The Mission Fly Fishing Magazine Issue #41

is not an FAILURE

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Photo: Karlie Roland descends a goats-only trail in Argentina. Bryan Gregson © 2023 Patagonia, Inc.

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Orvis’s Jackie Kutzer picking pockets in Upstate NY under the watchful eye of Cross Currents Guide Service’s Anita Coulton.

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40. THE WILGE - HOW TO KILL A RIVER

In March 2022, the Wilge River was poisoned due to a mass influx of acid mine drainage from an abandoned coal mine upstream. More than a year later, Matt Kennedy investigated what’s been done about it.

48. OUT OF FRAME

When he’s not putting out award-winning graphic novels and exhibitions, celebrated French comic artist Christophe Chabouté can usually be found travelling around France in his custom-built fly fishing van. We chat to him about solitude, comics, art, fly tying, and why he never takes photos with fish.

62. LAPLAND

Jess McGlothlin explores Swedish Lapland with two locals, chasing grayling under the light of the midnight sun, fighting exhaustion and craving… ice cream?

76. LORD MONTE

Brent Flack-Davison chats to author Monte Burke about his own fishing, his book, Lords of the Fly , and the heyday of Florida’s golden age of tarpon fly fishing.

84. DINGO’S REVENGE

At the inaugural meeting of the “kumbaya crew”, Stu Webb, Matt Born and Eugene Pawlowski descend on Cape York in Far North Queensland for phenomenal fishing (anak permit, golden trevally and barramundi) and a fair amount of beer.

Cover: The fish of our dreams. Art by Christophe Chabouté

The dorsal fin of an Arctic grayling.

Photo. Jess McGlothlin

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.

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FROM GOOD TO GRETA

There’s a few lines in the new Patagonia film Tom*, about legendary steelhead activist Tom Derry, which I’d like to share with you.

Tom says, “I think it’s important for all anglers to get involved in conservation. In reality we all want the same thing, we want more fish. I think a good conservationist could be a lot of different things. A lot of it is about what time you have. Rivers and fish need friends and I think you have to connect with the rivers and the fish to be a friend. Everyone should care about something. Doesn’t matter if it’s fish, if it’s wilderness, if it’s anything. People should get involved. They will feel a lot better with themselves rather than just sitting on the sidelines reading about it in the paper. Once you get involved, at least you are making an effort. It kind of clears your head and you decide how far you want to go with it. My late friend Bruce Hill always said that ‘activism is the rent that you pay for living on the planet’. I just have to think that if everyone paid a little bit of rent, the world would be a much better place.”

I watched Tom, just before we went to print with this issue, but as I looked over the features I could see his point again and again in the wildly varied places and the personalities within. In our Troubled Waters feature on the Wilge River and its yellowfish species (pg 40), angler Garth Wellman has taken up the cudgel to fight back and call to account toxic pollution from mining company Thungela. As Tom Derry says, rivers and fish need friends.

That sentiment pops up again in our High Fives with Moroccan guide Karim Boutellaka (pg 32), who sees a large part of his job as having to educate the younger generation about conservation. It also comes through in our interview with Lords of the Fly author Monte Burke (pg 76) as he talks about the environmental degradation of Florida from the heydays of tarpon fishing to the sporadic throwback flashes anglers get to experience today. Florida governor Ron DeSantis (who has earned a D- environmental record from environmental organisation The Sierra Club) and many of his predecessors have a lot to answer for. So do voters.

For many of us, it’s hard to fathom how you can “be an activist” when it takes so much time and energy just to pay the bills, feed the family, and find a few gaps to fish. These are regular life pressures touched on in our interview with French comic artist Christophe Chabouté (pg 42) and our

Lifer Jannie Visser (pg 118). But... I guess this is where Tom Derry and his friend Bruce Hill’s comments make the biggest impact. Activism starts with caring about something. Thousands of kilometres apart, Garth (the Wilge), Karim (the rivers of the Atlas mountains), Monte (the four big rivers emptying into Florida Bay), Christophe (the rivers of the Dordogne), and Jannie (Strand reefs), all care deeply about their local fisheries.

What about you? Do you care about a damaged river like the Wilge or another fishery? What about a specific threatened fish like Islamorada tarpon? If you do, that’s a start. Keep fishing, keep caring, because the more you do those things, the more likely you are to get involved in some way. That’s Bruce Hill’s kicker – the rent owed by all of us for living on this incredible planet. You can pay it through volunteering your time at river clean-ups or just attending crucial stakeholder AGMs. Perhaps you are loaded and can donate to a cause like FOSAF (Federation of South African Flyfishers), the Saving Sandfish project, or the Bonefish Tarpon Trust. Maybe it’s just by speaking up and disinvesting from companies that harm the environment or voting for leaders and movements who prioritise protecting it.

Whatever shape it takes, you probably already know how you can do your bit.

*Watch Tom at patagonia.com

CONTACT

THE MISSION

The Mission Fly Fishing Magazine for Soutie Press (Pty) Ltd 25 Firth Road, Rondebosch, 7700, Cape Town, South Africa

info@themissionflymag.com www.themissionflymag.com

EDITOR

Tudor Caradoc-Davies

ART DIRECTOR

Brendan Body

EDITOR AT LARGE

Conrad Botes

CONTENT COORDINATOR

Matt Kennedy

COPY EDITOR

Gillian Caradoc-Davies

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Ingrid Sinclair

ADVERTISING SALES

tudor@themissionflymag.com

CONTRIBUTORS #41

Ichiro Takeuchi, Karim Boutellaka, Matt Kennedy, Garth Wellman, Christophe Chabout, Jess McGlothlin, Brent Flack-Davison, Gordon van der Spuy, Chris Bateman, Stanton Bevan Hector, Platon Trakoshis, Jannie Visser

PHOTOGRAPHERS #41

Ichiro Takeuchi, Karim Boutellaka, Cavan Osborne, Leonard Flemming, Christophe Chabout, Jess McGlothlin, Monte Burke, Gordon van der Spuy, Chris Bateman, Matt Kennedy, Jannie Visser

Though the bear had in fact defecated in many woods, he preferred not to discuss it with everyone else. Artwork. Christophe Chabouté

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NEW BOOTS, A BAKGAT BAKKIE, BOOKS, A GUTTER, A FESTIVAL AND THAT DAMNED CATFISH.

DROOL OVER...

...PATAGONIA’S NEW FORRA WADING BOOTS. Usually there’s a trade-off between boots that are good for the walk in and those that are good for your wet wading. The Forra, Patagonia’s much-anticipated collab with Italian boot brand Fitwell, claims to cover both. So what can you expect from this all-black, high ankle, sturdy stomper? For starters, at 1.16kg (41 ounces) it’s surprisingly light. With the foundation of a grippy Vibram Mars sole and durable Hexabase lugs, it gives you a wide contact area for wet grip and dry traction. The EVA midsole is designed for durability, comfort, shock absorption and all-day support. The hard-wearing Cordura mesh uppers are quick-drying and quick-draining, and don’t add unneeded ounces. An adjustable web lacing system provides a secure fit in critical situations on or off the water. Overall, these boots look to offer enhanced ankle and toe-box protection and lightweight stability for all manner of technical approaches, scrambling, and boulder-filled wading conditions. patagonia.com

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...WITH XPLORER’S FISH GUTTER. This nifty pimped PVC piping is the perfect accoutrement to anyone with access to a trophy trout dam. Instead of awkwardly handling (and damaging) lunkers, simply net them and, when you want to know just how big they are so you can boast accurately later, slip them into the gutter for measurement. No mess, no fuss. xplorerflyfishing.co.za

THIS IS NOT A DRILL…

…IT’S FEATHERS TIME which is your opportunity to win The Mission’s ever-so prestigious Feathers Award. If you’ve caught an interesting fish on the African continent (size, difficulty, and rarity all count), then submit your entry now. Judged by our supreme court of experts, the winner will be announced in January 2024. Send entries to info@themissionflymag.com

“THE PERFECT ACCOUTREMENT TO ANYONE WITH ACCESS TO A TROPHY TROUT DAM.”

THAT’S NOT A TOY…

…IT’S A TOYOTA. Avast land lubbers! There’s a new Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series on the horizon. Hitting that sweet spot between diesel monkey/jungle jockey and captain of industry, this is the vehicle that screams (or roars, thanks to the V8), “Fuggayobugatti, I can go where I choose.” It will be made available in the tried and trusted 151kW/430Nm 4.5-litre V8 turbodiesel, and also the more

modern 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine (same as the one you find in the Prado, Fortuner and Hilux). Six-speed automatic transmission delivering torque to all four wheels comes standard, but expect upgrades to the dash including a 6.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a new instrument cluster and a restyled centre console. toyota.co.za

OUT WITH THE OLD… …AND IN WITH A NEW take on graphite fly rod mechanics. For the longest time, fly rods have been made hollow and round, following on from the original Tonkin cane, through to fibreglass and graphite designs. Japanese jeweller Sou Maruyama’s company Solid Octagon derives its name from their signature solid graphite eight-sided fly rod. The theory is that the octagonal shape allows for increased force output in the casting plane, while being able to resist the 360 degrees of force from a fish. They claim their solid octagon shaft is lightweight, flexible, and extremely powerful. Paradigm shift? We’re set to test one so we’ll let you know... solid-octagon.myshopify.com

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...THE CAPE PISCATORIAL SOCIETY RIVER FEST. One of the best events on the SA fly fishing calendar, at the CPS River Fest guests descend on Du Kloof Lodge in the Limietberg to fish the club’s rivers – the Smalblaar/ Molenaars, the Elandspad and the Holsloot – while being guided by Protea anglers, professionals, and grizzled veterans. Prizes, hijinks and braaivleis at night. Space is limited to 32 guest spots so do not snooze on this. piscator.co.za

“ONE OF THE BEST EVENTS ON THE SA FLY FISHING CALENDAR.”

THE BOOK - COOKING ON FIRE

So you can braai or BBQ, but perhaps you want to elevate your game beyond the odd tanned chop? Take a leaf or three out of Eva and Nicolai Tram’s new book, Cooking on Fire. Eva (a sommelier and food critic) and Nicolai (a chef at fine-dining restaurants) discovered a passion for cooking on fire after moving their family from Copenhagen to the Swedish woods, where they subsequently opened Knystaforsen, a Michelin-star restaurant with campfire cooking as the core of the kitchen. Cooking on Fire takes you through drool-worthy recipes with varying degrees of simplicity/difficulty and include details right down to the type of fire-building technique they recommend for each dish (e.g. log cabin, Swedish torch, rakovalkea aka Viking technique). gestalten.com

THE OTHER BOOK - CATCH A CRAYFISH, COUNT THE STARS

Instead of the doom scrolling TikTok alternative, do you want your kids to grow up with a love for (and understanding of) nature, a lust for adventure and a wilderness skillset the envy of Davy Crockett? Check out Catch a Crayfish, Count the Stars from Meateater’s Steven Rinella, which will give you and kids 8 years-plus projects and activities ranging from building a bug hotel to stalking wild animals, foraging and fishing, growing fruit and veg, reading weather patterns and navigating using the stars. themeateater.com

THE BABER SCOPE

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

Virgo (The Virgin) August 23 – September 22

Dear, sweet Virgo, shackled to practicality and reason. I have read the chicken livers of fortune and I have bad news for you. Not only are humans sleepwalking into climate catastrophe and switching off the very rational response to panic by ignoring all flashing warning signs in the name of profit and economic growth, but there’s more dumbfuckery afoot. For the next six months, you will be skunked by fish that simply refuse to play by the rules you love so much. Your approach may be stealthy, your drifts and presentation perfect, but these fish will remain tight-lipped. Sorry, sometimes things don’t make sense.

Libra (Balance) September 23 – October 23

Challenges lie ahead my Lib-bras. You may be known for your ubuntu-led aweh-ness about all things fishing, but what will you do when a bull-headed Taurus rampages onto your beat, catches that fish you’ve been puzzling for eons and leaves a steamer on your favourite rock? What if a crab-pincered Cancer finagles Flexos out of your flats box? Will you turn the other cheek and invoke cosmic balance or unleash all hell to balance the scales of justice? Everyone’s a little tetchy these days, including you, so be vigilant. Rod-rage is just one minor incident away.

“ELEVATE YOUR GAME BEYOND THE ODD TANNED CHOP.”

