High Fives

HIGH FIVES LUKE PANNELL

DR SEUSS MAY AS WELL HAVE BEEN REFERRING TO LUKE PANNELL IN OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO, BECAUSE, FROM WORKING IN GUANAJA, HONDURAS, WITH FISH 4 CHANGE, TO HEADING OPERATIONS FOR X-FACTOR ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT (SUDAN, ORANGE RIVER AND BEYOND), THE MAN IS RACKING UP EXPERIENCES AND MEMORIES AT A RATE OF KNOTS.

Photos. Luke Pannell, X-Factor

5 fishing-connected items you don’t leave home without before making a mission?

1. Leatherman Wave +. It gets more use than any of my fishing tackle, as a guide. 2. A camera, either my mirrorless or film body. I like to document my time fishing with friends. 3. A Garmin Inreach Explorer +. Peace of mind for those solo missions or multi-day trips without signal. 4. Polarized Sunglasses. I am obsessed with my Bajios - insanely light, industry leading blue light reduction and making waves with their low-environmental impact business model. They are the future. 5. A lucky hat! Hats have mojo and good mojo results in better fishing, it’s science.

5 artists to listen to while on a road trip?

1. Skepta. 2. Dave. 3. Mac Miller. 4. Slowthai. 5. Jungle.

5 things you are loving right now?

1. Spotify. Their algorithms are no joke. 2. Patagonia Black Hole packing cells. 3. Nikon F-100 film camera. it uses the same lens mount as modern Nikon DSLR cameras with autofocus. I’ve really been enjoying playing with film. 4. The Romoss Zeus power bank. it could jump start your car. 5. Narcos Mexico on Netflix.

5 favourite fly-fishing destinations across South Africa/ Africa?

1. The Cape streams. Effort is usually rewarded here and some amazing dry fly fishing can be had throughout the Cape mountains. 2. Lower Orange River. Hands down the best fishery I’ve seen in South Africa. The stretch we guide on currently has areas that will make you eat your heart out. 3. The Bushman’s River in KZN blew my mind the first time I fished it. Having fished mainly on the Cape rivers, to see that many brown trout was insane. 4. Knysna and surrounds for grunter. They are the devil reincarnated. 5. The Red Sea, off the coast of Sudan.

5 indispensable flies for saltwater?

1. Tan Alphlexo crab 2. EP Spawning Shrimp 3. Crazy Charlie - the saltwater PTN 4. NYAP 5. Brush fly

5 indispensable flies for freshwater?

1. A copper beaded PTN. 2. Olive Minky 3. Wooly Bugger 4. CDC and Elk 5. A game changer

5 favourite fly-fishing destinations globally?

1. Guanaja, Honduras. Schools of sometimes up to 40 permit cruising in deeper water close to turtle grass flats… 2. Southern Red Sea, Sudan. Countless shots at tailing triggerfish and my first encounters with big GT on flats. 3. Lower Orange River, South Africa. It is simply a world class fishery that, at times, can feel like you are fishing in an aquarium. 4. The San Juan River in New Mexico. There was something really satisfying about throwing bobber rigs into deep slow runs and hooking into monster wild brown trout. Americans seem completely spoiled when it comes to trout fishing. 5. Farquhar in the Seychelles. A destination I never thought I would see, let alone fish!

5 of the most difficult guiding/teaching experiences so far?

1. An electrical fire on an inflatable raft that burned through a pontoon in seven different places while in the middle of

a 7km pool. We learned a lot about wire capacity that day. 2. Medical evacs are never fun. Picture gaping wounds and amoebic dysentery… 3. Racist/bigot clients. I find it difficult keeping my own personal views to myself, especially while working in the service industry. 4. Coming down with Covid-19 while in Southern Sudan. Taking a power-nap on top of volcanic rock instead of hunting GT’s and triggerfish still haunts me. 5. Did I mention I had a boat on fire?

5 of the best things you have picked up from guiding?

1. Confidence. I was never shy but guiding has made me more assured of who I am and what I believe. 2. Patience. Guiding can be frustrating - a service industry with a lot of uncontrollable variables and most of the time you are running on fumes. It has definitely taught me how to control my emotions. 3. Guiding continuously tests your problem-solving capabilities. 4. A thick skin. You need to have a sense of humour and not take yourself too seriously. 5. The people I have worked with and guided over the years that have become friends. Being around like-minded people is one of the biggest highlights of the job.

