12 minute read
Chum
BOOKS, BOATS, NERDS, FISH MOVEMENTS, MEMES, MAPS, STAR SIGNS AND A PLEA
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. ‘No hablo español poephol’
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?”
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.
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 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.
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
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!
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.
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
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 CLAN. GERALD PENKLER EXPLAINS 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. 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 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.
FODDER BOOZE & BEATS
WHISKY FOR WHOPPERS, VICTORY SMOKES AND A SMORGASBORD OF TUNES NO MATTER YOUR TASTES
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).
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.
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
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