“DO YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO GROW UP WITH A LOVE FOR (AND UNDERSTANDING OF) NATURE, A LUST FOR ADVENTURE AND A WILDERNESS SKILLSET THE ENVY OF DAVY CROCKETT?”

THE ROAD TO ZINGELA

ON A FISHING-ORIENTED FAMILY BREAK, CHRIS BATEMAN TACKLES ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS ACCESS ROADS (AND A SELECTION OF STANDARD-SIZED POTHOLES) TO A FABLED SOUTH AFRICAN FLY FISHING DESTINATION. HE DID IT IN STYLE IN THE NEW HYUNDAI TUCSON N LINE.

Photos. Rob Kyle, Chris Bateman

Pink dawns, warm days, good people, easy travel, multiple and varied stunning angling vistas. These are the things that drew me to the remote upper Thukela River and Sani Valley Lake near Himeville in KwaZulu-Natal early this July.

Don’t mention SA’s Cold War with the West, the linked Ukrainian drama, or the much-debated book, Fishing Yourself Single, in this context. They’re all works in progress. A work colleague and fellow trout fisher left me a voice message early today saying he’d get back to me as he was driving en famille back from Dullstroom and no, family duties had prevented him from throwing a line. Unfortunately, my wife heard it and made the obvious comparisons. As I said, work in progress…

There’s a photo my brother took at Sani Valley Lake that satirically illustrates some of my previous angling forays. It’s one of me holding a stuffed 3kg rainbow trout alongside fruitlessly thrashed waters. In other words, the antithesis of what you’re accustomed to reading about in this magazine. I’m rolling the dice on there being some readers of The Mission who’ll empathise with my nearly two weeks of incredibly varied angling with just one 14” Thukela scaley to show for it from Zingela Safari and River Company’s nearly 20km stretch of pristine, untouched river wilderness. It was caught on an Ed Herbst-tied No 14 hot spot Simulid nymph.

Witnessing my wild-bearded, sun-wrinkled, 75-year-old uncle, Zingela’s founder and co-owner, Markham Calverley, wade a near-freezing, deep Thukela rapid with nothing but a shirt on

to get to the prime casting spot, put me to shame. Higher up, towards an even colder Underberg, Sani Valley Lake’s pristine 104 hectares regularly provide four-to-five-and-a-half-kilogram trout, especially off the spawning banks in winter. Don’t ask. After wriggling out of my waders and starting my car to leave I saw just one giant swirl. Two hours later… still nada.

I do have an excuse. There was cold water everywhere I tried. Markham will tell you that in mid-to-late September you can catch and release 14 scaleys before lunch, some of up to 3kg, if you get there before the first summer rains discolour the water.

I got there in a turbo-charged Hyundai Tucson N Line 2 litre diesel job, whose 482.6mm diameter wheels and 181mm clearance put paid to my anxiety at over 35km of rough track I’d previously believed could only be tackled in a serious 4x4. And yes, I stayed in journalistic integrity by taking the humps and rocks at a snail’s pace and at serious angles, using my wheels and clearance to successful effect. The preset terrain modes – Snow, Mud or Sand – help the Tucson N Line’s intelligent traction system distribute power between the front and rear wheels. Thus the car also did a sterling job of traversing newly muddied roads, even when left in its default setting. The final approach to camp took a while. Later, on this four-person family holiday, we nimbly side-stepped sudden potholes deep enough to engulf half a wheel on the 115km drive between Howick and Underberg.

This small-family luxury diesel SUV can easily be compared to a half Chernobyl brown/orange dry fly. It’s a “genuinely robust all-rounder” and it “floats” on the open road.

Different in purpose and function to a fast stripped streamer, it easily dodges taxis and potholes at speed. Sensors sound a subtle but unmistakable alarm if another vehicle (or stationary obstacle) gets dangerously close, and it automatically brakes if you come up too fast on another car or truck. The robust grunt comes from a 137kW and 416Nm turbodiesel engine, with drive sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. There is sport mode and economy mode gearing, the former a tad more fuel consumptive than the latter, but cheap at the unmistakable extra thrust gained. I found the ride silky smooth, with more than enough power in eco-mode to accelerate uphill past trundling 18-wheeler trucks.

A digital screen enables tactical navigation and progress monitoring, plus readings on fuel tank mileage left, temperature, and real-time and average fuel consumption, while a sunroof and heated (and cool-ventilated) seats are standard, and thus superbly comfortable.

All this tech talk brings to mind my cousin, Peter Calverley, who’s turning his encyclopaedic knowledge to the migration,

feeding habits, habitat, temperature, and breeding behaviour of the Natal yellowfish. He plans to tag several fish and put underwater devices downstream of several Thukela rapids to capture the data. This would eventually enable him to tell anglers exactly where to throw a line at what time of year. Cheating? Well, that fosters debate, with those who see things in black and white likely to take an entrenched position. Mine? Life is full of grey. And Peter is too much of a pantheist and environmentalist to share data that might result in disturbing nature’s delicate balance. But back to what facilitated my KZN adventure…

Blind stop and reverse camera monitoring come standard on Tucson’s latest model. Being a non-petrol head, the Sirilike voice warning of a speed camera up ahead was a costsaving delight. Lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control come standard as does tyre pressure monitoring. Our tyre pressure monitor proved accurate with a slow leak on a rear tyre, enabling us to top it up every few hundred clicks, thus avoiding a tyre change. The boot had adequate space for our three large suitcases, hand luggage, groceries, five-litre water bottles, my fishing equipment, and assorted sundries. I’ll admit some serious separation anxiety when we finally left this vehicle with the Hyundai-hired concierge at the airport.

The N Line newcomer is the only all-wheel-drive variant in the local Tucson line-up and comes in at about R800 000. This price includes a five year/150 000km vehicle warranty, seven year/200 000km drivetrain warranty and a six year/90 000km service plan.

Here’s to keeping your undercarriage clean, lines tight – and primary relationships intact.

“IT’S A ‘GENUINELY ROBUST ALL-ROUNDER’ AND IT ‘FLOATS’ ON THE OPEN ROAD.”

While the author lucked out, Rob Kyle shows the size of Scaly that can be caught at Zingela.

YAMAME

ICHIRO TAKEUCHI OF JAPANESE FLY FISHING STREETWEAR BRAND SHAKU HUNTER (SHAKU-HUNTER.COM) TELLS US ABOUT HIS NATIVE FISH AND THE FABLED “SHAKU” LENGTH ALL YAMAME ANGLERS ARE AFTER.

WHAT: Yamame (Oncorhynchus masou) are land-locked cherry salmon. In other words, cherry salmon (sakuramasu in Japanese) are sea-run yamame. Yamame are native to Japan, and need clean cold water to breed. This makes them good indicators for the health of rivers. Japanese fisheries tend to release yamame into rivers without biological certification, sometimes leading to the breeding of yamame/amago hybrids, which is a big issue.

The average yamame grows to 20cm, with few reaching over “shaku” length – the traditional Japanese unit of measurement which equals 30.3cm. A shaku yamame is trophy size, being the pinnacle of Japanese small-stream fly fishing. It’s like OMG size, although it is very rare for a yamame to grow this big in their two-year lifespan. We like to focus on fishing for these mountain stream yamame as it is both difficult and very beautiful at the same time.

WHERE: Traditionally yamame are found in Japan, but there are Korean genetic cousins that occupy certain waters in that part of Asia. Within Japan, they are found from Hokkaido to Kyushu (from the northernmost island

to the south of Japan), but the Tohoku area is best for catching larger specimens. They live in cold and clean moving water. Those found in stillwaters are called landlocked sakuramasu (cherry blossom trout), which are targeted with streamers.

HOW: Yamame are targeted mainly with dry flies. We match the hatch. Early season we use either small mayfly patterns imitating Baetis or Trico, and midge patterns. We may also use medium-sized mayfly patterns imitating brown drakes or caddis flies. In early summer we use terrestrial dry fly imitations of ants or beetles, ranging from #11 to #22. Yamame are like ninjas. They are shy fish, very selective, and super-fast to attack the fly.

WHO: Anyone can go catch yamame at any time when the Japanese river season is open, between March and September. We highly recommend going with a guide or some good local friends who know the specific rivers well. You also need a licence, which can be difficult to acquire without speaking Japanese. As of spring 2024, Shaku Hunter will start guiding foreign anglers onto our rivers.

Photos. Ichiro Takeuchi

A female yamame (above) and a big ol’ cock Shaku-sized yamame (right).

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Amago trout and yamame trout look similar (amago have small red dots) but they are genetically speciated and live in different habitats. Yamame and iwana have a distinction similar to that between brown trout and rainbow trout. Iwana, which is a species of char, live in the same habitats as yamame, but present different habits altogether. Iwana prefer slow moving water and yamame prefer faster moving water.

“WE LIKE TO FOCUS ON FISHING FOR THESE MOUNTAIN STREAM YAMAME AS IT IS BOTH DIFFICULT AND VERY BEAUTIFUL AT THE SAME TIME.”

LIFE CHANGING ANTS

IN AN EXCERPT FROM HIS NEW BOOK, THE FEATHER MECHANIC II: BEYOND THE PATTERN , GORDON VAN DER SPUY DIVES DEEP INTO THE DELICIOUS VERSATILITY OF ANT PATTERNS.

Gordon van der Spuy

Some of them broke off, the fly was coming back at pace and they were smacking it hard. I managed five fish very quickly and lost a whole lot more. Pity this discovery only took place 20 minutes before the final whistle for the session. The important thing to note here is that fish were actively feeding and enthusiastically at that. The ants had brought them up and got them feeding but ant patterns (well mine at least) were definitely not working. If what you’re throwing at them isn’t working it behoves one to make a change, even if that change might seem counterintuitive at the time. Good anglers don’t just do the same thing over and over again, they’re constantly thinking and adapting methods.

Ants are weird things. The first time I ever got stuck into a decent ant “hatch” was slap bang in the middle of our National Fly Fishing Championships in South Africa about 10 years ago. We were fishing a large stillwater called Lakenvlei in the Western Cape. The wind had died down and the surface of the lake had turned to glass. Not exactly the type of conditions you want to be in in a competition. The occasional rise could be seen at the time. After about 10 minutes the entire lake was boiling with fish feeding off the top. We looked into the water wondering what they were feeding on and then saw them, the tiniest winged ants, but tiny, #24 or smaller. I dug through my stream box which I happened to have on me at the time and dug out the smallest ant I could find. It wasn’t as small as the naturals we were seeing but it would have to do. I strung up some 8x tippet, tied the little fly on and flicked it out. Fish were rising all around us happily eating ants, the air was pregnant with possibility… I guess you know the story, it’s happened to all of us at some or other stage… Pregnant with nothing.

I twitched the ant and got a half-hearted response. My fly was rejected cast after cast as fish after fish turn their noses up at the fly even though they were still happily feeding all around us. At some stage I lost my cool, went commando and tied on a big white streamer that I roly polyd through the masses of rising fish. The response was instant with fish chasing that streamer down like orcas taking down baby seals. After that I hooked a fish on every cast.

On the Bokong River in Lesotho the situation is very different. When ants are on the wing fish throw caution to the wind and start feeding like there is no tomorrow and can be easily caught on a serviceable ant pattern, they’re also not too fussy and become somewhat user friendly. I’d heard stories of the ant hatches on this river. Every magazine article I’d ever read about the Bokong spoke of the action that accompanied these “hatches”. After five years of fishing the place however, I had only ever seen an ant “hatch” from a distance. We were returning from a day’s fishing far up in the valley and were high up on the contour path. The pool below us looked like a trout hatchery at feeding time but with the light fading fast the climb down would’ve been life threatening I was told.

Then earlier this year I found myself walking back from a day’s fishing when the same thing happened. These “hatches” can be localised to a specific pool or area so ants don’t necessarily mean that the whole river starts boiling. It all depends on where those ants are emerging from. This time I was on my own and didn’t have any guides to persuade me about the dangers of climbing down mountainsides in the near dark. By the time I got down to the pool below it was practically dark. Threading the small ant onto my tippet was challenging. I was literally doing it holding the fly up to the last embers of the setting sun. I couldn’t see much. I’d cast the fly close to me and listen for the take. There were about 100 fish rising in the vicinity of my fly so I kind of had to guess when I thought the fly had been eaten. I managed three fish in the dark and probably missed 20 more.

