The Mission Fly Fishing Magazine Issue #26

ISSUE 26 25

MARCH/APRIL JAN/FEB 2021 2021

FREE

THEMISSIONFLYMAG.COM

THE REWA RODEO, SLAMBOO, LEERVIS IN LATIN, BEYOND TROUT, ALWAYS CHOOSE SHARK, FFN BEATS, BEERS & MORE

FAIL is not an AMPLITUDE WITH AST PLUS “When chasing the fish of a lifetime, we rarely get more than one shot. Day in and day out in harsh environments, all for that one opportunity. In that moment I have to trust my gear, and my fly line cannot be the weak link. That’s why I use Scientific Anglers fly line. Every cast. Every time.”

- David Mangum, SA Ambassador

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and turns over big saltwater flies • Short, powerful head for quick casts to moving targets • Tropi-Core technology for tropical climates

Their survival is our angling future. Wild juvenile steelhead jockey for position in Washington State’s Elwha River, which saw the removal of two dams in 2014—part of the largest dam removal project in history. JOHN MCMILLAN © 2021 Patagonia, Inc.

It’s All Home Water.

Fishing Isn’t Free Wild fish and clean water come with a price—activism.

We pay it forward during river cleanups and dam protests. We kick in for conservation, we keep fish wet and we vote for our home water. We organize, show up and raise our voices. We invest in a planet where it will always be possible to experience a wild, beautiful thing.

We Stand for the Waters We Stand In

W W W . T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M ISSUE 26 MARCH/ APRIL 2021

CONTENTS Cover: The smiley face of success as guides and guests at Rewa Eco Lodge land an arapaima. Photo Will Graham

30 THE REWA RODEO Johann du Preez just released a film about fishing for arapaima, the world’s largest scaled freshwater fish, shot at Rewa Eco Lodge in Guyana. We quizzed him on the area, the fishing and spiders.

42 BEYOND TROUT Scratched your trout itch? Perhaps it’s time to graduate to bigger, rarer, more challenging indigenous species as Leonard Flemming experienced when he fell down the witvis rabbit hole.

50 ALWAYS CHOOSE SHARK Sometimes, all it takes to get hooked on fly fishing is total immersion as Kathryn Fourie discovered when she attended a clinic on the Natal scaly rich waters of the Tugela river.

56 SLAMBOO Bamboo, the stuff your grandfather’s rods were made of, right?

The stuff that you might consider for small stream trout? Think again, because as Nick Bowles tells us, with modern bamboo like Thomas & Thomas’s Sextant range, you can cane even the biggest saltwater and freshwater species.

82 A LEERVIS BY ANY OTHER NAME There are at least three, possibly four distinct leervis species out there, but they all share the same scientific name Lichia amia. As editor Tudor Caradoc-Davies asked a few icthyologists, what’s going on?

REGULAR FEATURES 8 Ed’s Letter 12 Chum 16 Wish List Fish 18 Booze & Beats 20 Munchies

24 High Fives 70 Salad Bar 78 Pay Day 90 Lifer 94 Pop Quiz

Paulo Hoffmann, Alexander Keus, Eric Nerland, Tobias Park and Stephan Dombaj of the Fly Fishing Nation exploratory crew ride a customised amphibious vehicle (based on a Lada Sport and made by a guy from the Gremikha camp of the Yokanga) through the tundra around the Lumbovka and Kachkova rivers. To get an idea of what these hooligans listen to in their down (or up) time, check out their Beats on page 18

T U D O R CA R A D O C - DAV I ES

Ryan Janssens

THE EAT

W

hile watching my fly drift down a long bubble line on the Smalblaar River’s Transport beat the other day, I got to talking to my fishing buddy Myburgh about what this, the appeal of fly fishing, is truly about at a base, primal level.

It was a good drift. My elk hair caddis followed the seams and eddies of the run at the same pace and in the same way as every other bit of riverine flotsam in the river alongside it. We’d seen a rise there earlier, but there was no obvious hatch on the go. With the caddis doing its thing, everything looked perfect for a trout to breach, Jaws-like, and annihilate the fly.

We fleshed it out and then reduced what we were doing down to this.

The challenge itself of convincing a fish to eat a bouquet garni of feathers and thread, definitely gets a percentage of the overall appeal of this game. Sure, the fight gets a mention too, but I’d give it third princess placement on the pleasure centre podium. Then there’s the comment so many like that, “the best part is watching them swim away strong.” It’s well-intentioned yet hackneyed Instaspeak, but I get the sentiment. I too like knowing that a fish I caught and released swam away in the right state to survive.

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That said, it’s definitely not the best part. That has to be a dead tie between anticipation and then, if things go right, connection. In short, the eat.

Yes, there’s the literal connection from the fish, through your tippet, leader, line and rod to you, but it goes much further than that. It’s the stuff that recreational anglers have forgotten, but subsistence fishermen still know. The thrill we get from a trout, a tarpon or a triggerfish rocketing from safety to smash a fly, tickles some deep flashpoint in all of us. Put simply, it’s the muscle memory of millennia - if they eat, we eat. Never mind that due to the industrial food complex (as well as plummeting fish stocks or mercury levels in fish) we no longer need to (and in many cases should not) keep the fish we catch; that primal thrill centre still fires up the slot machine jackpot lights of our brains.

Winner winner, trout for dinner.

It’s there in the milliseconds before every eat, the eat itself and the moments that follow. The fight, the release and the stories we take home are all just gravy.

Hooked on anticipation, the entire drift we oohed and aahed like kids at the circus, waiting for the drama – victory or failure - that the eat might bring.

In primal terms, it was a good thing we brought biltong.

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•

• International travel on your doorstep?

• Join us at the remarkable Makhangoa Community Camp each year from • DecEMBER through to May for world class fly fishing to yellowfish, • brown TROUT and rainbow trout.

•

• #visitlesotho

+(27) 33 342 2793 [GMT+2:00] | +(27) 84 622 2272 [GMT+2:00] info@africanwaters.net | www.africanwaters.net

Our High Fives Scot de Bruyn, the triggerfish (aka clown) of the guiding world, with a happy client and a salmon from Norway’s Årøy River.

EDITOR Tudor Caradoc-Davies ART DIRECTOR Brendan Body CONTACT THE MISSION The Mission Fly Fishing Mag (PTY) Ltd 25 Firth Road, Rondebosch, 7700, Cape Town, South Africa info@themissionflymag.com www.themissionflymag.com

EDITOR AT LARGE Conrad Botes COPY EDITOR Gillian Caradoc-Davies ADVERTISING SALES tudor@themissionflymag.com

THE MISSION IS PUBLISHED 6 TIMES A YEAR. THE MISSION WILL WELCOME CONTENT AND PHOTOS. WE WILL REVIEW THE CONTRIBUTION AND ASSESS WHETHER OR NOT IT CAN BE USED AS PRINT OR ONLINE CONTENT. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MAGAZINE OR ITS OWNERS. THE MISSION IS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE MISSION FLY MAG (PTY) LTD. ANY DUPLICATION OF THIS MAGAZINE, FOR MEDIA OR SALE ACTIVITY, ……WILL RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION AND AN ETERNITY OF ARAPAIMA POESKLAPS WHILE BEING FORCED TO LISTEN TO CHILDREN OF BODOM.

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CONTRIBUTORS #26 Scot de Bruyn, Stephan Dombaj, Gerald Penkler, Charlie Standing, Leonard Flemming, Kathryn Fourie, Johann du Preez, Nick Bowles, Dave Walker PHOTOGRAPHERS #26 Will Graham, Scot de Bruyn, Stephan Dombaj, Gerald Penkler, Nick Bowles, Micky Wiswedel, Leonard Flemming, Will Lotter, Kathryn Fourie, Johann du Preez, Fred Davis, Eduard Berruezo and Carles Berruezo, Knut Otto, Peter Coetzee, Alphonse Fishing Co., Tom Sutcliffe, Dave Walker

@THEMISSIONFLYMAG MEMBER OF THE ABC (AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION)

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CHUM

B O O K S , B OAT S , N E R D S , F I S H M O V E M E N T S , M E M ES , M A P S , S TA R S I G N S A N D A P L E A

SHOUT OUT… …To the yellowfish getting shunted down the Orange river, across the Atlantic and into the Amazon by the hardcore rains across South Africa recently. If you have described them as South Africa’s dorado before, you may finally have a point.

o hablphol’ o N ‘ l poe ño

espa

FOLLOW… …@guidethoughts and @beadsuckingworm for some high quality non-PC Instagram snark on all things fly fishing. Do not follow them if you are a fly fishing influencer looking to push CBD products.

ANOTHER SHOUT OUT… ...To climate change and the GTs getting caught further south than usual along the South African coast line. If anglers could stop killing everything for a photo opp and a braai, we look forward to Breede river becoming a flats fishing destination for bonefish and GTs in about ten years’ time.* *This message is in no way affiliated with Koch Industries.

“Malgas Bush Pub at 3 pm my china?”

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JOIN… … the Aquatic Ecosystems of Africa Facebook group. You may think you are in to fish, but this crowd are really into fish. From Sierra Leone to Kenya, Tanzania, Southern Africa and everywhere else in between, ichthyologists, aquarists and other fish nerds share, analyse and identify fish from cichlids to barbs and things we have never heard of.

PUT… … Central Texas on your must-visit list after checking out Aaron Reed’s Fly Fishing Austin and Central Texas.

Reed, who won the 2020 National Outdoor Book Award in the USA for his efforts, has put together a comprehensive guide to the area. He not only tells you where to go, what to fish for (from Guadalupe bass, to sunfish, gar, white bass, stripers, trout, suckers and the amazing looking smallmouth buffalo) and how, he also tells you where to go for beers afterwards. More destination books should be done like this. thelocalangler.com

OH CHARTER BOAT OPERATORS OF SOUTH AFRICA… ... If you continue to kill (or allow your clients to kill) large quantities of adult, breeding stock kob (dusky or silver), there will soon be nothing left. Imagine a future where the needy reward and pleasure centres of your brains (which fire with a dopamine hit from a social media like or virtual chest-bump from a bro), lies barren for you and your kids as well as the rest of us. That’s what we all face when big fish are taken out. The fish in this photo amount to approximately 80 years of growth in total according to our in-house fisheries scientist, only for most of it to sit in a freezer for months.

THE BABER SCOPE YOUR FISHING FUTURE ACCORDING TO YOUR STAR SIGN AS READ BY BABERMAN, THE LEGENDARY GRUMPY CATFISH. Pisces (Fish): February 19–March 20 You are the fish, you are one with the fish, on the menu of your future there is fish and then some more fish. Therefore, if you are not the fishiest mofo alive and do not catch fish (and release them) in great quantities, then your ‘parents’ were lying to you and you were likely picked up at a second-hand store and given a birthday out of pity.

Aries (Ram): March 21–April 19 Whoa black drum, bam ba lam Whoa black drum, bam ba lam Aries Ram had a plan, bam ba lam Get massive on the Gram, bam ba lam

‘The Chinese trawlers!’ you say. ‘Government regulations!’ you argue.

The regulations are outdated and stocks are dwindling.

Be better than that, be different to our fathers and grandfathers, be part of the solution. If you have to keep kob or other slow-growing species, keep smaller ones and not the genetic stock. Your grandkids will thank you.

We will too.

DROOL… …over Jonathan Boulton of Mavungana Flyfishing’s new Fusion 19 from Kysna-based boat builders Fusion (fusionpowerboats.com). This will be heading up to Jozini for what Mavungana Flyfishing expect to be a bumper tigerfish season after this year’s heavy rains. Work those margins!

CHUM TAKE A GANDER AT.... ...this map of Africa by Jordan Engel from the Decolonial Atlas. The colonial borders have been erased, locations have been labelled with the place names of the original predominant native language and it has been oriented to the South as per the way the 11th century’s pre-eminent cartographer Muhammad al-Idrisi saw the world (no, he was not a bat). We rather like the idea of taking a fishing tour from // Hui !Gaeb, up to Èkó, then on to the coastline below Ndakaaru to see if we can snaffle a few kob and leeries in what we now call Mauritania. decolonialatlas.wordpress.com

“AS PER THE WAY THE 11TH CENTURY’S PRE-EMINENT CARTOGRAPHER MUHAMMAD AL-IDRISI SAW THE WORLD”

MARVEL… … at the fact that even in this day and age, new species are still being discovered. Usually, we expect those discoveries to be microscopic organisms invisible to the naked eye, or a perhaps a midget frog in a far-flung jungle, but every now and then something big is discovered. Like whales and giant fish.

- A new species of whale was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico. The whales were previously thought to be a subspecies of Bryde’s whales, because they behaved weirdly and did not leave their grounds in the Gulf, whereas Bryde’s whales get around the world’s oceans. The new whales, named Rice’s whales after the biologist Dale Rice, grow up to 42 feet/13 metres and weigh five times more than an elephant. There are estimated to be just 33 left.

- 2000 metres below the surface of Suruga Bay near Japan, marine biologists caught a new species of monster slickhead (named for its scale free head not because it rhymes with dickhead). Most slickheads are small, but this thing measured 1,4 metres and weighed 25kg, establishing itself as the premier dickhead of the deep.

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Come experience one of the best saltwater flyfishing destinations in South Africa - The Breede River - contact us to book your trip E: fish@upstreamflyfishing.co.za

www.upstreamflyfishing.co.za

Visit the shop: 274 Main Road, Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa, 7708

T: +27 (0) 21 762 8007

WISHLIST FISH

OCEAN TRIGGERFISH FORGET THE GAUDY COLOURS OF ITS INDIAN OCEAN BRETHREN, THE OCEAN TRIGGERFISH IS THE ANNA WINTOUR OF THE ENTIRE GOOFY, BUCKTOOTHED CL AN. GERALD PENKLER EXPL AINS WHY.

WHAT: Dynamite comes in small packages. Up to a 70 cm and 6kg parcel in the case of the Ocean Triggerfish (Canthidermis sufflamen).

Up front, the crab-crushing, fingershredding and urchin-chewing jaws are explosive. But the short fuse of these feisty bulldogs sets them apart and you would do well to keep your fingers and toes tucked away. Even large predatory fish are wary of these bombers.

The infamous trigger spines they use for self-defence and to lock themselves in coral holes further strengthens their street fighter credentials. However, the back end of the ocean triggerfish is about as threatening as a fluffy rabbit.

