The Mission Fly Fishing Magazine Issue #37

is not an FAILURE

Amplitude TROPICAL/Jungle Titan Taper

“The Amazon jungle provides some of the very best sight fishing opportunities for top predators, but to close the deal you need to be able to put a big fly in front of them with minimal false casting, so quick rod loading is crucial. The Amplitude Tropical/Jungle Titan Taper is my choice for sight fishing in the clear waters of the Amazon.”

- Rodrigo Salles, SA Advisor

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scientificanglers.com

Get the net.

Swiftcurrent™ Wading Jacket

Built with Bureo’s NetPlus® material, a 100% recycled nylon made from reclaimed fishing nets, the Swiftcurrent Wading Jacket is engineered to cast freely, eliminate line snag and keep water where it belongs—in the river.

Cover: Tigers, hippos, snakes, planes and more at Tanzania’s Majestic Rivers (page 36). Artwork by Simon Berndt/One Horse Town

22. TERRITORIAL PISSINGS “Where did you catch this bud?” We’ve all seen those dumb comments on social media, but in this take down, LeRoy Botha spells out (politely we might add), just why he won’t be sharing all his hard-earned inside intel.

40. MR TURDO RIDES AGAIN

17 years ago, Tudor ‘Turdo’ Caradoc-Davies missed out on the opening up of the Tanzanian tigerfish scene when he left that country three months to soon. During a recent visit to Majestic Rivers, he got a chance to set the record straight. 52. 10 OF THE BEST Some guys get to travel and fish a lot, but not everyone tries to get as deep into a country as Fly Fishing Nation’s Stephan Dombaj. He runs us through his top ten destinations and key memories.

72. THE FAST & THE FURIOUS: ORANGE RIVER DRIFT Before the Orange got washed out, we took Nic Symes, a Midlands trout guy and unabashed yellow noob, and sent him off on a Drift with X-Factor Angling. Here’s what he learnt.

94. WHAT’S IN MY BAG - THE TRAIL RUNNER

Open mountain trails, your faithful dog by your side and a rod in hand – for Keith Clover of African Waters trail running and fly fishing often go hand in hand. Here’s what he packs for combo sessions in Lesotho. PLUS: enter The Bokong Flyathlon!

After a long day on the neighbouring Kachkovka river Marina Gibson and a Russian pilot fly down the Lumbovka valley in the direction of the sea in a Robinson 66 helicopter. (page 52) Photo. Stephan Dombaj

T&T Ambassador Alec Gerbec on the Snake River Wyoming

the next generation

Ask a group of experienced anglers to name the greatest dry fly rod of all time, and the T&T Paradigm is sure to be mentioned more than once. Over twenty years later, we’ve followed the same inspiration that made the original into a legend to create a new Paradigm for the 21st century.

THE PARADIGM SERIES, 5 MODELS FROM 3 - 6 WEIGHT

EVENTUALLY OWN

TUDOR CARADOC-DAVIES

LIVE AND LET FLY

Ilearned a few things about the author Ian Fleming recently. For starters, along with inventing the James Bond character and writing the books that spawned so many memorable films like Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger, Moonraker and Thunderball, did you know that in 1964 he wrote the kids’ book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? You know, the one about a magical flying car? It feels like a complete departure, but when you consider he’d already tested out a flying car in The Man With the Golden Gun, it’s not all that far-fetched.

Perhaps more pertinent to readers of this magazine is what he wrote before he became a famous author. In 1939, Fleming is purported to have written a paper called the Trout Memo for his boss Admiral John Godfrey, the director of British Naval Intelligence (and the man who would later provide the model for the character “M” in the Bond stories). At the time, World War 2 was balanced on a knife’s edge. The Germans had the upper hand in the Mediterranean and were anticipating a massive Allied invasion either in Greece or Italy. In the Trout Memo, Fleming suggested 54 different ways one could fool the enemy, like a trout.

“The Trout Fisher casts patiently all day. He frequently changes his venue and his lures. If he has frightened a fish he may ‘give the water a rest for half-an-hour,’ but his main endeavour, viz. to attract fish by something he sends out from his boat, is incessant.”

Fleming himself owned that many of the ideas contained in the Trout Memo were fantastical, but maintained they might contain a seed or two that if properly cultivated could grow into a solid plan. He was right. One idea was used to great effect in Operation Mincemeat (now dramatized as a film on Netflix starring Colin Firth). The idea behind it was to create the human equivalent of a fly. A cadaver dressed as a British airman was to be dropped

in the Med off Spain by a British submarine. When he washed ashore, he would be searched by local Spanish police who acted as informants to the Germans. In his pockets they would find a stash of incredibly convincing fake documents. The idea was that the documents and the corpse would fool the German high command into thinking the invasion was set for Greece and Sardinia. The Germans would then move troops and materiel there, when in fact the Allies were aiming for Sicily.

When the Brits decrypted German messages proving that they had fallen for the plan, Prime Minister Winston Churchill was sent a cable by someone who clearly doesn’t fly fish that read, “Mincemeat swallowed rod, line and sinker.”

The plan worked and the Allies were able to get a foot hold in Sicily, which led in turn to Mussolini being toppled and the Italians to negotiate secretly with the Allies. Mincemeat and by association Fleming and his fly angler’s mindset all played a part in eventually pushing Hitler to the back of his Berlin bunker with Eva Braun, cyanide capsules and a Walther PPK (coincidentally, James Bond’s choice of gun too).

I wonder how Fleming the fly angler would approach today’s horrendous wars that appear to be both from the beginning of last century (with human waves and trench warfare) and modern (with kamikaze drones, laser guided missiles and cyber battles). I’d like to think that he’d come up with at least 54 fantastical fly fishing-inspired ways to take out the current crop of warmongering shitheads. Perhaps a super spy to carry out an assassination (007-Weight?) or a flying car loaded with laser-guided incendiary Squirmy Wormies and Flash Clousers. At a minimum, considering how astute his advice was about frequently changing your venue and your lures, resting the water and being incessant (aka, never giving up) I wager he’d either get the job done or catch a lot of fish in the process.

“THE TROUT FISHER CASTS PATIENTLY ALL DAY. HE FREQUENTLY CHANGES HIS VENUE AND HIS LURES. IF HE HAS FRIGHTENED A FISH HE MAY ‘GIVE THE WATER A REST FOR HALF-AN-HOUR,’ BUT HIS MAIN ENDEAVOUR, VIZ. TO ATTRACT FISH BY SOMETHING HE SENDS OUT FROM HIS BOAT, IS INCESSANT.”

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Forward

Scott Fly Rod Company Handcrafted in Montrose, Colorado

Photo: Chris McCreedy

www.themissionflymag.com

CONTRIBUTORS #37 Stephan Dombaj, Nic Symes, Peter Coetzee, J.W. Grobler, Andre van Wyk, LeRoy Botha, Stu Webb, David Falck, Will Lotter, Jazz Kuschke, Blaede Russell, Roelof Botha, Deo du Plessis, Patrick Brown, Nerses Fatunz, Martin Smit, Terry Babich, Keith Clover

PHOTOGRAPHERS #37 Simon Berndt, Nic Isabelle, Brian Chakanyuka, Nick Bowles, Stu Webb, Nic Symes, Marco Grobler, Derrick Belling, Ruhan Kruger, Alisdair Grassie, Platon Trakoshis, Matt Harris

CHUM

JACKS FROM JACKS, SPECIAL ‘MOMENTS’, XTRATUF BOOTS, ESSENTIAL PODCASTS AND THAT DAMN CATFISH

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER FOR ‘JACKS’…

…THE NEW FILM FROM JAKO LUCAS.

<Insert e-Tv Sunday movie night intro guy’s voice> From the guy who brought us Gangsters of the Flats, Chanos and Glorious Bastards, comes a new film no doubt packed with baitfish-eviscerating bullies, epic eats and the odd “whoop!” or three. Texas-based Seffrican Jako Lucas, the Michael Bay of fly flicks, is back with a new film called simply, ‘Jacks’ (which also happens to be his nickname). In it he pays tribute to the magnificent yet underrated Jack Crevalle. Oft overlooked, this close cousin of the giant trevally has all the same attributes, plus for many people it’s a lot easier to access. Part of the official selection for the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (flyfilmfest.com), keep an eye out for Jacks showing at a venue near you. captjackproductions.com

READ ABOUT…

…THE SEASONAL YELLOWFISH OF BARKLY EAST & RHODES on The Mission Blog. This picturesque area is often thought of as the trout fishing epicentre of South Africa, but there is also fantastic fishing for smallmouth yellowfish if you know when and where to look for it and how to catch them. J.W. Grobler runs us through how he approaches these fish. themissionblog.com

INTRODUCING ‘ MOMENTS’…

… A NEW SECTION on The Mission Blog. We’ve all had them – moments in time when something incredible happened while fishing. These may not be things that warrant an entire article or lengthy blog, but they demand something. Peter Coetzee kicks off the series with a longfin jack moment from Gabon. themissionblog.com

MUST-LISTEN PODCASTS

Millhouse – King of Words One of America’s best writers with novels like The Sporting Club, Nobody’s Angel, Ninety-two in the Shade and The Bushwacked Piano, Thomas McGuane is famously also known as a fly fisherman as detailed in his incredible collection of essays, The Longest Silence. Along with Jim Harrison, Richard Brautigan and Jimmy Buffett, he was part of a raucous Florida crew who chased tarpon in Key West, Florida in the ‘70s. As usual, Andy Mill’s Millhouse podcast knocks it out the park with this two-part podcast with McGuane. millhousepodcast.com

INCOMING!!!

…XTRATUF BOOTS. As seen in The Deadliest Catch, Alaska’s favourite deck boot, Xtratuf, will be available in South Africa from late February. These waterproof deck boots with their non-slip chevron out sole and pull on tabs are well-suited to off-shore and estuary boat fishing in South Africa. For those looking for a less bulky, grippy water shoe, Xtratuf also make the Kiata Waterproof Sneaker, which will be arriving later in the year. xtratufsa.co.za

THE BABER SCOPE

YOUR FISHING FUTURE ACCORDING TO YOUR STAR SIGN AS READ BY BABERMAN, THE LEGENDARY GRUMPY CATFISH.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)

The Feather Mechanic – Trevor Sithole

The mechanic, Gordon van der Spuy, is back with a new podcast and this time he has Thendela’s finest fly fishing export, Trevor Sithole, in the hot seat, explaining how he went from herding cows in KwaZulu-Natal, via Bolivia, to catching milkfish in his role as a guide at Alphonse Fishing Co. in the Seychelles. thefeathermechanic.com

Ok, so this is weird, but just before I ate them I read a chicken’s entrails and they told me that this year you Capricorns are meant to ‘pursue your passion’. By ‘passion’, I’m going to assume it’s not the other one (eating ass) and go with your obsession with fly fishing. Now that does not necessarily mean you need to sell a kidney and tell your boss to get stuffed, but it does mean you need to get singular in your focus. Stop messing around with other things. Fuck golf, cycling (lycra especially) and days spent on the couch or at the mall. Want that 20lb largie, that 80cm grunter or that big wild brown? Don’t keep that stuff in the hopes and prayers folder. Put in the time and effort.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

There are two major things on the go for you at the moment. First off, Pluto is about to spend the next 20 years in your orbit. That could be the planet or the Disney dog. If it’s the dog, that’s good. Dogs make you happy, that’s a fact. If it’s the planet, it means that the there’s a good chance you will be leading the spiritual fly fishing revolution. Think soul surfer vs comp guy. That’s your brief. Hey Shuhwooh bruh, just embrace it. Second, on the 7th of March Saturn will enter Pisces. No, that’s not an outtake from an astrological Mills & Boon. It’s an indication that when the sun comes out, you need to find dark, tree-lined banks to create contrast on the water so you can spot fish. And get some low-light sunnies. The oracle hath spaken. Now go.

FODDER BOOZE, BEATS

THE WHISKY – ARDBEG HYPERNOVA

The latest bottle from Inner Hebrides heavyweight Ardbeg, Hypernova is an absolute peat beast. Peated in excess of 170 ppm (parts per million), it is described as “the smokiest Ardbeg ever” and is bottled NCF (non-chill filtered) at 51% ABV. Expect a pungent powerful nose with waves of tar, smoke and sea salt while there are lighter hints of fruit too. A drop of water will release a flurry of more rounded top notes, like lavender and chocolate. Flavours include sweet chocolate, cooling mint, pungent peat smoke, bitter almonds, and spices, while the finish is a power play of enormous, heavy smoke. When you’re freezing your nuts off on the water in sub-zero temperatures you’re unlikely to think of any of these elements, but this whisky will warm the heart and put iron in both your spine and your back cast. ardbeg.com

THE BEATS – THE TANZANIA MIXTAPE

THE BEERS – OC BREWERY’S YETI PROJECT

Dropping new beers every 5-6 weeks (shared first with an opt-in WhatsApp group and then with the general public), Joburg-based OC Brewery is generating a cult following. They have now now partnered up with beer nuts in other provinces like St Beeryard in the Western Cape and Capital Craft in Pretoria, to spread the love. While they drop hints in the weeks leading up to a new release, you only find out on the day of the launch what the new beer is. Their latest brew is the Dictator, an incredible American IPA with seriously hoppy notes (thanks to Warrior, Simcoe and Citra hops) and a good dose of citrus, floral and mildly piney flavours. 5.6% ABV. Sign up for the WhatsApp group via the adjacent QR code. ocbrewery.co.za

Based off the mixtape CD he used to have stuck in his car when he lived in Dar es Salaam, this is the editor’s updated tribute to the time he spent there in Bongoland (story on page ??). Expect Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Radiohead, Caribou, Frank Black, Beastie Boys, Wilco, Sonic Youth, Peter Tosh, Eels and more. Perfect for both fishing road trips and crawling through three-hour long traffic jams in Dar es Salaam during monsoon season.

PRESS

THE ‘SA’S GOT TALENT’ FLY TYING COMP WITH GRIP HOOKS - ROUND 3 OF 5

Think you’ve got skills? Want to see one of your patterns immortalized in South African fly tying like Herman Botes’s Papa Roach or Tony Biggs’s RAB? We’ve teamed up with Arno Laubscher of ScientificFly and Grip Hooks for a multi-issue fly tying competition where each category winner gets Grip fly tying material prizes of R500 and the overall winner gets both R3000 of prizes, plus their fly goes into production in the ScientificFly range.

Judges: Arno Laubscher, The Mission’s Editor-at-large Conrad Botes and former Proteas Captain MC Coetzer.

ROUND 3 GUIDELINES

1. Baitfish pattern for predominantly GTs on flats/ shallow water.

2. Unweighted

3. 5” – 7” on #4/0 - #6/0 hooks

4. Preferably with a deep profile

5. Hook suggestions: Grip 21711NSL or 21571BN

Ts & Cs

1. Grip Hooks must be used

2. Grip tying materials must be used but you are not limited to only Grip materials.

3. ScientificFly reserves the right to tie any of the winning patterns commercially, credit will be given to the tier.

4. Entries must be commercially tieable with regularly available materials. E.g. do not us unobtainable materials such as the ball hair from the left nut of an unborn ice bear cub.

5. Entry must include:

A. Hook style and size range

B. List of materials

C. Step by step photos

D. Photo of the fly in the vice with Grip products in the background

E. Preferably a photo of a fish caught on the fly

6. The entrant may be required to send a few samples of the fly to ScientificFly upon request.

7. Winners of each issue must send in 3 flies for grand prize consideration.

8. Submit your entries to info@themissionflymag.com

9. Cut-off date for entries is February 21.

RAINBOW RUNNERS ON THE FLATS

WHEN A COMMON DEEP-SEA TARGET MAKES AN UNCOMMON TURN TO THE FLATS, IT CAN MAKE FOR A SPECTACULAR SIGHT-FISHING SESSION, AS ANDRE VAN WYK EXPERIENCED WHEN RAINBOW RUNNERS TURNED UP IN THE SHALLOW WATERS OF THE SEYCHELLES.

Photo. Nic Isabelle

What: Rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata), aka rainbow yellowtail, Spanish jack and Hawaiian salmon are part of the greater carangidae jack family, but have a thinner, more cylindrical shape than their beefier brethren. They also sport some stupendously bedazzled technicolour hues, hence the name.