Photos. c/o

The next evening I made sure I was on that pool an hour earlier. I took the whole day off and just tied ants in preparation for the mayhem I suspected would take place. I tied a wide variety of patterns ranging from #12 all the way down to #24s just to make sure I had my bases covered. This kind of thinking doesn’t always work out as ants don’t “hatch” with the regularity of say midges. They tend to take to flight when conditions are just right. The chances of getting this “hatch” on consecutive evenings is never guaranteed and unlikely in most instances. Luckily for me the stars aligned and those ants did exactly what I thought they would. I sat there and enjoyed the best two hours of dry fly action of my life. As the “hatch” progressed the fish got a bit more selective regarding what they would eat. By the time I finished I was on a #24 ant on an 8x tippet. Landing big yellowfish on fine tackle and tiny flies is thrilling stuff.

“I SAT THERE AND ENJOYED THE BEST TWO HOURS OF DRY FLY ACTION OF MY LIFE.”

The nice thing about ant patterns is that there is not much to tying them. You want a pattern with a very distinct profile. In the case of ants that means two distinct body sections separated by a thin waist. The head and thorax are separate sections but I treat them as one thing because unlike the abdomen of the fly, there isn’t a drastic separation between those two body parts. Older ant patterns used to always put the hackle in between the two body segments. This never made sense to me as it seriously messed with the profile of the fly. That thin waist is a prominent trigger.

The other thing I like is for my ants to sit nice and deep in the surface film. The naturals tend to get “glued” into the meniscus when they’re drowning. To this end I’ll sometimes tie them on emerger hooks to get that abdomen to sit nice and deep in the film. Black flies can at times be a bitch to see so a post helps with spotting the fly. A parachute hackle keeps the fly nice and stable in the drift and aids flotation. A sparse halo hackle of CDC fibres under the hackle adds a bit of inbuilt mobility to the fly. I’m big on that. I like a fly that breathes in the drift. That’s why I’m such a fan of CDC.

In the beginning when I fished ants I’d take a very literal approach to how I imitated them trying to match the naturals very accurately. I’ve come to the conclusion that fish don’t care about the aesthetics of a fly in quite the same way that fly tyers do. What we see and what fish see are simply not the same thing. Rough, simple, impressionistic flies that present well are the ticket. That said, don’t assume that these little fishing flies aren’t elegant or subtle. People are prone to overcomplicating and overdressing terrestrial imitations. I don’t know why this is but it’s definitely a thing. Most people tie terrestrials the way my Granny used to decorate the Christmas tree. They get so caught up with the decorations that they forget about the tree. The one year the tree fell over and smashed her brand-new colour TV. That was the last time she decorated her Christmas tree barring some very light tinsel and the little angel on the top. Tying is the same, less is more in most cases.

The defining factor that puts really good fly tyers and fly fishers apart is the fact that they do the detail well. Detail doesn’t refer to complicating things, detail entails doing the simple things well and recognizing what the important things in a fly are. Nuances are important. Fundamentals are ultimately the building blocks for brilliance. Get the fundamentals nailed the whole time and success is bound to follow.

What I’ve also come to realise is that terrestrials are often animated in the drift. Giving an ant a tiny twitch can at times be deadly. I always thought that a strict dead drift was the way to go when fishing in rivers and streams but have come to realise that insects are living creatures and as such, live. They’re not dead, even when they’re static. Getting your flies to “breathe” in the drift will make a huge difference to the success your flies enjoy. The cool thing about ant patterns, and especially the ones I like tying, is that they’ll often be taken when ants aren’t around so they’re quite versatile. I’ve often fished ants in midge hatches and had good success doing it. Small, black, buggy things are two a penny on any stream so it just makes sense to always have small buggy black flies in the box. Going to a stream without ants in the box is like watching a romantic movie with the girl of your dreams, for the first time, without the popcorn in the mix. It just doesn’t make sense!

The Feather Mechanic II is available now fromthemissionflymag.com

Watch Gordon’s Step-By-Step for the “Easy Peasy Ant” at themissionflymag.com

HIGH FIVES

KARIM BOUTELLAKA

AS FLY FISHING GUIDES GO, KARIM BOUTELLAKA’S WORLD IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT TO MOST. HE GUIDES PEOPLE IN THE REGION OF AZROU IN THE MIDDLE ATLAS MOUNTAIN RANGE OF MOROCCO FOR ENDEMIC TROUT AND BARBEL SPECIES, WHILE TRYING TO PROMOTE AND GROW CONSERVATION INITIATIVES.

5 best things about where you guide?

1. A catch-and-release lake rainbow trout near Azrou, my hometown, open almost all year around, great fishing guaranteed.

2. The Oum Er-Rbia River has the fastest and clearest water in my country.

3. Draa River springs the longest river that crosses the desert and holds the most endangered trout. Scientists think that these could be the oldest trout in the world at over 2 million years old.

4. Ouandrass in the High Atlas, the Amazigh people, the canyon, the waterfalls, and the abundance of endemic trout.

5. Lake Isli where I am still failing at catching one fish! The behaviour of its green trout is still a mystery!

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

1. Smith polarized sunglasses that were a gift from The Ambleve Bedrock Foundation.

2. Marc Petitjean Amadou which was a gift from a very good friend from Kyiv.

3. Fishpond rubber landing net to deal with our delicate fish.

4. My Nikon Camera D7100, it’s old and heavy but a must to capture those beautiful creations.

5. A tagine pot to make a delicious dinner when spending the night somewhere.

5 things you wish more people knew about Morocco?

1. Morocco has four endemic trout species (Salmo macrostigma, Salmo multipunctata, Salmo akairos, Salmo viridis) and one endemic barbel (Varicorhinus maroccanus).

Photos. Karim Boutellaka, Cavan Osborne

Verdant valleys in Morocco’s Atlas mountains. Bottom Right: Morocco’s endemic Salmo multipunctata.

2. Almost all the classified water is public. All you need is to get a fishing licence and to hire an official guide.

3. Catch and release is not a common practice among the majority of Moroccan fishers.

4. When a guest fishes in remote areas of Morocco, you cannot imagine how much of a positive impact that has on conservation.

5. It is not the best fishery in the world, but it is a must for those who are seeking an unusual fishing experience.

5 bands to listen to while on a road trip?

1. Lemchaheb

2. Nass El Ghiwane

3. Rouicha

4. A selection of Western music for my guests.

5. Various Amazigh selection that goes with the scenery.

5 things you’re loving right now.

1. Spending a lot of time with my family when not working.

2. Bird watching.

3. Wildlife photography.

4. Trekking.

5. Volunteering for conservation.

5 indispensable flies for freshwater?

1. Guide’s choice hare’s ear

2. Wired stonefly nymph

3. Stimulator

4. Championship caddis

5. Micro pheasant tail nymph

5 fly fishing destinations globally you would like to visit?

1. Mongolia for Taimen.

2. Jokla River, Iceland, for salmon.

3. Montana for trout.

4. Permit anywhere in the world.

5. Lapland, Sweden, for pike.

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

1. Getting to know the world through my guests, as it is difficult for me to travel abroad.

2. I am always learning about new techniques and gear.

3. I learn more about nature every day.

4. I find happiness when I get my guests to catch their dream fish and see the smiles all over their faces.

5. I make a lot of local friends from the mountains and from around the world.

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

1. Being away from my 3-year-old daughter, my 9-year-old son, and my beloved wife.

2. I have become very lazy toward office work.

3. I have a bad sleeping routine.

4. I have a very busy social life and when I’m away, I always have to explain why I am not responding to all the phone calls.

5. I have often lost a client because of my late replies.

“WHEN A GUEST FISHES IN REMOTE AREAS OF MOROCCO, YOU CANNOT IMAGINE HOW MUCH OF A POSITIVE IMPACT THAT HAS ON CONSERVATION.”

5 of the most difficult guiding experiences so far?

1. A five-star hotel booked a trip for a grandma and her grandson. The receptionist said the boy is an adolescent, but when the guests arrived it turned out the boy was only 8 years old. The only possible water I could take them to is a catch-and-release lake. I had no kid-size waders available, so I came up with a platform ladder idea, which has now become one of my tools that helps kids who are learning how to fly fish cast close to the fish.

2. Newbies who want to catch fish on the fly struggle with casting, so I end up doing all the casts for them while they do the stripping.

3. A wife booked her husband (who is a fishing guide in Alaska) a surprise one-day fishing trip in Morocco to

catch the endemic brown trout of Morocco in a wild river. However, she got the date wrong and they arrived on a day when it is forbidden to fish that river. Thank God I had the lake as a backup.

4. When I have guests going to remote water, you sometimes find locals fishing for the pot. I have to get my guests in front of the locals (sometimes I pay the locals to come back another day).

5. I once guided a Moroccan minister. The fish weren’t taking his flies, and he had to answer a phone call. I changed his fly and cast, then the fish took the fly, I set the hook and handed the rod over to him without saying anything. He was happy and didn’t even notice what I did. That fish (a 48cm rainbow) saved my day.

“IT IS NOT ABOUT THE FISH WE ARE AFTER, THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT KEEPS US GOING.”

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

1. Caddis pupa

2. CDC pheasant tail

3. Hare’s ear

4. Scud

5. Rainbow warrior

5 people you would like to guide or fish with?

1. Crown Prince of Morocco Moulay Hassan. Fishing with him will definitely bring huge attention toward the conservation of Morocco’s native Saharan trout.

2. Nour-Eddine Fatehi, a Moroccan fishing guide in Iceland.

3. I’d love to fish with Peter Fong in Mongolia’s rivers.

4. Niklaus Bauer from Flydressing.se for fly fishing for pike.

5. My best friend Jamjoum. I would love to fish with him in another country.

5 fish on your species hit list?

1. King salmon

2. Taimen

3. Tarpon

4. Permit

5. Peacock bass

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

1. Wildlife photography.

2. Wildlife filmmaking.

3. Educating the younger generation about conservation.

4. Volunteering to help the national centre of hydrobiology and fish.

5. Tying flies.

5 of the most underrated species in your book?

1. Varicorhinus maroccanus

2. Carp

3. Barbell

4. Common rudd for the younger generation

5. Pike

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

1. The hospitality and kindness of the local Amzigh people in the high mountains.

2. The diverse nature and scenery of Morocco.

3. The culture on display if you visit imperial cities like Marrakech and Fez.

4. The food.

5. The good weather – we get a lot of sun – and our proximity to Europe.

5 common mistakes that most clients make?

1. Underestimating the guide.

2. Ignoring the guide and choosing their own path.

3. A lack of appreciation for the fishery.

4. Impatience and unrealistic expectations.

5. A lack of respect for the local traditions and culture.

Above: Varicorhinus maroccanus

Bottom: Another example of Salmo multipunctata

HAVE

5 essential ingredients for an incredible mission?

1. A good understanding of your guest’s needs and expectations.

2. Always have a Plan B in case of any bad weather or muddy water.

3. Safety gear and proper equipment.

4. Good behaviour, high patience, and enjoying what you do.

5. A teapot.

5 things about fly fishing that you may never understand?

1. Why only good people are lucky enough to experience it.

2. It is not about the fish we are after, there is something else that keeps us going.

3. How I cannot get enough of it.

IN CASE

4. How we cannot think when we shop for that expensive equipment.

5. How I can forget about all other aspects of my life when fishing.

My last five casts were to...

1. Dades trout

2. Brown trout of Tassaout

3. Avatar barbell (Varicorhinus maroccanus)

4. Rainbows at the lake

5. Carp at the lake

Find out more about Karim’s fishing at morocco-unexplored.com

“ALWAYS

A PLAN B

OF ANY BAD WEATHER OR MUDDY WATER.”

Xplorer Hosted Trips – Local and International Destinations

HOW TO KILL A RIVER

IN FEBRUARY 2022, THE WILGE RIVER WAS POISONED BY A MASS INFLUX OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE. THE RESULTS WERE DEVASTATING. A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER IT HAPPENED, MATT KENNEDY INVESTIGATES THE STATE OF THE RIVER AND THE CLEAN-UP OPERATION, FINDING MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS.

THE WILGE

The Wilge River is a tributary in the greater Oliphants River catchment, originating in western Mpumalanga. It runs northeast from its source, which is hugged by coal mines from Kusile to Kromdraai, along a major coal belt in Mpumalanga. It then converges with the middle reaches of the Oliphants, which flows from Witbank, and continues into Loskop Dam some 15km northwards.