Here their large Dumbo-esque anal and posterior dorsal fins lazily undulate from side to side for propulsion.

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WHERE: The ocean triggerfish enjoys warm water and has an extensive range across the tropical and subtropical areas of the Western Atlantic. This spans from Canada to Massachusetts, Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and South America. They also inhabit parts of the Southern and Eastern Atlantic including the islands of Ascension, Cape Verde, El Hierro, St Paul’s Rocks and St Helena.

HOW: Unlike most triggerfish, the ocean triggerfish is pelagic and they usually hang about floating objects or Sargassum beds at depths of 5 to 70m. However, along some coasts they can be targeted

W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

in the shallows. One such place is the Yucatán where they move onto the coral flats to graze and socialise with the local bonefish and permit.

Their Dumbo-fins flopping on the surface when tailing and the large dark bodies make them easy to find. Once you have placed a crab or shrimp pattern in front of them you will know immediately if they are interested as they bustle over.

Appreciate every obliging fish as on some days these temperamental bulldogs ignore everything. The take often starts with a series of nips, but keep the fly moving on a slow retrieve until you feel a solid eat.

Avoid flies with long trailing legs and tails to help with the hook eat.

Once eaten, strip-strike hard to set the hook amongst or around those mega teeth and brace yourself for a powerful dash to the nearest hole.

Maximum pressure helps avoid the holes and also prevents your hook from falling out if it is in a toothy set. Fluorocarbon tippet in the 1215lb range provides a good balance of stealth and pull power. When handled for unhooking or photos these triggers have a visible stress reaction. Handle them carefully and quickly if you want a photo as chromatophores turn their dark skin white within 30 seconds.

WHO: These triggerfish are perfect for sight-fishing and flats aficionados as well as anglers that are easily distracted. With every passing minute that a permit or bonefish is not spotted on the flats, it becomes harder and harder to ignore these easy to see scrappers finning on the flats. I succumbed all too easily every time.

SA’s #1

Full service fly shop

®

Shop online at www.frontierflyfishing.co.za Coachman's Crossing Shopping Centre, Peter Place Bryanston, Johannesburg Tel: (011) 463 9048/9

FODDER

BOOZE & BEATS WHISKY FOR WHOPPERS, VICTORY SMOKES AND A SMORGASBORD OF T U N E S N O M AT T E R Y O U R TA S T E S

THE BEATS – FLY FISHING NATION

Indicative of their omnivorous tastes for fly fishing and travel, from Stephan Dombaj and the rest of the team at Fly Fishing Nation comes not one, not two, but six playlists depending on your location or mood. From classical to party vibes and heavy metal, best you buckle up.

THE WHISKY – ABERLOUR 118CM (special edition) Take one bottle of Aberlour 18 year old (a rich complex whisky boasting everything from butterscotch, peach and chocolate on the nose to a palate of apricot, cream liquorice and honey), add in a 118cm Giant Trevally caught and released earlier that day at Cosmoledo by Mark Taylor of Fly Fishing Travel in Norway (flyfishingtravel.no). Finish with a gold Sharpie. Enjoy. whiskybrother.com

THE CIGAR – LA MISSION L’ATELIER 1959 Ranked the fourth best cigar of 2020 by the gurus at Cigar Aficionado magazine, this Nicaraguan cigar from L’Atelier (the lesser known sister brand of Tatuaje Cigars) is our number one choice for a victory smoke based largely on its spiffy name. Nicaraguan tobacco and a Mexican wrapper results in salt, caramel, nuts and spice. Pair it with a 118cm GT and a fine single malt. latelierimports.com (and yes, smoking is bad for you).

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1. Monster fish lost in time and space...

Mood muzak for the ones that got away and continue to haunt you.

Vidage - 1000mods Are you Satisfied? - Reignwolf Hardcore - Reignwolf Big Sky Theory - Dozer Icky Thump - The White Stripes Your Kisses Burn Like Fire - The Picturebooks Superblues - little hurricane Mother - Danzig Show Me Ho To Live - Audioslave Burn the Witch - Queens Of The Stoneage Bad Motherfucker - Big Cock Fall To Pieces - Velvet Revolver Elefanta - JIRM American Funeral - Joseph Angel 2. 50/50 on the streets - 69 in the sheets.

You wanna get closer to the single mum girls in camp but your guide shack looks rank? Let the music do the job...

Redbone - Childish Gambino Black Milk - Massive Attack Nights in White Satin - The Moody Blues Too late, all gone - How to Destroy Angels Inside My Love - Minnie Riperton I got Love - Nate Dogg Stroker Ace - Lovage Look at That Ass - Marc Rebillet Seedy Films - Soft Cell

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Community Property - Steel Panther Like A Drug - Queens of the Stoneage Never Met a Girl Like You - The Insects At a medium pace - Adam Sandler 3. The Mexican Permit High Shamanic Peyote trips in a Quintana Roo retreat with Silicon Valley Yuppies; Tantric ancestral healing session with hot Yoga; afternoon walks on the beach with a cold crispy one; big nights out with the mob; cold sweats the morning after on the way to the permit flats and victorious rides back to the lodge…

Colibria - Nicola Cruz Papi Pacify - FKA Twigs Ivory - MOVEMENT Weird Dark Things - Bronze Whale Búho - Mr.Bleat Gimme All Your Love - Alabama Shakes Inversions - Nicola Cruz, Uji Magia Negra - Mr. Bleat Sin Ver - Andrea Lacoste Nadie Va - Elsa y Elmar Alarm - Boys Noize Pacific Coast Highway - Kavinsky I Just Want You To Know - Sldghmr Open The Gates - Sldghmr Spoiler - Hyper Passenger – Deftones 4. Gringo Gauchos In Patagonia All my gringo and gringa guides in South America will feel me on this one.

Insect Eyes - Devendra Banhart Canción Para un Niño En La Calle - Mercedes Sosa, Rene Perez Hotel California - Eagles Dream On - Aerosmith Buenas Tardes Amigo - Ween Fall Of The House Of Death - Marilyn Manson

California Dreamin’ - José Feliciano Balada Del Diablo y La Muerte - La Renga De Música Ligera - Soda Stereo Maldito duende - Heroes Del Silencio Aquí - La Ley 5. Highmile Stephan Dombaj is a Euro-dude through and through… this is his deep focus playlist for Trans-Atlantic journeys.

On The Nature Of Daylight - Max Richter, Lorenz Dangel Nisi Dominus, RV 608 Cum dederit - Antonio Vivaldi, Andreas Scholl Piano Quartet in A Minor (1876) - Gustav Mahler Symphony No.3 in F Major, Op.90: III. Poco allegretto - Johannes Brahms Turandot / Act.1: Non Piangere Liù - Giancamo Puccini/Luciano Pavarotti Tosca/ Act. 3 E Lucevan le Stelle - Giancamo Puccini/Luciano Pavarotti Ave Maria. D.839 - Franz Schubert Ghosts in the Brazos - Slow Meadow Sonata No.14 “Moonlight In C-Sharp minor Op: 27 No.2 - Ludwig can Beethoven, Paul Lewis Adagio for Strings Op. 11a - Samuel Barber 6. 10 Shades of Metal If mellowing out is not an option, you have to feed the Yin “Ora pro nobis peccatoribus” (Pray for us sinners).

Puritania - Dimmu Borgir Scapegoat - The Agony Scene Are You Dead Yet - Children Of Bodom I Will Be Heard - Hatebreed Destroyer of Worlds - Bathory Duality - Slipknot Du Hast - Rammstein Dragula - Rod Zombie The Only - Static X Toxicity - System Of A Down Symphony Of Destruction - Megadeth

LISTEN HERE

MUNCHIES

GETTING MUSHY A S A N A N G L E R , YO U P R O B A B LY S P E N D A L O T M O R E T I M E WA N D E R I N G A R O U N D FO R ES T S T H A N M O S T P EO P L E D O . A S W E H I T T H AT S E A S O N A L P E R I N E U M K N O W N A S A U T U M N / FA L L I N S O U T H A F R I CA , W I T H T H E M I X O F H E AT A N D R A I N C O M ES S O G GY H U M I D I T Y. T H AT M E A N S I T ’ S M U S H R O O M T I M E . FO R A G I N G EX P E R T C H A R L I E S TA N D I N G O F T H E U R B A N H U N T E R G AT H E R E R ( T H E U R B A N H U N T E R GAT H E R E R . C O M ) G I V ES U S T H E L O W D O W N O N W H AT L I ES B E N E AT H .

Photos. Micky Wiswedel

T

here are thousands of mushrooms or fungi out there, many of them edible and plenty that aren’t.

It’s natural, if you are new to foraging, to feel a little afraid of getting it wrong. A good general rule of thumb is to avoid mushrooms with white gills. The best thing to do is to forage with someone who knows more than you do.

In the interests of health, safety, flavour and brevity, I’ve narrowed down the selection to identifying three of the most delicious and widespread mushrooms found both in South Africa (and in many other countries). Once you know what to look for and have picked and cooked a few, you will never look back.

CHICKEN OF THE WOODS Also known as Sulphur Polypore or Sulphur Shelf, Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is a bracket fungi that, you guessed it, tastes like chicken and lives in the woods, growing off the sap of oak trees. You’ll also find it growing on gum/eucalyptus trees, but those ones don’t taste great and can make you feel a bit queasy. Chicken of the Woods appears at the driest time of the year, right before the rains so, where I live in the Western Cape of South Africa, that’s any time from the end of January to April. It’s one of those fungi that you can’t really go out looking for, but more something you happen upon. Pick them at their freshest because when it’s old and saggy, it’s not worth it. If you find a lot, they freeze well. Fresh, you can treat them just like chicken – grill, roast or braai.

OPINEL - NO 8 STAINLESS MUSHROOM KNIFE

Designed for foraging mushrooms, this nifty tool from French knifemaker Opinel sports a curved blade for cutting stems and a brush for removing dirt. awesometools.co.za

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PINE RINGS Also known as the Saffron Milk Cap or Lactarius deliciosus (delicious milk cap), pine rings have this incredible nutty flavour and are possibly my favourite mushrooms. They appear at the same time of year as Porcini, just after the first heavy rains, but stick around a bit longer. The gills are orange and, if you cut the stem, it has an orange outer ring and pale centre. Like most mushrooms, they are brilliant, pan-fried in butter or oil with salt, pepper and herbs, but pine rings are quite robust and can stand up to strong Asian flavours too. If the stems are tough, I often cook the caps and keep the stems for a deep, flavoursome stock that has this coppery tinge to it.

PORCINI One of the most widespread and sought-after mushrooms in the world, Porcini or Boletus edibilus are beloved by chefs and home cook alike. Part of the greater Boletus family, Porcini are found under oak and pine trees, but you also get tasty Boletus that grow under poplars and other trees. Porcini, however, are first prize. After the first heavy rains of the year, they will appear about ten days later. I find them more on the fringes of a copse of trees, rather than right under a tree. Cut them into steaks and grill them in the oven; put them on the braai; have them pan-fried on toast or use dried Porcini as the star of the show in a pasta or risotto.

THOUGHT FOR FOOD NOT QUITE PL ANTS, BUT ALSO NOT QUITE ANIMALS, FUNGI A R E N O T O N LY D E L I C I O U S B U T W E A R E R A P I D LY D I S C O V E R I N G T H AT T H E Y M AY H O L D T H E K E Y TO MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS. CARRY… …a copy of Gary B. Goldman and Marieka Gryzenhout’s Field Guide To Mushrooms and Other Fungi of South Africa if you are looking to get clued up on the subject of mushrooms, edible or not. penguinrandomhouse.co.za READ… …Entangled Life by Cambridgeeducated biologist, Merlin Sheldrake. Not only does the author have a name appropriate for a wizard, but he has a magical way with words, taking the reader deep into the incredible world of fungi, which are everywhere all the time and always have been. At the beginning and the end of all life, they can change minds, heal bodies and maybe even stave off environmental disaster caused by us. amazon.com LISTEN… …To ‘How Mushrooms Can Save You (and perhaps) The World,’ Tim Ferris’s wide-ranging podcast interview with leading mycologist (mushroom expert) Paul Stamets. From breaking down plastics, to combatting depression, to fixing a stutter (Stamets’s personal experience), the implications and applications of what fungi can do are mind-blowing. tim.blog WATCH… … Fantastic Fungi, perhaps the seminal fungi film out there. File this one next to your Attenborough must-watch catalogue. Narrated

by Brie Larson and featuring lauded mycological amateurs and scientists from Paul Stamets to Michael Pollan, Fantastic Fungi is a brilliant immersive journey into the world beneath our feet, an underground network that can help heal the planet. fantasticfungi.com

MUNCHIES

LINGUINE WITH PORCINI, HERBS & CREAM

I

f you find Porcini which are a little slimy from lying around for a few days, don’t ignore them. Those are the ones you want to dry and jar because dried porcini have a stronger, more concentrated flavour than the fresh ones and can keep providing your diet with phenomenal umami flavour kicks long after mushroom season is over.

Drying: cut your porcini into 2cm thick pieces and place them on a drying rack (an oven rack will do the job). Leave them to dry for 4-5 days, during which time your home will be filled with the heavenly smell of porcini. When you jar them in glass jars, make sure you do not do it on a cloudy or rainy day as that will leave moisture in the jars and encourage mould.

INGREDIENTS: • Linguine (100gm per person) or any pasta you like.

Fusilli also work well.

• 40gms dried porcini. Reconstitute them by placing your dried porcini in a bowl and cover them with boiling water.

Leave them to steep (the aroma will take over your kitchen).

• Parmesan or pecorino cheese.

• - ½ a white onion.

• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed.

• 125ml cream.

• Sage, rosemary or thyme (wild or otherwise), plus parsley to finish.

• Olive oil.

• White wine.

• Salt and pepper.

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METHOD: ª Fry the onions in a large pan in olive at a medium heat until translucent, about 3-5 mins.

• Remove the porcini from the bowl and gently squeeze most of the liquid from them. Chop roughly. Make sure you retain the mushroom broth.

• Put your pasta into a pot of boiling water and cook as per instructions on the box.

• Add garlic and chopped sage, rosemary or thyme (or a combo) to the pan. After 3-5 mins add the porcini. Increase the heat to high, add salt and pepper and fry the porcini till they take on the heat and meld with the other ingredients.

• Add a generous slosh of white wine to the rest of the ingredients to deglaze the pan. Once most (but not all) of the liquid has reduced, add half a cup of mushroom broth (the liquid left over from rehydrating the dried mushrooms).

