UNDERCURRENTS

A wild and wooly Brendan Becker (right), his client L Mark Weeks and a world record bumphead parrotfish from Providence.

I was starting to drift away from my old self and would go through a whirlwind journey eventually landing my ass in the Seychelles working with Flycastaway on Farquhar. “If you could see me now Bringe… I made it all the way to the Seychelles.” It’s been an amazing journey from there: the fishing I dreamed of I’ve done; the places I’ve seen and the extraordinary people I’ve met have all been a blur and that’s where I lost my connection to those times in Machadodorp and with my grandfather. Then it happened. I was standing on the bank of a lovely stillwater just down the drag from those old syndicate waters of my grandfather’s. I found myself alone, feverishly working the water. When I lifted my head to pan over the landscape, it all came flooding back. All of those memories, the smells, the sounds and the unadulterated happiness. I felt him there. I wished he was there in the flesh, but it wasn’t tinged by sadness because the reality is that we all have to die. I just wish he could see me proving everyone who doubted the fishing wrong. Just one more time on the water. It was a happy memory of all of those times I had forgotten about. Those moments before the tech revolution and the Instagramisation of fishing. Here I was, a fully-fledged fly fishing guide, staring back at a dirty, conflicted boy, wondering who is happier. “If that was the first turn of this wheel, Bringe I’ll feel you the next time it comes back around.”

HIGH FIVES PLATON TRAKOSHIS

CYPRIOT/ZIMBO/SOUTH AFRICAN FILM PRODUCER AND FLY FISHING GUIDE, PLATON TRAKOSHIS , NOT ONLY FISHES LIKE A MACHINE, HE ALSO HAS THE REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE NICEST PEOPLE YOU WILL EVER SPEND TIME WITH ON THE WATER.

Photos. Platon Trakoshis Archive

5 best things about where you guide?

1. The Cape streams run through spectacular surroundings and are full of free rising trout which can be relatively easy to catch on dry fly, but I’ve learned not to say that until the end of the day. 2. The Cape streams also have a fixed season (when the rivers are at their best) and enough options to have alternatives when it starts getting hot in summer. 3. The Berg River, a premium carp river, is a stone’s throw away from my house, so finding and knowing where the fish are is easy for me as I am down there walking my dog every day. 4. Some of the Cape streams are also only 20 minutes away from home, which is convenient for checking flow rate or if I have to drive back to pick up my forgotten fly boxes. 5. The Breede River estuary is a magical place to fish. It’s big, the tidal flows means it is ever changing, you have the call of blue cranes overhead and there are some bigger species around like Garrick and Kob. For the latter, it’s a prime destination where you have a chance of catching a fish over a meter. It’s a once in a life time catch, but they are there. To fill the gaps, there are plenty of tail-waving grunter around to keep you busy.

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

1. My Canon R mirrorless camera. It is light and easily carried and captures memories that people can hold onto. It also makes it all the more fun for me taking photos of people who know how to wear a hat. 2. My Mission cap because it seems to be lucky and keeps my nose in the shade. 3. My boots! I once took my wife’s boots by mistake. It was a crap day (ed; even if he does look great in a pair of Jimmy Choos). 4. Food and water. I hate fishing hungry and I don’t drink stream water because I imagine there’s a dead baboon rotting in the river upstream. 5. Medical kit. Apart from safety, fishing with a headache is not fun so having painkillers can save a day and keep grumpiness away.

5 of the most underrated species in your book?

1. Carp - I know it has become very popular of late, but locally, people still look down on them as a fly fishing target. They don’t know what they are missing. 2. Tilapia - Often fishing for tilapia or bream (as they are commonly called here), is neglected due to the pursuit of tigerfish or other bigger game fish. 3. Nembwe - Serranochromis robustus - and other serranochromis - as per Tilapia above. 4. Smallmouth bass – This is not true in the USA, but in SA their status is low and I understand they are really bad for the survival of our indigenous fish. But catching good sized smallies is fantastic. 5. Witvis - Barbus andrewi - I say this because these fish have been decimated by introduced sport fish and eradicated from my local river. Once abundant, I don’t understand why they weren’t cherished as a target fish species.