The Wilge/Oliphants system’s indigenous fish diversity is impressive, with approximately 13 species and several exotics like bass and carp. The warmer downstream sections are prime habitats for largescale yellowfish, papermouth, and a variety of other labeo and tilapia species, while the cooler higher reaches include the bushveld smallscale yellows. Small and largescale yellows are unique to the north-east flowing Oliphants/Crocodile river systems in the Limpopo basins, related only by genus to the Vaal/Orange smallmouth and largemouth yellowfish.

Bridging the divide between two biomes, flowing from highveld grassland to lowveld bush in a matter of five kilometres, the Wilge has a diverse riparian structure, supporting a variety of insect, bird, and other animal life.

As for the fly fishing? Before the acid mine drainage (AMD) event, lower reaches of the Wilge, upstream from its confluence with the Oliphants, supported some unusual fly fishing for leaden labeo aka “bushveld grayling”, which were suckers for a naturally drifted nymph. There are also long pools where smallscale used to aggressively inhale a stripped Sex Dungeon, and other areas where largescale yellows up to 3.5kg could be seen flashing gold in the riffles as they fed.

THE WATER

On 14 February 2022, an AMD spill occurred out of the Thungela Kromdraai colliery site, flowing directly into the Kromdraaispruit, a small tributary of the Wilge River. It went on for almost a week and by the time the Department of Water and Sanitation forced Thungela to do something about it, the damage was already done.

The source of the spill was an abandoned and neglected shaft, previously operational in 1966. Ordinarily, water build-up is managed by a multi-level system which addresses water accumulation and decanting post-mining. A concrete barrier placed to seal the shaft failed and gave way to a torrent of acidic and metallic slurry – AMD.

The Wilge in its glory days (main). Christian Fry with a smallscale yellow (above).

When flowing directly into a system in concentrations like this, AMD does not discriminate. Insects and fish in the river are directly intoxicated by the slurry and the die-off ensues immediately. High concentrations of sulphuric acid chemically burn the gills of aquatic creatures, inducing suffocation. Aquatic plant life and other riparian structure follow soon after, effectively corroding in the toxic water.

Without aquatic animals and plants, the entire ecosystem collapses, forcing birds, reptiles, mammals, and other creatures to abandon the system completely. Any organisms that aren’t immediately poisoned take on diluted harmful metals and pass them through the food web through a process called biomagnification, often ending in human consumption.

Garth Wellman is a well-known and highly informed local fly angler who has experienced this fishery through thick and thin for more than 20 years. Unthreatened environments are rare, but when a disaster occurs on what you call your local fishery, it hits hard. Having seen the Wilge in its relative heyday, Garth is well placed to describe the contrast between then and its now disastrous post-AMD state.

“The Wilge is well known for its diversity,” Garth says. “There are sections of the river that are isolated and untouched. It was incredible to have such a wild fishery so close to urban hubs. Now, however, the river is acidwashed and close to lifeless. No amount of measuring and biodiversity-health scoresheets can better sum up that point. After the spill it looked like the aftermath of an apocalypse. Not a single sound, bird, insect or otherwise, could be heard. There was just a total collapse in the food chain resulting in a complete wasteland.

HOW DOES AMD OCCUR?

In recent history, the cleaner Wilge water served as a buffer, diluting the dirty Oliphants downstream of their confluence. A local study from 2017 by Dr Sharon Pollard with the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD) highlighted how consistently damaged the Oliphants has been since mining muddied its waters, and the general non-resilient nature of its ecosystem.

The surrounding area is covered in an abundance of rock which is heavy in iron sulphide (pyrite, aka fool’s gold), a substance which is easily dissolved in water. Dissolved pyrite in water runoff is acidic, and leaks into the water table, lowering the pH of the river systems. Latent heavy metals already present in the river systems then dissolve in the low pH water, creating an acidic and metallic slurry. In areas heavily scarred by mining activity, water mixes more prolifically with sulphur-bearing minerals (for example pyrite, common in coal mines) creating sulphuric acid, which also dissolves heavy metals.

AMD is far more concentrated than the naturally occurring variant, and often leaks passively through ground water, or can build up and spill out in a torrent.

A concrete-coloured sludge appeared in the space where water plants once rooted in river sediment. At various points along the catchment, dead fish were floating and even trying to get up the banks in an effort to stop the burning of their gills. There was, literally, mass death occurring. Nothing aquatic was spared. The biomass that wasn’t netted out was left to rot away.”

We can point a finger at Thungela’s predecessor Anglo, the dirty thermal coal industry as a whole, Eskom, government, and even ourselves (for being complicit consumers in the whole shitty mess) but, ultimately, the responsibility for this lies squarely with Thungela. They in turn blame theft and vandalism as the primary cause of failure in their water management system, the result of which was an overflow of toxic water into the tributaries to the Wilge.

But considering that Thungela boasts annual profits for their shareholders in the billions of rands, we have to ask: Why could they not take a fraction of their loot and put it into securing their properties? Surely, as thermal coal experts who purport to know their industry, they would be aware of what a spill like this could do to the area?

“AFTER THE SPILL IT LOOKED LIKE THE AFTERMATH OF AN APOCALYPSE. NOT A SINGLE SOUND, BIRD, INSECT OR OTHERWISE, COULD BE HEARD.”

THE WAY FORWARD

It seems the way forward can be as simple or as complicated as those pulling the strings deem necessary.

We tried to investigate various key role-players in the Wilge scenario, including the perspectives of the angler, the mine, and the science/conservationist crowd. Garth, the angler and passionate yellowfish conservationist, is upset about the disaster itself, but more so the lack of full transparency in the clean-up effort and the politics of the conservation authorities.

Thungela, the mining company, has accepted responsibility, although we think they fail to satisfy any concerns about the Wilge’s recovery and prevention of these types of issues in future. The Mission sent Thungela several questions on the status of the river and their clean-up efforts a year after the incident. Although they offered a response, their answers (available for download in full on themissionflymag.com) are, in our opinion, both tightly vetted and purposefully vague.

Direct questions about river health, plans of action, and how much money had been allocated from Thungela’s massive cash reserves were met with nebulous, one-size-fits-all answers, several consisting of the same responses supplied to news media after the initial event. For example: “Thungela has set aside the necessary financial and human resources to implement the interventions contained in the rehabilitation plan. We continue to approach the rehabilitation with the necessary level of urgency and commitment, in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders.”

Thungela say that their efforts to develop a collaborative river rehabilitation plan began by establishing an “expert committee comprising representatives from Thungela, The Biodiversity Company (a technical expert appointed by Thungela), the Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism Agency, and a leading authority on aquatic ecology.” Claims of data sampling and historical comparative analyses are worn proudly but, yet again, they give absolutely nothing away about any efforts to fully counteract and resolve the AMD disaster. Along these lines, Thungela say that they have funded the construction of a fish hatchery which aims to restock the system. We can appreciate the sentiment behind this move, but what good is restocking if another disaster is one neglected mineshaft away?

AMD is not a new problem, and many partial remedies have been developed. While Thungela failed to tell us how they are actively cleaning up the river, let alone making sure a disaster like this never happens again, Dr Jackie Dabrowski of Confluent Environmental conducted a fish kill assessment after the Kromdraai AMD event in February 2022, we established that the following interventions are in place:

• There is currently an active caustic soda dosing szte on the Wilge to treat AMD. Alkaline substances can be dumped into acidic water to increase pH value, neutralising the water. While this is a temporary fix, it too can mitigate water quality.

• There is an established wetland at the Kromdraai site. Wetlands and pH filters can clean out mine leakage using a variety of settling ponds as buffers, making the effluent safer for river re-entry. There are other potential interventions:

• Riparian zones can be bulked up with soil and vegetation, which will soak up AMD and buffer the water from entering the river system.

• Mine shafts can be deoxygenated using specific bacteria inoculations, which will prevent the production of sulphur dioxide, the main constituent in AMD.

• Varieties of physical and chemical barriers can be effective in blocking the seepage of AMD, all case-specific.

• Employing reverse osmosis to remove contaminants from AMD water. This was the strongest recommendation from Dr Dabrowski’s report.

Although each strategy may be case-specific, and not all of them will be suitable in the case of the Wilge, no one outside of Thungela’s inner circle will know what has or has not been attempted. Like us, you’re being kept in the dark.

What about the scientists? Some of the micro-biologists and conservationists working on the Wilge, although presumably passionate, could not speak to us, let alone reveal any scientific findings, as they have entered into non-disclosure agreements. Others have allegedly had scientific permits revoked for simply partaking in sampling along the river, with legal cases brought against them for trespassing.

For us, the NDAs and the territorial game are a giant red flag. Why is there so much gatekeeping around

what happened? Why are results and findings not being made public to recruit as many ideas and as much help as possible? Imagine a scenario where a mine admits the degree of havoc, the scientists reveal their sampling results, and the issue is resolved in the best way possible by the most well-informed people.

Given Thungela’s culpability, is the public expected to simply trust that it will fix its own mess?

Garth says, “The Wilge catchment flows through a major industrial and mining zone with many threats. Thungela was, possibly, the unlucky first offender to obliterate the river but, make no mistake, they are not the only time bomb. Many major power stations, like Kusile, are on the course of the river, with many coal mines taking shortcuts to manage the necessary standard of water and catchment laws. The Wilge remains vulnerable to repeat events.

“It’s high time for EEE – environmental economic empowerment. Thungela needs to take the necessary responsibility and set an example for the rest of the key role-players in the area, lest an example be made of them. We live in a time of change, where the principles and judgement of an environmental, social and governance (ESG) breach is in the investment domain. Relatively small catchment rehabilitation and protection costs paid by miners such as Thungela would be miniscule in comparison to the sale of shares for offenders in the open marketplace.

“While profits still remain the ruling driver of investments, offenders and their listed financial backers will only get away with it for a while. Major backers of Thungela, which include well-known financial giants who advocate ESG investment in their marketing, will be asked about their green-washing principles and be hit where it hurts most. The share price.”

THE SILVER-SCALED LINING

Recent samplings by an aquatic ecologist Christian Fry revealed a recovering population of juvenile largescale yellowfish in some reaches of the Wilge, presumably bred in early-2023. Largescale yellows measuring less than 15cm have also been seen in lower sections and areas, although these fish tend to reach sexual maturity at around three to four years old, minimum. This suggest that there is surviving brood stock of yellows remaining in the system, that either came from lower down the Oliphants or from Loskop Dam where pollution may have been diluted. A more likely answer is that they migrated from the upper Oliphants into the Wilge confluence at some point when the pollution had subsided from its peak. The smallscale seem much more wiped out, with almost no recruitment thus far.

Garth explains that, in a way, the AMD spill was a double-edged sword. It killed all life, including a massive population of alien largemouth bass that prey heavily on the indigenous yellowfish under 20cm. Macro-invertebrates like mayflies, caddis flies, and dragon and damsel flies have made a strong return, thanks to their winged adult-phases, and have supported a strong nymphal biomass too. The surviving/migratory stock of yellows feed on the now plentiful macro-invertebrates, whereas small piscivorous bass lack a decent food source, and don’t take as well to small insects. This recovery doesn’t mean that the spill wasn’t detrimental, rather that the indigenous species can show resilience when least expected.

CRACKED

The balance between industry, commerce, government and the environment is a delicate scale, although it’s always the natural world that becomes the punching bag for progress and development. Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World by Steven Hawley, published by Patagonia, gives the short and sweet of the politics and industry surrounding water control. Hawley explains how dam removal, and any other enviro-protest, is a “grassroots” exercise, needing door-to-door diplomacy. Although it is focused on North America’s experience, the lessons are global. Whether it is the pollution of the Wilge (and thereby Loskop Dam), the recent Jagersfontein tailings mine disaster, or the ongoing water crises across South Africa, as anglers and consumers, we need to educate ourselves… Then act. patagonia.com/shop/books

“THE SHORT AND SWEET OF THE POLITICS AND INDUSTRY SURROUNDING WATER CONTROL.”