Let it cook down.

• Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper.

• Add 125mls of cream. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

• Your sauce is ready if you scrape your finger down the back of the wooden spoon and it does not run back at you.

If it’s too thick add a little more cream.

• Once cooked al dente, lift the pasta from the pot with tongs and add it to the pan with the mushrooms. A bit of pasta water will travel with it, that’s good.

• Add chopped parsley to the pan, toss it all together and serve topped with grated parmesan or pecorino.

W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

KOB CRAZY AT

KAROOLSKRAAL ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST SALTWATER FLY FISHING DESTINATIONS, KAROOLSKRAAL FLY FISHING CAMP ON THE BREEDE RIVER BOASTS NOT ONLY INCREDIBLE FLY FISHING FOR KOB (SEVERAL GIANTS OF 100CM + HAVE BEEN RECORDED), BUT ALSO BRILLIANT OPPORTUNITIES TO TARGET SPOTTED GRUNTER ON THE MUD FLATS AS WELL AS THOSE HIGH-SPEED ADRENALIN JUNKIES, LEERVIS. ADDED BONUS - IT’S LOCAL, SO NO PASSPORTS REQUIRED.

The Karoolskraal experience includes comfortable tented accommodation, eco-ablutions, all meals and drinking water. We can also provide a spit braai on request.

Open for day trips, 3-day or 5-day stays Contact henkie@flydotfish.com to reserve your place. www.flydotfish.com

HIGH FIVES

SCOT DE BRUYN W H E T H E R I T ’ S G U I D I N G FO R SA L M O N O N T H E Å R ØY I N N O RWAY O R P U T T I N G C L I E N TS I N TO F I S H O N T H E F L ATS O F T H E S E YC H E L L ES , A F T E R 1 6 Y E A R S I N T H E GA M E S C O T D E B R U Y N ( @ CA RT E L _ F LY F I S H I N G ) H AS S E E N I T A L L . W E CAU G H T U P W I T H H I M FO R A R A P I D - F I R E H I G H 5 S .

Photos. Scot de Bruyn Archive

5 best things about where you guide?

1. Undoubtedly the food at our Årøy River lodge in Norway is the best by far. Thanks Knut!

2. The clients I have met on location who have become good friends.

3. My guide teams in the Seychelles from both FlyCastaway and Alphonse Fishing Co. You know who you are.

4. The knowledge I have acquired over the past 16 years at different destinations (you can’t buy that online).

5. And lastly, the amazing scenery I get to take for granted on a daily basis.

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

1. Top of the list would be my Costa sunnies. I can’t work without a great pair of polarised shades.

2. My @axisgo X housing for my iPhone. Amazing for underwater images.

3. Blue Steel Sports Anti-chafe Cream. Life saver!

4. Bovril spread for those early morning breakfasts.

5. And, as always, a good old bottle of Havana Club.

5 bands to listen to while on a road trip?

1. The Black keys 2. ODESZA 2. Kygo 4. Hippie Sabotage 5. PNAU 5 things you are loving right now 1. Spending time at home with my wife, Sherrilee, and son, Reef.

2. Not getting sunburnt on the flats.

3. Watching the Monster Energy Supercross season kicking off.

4. Generous clients who have helped my family financially during Covid. Thank you guys. We will forever be in your debt.

5. My forever youthful looks, as my wife should have left me by now after the shit show of a year I have had.

5 indispensable flies for saltwater?

1. Wayne Hasselau’s Pillow talk.

2. James Christmas/Alec Gerbec’s original Flexo Crab.

3. Sempers, great for geets/poons and my pocket.

4. Alec Gerbec’s WMD triggerfish fly.

5. My secret weapon - The OJ Simpson (convict surgeon pattern for GTs).

5 indispensable flies for freshwater?

1. Can’t go wrong with a good dragon pattern.

2. Elk wing caddis.

3. GRHE. 4. Sex dungeon.

5. Rhuan Human’s foam frog (deadly for fall trout).

5 favourite fly fishing destinations across South Africa/ Africa?

1. My home river in South Africa, the Mooi River, Natal.

2. Lower Bushman’s for KZN Yellowfish (scaly).

3. Lesotho DIY missions.

4. Orange River, Kalahari Outventures conservancy.

5. Swartberg, for stillwater trout.

5 favourite fly fishing destinations globally?

1. Cosmoledo in Seychelles.

2. The Delger River in Mongolia.

3. St Brandons off Mauritius.

4. The Alta River in Northern Norway.

5. Gabon for tarpon (holy F#$%).

5 flies to pack (in the smuggler kit under your driver’s seat) to cover most species?

1. Clouser Minnow.

2. Wooly bugger.

3. Parachute Adams.

4. Sunray Shadow.

5. Red Francis.

“I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED IF SOME OF THE FISH I SEE ON A REGULAR BASIS RECOGNISE ME?” 24

W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

“M” is for “Milkfish.” Scot de Bruyn gets to grips with the business end of a Chanos chanos.

5 people you would like to guide or fish with?

1. Definitely my late father who passed away just before Covid. Miss you Dad!!!

2. My son Reef, when he’s old enough to appreciate it.

3. Jako Lucas. Holy shit we used to laugh a lot when we were guiding together. Good times my mate.

4. Donald Trump, because it’s harder to cheat in fly fishing than golf.

5. Lastly I would like to fish with Gary Loomis. Legend!

5 fish on your species hit list?

1. Sakhalin taimen.

2. Yellowcheek.

3. Broadbill swordfish.

4. Goliath tigerfish.

5. Mako shark.

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

1. Having only half a day’s orientation on Farquhar Atoll and guiding guests the next day.

2. Trying to learn The Årøy River in three days by myself, and guiding guests having never caught an Atlantic salmon myself.

3. Came close to losing a leg thanks to a coral infection in 2014.

4. Risking my job by almost punching a baron from Belgium over a dispute to stop killing the fish I’m trying to protect.

Luckily my boss has my back!

5. Never partake in fines meetings when orchestrated by a safari lodge owner. I nearly drowned in my own puke.

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

1. How to deal with dickheads and Karens.

2. Being in a daily routine.

3. As a guide it seems I have acquired the ability to make quick decisions when it counts.

4. Having the patience to help people when I don’t feel up to it.

5. A tolerance for alcohol. All you need is a NDE (Near Death Experience) and one more season to perfect your Buffalo game (drinking with your left hand only).

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

1. A VD… No wait, my wife might read this. Just kidding babe.

2. A tendency to smoke more when I’m stressed.

3. Not realising that the normal world continues and I should stay in contact with people more often. It was slightly more difficult ten years ago without WIFI. 4. The habit of wearing flip flops when I’m in the shower just in case someone has jizzed on the floor.

5. Thinking that we are still in school and calling the clients by their newly acquired nick names.

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5 shower thoughts that have occurred to you while fly fishing?

1. Why can dogs lick their balls but we can’t? Doesn’t seem fair!

2. If I had been born ten years earlier would I have been more successful?

3. Shame, I hope this dude isn’t as bad at having sex as he is at fly fishing.

4. I have always wondered if some of the fish I see on a regular basis recognise me?

5. How much longer will our fisheries last until they are completely toast? Microplastics/water temps increasing/ over-fishing etc. These are all major issues that we should be worried about more every year.

5 of the most underrated species in your book?

1. KZN yellowfish. If these things regularly grew over 10lbs it would be a great problem.

2. Carp, the mud permit.

3. Bonefish. They are the most honest and well behaved fish you can catch on a fly.

4. Milkfish. If you haven’t caught one you should. They are hectic.

5. Yellow lipped emperor. These little guys are the turtle grass kings of the flats.

5 destinations on your bucket list?

1. Tugur River, Siberia.

2. Chinko, Central African Republic.

3. Malindi, Kenya.

4. Mauritania, Banc D’Arquin.

5. Hokkaido, Japan 5 things you would take up if you weren’t always fly fishing?

1. Polygamy.

2. Eating.

3. Golf. I had a hole in one the day the Springboks won the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The pub had 80 people in it

W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

so I disappeared like our Covid relief fund.

4. Crime.

5. Bodybuilding. I could have been the next Frank Zane.

5 essential ingredients for an incredible mission?

1. Good people that like alcohol or locally sourced cupwinning marijuana (food is non-essential at this point).

2. Music from 1960-1990.

3. A destination with fewer than ten people per 5 km, including our group.

4. A reliable vehicle.

5. A sense of humour.

5 flies that to look at make no sense but that catch fish all the time?

1. Blob.

2. Sunray shadow.

3. DDD. 4. Crazy Charlie.

5. Girdle bug.

5 things about fly fishing that you may never understand?

1. Why do Atlantic salmon take flies but don’t actually eat?

2. Why do we torture ourselves as fly fisherman when spin fishing is much easier?

3. Why doesn’t my wife get as excited as I do when I pull out a new rod/reel that I have hidden from her for a few weeks?

4. How did fly fishing reach the point where we have to broadcast our fishing abilities to complete strangers on social media to seem relevant or appear virtuous?

5. Why is the feeling of hooking a fish so addictive?

Growing up, I was never meant to be a fisherman but somehow it found me and has never let me leave.

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5 things that make you unique?

1. I’m a smallish person but have the sound carrying capacity of a loud hailer.

2. My head never stops moving, so I’m sure I was a meerkat in my previous life.

3. I’m very particular in everything I do. Border line OCD. 4. I like people that are easily persuaded. Let’s just say that my sister in law is quite stubborn.

5. I’m addicted to Ginger Ale. 5 common mistakes that most clients make?

1. They get sold trips to the wrong destination for their skill, age, fitness level, previous injuries etc. I had a guy rock up in Seychelles with a broken arm in a cast, and he complained that he could not cast!

2. Not being able to cast effectively for the species they wish to target. Practise before you go. I still practise in the garden.

3. Bringing the wrong gear: eg. 30lb Dacron backing for geets; or only bringing 9-weights to Cosmoledo expecting to fish for bonefish all week.

4. Not listening to their guide when a plan is made. You won’t see me offering legal advice to an attorney.

5. Managing their expectations. It is what it is, so appreciate the experience. I’m a guide not a spiritual entity. I can only make miracles happen on my day off… sometimes.

Your last five casts were to….

1. Brown trout.

2. Carp.

3. Largemouth bass.

4. KZN yellowfish.

5. Zululand trevally.

W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

Remote Richtersveld Drift - Namibia

DULLSTROOM

Est. 1997

Lake Jozini,- Pongola Mavungana Flyfishing Center Main Road, Dullstroom, 013 245 0270

Mavungana Flyfishing JHB, Shop 3B Illovo Square Shopping Center, 011 268 5850 travel@flyfishing.co.za

www.flyfishing.co.za

B E H I N D T H E S C E N ES I N G U YA N A

THE REWA RODEO

W E C AT C H U P W I T H T R A V E L L I N G G U I D E , J O H A N N D U P R E E Z , O N T H E S U B J E C T, T H E L O C AT I O N A N D T H E C H A L L E N G E S I N V O L V E D I N H I S L AT E S T P R O J E C T , A S H O R T F I L M A B O U T F LY F I S H I N G F O R T H E S T R A N G E , M A S S I V E , A I R - B R E AT H I N G A R A P A I M A ( O N E O F W O R L D ’ S L A R G E S T F R E S H W A T E R S P E C I E S ) AT R E WA E C O - L O D G E I N G U YA N A .

Photos. Will Graham, Johann du Preez

What’s Guyana like?

The most notable thing about Guyana is the noise in the rainforest. There is a constant ensemble of birds, insects, and animals. Between the deafening roar of the howler monkeys and the screeching macaws, the jungle is flooded with beautiful noise. You get the sense that there is life everywhere. Unlike other parts of South America, where the jungle seems void of life, the Rewa River sustains an incredible amount of life. The people are friendly and welcoming and it really feels like a home away from home.

every eight to twelve minutes so you can target a specific fish by waiting and watching an area until you get a clear shot. The way the fish roll also tells you a lot about their mood and feeding behaviour. A speedy roll or splashy roll often indicates an unsettled fish, whereas a slow roll usually means that the fish are happy. As a fish dives down after it rolls, we will track the bubbles to determine which way the fish is moving and how far ahead you need to place the fly. So, in essence, it is sight fishing to the signs of the fish without actually seeing the fish.

How much of a process is it to get to Rewa?

Getting to Rewa is a straightforward but tedious affair. You will fly to Georgetown, the capitol of Guyana. From there you will board a small aircraft to Apoteri, a small airstrip where the Rupunini and Esequibo rivers converge. You will be collected from the Apoteri airstrip by boat and driven upriver to the lodge. There you will be greeted by the friendly staff at the beautiful Amerindian-style lodge.

How many kilometres of river do you fish there? Do you ever fish for arapaima in currents/flowing water or just in pools and billabong ponds?

There is a massive stretch of river that we cover to get to the various ponds. However, we hardly ever target arapaima on the river itself. We do target other fish species like arowana, payara, peacock bass and catfish in the main river. The arapaima will migrate into ponds or ox-bow lakes during the highwater season when the river floods into the jungle.

They then get trapped in the ponds as the water recedes.

As the water level in the ponds goes down, the arapaima become more accessible and this is when they become a viable species to target on fly. To target an arapaima in the main river is nearly impossible.

How involved are the locals in the project? What has Indifly’s impact been?

The people of Rewa own and manage the entire eco lodge.

They are the guides, the cooks, the cleaners, and the driving force behind it. Indifly plays a small but crucial role in this project. We provide guidance in terms of hospitality and the management of the fishing programme. Indifly, along with Costa sunglasses, has injected substantial funding into research and protection of the arapaima. My role, as an Indifly representative, is to help identify needs within the community and liaise between them and the non-profit company’s board of directors. Indifly will then either provide funding to cater for these needs or help the people of Rewa to find a solution themselves. Our vision is to reach a point where we no longer assist the eco lodge; we want the eco lodge to be entirely self-sufficient. To teach and enable the local community is much more valuable than any donation.

Do you sight fish for arapaima (watching for bubbles) or is it just blind? The water looks quite dirty, can you see anything in terms of visibility?

Well, this is an interesting question because in some ways you are sight fishing and in other ways you are fishing totally blind. Some of the ponds have clear tannin-stained water.