Where: Rainbow runners are relatively common through tropical and some subtropical regions stretching across the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and, on rare occasions, up into parts of the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean sea. Predominantly an offshore species found in deep water, or around reefs and islands, they are rarely, if ever, targeted in shallows and, even more rarely, on foot. But that does not mean it never happens…

How: A recent baitfish bloom on Providence Atoll in the Seychelles saw millions of small baitfish spread all over the reef edges and sandy flats, inner lagoons and turtles

grass banks of the atoll, drawing in huge numbers of marauding predators of all shapes and sizes, including those seldom seen in such shallow water such as mackerel tuna, green jobfish, and, most surprisingly, good numbers of large rainbow runners that could be targeted on foot on fly.

How: We were armed with 12-weights and GT Flies as GTs were our prime target in these huge bait ball bust ups on the flats, but the rainbow runners, despite their smaller mouths, ate the brush flies with no issue. A perfect set up would have been a 9 or 10-weight, 60lb leader and a 2/0 or 3/0 Surf Candy/Silicone baitfish to match the bait source and match the tackle to these hard fighting and exceptionally beautiful speedsters.

Who: We were guided by the amazing FlyCastaway Team on Providence Atoll - Tim Babich, Brendan Becker, Nic Isabelle and Milan Germishuizen. flycastaway.com

High speed pelagic secies smashing batfish in shallow water? Yes please! Guide Tim Babich with a Providence Rainbow Runner.

UNDERCURRENTS

TERRITORIAL PISSINGS

GARDEN ROUTE CURMUDGEON* AND FEATHERS AND FLUORO CREW MEMBER, LEROY BOTHA , HAS WRITTEN MANY ARTICLES ON FLY FISHING HIS HOME WATERS AND CONTRIBUTED A NUMBER OF EFFECTIVE FLY PATTERNS TO THE SCENE. HE TOOK A BREAK FROM FIGHTING CRIMES, WRITING SONGS, THROWING BEADS AT PEOPLE AND TYING CUSTOM FLIES TO ASK SOME PRESSING QUESTIONS. ABOUT QUESTIONS.

Not long ago, among fly fishers, the Garden of Eden was no more than a dirty little secret. Now, in the immortal words of The Office’s Andy Bernard, “I wish we could know that we’re in the good old days before we left them.”

Yes. Those were the days. Then along came the internet, and all its beautiful temptations. We all fell for it, make no mistake, and some of us (me) may have yapped more than we should have. It doesn’t matter anymore who’s to blame and who’s to say but, I tell you what, the jig is up.

Over the past decade or so, my less-than illustrious but gloriously gonzo live music career has slowly but surely been all but replaced by a life in fly tying and fishing talk. That’s good, because my band was, itself, something of a dirty little secret. I liked it that way. I had no desire for fame. We had tens of fans. And they all loved us. But it turns out that a secret can, and sometimes should, only be kept for so long.

I didn’t see it coming and I don’t recall quite how it happened, but my flies and fishing ideas garnered attention. Next thing you know, tying flies and sharing fishing ideas is what I do.

Lately, I have had many “requests” for detailed information regarding spots and techniques on the Garden Route and in the Karoo. This is nothing new, although the number of resident fly fishers around these parts is growing quickly.

That’s also good: I see no end to the benefit of fly-fishing gaining ground where more environmentally destructive fishing methods once ruled (here’s looking at you, oh glorious prawn pump). But does anyone particularly care for an entitled brat whose ”requests” come across more like incessant demands?

Imagine the stranger who, without so much as a “hello”, hits you in the DMs, asking where you caught that kob he saw on your Instagram page. Easy to ignore, right? But then he follows up with a ‘.’ You know that thread-bump full stop. And then another.

Imagine anyone you don’t know from a bar of soap, assumes you’re okay with being called “buddy” from the get-go; like that’s supposed to soften you up.

There’s a young cowboy, plump on mother’s milk, new to fly fishing, wants to open a guiding service on a stretch of water that, to put it conservatively, is very fucking dear to my heart. So, he asks me to join him on his excessively lush boat, to show him how I fish this place for a rather coveted and especially challenging target species. In exchange, I can have an all-expenses paid guided trip with him. On that self-same water. Like, dude, I have been fishing here since I was 14. That’s a quarter century ago. That’s thousands of kilometres on the road, and thousands of hours on the water.

Let’s imagine for a moment I could even afford to give it all away. I’d still have questions, begging: To what end, anyway? Do you want to see the rapid increase of fishing pressure on the last few waters where one has any hope of finding peace and quiet, let alone a fish? Or would you like flats full of unapproachable spotted grunter, sick and tired and scared to death of being chased around by splashing hooligans with sticks? Or would you prefer the collapse of another delicate population? This happened after the one “mate” I did tell, couldn’t keep his giant mouth shut and now all his mates and theirs specialise in catching spawning creek trout on in-line spinners? And then I find myself ignoring messages from poor, innocent souls with perfectly legitimate questions. I’m spit-balling here, but I’m sure you’re picking up what I’m putting down. May I just ask, when on earth did I start owing all of that stress to … whom, exactly? And why in the hell am I the one feeling like a guilty sack of compromised crap?

When I had questions back in the day, I was laughed at by locals who did not get this finicky sissy-ass trout fly fishing thing.

“A bit of a faff,” they called it. “Gay.”

Also, “There’s no trout here, boy.”

Today, at least a few of those guys are friends, and most of them know that, despite my less-than-perfect fly cast and penchant for fright-striking, I can out-fish them. Yeah, I said it.

Because we know and agree that love and respect are due, my mates and I share many of our fishing shenanigans on the

LEROY’S TOP SECRET GARDEN ROUTE MAP LEROY’S TOP SECRET GARDEN ROUTE MAP trout stream from heaven that (B)ass All about barbel hole of hell

LEERIE (OLD MEN) MARKS THE SPOT

Feathers and Fluoro blog. I’m somewhat prone to nerding out on fishing and I’m stoked if the stories I tell can inspire some sort of DIY gees. The answers to what, how and where are not, “woolly bugger, twitched deep, the undercut by the dead tree on the third bend up the valley”. At least, not in so few words.

Only so often, with the effort of peering between the lines, answers to many of the questions I receive can be found on the site. Sure, you may also find that I’m just as confused as you are, and I hope you’ll conclude that instant gratification is not a wave you ride into true Nirvana. But, either way I’ll go as far as to say that, having read some of my blogs, we could have been spared the embarrassment of me having to come across as a person I don’t want to be.

This sort of thing happens all over the world, whether you’re a Maine striper guide, a Norwegian salmon local or one of the three guys in the world who know where to catch ‘brookies’ in the Kalahari. There’s always someone without tact or decorum who will bluntly demand to know where and how you catch your fish. It’s a bit like asking about someone’s sex life, isn’t it? And we’re not cool with that outside of polyamory circles, are we?

I don’t want to be some gatekeeper, and I don’t want to hinder anyone’s success and progress fly fishing in the Garden Route.

But like any sane, modern human, I have to charge for my skills, services and time. All the cool kids are doing it. While discussing the issue with my mate Jazz, he reminded me of a quote from David Mangum in the film ‘120 Days’, which sums it up rather well: “Nobody owns the ocean. But you own the intellectual capital that you have earned with your blood and sweat over the years.”

In the end, people who have worked hard or paid well for the IP they possess, tend to take care of it. And in a world where people routinely spend enough on a single fishing trip to feed a small country, you don’t take pants from a hobo. Thanks for understanding. Much love.

* “I have been called a curmudgeon, which my obsolescent dictionary defines as a ‘surly, ill-mannered, bad-tempered fellow’. Nowadays, curmudgeon is likely to refer to anyone who hates hypocrisy, cant, sham, dogmatic ideologies, and has the nerve to point out unpleasant facts and takes the trouble to impale these sins on the skewer of humour and roast them over the fires of fact, common sense, and native intelligence. In this nation of bleating sheep and braying jackasses, it then becomes an honour to be labelled curmudgeon.”

– Edward Abbey

Artwork. Brendan Body. Map. David Rumsey Map Collection

STU WEBB

A KICK-ASS GUIDE, A MR FIX-IT SPARKIE AND ONE OF THE HARDEST WORKING TEAM PLAYERS YOU’LL MEET, WHEN STU WEBB IS NOT GUIDING THE SEYCHELLES FLATS, YOU’LL FIND HIM IN OMAN, GABON OR WHEREVER HIS COMPASS TAKES HIM.

Photos. Brian Chakanyuka, Nick Bowles, Stu Webb, Cameron Musgrave

5 best things about where you guide?

1. Guiding in the Seychelles, the incredible diversity and not knowing what you are going to see when you wake up. Every day you see something new.

2. Guiding in the Seychelles, being part of a solid crew of fishy guys to bounce ideas and stories off. We are a team out there but having healthy competition with your peers is good for everyone. It’s definitely helped me improve my game.

3. Drinks with the boys. No matter where in the world, how tough or good the day, week or season has been, sitting around telling stories or giving each other shit will always be a highlight for me.

4. Gabon, definitely St James Rum and the Poons of course.

5. Getting to run a Chittum skiff as my company car

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

1. My Canon R5. Getting a few grip-and-grins is important as well as capturing a few lifestyle and wildlife shots.

2. My Donmar Checkpoints. A solid pair of pliers is priceless.

3. White Gold (aka TP), for cleaning sunnies and other applications.

4. My Costa sunnies. Arc eye (an inflammation of the cornea, caused by ultraviolet radiation from the arc during welding) is a real thing. I took a chef from Alphonse on the flats for a team building day a few years back and he forgot his sunnies. The man’s eyes looked like he had been hotboxing a Nissan 1400 for 12 hours and chopping onions at the same time.

5. Garmin Handheld or Sat phone.

5 bands to listen to while on a road trip?

1. Future Islands.

2. Feeder.

3. Lucero.

4. Ten Fe.

5. Roadkill Ghost Choir.

5 things you are loving right now

1. Greta Van Fleet.

2. Island Bar in Hawana Salala Marina.

3. I’m running a 68-foot Viking at the moment that we did a major refit on over the summer in Dubai. My boss was super into the idea of having a tieing station so we got Brenton Sharp to design the layout and Jay Smit of J-Vice hooked us up with a sick custom vice and base. It’s the best way to spend the evenings on a trip, tweaking patterns at the vice for the next day.

4. Morning stretches. My rig takes a bit more effort to get started these days.

5. Surfing. Specifically, the cheeky left off the breakwater where I’m based at the moment. It’s just myself and Bails Musgrave out there and he knows what will happen if he drops in on me.

5 indispensable flies for saltwater?

1. Alec Gerbec’s Reaper.

2. Cam Musgrave’s Garlic Butter. 3. Assorted Flexos. The custom ones that guides Kyle Simpson and Cullan Ashby cut off at the end of the day. 4. Golden Knight. 5. Semper.

5 favourite fly-fishing destinations globally?

1. Seychelles. 2. Gabon. 3. Oman. 4. Costa Rica. 5. Mexico.

5 of the most difficult guiding experiences so far?

1. Never be complacent. Shit is going to happen, so you had best be ready.

2. Ten beers and a bottle of rum is not a wise dietary choice the night before a guiding day on Astove. An average day involves between 10-15kms of walking on one of the gnarliest atolls in the Seychelles.

Mike with a pig of a spotted grunter.

3. Measure twice, cut once. Pre-season prep or running fixes is always a huge part of any guiding operation and getting spares or parts can be a mission. It’s a good idea to plan as thoroughly as possible to avoid making a hard job even harder.

4. To quote fellow guide, friend and mentor Wayne Haslau, «Stewie, remember, your strength is your weakness.” Wayno taught me not to talk about results but rather to achieve them.

5. The Cosmo Camp build. It was an amazing thing to be a part of but we truly went feral.

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

1. Thinking outside the box. It’s easy to go through the motions and catch fish, but when I try and break the pattern and try new things that’s when I learn the most.

2. Confidence. There is nothing more satisfying for me than calling it before it happens and sticking to the plan until it does.

3. Keeping it simple. The most important thing is just being on the water.

4. Retreads for my flip flops. Getting a blowout on your favourite pair of slops is devastating when on location but never mind. Plan your next guiding day around walking the beaches on the windward side of the island and pick up some spares to make a new custom pair of flip flops.

5. Stamps in my passport. Guiding takes you to some pretty off the track places.

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

1. The back of a man twice my age. As a guide, general wear and tear on your body is real.

2. Being able to light a cigarette in any condition.

3. Sun damaged skin. By the end of a Seychelles season all I want to do is hide in the shade. I’m Vitamin Deed out!

4. A cookie duster. Growing a tash started out as a joke with the boys on Alphonse when I first started guiding there. There was a rule at the start of every season that you couldn’t cut your moustache until you had caught a moustache trigger yourself. I just kept mine, introduced my alter ego, Juan Pierre, to the world and haven’t eaten a dirty cookie since.

5. Coffee and nicotine dependence.

5 people you would like to guide or fish with?

1. I’d really like to guide my brothers. They think my job is easy and I’m on holiday all the time.

2. Chris Cox. What a gentleman and an absolute pleasure to be on the water with. Not to mention he’s pretty fishy!

3. Wayne Haslau and Arno Matthee, on the same skiff. I’d probably just drop anchor, open some beers and let the juices flow.

4. Keith Clover and Rob Scott from African Waters. They got me my first guiding gig which ultimately changed the course of my life.

5. David Mangum. We have unfinished business on Cosmo. I had an epic day guiding him where we fell short of a golden grand slam by a milkfish. It was definitely one of my most memorable days on the water.

5 fish on your species hit list?

1. Big rooster off the beach. I did a day with Jeff Fesco at MagBay and got a little guy. It was a super cool experience and I definitely can’t wait to do that again.

2. Murray cod.

3. Cobia. You see them randomly off Dubai, on the surface. I think there is a trick to finding them more regularly. I just need the time to puzzle.

4. Grunter. They sound frustrating as hell.

5. Atlantic permit.

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

1. “Imagine what this place was like 100 years ago.” If you say you haven’t had that thought as a fisherman, you are lying!

2. Should I commit to the surf or stay in the lagoon? It’s a real problem, ask my fellow guide Brandon Poole.

3. Did I pack a spare box of ciggs?

4. If this guy casts through the boat one more time I’m going to baptise him.

5. Worst case scenario … my escape plan.

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

1. The people behind the scenes. Working for any operation, the end product is being on the water with a guest, but the steps and work that go into getting them is always overlooked.

2. At the moment guiding in Oman, getting to explore new waters and a totally new culture.

3. Guiding in the Seychelles, the amount of life in and out of the water is a glimpse into the past.

4. The isolation. Being in remote places with limited contact with the outside world makes you appreciate coming home and being around friends and family.

5. Being a spectator in some truly wild places.

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

1. Carpentry. I would love to have a workshop with all the tools, loads of time and a Jack Russel to hang out with.

2. I would like to surf more.

3. Spend more time with family.

4. Learn how to edit and film well. I try but could definitely take it to the next level if I had time.

5. Get involved with some sort of conservation project. I’ve always thought about starting something where we try

and restore our rivers in South Africa from source to sea. It’s a massive undertaking but there are some amazing stretches of water that could be even better.

5 destinations on your bucket list?

1. Saudi Arabia. 2. Wessel Islands. 3. Aldabra Atoll (I won’t fish, I promise). 4. Tanzania. 5. More of Mexico.

5 essential ingredients for an incredible mission?

1. Rum. 2. Good friends. 3. Medium to high risk factor. 4. A plan. 5. A plan B.

5 common mistakes that most clients make?

1. Not reading the gear list and arriving with the wrong gear. Eg. a centre pin reel, straight mono and top bung on

a 12-weight is not ideal for chasing Geets on Cosmo.

2. Wanting it too bad. I get it, but please just chill and make your shots count. I believe it’s a mind game like chatting to a pretty girl. Desperation stinks.

3. Trust your guide. We get paid to put you onto fish. Second-guessing your guide is not cool. In the same breath, for a successful day, communicating with your guest as to how, where and why is super important so they know you are not just sucking your thumb.

4. Thinking a bottle of vodka at lunch time is conducive to a successful day on the flats.

5. Trying to move fly line off the deck with wading boots and then wondering why it keeps twisting up. I’m not a fan of boots on the skiff.