S A V I N G S A N

CONSERVING SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST

D F I S H

MOST THREATENED MIGRATORY FRESHWATER FISH

Photo: Jeremy Shelton

Co-founder Fishwater Films

U T O F

F A R M E

WHEN HE’S NOT PUTTING OUT AWARD-WINNING GRAPHIC NOVELS AND EXHIBITIONS, CELEBRATED FRENCH COMIC ARTIST CHRISTOPHE CHABOUTÉ CAN USUALLY BE FOUND TRAVELLING AROUND FRANCE IN HIS CUSTOMBUILT FLY FISHING VAN. WE CHAT TO HIM ABOUT SOLITUDE, COMICS, ART, FLY TYING, AND WHY HE NEVER TAKES PHOTOS WITH FISH.

Photos. Christophe Chabouté

How did you come to comics? Have you been trained or are you self-taught?

I have always wanted to tell stories using drawing as a narrative tool. I selected everything I needed from different art schools. I started with a classic two-year course at a school of fine arts and then went fairly quickly to different more specialised schools to familiarise myself with all forms of storytelling through images, and in particular comics and comic drawing. Throughout, I spent long hours and many nights blackening paper, really drawing a lot. A lot of what I do is self-taught supported by somewhat haphazard training.

I then worked, initially, as a freelancer in the advertising industry as an illustrator and sketch artist. For more than 10 years I worked as a “mercenary” like this: I was commissioned for a drawing and I produced it, in the style and desire of the artistic director of the advertising agency. All the drawings I made were obviously not personal, I was just a hired hand asked to draw things. But this kind of job is very good training to learn to work quickly. You are also forced to draw in different styles, even if you have to put your personality aside. It also

allows you – and this is not negligible – to make a decent living. In parallel with this work, I started to draw my first comic book pages and my first stories. When I published my first books, I worked for one or two more years in advertising before finally letting go of that work and devoting myself only to comics. Now I do what I always wanted to do, tell and draw my own stories.

The nature of an artist’s work is quite solitary. Just like being a fly fisherman. What drives you to fly fishing? Do you somehow resemble the hermit from your first book Alone, who lives in solitude in his lighthouse? Or are there other aspects of your life where you are social and seek out people?

I like to be alone, I have a rather solitary temperament. So I’m a lot like this character from Alone where I escape most often only with the support of the imagination. The same goes for fly fishing, when I go fishing, I go alone. I take no one with me, or very rarely. I have a job where I observe a lot. I observe people, their behaviour, each passer-by can tell a little bit of a story in their own way. And all this will, or can, feed into the stories I tell in my books.

“THE FINAL GOAL, IS TO LIVE THE MOMENT, TO FEEL THE PLACE WHERE I AM, TO KNOW AND TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE FISH TAKES THIS TYPE OF FLY OR THIS TYPE OF NYMPH.”

Fly fishing is sort of the same thing, you have to observe a lot, understand, step aside, blend in with the place where you are. I am most often alone in the middle of a river or at the edge of the water and my final goal is not even necessarily to catch a fish, but above all to live the moment, to feel the place where I am, to know and to understand why the fish takes this type fly or this type of nymph. Ultimately, I am playing with the fish, discovering how to get him to invite me to his territory and sometimes manage to be a little smarter than him by knowing how to present him with the fly that will suit him.

I spend a large part of the year locked up at home with my nose on my white sheets, so I need wide open spaces, a horizon line, and an endless river. I need to escape, to dream and to turn these dreams into something other than what’s in my imagination. Obviously I also need to meet people and socialise, but that’s what I do with my friends over a good meal or around a few beers. Fishing remains one of my secret gardens, something that I really keep to myself and that I live alone. It’s something that I share only with fish and beautiful rivers.

Tell us about yourself, what is your life like? What shape does an average day take? What about an average year? Do you work non-stop on big projects like new books and exhibits, then reward yourself with a break, or do you need to break up the work with little fishing getaways throughout the year?

I have a fairly standard work rhythm (when I draw, at least). I start working in the middle of the morning and finish in the middle of the evening. It takes me about a year to a yearand-a-half to draw a book. For screenplays it’s a little more complicated and a little more random, I can write a screenplay in two weeks or take more than 10 years to find the right direction. This was the case with Alone. I kept this story in my drawer for more than 10 years and it was only when I moved to the edge of the ocean that it really took shape.

When I write a new story, a new screenplay, the work is not the same. I think about it 24 hours a day. I am literally haunted by the story and can’t tear myself away from it until the moment when the story is finally in place and written. When I start drawing this story my brain is already writing the script for the next book. So basically, my brain never rests. It’s a continuous flow. I spend my time writing snippets of stories, bits of scripts, snippets of sentences in little notebooks that I always carry around with me.

In parallel with my books, I do on average one or two exhibitions per year, with illustrations, most often large formats, which I produce throughout the year. The illustrations allow me to free myself from the narrative constraints of a comic strip, I take more freedom to simply draw. Obviously, as soon as I can allow myself a moment or a few days, I go fishing. It’s the only time when I manage to completely forget my work, to really clear my head, to forget my drawing board and to really and only devote myself to the river and the fish.

Do you tie flies? If so, do you find it comes naturally? Is there an artistic connection for you in tying a fly?

I tie my flies myself, I can’t even imagine fishing a fly that I have not tied at the end of my line. I learned on my own by devouring how-to books and winding miles of thread and I quickly loved it. My first flies looked like guinea fowl or misshapen feather dusters which on the water certainly traumatised or made more than one trout laugh.

There is an artistic link when I tie my flies, but it remains above all a pleasure. And a real pleasure to “do”. Tying a fly is “doing” and above all dreaming. Happiness begins when I fix a hook in the jaws of the vice. When I tie a fly I’m already almost at the edge of the river, I’m usually feverish, I can’t wait to go there, to see it evolve on or under water.

Like most fly fishermen I have 344 000 different models in my boxes. From the simplest to the most complex. From the most beautiful to the ugliest. Most of my cats have always had problems with baldness on their backs and never liked it when I decided to sit in front of the vice and slyly watch them out of the corner of my eye with a pair of scissors in hand (I make very good hare’s ear nymphs with cat hair!).

We all have in our fly boxes superb flies tied with Angora wildebeest hair raised in Manchuria or with male albino parrot flank feathers from Papua that we tied trembling on a full moon night while reciting mantras and convincing ourselves that all the trout in the world will jump on it.

Or, we have boxes filled with superb flies that take hours to tie and which would look great decorating a Christmas tree. We do all this with so much happiness, faith and

pleasure. Yet, in the end, at the edge of the water, each time what comes out of the depths of my fly box is the old hare’s ear, which has already been used 30 times, which no longer resembles anything, and which will always remain the most formidably efficient fly.

How far is your fly tying office from your studio? Do the two overlap?

The space where I tie my flies is well separated from the place where I work. Although my drafting table is a few metres from my assembly vise, I never mix the two. I admit that sometimes I go to sharpen one of the brushes that I use to draw because the elasticity of its bristles is perfect for making a tail of a dry fly or a nymph. But most of the time I never mix the two things, even if from time to time when I draw, I find myself scribbling on a corner of my sheet a model or an idea for a future fly to be tied.

How did you come to fly fishing? Are you self-taught like with your drawing, or do you have a friend or family member who showed you how to do it?

I have known how to hold a fishing rod since I could walk. My father gave me this beautiful virus. But I learned to fish in the “traditional” way, with a cork with maggots and earthworms. I was always a little afraid of fly fishing, I thought it was too difficult. And then one day I went off on my own and tried. After a few days I could just about manage to make a few metres of silk sing without planting the fly in my ear or in a branch. I could land a dry fly not too far from a fish without making it burst out laughing. Most importantly, I discovered all the magic that fly fishing can offer. Observation, understanding the river, understanding the fish, blending into the elements, imitating the insects, really discovering the life of the river. Since that day I have never returned to any other type or mode of fishing.

Where do you fish the most? What species do you prefer? I lived for a long time in the north-east of France, so I was able to fish very beautiful rivers that were very famous and (at the time) full of fish like the Doubs, Dessoubre, Loue. In my region I have fished the Rhine a lot and many Alsatian rivers. For 15 years I have lived on the island of Oléron, therefore at the edge of the ocean. I started fly fishing for bass, mullet, and other sea fish. But most often I go fishing in the Dordogne, there’s a beautiful river there that remains the place where I prefer to fish. My favourite fish are trout or grayling. But I also really like fishing for pike or black bass.

If you want to travel for fly fishing, where do you want to go?

I would need several lives to satisfy all my dreams. But, if I had to limit myself to a small list, it would certainly be: New Zealand (for the beauty of the landscapes), Montana, Patagonia, British Columbia, and any flat where I can try to play with a bonefish or a trevally and possibly a tarpon (even a small one).

“WHEN I TIE A FLY I’M ALREADY ALMOST AT THE EDGE OF THE RIVER, I’M USUALLY FEVERISH, I CAN’T WAIT TO GO THERE, TO SEE IT EVOLVE ON OR UNDER WATER.”

Fly anglers seem to be divided between those who are more than happy to fish their home waters until their dying days and those who also want to travel the world and discover other destinations and species. Where do you fall?

I love fishing a river that I know of course, but I love discovering new rivers and new fishing spots even more. And, of course, other fish. I had the chance to go fishing twice in Alaska and catch salmon in places really isolated from everything in a still pristine wilderness, among bears and moose. It was a paradise! I also fished in Ireland, for trout and Atlantic salmon. And I have dragged my waders across most of the most beautiful rivers in the four corners of France.

What is the most memorable fish you have ever caught? The fish you think of the most.

My two most memorable fish were the first brown trout that I managed to catch on a dry fly, which was also a fly that I had tied myself. I was starting to control my casting more or less, I managed to present the fly cleanly and a get a decent enough drift. I also knew how to put my fly on the right seam in the current. I saw the fish slowly ascend, a scene that played out almost in slow motion. He

came quietly and delicately to seize my fly. This precise moment has lasted for centuries. The fly was an Adams I remember very well. The second fish was a king salmon in Alaska. Not a very big fish. But I was at the end of the world, lost in the middle of the bush, among beavers, bears, and moose, my waders planted in the middle of a magnificent river. And that was my first fly-caught salmon. The moment was simply magical. A fisherman’s dream come true, I caught my first salmon, at the end of the world and in an idyllic setting.

We noticed you have a pretty cool fly fishing van setup? Tell us about it. Yes I travel with my van to go fishing. This is my little house on wheels. It has a bed that unfolds, 40 litres of reserve water, something to cook hot food on for me, a stock of bottle openers for beers (I keep losing them) and everything else I need to be independent and preferably far away from everything. It allows me to go where I want, according to the desire or the mood, to stay and sleep very close to the river, to explore places that I do not know whenever I wish. For me to fall asleep at night listening to the river flow a few metres from me is rather nice!

“MY VAN ALLOWS ME TO GO WHERE I WANT, TO STAY AND SLEEP VERY CLOSE TO THE RIVER, TO EXPLORE PLACES THAT I DO NOT KNOW WHENEVER I WISH.”

What is the meaning of the recurring yellow cup in your Instagram fishing images? And the noughts and crosses?

The yellow cup is a little talisman that I carry around everywhere, it has always accompanied me wherever I go fishing. It’s my little lucky charm. I never take a picture of myself with a fish. I don’t need or want to display fishing trophies, let alone show myself in pictures. On the other hand, I like to share with my friends the beautiful places that I have discovered, the great nature spots, the beautiful rivers, what my eyes see and what I like in general. Often you’ll only see landscape in the photos I publish, and sometimes in the foreground, the yellow cup or the rod that I am using at the moment. The yellow cup in the photos is often a simple wink for friends, so that they say to themselves, “Ah well, he’s gone fishing again, we don’t know where, so we won’t see him for two or three weeks.” It also allows my editor to yell at me because he sees that I am not working on a new book. When it comes to noughts and crosses, I love having fun shaking up the rules of this somewhat stupid game, from time to time gently getting out of the frame.

While travelling in your van, fishing and camping, do you also take time to draw or sketch if inspiration strikes?

I never draw when I’m traveling, especially not when I’m fishing or exploring new sections of rivers. I have a few sketchbooks and pencils in my van of course, but I’ve never used them. I happen to jot down story ideas from time to time, but as a rule I only think of fishing, having my eyes full and chasing after the fish. Of course, all this feeds my imagination, but I keep it stored deep inside me. The emotion and the happiness that I was able to feel at the edge of a river will come out well at one time or another on a white sheet. But later. When I decide to go fishing, I don’t mix brushes and flies.

How often is your work influenced by what you see in nature?