We call these blackwater ponds and others are murky with lots of suspended sediment. In both types of ponds you can sometimes see fish just below the surface, almost like laid up tarpon. But 95% of your fishing happens based on very visual signs. You will see muds where fish are stirring up the bottom with their tails. You will often see bubbles or bubble trails as the fish exhale, or you will see them rolling on the surface when they come up to gulp air. We base most of our fishing around rolling fish. They must come up for air

Do these fish react to vibration?

Oh yes, they do. They have a very prominent lateral line and are very responsive to water displacement. Bulky flies that push water are great, but they are more than happy to eat a plain old brush fly too.

How different are these fish to all the other species you have caught before?

Arapaima are totally bizarre fish, from the way they look to the way that they breathe air. They way that they engulf a fly is a thrill that every fly angler should experience. They feed by flaring their gills to create a strong suction. In fact, they will suck in a fly with such force that it will rip fly line out of your hands and the eat is clearly audible. They are also the hardest fish to hook that I have fished for. Their bony mouths are so hard that it is nearly impossible to get a hook to penetrate; you literally have to set the hook so furiously that tackle failure seems certain. It is like having an encounter with a dinosaur.

What is your typical set-up for these fish?

We target arapaima with 12-weight set-ups, but rods and reels are of secondary importance. Your lines and hooks will make or break your trip. A low stretch tropical intermediate or floating line in 12-weight is a must have. We fish 80100lb fluorocarbon leader, something with good abrasion resistance and low stretch. Typically, we tie our flies on #6/0

“THE PEOPLE OF REWA OWN AND MANAGE THE ENTIRE ECO LODGE. THEY ARE THE GUIDES, THE COOKS, THE CLEANERS, AND THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND IT.” 32

W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

hooks that have a wide gape and razor-sharp tip. There are a few flies that seem to out-perform time and again, but you will have to pay for those secrets. Three to five inch long baitfish imitations in light natural colours do very well; peacock bass imitations are a solid favourite and, as with most fish, a pure black baitfish normally does the trick.

How long is a typical fight? How do they behave?

The fights are short and volatile. We try to fish as hard as we can to prevent the over-exhaustion of the fish. A hard fight gives them a much higher chance of recovery. They are acrobatic for their size and breach the water’s surface several times during the fight with violent head shakes. It’s spectacular to see fish of their size come clear out of the water. The fun part of the fight happens when the fish has to be landed. The guide will get into the water, grab the leader, and grab on to the fish. This is much easier said than done.

Arapaima can grow up to 90 inches of pure muscle. Many people have been seriously injured by arapaima during this part of the fight, but the Rewa guides are experts at wrestling these beasts into submission.

How much pressure does the water get?

We split the season into two parts, October – November and February – March. This way the fish are well rested between seasons. We also don’t put more than four rods on the water at a time. There is only one angler on the bow, so the water is effectively only fished by two people at a time.

There are over twenty ponds that we have access to, and we are constantly searching for more in order to keep the pressure as low as possible.

How much tagging research has been done on these fish at Rewa? What are some of the results you can share?

More than 380 fish have been tagged over the last ten years with only four confirmed mortalities resulting from a fishing. Only a handful of fish have been recaptured, which indicates a rise in the population. Of the fish that have been recaptured we have learned two interesting things.

Firstly, the arapaima will move several kilometres during the high-water season and find different ponds. Secondly, an arapaima can grow as much as 12-inches per year (that is pretty impressive).

There seems to be quite a process with handling them (several people in the water etc). Do you ever have fatalities when these fish are caught? What is the biggest danger?

There have been a few fatalities in the past. The two main causes were heat and lack of oxygen. Because arapaima are obligatory lung breathers, they must supplement their oxygen supply by gulping air. Thus if a fish is released too quickly it won’t be able to come to the surface for air and will literally drown. To combat this the guides will cradle a fish just below the surface for five to ten minutes, allowing it to rest and take breaths. Depending on the size of the fish they will be given three to four breaths before being released.

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“WE TARGET ARAPAIMA WITH 12-WEIGHT SETUPS, BUT RODS AND REELS ARE OF SECONDARY IMPORTANCE. YOUR LINES AND HOOKS WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR TRIP.”

Catching an arapaima is a group effort. Once landed, many hands are required to revive it, tag it, check its prostate, and send it on its way.

The second method is ingenious. A bobber on a long mono line will be attached to the fish with an elastic band that goes around the fish’s body. So when the fish swims off the research team will be able to follow the fish and track its progress. They will follow a fish for about an hour, counting each breath to ensure that the fish is alive and well. They will also defend the fish against black caiman that try to take advantage of the exhausted fish. The level of commitment towards the survival of these fish is truly astounding.

Do the locals fish the same area? Are arapaima seen as a food source?

The locals do fish the same areas, but it is illegal to kill arapaima even for subsistence purposes. Other fish like peacock bass, arowana, surubi and pacu are sought after table fish. These fish are also sustainably fished either with a single hook or by bow and arrow.

Do you ever witness natural predations on the arapaima, e.g. cayman or cats or something else eating them?

I haven’t seen it myself, but I have been told that during extreme low water black caiman and packs of giant river otters will predate on arapaima.

Is there interesting bycatch in the same areas as the arapaima or is it pretty focused on this one species?

There are a multitude of other fish to target: two species of peacock bass, two species of payara, two species of piranha, a variety of catfish and arowana to list a few. The top water fishing for these other species is a world-class fishery in itself.

How often to you see other big game like jungle cats?

We often see jaguar tracks on the beaches and riverbanks, but these cats are much too shy to be seen. We often encounter giant river otters on the river. They are very vocal and inquisitive creatures and they always put a smile on my face. We see a variety of monkeys on a daily basis. Capibara are a fairly common sight as well as other small mammals.

What’s the fishing success rate like when going for arapaima at Rewa? Do most people catch or do you blank often?

As with most places I guide, I like to under-sell and overdeliver. Arapaima fishing is challenging. It is as simple as that, but I have never had a client blank a trip. It is a patience game; you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts. A realistic expectation is that you will land five to seven fish during your trip, and trust me, that is a world-class result.

Tell us a cool tarantula story.

Well… there was this one night at our fly camp when we had enough Frigate Reserve Rum to sedate a dozen donkeys. We found a pink toed tarantula hiding in the thatched roof above the dinner table. Jay Epping told us about his arachnophobia. So, the obvious next step

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37

Above: “Tell me honestly babes, does the handlebar moustache suit me?”

Below: Christiaano Bonaldo, Rewa Eco Lodge’s 17th best footballer goes for goal.

was to poke the tarantula out of the roof with a fly rod.

As it dropped down all hell broke loose, Jay nearly soiled himself. I grabbed the spider and let it walk around on my hands. Slowly but surely, everyone calmed down to panic and we proceeded to have a full-on photoshoot with the hairy critter. The poor spider had no say in the matter as it got passed round between Christiaan Pretorius and myself. Then it was Jay’s turn to interact with our eightlegged friend. We started off by placing it gently on his hat. Laughing turned to shouting and shouting turned to full blown panic screaming when the tarantula crawled over the brim of Jay’s hat and onto his face. Needless to say, that shut down the spider-games pretty quickly.

“ALL IN ALL, IT WAS AN EMPOWERING EXPERIENCE, AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE AMAZING PEOPLE OF REWA THAT MADE THIS STORY POSSIBLE”

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What was the filming process like? Was it you on your lonesome or did you have some help? What challenges did you face?

The filming process was a huge learning curve for me. It was the first time that I’d filmed with the intention of creating a F3T feature, so I felt a bit of pressure to create quality content. That being said, I was very lucky to have some great anglers on my boat during the filming process. Jako Lucas and Christiaan Pretorius not only hooked an obscene number of fish for me to film, but they also assisted with the

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1.

2.

3.

creative process. Arapaima are difficult fish to film; because of the dark water it is nearly impossible to anticipate when and where they were going to roll. I spent countless hours staring through the viewfinder of my camera to capture a minute’s worth of B-roll footage, but that is what it takes to create a proper film. Once the arapaima were hooked they became quite easy to film, their massive jumps and headshakes made for some incredibly dynamic footage.

With the exception of the beautiful drone footage that Will Graham captured, I shot the entire film by myself. I did all the postproduction and editing on my ace but called in the help of Ryan Janssens to assist with the final colour grading and sound design. Without the help of these guys the film would not have been nearly as good as it turned out to be.

All in all, it was an empowering experience, and I am grateful for the amazing people of Rewa that made this story possible in the first place.

Catch Johann’s film, The Rewa Rodeo, at this year’s Fly Fishing Film Tour (flyfilmtour.com).

Visit rewaecolodge.com for more.

GUYANA AT A GLANCE PART OF SOUTH AMERICA AND THE WEST INDIES? WE KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT GUYANA EXCEPT FOR THESE THREE THINGS. 1. BAD – Jonestown As in the scene of the 1978 ‘Jonestown Massacre,’ which is where the phrase ‘drink the Kool-Aid’ comes from. Spare a thought for Kool-Aid, because the cyanide-laced cooldrink the Reverend Jim Jones gave to the 900-odd followers of his Peoples Temple cult was in fact another brand, Flavor Aid. 2. BETTER – Unity Village The home village of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, one of the West Indies’ best cricketers of the 1990s and 2000s.

He holds the record for the 4th fastest test century off 67 balls, he registered a double century on debut as test captain and he has a nifty surname that sounds like a directive to a drunk, queasy friend.

3. BEST – Rewa Eco Lodge The world’s largest scaled freshwater fish, deep in pristine jungle, plus peacock bass, arawana, payara and more in a sustainable community-led camp. What’s not to like?

RECCIE

BEYOND TROUT T H E M O U N TA I N S O F T H E W E S T E R N C A P E A R E H O M E TO MANY TROUT STREAMS, BOTH WELL-KNOWN AND HIDDEN, OFFERING BOTH RAINBOWS AND BROWNS. B U T O N C E Y O U H AV E Q U E N C H E D Y O U R T H I R S T F O R SALMONIDS, IF YOU PUSH DEEPER INTO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AS LEONARD FLEMMING DID, YOU WILL FIND OTHER BIGGER, RARER, MORE-CHALLENGING S P E C I E S T H AT H AV E B E E N A R O U N D T H E S E PA R T S F O R A LOT LONGER Photos. Leonard Flemming and Will Lotter

T

hroughout my life I’ve had an insatiable hunger for exploring Cape rivers. In Kleinmond, where I grew up, I’d disappear after school and scout along the banks of the tiny coastal streams for minnows, Cape stream frogs and water scorpions that would entertain me for hours.

This quickly became my church of preference and, I guess, like Charles Darwin, I started creating my own theories about animal relationships. I also learnt much about animal interactions which, as a kid, I noticed bore striking resemblances to human behaviour and the fine balances in life. For instance, I learnt that the death of an animal (which we generally perceive as sad or cruel) provided food for many organisms and even their offspring, a refreshing start to new life. In contrast, by closing one’s eyes at the mall, human noise sounded like the rival cacophony of baboon troops in the kloofs.

“THE RECCE MISSIONS OFTEN STARTED WITH OUR HAVING TO LOWER OUR BOATS AND OUTBOARDS DOWN STEEP WALLS AND BANKS WITH CLIMBING GEAR, JUST TO REACH THE WATER.”

As a grownup, I still crave that sense of freedom and the urge to soak up the information that lies hidden in our mountainous environment, but with a fly rod in hand. It is in the presence of gurgling water, ferns growing lush under a canopy of red and white alders, exotic-looking birds like the Paradise flycatcher calling from the thickets, a large Table Mountain Beauty (aka the Aeropetes tulbaghia butterfly) pollinating red disas, that I find myself able to relax properly. All these things create a tranquil ambience while I stalk a cunning fish, as sipping insects are carried to it by the cool current. Here I can forget about the rat race.

I get a chance to clear my mind and to digest the more important issues eating at my insides.

I went through that familiar trout phase, when I hunted willing rainbows and wily brown trout in all the wellknown rivers as well as in any and every other river I’d heard rumours of. However, after about fifteen years of exploration, that trout stint came to an end when there were nearly no ‘new’ trout rivers to ‘find’. It was then that I encountered some of our larger indigenous fishes. I found big cyprinids, like witvis, by accident while searching for trout in the Breede River. It was the start of an unexpected and fascinating new journey, an educational fly fishing tour through the sporting arena of our indigenous fishes that would eventually take me to the final trout frontier.

The invitation came from Craig Thom, the owner of the StreamX fly shop where I had been buying specialised micro-nymphing materials for witvis. He was talking about an exploratory mission with Duncan Brown, a professor at the University of the Western Cape and author of ‘Are Trout South African?’ to find remnants of salmonid stockings (other than rainbows and browns) and rumours of dry-fly-eating witvis in fabled fisheries that hadn’t seen angling traffic in more than 50 years.

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I couldn’t believe my luck and, without thinking twice about the legality and legitimacy of access to the spots, I agreed to join the reconnaissance. It turned out that Duncan was participating in a global salmonid research project which, among other things, investigated the international distribution of trout and how they were perceived by humans in the different areas.

South African waters were stocked with rainbow trout, brown trout, Atlantic salmon, brook trout and tiger trout from the end of the 19th century throughout the 20th century. While rainbows and browns stuck and now enjoy a fanatical following of casual and competitive fly anglers, no wild brook trout have been recorded here since the 1960s.

And, although involuntary stocking of Atlantic salmon took place on numerous occasions, even in the late 90s when 1000s of aquaculture fish escaped, none have been caught on fly in our country according to my knowledge. Tiger trout are sterile, of course, and their presence was shortlived.

So when you head out to fresh spots where you’ve never been and you know that few fisherman visit, there is that exciting element of surprise. Permits were issued for our contribution to the research we’d conduct with rods, lines and flies (still some of the best research tools for catching adult predatory fish) and off we went on a trip that would blow all of us away.

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“THE LITTLE 2-WEIGHT REEL SCREAMED LIKE A STRAINING CHAINSAW MOANING IN THE DISTANCE.”

*Cue Lion King chorus* “Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba (Sithi uhm ingonyama) yeah, ingonyama.”

The recce missions often started with our having to lower our boats and outboards down steep walls and banks with climbing gear, just to reach the water. Luckily, I had anticipated difficult terrain and besides packing in tough hiking gear, I’d also, at the last minute, thrown in trad. climbing gear.

