing. It should be more than adequate for any storm or even any rafting trips down the Orange River. This is an extremely valuable asset for my particular circumstance while fishing and I give it a big thumb up. The other item I got to have a look at was the 8L messenger bag. This bag is more of a shoulder bag and it has easily accessibility. I think this would be an awesome bag for the trout angler fishing dams and the like. It has the same water resistant features as the backpack but is smaller and more assessable and is therefore quicker to dig into.
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The OSAH 30l Waterproof Backpack being float and splash tested
I tested my theory by throwing a few extra reels, spools of line and a few good sized fly boxes at it to see if it would carry enough of the items that I would ordinarily carry while fishing a trout or bass dam. My verdict is that if you fill this bag up you’re carrying too much stuff. It has plenty of space and is ideal for the function that I would use it for. Oh, ok, the name says ‘messenger’ so take your laptop with then. I can see this bag accompanying me on a regular basis for boat and bank
fishing trips. All-in-all these are great products with better durability than similar bags I have used in the past. The pricing is good for the quality of the product and the manufacturer has a good range of products to suit a variety of applications. Check out their web page www.osah.co.za or check them out on instagram @osabagsa.
Despite it's size the OSAH Messenger shoulder bag has the capacity to carry more than you need for a day on a bass or trout dam.
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OSAH Drypacks Features: • • • • • •
P66 rated against ingress 500d PVC materials High frequency welded seams Wide mouth rolltop High quality clips Assorted colours
Benefits: • • • • •
Waterproof Dustproof Easy Access Durable Highly functional
OSAH is a company based in Ballito, KZN, and their products carry a twelve month conditional guarantee.
Want to have your product reviewed? I have been asking suppliers to the flyfishing market for tackle or fishing related items for review. No-one seems to have anything they want me to check out! Maybe they’re afraid I will break it - fair enough, point taken. Hahahaha. If you have something that you think needs to be shown to the public and you are brave enough for an honest review about it then contact me at ofishallybabich@gmail.com and let’s make this a regular insert in the magazine! Let's see what you have to offer and how it stands up to the BABICH destruction test . The SA market is a tough one and needs good quality products tested under local conditions. This is a good platform to use to present your goods to the market or make them aware of an already existing product. www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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The Complete Book of Flyfishing for Yellowfish A Book Review by Ian Cox Flyfishers have written about fly fishing for yellows for at least 100 years. So , no it was not the TVN nymph that did it. Bennion wrote about catching yellows on a Greenwell Glory back in the 1920’s. Strangely though, no one has written a book that deals exclusively with the subject. This makes the TCCF’s recently published, The Complete Book of Flyfishing For Yellowfish the first of its genre. No one else has, far as I can tell, written a book devoted exclusively to fly fishing for yellows.
contents. And the magazine style is particularly suited to dealing with what is a very wide ranging but nuanced subject. The book is broken down by chapters into the various species of yellowfish, small mouth, largemouth and other. Each of those chapters contains short articles dealing with fish ecology, conservation, tackle flies and tactics written by a number of acknowledged experts. I find the multi author approach very useful as there is much to learn from the different perspectives each has. And this rich texture of nuanced knowledge deepens as each chapter cross pollinates with the other.
I must say that I was somewhat sceptical about the title on my first quick read through. It’s a play on the name of the publisher, I thought, and PJ does not claim that it is the last word in his introduction. Indeed, its magazine style invites you to the conclusion that it is a compilation of articles. This is especially so if you are from KwaZulu-Natal and are disappointed that our scalies did not get the star billing accorded to the small mouth and large mouth yellowfish.
You do not, for example, get one expert view of fishing for largies. There are interesting tit bits for everyone. I, for example, did not know that largemouth can technically hybridise with small mouth. Of course, whether it has happened or may happen in the wild is another matter entirely. There are also chapters on the more popularly frequented destinations such as the Vaal and Orange rivers and Sterkfontein. And no KwaZulu-Natal does not feature. But this is largely because scalie flyfishers tend not to write about it.
But don’t be deceived. Yes, as PJ Jacobs says in his introduction, The Complete Book of Flyfishing For Yellowfish does not claim to be the last word on the subject, but it you will find on close examination that it does cover the whole subject. Yes, the focus is on smallies and largies, but this is understandable given that is where most of the flyfishing effort is concentrated.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book. In fact, if you are looking to learn more about flyfishing for yellows this is a must buy. It can be bought from most flyfishing tackle shops as well as the publishers of the complete Flyfishing Magazine.
The more I dug into the contents of the book the more impressed I became. It is a very cleverly put together book and clearly a great deal of thought went into its production. There is a huge amount of really useful stuff in The Complete Book of Flyfishing For Yellowfish. So, I think the title is an accurate description of its
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Well done PJ. This is an and much needed excellent contribution to the body of South African flyfishing literature.
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FOSAF NEWS Ilan Lax The New Year is upon us. I’ve been back at the office and my all to brief holiday seems like something from the distant past. All the best to all of you for 2020! A new decade beckons and with it many opportunities to make a difference in your own manner of choosing. Let’s hope we learn some of the lessons from the last decade.
famous Simon and Garfunkel song. By the time we got back the river was the colour of fine bitter chocolate and had risen very quickly to a raging torrent. There was little point in fishing further. What a sound to fall asleep to later that evening after the glow of a warm fire and some of the amber fluid.
Speaking of my brief break - walking back along the Bushmans River a fortnight ago, I and two other less experienced anglers were taken by surprise when a looming storm, which had seemed quite some distance away in the next valley, suddenly broke overhead with a vicious flash of lightning instantly followed by an huge clap of thunder. I quickly shouted over to the other anglers nearby to stop casting and lower their rods and also to keep as a low a profile as possible. The lightening continued for a short while as we hunkered down, as low the ground as we could. I thought the storm might pass quickly but it soon became clear that the rain gods had other ideas.
In the KZN Drakensberg, January is usually a time of thunderstorms and surging waters. This is part of nature’s cycle the strong flows cleaning out some of the old slime and depositing nutrients and food for the riparian eco-system. I’m told that the rains were particularly late this year and that we have yet to catch up on the average precipitation required to see us through winter’s dry spells. Thankfully parts of the Eastern Cape have received much needed rains and we can but hope that the rest of summer will provide the much need relief. The new year means renewal of membership. Bronwyn Konigkramer tells me she has sent out most of the renewal letters and that many people have already paid their 2020 subscriptions. Thanks to all of you who have done so. This year we will be sending out virtual “print and cut out yourself” membership cards. There have been a hiccups with the system and Bronwyn has slowly but surely sorted out the gremlins. Not everyone who paid provided a proper identifying reference.
I suggested that we better beat a steady retreat back to the cottage and some dry clothes. While I was thinking about warm drink, as if being soaked to the bone wasn’t enough, it started hailing and the stones though not dangerously large were big enough to sting – thank goodness for a sturdy hat! The steady retreat became a more hasty one albeit with a somewhat slipsliding passage - reminding me of the www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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Not everyone who paid provided a proper identifying reference. If you have not received a membership card by Mid February please contact Bronwyn to make sure.
2020 promises to be a busy year – the campaign to protect the Mpumalanga Highlands from unsustainable land uses is in full swing, Peter Arderne can use as much help as you may be able to provide. Our river programs are going well and we are hoping to see the Eastern Cape region get going with something soon. All the other issues remain on the boil and will need our on-going attention.
Our AGM this year will be in the Western Cape. We will provide full details shortly as soon as the arrangements have been finalised. We look forward to meeting our members based in the Cape and hope you can attend.
www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
All the best and enjoy the summer fishing.
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