My work is only influenced by what I see, what I feel, what I experience. I feed on all that, everyday life, the smallest leaf on a branch, the pattern that the ripples of water can form, the blessed moment of calm, sitting on a rock or a gravel pit in the middle of the river, observing a trout or watching a mayfly fly away, sticking a hook in my fingers, or complaining because I realise that I have no more water in my water bottle, it’s really hot and I’m three kilometres from my van. It fills me up, boosts me, recharges my batteries, makes me vibrate. The most difficult thing then is to convey this emotion that I feel to one or more readers as well as possible, with a drawing,

a story, or just a few ink strokes on a white sheet. It’s often a very big challenge to try conveying this emotion when you start drawing and attack a new project, but I like these kinds of challenges. That’s what makes me love my job.

While you say you don’t like to mix art and fishing, is there any chance of a fly fishing graphic novel or comic book one of these days?

I wrote and drew a book many years ago about how a little boy who finds himself on vacation with two old people learns how to fly fish. He spends a summer with an elderly couple where the gentleman is a fly fisherman. The story tells of the little boy’s apprenticeship, his discovery of the river, and all the magic that revolves around it. It is called A Few Days of Summer , but it has not been translated into English. Of course, I still have the idea to one day tell another story about fly fishing, to share this magic in my own way. But I would really like to figure out how to address everyone, fishermen and nonfishermen alike, to transmit to the reader all the emotion that I feel when I am at the edge of the water. As Norman McLean knew how to do, or as John Gierach does in his books. I want to invite the reader to see and look at the river as I see it and as I look at it. Sharing emotion is what I try to do from the start in all the stories I write.

“I NEVER TAKE A PICTURE OF MYSELF WITH A FISH. I DON’T NEED OR WANT TO DISPLAY FISHING TROPHIES, LET ALONE SHOW MY SELF IN PICTURES.”

GRAYLING, ICE CREAM, AND SLEEP DEPRIVATION

FINDING THE GOOD LIFE – AND A FEW MOSQUITOES –UNDER THE SWEDISH LAPLAND SUMMER SUN.

Photos and story. Jess McGlothlin

Husband / wife duo Viljami and Hanna Huhtala letting the grayling take a nap while they go on the hunt for pike.

“I would drop some bodies for an ice cream.”

The accented words pull me from my hazy doze in the back of the Volvo wagon. Lifting my head from its rest on a pile of duffle bags and rod tubes, I squint forward at Ted. He’s fiddling with the music again, searching for a song on his phone that might help combat the exhaustion we’re all feeling. From the driver’s seat, Håkan eyes an upcoming road sign advertising a petrol station. Ice cream ahoy.

Potentially with no bodies dropped.

We’re winding through the dense woods of Swedish Lapland, where traffic is more likely to take the form of leisurely trotting reindeer than another vehicle. Over the past few hours we’ve descended from boggy tundra into true taiga – a swampy, coniferous forest that only seems to intensify the oppressive heat of a Swedish summer heat wave.

Temperatures have been nudging into the mid-90s every day and for Swedes Ted and Håkan, it’s downright oppressive.

A solid angler and bold drone pilot, Ted sports a scruffy look that makes one think he’d be equally at home at a rock concert as he is in a fishing camp. Håkan, a legend in the Nordic fly fishing community, is as delightfully Swedish as they come: cheerful, kind, and with a wicked sense of humour that tends to come out around 2am on the water.

Both are quite keen on coffee and ice cream.

The heat is one factor; our collective lack of sleep might be another reason for the hankering for cold, frosty treats.

No better place to solve life’s mysteries. Per Jobs, Håkan, Ted, and another angler sort night’s fishing over coffee.

“WE’D FISHED EVERY NIGHT – ALL NIGHT – USUALLY MAKING IT BACK TO CAMP JUST BEFORE BREAKFAST AND WAKING AGAIN AROUND LUNCHTIME.”

Hungry, happy trout ready to play.

Lapland is home to a population of healthy brown trout ready to take a fly.

(Above) Hanna Huhtala sends another grayling back home during a nighttime session. (Right) When your netting arm is as tired as your casting arm, you know it’s been a solid night. Hanna Huhtala brings another one in.

We’ve spent the last week fishing at Tjuonajokk, a tundra fishing camp run by the Fish Your Dream team that proved to be home to hands-down the best grayling fishing I’d ever experienced. Stupidly good. The Kaitum River flows right by camp; it’s the sort of fishery where one can go forth into battle against the mosquitoes to log a few casts, quite likely bringing to hand a grayling topping 50cm before the camp stove coffee even has time to boil.

And this rhythm is repeated all hours of the day, because in the summer the sun never really sets.

As it turned out, that was precisely our problem.

The best light and the best fishing were during the “night-time” hours, an effect compounded by the heat wave currently residing over the region. So we’d fished every night – all night –usually making it back to camp just before breakfast and waking again around lunchtime. It proved to be a ridiculously productive way to experience the fishery, but also a really good way to wear yourself down to kindergarten levels of intelligence.

But fishing lodges around the world share certain things in common: gathering rooms stocked with fly-tying vises and bottles of alcohol, where the day’s stories are told, along with an innate understanding of the particular sort of stubbornness anglers demonstrate when presented with the option of either fishing or heading back to the room to sleep.

You can tell a lot about the operation and the people by which choice they make.

Håkan, Ted, and I – along with head guide Robert – had been making the “we can sleep when we’re dead” call. A call which seems like a brilliant idea when the sky’s all lit up pink and orange, and it’s sometime past midnight and you’ve got hot coffee over the camping stove in between wading sessions successfully catching fish while trying to dodge the clouds of mosquitoes.

“HANDS-DOWN THE BEST GRAYLING FISHING I’D EVER EXPERIENCED. STUPIDLY GOOD.”

(Top) Hanna tying on a fresh fly sometime in the middle of the night.

(Above) Robert Hansson shows off a River Kaitum grayling.

(Below) Vilajami Huhtala nets another grayling.

(Right) Each grayling’s dorsal has different color tints; this red-tipped fish is about to swim home.

Hanna and Viljami sorting fly boxes before splitting up and chasing pike.

I’d found it weird, bordering on disturbing, that I didn’t have to pack a headlamp in my kit for post-midnight fishing excursions.

But who has time to give much thought to headlamps and the like when we’re getting into big grayling daily? One golden morning we even head out to chase pike in a slough nestled underneath old, rounded mountains. There’s so much space, so much water, and – comparatively – so little time. So, really, who needs sleep when we can fish around the clock? There’s plenty of coffee to go around, after all.

“Sleep when you’re dead” however, is a less-than-great idea when you’re trying to stay awake on a long drive

in a small car packed with gear and no air conditioning. And so when Ted comments that he’d drop some bodies for an ice cream – which doesn’t seem like a terribly Swedish sentiment, yet somehow feels completely in character – I have a suspicion he would at least make an attempt at fulfilling the threat. Wisely, Håkan pulls into the petrol station and the three of us, bleary-eyed and speckled with mosquito bites, careen into the station looking for the freezer.

Five minutes later, ice cream in hand, we’re back on the road.

No bodies dropped. The sweet Swedish mormor manning the register would’ve frowned upon the disruption.

“THERE’S SO MUCH SPACE, SO MUCH WATER, AND – COMPARATIVELY – SO LITTLE TIME. SO, REALLY, WHO NEEDS SLEEP WHEN WE CAN FISH AROUND THE CLOCK?”

Viljami and Robert with one of many pike landed in the slough-like waters underneath glacial mountains.

DIVIDED AS FLY FISHING IS INTO SEEMINGLY ENDLESS SCENES AND MICRO SEAMS, GREAT FLY FISHING LITERATURE TENDS TO CROSS THE DIVIDE AND UNITE PEOPLE WHETHER THEY BE TARPON JUNKIES, STEELHEADERS, DRY FLY NUTS, TROUT FIENDS, BLUEGILL BULLIES, YELLOWFISH FANS, ETC. ONE BOOK THAT WALLOPED THE FLY FISHING WORLD WITH ITS UNIVERSAL APPEAL WHEN IT WAS RELEASED IN 2020 WAS LORDS OF THE FLY (PEGASUS BOOKS) BY MONTE BURKE . IN IT, MONTE REVISITED THE HEYDAY OF FLORIDA’S GOLDEN AGE OF TARPON FLY FISHING, SPOKE TO ALL THE SURVIVING LEGENDS OF ANGLING, ART, AND LITERATURE THAT THAT SCENE ATTRACTED, AND DUG DEEP INTO THE IMPACT THEY HAD ON THE SPORT.

Even if you are unlikely to ever fish the Florida Keys, we cannot recommend this book enough, for the deep insights and research, for Monte’s wonderful storytelling, and for the sense of anemoia (longing for a place or time you never experienced) that it leaves you with. Sex, drugs, and tarpon on fly – what’s not to like? For The Mission, Brent Flack-Davison sat down with Monte Burke to ask him about this book and others, Florida, tarpon, his writing process, and what he is working on next.

If you have not read Lords of the Fly never fear, it’s not the kind of book that needs a spoiler alert. But, because some of the characters are situational, we’ve added a few margin notes for those readers who may not yet have any knowledge of the storied history of the USA’s saltwater/tarpon scene.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Brent Flack-Davison (BFD): Did you spend a lot of time in Florida doing the research for Lords of the Fly? Monte Burke (MB): I did. I went down to Homosassa for two straight Mays to fish with Tom Evans and just kind of be there in the Poon Shack. I had to do a lot of research in the Keys as well AND in the Miami area. It was so fun, an excuse to go interview all these dudes that I’ve been reading about since I was 13 years old. To go knock on Stu Apte’s door and have him shuffle over and open the door. I was like, “Holy shit, it’s Stu! What the fuck am I doing here?” I remember contacting Chico Fernandez, who I’ve always just thought was a cool dude, a sensualist, who loves great rods, great meals, and great music. For him to say, “Come on by my house in Miami,” and to go to where he lives and see his totally tricked-out garage was just so cool.

BFD: Were folks by and large open to talking?

MB: One of the great things about this job is that people generally like to tell stories and they like to talk about things they’ve been involved in. So mostly it got a great reception. The only bummer was not being able to interview Billy Pate and Bobby Erra, the gangster, in the flesh because they are dead. I remember calling some of Bobby’s family, I tried to get his sister and his brother and they didn’t call back. I did a book about Nick Saban prior to this one and Nick wasn’t very happy a book was being done about him. So I was a little worried when I started calling up Bobby’s friends, would they actually talk to me? Andy Mill really pushed me into doing this book, and one of his big selling points was, “These guys aren’t getting any younger.” This is a whole generation of guys, Stu, Chico and Flip Pallot who were reaching an older age. It was a now-or-never thing. Go do it.

BFD: After the book was published, was there pushback from anyone?

MB: A lot of the fishing writing – fly fishing writing in particular – that I read growing up, the guys were all deified. They could do no wrong. Joe Brooks could do no wrong, Stu Apte, Flip Pallot, Lefty Kreh could do no wrong, but we’re all human. To me the flaws are fascinating. A lot of times the flaws are what compels or propels people to do and achieve what they do. They all knew going in that the book would be a warts-and-all thing. I think Tom Evans would’ve preferred some of the things that I included to not be in there. He gave me mild pushback.

Chico Fernandez IGFA Hall of Famer, world record holder (including a 42.5lb redfish on 12lb tippet) and author of Fly Fishing for Bonefish and Fly Fishing for Redfish

Joe Brooks American writer and fly fisherman who was a mentor to many of the sport’s biggest names.

Nick Saban Saban: The Making of A Coach about legendary University of Alabama American Football coach, Nick Saban. That’s American football, not the round one the rest of the world plays.

Tom Evans Arguably the greatest living tarpon angler with numerous world records, he was part of the Keys scene in its heyday.

Lefty Kreh Arguably the most famous fly angler of the modern era, Lefty passed away in 2018. See The Mission Issue 5 for our interview with him.

Flip Pallot Famous angler, archer, author, purveyor of fine rum, and TV personality (check out old episodes of Walker’s Cay Chronicles on Flip’s YouTube channel).

Stu Apte Pioneering saltwater angler and possibly the one who did the most to put tarpon on the map.

“THE ONLY BUMMER WAS NOT BEING ABLE TO INTERVIEW BILLY PATEAND BOBBY ERRA, THE GANGSTER, IN THE FLESH BECAUSE THEY ARE DEAD.”