Once on the water, we spotted bait balls of unidentified fish, gleaming turquoise, like giant pelagic sharks cruising near the surface in water more than 35 m deep. Human activity was so low in the catchment of the waters we sampled (which included five rivers, a dam and a plunge pool) that one could see the bottom six metres deep. The water was so clear that polarised sunglasses made schools of adult fish look like zeppelin squadrons gliding through the atmosphere. To our amazement, these lead-coloured zeppelins would also happily rise to eat dry flies and turned out to be trophy witvis.

However, as usual, they showed great interest in micro nymphs. The most memorable fish for me was caught by William Lotter on a #20 flashback pheasant tail nymph. I was on spotting duty and noticed how a particularly large witvis approached Will’s dropper. The body language of the fish indicated that it had committed to eating the nymph and I gave Will the thumbs up to strike. Unsure of the situation, because the indicator hadn’t moved, he struck in slow-motion, clearly not expecting much.

As the line tightened, the hooked witvis shot off into the deep gulley we were fishing and the little 2-weight reel screamed like a straining chainsaw moaning in the distance.

Although Will was able to bring it back to the shallows,

there were several heart-stopping moments when the fish tried to wrap the tippet around a submerged branch before we finally got a chance to scoop it into the landing net.

In some instances, hooked fish simply couldn’t be stopped on the #20-26 flies, 7X tippet and 2-3-weight outfits we were forced to use to achieve the delicate presentations that were mostly required. I scrambled 300 metres along a steep bank after one such fish that eventually just cut the tippet on a rock shelf. It was unstoppable.

Between the numerous lead zeppelins we also managed to catch a couple of rainbows each. They looked like sea trout; slender, silvery racing snakes one could imagine had freshly run up the river from the ocean. But the sea was far away and separated by many weirs and dam walls and kilometres of hectic temperature barriers and, perhaps, even dry river beds that would be the downfall of any salmonid trying to access this divine place. We later learnt, thanks to the micro-nymphs, that the big turquoise bait balls we spotted were massive schools of juvenile witvis roaming the open water.

When I got home, having been bedazzled by the beauty of these fisheries, I zoomed deeper into Google Earth than ever. The harder I searched for potential indigenous fish habitat, the more I realised how much water there was to explore. I searched for rivers and aquatic places on maps far beyond where I knew trout existed, and I traced waters that I believe fewer than a handful of adventurous fishermen have ever attempted to reach. Now I simply cannot wait to head out again to see what’s out there, beyond the final trout frontier.

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ALWAYS CHOOSE SHARK STARTING OUT IN FLY FISHING CAN BE TOUGH. CASTING, RIGGING, FLY SELECTION ETC. TO ‘GET’ FLY FISHING, SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS 48 HOURS OF TOTAL IMMERSION, AS KATHRYN FOURIE FOUND WHEN SHE TOOK A DEEP DIVE INTO THE TUGELA RIVER AND ITS NATAL SCALIES AT A CLINIC AT ZINGELA CAMP Photos. Kathryn Fourie

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hen my brother was turning 12, my Mom took me along to The Kingfisher tackle shop in Pietermaritzburg to buy some items for his birthday gift. My arty Mom, who worked in a law firm, had no idea what 12-year-olds require for fishing expeditions and, in the end, we walked out with what I thought was a pretty cool gift. I mean it was a hard, heavy, mini-baseball bat and I imagined all kinds of nefarious uses for it, like tadpole smashing to the max! My Dad, upon seeing the priest, promptly told my Mom to hand over the slip – and a day later came back with a packet bursting with colourful feathers, glues, clamps and all the cool stuff needed to tie flies.

My early memories of fly fishing were watching my brother casting on the mowed lawn, or his skinny frame hunched over his fly-tying station or being taken along on day trips to Kamberg and Crystal Waters, where I would disappear and swim in the rivers and pretend, no doubt, that I was the lone survivor of some kind of dinosaur annihilation.

Meanwhile, my Dad and brother silently got their fish on.

Twenty-eight years on from those memories and I am racing towards forty. Instead of feeling like I need to be achieving more, going further, growing up, all I can think about is doing less. I stare at the pictures in fishing magazines, my thumb hovers over posts about wild salmon fishing in Alaska.

When I was sent an e-flyer for a beginner fly fishing intro weekend hosted by Wildflower Adventures, it took me about 24 seconds to make up my mind. Maybe fewer.

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So it was that I wound up buying a second-hand fly fishing rig and found myself casting off the banks of the Tugela River at Zingela Safari and River Company… at the completely wrong time of the year for catching yellows.

This may sound kind of daft, but for the entirely uninitiated fly fisher, a weekend of low fish-catching expectations was ideal. Our group of ten could focus on learning the absolute basics of Figure 8’s and Rapala knots, without the niggling feeling that we were missing out on prime catching conditions.

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Kirsty Kyle was the fly-fishing expert imported from the Natal North Coast to guide us to a reasonable state of fishing ability. The humble Kirsty was tutored in fishing by her parents and two older brothers in the wilds of Kosi Bay. She grew up home-schooled and has a way that I envy with animals (especially the types that have cold blood).

On day one she found a Rhombic Egg Eater and held the spiraling serpent in her hand while we clutched cups of coffee, mesmerised by the hallucinogenic effect of its defensive behaviour. Having learnt that she is actually a

proper herpetologist does, in part, explain her ability to commune with the scaliest and slipperiest of the bushveld beasts! These are not in short supply at Zingela.

Kirsty cleverly devised some easy-to-use tools to teach us knots (stretches of nylon rope), effectively supersizing line so that we could see the patterns quickly. It didn’t take long to tie tippet to line, and we were sent on to the lawns with paintbrushes, plastic bags and small jars of paint to practise the wrist movements involved with casting.

“THE GAME IS ON. WE ALL WANT ONE TO HOLD, TO UNHOOK AND TO SEND BACK TO THE DEPTHS OF THE TUGELA.” I had no clue we’d be Jackson Pollocking the riverine vegetation outside the deck at the main Zingela dining area, but with blue, green, orange and pink all over the show, we had the motion down pretty well. After casting on open stretches of lawn, fast forward a few hours into the afternoon and we were ready to hit the river. And hit it we did. Unfortunately for me, that hitting involved catching a lot of grass and one cast in particular whipped into my Buff just near my eyebrow. Anti-Covid protection became injury prevention. After my third wobble into the river to release my Hot Spot from under a rock and just before a total optimism meltdown, Kath Calverly arrived with a cooler box crammed with G&T supplies. And, amazingly, Lee-Ann caught a small yellow, almost effortlessly. We cheered…and doubled down on our individual efforts.

Maybe catching was possible after all.

At supper that night whisperings of a large ingwenya (crocodile) that had been sighted on stretches of the river up and down from the camp started to circulate. It was no longer a ‘maybe’. A sizeable crocodile was definitely in the area and in the brown water of summer it had ideal hunting conditions. It was decided that we would fish quite far north of the camp on Sunday, as the last spotting was cited to be close to camp.

At Zingela one can’t help but feel completely hidden in a separate, timeless world of African acacias, tamboti trees, aloes, animals, sounds and vibrations. Falling asleep under thatch, frogs singing away, soggy shoes and rods ready at

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the door for go-time, it is almost effortless to forget about things that create anxiety in one’s life only an hour’s 4x4 drive out of the valley. Perspectives shift here: I can tie knots, I can figure out fishing.

Sunday dawns as an absoluter cracker, a quintessential South African summer day. Sunscreen is slapped on; and we move quickly on a short walk high up the valley sides to look down on the river where we’ll be fishing. Eyes are peeled for the sneaky croc – but no sighting so we feel reassured it’s headed south. Bibi shuttles our crew in an open 4x4 to the fishing spot and ten eager pairs of hands grab kit and we hustle across granite-grey, rounded rocks and shale substrate to reach the riverbank. The friendly banter stops as concentration efforts increase, tying flies to tippet again, this time with confidence. People are making tweaks based on yesterday’s experience and in no time at all the only sounds are birds, the river and the gentle ‘zzzzzzzzzzz’ of lines casting back and forth through the air.

Lee-Ann catches again! Heads turn towards her – thumbs up – but no-one is running to look at the fish this time.

The game is on. We all want one to hold, to unhook and to send back to the depths of the Tugela. But the river has other plans for us and 45 minutes later I am wondering if it’s the sinking line which is foiling me. Maybe it’s my cast?

Shit. I decide to try another area where Kirsty and Kath have actually made their way across the river. It is deeper than I expect, chest deep in fact. A couple of us make the crossing and the fishing is far easier standing on a wide-

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Angler of the weekend, Lee-Ann Driemeyer, with a fin-perfect juvenile Natal Scaly.

open band of shale. But time runs out and we have to head back. I have lost count of Lee-Ann’s catches. She’s the only one winning here so she is doing something right!

For some reason, crossing back over the river is not as easy. I lose my footing, the current is strong, and I am completely submerged holding my rod up and laughing, kicking my feet in takkies to get across. This happens to at least five of us, but no one cares. It’s hot and this is refreshing.

Sitting back at the dining area demolishing breakfast and coffee, my Dad who has also come along for the weekend to walk and twitch with his friend, comes to join us.

“Did you guys see the croc?”

“No Dad, but it’s a good thing, as we were neck deep in the water”, I laugh in reply.

“No, I mean, I am asking if you saw it because we saw it. Just after you passed us on the 4x4 this morning near where you got off. We actually thought we’d catch a lift back so we waited for Bibi to return and, when getting on the vehicle, we had the extra height and we saw it right there on the bank in the sun. It was huge. Three metres long at least, and thick like this.” He holds his hands out indicating a body size that is rather alarming… at least twice my size. “And then it slid back into the water and we couldn’t see it”.

One of the questions I have asked myself since I was old

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enough to watch nature programmes was, “Would I rather die by crocodile or by shark attack?” My well thought out debate has always led me to think a shark would be better.

I choose shark every time.

I had such a great time standing waist-deep in the cool waters of the river, concentrating on catching small life forms to release, that I had completely forgotten about that predatory life form that would undoubtedly not have wanted to release me. But what you don’t know doesn’t hurt you and while we broke down our rods, discussed what pieces of kit we needed going forward and loaded up to leave, we appreciated that Kirsty had done her job. For the most part, we knew what we were doing and we wanted more of it. Wild Flower Adventures had set up exactly the right approach for a bunch of fly fishing dreamers. No question was considered stupid, no matter how many times it was asked.

Evidence of the ‘mission accomplished’ was the Whatsapp group formed in the following weeks, flooded with pictures of our group members out fishing with their daughters, their friends, holding up trout, more yellows, carp…even a frog (not sure that was entirely legal though). We’re planning a reunion trip in late May or early September.

And yes, the big ol’ croc, after a flooded Tugela summer, has long since moved.

To find out more about Wildflower Adventures fishing camps for 2021, contact Kat Calverly on kat wildfloweradventures@gmail.com

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BACK TO THE FUTURE

SLAMBOO THE WORLD’S STRONGEST AND MOST SOUGHT-AFTER FRESH AND SALTWATER FISH ON A BAMBOO FLY ROD? IT SOUNDS LIKE THE KIND OF THING YOUR GRANDPA DREAMED OF 100 YEARS AGO, BUT FOR NICK BOWLES IT WAS A MODERN CHALLENGE BASED ON HISTORY. ARMED WITH THOMAS & THOMAS’S MODERN SEXTANT BAMBOO RODS AND THE MEMORY OF HIS GRANDFATHER, HE SET OFF TO ATTEMPT AN UNLIKELY GRAND SLAM.

Photos Nick Bowles, Alphonse Fishing co

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itting on top of a sand dune in front of Beach Bungalow number 3 on Cosmoledo, Seychelles overlooking the bay of Wizard Island with the sun rising up from behind me, it is hard not to think about who you are, what you are doing and where you have come from. My mind drifts to my connection to the sea, to fly fishing and how I got to be sitting on this sand dune trying to catch big GTs on bamboo fly rods.

BLOOD LINES My story begins with my paternal grandfather, Kenneth Fox (aka Kulu), and my grandmother, Bessie Fox (aka GorGor). They farmed in Yorkshire, UK and my grandfather was a true English gentleman. Shooting, fox hunting and salmon fishing were his pursuits. He used to fish for salmon in Norway, Iceland and the River Spey in Scotland, all very traditional and old school. He was part of a syndicate in the early ‘70s that took over the fishing and shooting on the Talchin Estate on the River Spey and one of the conditions, with the owner the Countess of Seafelt for taking over the fishing and hunting was that my grandfather had to farm the lands. My biological father, Nigel Fox, was to be the farm manager. My mother, Bibbi Bowles, is Norwegian and met my father in Aviemore, a nearby ski resort. On their first date Nigel picked my mother up on a tractor from the farm, they got married and so I came to be!

To cut a long story short, the marriage didn’t work out and my paternal grandparents, wanting to keep their grandson close, managed to convince my mother to move with them to South Africa. In the late ‘70s my mother married Derek Bowles, who adopted me. I grew up on a sugar cane farm in Umfolozi, Zululand and it was a kid’s wildest dream: fishing, shooting, hot weather, every animal, snake and bug imaginable! My dad, Derek, fished as part of the South African Deep Sea team in the ‘70s and fished around the world chasing marlin and big tuna: Hawaii, Mauritius, Nova Scotia, Australia. In the early ‘70s Derek’s own father caught an 885lbs marlin in Pomene, Mozambique from a 16ft ski boat. So, one way or another, I was always going to fish. But where and how I learnt to fish, was from our camp at the Mapelane Skiboat club, off ski boats in saltwater, with warm weather, mosquitoes and white beaches. There we caught couta, kingfish, snoek, sailfish, etc.

Living in Umfolozi, a fairly remote area, schooling was a problem so I was sent to boarding school in Pietermaritzburg from about the age of nine. Kulu and

Nick’s grandfathers Kenneth Fox, aka Kulu in his salmon fishing days

Gor-Gor had moved to Hilton so most weekends I would visit them. Kulu had stocked a dam with trout and had bought a Winchester 410 to shoot the cormorants that ate them. This is where I learnt to fly fish. Kulu had two bamboo trout rods named Noddy and Big Ears. He would stand in his safari suits (tweeds were too warm) and wading boots on the banks of the lake or the surrounding rivers and I would be barefoot in my shorts and school T-shirt, as he tried to teach me fly fishing etiquette. All I wanted was to catch fish, shoot cormorants and throw rocks into the lake. I can only imagine how I tested his patience, but he kept showing me how to cast a fly, how to tie on flies, how to make leaders without ever raising his voice. I guess his passion and dedication towards me and fly fishing soon prevailed and I learnt to cast out a fairly decent line on Noddy and started to catch rainbow trout. I think this was the start of a long, on-going journey.