Your last five casts were to….

1. Grunter 2. Africanus 3. Broom Tail Wrass 4. Two bar bream 5. Blochii.

For Stu Webb and friends, creeping up on nudists at Sandy Bay never gets tired.

THE FEATHERS AWARD 2022

JUST AS WHITE SMOKE EMERGES FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL WHEN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SELECTS A NEW POPE, AN EXTRA-LARGE CLOUD OF WEED SMOKE EMERGES FROM DRE’S HOUSE IN DEVIL’S PEAK WHEN THE MEMBERS OF FEATHERS & FLUORO SELECT THE WINNER OF THE FEATHERS AWARD. AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION – WE HAVE A NEW CHAMP.

This is a process we agonize over, debating the finer points of fly fishing endeavour. If you’re new to the competition – the rules are simple. We are looking for the most impressive fish caught on the African continent in the last year.

In short, we want to be wowed.

Obviously, catching big fish helps, but as all your past lovers have always told you, small ones count too. You see it’s not just about size. We’re looking for more than that.

You get points for rarity and difficulty. You get points for planning, points for persistence and points for whatever it took for you to accomplish your mission and catch that specific fish.

As usual, the entries were both broad and brilliant and include one actual world record, one near world record, rarities, improbabilities and some straight up impressive fish.

THE WINNER

David Falck and his nocturnal cracker

I have been fishing the Struisbaai area for most of my life, which has included a great deal of flyfishing from the shore. During this time, I have focused quite a bit of time on fishing during the evening with good success, catching predators such as cob and elf. My go-to fly for night time fishing has almost always been a wool head mullet type fly, or a variation thereof, because it pushes water and in darker colours, shows off a good silhouette. I prefer to keep the pattern simple and as durable as possible.

On the specific evening in question (5 January 2022), I expected a low tide just before midnight, so I arrived at my intended fishing spot at around 10h00, in order to fish the last hour or two of the dropping tide, and then a bit of the pushing tide. The conditions were however not favourable for fly fishing, due to a strong sea and I moved to a more protected spot a few hundred metres away.

I fished a 10-weight St.Croix with an intermediate line, 15 pound tippet, a black woolhead mullet variation (all

synthetic fibres) tied to a short wire trace (I have lost too many elf in the past). I used a medium speed retrieve, after giving the fly a few seconds to sink. In this specific area it is very rocky and not exceptionally deep, so you do not want to run the risk of hooking bottom structure too often. It has also been my experience in this area that you do not have to have your fly right at the bottom for kob –especially at night.

About halfway through one of these retrieves everything went tight, instantaneously followed by a very fast, strong run. I knew immediately that this was a sizable fish, but very quickly doubted that it was a kob. There are some seriously big elf in the area from time to time, but I was once again unconvinced. What was clear was that the fish was exceptionally strong and that I would struggle to land it alone on the rocks that I was standing on. I slowly had to move to a sandy part of the bay, while still fighting the fish, and not losing my footing on the rocks. At some point I got the fish to the surface, causing spray and foam to fly all over the place, but I still could not make out what it was – I even considered the possibility of a foul hooked duckbill ray, as these are also known to frequent the area.

I finally managed to beach the fish and was ecstatic to see an 8kg white mussel cracker, lying on the white sand. Over the years I have caught a number of these fish, some at night, but never on a fly. I know of two others that have previously been caught on fly in this area, as well as a few that have been caught on spoon, so I was always aware of the possibility – but at the same time it was very much unexpected. I am grateful that I was privileged enough to experience this moment and tick off another species on the list.

Judge’s comment: Conrad Botes

This is the fish that money cannot buy. Some might say it’s a fluke, but I reject that. Was there luck involved? Yes, but you make your own luck. David has been fishing this spot for several decades. He grew up fishing there and has caught a 10kg leerie on fly and big elf there amongst other fish. He’s also caught a lot of big fish there on conventional tackle too. Sure, it wasn’t a kob, the fish he was expecting to catch, but he didn’t just pitch, he had a plan.

THE RUNNERS-UP

Will Lotter and his blue ‘Mpifu’ yellowfish

I took this fish in the Chinko river in the Central African Republic, fishing a large baitfish pattern into fallen trees on a sinking line. I got a few bumps that let me know something was chasing the fly and connected with the fish shortly thereafter. It ate quite a way off the structure and so actively hunted down my fly. The fish’s tail was the most mesmerising and unlikely turquoise blue.

Judge’s comment: Ewan Naude

Will’s Mpifu yellowfish epitomises the Feathers Award for me. To get to the destination is a hell of a thing and the possibility of catching nothing always exists when going on trips like that. It’s extremely remote and a lot of effort and sacrifice goes into catching a fish like that.

“THIS IS THE FISH MONEY CANNOT BUY. WAS THERE LUCK INVOLVED? YES. BUT DAVID DIDN’T JUST PITCH, HE HAD A PLAN.”

Jazz Kuschke and

Bonnies off the rocks

I have been fishing for bonnies since I relocated to the Southern Cape from Cape Town a decade or so ago. Most of the sessions are boat-based offshore scenarios — the way everyone gets them on fly here. For the past five years though (thanks in large to light-tackle art lure friends who make hay from shore when it’s on) I’ve been dreaming of getting one on fly, from land. I’d never found any info on anyone getting one in SA that way (they do get them Stateside at Martha’s Vineyard and thereabouts). This mattered little, I just always thought it would be so epic to tussle with one of those little bullets from the bricks.

I put in countless hours over the years, paying serious school fees - blanking and getting beaten up, but learning. As with most of these things, education comes in bursts, followed by long periods of silence. There was nothing to ‘figure out’ about the species, it was all about accessibility, tactics, and the right tools. Mostly though, it was about timing.

Eventually, in early February this year the timing lined up and I got the perfect two-day window. After a few inevitable tackle failures, cuts and bruises (ego and physical) with the able assistance and support of Johann Rademeyer, I managed to make two stick on the second day.

Judge’s comment: LeRoy Botha

Jazz put years of planning and patience into this, keeping an eagle eye on the water only to strike when the iron was hot. He gives a lot of credit for the help and encouragement he received from mates, but this was his baby. It was a nearperfectly executed first of its kind in SA, making it the most unique entry in my view and worthy of the Feathers Award.

African Waters guide Blaede Russell & “The Cutters Beast” tigerfish

On the last day with clients we often do our “Rapids Day” which is an opportunity to fish from foot. This offers clients an incredibly intimate way of catching these fish as most of our fishing is done by drifting. On this particular day the client and I had already fished and walked past some of the known pools on the lower section of the beat before getting to the pool dubbed ‘Cutters’. Now although it doesn’t look as fishy as it is, if you ask some of the past or present guides they will agree that there have been some huge fish sighted and caught from Cutters. It involves a tricky back cast. After the client had finished fishing the pool, he kindly handed me the rod. I knew that I wanted to try and get a fly to the head of the pool and fish some new water but the structure of the vegetation made the angle very difficult as the back cast was directed/angled to fishing the lower half of the pool. I used the angle I had to get the distance and on the last false cast going forward changed the direction to get the fly higher in the run. It landed right up at the top of the pool and two strips in I saw the unmistakable flash of a fish rolling back on the fly. Tigers almost never eat at the ideal time and are world renowned for being hard to hook, but sometimes your strip is perfectly timed to be used as the strip set and this was one of those eats. At the time of the eat I thought it was a good fish but almost immediately the line started ripping through my hands on the double handed strip. I knew I had misjudged the size of fish. It breached and tail walked displacing a huge amount of water, confirming this was way bigger than originally expected. After numerous line burns and several heart in mouth moments watching

his

the line try and keep up with the fish while it disappeared, the fight started to sway in my favour. Luck was on our side because as I leant the fish awards the net I felt the rod lose tension. I knew this meant the hook had popped out and for a brief moment I watched the fish disappear into the water. Only as Mark lifted the net out did the unmistakable sight of a weighted net started to form. The fish was there laying gracefully . Utter relief for a rather shocked, beaten and otherwise speechless angler! To fully give this fish the respect it deserves, at a conservative 27lb, it was ounces away from matching the official/unofficial World Record for the Hydrocynus tanzaniae on fly.

Judge’s comment – Andre van Wyk

Of all the fish entered, that’s the one I’d most like to catch, especially the way it was caught, on foot.

Roelof Botha and his Harties IGFA world record carp

Sight fishing, finding and stalking large carp is a passion of mine. I have spent countless hours on and off the water in search of the biggest carp on fly I could find. During the end of April and beginning of May, when the wind and sun is optimal for sight fishing at Hartbeespoort dam, I set out for another session trying to find, stalk and then land the fish I was after. It was a tough day as usual with lower water temps and fewer fish feeding in the shallows. On my way to a spot that is usually productive, I caught a glimpse of two big fish in shallow water. I could see the one was slightly bigger than the other, with the bigger fish tailing and her friend just sitting next to her. From previous experience I knew I had to wait for the other fish to either start feeding or move off before I presented my fly, as they will spook if the non-feeding fish sees my fly drop. A few minutes passed as I waited patiently, then the non-feeding fish decided to slowly move off, this was my chance. I made my presentation to the tailing beast. As soon as my fly hit the bottom the feeding fish engulfed it. I set the hook and could feel this was a solid fish. My drag was set relatively high to keep the fish close to the boat, as it dragged my Ark around. There were some nervous moments as the fish headed for every snag it could find, and netting the fish alone was a challenge. Upon landing, weighing, measuring and releasing the fish I knew this was the one I had been after. It weighed in at 16.95kg and is the new 20lb tippet class IGFA World Record for the species. All that hard work paid off and now it’s time to chase a new personal goal.

Judge’s comment – Tudor Caradoc-Davies

Usually, I care veeery little for the IGFA and world records in general. I make an exception in this case. The fact that Roelof set himself a goal, went out there on the much maligned Hartbeespoort Dam and successfully dickslapped his way into the record books with a pig of a carp makes me extremely happy. I think it’s the pure South Africanness of it all.

“OF ALL THE FISH ENTERED, THAT’S THE ONE I’D MOST LIKE TO CATCH, ESPECIALLY THE WAY IT WAS CAUGHT, ON FOOT.”

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Deo du Plessis’s Kunene Papermouth at Epupa Falls, Namibia

Deo says, “The strain of papermouth endemic to the Kunene has a unique black spot behind its gills. Pre-trip research on our quarry was not promising. A top Namibian fly angler argued the Kunene has very little fish left and is not worth fishing anymore, while a local river fisherman said he had not seen one in many years but that he wanted to eat it if we did catch one. With our main priority being not becoming croc lunch in the murky waters, we swung sinking lines in the gorge, nymphed promising runs and cast small streamers at sexy undercut banks. Continuous blanking and heat exhaustion made us question the sanity of looking for this small species in this part of the world. The locals’ advice did not help the confidence index, but then, as always when you least expect it, I landed two Kunene papermouths in extra time despite the naysayers and croc-jumping shenanigans. One fell to a dry-dropper plonked in a scum line along some rocky ridges, and one ate a small streamer swung along a palm-studded bank. Even the pod-chewing local goats looked surprised.”

Deo and his wife Simoné are overlanding all over Africa, fly fishing wherever they can. So far they have racked up over 30 species on fly, in the process hiking 670 km and driving 65 000 km through six countries. Follow their adventures at @seekingwonder_za and seekingwonder.co.za

Patrick Brown’s Swartkops Skippie

“This particular morning, the stars, moon, sun, tide and fish all aligned and I was in the thick of it on my boat. I could see the dorsal and tail fins of skippies disturbing the surface. I tied on a simple crazy Charlie, size 2 hook and began to get it out there with an intermediate line. I let the fly sink and as I was adjusting the rod in my hand and beginning the process of working the fly back, I felt a tug and something tugged back harder than I tugged it. I was on! The run was exhilarating, stripping my line out the basket through my hand and all I heard was ‘Trrr! Trrr!’ as a knot of line forced its way through my guides and into the direction this fish was screaming off towards. After many

(what felt like hours) minutes I was able to get it close to the boat’s edge and coax it into the net. I can proudly say it swam back to prey on swimming prawn again. Until we do battle again, this is my best experience on fly to date.

Nerses Fatunz and his Barotse Express

Being from Berlin, Germany this was my first trip to African mainland (apart from Egypt) and this fish was my first tigerfish. I caught it on a #9 9‘0“ TFO Axiom II-X rod with an Airflo 40+ sniper 4 seasons Sink7 line and a large black and red Clouser that I tied in my hotel room in Lusaka. The fish was hooked on a deep run with sandy bottom at the beginning of the swing, just when the line caught tension and the fly started lifting off the bottom after an upstream cast and mend. The guide weighed the fish in at 21lbs and it turned out to be Matoya Lodge’s biggest fish for the season (fly and conventional) to that date. It might sound trivial but I caught it on the exact technique and tackle that I had picked up from watching videos and exchanging information via WhatsApp with Jeremy Rochester (apparently a somewhat famous guy as I only found out later). I had gotten his contact details from some guys who were set to arrive at the lodge a few days after me. It was amazing to have it happen the exact way I was told it would happen after closely following the openhearted advice of someone who knows what he‘s talking about. I got to know a bunch of nice people on the trip and I’ll definitely return to Africa rather sooner than later.

Martin Smit’s Scaly

A mate and I took a trip to the Tugela, one of the best east flowing KwaZulu-Natal rivers, known for big scaleys. We had done some good “ Google Earth” discovering to try and find a path to really unfished water. After putting the Hilux through its paces in 4x4 low range and diff we headed through this pass on the side of a cliff, passing old war camps

and farmers houses before making it to the other side where we set up our rods and set off to fish. It has been a hard Natal Scaly season this year, trying to find where fish could be holding after our floods. On this session I eventually got one to eat and it was an amazing fight. The fish took me straight to my backing numerous times, but we landed it. Entries have been edited for length.

TANZANIA

MR TURDO RIDES AGAIN

DRAWN BACK THERE BY THE TIGERFISH AND THE YELLOWFISH - 17 YEARS AFTER HE LEFT TANZANIA TUDOR CARADOC-DAVIES RETURNED AS A DIFFERENT MAN. ONE WITH A SCORE TO SETTLE AT MAJESTIC RIVERS (MAJESTICRIVERS.COM)

Photos. Tudor Caradoc-Davies, Alisdair Grassie

Have you ever had one of those Sliding Doors moments? It’s a bit weird to mention the one shining light in Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie oeuvre in a fishing story, I know, but bear with me. I swear I’m not trying to flog second-hand Goop yoni eggs.

The film’s premise is about what happens when you make a critical, life decision. In the case of Paltrow’s character, it centres on what happens if she boards a London Underground train. The story splits in two: one version where she boards the train, and the other where she doesn’t … and what happens thereafter.

The one Sliding Doors moment I have always had when it comes to fly fishing, comes from when I lived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2005. That was a great year. I went straight from studying journalism at Rhodes University to working as a re-write sub on The Citizen newspaper in Dar, polishing Swanglish (Swahili-English) articles into something resembling the Queen’s English. Career-wise, it was deep end, bomb drop stuff. Upon arrival I was given three columns straight off the bat, including being Tanzania’s first restaurant reviewer under the pseudonym, Shadrack Malimbo (the first name and surname chosen randomly from the phone book). Shadrack aside, at the newspaper I was known as ‘Mr Turdo’, because the security guards struggled with ‘Mr Tudor’. On the social front it was a heady time too. I lived with my professional hunter buddy Ryan Wienand and his wife Lise and embraced the rumsoaked haze of ex-pat life in Dar, punctuated by weekends in Zanzibar and occasional trips to the Serengeti or other national parks like Lake Tarangire and Mikumi. After a brilliant year, I left to pursue jobs in the glossy magazine industry back in Cape Town, South Africa. That was my Sliding Doors moment.

Three months after I left the country, Ryan appeared on the cover of The Complete Fly Fisherman magazine with the biggest tigerfish I had ever seen. It turned out that, shortly after I left, he discovered that his hunting concessions in the Selous happened to have massive tigerfish. As a result, the scene around the Kilombero area changed as Kilombero North Safaris and African Waters developed the operations that are so well known today.