Bobby Erra Feared member of the Keys tarpon scene, due to his temper and mafia links. Apparently only two things calmed him down, his girlfriend and fly fishing.

Billy Pate IGFA Hall of Famer, phenomenal allrounder and one of the big-name anglers battling it out in Lords of the Fly to break the world record.

Andy Mill Former Olympic skier, top tarpon tournament angler, and titular name behind the Mill House podcast.

I did get an interesting email from Stu Apte who was like, “You know, you, you really screwed up.” And I was like, “What are you talking about?”

I wrote about this van that Stu used to drive around that had “world’s greatest fly fisherman” on the side. He said, “You got that totally wrong.”

I said, “Oh, shit. I can correct it in the paperback. What’s up?”

Stu said, “It was ‘the world’s best fly fisherman’.”

Billy Pate may have been the most complicated and flawed of the characters. But I literally talked to everybody – his guides, three of his wives, his great friends, and people who didn’t like him. I tried to cover the whole spectrum. A couple of his really good friends said, “You didn’t have to go that deep,” but to me this is what journalism is all about, right? You go in and you write. You discover things, you fact check it, make sure it’s accurate, and then you print it. That’s what you owe the readers, as much objectivity and honesty as possible. They were maybe a little bit bummed that it came to print, but none of Billy’s friends denied anything.

I did have one interesting interaction with Bobby Erra’s former business partner. Bobby was one of the greatest characters that I have discovered in my life. I love this guy. I interviewed his former business partner and he said, “I wouldn’t print any of the things that Bobby supposedly did that was bad.” He stopped for a beat and I was getting worried. Then he said, “But it’s all true. In fact, it’s worse.” I did worry, though. I lived in Brooklyn, where Bobby had a lot of “family”. I had this morbid nightmare that one day there’d be a knock at the door. I’d get the door open and hear, “This is for Bobby.” It hasn’t happened yet.

BFD: Having spoken to many of these characters and having fished the Keys yourself, how has it changed?

MB: That whole Florida fishery has completely changed. Just focusing on Homosassa, it was so fun to talk to Tom Evans and Steve Huff about when they “discovered it” in ’76/’77. Some guys had been there before, but they opened the lid on the whole thing. For those first couple of years there weren’t that many anglers. I think on the day that Huff caught the 186lb and Evans caught a 177lb, they didn’t see another boat, which is insane. Fast forward six years later to the height of this craziness of the world record chase, there were a hundred boats there. In Homosassa, the quality of the fishing and the number of fish that come in has changed dramatically. More than anything I’ve ever seen. Back in the day, maybe 10 000 fish used to come in every May. The times I have been there, we’d have many days of just sitting there bobbing in the water and not seeing a damn thing for the entire day, sometimes three days in a row. There are sometimes little glimpses of the old days. The biggest fish I hooked, there was a daisy chain of fish and I threw this purple fly in there and the fish that hit it and jumped out was literally the biggest thing I had ever seen. Of course when he landed, the hook broke.

“TO ME THIS IS WHAT JOURNALISM IS ALL ABOUT, RIGHT? YOU GO IN AND YOU WRITE. YOU DISCOVER THINGS, YOU FACT CHECK IT, MAKE SURE IT’S ACCURATE, AND THEN YOU PRINT IT.”

The Keys are completely changed too. In one of the chapters I wrote about when Tom McGuane, Jim Harrison, Jimmy Buffett and those guys arrived down in the Keys. They were this young artist group expressing their art through tarpon fishing. They all loved tarpon fishing. McGuane said that he’d go out there and there’d be maybe another guide out there and that’s about it. That has completely changed. Every day right now, there’s the gold cups going on. There are boats all over the place, especially on the ocean side. You look down the line of boats, you can see a guy crouch down when he’s casting at a fish. He misses it and then it goes to the next boat. Those fish are completely harassed. Then there’s the back country, not necessarily in the Western Everglades, but in Florida Bay. It used to be filled with laidup tarpon but now with the algae blooms the seagrass has died. In Homosassa, a lot of this has to do with pressure, but it wasn’t just pressure that kept the fish away. It’s the great freshwater springs, including these four big rivers, which all emptied into that bay. The flow of those rivers is down to 40% of their historical flow. This is man-made environmental degradation – a government, a state government, and a governor’s office that have never done a damn thing except for encourage people to keep building and sucking up water. I think it’s all coming to a head now.

The last couple years have been very difficult in the Keys. We’re seeing fewer fish. They’re not in the same spots that they used to be. It’s changed.

Still, all that said, if someone told me tomorrow, “Hey, I got an opening, do you want to go down and fish?” I would jump on it. Just to spend a day in the presence of those fish is amazing. I see why Ponce de Leon supposedly went there looking for the Fountain of Youth. Florida is magical. It is this otherworldly place. There’s no place like it in the United States. It’s more Caribbean than it is American. It’s a hard place to give up on.

I was down in the Everglades with Steve Huff a couple weeks ago and I forgot how cool it was until I got out on the water. You forget because your body can’t remember these things like you think it can. You cast out there, the fish follows it, you hook it, you feel that hook-up and it is the coolest thing. You forget how damn cool it is. So, yeah, I’m a junkie just like everybody else is. It’s not as good as it used to be, but that’s kind of the way the world works it seems.

BFD: Ron DeSantis seems to be pushing back against the sugar plantations, but seems to be pretty big on development.

MB: He’s just one in a long line. No one’s really stood up and done what’s right. They’re all pro-growth, pro-development. That makes the GDP go up so that there’s money flowing everywhere.

Jim Harrison American author, essayist, poet, and gourmand. See Legends of the Fall The Great Leader, and Brown Dog Ron DeSantis Governor of Florida, wannabee US President, ex-Disney fan, fascist, and someone who

“THE LAST COUPLE YEARS HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFICULT IN THE KEYS. WE’RE SEEING FEWER FISH. THEY’RE NOT IN THE SAME SPOTS THAT THEY USED TO BE. IT’S CHANGED.”

Tom McGuane American author behind The Longest Silence, The Sporting Club, Ninety-Two in the Shade among others. Fly Fishing Hall of Fame inductee.

Jimmy Buffett American singer who was part of the Homosassa scene and whose single “Margaritaville” topped the charts at the time.

BFD: Of all the characters you researched, is there any particular one that you would’ve loved to share a boat with and why?

MB: I was lucky to share a boat with lots of them. The characters I did fish with were super-fun. I would love to fish with all of them, really. I didn’t get to fish with Chico, but I’d love to. I’d also love to have fished with Stu Apte back in the day. I don’t know if I’d want to fish with Bobby Erra. That sounds like it would be a chaotic thing. The obvious answer is Steve Huff, whom I’m lucky enough to share a boat with every year. He always calls me on New Year’s Day, and we set up our dates for that year. I get all nervous that day and make sure I answer every call. I practice pretty hard before I go down there. The fishing, I’m being honest, it’s secondary. I just love hanging out with the dude. He’s interesting and fun and smart. At 77, he’s still out there trying. He wants it more than I do, which is what you want out of a guide, right?

BFD: One part of the book I loved, especially in the early days of Key West, was the sex, drugs and rock ’n roll element. Crazy nights with tarpon fishing during the day. Was it that crazy? What sense did you get of that scene?

MB: They were kids of the ’60s, they were all in their 20s and this was just coming off the free drugs, free sex era. By today’s standards, yeah, they had a good time, they really went for it. To me the most interesting part is that they were practicing their art through angling. Art is trying to describe the indescribable and tarpon fishing is sort of the same thing. It’s really hard to describe. They did a lot of drugs, but they never missed a nice day on the water, which I admire too. That’s only something people in their 20s can actually do. It got to the point where McGuane leaves, Richard Brautigan’s gone and Guy de la Valdene, Harrison, and Russell Chatham kind of keep the party going on. They change over from doing weed and acid and start doing cocaine, and the professional women start coming in. It just got to be all too much. I felt like as it got towards the ’80s, the cocaine era, they bailed out of there. I loved those stories. It was so fun to research and write about. Guy just died about a month ago. It was great to get to chat with him. I also chatted with Russell Chatham right before he died. This book gave me an excuse to fly out to Montana to go hang out with McGuane for a couple days to get his side of the story. I love all the art those guys have produced. I was always a huge Harrison fan. I loved the Russell Chatham paintings. I obviously loved McGuane. Jimmy Buffet was there. He didn’t fish all that much. Hunter S Thompson was there too. He didn’t fish, but he was a big part of the “après fishing”.

BFD: During your research, was there anything that really surprised you?

MB: The thing that surprised me the most, which probably shouldn’t have surprised me, is how interlinked everything was. Going into it, I knew I was going to write about Homosassa and that era because it was the apex moment of fly fishing, maybe the apex moment of fishing, when

Russell Chatham Big-name American landscape artist and author who also wrote Striped Bass on the Fly: A Guide to California Waters

Hunter S Thompson The godfather of Gonzo journalism and author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas The Rum Diary, Hell’s Angels, and others.

Richard Brautigan American author. See Trout Fishing in America, Watermelon Sugar and The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966.

Guy de la Valdene Author and co-director of seminal fly fishing film, 1973’s Tarpon who was part of the hedonistic artist/tarpon fishing crew of that time.

“THEY WERE KIDS OF THE ’60S, THEY WERE ALL IN THEIR 20S AND THIS WAS JUST COMING OFF THE FREE DRUGS, FREE SEX ERA.”

you had the world’s greatest fly anglers and greatest fly guides, all in the same place, all after the same goal. That never happened before and I don’t think it’ll ever happen again. So I knew that was going to be the focus of the book, but I didn’t realise that there was this whole build-up, from Bill Smith catching the first bonefish on fly on the flats, and then people starting to fish for tarpon. There were the early guys, and then the Chicos and the Flips, young kids getting into it and helping to create the technology to be able to land these things –lines, rods and hooks that wouldn’t break and reels that would stand up to it. That naturally flowed into, “OK, now people can do it.” Who comes in now? The artists come in, express it, make it cool. And then it goes into the hardcore record anglers who are not doing it for art. They’re doing it for fame or whatever reasons they have. I just never really realised how connected the whole thing was. It all sort of made sense.

I always describe reporting and writing books as if I’ve got a big box and I’m going out and interviewing people. Parts of each interview are like puzzle pieces that I throw in the box. Sometimes, if I see that something connects, I’ll connect it then throw it in the box. Once your box is kind of full and you feel like you’ve got it, you then dump it out and figure out how to put all that shit together. So in a way, all narratives are like that. This one really had this cool connection. Bill Smith is very much connected to Andy Mill and they are very much connected to you and to me. We all are the beneficiaries of this past and we’re all part of the continuing, ongoing evolution.

BFD: Any last comments or thoughts on the Lords of the Fly or tarpon fishing in general?

MB: It’s funny because someone wrote to me about the book today. I’ve written books that have sold more copies – this book will never catch up to the Nick Saban book because college football is just more popular in the United States than tarpon fishing is. However, all that said, I’ve never had a book that created such an intimacy between me and the reader. There were plenty of people who wrote me about the Saban book and I went on ESPN and all this kind of stuff, but with Lords of the Fly people have taken the time to find my email or find me on social media and write to me. It established an intimacy that I’ve never had before as a writer. When it first came out I was getting these awesome messages and my wife actually said, “Save them all and put them in a document, because someday you’re going to get down in the dumps, like we all do, and you might want to just pull that out and read it.” So it’s something I don’t take for granted. I really have a lot of gratitude that people would even think about picking up this book. You never know, right? These are like your babies. This book was passed on by a lot of publishers, it was a very much a labour of love. A lot of people were like, “No one’s going to want to read about this.” We proved them wrong, but it’s something that you don’t take for granted because it doesn’t happen all that much. It’s been this unbelievably wonderful experience that keeps going.

As for tarpon fishing, it’s been I think three weeks since I’ve been back from the Everglades, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about that trip and if there is a way that I could maybe get down there again soon? I only get three or four days a year these days because of kids and everything like that. But these animals are just so freaking cool.

BFD: What’s next for you?

MB: I have started a book about water. It’s about the southwest of the United States and what’s going on out there. I may have bitten off more than I could chew. It will be very different for me because the main characters are going to be the Colorado River and Lake Mead. The main character is sort of animate, but I can’t interview it. It’s very different from any book I’ve ever done and I think it’s going to take me a lot longer, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m a little nervous at this point, but that’s good.