“AFTER ALL, PEOPLE BUILD BUILDINGS OUT OF BAMBOO AND I’VE NEVER SEEN A CARBON FIBER HOUSE. THESE RODS ARE STRONG. PLUS, YOUR CHANCES OF BEING HIT BY LIGHTNING ARE VASTLY REDUCED.” 58

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PAYDIRT IN DUBAI In 2001, when Michelle (now my wife), told me she was moving to Dubai from London, I had to consult Google to find out where it was! Then I typed in “Fishing Dubai” and my heart skipped ten beats. Sailfish! It was a no brainer and it wasn’t long before I left my cold office in Bank Street for a four month holiday in Dubai. Twenty years later I am still here, so I consider myself still “on holiday”.

Dubai presented me with a whole bunch of opportunities to fish and to travel and in 2003 I started a small brand and website called Ocean Active. Initially, this was only intended as a hobby because there was limited information on fishing in Dubai. Soon charter requests started coming in and Ocean Active (the company) was born in early 2005. The desire to explore and camp like I had done in South Africa grew strong, and we turned our attention to Oman, a wonderful, friendly country with wide open beaches and an amazing amount of sea life. We found incredible fishing and our Oman operation was the first fly fishing and topwater operation in Oman and the Middle East. We were young and had little idea of what we were doing, but we loved it and the business grew organically while we learnt. As the company and bookings grew, we started running more trips so we needed more equipment and, with no fly shops for thousands of miles, I started to contact fly tackle manufacturers in the US. But, without knowing someone personally or meeting face to face, it is quite difficult to build a relationship. I had to explain that I was not crazy and yes, we were fly fishing in Dubai, Oman and the Middle East and yes, we were catching GTs, permit, sails, bream, queenfish, golden trevally and loads of other species.

FIRST SIGHTING I decided that the only way to build new relationships with manufacturers was to attend exhibitions like iCast, IFTD, Efftex in USA and Europe. Not knowing anyone, I packed my bag, booked my tickets and started going to shows, arranging meetings, trying to meet people that I had only seen in magazines or TV shows. I met a few people, showed a few pictures and quite quickly realised that the fly fishing community was filled with amazing, open people who were happy to meet, give advice, and make introductions. I soon met a large, varied bunch of people who, to this day, are some of my closest friends.

Word started getting around about Dubai and Oman and our fishery was launched internationally.

A LIGHTBULB MOMENT The following year, before IFTD, we headed with the Alphonse and T&T crews to Apalachicola, Florida. While doing some tackle set up, Keith pulled out a Sextant 12-weight bamboo rod. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Obviously, trying to play it cool, I walked over, had a look and walked away. The fire was ignited. I wanted to cast that rod! The next day, as only Keith can do, he went out and landed a 120lbs tarpon on the bamboo and the fish never once got into the backing. I was hooked. I immediately thought of my childhood, learning to fly fish with my grandfather.

I met the Alphonse and T&T crew over a beer at the Simms booth. Chatting to Keith Rose Innes, Devan van der Merwe, Llew Claven of Alphonse and Neville Orsmond and Troy Jacques of Thomas & Thomas (T&T), it soon became evident that many more beers and stories would be shared in the future. It was at this show that I first noticed that T&T made handmade bamboo rods. Then they were just something I looked at and admired for their amazing workmanship, like a piece of art. I had no inclination to buy or use one. Who the hell uses bamboo rods, let alone in the salt?

At the IFTD show on the same trip, T&T had a tent at the casting pond, and they had bamboo rods on display.

I finally picked up the Sextant 10-weight like it was made of porcelain and walked up to the pond and put out my first cast. The cast was slow, the rod was heavy but gracious and the cast almost went across the pond. Okay, it was a small pond, but the rod in my hand felt like a 1000 volts.

Something clicked, something forgotten. I didn’t realise what it was, but it felt so good. I put down the rod at the end of the session and said my farewells.

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Could I really catch saltwater fish on bamboo?

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“FISHING WITH BAMBOO IN SOME OF THE MOST RESPECTED AND RECOGNISED FLY DESTINATIONS ON THE PLANET TO CATCH THREE ICONIC FISH SPECIES” Not long after that, while on a family pilgrimage with my mother and sister to my mother’s family home in Nordaal, Norway, my mind was still on that bamboo rod. Could I catch fish on it in the salt? I left the family in Nordaal and headed for Osen to fish for Atlantic salmon for the first time. I left the family in Nordaal and, on the recommendation of Jako Lucas, headed for Osen to fish for Atlantic salmon for the first time. There I met a South African, Mark Taylor who was running Osen Gard Salmon Lodge.

Mark and another South African, James Topham, showed me how to cast a doublehand and to swing flies for salmon. While wading in the river on my own, in awe of the sound of the rapids, the snow-capped mountain and forest of green, I experienced a sudden flood of emotion.

It was the memory of my grandfather teaching me to fly fish on bamboo, the thought of him having once stood in a similar river in Norway fishing for salmon. It was then that I decided I was going to buy a Sextant bamboo 10-weight rod and catch big saltwater fish. It was a mission that felt like it would connect me with my grandfather.

Back in Dubai, still buzzing with excitement, I spoke to Trevor Skinner, my partner in Ocean Active Fly, and my fishing buddy. Being the gentleman he is, he agreed he would also buy a Sextant 10# and help me on my mission.

I called up Neville Orsmond and Thomas & Thomas’s master bamboo craftsman Troy Jacques and we planned our first bamboo rods. Fittingly I named my rod after my Grandfather “Kulu”.

A few, long months passed and the rods finally arrived.

Trevor and I took them out of the tubes and then out of the sleeves as if they were pure gold. They were masterpieces.

During the time it took for the rods to be built, we had planned the trips for the season. First up was a trip to Astove, Seychelles, then a trip back to IFTD and fishing in the Keys and lastly, to round off the year, we would be fishing Ponoi, Russia. The scene had been set; the opportunity was there to do something that I could not imagine in my wildest dreams. We were going to be fishing with bamboo in some of the most respected and recognised fly destinations on the planet to catch three iconic fish species … GT, tarpon and Atlantic salmon all on bamboo in one season. This challenge later got named the Slamboo.

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SLAMBOO - CHAPTER 1 For the first trip to Astove we packed all the rods into a big rod tube as the bamboo was a two piece. So, logistically and weightwise, it was already a setback. But we repacked and repacked until I basically had one set of clothes, fishing gear, camera, toothbrush and a bottle of whiskey.

We flew into Astove and were met by the Alphonse team, Kyle Reed, Stu Webb and Alec Gerbec. These guys were our good friends but, when we pulled out the bamboo, there were some uncertain looks. The first afternoon Trev and I walked down the bay in front of the lodge to wet a line. I had my 12# Exocett GT rod and the 10# Sextant bamboo, but I couldn’t bring myself to take the bamboo into the salt water wading! It was too perfect and I was worried I would break it. On about the third day (and most probably after finishing the bottle of whiskey), I decided I was going to fish the bamboo. We walked on the low tide to the seaward edge of the lagoon mouth and came back with the tide, catching bonefish, shots at triggers and emperors. It was great fun and we realised quite quickly that the Sextant is most probably tougher and hardier than my carbon fiber rods. It’s made out of a natural, extremely strong material. After all, people build buildings out of bamboo and I’ve never seen a carbon fiber house.

These rods are strong. Plus, your chances of being hit by lightning are vastly reduced.

As my confidence in the rod grew, so did my bravery to cast a bigger fish. Fishing with Kyle Reed in the lagoon in milky water, he had warned me that we were looking mainly for permit but could run into a GT at close quarters, sort of hand-to-hand combat style. With the Sextant 10# rigged with 20lbs fluoro and an Aphlexo Crab, we drifted slowly through the milky waters. Suddenly Kyle called out “Shadow 9 o’clock 15ft short!” I turned and saw a faint shadow moving! Dropped a short cast, straightened the line and we saw a big puff of white. Kyle was shouting, “He’s eaten it, SET”. I set and an almighty explosion happened next to the boat! Next thing Kyle shouted, “GGGGGGGGTTTTTTTTTT”. The fish must have got as much of a fright as I did and it took off, rooster tailing across the shallow flats with Kyle in hot pursuit. I jumped off the boat and could only stand and watch the line melt off the reel, but loving every second. The bamboo bent deep into the butt section and handled all the pressure like a suspension spring! The fish slowed and, because of the shallow water and with each kick of the tail you could see the white water thrashing. With every change of direction the back came out of the water. I was weak at my knees as Kyle finally tailed the fish. There was a huge celebration and another wave of emotion. Yes, to catch big saltwater fish on bamboo was possible! There were a few pictures; a swig out of my grandfather’s flask; a few moments of silence for the fish, the rod and my grandfather and the fish was released. The feeling of contentment and calm was real.

SLAMBOO - CHAPTER 2 First part of the mission ticked, there was a slight glimmer of hope that the Slamboo was possible. A couple of months later we attended the IFTD show and after the show it was time for the second part of the mission … target tarpon. We drove down the Keys and, having never been there before, there was a sense of anticipation and expectation from an area that was probably the birth place of modern fly fishing in the salt.

Many incredible anglers had fished these waters so it was quite fitting that the second part of our mission to catch a big saltwater species, was in the Keys. We rigged up and the Sextant 10# was rigged, tarpon fly attached. First day on bamboo we had some shots at smaller tarpon and landed a few nice bonefish plus had a shot at a huge permit. The excitement mounted. This could happen.

On the second day big, bad Llew Claven and I fished with Gabe Nyblad on the pole. We headed out one of the mouths, Big Pine Key, and were greeted by the amazing sight of rolling tarpon everywhere on a shrimp hatch.

Before the trip the guides had told us that, because we were there in July, it was the tail end of the tarpon season so we would have to fish hard for them. But this was

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like winning the Lotto! Gabe set up a drift through the seagrass and rolling tarpon and we just drifted through, casting at rolling fish all day long. We had several eats and jumped a few fish but I desperately wanted the fish on for the fight on the bamboo and to land the fish to complete mission tarpon. There were fish from 20lbs up to 150lbs, so it was a total lucky packet.

Finally I saw a decent fish roll within range. I put in the cast, waited, short strips, tap tap tap, booooooooommmmm… an almighty eat in dirty water. The fish gave us a great side view and I set the hook. Tarpon on. The fish took off making several jumps, peeling line off, Sextant bent deep into the butt again but taking all the pressure. Slowly the fish tired and I managed to get the line over his back and rolled him a couple of times. Then Gabe lipped the fish. Relief, joy, emotion all came flooding back. I had landed a tarpon on the bamboo! Very happy and proud, I had a few sips out of grandfather’s old flask; we took a few pictures; I said my thanks to the fish, the rod and remembered my grandfather and released the fish. It felt surreal. The trip ended with several more tarpon on the bamboo and, the second mission accomplished, I was two thirds through the Slamboo.

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SLAMBOO - CHAPTER 3 Back in Dubai we regrouped and started to get ready for Ponoi, Russia. This was a whole different ball game. This was freshwater, Russia and a place I had never visited but, with all of the stories I’d heard and read, I was excited to fish this legendary river.

Packing all the warm clothes I possessed, we boarded the flight from Dubai to London; London to Helsinki; Helsinki to Murmansk; Murmansk by helicopter to Ryagaba Camp, Ponoi. What an incredible place.

You could feel the energy and history of this great fishery. We set up tackle, all double handers and then out came the Sextant bamboo. Andrei Fedorov was our guide helping with the set up and he asked one simple question, “Vhy bamboo?” I just shrugged as I was not sure how to answer.

After a great first evening and having tried to stay up to see the Northern Lights and, most probably having had too much vodka, the next day we boarded our boats with Alex Sokolov as our guide. We had the beat above the home pool. This was very different to fishing in Norway, casting out from the boat and swinging the flies across the river. With the Sextant single hander this suited me well. About 30 minutes after we started fishing I felt a faint tug. Fighting the urge to strip strike the fish, I slowly lifted the rod and felt the pressure of the fish, pulled a bit more and it woke up and took off on a run across the river with a single jump, and my heart skipped a beat. This was really going to happen.

Playing the fish with soft hands, like a person does when they really don’t want to lose the fish, but fighting it like that would be the worst thing, the fish finally came to the boat and was netted. Joy, relief, amazement were all felt at the same time. What started out as a pipe dream, had been accomplished. What started out as something that I didn’t think possible, had happened. Once again, I had a few swigs out of grandfather’s old flask; we took a few photos with the fish; let it go; sat back; said a little thank you to my grandfather for having had the patience to teach me on the side of that lake so many years ago. I don’t know if it’s a sense of belonging, heritage or just human nature wanting to have a reason to do something, but I felt the circle had come 360.

So, as I sit on top of my sand dune in Cosmo, thinking about what this all means, I look into my empty coffee cup, laugh to myself, pick up my three bamboo rods Kulu, Noddy and Big Ears and head for the skiffs for another day on the water. To me, fishing is my way of life, it is what I have always done, what my family has always done and will always continue to do, because it makes us happy and makes us feel we belong.

WE’VE GOT ISSUES (AND NEW CAPS) MISSING A COPY? GET YOUR BACK ISSUES OF THE MISSION A N D A R A N G E O F N E W C A P S AT T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M

WE SHIP WORLDWIDE

L AT ES T R E L E A S ES

SALAD BAR PATAGONIA - TECH WEB BELT Not only does this strong and quick-drying polyester belt hold up your pants and open your beers (via the aluminium buckle), but it doubles as an emergency lash strap if you need to tie down your fishing SUP to the roof of your car or use it as tourniquet when you get mauled by a croc.