A lot of water has passed through Tanzanian rivers since then. Ryan and Lise have three kids and, having left hunting. He’s now a big dog in heavy industry in Tanzania with what looked like the president on speed dial. Me? Well, older, greyer, balder, fatter and now the editor of The Mission, the route this version of TurdoGwyneth took has worked out well. Still, for the 17 years since I left Tanzania, not a week has gone by where I have not thought about what would have happened if I had stuck around a little longer, if I had been there when Ryan struck into those first Tanzanian tigers, if I had not climbed aboard Gwyneth’s train.

THURSDAY

3am,

I was waiting outside Arrivals looking for a brand new LandCruiser driven by a guy called Mudi with a passenger also called Mudi. They explained later that people differentiate between them by calling one Mudi Bonge (Swahili for Round Mudi or Fat Mudi) and the other is Mudi Speedi (Fast Mudi). They were driving the beer supply truck heading to the Majestic Rivers camp in the Selous and the plan was for me to catch a ride on it.

It was weird to be back and, while the night time humidity of Dar and the general shape of the airport was familiar, everything else seemed shiny, modern and new. Dar looked like it had undergone a massive facelift: the airport upgraded, the city booming and potholed roads replaced with sleek tarred highways. Keeping an eye on the security boom for the truck and blinking my eyes awake, it was hard to believe that this was actually happening. The trip came together quickly. In September I mentioned (ever-so-subtly) to Ryan that if we were ever going to get to fish for Tanzanian tigers together, it should probably happen sooner rather than later, because my wife Ingrid was heavily pregnant with our twins and, well, that kind of thing changes fishing plans. Man of action that he is, Ryan called Keven Stander who owns Majestic Rivers Lodge on the banks of the Kilombero River in the Selous. Keven is a legendary Tanzanian hotelier and restaurateur. When this area of the Selous got rezoned from a hunting concession to a conservation area, Keven realised the massive potential of the fishery and took over the lodge from the outgoing hunters.

Together, Ryan and Keven set up a long weekend’s fishing for a crowd of mates from Dar es Salaam, some of whom I knew back in the day. It also happened to be Ryan’s birthday, hence the beer truck. I had the option of flying in with the others on the Friday morning, but, if I opted for a twelve hour drive with the Mudis, it would get me one or two more sessions on the water. Considering I was coming all the way from South Africa, I figured I could not waste a day sweating in Dar. If everything went according to plan, I’d have the Thursday afternoon and Friday morning sessions, before the rest arrived. We would then have Friday afternoon, the whole of Saturday, and Sunday morning fishing together before flying out.

When the invitation finally came, it was just in time as Ingrid was seven and a half months pregnant, which is like three hundred weeks or something. I’m paraphrasing slightly, but the message from her was clear, “Go now, poephol, because very soon you won’t be going anywhere for a while. And come back alive.”

Once the Mudis and I got acquainted and the truck worked its way out of Dar es Salaam in the early morning hours, I proceeded to nod off. From Dar through Morogoro, Mikumi, the sugarcane farms of Kilombero and to the Msolwa sector border of the Selous, I dreamt on and of tigerfish, my unborn children and my past life as Shadrack/Turdo.

We arrived in camp just in time for me to squeeze in a quick 6-weight session at a section of river called the Golf Course with guide Alisdair Grassie and Lionel Song, the head guide and a seasoned veteran of fly fishing and

Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.

From the guests’ tents and the bar/dining area at Majestic Rivers, you can watch yellows rise and hippos feed right in front of you.

TAILING YELLOWS IN RUNS AND SMALL POOLS, THIS KIND OF FISHING IS A VAAL RIVER FLY ANGLER’S WET DREAM”

African travel. We waded thigh-deep across a channel and then worked our way up the middle of the river hopping between islands topped with short grass and skinny runs. Spotting tailing yellows in runs and small pools and nymphing for them or using small streamers, this kind of fishing is a Vaal River fly angler’s wet dream.

I was assured that, because the water is too fast and rocky, it was not ideal croc territory. Plus, they had never seen a croc in that area. We stayed vigilant all the same because, well, no one wants to go out that way and I had new reasons to live. The decision to drive in paid off on the first cast when I caught a midget Alestes on a rubber-legged woolly bugger nymphed into a run. My line got caught in a low branch so when I struck the fish flew through the air and then swung towards me like bait to a cartoon cat. Similar to a tigerfish in shape and colouration, but with strange human-like dentures, I had hoped to catch one of these so this was an amazing start. New species – tick! After a solid on/off from a much bigger fish (a yellow I would tussle with three times over the next three days in the exact same spot), a few casts later into a pool teaming with rises and chases, I caught another unexpected midget, a chessa. It’s a fish I’ve only seen photos of in the Zambezi system many hundreds of kilometres south. Another new species - tick!

After adding a small tiger to my spree, with the monkey off my back, I returned to camp with spirits buoyed and settled in for drinks and dinner by the river. As the fire crackled and Lionel regaled us with hilarious stories, the sun dipped below the horizon and the hippos came in closer to graze. The kitchen, marshalled by hospitality expert Peta-Lynn O’Brien (usually with Shamwari in the Eastern Cape), served up the most incredible ox-tail I have ever had. Soon, all the travel caught up with me and I tapped out for the evening.

FRIDAY

“What do you mean you support both Glasgow and Edinburgh!?! That’s like supporting Man U AND Arsenal, the Bulls AND the Stormers.”

The guide, Alisdair, is quite possibly the nicest person I have ever met. He says he’s a Scot, and I believe that’s what his passport might say, but his accent is lighter than a deep fried Twinkie, probably due to his upbringing in Hong Kong. He’s studying agriculture and getting practical experience on some of the big farms in Tanzania so guiding at Majestic Rivers is something he does when the plants or cows don’t need him. He clearly loves the country and the whole African experience, running around barefoot

“SPOTTING

Guide Lionel Song points our cruising Mnyera yellowfish to Terry Calavrias

like a khaki-clad Mowgli, revelling in the intense heat and generally beaming at the sheer brilliance of being alive. I discover that, like me, he’s into rugby so, as we set off from camp on foot that first full day, I attempted to find out if, beneath the beaming pleasantness, there’s a dirk hidden in the sporran for enemies of his sporting clan in the United Rugby Championship.

Nothing going. He loves all rugby, all teams, everyone. He loves the bush and the animals and he LOVES fishing. The man is ujamaa and ubuntu all rolled into one.

While the others were still flying in from Dar es Salaam in a Cessna 208 Caravan loaded with extra beer (a onehour hop vs my 12-hour road slog), Alisdair and Francis the AK-47-toting TANAPA (Tanzanian National Parks) askari accompanied me downstream from camp to try find some fish.

It took time to get to grips with the fact that I was now walking in the fabled Selous. This is one of the last truly remote, wild places on earth and it is absolutely enormous. The largest game reserve in Africa, at 55 000 km², the Selous is the size of Croatia. From the gate of the Msolwa sector it took us over three hours through the park just to get to the lodge and aside from a truck doing controlled burns close to the gate, we did not see another vehicle the whole time.

As we walked along the jeep track that morning following the river’s bends, there were signs (tons of dung) that a buffalo herd had recently passed through. Lanky sallowfaced Yellow baboons raced through the trees while bushbuck stood still, banking on camouflage over panicked pace for survival. To access the river we threaded our way down to the river using heavily rutted hippos paths, careful not to turn an ankle in the leaf-covered, platter-sized divots their footprints left in the dried mud.

The day’s fishing began at a large pool called Egg Rock. When the sun came out from behind the clouds the tigers started to move. After about thirty casts, there was a slight disturbance close in to the rocks I was standing on, so I lobbed a short cast that way. I immediately got a huge surface follow and take from a hefty tiger that, on the second surge, smashed the fly, one of Richard Wale’s wake-pushing Stella patterns. I failed to make the hook stick, but the adrenalin surge and proof of tiger life was enough to keep spirits high.

Moving on to the next spot, Alisdair spotted a black fin belonging to a yellowfish. The fish was across a fast run from us in a back eddy that curled up against a small treelined island the size of a squash court. After fruitlessly trying a couple of Hail Mary casts across the current that landed in the right spot yet had the fly instantly dragged away by the flow, I did what I should have done in the first place. I waded halfway across the run upstream of the eddy and dropped a downstream cast into it, mending

line away from me and extending the 6-weight so the fly stayed in the slack water of the eddy for longer. The black fin moved aggressively in the direction of the beadhead orange-legged dragonfly imitation LeRoy Botha had tied for me and, without even really needing to strike, I was on. After a short yet violent fight made all the more difficult by the fish’s substantial rudder, I brought it in to a quiet eddy on my side of the channel where Alisdair swooped with the net. High fives commenced as I marvelled at the Avatar-like oddity, took a few pics and released it. Alisdair’s positive vibes were definitely rubbing off as I was tempted to break into song with Toto’s Africa

As for the yellow, I’m still not sure what to call that fish. I asked Ed Truter, the veteran location scout for African Waters, about this species before the trip and suggested, ‘Selous Yellow’. Ed is famously into detail. Whether it’s rigging intricacies or the taxonomic names for fish, he likes to nerd out. Somewhat surprisingly, yellowfish have him stumped.

He said, “The issue is that yellowfish are on what scientists call a ‘species flock’ where there’s just this incredible genetic continuum across the continent. So the question is, ‘where on the continuum does this fish lie?’ And, is it even important to know that? The genetic diversity and their individuality is pretty mind-blowing, so I have got to the point of accepting that we just don’t know exactly what each fish is. For the fish that we catch in Cameroon, Niger barb is a name that works because it is in the Niger basin, but even that fish is considered to be part of a species flock. For Tanzania, something just like Mnyera barb, if it’s a dominant species in the bigger basin, would make the most sense because, honestly, I don’t think anyone knows what that fish is.”

An hour or two after catching my Jason Bourne yellow, two Land Cruisers pulled up loaded with beer, and with Keven the lodge owner and the rest of the crew. Ryan, Terry, James, Frans and Griff who are all in business in Tanzania, Kevin the head of Standard Bank Tanzania and Dave the former head of FNB Tanzania, now back in SA. We divided into teams and fished late into the afternoon in the baking heat, focusing mainly on catching tigers.

Species abundance with a midget Alestes (above left), a midget Chessa (above right) and an Mnyera yellow (opposite page)

By the end of the day, I’d covered around 20km on foot and was feeling uber relaxed from the beers, the heat and the stoke of catching some fish. As we drove back to camp in the crimson gloaming, I was in the back seat of one of the vehicles with the two bankers and about twenty tsetse flies, with Lionel driving and Ryan in the front passenger seat. Suddenly Ryan, the former professional hunter, told Lionel to stop the car as he’d seen fresh drag marks crossing the road and leading into the bushes heading down to the river. He and Lionel exited the car and approached a nearby thicket, one that I had walked past that very morning to get to the river. They calmly told the three of us, still sitting in the back, that they could see a young male lion on an extremely fresh buffalo kill and asked, “Do we want to see it?”

Even without a gun, Ryan and Lionel know the bush bloody well, they can read an animal’s body language and can handle themselves.

Kevin, Dave and I sit at desks for a living.

Big or small, cats are notorious arseholes. Bankers assess risk.

I think of my wife and her belly.

Three heads shake in unison. Nope.

SATURDAY

That’s something Stu Harley said before the trip while trying to describe how vast this system is. Before I left I’d grilled him about what to expect, the species found there and how to fish it. Stu spent years further upstream on the Kilombero with African Waters and has subsequently been working with Majestic Rivers to unlock this fishery.

At first I did not really understand why they would name the place Majestic Rivers. Is it one river? Several rivers? Are they all majestic? In the few short days I was there, the name began to make more sense. The lodge itself sits on the banks of the Kilombero River and each guest tent plus the main bar/boma/dining area are all right on the water. You can see a couple of hundred metres across the yellowfish-filled braids and rocks to the other side of the river except, the other side is not actually the other side, but an island. If you cross to that island you will find another section of river and more islands, because the Kilombero forks and twists and braids and reforms more times than alliances at an ANC elective conference. It’s a properly discombobulating, almost delta-like abundance of water to fish.

Lionel, Stu, Keven and Alisdair have explored quite a bit without guests and are positively frothing at what they have on their hands, because there are tributaries, side channels and sections teeming with fish (large tigers, chunky yellows, massive Vundu and Bagrid catfish) that see zero fishing pressure. As they develop the fishery, the plan is to leave boats in strategic places to cross sections of river so that anglers can move between the different islands and explore new water both on day trips and to set up fly camps for multi-day exploration. There’s more to the area than just game and fish. While exploring, Keven and Lionel have come across a bunch of ancient pottery in significant enough quantities to excite archaeologists about earlier civilisations that were established here. Whatever this settlement was called I bet, like Carthage, Pompeii and Great Zimbabwe, they thought they would be around forever. But right now, there are no people. There’s just us, vast stretches of big game country, split by fish-filled rivers, migratory routes and the odd dirt road.

With a day and half left, choices had to be made. Upstream from the camp there are deep sections that you can fish from a boat. That’s where you are most likely to get the bigger tigerfish. With more time, I’d have liked to check that out, but having ticked my other big goal - the psychedelic, blueish, red-eyed yellowfish - what I wanted more than anything from the time remaining, was to catch a respectable Tanzanian tigerfish on foot.

Alisdair decided to take Terry, myself, FNB Dave and Standard Bank Kevin on a day out to the confluence of the Luwego Rvier and the Kilombero. We drove about an hour

“We’ve only really explored about ten percent of what’s there.”

“ONE TIGERFISH WAS SIGHTED, STALKED AND CAUGHT BETWEEN A SANDBANK AND A WATERFALL”

downstream along the Kilombero till we got below the cascades of Shaghuli Falls where we transferred our clobber into a boat, crossed the deep water of the gorge and hiked a few kilometres up the other side to the confluence. It’s a unique set-up. The Luwego runs in clear from the south, while the Kilombero runs through the forested islands in a series of mini waterfalls from the north-west. They come together in a string of pools where you can see the colour line where the two rivers meet. The idea is to stand in the sandy shallows of the Luwego side and cast towards the waterfalls of the Kilombero side where the tigers ambush baitfish along the colour line.

Like when you cough to let someone know the airport toilet stall you’re in is occupied, a pod of hippos grunted warnings at us. They were just 50-100m away so I did some mental calculations about which rock I would attempt to run to if a massive bow wave appeared heading in my direction. There were even more, pink and grey rocks, snoozing among the trees above the waterfalls. We were all packing hangovers from the previous night’s skop Standard Bank Kevin forgot to bring a rod so I lent him a spare and we spread out.

An hour or two later Alisdair popped up near me to tell me that Kevin lost a great fish near the main pod of hippos. As I bombed a full cast out right into the white water of one of the Kilombero’s mini-waterfalls, I began to lament to Alisdair that I have not had a nudge all morning when my fly got slammed on the first strip and a fish appeared to jump 15m away from where the fly landed. It was a decent size fish, but the line started to go limp as it turned to swim towards me. I ran backwards across the shallow water trying not to get stuck in the sinking sand coming in from the Luwego, which caused Francis the askari to wake up from a heat-induced snooze. Jambo Rafiki! Once I got tension back on the line, after a short, furious fight, I beached the fish in the shallows. Unlike the juveniles I’d already caught, this fish was mature enough to have that blue adipose fin unique to Tanzanian tigerfish. It wouldn’t break any records nor make the cover of a mag, but caught on foot in this Edenlike setting amid waterfalls and hippos, it gave me the release I’d waited 17 years for.

The rest of the day was similarly satisfying. While Dave and Terry pillaged the tigerfish nursery and also caught a solid

yellow on a Clouser, Kevin got a good tiger with the final cast of the day. I managed to catch two Bagrid catfish and two more tigers similar in size to the first – one sighted, stalked and caught between a sandbank and a waterfall. I also got stuck into something much bigger in the bottom or a rocky pool, either a large Bagrid or a vundu, which just sat there shaking its head till the fly pulled when I applied pressure.