5 bands to listen to while on a road trip?

1. Jerri Garcia and The Grateful Dead. You can just roll to that. 2. Prince - Purple Rain album being the favourite. 3. Oliver Mtukudzi - Tuku is number 1. 4. The Honeymoon Suites - The best to sing along to, but my kids hate it. 5. Some of Andre Van Wyk’s playlists, because we travel a lot together and he’s always looking for new stuff. Uncle Lucius, Lucus Ebert and Sean Koch are current favourites.

5 things you are loving right now? 1. The baby smallmouth bass in my outdoor fish tank; its mini surface action when you switch the light on at night. 2. My wonderful wife and humorous boys. They keep me young and are a good laugh especially in these times of lockdown. 3. Our dog Perrito. He’s the most loveable pain in the arse and a good carp searching companion. 4. A braai (barbecue) is one of the best things in summer, especially when you’re near water and have a beer in hand. 5. Film editing. I’m no editor but I have picked up some skills as a producer over the years and love the creative process, especially fishing videos.

5 indispensable flies for saltwater?

1. Turd - The game changer of grunter fishing in the Western Cape. 2. JAM fly - just so I can keep wasting my time in a pretty place with good friends. 3. Bulkhead for kob (Argyrosomus japonicus) - The big profile, water pushing, easy casting for their size and the movement is unbeatable. 4. Clouser minnow because it catches everything. 5. Popper, Flipper or Crease flies of sorts. When there’s surface action or leerfish about they’re a must.

5 indispensable flies for freshwater?

1. Lalu Bug - It’s catching everything. 2. Game changer - I just love their movement and versatility. 3. RAB and Para RAB for trout - just because I’m old fashioned sometimes and they are perfect for our streams. 4. Bully Beef for Tigerfish because I love a change from the usual favourites. 5. A popper, usually a frog pattern. If there’s a weed bed about, a popper on its edge just feels natural for an old bass fisherman like me.

5 favourite fly fishing destinations across SA?

1. Zambezi River - It’s wild and set in true African bush. The fish are brutes with some variety thrown in like nembwe and bream species. 2. The Orange River - In the right places it feels like it hasn’t been touched by humans, the fishing is insane and the fish pull hard. 3. Groot & Doring River systems. I love smallmouth bass fishing and with Clanwilliam yellowfish a possibility, this just makes it extra special. 4. Breede River estuary where there is always the possibility of a dream kob and the grunter are the prettiest backdrop. 5. Nubian Flats in Sudan - The triggers keep you happy and GT and Snapper are thrilling.

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

1. Arriving at a river and finding it suddenly dirty or polluted. It’s just so disappointing and frustrating that people do that to what could be quality, crystal clear, healthy water. It’s hard to hide these feelings from the clients and to keep up the optimism. 2. Clients arriving unprepared even when you have given them a clear brief. Bad boots, bad day. 3. High expectations when conditions are bad and clients expecting me to change it …bad weather, high water levels, howling winds. I’m not Zeus. 4. Not finding the fish. It seems obvious but, if the fish aren’t showing themselves, it’s a big F-up. 5. Rude people. This is fishing. One never needs to be rude, and it just spoils things.

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

1. Patience – It’s what knowledgeable, experienced fisherman have. While fishing comes naturally without them knowing it, it’s the small things like mending without thinking etc. You can’t look down on someone who doesn’t have that yet. 2. How to spot fish better. If that’s what you’re mostly doing all day, you can only get better at it. 3. Observation - When I fish I am focused on the fishing. When you’re watching someone else fish you’re more aware of the environment, your surroundings and the river. 4. Humility - You meet such a wide variety of people from all walks of life that you can only feel that you are just another person like them, with a passion. 5. Tolerance - I’ll just leave this one here.

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

1. Clouser minnow in some form or another. 2. A popper or a hopper, it just feels right next to a weed bed.

Gym on the Nubian Flats consists of Giant Trevally bicep curls 3. Lalu bug. Dragon fly larvae are the steak of the insect world. 4. Wooly Bugger for its versatility, movement and split personality. 5. Red squirmy, which just says, ‘eat me’.