Genius. patagonia.com, flyfishing.co.za

SIMMS – DRY CREEK DRY BAG *Insert grandpa voice* – “You want LUXURY?! In my day a clean, dry pair of socks was LUXURY!” Gramps may have fought in WW1 and endured trenchfoot, but his point still resonates to this day. Fishing hard and being able to access important things from dry socks, to a towel, your phone, car keys or lunch – and find that they are still as dry as they should be - is a LUXURY. You will know this when things go wrong as they inevitably will one day. With Simms large Dry Creek® Dry Bag you can keep that dry stuff dry. A roll-top, seam-sealed design keeps everything inside safe from the inevitable splashes and spray that come with being in and around water. At 36 litres, it’s big enough to hold a set of waders and boots, and there’s a D-Ring for clipping to a boat or your other gear to keep it from bouncing around. frontierflyfishing.co.za, simmsfishing.com

“A ROLL-TOP, SEAM-SEALED DESIGN KEEPS EVERYTHING INSIDE SAFE FROM THE INEVITABLE SPLASHES AND SPRAY THAT COME WITH BEING IN AND AROUND WATER”

HOWLER BROS – LOGGERHEAD HENLEY Finally! Howler Bros have arrived in South Africa, not just as a part of guru guide Andre van Wyk’s wardrobe, but actually in store too at Upstream Flyfishing. One of the first products on offer is the Loggerhead Henley that with its 100% polyester composition and all day UPF 45 sun protection is designed to keep you cool, dry and protected from the sun. Features include a two-button henley collar, thumb holes at the cuffs and a rear stash pocket lined with sunglass cleaning microfiber. Bonus, in classic Howler Bros style, thanks to the Loggerhead’s relaxed and versatile look, you can wear this technical garment off the water too. howlerbros.com, upstreamflyfishing.co.za

“IT EASILY HAULS SOAKED GEAR IN THE EXTERIOR MESH POCKET, WHILE KEEPING CLOTHES, FLY BOXES AND YOUR LUNCH DRY AND ORGANIZED ON THE INTERIOR.”

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REDINGTON – LANDING PAD Take it from a couple of guys who stepped in hobo poop while fly fishing for urban carp and almost chundered out the window on the N1 from the fumes on the way home – it would have been great if we could have put all stinky wading gear away in a bag to be hosed down, cleaned or set on fire at a later stage. Redington’s Landing Pad is just the tonic for all your wading gear after a long day’s fishing. Constructed of high-density, abrasion-resistant nylon

SEMPERFLI – SEMPERFLASH Whether you want to add a flicker of flash to the tiniest chironomid/buzzer pattern or work some fibres into the movement of massive baitfish flies, Semperfli’s Semperflash is a deadly addition to your material library. Approximately 25cm/10cm long with 300 strands. semperfli.net, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

ORVIS – MEIHO FLY BOX ‘Meiho,’ (not to be confused with the overly familiar greeting, ‘my ho’) is an award-winning Japanese tackle box manufacturer and, in this collab with Orvis, they have developed unbreakable polycarbonate clear case fly boxes.

Featuring movable compartment dividers to allow for a customizable set-up, you have a choice of the medium shallow (8”L x 5½”W x 1”D) or the medium deep: (8”L x 5½”W x 1½”D). orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

fabric, it will hold up as you dance in-and-out of your waders, as well as protect your booties from potential pinholes that can lead to soggy feet. The simple drawcord system encloses around your gear and the water-repellent finish keeps grime inside of the Landing Pad and out of your rig. Once you get home simply release the drawcords and hang your gear to dry so it’s ready for your next mission. redington.com, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

SIGHTLINE PROVISIONS - BRONZE TROUT 2.0 HAMMERED FINISH To be clear pisscats, the ‘Hammered Finish’ parts in the name are not an instruction to down the contents of this hipflask, but rather a description of what went into the making of it. A collaboration with Whiskey Leatherworks and Sightline Provisions, this flask features the former’s copper Clark Fork Flask with the latter’s signature leather binding and badge design. It will age gracefully, like you, you old soak. sightlineprovisions.com, upstreamflyfishing.co.za

L AT ES T R E L E A S ES

SALAD BAR

“HAVING AN EASY TO MANAGE, PORTABLE FLY TYING SYSTEM IS A MUST”

FISHPOND – TAILWATER FLY TYING KIT Whether you are going on a trip and want to be able to tie up some flies at night for the conditions you encounter on the water, or if you are just heading to a buddy’s house to tie flies – having an easy to manage, portable fly tying system is a must. With Fishpond’s Tailwater Fly Tying Kit, four large see-through pouches and a padded storage compartment offer plenty of space for your arsenal of materials, including long, delicate capes. There are plenty of inserts and slots for spools or to keep tools like scissors, bobbins and other accessories as well as your heavyweight items (e.g. your vice’s base) secure. Perhaps the best bit is the removable tying station, complete with hook and bead compartments, so that you have a flat useful surface to tie on no matter where you are. Tools and supplies not included. frontierflyfishing.co.za, fishpondusa.com

THOMAS & THOMAS - 6-WEIGHT AVANT You may be planning a trip for when the Orange river calms down to a panic. That means gearing up. Consider the Thomas & Thomas Avantt 10-foot 6-weight, which Upstream Flyfishing have in stock. Light and responsive thanks to T&T’s proprietary StratoTherm Resin, these rods are strong with ultra-low swing weights and lightning-fast recovery, giving you all the delicate control you might want, but can also bust out surprising power and line speed on

longer casts and exhibit excellent line control. Sporting a Low Friction Finish (LFF) in stealth matte ‘T&T Blue’, the 6-weight Avantt has titanium-frame ceramic stripping guides and Snake brand ECOating guides, a black Ash burl up-locking reel seat, blue wraps with white accents, Flor-grade cork on the full-wells grip and a fighting butt.

Whether you’re nymphing or swinging streamers, there’s not much this rod can’t do. thomasandthomas.com, upstreamflyfishing.co.za

RIO – SLICKCAST SALTWATER LINES When Rio dropped their new Slickcast technology last year, the range was initially limited to their freshwater lines, but now, ‘Praise be unto Poseidon!’ for that tech has been extended to their Elite saltwater lines too. All that super slick, easy-casting, line-shooting goodness (which also translates to longer lasting, durable products), but in the Elite Flats Pro, Elite Bonefish, Elite Tarpon, Elite Permit and Elite GT lines. rioproducts.com, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

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ORVIS - CLEARWATER FLY LINE If you are on a budget or if you are a beginner fly angler, there’s no need to break the bank with your first line or two. Orvis’s USA-made Clearwater range, with its weightforward taper, front welded loop and a multifilament core for cool to moderate water conditions, this is an excellent, great-value allaround line to meet the demands of general fly fishing. Available from 3-9 weight. orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

“AN EXCELLENT, GREAT-VALUE ALL-AROUND LINE” SCIENTIFIC ANGLERS - ABSOLUTE PREDATOR 7X7 KNOTTABLE WIRE Targeting toothy fish like muskie or tigerfish? Scientific Anglers’ Absolute Predator wire is ideal for presenting flies to large predatory fish and to quickly tie knots when changing flies. Its 7×7 stainless steel construction limits stiffness for exceptional knot stability and natural fly movement while a nylon coating locks in knots and protects the wire from abrasion. The camo brown colour reduces flash and visibility under water. Available in 25lb and 40lb sizes in 25ft spools. frontierflyfishing.co.za, scientificanglers.com

“IDEAL FOR PRESENTING FLIES TO LARGE PREDATORY FISH AND TO QUICKLY TIE KNOTS WHEN CHANGING FLIES. “

ORVIS – PRO SALTWATER TROPIC SMOOTH Built with a stout head for wind-cutting power and distance casting ability, while at the same time sporting a carefully engineered advanced, convex compound front taper for presenting to spooky flats fish, Orvis’s PRO Saltwater Tropic line is designed to meet the needs of anglers chasing tropic game fish, whether by skiff or wading the flats. Built on a stiff monofilament core to retain optimum performance in hot weather and warmer water, it features AST Plus treatment for better shooting, improved floatation, and performance. Available from Mavungana Flyfishing from 6-12-weight. orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

ORVIS – MIRAGE TIPPET Looking for power, abrasion resistance and turnover power from your tippet? How about a refraction index similar to water so fish can’t see it? Affirmative all round? Then check out Orvis’s Mirage premium fluoro now available in a “Big Game” version in 16lb and 20lb at Mavungana Flyfishing. orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

L AT ES T R E L E A S ES

SALAD BAR FISHPOND - THUNDERHEAD WATER BOTTLE HOLDER Even on cool days, dehydration can nail you, so it is essential to drink water even when you’re not that thirsty. To do that without having to think too hard, it helps having an easy-to-reach bottle. With the Thunderhead Water Bottle Holder (made from heavy duty 1680D TPU coated Cyclepond fabric with an insulating liner with laminated stretch mesh fabric) access does not get simpler. Fishpond is a bit like Apple in that once you have entered their eco-system, it’s hard to find a reason to leave because all the products integrate with each other. As such, the Thunderhead Waterbottle Holder’s webbing strap attachment seamlessly integrates with a wide range of their packs and bags to give you plenty of options for stashing and reaching your bottle while you’re out there. frontierflyfishing.co.za, fishpondusa.com

“A BIT LIKE APPLE IN THAT ONCE YOU HAVE ENTERED THEIR ECO-SYSTEM, IT’S HARD TO FIND A REASON TO LEAVE”

XPLORER - COMPETITION KNEE GUARDS Buggered knees. They have been responsible for many a lost fish, because either it’s too hard to get into position to go for a tricky fish in the first place, or it’s too hard to stay there once in position. These purpose-made neoprene knee and shin guards from Xplorer take the discomfort out of that stream-side equation by protecting your sensitive knee and shin sections. They’re handy for advanced bundu-bashing too. One size fits all. xplorerflyfishing.co.za

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VAC RAC – STANDARD, COMBI, LOC We can think of a lot of far-flung places (far from stickyfingered thieves), where being able to strap your rods to your car would make life infinitely easier. The kind of places where you prospect an area for a bit, then jump in the car and move further down or upstream. Your options are usually 1. Breaking your rods down or 2. Sticking them out a car window, both with obvious downsides. That’s where the Vac-Rac range of magnetic and vacuum car rod racks make perfect sense. Applied to any vehicle, Vac-Racs provide a secure raised platform to safely and securely attach a fully assembled fly rod and reel. That means less faff, more fish. Available in Standard, Combi or Loc Rac iterations. vac-rac.com, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

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HUNTING TROUT THIRD EDITION

Introducing the new third edition of Hunting Trout by Tom Sutcliffe.

To meet the steady demand for this now iconic book, Burnet Media of Cape Town have printed a limited quantity of only 500 copies. It features an additional foreword by Steve Boshoff and a new introductory section by the author describing why he wrote the book in 2002.

There are 17 new pen and ink illustrations, a changed and very attractive wrap-around cover and the text has been completely updated. The layout of the book, the paper used in the printing and the cover, have all been redesigned to exactly approximate the look and feel of Tom’s most recent book, Yet More Sweet Days.

Hunting Trout is available directly through the author at sutcliffe@mweb.co.za and through selected fly shops.

The retail price is R320 and an optional overnight door-to-door courier service is offered by the author for safe, quick delivery.

AVAILABLE FROM THEMISSIONFLYMAG.COM FOR R370 (INCL. SHIPPING)

DEEP WANTS

PAY DAY HELL ACIOUS SECOND-HAND ORGANS FOR A SNAZZY PIMPED SKIFF AND A BOOK FOR BELMAN AND CORBINA THE SKIFF – HELLSBAY X ORVIS

If there was a market for well used spare kidneys, we would have flooded it by now to make a down payment on this special edition skiff collaboration between Hell’s Bay Boatworks and Orvis. Basically, you pick the flats skiff you want/need and upgrade to the Orvis package, which includes unique colour accents, upgraded components (full carbon decks and SeaDek traction) and an Orvis bounty (a Helios 3 rod, Mirage reel and boat bag). $500 of every purchase goes towards conservation partners like the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust or Captains for Clean Water. Now, how important is the pancreas and will it cover international shipping? hellsbayboatworks.com

THE BOOK – THE CORBINA DIARIES

“Many fishermen think of corbina as the Howard Hughes of the surf. They are often talked about but relatively few are seen…”

When we read this line from the intro to The Corbina Diaries, we could not help make the connection with belman (a close cousin of the corbina). Even since we heard that local legend Jannie Visser managed to catch a belman on fly we have been obsessing even more than usual over this tasslemouthed target from the South African coast. We wager the similarities between these fish are not limited to looks. From techniques and tactics to fly patterns, in The Corbina Diaries, species pioneer Quattrocchi has put together the ultimate granular guide for these spooky denizens of the Californian coast. Whether you manage to get a corbina or bellman on fly or not, Quattrocchi’s hard-earned knowledge can only make you a better surf fly angler. love2flyfishmedia.bigcartel.com

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Distributed by Xplorer fly fishing www.xplorerflyfishing.co.za contact 031-5647368

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Photo: Jeremy Shelton Co-founder Fishwater Films

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A LEERVIS BY ANY OTHER NAME… A L E E R I E I S A L E E R I E I S A L E E R I E , R I G H T ? W R O N G. T U R N S O U T T H E R E A R E P R O BA B LY FO U R L E E R I E T Y P ES A N D T H E Y H AV E A L L B E E N S H A R I N G T H E SA M E S C I E N T I F I C N A M E FO R WAY TO O LO N G.

By Tudor Caradoc-Davies Photos. Fred Davis, Peter Coetzee, Knut Otto, Eduard Berruezo & Carles Berruezo

Like most people, from time to time I fall down a Google rabbit hole.

and Dr Ed Butler, who both work from or with Rhodes University. Our back and forth revealed a few surprises:

Does a platypus have nipples?

SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT So, are all Lichia amia alike or are there different species?

What is Duduzane Zuma’s address in Dubai?

What WAS that leaking off Rudy Giuliani’s head?

While all of those subjects and their answers (no nipples; the 18th floor of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai; and liquefied baby seals) are all fascinating, sometimes it’s a case of ask and ye shall not find.

Sometimes a computer says “no”.

The non-answer that’s been bothering me for a while is the Latin name for leervis, Lichia amia. The problem is that there is just one Latin name when there appear to be several species of ‘leervis’, ‘leerfish’ or ‘garrick’ swimming around. Take a search deep dive into the taxonomic background of leervis yourself. What comes back is just Lichia amia. That’s it.

Now, I know first-hand that there is a kind of leervis caught off Gabon that looks different to the one we get down here in South Africa. It’s boxy in shape and spotty. There’s also another one that you find in the Mediterranean that looks more like our one but is even bigger. And then, of course, there’s our local leerie, the Crease Fly-smashing, queenfish-like predator of our oceans and estuaries. At a glance it looks pretty similar to the Med version.