SUNDAY

Hyenas came through camp whooping in the night. By the looks of how our troops emerged groggy and went straight for liquids and a fry up breakfast, all our whoops had been used up the night before. Tender, we fished the morning session at the nearby Golf Course. I teamed up with Terry and Lionel to stalk some big yellows, but our balance was off and we wiped out on snotty rocks and caught fokkol One channel over, I could see and hear Ryan screaming blue murder at the yellows that were tormenting him until he got a big one to stick on a small GSP tied for largemouth yellows. He whooped like a hyena with joy. The fish of the weekend, with a blue head, green back, black dorsal fin, yellow tail and red eye, it was not, as Gwyneth’s ex Chris Martin of Coldplay sings, ‘All yellow’. On the way out of the river and up to the road, Ryan made a different highpitched sound when he almost stepped on a small Egyptian spitting cobra hiding in one of those hippo divots. Lionel grabbed it to give us a quick herpetology lesson before we returned to the lodge, packed up and drove to the airstrip, arriving as the Caravan touched down. The pilot flew us over the water we had been fishing, giving me a chance to piece together where the Kilombero flows, becomes Shughuli Falls and meets the Luwego. Approximately thirty seconds after the plane gained altitude, I nodded off, happy, hungover, spent and satisfied.

The reveal of this fishery is still unfolding. The bigger tigers are in the deeper sections but also in the small pools where Keven caught several on plastic frogs while we were there. The Selous/Mnyera yellows, arguably a bigger drawcard for those with a love for the Labeo family (i.e most South African fly anglers), are there in numbers and size along with a couple of other yellowfish species. They provide you with shots, anguish and just enough victory to keep coming back. The Bagrid and Vundu catfish are easily targeted but not so easily landed, while the Alestes, the Chessa and even the fabled fruitarian Ndungu will all reveal themselves more frequently in time. After all, there’s still 90% left of this fishery to explore.

I can now confirm that this place, the Selous, these rivers and these fish – all of it IS majestic. It’s also magical in that Sliding Doors magic realism kind of way. I’d say it gave me closure on my 17-year itch, but that would imply that I’m done.

I’m not.

As soon as I can, I’ll be on the next train, plane or beer truck heading back there.

Bagrid catfish (above) and Vundu are other species on the menu. Avoid other residents like Egyptian Spitting Cobras.

10 OF THE

Photos. Stephan Dombaj and Fly Fishing Nation

About 20 years ago, I picked up fly fishing. Little did I know back then, that it would take me to some absolutely mind-blowing places. It was the key to a parallel universe where everything revolved around adventures and fishing. It is a simpler world governed by different rules: seasons, migration-pattern, moon-phases, tides, weather, barometric pressure, hatches, etc. Even more than that, the fly rod was a tool that allowed me to connect to a more natural world. Pinning down my top ten adventures in a shabby little social media post will not do justice, so I will keep it as general as I can. Also, there’s no hierarchy or order. There’s no such thing as “the best place”. Every time you venture off into your own backyard fishery or some far-flung place, the magic happens. Here are the ten fond memories that have altered my perception of fishing.

1. Seatrout in Argentina

I started my guiding career in Argentina and fished it before that. Argentina is a love story in itself, despite the fishing. And yes, the opportunities are endless: dorado fishing in the north, trout all over the place in Patagonia, and chinook in St. Cruz... a ton of little side quests including boga, striped mullet, pacú, pati, pejerrey, hake, bonito, catfish, yellowtail amberjack, mackerel, sea bass, sharks, pejerrey de mar, flatfish, bluefish, sandperch and croaker. But the seatrout fishing is truly world class in the very sense of that description”. It is indisputably the best seatrout destination on the planet. On top of that, I am obsessed with swung-fly fisheries. There’s something magic about a fish pulling a line tight on a bite. The two big rivers: the Rio Grande and the Rio Gallegos are internationally known, but there are several other smaller rivers that are nothing short of spectacular. Seatrout fishing in Argentina - I freaking love it.

Key memory: My initial reaction when I arrived in that country finding everything was new and exotic … I was very young. Argentina is one of those countries where I can’t just pin it down to one impression other than the first one. It’s been more than ten years which has become a wild blur of things and every single year it seems to add layers and layers of amazement on top. I arrived in late March/beginning of April 2007 and, from the early spring, we went down to the impending winter in Argentina which is bitterly cold and everything was just out of proportion. I quite literally jumped into the aeroplane and it was this Alice-in-Wonderland down the rabbit hole experience. We didn’t even have time in Buenos Aires. We just rushed immediately to the next airport and onto the next flight down to Rio Cachegos and then a transfer on to the lodge. The fishing was comparably slow, but it was absolutely outstanding for me because the fishing I had at home on the best days was a million times worse than a slow day in Argentina.

2. New Caledonia

For a while, the travel industry was (and still is) obsessed with GTs, and every Tom, Dick, and Harry ventured off to find the next Seychelles. We did the exact same thing, and together with Rickard Sjöberg and Frenchman Claude Lombardo, I ended up in southern New Caledonia. Don’t feel too bad if you cannot immediately point it out on a map,. It’s far away in the South Pacific, east of Australia and north of New Zealand. It is as far away as it is mesmerizing. Our initial GT plans were thrown overboard as we ran into the first school of bonefish, pushing in on a sand-flat during a crazy flood tide. They were enormous. I caught several PBs and ran into fish that would shatter one record after another. This place was alive! On top of that, sharks everywhere. We had to leave the flats several times because big bull sharks were a little too inquisitive. This was ten years ago - it still is a fantastic memory.

Key memory: Claude made the trip simply because he was super French. I met Claude in Argentina. Having a dude who is supremely French on a tropical island like this is just crazy. He would smoke like a steam train, would always wade in his Crocs and everything about him was quintessentially European. So that made the experience completely surreal. It was a beautiful tropical Pacific Ocean setting, but with me (German), Claude (French) and Rickard (Swedish), we were not exactly born to be there. We were sleeping in this mosquito-infested hut because nothing else was available but it didn’t matter because we wanted those bonefish so badly. Plus, Claude had all these secret side missions so, on top of the bonefish, he took us jungle perch fishing in the New Caledonian jungle.

3. Atlantic Salmon fishing in Russia

Salmon fishing, in all shapes and forms, is epic. Yes, the good old over-used word epic. But that’s simply what it is. Atlantic salmon fishing is something I am especially fond of. Sadly, in times when salmon stocks worldwide are plunging towards near extinction, good waters are not as readily available as they used to be. I have travelled to seven countries to fish for them and the one that thrills me every single time is Russia. And while it’s saddening and sickening what’s going on in the world right now (I don’t want to dig too deep into politics here) the Kola Peninsula remains one of the strongholds of Atlantic salmon. It’s a wild adventure and the fishing is just exceptionally good. Every single trip since my first one in 2010, has been outstanding. Even when the conditions were terrible, it was generally speaking better than most places when they are good, just like in Argentina. I have scouted and guided these sacred waters and I am eternally thankful for the memories.

Key memory: the first time you travel to Russia as a Western dude, it’s as if someone has lifted the veil of the Iron Curtain just a little bit for you to sneak through and then closed it right behind you, because you do not end up in Moscow or St Petersburg (both beautiful cities), you end up in Murmansk. Murmansk is an industrial and military settlement in the heart of the Kola Peninsula and it is pretty rough. You’ve got these plants, construction sites, socialist planned housing, old cars, decommissioned submarines and it seems as if time is standing still. Knowing that you are so close to the Arctic Circle or even above the Arctic Circle, you’re in this completely surreal scenario. The one year Frontiers and the Ponoi River Company asked me to

come take some pictures at a river camp called Brevyenni that they no longer run. I landed up in camp with a group of five Russians, all super nice dudes. We had this communication barrier and I would end up drinking vodka with them in the sauna which they would call banya. I was not used to those banya rites where you gently whip each other with wet branches. So, being in my early twenties with these older established ginormous dudes who wanted to whip me with wet branches in a sauna, was not only unfamiliar but, because I did not know that culturally this was a thing, I was a little intimidated too. Then we drank vodka and I had to swim naked through the home pool. So that was my first impression of Russia. It’s only gotten better and better since.

4. Trout fishing in my backyard!

Cheesy one but, if I could pick only one fishing day before I have to leave this realm of existence, I’d fish in my backyard fishery. Everything I have ever done with a fly rod finds its roots in some cheap public waters in Western Germany. Carp, pike, barbel, chub, grayling, etc... this is where it all started for me. Whenever I get the chance, you will still find me out there. The one thing that I love more than anything, is our big old native wild brown trout. They have a very special place in my heart. No one cares if I catch another giant brown trout in a far-flung place, only reachable with a helicopter but, big wild browns from public water on a consistent basis, that levels the playing field.

Key memory: I’ve had my best fish in terms of numbers and sizes when I go alone, but my backyard fishing has taught me that it’s not really as cool as the shared trips I have with Marina, Paulo, Alex or the rest of the Fly Fishing Nation crew. Firstly, that’s because you end up having to land some of these really large brown trout by yourself which is always a pain on thin leader and small flies. A lot of things can go wrong. Secondly there is no one to tell the story with. I had a day with a 12.5 pounder, a 10 pounder and two fish that were about 7 pounds. I was there all by myself and just had my iPhone with me, because I hardly ever take a camera when I am fishing on my own. So, one of my most memorable big fish days, I could not share. I just have crappy pictures. It’s just in my mind and I wish someone had been there with me so I could share and tell the story to. That was a revelation. It showed me I had

“KEEPING BIG FISH TO YOURSELF WAS NOT AS SWEET AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE”

transcended from one plane to another in my angling, where the selfishness of keeping all the big fish to yourself wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be.

5. Fly Fishing the Alps

Nothing represents fly fishing in Europe as well as the Alps. Europe’s most extensive mountain range stretches across the borders of Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Northern Italy, Slovenia, France, and Lichtenstein. The fishing possibilities are endless. When I was a teenager in Germany, our southern neighbour Austria seemed like the holy land. Big brown trout and grayling in crystal clear lakes and streams, readily rising to about every ugly fly in my box. That was my preconception of it and a lot of it turned out to be true. I spent years of my life in this part of the world and I loved every second of it. From little public bathing lakes with carp and other fish, over private and hidden river beats with amazing fish all the way to tiny high mountain creeks with little brookies... whatever your heart desires. And the food? Don’t even get me started! Brettljause (bread and cheese boards) and a proper beer,

some Kaiserschmarrn (scrambled pancakes) for dessert, and you are done for the day.

Key memory: I was invited to fish in Austria in summer by the guy who owned the skiing hotel I used to visit to ski. He was well in his sixties and I came with three friends and we fished his river which was called the Möll. It is a beautiful little river in a national park with the highest peak in Austria visible there. I caught what, back then, was my largest brown trout on a dry fly in this super picturesque scenario. I was 16, with long blonde hair and dark fingernails from a rock festival, while this guy was obviously born and bred there and was rather like a mountain goat. He took me to this mountain lake that he said was a 40 minute hike away. It took me two and a half hours to get there while it took him exactly 40 minutes. I was impressed because, when you are 16/17, this whole concept of mortality and physical fatigue is so far away from you and I learnt a funny lesson. I just looked at him and thought, “Motherfucker! He’s running up that mountain and I am a flatlander.”

Backyard browns in Germany (above), grayling and other species in the Alps (bottom left) and Atlantic salmon in Russia (top left).

6. Jungle fishing in South America

Jungle fishing in South America for golden dorado and peacock bass is something I really enjoy and that has left a deep impression. You have these two large systems from which you can create a basic separation between the two species. The Amazonian system is the peacock bass area and the Parana is the dorado area, though there is a tiny bit of crossover with tributaries like the Tsimane and its dorado, which ultimately drain into the Amazonian system. I have travelled to many jungles on this planet for fishing but this is the one that has left the deepest impression. Because of my upbringing and the media I consumed as a child (e.g. the Jungle Book), the jungle has a deep fascination. Exploring the green, dark heart of the jungle first hand is something I have always appreciated. As for the fish, jungle fish are beautiful. Our very definition of tropical fish for fish tanks is based mainly on Amazonian fish. These fish smash each other, they are either brutal, fast or have teeth. Peacock bass are wonderful acrobatic fish that hunt in packs. Dorado are wild and gorgeous. That stark ‘survival of the fittest’/’eat or be eaten’ vibe? You see that first-hand in the jungle.

Key memories: perhaps my longest-lasting memory from the jungle is not about the fishing itself but of the food. Amazonian cuisine. My pre-conceived Western images of Brazil were basic - the Batida de Coco (coconut cocktail), tropical coconut tanning oil and the model Adriana Lim. So my pre-conception of the food was similarly basicchurrasco, the Brazilian BBQ. I felt quite stupid to arrive there and learn that the Amazonian cuisine is completely different and absolutely wonderful, with flavours that you would not even think of. We were introduced to the cooking of a woman called Doña Brazi, a very famous indigenous Amazonian chef who cooks with traditional ingredients from the jungle. Rodrigo Salles of Untamed Angling and his chef from the Rio Marie River boat organised everything. The chef was super stoked that Doña had some availability and would cook for us in her backyard. We had surubi catfish with vegetables on top. There was manioc, there was tapioca and Amazonian jungle chili that is absolutely to die for and a lot of other things you don’t really eat in a globalised world. It was cheap, we had a lot of beers with it and it was one of the best meals I have ever had. Having these original jungle flavours and fresh food from a short local supply chain was a really wonderful experience that connected me much deeper to the country than fishing ever could. This is how you experience a country really – fishing, eating their food, exploring their waters or mingling with their people. It’s a deeper, more immersive way to travel.

The Amazon is about more than just fish. Stephan, Paulo Hoffmann, Rodrigo Salles and Leandro Ettomi celebrate having a meal with legendary chef Doña Brazi

7. Trout Fishing For

Trout in South Korea

There was a time when I worked with the R&D department of Loop Tackle Design and I was sent to the factories in Korea to work together with Tomas Ögren on the original design of the Loop S1 rods. He was the head of design back then so under his masterful eye he taught me everything I know about modulation, how to measure rods properly etc. Korea is a very exciting place to be for a Westerner. Needless to say, part of the R&D phase is to go fishing. We were taken to the Korean Alps to fish some of the most gorgeous little creeks for tiny fish. Everybody who knows me knows that I am not really a small fish dude. It’s not that I don’t appreciate them, it’s just that physically I am 6’6”. Doing something like this is something I thoroughly enjoy but you hardly ever see media around it because it looks weird on me. Even a one metre GT looks kind of small on me. The scenery was to die for. We took plenty of pictures that Fly Fishing Nation is known for because we hit a rainy day and instead of all these dull grey colours that you usually have, the wet leaves lit up in a way that bright sunlight never could. It was rich and bright, life in technicolour and a wonderful, crazy experience. After catching fish so small that they would fit into the palm of my hand, we then stopped in a little tea house to have hot tea to warm ourselves before going back to the casting pond where we ate the spiciest egg and cheese ramen noodles I have ever had.

Key memories: The most memorable thing about Korea was when the guys from the factories invited us to join a karaoke night. I convinced Tomas to come, saying, “It will be funny. We can just sit back, enjoy the show and have a few beers.” Little did I know that A) all of these dudes are

very good at karaoke and B) they are not into beers. They like to drink heavy liquor like whisky in amounts that would put a Scottish ghillie to shame. It started as planned. I sat back in the corner. Then the guy who owned the factory said, “I would like to welcome our guests from abroad and because Stephan is new to the circle, he will do the first round.” I did not see that coming and was really not prepared for it. I could not say no so I picked Radiohead’s Creep to sing and it was awful. Everyone clapped their hands and was entertained. Afterwards the boss took me aside and said, “Stephan, karaoke is not about how good or bad you are, it’s about you going up on the stage and being happy to entertain us without reservations.” It’s a thing of beauty, a soul trip. You are on the spot, you are not pretentious, you just get up there and go for it and the group appreciates that you did it for them. I thought, ‘Okay, I was bad, but that must mean everyone sucks.’ Then the Korean guys got up and were really good, belting out pitch perfect opera-style songs like Andrea Boccelli’s Time To Say Goodbye

8. ‘Evil Empire’ fisheries – Venezuela and Cuba

Venezuela and Cuba are two unique saltwater destinations that have left a very deep impression on me. After Stephan and Alexander Haider from Austrian Outdoor Sports contacted me about a DIY trip to Los Roques, I went to Venezuela for the first time around New Year’s Eve 20082009. Jason Jaeger had recently published something in Catch magazine about the bonefish and pelicans that would bomb down on the minnows and it was just spectacular. It was a dream place for us as central Europeans. Back then if someone in my inner circle had caught a permit, that guy was a hero so being there and being exposed to this crazy environment, seeing the tropical islands of the Caribbean fisheries for the first time, was quite amazing. Los Roques was for a long time considered to be the best wading fishing on the planet for bonefish, but it also has really good tarpon, permit fishing and triggers too. That was a memorable trip because I saw tarpon smoke bonefish and even permit for the very first time and I learned to spot bonefish on crystal white flats. The first morning the guide woke us up, 5:30 and tarpon were rolling all over the place, something I had never seen before. Up till then tarpon was a mythical creature that I had only dreamed about and, all of a sudden, this thing materialised in front

Yamame

“I

of me crushing bait. Time stood still when I saw it for the first time. I could not even pick up a fly rod as I was behind the camera, so I just took pictures. I can say the same thing about the permit fishing in Cuba. When I first committed to permit fishing I went to Jardenias de la Reina and I was just blown away by everything. Having unpressured flats like that means the fish are easier. I think that’s a great thing because I do enjoy technical fishing. Personally, I like my fish to be big and dumb. No shame. I will take an easy fat dumb fish any day.