5 people you would like to guide or fish with (alive, dead, or fictional)?

1. My late dad. It was the only be place where we really talked and that is something I could do with right now. 2. Lefty Kreh, for Papua New Guinea Niugini black bass. Having read about his early days fishing for them, I have been mesmerised ever since. 3. Bob Popovics for stripers. Fishing the blitz has been a loooong standing desire. 4. Jeremy Wade. He catches great fish and seems like a cool enough guy, but he talks kak (bullshit) too often and I want to tell him that. 5. My sons. Fishing with them warms my heart and makes me think of my late Dad.

5 fish on your species hit list?

1. Papua New Guinea Niugini black bass - Lutjanus goldiei 2. Stripers - Morone saxatilis – Blitz on the US East Coast. 3. Golden Dorado - Salminus brasiliensis - in the crystal clear streams. 4. Permit - of any variety. 5. Red Drum Fish - Sciaenops ocellatus - in the Deep South.

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

1. Imagine if there was small buoy above every fish out there so I knew where to cast. Will technology get there one day?

“WHY DO I GET SEA SICK WHEN MY ANCESTORS COME FROM AN ISLAND? IT’S NOT F#@ING FAIR.”

2. Why are the other guys catching fish and I’m not when we’re apparently doing everything the same? Are they luckier and does luck really exist? 3. Imagine if the dam wall broke? 4. Why do I get sea sick when my ancestors come from an island? It’s not F#@ing fair. 5. Are there more fish on the other side or is it me? Am I being punished for the frogs and insects I mistreated when I was a curious little boy?

5 destinations on your bucket list?

1. Seychelles outer atolls. Being very prone to sea sickness options are limited but I will get there. 2. Tanzania for Goliath tiger fish. How can a tiger fish nut not want to fish there? 3. East Coast US for Stripers and Blues. That just appeals to me. 4. South America. Small, crystal clear streams for Golden Dorado. 5. Gabon. I’m dying to go there but the seasons just clash with my real job.

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

1. Golf - just kidding. I’d rather be a pro souvlaki chef. 2. Making fly fishing related movies and learning how to edit properly. 3. Canoeing - the white water stuff is a lot of fun. 4. Bashing out some tunes on guitar, a past time I usually keep to myself. The repetitiveness drives the family a bit nuts until they can’t help but sing along. 5. Scuba diving. It’s something I gave up to fish more.

5 essential ingredients for an incredible mission?

1. Friends, there’s nothing greater than sharing an incredible mission; one has to laugh a lot. 2. A good camera and, if you have one, an AxisGo Dome for underwater and half and halves. A great mission must be documented. 3. Good food, if possible. I love good food and the process of enjoying it with good company recounting the day just makes it even better. 4. Biltong (beef jerky’s tastier cousin). Easy to carry, it fills the gaps when hunger pangs interrupt fishing. 5. Knowing how to get there. Nothing messes up a mission when you get lost and lose fishing time to bundu bashing wandering around (usually lost) in thick vegetation.

5 things about fly fishing that you may never understand?

1. Why salmon take flies. 2. Why we continue to fly fish when conditions are bad and a spinning rod just makes more sense. 3. Why I love fly fishing so much and how all consuming it is. 4. Why most people don’t get fly fishing or do it. 5. Why I still make stupid casting mistakes even though I have been doing it for years.

5 things about guiding that you enjoy

1. I love showing people the beauty of where we fly fish and helping them appreciate the environment and what lives around and in the water. 2. Getting a client into a fish and taking a great photo and capturing their joy, is priceless. 3. Suggesting a spot where to cast when the client thinks it’s time to move on and then, when they catch a fish, enjoying the surprise it gives them. This is very satisfying. 4. I like watching people fish. Yes, it’s not the same as doing it yourself but it’s better than being behind a desk. 5. The banter on the water and the spring in someone’s step when it has been a good day.

Your last five casts were to….

Clanwilliam yellowfish, trout on a Cape stream, indigenous red fin minnows, and both smallmouth bass and carp on the Berg River.