I dug around old posts on online fishing forums where I made a little progress, but not enough. Seasoned anglers speculated that there were four distinct leervis – the Mediterranean, the Tropical West African (also found in Northern Angola), the Southern Angolan and the South African. To get some scientific clarity, I mailed Prof.

Warren Potts, Associate Professor in the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science at Rhodes University.

He roped in his ichthyology colleagues Dr Alex Winkler

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Potts had this to say, “There are three populations of warm temperate leervis that are found in South Africa, Namibia and in the Mediterranean. We compared the genetics of the South African and Angolan population and found deep genetic divergence (they are probably separate species). Based on the large differences that we found between the Angolan and South African populations, we also expect the Med fish to be different.”

Ed weighed in with, “I have never experienced the Mediterranean species in the flesh, but have encountered the other three. The species in South Africa and southern Angola pretty much look the same and the Med species fits in here too. The three populations look more or less the same, but may have a number of biological, genetic or other differences and may well be separate species.

However, the tropical variant encountered in northern Angola/ Gabon etc. is very different… well, at least in appearance. It has a much deeper body in relation to its length (almost like a West coast steenbras does in comparison with our white steenbras, for example). They also have beautiful markings/dots along their flanks, which our leerie don’t really have. The first time I saw one whilst working from the Kwanza River in Angola, we knew immediately that it was something different and I actually ended up stuffing it into a suitcase in between all my clothes and flying it back to South Africa a few days later.”

Potts says, “In terms of the biology of the tropical leerfish from West Africa, we are really not too sure. For now, we assume that it is similar to the warm temperate species, with spawning at sea, recruitment into estuaries and increasing use of the coastal ocean as they mature. We have no idea of their size at maturity or how fast they grow, but their feeding is probably similar (primarily piscivorous).”

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Fred Davis with a fine South African leervis caught in Knysna, demonstrates the advanced half-hangbal lunge.

Conrad Botes with a tropical leervis caught in Gabon. Thought to be the original leervis described by Linnaeus, it’s likely to retain the Lichia amia name.

THE ORIGINAL LEERVIS The funny thing is that it turns out the ‘rare’, ‘new’ (to me), ‘tropical’ leervis that set me off on this taxonomic goose chase is probably the original Lichia amia. The rest of the gang with the shape, colour and lateral lines we know so well, are likely to be the variants.

Potts explains, “The original description of Leerfish (then called Scomber amia) was by Linnaeus in 1758. This was based on a description of a specimen captured in West Africa and is the tropical leerfish. This specimen does not look like the warm temperate leerfish, but someone, at some stage, obviously felt that they were the same species and hence the South African, Angolan and Mediterranean Leerfish have always been called Lichia amia. So, at the moment, we have a taxonomic mess.

THE SCIENTISTS NEED YOUR HELP Check your tackle, pack your bags and gird your loins dear reader, for once you finally have a real excuse to go fishing.

Science needs you!

Ed says, “An entire revision of the species complex is needed. To add to the taxonomic mess, the ‘type specimen’

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or individual on which Linnaeus’s original description of the species was made all those years ago, has been lost somewhere in Europe (I think). These ‘type specimens’ are pretty important to taxonomists and are essentially their benchmark from which new comparisons can be drawn.

A new ‘type specimen’ needs to be declared first, from the original location where the species was first described.

After that, a number of specimens from each population need to be compared in order to tease apart the story.”

Potts says, “The problem is that for a robust taxonomic division of two species, scientists normally rely on genetic and morphological comparisons of a large number of specimens (of different sizes). This means that we have to collect and kill a large number (min 30) from each area.

That is something that is not only expensive (especially the transport of large fish and the collection of all sizes), but something we also do not want to do as we don’t want to unnecessarily kill these amazing fish. We are thinking about using existing photos (of fish lying flat, with some observable size reference) and computer technology to look at morphology, but that would take some time to get enough suitable photos.”

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Brothers Eduard Berruezo and Carles Berruezo group hug a Mediterranean leervis.

“THERE ARE THREE POPULATIONS OF WARM TEMPERATE LEERVIS THAT ARE FOUND IN SOUTH AFRICA, NAMIBIA AND IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.” As an angler, Potts says you can help decipher the taxonomic leerie puzzle in the following ways: 1) Sort out the warm temperate leerfish conundrum “We have genetic samples of the warm temperate leerfish from SA and Angola and we can collect specimens and photos here without too much difficulty. We do need genetic samples and whole specimens from the Med and need anglers to do this collection for us.

Winkler has begun this process in the Med but needs assistance. “I have contacted scientists in Spain who have agreed to be on the lookout for Mediterranean leervis and, a few years back, I got some vials to a fisherman in Spain, but have not received anything back yet. If any readers have any leads on where we may be able to collect genetic samples of both the Med population (including Morocco

and the Western Sahara as these seem to have similar morphology to the Med population), and the tropical form, that would be greatly appreciated.”

2) Sort out the comparison between the tropical and warm temperate species Potts says, “We brought one 10 kg specimen of the tropical species back from Angola (Ed’s suitcase fish), but it was bizarrely lost by the SAIAB (South African Institute for Aquatic Bio-diversity) fish collection. We need both genetic samples and whole specimens from anglers in West Africa (Angola and Gabon are probably the most likely). If we cannot get whole specimens, photographs of these fish lying flat on a measuring mat would be useful.

We could get a range of measurements from this using computer technology.

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Leonard Flemming (left) and The Mission’s art director Brendan Body (above) with fly-caught South African leervis.

WE ALL WIN So, other than allowing me to deal with my OCD and assign nipples to this specific platypus, what are the upsides to sorting out this taxonomic challenge? Well if we (fisheries scientists like Warren, Alex and Ed, plus helpful anglers) get it right, it could result in some serious conservation wins for all leeries.

Alex says, “Very little is known about the biology of both the tropical and Med populations. If they are, in fact, different species it will have great implication in terms of their conservation. For example, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) assessments would consider individual populations and not the entire global population, so solving this would be a good start. If L. amia in South Africa is identified as a new species it would lead to better conservation recognition.“ Potts says, “Once it is all corrected, I suspect that the tropical leerfish will be called Lichia amia (as that is the one that was originally described) and the warm temperate ones will be divided into three different species, probably all belonging to the genus Lichia.”

If this happens as Potts predicts, we’d like to open suggestions from the floor for the new Latin name of the South African leerfish. Thus far we’ve got: ‘Lichia maballz’ ‘Lichia snitchiagetstitchia’ ‘Lichia missionus’ (What you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Right?)

PROTECTING YOUR FLY F

FISHING FOR THE FUTURE From headwaters to court rooms, fighting the pollution of our rivers or challenging the disproportionate legislation of the authorities, FOSAF works for you. For just R300* for a year’s membership you can do your bit and support FOSAF.

Please join at www.fosaf.org.za Ask your club to enter the scheme whereby your annual subscription Is reduced from R300 to R150”

LIFER

THE PUBLICAN THE LIFE AND SOUL OF WALKERBOUTS INN (WALKERBOUTS.CO.ZA), THE WILD TROUT ASSOCIATION AND RHODES VILLAGE, DAVE WALKER IS AN INSTITUTION IN THE WORLD OF SOUTH AFRICAN FLY FISHING Photos.Tom Sutcliffe & Dave Walker

M

y first fishing experience was fishing for “Bullies” or “Klipvis” in rock pools at Cape Aghulas using a length of cotton and a bent pin with periwinkle bait. Thereafter, another clear memory is of a barbel (Sharptooth catfish), in a farm dam near Dewetsdorp using a home-made bamboo rod. The most memorable part of this catch was having had my Dad there at the time.

I’ve had many different jobs over the years, starting with painting garden furniture during school days at the behest of my Mom. I was an admin clerk during national service; a student at Wits (hard work after all); a building society clerk (didn’t last long); boutique clothing shop manager; a student at Glen Agricultural College; a game farm manager near Hopetown; a farm manager in the Ficksburg district and subsequently factory manager on the same farm. There we grew and packed vegetables, mainly asparagus but also carrots, mushrooms, gherkins, sweet-corn and pumpkin pieces. I established a farm holiday venture in the Bokspruit valley in the Barkly East district in 1990 and “over-wintered” at the Tiffindell Ski Resort when the run-up to the first elections killed the tourist trade in the Eastern Cape Highlands. Then in 1996 I established Walkerbouts Inn in Rhodes.

A typical day at the moment is daunting under the Covidian circumstances but full of promise, politicianswilling. There’s the daily admin, e-mail responses, financial management plus the seasonal processing (bottling/pickling) of fruit or vegetables and the growing of herbs for processing into herbal salts – old habits die hard. I have to supervise the regular maintenance; meet and greet guests, both new and returning ones. After all, the proof of the pudding is in the return rate. Then there’s the Wild Trout Association administration and guidebook editing, plus arrangements for our Dirt Road Wild Trout Association annual festival.

I’ve called several different places home from Bloemfontein; to Kimberley; Egerton near Hopetown; Ficksburg; Tipperary farm in the Bokspruit and eventually Rhodes.

My homewaters are the rivers around Rhodes village.

The Bokspruit is magnificent, ranging from high altitude bedrock pools, with occasional waterfalls tumbling down to a sandstone-based stream bed interspersed with gravel beds that provide fine spawning grounds for both rainbow trout and smallmouth yellowfish. It then becomes wider in places as a soil-based meandering watercourse. The best thing about the Bokspruit is that much of it is owned by a farmer who no longer saw any value in ploughing and planting fodder crops.

All of the lands on his properties have been seeded and left to gradually revert to their original state. Accordingly, the Bok generally runs clear except for very short periods when it is off-colour after severe thunderstorms. This is unlike, for example, the Bell River whose catchment has been severely compromised by way of ploughing up mountainsides and ploughing down to the riverbanks, often without contours, which destroys vleis and wetlands essential for flow velocity control and water retention.

I am most proud of having divested myself of corporate employment and then having established tourism entities that have had a positive ripple effect and contributed to the development of the industry in the entire Eastern Cape Highlands.

One of the things I have had to work at in life is exercising patience. Planning and organisation have come naturally to me.

My go to drinks are beer, Scotch and Polisie koffie, in no particular order.

One place, never again would be Torrabaai or, in fact, the entire Skeleton Coast Park in summer or, alternatively, a cell in the then-John Vorster Square in Johannesburg but where they didn’t try and teach me to fly!

The most satisfying fish I ever caught was on the Bokspruit, where the water is crystal clear. In summer, you can observe trout in a pool at Tipperary using a snorkel and goggles – and then, knowing their habits, catch them with consummate ease.

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Remember Smaug, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain II, brother of Frerin and Dis, will have his vengeance in this life or the next.

One place I have to return to is the whole of South Africa. There is so much more to do than I have done and so many places to visit that I have not been to yet.

It is never okay for an angler to lie. Karma sorts them out, sooner or later.

The handiest survival skill I have is wisdom born of decades of experience.

A skill I would like to master is being able to exercise greater patience.

The best way to face one’s fears is with fortitude and by addressing the problem(s) with a sanguine approach.

What I want to do before I die is to be able to do exactly what I want to do whenever I want to do it. This includes unplanned road trips to places off the beaten track.

The biggest adventure I have ever been on was a windsurfing trip to the dam at the Letseng mine in Lesotho at a time when the mine had been abandoned by De Beers and the premises were being used as a training base by the PAC (Pan Africanist Congress).

The best advice I have ever been given was, “We’ll agree to disagree” which was told to me by my father. As a rebellious Wits student I had tried to “enlighten” him, an Augean task considering he had been a product of the “Depression era”, WWII, the advent of the Nationalist

government in 1948 and a firm supporter of De Villiers Graaff. Accordingly, he was firmly set in his ways. Although I do not share Dad’s views entirely, I find that I am equally intransigent when dealing with young “pontificators”.

What I get out of fly fishing has changed over the years. The hunt and the catch approach has become history and I spend more time administering fly fishing for others than I do fishing myself. I find the former to be a great pleasure and it is rewarding creating opportunities for others to indulge their passion.

If I could change one thing in fly fishing, it would be to encourage more fly fishers to support FOSAF (Federation of South African Flyfishers) in its endeavours to oppose the Department of Environmental Affairs’ absurd war on trout.

Looking back on my life, there is nothing I would do differently. “Make your bed now lie in it,” comes to mind so, whatever I have done, albeit positive or negative, has always been part of a learning process with no regrets that matter.

Something I have changed my mind about is religion.

It is based on, in geological terms, the immediate past which is hazy to say the least, and which, like history, is adjusted to suit ideological and/or the political doctrine or sovereign rulers’ of the era.

The last fish I caught was a rainbow trout, way back!

POP QUIZ POPPYCOCK, BALDERDASH AND CODSWALLOP OR FACT, NON-FICTION AND SCIENCE? TAKE OUR QUIZ TO SEE IF YOU ABSORBED ANYTHING FROM THE PAGES OF THIS ISSUE 1. Why does Scott de Bruyn wear slops in the shower (page 24)?

A. The threat of Athlete’s foot.

B. He’s training his feet for gripping onto a flats boat.

C. He has a fear of plug holes D. He’s trying to avoid stepping on jizz.

E. Because he has to walk on hot sand as he gets out.

4. What is Jay Epping afraid of (page 30) A. A poes-klap from an arapaima.

B. Fear itself.

C. Tarantulas.

D. Packs of amorous giant river otters with hairy sinewy bodies.

E. Drinking with South Africans.

2. Which of the following was not stocked in South Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries (page 42)?

A. Brook trout.

B. Rainbow trout.

C. Atlantic salmon.

D. Tiger trout.

E. Cutthroat trout.

5. Who originally described leervis (in the taxonomic sense) and when did this happen (page 82)?

A. Pliny the Elder in AD 53.

B. Thomas Aquinas in 1263.

C. Carolus Linnaeus in 1758.

D. Steve Irwin ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ in 2003.

D. Brendan the Rancid in 2021.

3. If one were seen ‘Jackson Pollocking’ along the Tugela river, one is likely to be (page 50)?

A. Learning to paint.

B. Learning to cast.

C. Learning to digest Johnny’s rotis.

D. Learning to run from crocs.

6. Our Lifer Dave Walker’s biggest adventure involved (page 90)?

A. Making koeksusters with the Tonton Macoute.

B. Doing crossstitch with the ETA. C. Camel-racing with the Janjaweed.

D. Bum funnels with the IRA. E. Wind surfing with the PAC.

Answers: 1. D, 2. E, 3. B, 4. C, 5. C, 6. E

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