Key memories: Los Roques is one of very few fisheries where you actively engage with the local people, whether it’s the guides who are all Venezuelan or with what you do after fishing. On the main island at Los Roques you don’t go back to a fishing lodge. You go into the village and just hang out there at a local beachfront bar with the locals and just sit there, feel the sun on your skin and the warm breeze of the Caribbean. It’s a more real, immersive experience than the static, overly hygienic, hermetically sealed generic lodge experience. It’s the good kind of dirty, the good kind of rough. I’ve nothing against lodges as they provide part

of my income, but I sometimes like a rough experience just to remind myself that fishing still is an adventure. For the very same reason I like Venezuela and Cuba. Culturally, they live in their own little microcosmos and that’s what I want. I travel to get away and forget, not to remember where I am from.

9. India, Lakshwadeep

During the heydays of GT fishing, I was part of a programme called GT X, Giant Trevally Exploration and we ended up in India where the company, Solid Adventures, was exploring the fisheries on the Lakshadweep Islands, an Indian territory north of the Maldives. It’s a former Pakistani military base that was repossessed by India. Without special permission you could not even get to the island. We went there to see if we could develop a tourist programme. We would go out with the local dudes and explore both popping and fly fishing. It was basically reef-walking with a couple of sand dunes. We were dirtbagging it, eating fish curry with coconut milk for every meal, sleeping on these open boats at night, driving to a new island, anchoring there, fishing it the next day and trying to figure out the tides.

Before he got engaged, Stephan broke a few hearts on Los Roques.

We caught quality fish. The popping and triggerfish fishing was out of this world. Every day we would have a couple of shots at GTs. We found very few bonefish but the ones we did find were very big and there were also lots of pelagics around. When you think about fly fishing in India you immediately think about mahseer in rivers, but not necessarily proper saltwater fishing like this. Sadly, because of government issues, when they realised we were successful at what we were doing they wanted their share and the whole programme ultimately collapsed.

Key memory: The island is a completely Muslim population so, technically, there is no vice (alcohol, pornography etc). One of the local guys caught a nice fish and asked me to give him the pictures I took of it. When he gave me a pen drive/memory stick. It had a bunch of folders labelled ‘Mia Khalifa Compilation’ after the famous porn star, which was quite funny. When he realised the mistake after I gave it back to him, he tried to say, “It’s not what you think it is”. I said, “I’m not judging, two thirds of the internet is that kind of content.”

10. Coarse Fish

As a young angler, not having the financial means or the access or the connections to find reputable waters, I was heavily dependent on shitty local waters. Around this time, I developed a love for what is known in the UK as ‘coarse fish’: carp, chub, barbel, pike, perch, grayling all of these kinds of fish, not necessarily game fish. In the UK, trout and salmon are considered game fish, seatrout too, the rest are coarse fish. I think fly fishing for pike, catfish and carp is an absolutely amazing experience. To trick all of these larger white fish that are generally a lot bigger than the average trout, never gets boring. Carp on the fly is epic. Pike on the fly is fucking exhilarating. Fishing arm long streamers for pike and seeing them crush it is just wonderful. Same for barbel, a completely underrated fish, which people now travel to fish for. All of these fish will teach you more about fishing and they are a lot more universal than salmon, a GT or tarpon ever could be. You have pike in most northern hemisphere countries and carp are literally everywhere. If you know how to feed a tailing and mudding carp and get the hook set right, it is like the best dry-humping training for permit. I know some absolutely mind-blowing permit anglers that fish for carp almost every day when they have the chance. That is their training fish. These fish offer you a chance to get good at fly fishing for your dream fish at a very reasonable rate.

Key memory: I used to run every other Saturday with my friend Paulo in a local park and there was a millpond in there that was managed by 12 old guys. It was really hard to get hold of them to ask for fishing permission, because they hardly ever fished it and there was no one there ever. Eventually I got hold of one of them and asked for membership and the reason why I wanted to join this tight

circle of old men was because while that millpond was no bigger than three or four tennis courts, it had a decent amount of carp and two or three incredibly large pike. On joining the club I learned that any sort of artificial lures were forbidden and they just fished with maggots and worms. Fly fishing was however allowed because it was deemed as ineffective. Happy days! These fish were smart. They were used to people walking around and as soon as you stopped they noticed that they were spotted and they would disappear into deep water for the rest of the day. We had to figure this out. The first fish I caught was a 32lber which was deep in some branches. I was walking, did a bow and arrow cast in front of it while still moving and he hit it. Paulo got a 27lber a couple of days later.

From the exotic - Napoleon wrasse onLakshwadeep - to local lovelies like carp and European barbel, Stephan does not discriminate.

THE FAST & THE FURIOUS – ORANGE RIVER DRIFT

WE TOOK NIC SYMES , A MIDLANDS TROUT GUY, AND SENT HIM OFF ON HIS FIRST ORANGE RIVER DRIFT WITH X-FACTOR ANGLING (XFACTORANGLING.CO.ZA) , TO LEARN HOW TO CATCH YELLOWS AND TO FAIL AND TO, HOPEFULLY, EVEN WIN A LITTLE. THE GOOFY BASTARD CAME BACK WITH A GRIN PLASTERED TO HIS FACE. HERE’S WHY.

Photos.

Iput the bum in ‘trout-bum’, so a trip like this is an extravagance I’m not accustomed to.

“Fancy having a crack at some largies on the Orange River? Dan and his team at X-Factor will teach you everything you need to know. Get yourself there and they’ll sort out the rest.”

I’d only ever seen them in pictures so, when the editor of this magazine called me up with such an enticing offer, the answer was always going to be a resounding “Hell yes!” Little did I know how much I’d have to learn and unlearn over the five days’ fishing that lay ahead. Up to this point my fly-fishing experience was limited to trout, scaly, barbel and smallmouth yellowfish. When Dan sent me on my way with a boot full of the heaviest rods and flies I’d ever laid hands on, I knew this was going to be a different bag altogether. He snuck a Euro Nymphing rig in there too. More on that later…

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ‘99, wear sunscreen.

Vioolsdrif, in the northern Namaqua region of South Africa seems an odd place to go fly fishing, especially for someone accustomed to the lush environs of the KwaZuluNatal Midlands.

Nic Symes, Marco Grobler, Derrick Belling, Ruhan Kruger

After a solid 14 hours on the road from my little appropriation of nature on the Braamfontein Spruit, I was struck by how little effect the vast waters of the Orange River seem to have on the landscape here. Thin strips of shrubbery flank its banks, dramatically overshadowed by skeletons of ancient mountains rising on either side, their topsoil and vegetation sandblasted away by millennia of howling winds, their rocky innards burnt black by the sun. Back-casting 7- and 9-weight rods all day in these harsh conditions isn’t for everyone, as our day one dropout might attest to. Factor 50 was the first thing I packed.

Upon arrival at Vioolsdrif Lodge, a last South African oasis on the Namibian border, I was greeted by Tony, the proprietor, with warm handshakes and a cold beer. After a thorough briefing by our guides Ruhan, Kyle (“Kallie”), Marco and Damian, and support crew William and Justin, we tucked into dinner and hit the hay – the last aircon and cotton sheets we’d feel for five days.

Day One: “You’re going to do a lot of casting…”

After my 5am resurrection, I scoffed down a quick breakfast and we packed all our gear. An hour’s drive on the back of the Cruiser ( with a short pitstop to send last messages to our loved ones), was the last time we’d need to cover up

for the cold. The excitement was palpable as we geared up and the crew packed the rafts. Caked in sunscreen and wrapped up in layers like a Bedouin horde, we eased our vessels off the rocks into the murky waters and set off downstream.

Kyle, my guide for the first day’s drift, is from Harare. His formative fly-fishing years, like mine, were spent chasing rainbows, his though in Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands. He’s become proficient at catching a few more species since then. I guess his mission for the day was to give me (a heavyweight used to casting in the featherweight category), as much casting practice as possible with the big tackle before we got into proper largie waters.

By midday, my right hand was cramping and my arm felt like lead. The step up from my usual 4- and 5-weights to 7- and 9-weight rigs was cruel and unusual punishment. The mudfish that would have opened my account, were it not foul-hooked, might as well have been a freshwater bluefin by that stage, all 2lb of it. We were making sure I got into the upper nine hundreds in my pursuit of the fish of a thousand casts. As we snuck into a newly fishable run at the end of the day’s drift (thanks to the high waters), the sweet relief of my trusty 4-weight yielded one tiny smallmouth to prevent a complete blank of a day.

Have I mentioned the threat of sunburn yet? My early morning trout habits had my inner arm throbbing red before breakfast on the second morning. Wear sunscreen in this part of the world, even if the sun hasn’t crept over the mountains yet. Long sleeves and my neoprene gloves, usually reserved for mid-winter in the Midlands, would be vital for the remainder of the trip. I could have kissed him when my guide for the day, Ruhan, told me we’d be wading the cool waters of the rapids in search of smallmouths on the nymph.

On our way down to the rapids, Ruhan had me casting the 9-weight in search of any potential largemouths, my arm now becoming accustomed to the heavier outfit. Unfortunately, all we encountered was a morbidly depressed barbel not quite taking my fly and, I swear, sighing forlornly as it sunk back down to its bed at the river bottom. I’ve entered dentists’ rooms with more enthusiasm.

Ruhan, the head guide, is from Limpopo and is the kind of

guy who’d fish for koi in a restaurant pond. His enthusiasm for all things piscatorial is infectious, so he was as stoked as I was when he put me into a whack of smallmouths ranging from 10cm to 40cm in the fast rapids that afternoon. With my numbers up, and beginning to get a feel for what the Orange River had in store for me, I hit the hay smiling.

My fellow guests on the trip, Chris Binnington and Derrick Beling, have been fishing together for over a decade, and between them have fished the locations and caught the fish most of us have only dreamed of. Being regaled with tales of metre-long GT’s, behemoth barbel, ill-advised casts to Florida Keys flats milkfish and cases of mistaken sexual preferences (“a many beers story”) around the campfire every night, was a real treat. You’d have to travel a long way to find two finer fishermen and gentlemen, and sharing the river with them was at times like having two additional guides. They make the pilgrimage to Vioolsdrif twice a year – a testament to the quality of the location, guides and overall experience.

Day Two (Ruhan): “Vat Pappie!”

“We are not a couple.”

Day Three: “This fly is buggered.” (I didn’t say “buggered.”)

Having chatted tactics with the brains trust over lunch the previous day, I had spent the evening tying up a couple of my own Zonker/Clouser type flies to be used in pursuit of my elusive, first largie. Today, apparently, was when we were due to enter proper largemouth yellowfish territory.

After a short drift from our campsite, Damian, a Vioolsdrif local and my day three guide, beached us on a sandbank on the South African side of the river, and we began fishing our way down to a blackened rockface, undercut by ominously swirling waters which he assured me would hold what we were looking for. It took less than ten minutes for him to be proved right. I’d never felt such power on a fly rod before, my retrieved line screaming back into the water as the mighty fish surged for the rocks below us. It took mere seconds to realise that my line had balled into what could only be called a gorilla’s fist knot at my feet. The fish was too strong for me to buy us time. Our hearts sank as the knot hit my first eye and the hook popped. Damian took it personally when I lost that fish.

We conducted a quick assessment of my tippet (“fine”) and fly (“buggered”). Superglue, instead of varnish, should be applied generously at multiple stages of the tying process to survive the brutish waters, rocks and fish here and I decided to tie on the last of my creations. We picked up the pieces of my broken heart, fished on, and Damian soon had me into an oxymoron. It was a small largie (only 3 or 4lb), the first I’d ever seen, and hopefully not the last!

Lunch was spent tying more flies on the rocks, to be blindfished fruitlessly as we made our way down to some fastflowing rapids for my first attempt at Euro Nymphing. The technique didn’t make a great first impression, to be honest. It felt like stalking tiny coastal rock pools with a stick of bamboo. How could this way of fishing possibly yield anything bigger than live bait?

Day Four (Ruhan): “Vat weer Pappie.”

So, I was wrong about Euro Nymphing. Sue me.

Ruhan and I spent the morning session wading the riffles in front of our campsite, dabbling the nymphs at our feet and hauling in an entire playground of smallmouths between 10 and 40cm in length. I’d always believed that no self-respecting fish would stay anywhere near a wading fisherman. I may have to try the technique on the Mooi River in Natal …

The remainder of the day was spent unsuccessfully blindcasting all the best-looking lies in search of something more

substantial than an oxymoron. Poor Ruhan had his work cut out for him backtracking up some fast waters to retrieve my fly from branches and rocks (hidden or otherwise) on more than one occasion. It was windy, okay?)

Day Five (Marco): “Let the reel do the work.”

My final morning session with Marco, a lifelong friend of Ruhan and possibly the most eager guide of the bunch (hard to tell – fishing truly is life for these gents), began the way day four had ended. The largies simply wanted nothing to do with us. As the sun beat down, we approached the massive 8km pool we’d have to cross before our final stop at the weir.

We were almost as relieved as the guides when the little two-stroke fired up, saving us four hours in travelling time. Communal lunch, beers, war-stories and “mother’s milk” –Derrick and Chris’ delicious Aeropress coffee with Amarula – were enjoyed on the lashed-together rafts as the guides rested their weary backs, shoulders and eyelids.

Upon reaching the weir, we rigged up for a final Euro Nymphing session as the crew packed the gear for the ride back to the lodge. Marco led me to a fast-flowing tributary below the weir and had me dabble a team of nymphs virtually at my feet. After a few warm-ups of small to average-sized fish, I had a hugely aggressive take. Lifting my rod gently brought forth a yellowfish so small, I was amazed it was able to lift the weight of the tiny tungsten beads.

The next flick of my line enticed a different kind of beast altogether though. A gentle take and turn to catch the current, and the slab took off. Like a fool, I lifted my palm to the reel in an attempt to slow it down, the line instantly cracking like a shot as my leader and flies disappeared into the torrent, still attached to the trophy smallmouth. Ten minutes and a new leader later, I carbon-copied that failure. My trout habits were costing me dearly in these fast waters. Big school is tough. I couldn’t hide my disappointment as Marco pointed out the transport vehicle that was to take us home trundling around the cliffs towards us.

Back at the vehicle, I learned that Ruhan would be bringing his own vehicle back in a couple of hours. I couldn’t pass on one last chance to land a decent smallmouth. Back in the same spot, and with my spare hand deep in my pocket, I was lucky to get just that. Once again, the fish took slowly and circled towards me before catching the current and taking off like a steam train downstream. Thankfully I managed to keep my sweaty palm away from the screaming reel this time, and almost collapsed in relief when Marco was able to net the fish a solid 25 minutes later. I’m still smiling.

“MY TROUT HABITS WERE COSTING ME DEARLY IN THESE FAST WATERS”

THE TAKEAWAYS

The 14-hour drive home to Johannesburg gave me plenty time to ruminate on what I’d learned about fishing for big yellows on fast waters in such a hot, dry and windy place so, if you’ll indulge me:

1. Did I tell you to wear sunscreen? No less than Factor 50 will do, even if you’re tan as boot leather. The sun hits differently here.