5 of the worst things you have picked up from guiding?

1. Rather than picking it up, I am never able to keep up with football when I guide. I used to watch a ton and really loved it. 2. Bad language. I’m not sure what it is but boarding school followed by varsity and guiding has diluted the effect of swear words. 3. Being distant from a lot of my friends and loved ones. This is one of the downsides to guiding that is most difficult to balance. You miss birthdays, anniversaries and it takes a lot of effort to maintain relationships. 4. Although not something I am paying for just yet, but skin damage is right up there. No amount of sunblock seems to work with my Irish complexion. 5. A perpetually leaking fly box. I literally have no flies, ever.

5 people you would like to guide or fish with?

1. Heather Harkavy of Fish for Change. We bounce off each other really well and we have a ton of fishing trips in the pipeline but are yet to wet a line together. 2. Greg Glazer. One of my closest friends and always down for a mission, no matter how unlikely a fish actually is. 3. My father, who taught me how to fly fish at a very young age and who has supported me at every turn. 4. Marcus Rashford, a young king! 5. All of the guys that I have worked with while guiding. It would be the easiest day of guiding, hands down.

5 fish on your species hit list?

1. A big GT has to be near the top. After having a really big fish pop my 150lb leader in Southern Sudan I’m even more sold on the idea. 2. An Indo-Pacific permit. They are just stunning. The fact that they are difficult and unpredictable adds to it. 3. A 10kg largie is something that is a new addition to the list. One was landed this last season on the X-Factor drift that blew all of our minds and has changed how I view them. 4. An Atlantic triggerfish has had my attention since the first time I had a shot at one in Honduras with Fish for Change. They look even more alien than the other triggers (that’s saying something). 5. Barracuda. A 5-6ft fish on fly is right near the top of my bucket list.

“COMING DOWN WITH COVID-19 WHILE IN SOUTHERN SUDAN WAS DIFFICULT. TAKING A POWER-NAP ON TOP OF VOLCANIC ROCK INSTEAD OF HUNTING GT’S AND TRIGGERFISH STILL HAUNTS ME.”

5 of the most underrated species in your book?

1. Yellow Lipped Emperor. Every bit as strong as similar sized bonefish. 2. Yellowfish (both largemouth and smallmouth). Appreciated locally but not yet by the international angler. 3. Trout. Bread and butter but often looked down on. In South Africa it is what you want it to be. There are some gems out there. 4. Boxfish. Not as easy to hook as you’d think and strong for their size. Plus, they are fun to hold. (It’s like balancing a Rubik’s Cube on your palm) 5. Mudfish. We don’t like to admit it but they are the undisputed pound-for-pound champ of the Orange River.

5 things (outside of the fishing) that make where you fish so special?

1. The clean air. 2. Birdlife. Johann du Preez got me into my birding over the last year and it has added something else to the whole experience of where we work. 3. The food! We are treated to some pretty gourmet meals throughout our season. 4. I’m not sure what it is, but there is something about being barefoot that is food for the soul. 5. It is an obvious one but the scenery is breathtaking and no matter how often you wake up to a good sunrise it just never gets old.

5 destinations on your bucket list?

1. Cameroon. Intimidating but with an incredible draw to it. It sounds a lot like going to war. 2. Colombia. Peacock bass and trophy payara inland with billfish, tuna and dorado off-shore. 3. The Faraway Keys, off the Nicaraguan coast. Tarpon, permit anb Bonefish all on flats and it is only fished by a handful of people each year. The rest of the time it serves as a base for lobster fishermen and cartel smugglers. 4. New Zealand. The trout bum in me has to see it once. 5. Mongolia for taimen. Everything about the destination, from the landscapes to the fish and the culture, interests me.

5 things you would take up if you weren’t always fly fishing?

1. Five-a-side soccer. 2. Street photography. 3. I would definitely buy a dog. 4. Backpacking another third world country. 5. I would probably cook a lot more than I do. My boss teases me about basically living on pasta.

5 essential ingredients for an incredible mission?

1. Music 2. Mates 3. Loose fishing 4. Nature, the further away the better. 5. Some form of adversity or a fuck up. This is where an amazing trip becomes one you’ll never forget. Your last five casts were to…. Wave Garrick and Kingfish off the beach in Mozambique.

“A THICK SKIN. YOU NEED TO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR AND NOT TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.”