2. Get used to casting big rods and heavy flies in even heavier winds. Make sure your back-cast is solid or, better yet, learn to cast with your wrong hand (my New Year’s fishing resolution).

3. Euro Nymphing taught me that big fish aren’t nearly as frightened of you as you might think. Dabble around your feet , the rewards could be immense.

4. Keep your palm away from your reel. Some of these fish are big, and they’re all moving fast (except, perhaps, for that morose barbel). Adjust your drag accordingly.

5. If you’re tying your own flies, do so with lashings of superglue. The fast waters, abundant rocks and powerful fish will make short work of them otherwise.

6. Pack less clothing than you think you need. You’ll jump into the water to cool down often, and be dry again before you’re back in the raft. What’s still wet at the end of the day will dry on the campsite’s guy-ropes overnight.

7. Accept that you’ll do a LOT more casting than catching. Appreciate the company you’re keeping and the astonishing surroundings you find yourself in. If you can’t, five days on the Orange River might be too much for you.

SHOP THE MISSION

Vision Hero Nymphing Rod

JMC Visio Light Euro line

LATEST RELEASES SALAD BAR

XPLORER - TREKKER SLING BAG, TECHNICAL CHEST PACK & EXPEDITION ROD/REEL VAULT

There’s a fresh drop of clobber over at Xplorer offering their customary blend of value, utility and well thought out R&D. First up is the Trekker Sling which does everything you want from a sling for a day out on the water. Busy fishing? It slings behind you to stay out of the way. Need to rerig, grab some lunch or reach for your camera? It swings around to offer up both the cavernous main compartment and a moulded fold down work station with a removable foam fly patch inside, and a Velcro fly patch outside. It offers ample space in both the main compartment and the shoulder harness pockets for a variety of fly boxes, while various gear and tool lashing points throughout the pack, D-rings for a net retractor and a water bottle holder round up the features.

More of a chest pack kind of angler? Xplorer’s Technical Chest pack has 3 separate compartments with a folddown workstation, built-in fly patch, and tool attachments.

The magnetic closure, moulded fold-down work-station, with its exterior Velcro fly patch and an interior removable foam fly patch gives you a space to re-rig, while the middle storage compartment and the rear storage compartment with flat mesh interior pockets can hold a range of fly boxes and other goodies. The separate backpack can hold larger gear from fly boxes to jackets and a sneaky hip flask. Expect premium YKK zippers with moulded pull tags and durable UV-resistant webbing straps throughout the entire pack.

Last, but not least, there’s the Xplorer Expedition fly rod and reel vault. Whether it’s a week at Sterkies or an overseas trip you have planned, this nifty rod storage solution lets you leave the bulky tubes at home. Rigid padded sides give extra protection from accidental damage caused during travel and everyday use. Designed to carry rods up to 10ft (4pc) in length, it is great for your nymphing rods or small stream sticks, and can hold up to 10 rods and six or more reels plus all your other bits and bobs. xplorerflyfishing.co.za

ORVIS - MEIHO CLEAR CASE FLY BOXES

While some members of our team are 100% OCD, even the most disorganised amongst us have yodelled Thom Yorke’s immortal line, “Everythiiiiiing, in its right place” as a calming mantra when we can’t find shit. If you’ve wasted precious seconds digging the wrong fly box out of your vest or pack before, then you have no doubt asked/screamed/ bellowed internally at why more brands don’t make seethrough fly boxes. Orvis’s Meiho Clear Case Fly Boxes are the solution for this particular bugbear. Made from unbreakable polycarbonate, these lightweight but durable fly boxes sport movable compartment dividers (allowing you to customize the case) and secure clip closure to keep everything in its right place. Available in medium shallow and medium deep options. orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

“EVERYTHIIIIIING, IN ITS RIGHT PLACE”

“VALUE, UTILITY AND WELL THOUGHT OUT R&D”

LOOP - WHEELBAG 150L

The Dubai-Dash, the Addis-Amble, the Charles de Gaulle Stumble-Fall - if you’ve travelled far for fly fishing, there’s a good chance you’ve engaged in some of these disciplines in airports across the globe. If it’s a scenario where you cannot check your bags all the way through to your final destination, lugging a massive duffel around gets tired fast. That’s where a big wheelbag like Loop’s 150L offering comes into play. Made using TPU coated 1200 x 600D ripstop polyester fabric; it features rubber reinforced grip handles, YKK zippers, a large internal storage compartment and additional storage pocket in the lid. It’s built without internal structure; that’s provided by your rod tubes which are attached via internal compression straps. This saves you both excess weight – a common (and often costly) issue encountered on long haul travel – but also helps with general storage. You can carry it via a single sling strap or detachable shoulder straps. Or, if you prefer to save your shoulders for a week of casting, use the wheels to get you to the right terminal on time. looptackle.com, flyfishing.co.za

FISHPOND – KING WEBBING BELT

Love tarpon? Perhaps you love the silver kings so much you want to pay tribute to them with a suggestive silver crotch accessory? Fishpond’s King Webbing Belt features a zinc non-slip belt and is made from 100% recycled nylon webbing that can be trimmed to size and sealed off with a little flame for a completely custom fit. Available in coral or tidal blue, it looks as good off the front of a skiff as it does at the bar. fishpondusa.com, frontierflyfishing.co.za

ORVIS - WIDE-MOUTH GUIDE NET

Looking for a do-everything net for fishing on foot and off a boat? Orvis’s Wide-Mouth Guide Net has you and the fish you haul in covered. The large hoop sizing makes landing and releasing fish easier and safer; it’s sports a lightweight, durable composite construction that won’t age like wood and has a deeper, knotless, hook-resistant net bag. Bonus: it pairs well with Orvis’s Guide Sling Pack and Bug-Out Backpack. Total Length – 37.5” with a 19½” handle length. Total Width – 12.75”. orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

LATEST RELEASES SALAD BAR

ORVIS - MEN’S CLEARWATER WADING BOOTS

- FELT SOLE

There’s always a trade-off with wading boot soles around whether you go for rubber or felt. Perhaps the biggest determining factor is how far you have to hike in to where you will be fishing. If you have kilometres to cover, rubber wins as felt takes a beating on a trail. If it’s close by, then felt is your friend, because felt gives you unbeatable grip on slippery river rocks. If you’re in the market for a felt boot, you should consider the recent upgrade of the Orvis Clearwater. With a full synthetic leather upper that provides comfort and durability without excessive seams, this boot is protected by a scratch rubber toe, vamp, and heel counter for added durability, and a heavy-duty rubber toe bumper protects the foot in tough wading conditions. An integrated EVA foam footbed offers all-day comfort and a wider fit. A Phylon midsole and ESS plate provide stability and excellent stud retention. Available in men’s whole sizes from 7-15. orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

SIMMS - FLYWEIGHT ACCESS WADING BOOT

Calling all racing snakes! If heavyweight wading boots feel like lead balloons to you, perhaps Simms Flyweight Access Boots will tickle your fancy. These things are built for covering distance, taking you from the trail to the river and back again dozens of times in a session. Lightweight, they’re made with non-absorbent mesh uppers and welded TPU overlays in high-abrasion areas for added durability. Most importantly, they boast the exclusive-toSimms Vibram Idrogrip Flex outsole that has a rubber compound engineered to be softer and grippier than the sole materials in other Simms wading boots. The result? A boot you can truly cover a lot of water and ground in. simmsfishing.com, frontierflyfishing.co.za

BAJIO - VIOLET MIRROR & COPPER GLASS LENSES

Scheming to get a lekker pair of tit new sunnies for the year ahead boet? Then we think you might shmaak what new heavyweights Bajio are cooking up, especially if you are on the lookout for a pair of glass lenses that will perform in low light conditions. Bajio’s Violet Mirror lens is their lightest high contrast lens, helping you see fish clearly in all conditions from sunrise to sunset, while their Copper Glass lens is a great high contrast lens for spotting underwater structures and fish. Bajio’s glass lenses are scratch resistant and block 95% of the sun’s blue light, giving you reduced

blur, glare and haze while enhancing colour and protecting your eyes. Check out the range at X-Factor Angling and match your lens of choice to the right frame for your pip (pictured here are the Bonneville and Caldera frames). bajiosunglasses.com, xfactorangling.co.za

SIMMS - TECH HOODY ARTIST

As fly anglers, we have at times earned ourselves a rep as snobs, looking down our noses at the papgooiers and bank anglers with their shiny team shirts displaying the fish they target like bass or carp. Thing is, are we really that different? Some just like to wear a different kind of fish on their garments and in the case of the nifty options Frontier has brought in from the Simms Tech Hoody Artist range, it’s trout. The Brown Trout in Light Green or the Trout Logo Flame Sterling to be precise. But this tech hoody is more than just a sartorial statement of targeting intent. Its lightweight jersey knit antimicrobial polyester fabric feels smooth and stretches with each cast, while wicking moisture away from the skin to keep you comfortable in hot weather. Speaking of heat, it has a built in hood to protect your ears, neck, and back of your head from the sun and the fabric boasts a UPF 50+ rating. simmsfishing.com, frontierflyfishing.co.za

PATAGONIA - SWIFTCURRENT WADING JACKET

There’s something immensely satisfying about not giving a damn what the weather apps say, not because you don’t care about how the various systems will affect the fishing, but because you’re prepared for any conditions. That confidence comes with good gear and this versatile jacket is a prime example. The 4-layer, waterproof/breathable H2No® Performance Standard shell has a 15-denier circular-knit slick jersey backer for added comfort and performance, a waterproof/breathable barrier and a PFC-free DWR finish (durable water repellent coating that does not contain perfluorinated chemicals). Two low-profile, front-zip pockets fit fly boxes; zippered handwarmer pockets are positioned for deep wading and feature flap covers for back-of-hand comfort and the easily adjustable, vented hood and integrated collar provide maximum protection in heavy weather and high winds (plus it is designed to be worn over almost any hat). Watertight, adjustable cuffs keep your arms dry when releasing fish and the recessed design eliminates line snag. Put simply, this is a jacket to go to war in. patagonia.com, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

SIMMS - SOLARVENT HOODY

When it’s hotter than Hades out there, you need kit that keeps you as cool as possible. The SolarVent Hoody offers UPF 50+ sun protection with the ideal combination of highly breathable panels to disperse heat while keeping you cool with a comfortable UPF50+ jersey knit that stretches comfortably when you move and wicks away sweat. The built in hood protects your ears, neck, and the back of your head from the sun’s rays so you are less likely to have to get things burnt off you further down the line. simmsfishing.com, frontierflyfishing.co.za

“WHEN IT’S HOTTER THAN HADES OUT THERE, YOU NEED KIT THAT KEEPS YOU AS COOL AS POSSIBLE.”

“PUT SIMPLY, THIS IS A JACKET TO GO TO WAR IN.”

LATEST RELEASES SALAD BAR

RIO - ELITE TARPON FLY LINE

Set your sights on poons this year? Then you need a line that can take that kind of power. Rio’s Elite Tarpon line with their signature durable SlickCast coating is made for effortless casting and accurate presentation, turning over typical tarpon flies with ease. It features a long back taper for fast, second shot casts, a low stretch “DirectCore” for hard, solid strip sets and Rio’s SureFire tricolored measuring system for increased accuracy and distance control. farbank.com, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

SKITCH - OVERLAND COOLER BOXES

Like watches that can go to 100m underwater, we are unlikely to ever let ice last for seven days in a cooler, but it’s good to know that it can be done. Skitch’s 42L Rugged Cooler is one such cooler that qualifies for the job. The fully insulated rugged design features refrigerator grade seals, an easy to clean finish, pivot latches, wire basket, cutting board/ divider, seamless hinges, stainless steel bottle opener, locking points and adjustable pull handles. It also comes with a wire basket insert, a pressure relief valve, a cutting board/ divider and a cup holder. At 70,5 × 44,5 × 43,5 cm, it weighs 12kg before you put your beer in it. skitch.co.za, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

SCIENTIFIC ANGLERS – SWITCH TIPPET HOLDER

Picture this. You have a fish (or the almost imperceptible signs of a fish) in sight, but the conditions are tricky and you really cannot afford to take your eyes off it. You also need to re-rig your leader. If you had to dig around in pockets, checking and re-checking whether you had 5x or 7x in hand, that would be problematic, but because you got Scientific Angler’s Switch Tippet Holder, it’s easy. You know exactly how your spools of tippet sit sequentially across your chest pack or vest so without looking down you can pull out a section, cut it on the tippet’s in-built blade and re-tie the leader. The Switch Tippet Holder’s unique design lets you choose either a horizontal or vertical orientation on your sling pack, vest or boat bag. With a powder coated aluminium construction, they hold up to eight spools of tippet. scientificanglers.com, frontierflyfishing.co.za

SOLDARINI - TACTICAL EURO NYMPH FLY LINE

While you can nymph a bit with WF or DT lines, if you are trying to unleash any modern nymphing approaches you’re really going to want a super thin nymphing line. With a diameter of only 0,55mm and a consistent taper over the entire 90 foot line except for the tip which is 0,22mm, Soldarini’s new ultralight line is made expressly for the job. Totally memoryless (like our art director Boderick after most Friday nights) and featuring a special slick coat, that latest version comes in a camo and black colour. Covers line classes 0-5-weight. soldariniflytackle.net, xfactorangling.co.za

ORVIS - BATTENKILL FLY REELS

Every tackle collection warrants a few classics and it doesn’t get more classic than a traditional click-and-pawl reel like Orvis’s Battenkill. Though it may be old-school, the design is still smart, with the narrow spool meaning less line stacking, a large diameter spool for high retrieval rates and an ultralight weight for use with small stream rods. Machined from heavy-duty bar-stock aluminium, Battenkill reels feature laser-engraved logos and are easily adjustable for left or right hand retrieves. orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

MAXIA - XS EURO NYMPHING RODS

You know how the Euro Nymphing crowd take nerding out over clobber to the next level and tend to unearth elite brands most of us have never heard of? Well, the Euro Nymphing comp guys at X-Factor Angling are super excited about Maxia. Handmade in Spain, these are billed as some of the best nymphing rods available and are hugely popular with top competitive anglers in Europe. The designers of these rods go granular with what they call

“multisegment” design, manufacturing each section by adjusting each centimetre for the function it must perform on the rod while ensuring a perfect transition between sections. Each Maxia SX rod uses five types of ultra-high modulus and high resistance fibres and two types of resins, incorporated to both lighten the blanks and increase their resistance. That means limited energy losses in the flexion and extension cycles and a greater responsiveness. maxiarods.com, xfactorangling.co.za

SOLDARINI - S-POWER ELITE COMPETITION & TOURNAMENT

Another Euro brand brought in by X-Factor, this time from Piedmont, Italy, is Soldarini and their S-Power Elite Competition fluorocarbon and Tournament monofilament. The S-Power fluorocarbon is remarkable in that it somehow manages to be invisible in water, incredibly resistant to abrasion and the effects of UV rays and yet it is also exceptionally soft and knot-resistant. The Tournament monofilament is resistant to traction beyond the most extreme limits and has virtually no memory. That means more natural presentations, making it great for all dry fly fishing techniques. soldariniflytackle.net, xfactorangling.co.za

ORVIS - CLEARWATER FLY ROD OUTFIT

New to fly fishing? Or perhaps you’ve been around the block but are looking to get a good value all-rounder to cover most bases. Either way, it’s hard to beat Orvis’s Clearwater Fly Rod Outfit that includes a Vermont-designed Clearwater fly rod, fly reel, fly Line and backing. Whether you opt for a dry fly friendly 4-weight, a do-it-all 5-weight for bigger rivers and stillwaters or a 7-weight for everything from heavy fresh to light salt - from medium-action small stream rods to medium-fast freshwater rods and fast-action big game rods, Clearwater rods are designed with a purpose-built profiles and actions. orvis.com, flyfishing.co.za

“MAXIA ARE BILLED AS SOME OF THE BEST NYMPHING RODS AVAILABLE AND ARE HUGELY POPULAR WITH TOP COMPETITIVE ANGLERS IN EUROPE.”

LATEST RELEASES SALAD BAR

TONIC - EYE WEAR

Xplorer Fly Fishing has some new frames in stock from Ozzie Sunnie supremos Tonic as worn by trail-running fly fishing director of African Waters Keith Clover on page 82. For people with regular heads, the Wave is made for comfort and fashion, perfect for both casual and extreme scenarios. Then there’s the Titan. Titans were the giants of the ancient Greek world, so that’s Tonic being subtle about their XL frames and essentially saying you have A MASSIVE MELON. But even Noddy need sunnies right? These generous frames combine a modern square front with long

flexible arms for people with GIGANTIC CRANIUMS. For both the Wave and Titans, you can take your pick of glass lenses from photochromic grey and copper to blue/green mirror. xplorerflyfishing.co.za

WAPSI - MOP CHENILLE

Purists hate them, but there’s no denying that along with their sneaky brethren, the squirmy wormy, mop flies are incredibly effective. Whether they really imitate a larvae, a worm or just a soggy NikNak, they work. Wapsi’s Mop Chenille is specifically designed for these flies. Simply wrap it around a bodkin, twist it into an extended body, tie it in behind a bead on your hook, work in some dubbing and you’re ready to mop up fish. wapsifly.net, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

THE MISSION – REEL POUCHES

Bored of the same old reel pouches? Or, perhaps you have loose reels that really need a home? Our premium neoprene reel pouches will not only protect your precious reels when they are not in use, but by sporting The Mission’s Tailgunner Grunter and yella Fella embroidered badges, they will do it in style. This 100% neoprene pouch sits in the Goldlocks Zone fitting most reels from 3-weight, up to 9/10-weight (e.g. Shilton SR9). It will be too roomy for tiny small stream reels and too tight for behemoth saltwater reels (e.g. 12-15-weight). themissionflymag.com/shop

DEEP WANTS PAY DAY

A ROOM WITH A VIEW AND A BOOK FOR YOUR COFFEE TABLE

THE BOOK – THE FISH OF A LIFETIME

Whether you’ve seen him somewhere on social media, spotted his face in a fishing magazine or even bumped into him on destination, UK-based fly fishing photojournalist Matt Harris is one of fly fishing’s most instantly recognisable faces, mainly because he is always grinning from ear to ear. That’s because he is usually holding a massive fish, whether an incredible Atlantic salmon caught in Norway, a slob of a GT in the Seychelles, Arapaima in the Amazon or Permit in Cuba. Christopher Hitchins famously said, “Everybody has a book in them, but in most cases that’s where it should stay.” When it comes to high-end coffee table books, Matt’s The Fish of A Lifetime would definitely be the exception to that. Spanning 656 pages and 42 chapters, through his anecdotes and phenomenal imagery Matt takes us through the adventures he has had in the 40 countries he has visited to target over 30 species with a fly rod. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. Get it as a gift to yourself or for someone else who needs inspiration to add a few more places and species to their bucket list. Chances are (if you manage to make any of these trips happen)… you too will be sporting that same ear-to-ear grin. thefishofalifetime.com

THE TENT – ALU-CAB GEN 3-R ROOFTOP TENT

New year new you, right? New adventures, new missions, new species, new destinations… You know what will make all that a lot easier? A car camping solution that takes seconds to set up and take down. The latest iteration of Alu-Cab’s rooftop tent is a brilliant option expressly designed to take exploration to the next level in style. The feature-rich new Gen-3R sports a updated look which gives extra rigidity to the tent, includes a heater vent and solar panel input as standard features and at 76kgs weighs less than ever. And yes, it still has all the previous bells and whistles, like side rain covers, a spec-built telescopic ladder, single zip opening doors, zippable rear awning, a comfy 75mm high-density foam mattress with zip-off cover, a raised air vent and a 3D breathable mesh to reduce condensation, a hard-shell structure that can carry additional gear (e.g. SUP, solar panels, camping table or mountain bikes), a gas-strut assisted pop-up design for stupidly fast assembly, storage pockets, USB and plug points, internal lighting and a whole lot more. Simply put, if you do not have to, why rough it? This tent not only offers comfort, convenience and elite functionality, but it’s also designed to withstand the elements whether you are chasing muskie in Arctic cold or yellows in the scorching heat of the Richtersveld. alu-cab.com

Alu-Cab’s new tent does not include a hungover Andre van Wyk. You pay extra for that.

Brendan Body and Kimba testing the new Mission 5 panel, leervis at Zandvlei. Photo Brett Bellairs.

WHAT’S IN MY BAG

THE TRAIL RUNNER

DIRECTOR OF AFRICAN WATERS, KEITH CLOVER , LOVES TRAIL RUNNING ALMOST AS MUCH AS HE LOVES FLY FISHING AND FREQUENTLY GETS TO COMBINE THE TWO. HERE’S WHAT HE PACKS FOR COMBO TRAIL/FISH SESSIONS.

Growing up in a running and fly-fishing family, the two activities have gone hand in hand since I was a kid. Spending time at the Makhangoa Community Camp on the Bokong River in Lesotho allows me the opportunity to combine both passions. With my time in camp normally allocated to operations, guides’ training, guiding sometimes and community work, fitting in a morning or afternoon session of running and fly fishing allows me to keep my sanity and tick two boxes at the same time. An added bonus is that it allows me to get to waters others don’t fish very often, or that need overnight treks to reach. I suggest you get your arse into gear and give it a go. Beer is much sweeter after a run.

PACK LIST:

Rod: I fish a 9-foot 4-weight ECHO Trout most of the time, but also a tiny 6’9” 3-weight ECHO River Glass. Rods are broken down when running to the beat where I fish, so length is not important. The 4-weight covers more bases so is more practical. The 3-weight is more fun.

Reel: Shilton CR2 – light and world class smooth drag to protect light tippets.

Line: Scientific Anglers Mastery Trout

Tippet: Scientific Anglers Absolute Clear Trout

Keith Clover, his hound Luna and a smalmouth yellowfish from the Bokong.

Flies

: Balbyter #14 and #16 GUN for the Bokong

Trail shoes: Inov8 TrailTalon 290 for longer runs or Inov8 X Talon 210 for shorter wet/muddy runs. The sticky rubber on these shoes can’t be beat. Perfect shoe for in and out of the water. All my old trail running shoes become my fishing shoes for all wet wading.

Socks: not too fussy. If I can find a matching pair, I will use them. Normally Falke or Versus

Shorts: Patagonia Strider 5-inch. The multiple elasticated pouches around the waist are a winner. I keep tippet and floatant in these when I fish.

Shirt: either Patagonia Capilene Cool Trail Shirt (more running less fishing) or Patagonia Tropic Comfort Hoodie (more fishing less running).

Jacket: Patagonia Torrent Shell Jacket. Rolls up tight and takes up little space, but it is still properly waterproof.

Pack: Salomon S Lab 12. This is the same pack I use for ultras. It is overkill for shorter run/fishing missions but, when fly fishing, the 12l storage offers more than enough room for rain gear, snacks and tackle. These packs also offer lots of options for securing your rod when running. I don’t use a hydration bladder. I prefer to run with two 500ml soft flasks which I top up with river water.

Cap: I used to run in a Patagonia Duck bill (peak or visor), but now prefer a wide brimmed quick dry hat. The K-Way quick dry version has a stiff brim which keeps its shape when wet as well as in the wind, and I really like this. They come in different sizes, so I can get one that fits my little pip

Sun cream: Island Tribe Face Stick. It’s easy to reapply and doesn’t leak in the bag. Nice and small.

Nosh: Tailwind (tailwindnutrition.co.za. This stuff is a game changer. Calories and electrolytes in one (so you don’t need to carry food), but I like to eat when I fish, so I will generally have some of the following stashed somewhere in my pack - nuts, dry wors and apples.

Miscellaneous: Vaseline for chafe and some loose bog roll (not many leafy trees in Lesotho). Apart from the obvious, it’s good for cleaning sun glasses and drying flies. Zip lock for phone. Space blanket and a whistle (these stay in my running packs).

Sunnies: Tonic – Green Mirror

Fridge: Not fussy on the make, as long as it is on, and beers are in it before you leave on your run.

Top Tip: It’s important to keep tackle to a minimum. Small fly box, 12-foot 4X tapered leaders. 5X and 6X tippet, floatant and strike indicator.

ENTER THE BOKONG FLYATHON

Do you like beer? Do you like to fly fish? Can you run (sort of)? If you answered yes to two or more of the above, then you need to enter the inaugural African Waters Makhangoa Community Camp Flyathon. An elite, invite only, fund-raising event to be held at the African Waters’ Makhangoa Community Camp in Lesotho, entries are limited to 20 ‘athletes’ only.

The goal: To raise funds to build a new foot bridge for the Makhangoa Primary School.

When:  Sat 18th – Tues 21 March 2023 (Sat to Tuesday. Tuesday is a public holiday).

How it works:

- You need to bring beer (start and finish of the triathlon).

- You need to run a set 20km trail run along the Bokong River (second part of triathlon).

- You need to catch fish en route (fly fishing only) (3rd part of triathlon).

Start time: 08h00 on Sunday the 19th

Cut off time: 14h00 on the 19th

The event will be timed. For every centimetre of fish caught, 30 seconds will be deducted from your finish time. i.e. if you catch two fish of 30cm and 60cm between starting and finishing the run (90cm of fish), you will have 45minutes deducted from your time. So, technically, you could be a slow, fat bastard, but a wizard angler and still win the race, because the runner/angler with the best calculated time wins.

ENTRY:

Minimum buy-in is R4500.00 for the 3-night stay (Includes catering and accommodation).

Entries will be awarded to top 20 bids over R4,500.00 – i.e. if you bid R100,000.00 you will probably get in.

Sat and Monday – free fishing, chilling, drinking beer with mates time.

Prizes from: Shilton, YETI, Patagonia, Echo, Scientific Anglers

Contact mark@africanwaters.net to secure your spot.

LIFER

MR WHISKERS

LOVER OF UNFASHIONABLE FLY TARGETS LIKE CATFISH AND GRASS CARP, IN HIS FLY FISHING AND FLY-TYING TASTES, VETERAN GAUTENG GUIDE TERRY BABICH MARCHES TO THE BEAT OF HIS OWN DRUM.

A

Photos. Terry Babich

A typical day starts with me making my wife coffee in the morning so I can go fishing. Otherwise, it’s an early start to meet clients near the best fishing water, a day spent guiding and then a long trip home. If I am not fishing, I will be on social media first thing in the morning then tying flies for the rest of the day.

I fish all over but the Vaal dam would probably be where I spend the most time. I like to stalk the shallows of this huge expanse of water searching for catfish disturbing the water surface or looking for signs of carp and grass carp between the grass on rising water levels surrounded by grassland or ploughed fields.

When it comes to the best advice I have ever been given, two things come to mind. “Surround yourself by the best” and “take a walk around yourself “. I guess I use those two as an excuse to go fishing, always trying something different or looking for someone to fish with.

The first fish I remember wasn’t a fly-caught fish. I was probably about ten years-old and caught an 8kg catfish on bait. That started the obsession, I guess.

I have lived mostly in Gauteng,  Johannesburg and Boksburg. But I also lived near Nelspruit for a short time and went to boarding school at Settlers Agriculture High School in what was then the Far Northern Transvaal.

After school I worked as a print machine apprentice then a die cutter machine operator. I worked as a production planner then as a manager in an envelope and stationery manufacturing company. Then followed production manager in two automotive companies and five years as a fishing tackle shop manager between those. Currently I work as a self-employed fishing guide and fly tier.

I would say I am most proud of qualifying for the senior Protea fly fishing team for the first time back in 2009 and winning a session this year at the Masters World Fly Fishing Championships.

My party trick is to do a disappearing act and go fishing. It’s very difficult to get me to a party unless it’s a funeral or a wedding and at my age few of my friends are getting married.

I believe things come through hard work so nothing comes naturally. Even today, I practise my fishing, casting, drifts whatever I think needs working on. As for the rest of life, just paying attention requires a conscious effort. I have SASS - Short Attention Span Syndrome.

“SURROUND YOURSELF BY THE BEST” AND “TAKE A WALK AROUND YOURSELF “

It’s hard to say what the most satisfying fish I ever caught was, but I appreciate every grass carp I catch. Each one is special and hard earned.

When not balanced by a fly rod you will only find Coca Cola or coffee in my hand.

I don’t have any survival skills that I am conscious of, but I do not fish when there is lightning (ed: a handy skill if you live on the Highveld).

I would love to become a better dry fly angler, but being as blind as a bat doesn’t help. Normally my much younger brother, Tim, has to spot my bites for me on a long cast or in fading light. When it comes to my technical fishing skills, I am a bit of ‘bull in a china shop’ type of fisherman.

The best way best to face one’s fears is to just do it head on. Don’t wait.

Before I die, I want to live a lot longer doing what I am currently doing. I have to be one of the luckiest people in the world.

Fishing has given me so much. The wealth of travel and experiences has not changed, but I used to be besotted with high numbers of catches. I still like to catch a lot but I

like to teach others what I have learned and see them get a little bit of what I get from fishing. My dad always said he progressed from the quantitative stage to the qualitative stage of life as he got older.

If I could change anything in fly fishing, it would be to make it affordable to all, to let all facets of fly fishing think equally of each other and to make people protect what we have. The days of our fishing waters and stocks are numbered. It’s scary.

Looking back on my life, if there is anything I would have done differently, it is that I would have played more sport and studied further.

Things I have changed my mind about include tackle, drifts, flies and everything else. Fishing is a moving target and my views and opinions change all the time as influences and knowledge changes. Life is the same - you can’t get stuck on who and what you were when you were young. It’s normally all about the money and then you die before you have lived. Live now, enjoy your life and when you’re old, at least you will have the memories, because material things lose value as you age.

The last fish I caught was a smallmouth yellowfish of over 4kgs two days ago.

“I

POP QUIZ

SECRET AGENT OR FALL GUY? PHILOSOPHER OR FOOL? PITCH PERFECT OR TONE DEAF? TAKE OUR RAPID-FIRE QUIZ TO SEE IF YOUR WITS ARE AS SHARP AS YOUR HOOKS.

1. Aside from creating James Bond, author Ian Fleming is also responsible for (page 12)?

A. Editing The Telegraph

B. Modernizing the cricket bat.

C. Using fly fishing principles to fool Nazis.

D. Writing Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.

E. Saying, “I say” before saying something.

2. What was Garden Route guru LeRoy Botha offered in return for divulging his intellectual property on local waters? (page 22)

A. A pub lunch at The Bell in Belvedere.

B. A guided day out on his own waters.

C. A handjob and a garage pie.

D. A day pass to Monkeyland.

3. What did fellow guide and mentor Wayne Haselau have to say to Stu Webb? (page 24)

A. “If no mistake you have made Stewie, losing you are. A different game you should play.”

B. “Stewie, happiness is the feeling that power increases - that resistance is being overcome.”

C. “The unexamined life is not worth living, Stewie.”

D. “Stewie, remember your strength is your weakness.”

E. “Man is born free, Stewie, and is everywhere in chains.”

4. When invited to a Korean karaoke evening, 6’6” Stephan Dombaj sang, (page 52)?

A. PSY’s Gangnam Style.

B. Alphaville’s Big in Japan.

C. Johnny Cash’s Tall Man.

D. Korn’s Freak on a Leash.

E. Radiohead’s Creep.

5. Shadrack Malimbo was (Page 40)?

A. Tanzania’s first restaurant reviewer for The Citizen newspaper.

B. Mayor of Dar es Salaam from 1993-1998.

C. The legendary Taifa Stars striker of the 1980s.

D. The “Prophet” of Dodoma.

6. The Bokong Flyathlon involves which disciplines (page 96)?

A. Running, mountain biking and swimming.

B. Donkey racing, Euro Nymphing and zol smoking.

C. Motocross, wife-carrying and gurning.

D. Beer drinking, trail running and fly fishing.

E. Poohsticks, snorkeling and the beer mile.

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

YOU CAN DO EEEET! Stu Webb gives Ron Jeremy a Wayne Haselau-inspired pep talk (page 24).

S A V I N G S A N

CONSERVING SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST

N D F I S H

MOST THREATENED MIGRATORY FRESHWATER FISH

Photo: Jeremy Shelton Co-founder Fishwater Films