Bill Smith Florida Keys guide widely credited with landing the first bonefish on fly in 1939.

“WE ALL ARE THE BENEFICIARIES OF THIS PAST AND WE’RE ALL PART OF THE CONTINUING, ONGOING EVOLUTION.”

BEATS

THE LORDS OF THE FLY COMPANION SELECTION

The podcast: Mill House

If you want to understand more about this scene and the characters behind it, there is no better place to do that than Andy Mill’s podcast. Evans, Apte, Fernandez, McGuane, Huff, they’re all here. millhousepodcast.com

The film: Tarpon (1973)

This iconic film, directed by Christian Odasso and Guy de la Valdene, and scored by Jimmy Buffett, is about as elusive as a permit. For a long time it was lost (apparently stashed in a barn for 30 years), then it suddenly reappeared again for free on YouTube, then it got taken down again. Now, Odasso’s daughter has a website for the film (restored to 4K) which promises, “streaming available soon”. tarpon1973.com

The book: Mile Marker Zero

We can’t beat this book’s description: “True tales of writers and pirates, painters and potheads, guitar pickers and drug merchants in America’s southernmost city. For Hemingway and Fitzgerald, there was Paris in the twenties. For others, later, there was Greenwich Village, Big Sur, and Woodstock. But for an even later generation – one defined by the likes of Jimmy Buffett, Tom McGuane, and Hunter S Thompson – there was another moveable feast: KeyWest, Florida.” amazon.com

MONTE’S MIXTAPE. What the Lords of the Fly author is listening to now. Find it at themissionflymag.com

Nighttime Animal ZG Smith

Lucky Now Ryan Adams

Cast Iron Skillet Jason Isbell

Thinking of a Place War on Drugs

Before the Sun Gregory Alan Isakov

Mariella Khruangbin, Leon Bridges

Surefire (Piano) Wilderado

After the Gold Rush Neil Young Tulsa Jesus Freak Lana Del Ray Empty (Live) Ray Lamontagne

DINGO’S REVENGE

AFTER YEARS GUIDING IN THE SEYCHELLES AND OMAN, STU WEBB FINALLY GOT TO BE ON THE CLIENT SIDE OF THE RELATIONSHIP WHEN HE JOINED FRIENDS EUGENE PAWLOWSKI AND MATT BORN IN AUSTRALIA’S FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND.

Photos. Stu Webb, Matt Born, Eugene Pawlowski

Let me start this off with a little kumbaya sentiment.

Iguide for a living, usually in Oman (I’m based in Dubai) or the Seychelles. Being on the water and guiding clients for most of my life is without a doubt a passion for me. But, and I bullshit you not, getting to share in the stoke of first catches and bucket-list trophies is way more satisfying than actually catching fish myself, most of the time. It’s more important than money and status I could be chasing elsewhere doing something else. It’s my escape and the place I feel most comfortable, most in control and connected.

When you spend as much time on the water as I do, you’re going to connect with a lot of people. Some connections are fleeting, just sharing a joke or a good story, while some live on as memories of an epic session of a fish lost or landed. Others, however, are the beginning of life-long friendships. Unless you fish solo all the time, you will know what I’m talking about. Kumbaya.

Eugene Pawlowski (aka Geeno aka Bruce) is one of those friends. We met on Alphonse Island back in 2017 and it didn’t take long for us to figure out we already shared a common friend in Mike Nolan aka Nowlsey from the popular YouTube show The Mike Nolan Show. One of my biggest regrets from the week Geeno was on Alphonse was being too hungover to go on a surf walk with him on my off day. Instead, wimping out, I pointed him in the right direction and went back to bed. As it turned out, Geeno didn’t need me, because later that evening he casually strutted up to the bell-ringing ceremony having caught a 126cm geet in the surf, on foot. Han Solo. The guy is a fishy bastard, from guiding dorado in Bolivia to big browns in New Zealand, he catches serious fish.

The second friend, Matt Born, is another mate I made while guiding in the Seychelles back in 2018 on Astove Atoll. We have spent many days on the flats together mostly trying to avoid any finable offences (he’s chairman of Barrelhouse Rugby Club in the UAE and well versed in fines meetings). I’ve had the privilege of being with Matt for a few firsts and some classic fishing memories, like that time I almost vomited from chasing his first milkfish around in knee-deep water on Cosmo trying to net it while a blacktip shark was chasing me and the fish.

Ever since Geeno and I met we have kept in comms and plotted a few times to fish together between guiding stints for the both of us. It wasn’t until June this year that we managed to pull it off. Matt was heading back to Oz where he lives part time (the rest of the time in Dubai), I was at the end of my season and gearing up for yard period in the Dubai heat while Geeno was gearing up for his Cape York guiding season with Australian Flyfishing Outfitters

(AFO). A strange full circle dynamic took shape where I got a chance to be Matt’s boat partner and have Geeno guide us up in Cape York.

The Gulf of Carpentaria, particularly the West Cape in Far North Queensland has been on my mind for as long as I can remember. Mainly for the species they get up there, but also for that “Oz wants to kill you” thrill of finding weird shit like saltwater crocs on the flats.

The schlep to get there for Matt and I was real. Dubai –Brisbane. Brisbane – Cairns. Cairns – Weipa. That we were getting close to our final destination – a liveaboard mothership called the Eclipse – became clear when the advertising boards above the urinal at Cairns airport read, “You are now in croc country.”

“I GOT A CHANCE TO BE MATT’S BOAT PARTNER AND HAVE GEENO GUIDE US UP IN CAPE YORK.”

(Above) The river mouths in the Gulf of Carpenteria provide huge tidal flats with holes and gutters.

(Below) With fish and chips and cold beer, life on the Eclipse for Stu and Matt was peachy.

In no time we were up on the top deck of Eclipse smashing catch-up beers with Geeno and a few sneaky glasses of “Dingo’s Revenge”. One of the Bruces’ secret 24-volt homemade rums, it was the kind of rotgut that was pretty tasty without Coke, but definitely forced you to hold the handrail on the way to bed. The Eclipse had a large dining table that the eight punters had dinner at every night. This area doubled up as the gear setup zone as we set off to our first anchorage. Matt and I had discussed our tackle setup and gear choice at length to avoid taking too much clobber with us. We decided on a 10-weight and 9-weight outfit each and a 12-weight to share just in case we saw a GT. My thinking was we were not going to see many and, if we did, they wouldn’t be big fish so after five or six beers and some discussion I decided to go with 80lb leader on the 12. Mistake!

Cape York’s got a huge variety of species, we estimated about 23 between us, but there is way more if species ticking is your vibe. We focused on the main targets we had in mind - anak permit (Trachinotus anak), big queenfish, golden trevally, barramundi, and cobia, but they also have blue bastards from time to time, their own weird little threadfin and numerous other bits and bobs that join you out there including monstrous guitar sharks, hammerheads and, of course, saltwater crocs.

If you can put aside the jet lag, the anticipation of a new fishery takes a heavy hold on your froth-ometer. It doesn’t matter how much pre-trip info you absorb, most of the time the reality is pretty different when you arrive. The hours of daydreaming and YouTube videos only start making sense

as you get out on the water and the picture comes together.

I won’t name the three-river system that we fished over the spring tides, but they were all very similar. I would go as far as to say it was quite distracting in that there were so many fishy-looking options. There are endless stretches of beach with amazing banks and holes outside the river mouths and gutters with long beach sections joining them. We struggled a few days with bad light and windy conditions which stirred the silt on the flats up and pretty much blew them out, but they cleaned up very quickly once the wind and swell dropped. Even on the “struggle” days we didn’t go wanting because we had the river systems to fish which produced some bomber queenfish on gurglers and an opportunity to target the barra.

“WE DECIDED ON A 10-WEIGHT AND 9-WEIGHT OUTFIT EACH AND A 12-WEIGHT TO SHARE IN CASE WE SAW A GT.”

With schools of golden trevally and queenfish as the bread and butter species, many a “whoop” was had.

Our first session of the trip was a highlight. We were on the flats outside the river mouth of Location 1. We spent about an hour stretching our lines on the queens and mac tuna that were smashing bait just outside the river mouth, but we couldn’t get a fish out with the sharks. In the chaos a bronzy thought the prop looked tasty. It’s not great losing fish to sharks, but it is a reflection of how healthy Cape York’s ecosystem is. It was also a reminder that my Speedo was an unnecessary luggage item.

The tide started pushing when Geeno said, “Time for the flats.” I shit you not, for the next few hours we did not move more than 100m. Spectators could have set up under a gazebo and scored me on my ribbon dancing efforts as the froth was real and I was definitely over-excited and puzzling hard for fish. My first shot at a golden ended with me hooking the guitar shark it was riding on in the dorsal fin. That was obviously a short story. Matt opened his account in style on an epic golden that was cruising up the edge with a guitar shark while I proceeded to get bitten off by a big single queen on my 15lb permit setup. I then had a classic shot at a school of goldens moving slowly and tailing with a stingray. Obviously, I hooked the stingray, so I handed the rod to Geeno and proceeded to spook the rest of the school with my second rod. Let’s just say those goldens are probably pelagic now.

As we were getting some hero shots of Matt’s golden, Geeno called out that a tank GT was pushing down the flat towards us. I grabbed the 12-weight, jumped off the back of the skiff in knee-deep, clean water. Still shitting myself at the thought of salty flat dogs, I stripped off a couple handfuls of line and put a shot out across the GT’s track. I let the fly marinade briefly and then started stripping. The fly was very dehydrated and didn’t break the surface for the first three strips, but as it did the GT lit up and I had to briefly slow the strip down to put some real-estate between him and my shoelaces. There was a brief moment after his first kick towards the fly where we all thought he was going to see the skiff and abort, but he did the Quade Cooper double step, charged and porpoised on the fly right at our toes. He then proceeded to fuck off, straight onto the reel and into the backing. Geeno piped up something like, “You can take the boy out of the Seychelles...”, which made me chuckle. Loads of clamouring and classic hook-up banter ensued. “Did you see that eat?” “Oh my hat that was sick!” “Yeeeah, get that man a beer!” I managed to stop the fish and started making back line when it just came away. The 80lb I was using was quite supple mono and with a change of angle and pressure it had chafed off pretty fast.

“What a poes!” I said to myself. Kumbaya.

A brief moment of melancholy was quickly drowned with a refreshing Queensland go-to, the XXXX beer (pronounced four-ex), which was the official unofficial sponsor of hydration on the flats. I was a bit bummed, but overall it

THERE WERE AT LEAST 15 FISH, SUPER-HAPPY AND IN THE MOOD. GEENO SAID, “IF YOU SHOW THEM THE FLY IT’S A DONE DEAL!”

had been a positive session. We carried on covering the flat and pushing in with the water. Things went a little quiet compared to the chaos of the morning, but while scanning hard for permit we were still having awesome shots and picking off goldens that were following the edges in ones and twos. I think we were distracted by a big hammerhead up on the flats also looking for something similar to snack on, when one of us called out a bunch of tails, scoffeling hard on a little darker patch of bottom at our eight o’clock. Geeno called it immediately, “permit”. Matt up on the bow got an F1-style hand off to his permit setup with 20lb tippet and a 1/0 Flexo. The fish had nowhere to go and were working down the edge directly into the scope of a not impossible upwind shot for Matt. There were at least 15 fish, super-happy and in the mood. Geeno said, “If you show them the fly it’s a done deal!”

Stu with a snub-nosed crab-muncher, the Anak permit.

Matt pulled one more handful of line off the reel just to check the drag, lifted his rod, and started casting. The fish were still happy but not tailing and sliding down towards the bow, closing the distance, and increasing the chance of getting a look at us. Three false casts and Matt paused in his back cast to allow the rod to load before punching a nice tight loop at an angle under the wind. Money shot. Everyone stopped breathing and I think time slowed to about half-speed as his fly sank briefly and the fish moved closer. The water was pushing towards the fish, so the leader and line had no problem staying dead straight and in the zone. Three long, medium-speed strips and he went tight! Geeno and I were doing what we could to make sure Matt’s fly line was safe to clear on his reel, but the

fish behaved and had nowhere but sand to do its thing. While we gave him shit, Matt was hyper-focused and the quietest I’d seen him since we left Dubai. After a tense five minutes, Geeno tailed the perm and handed the fish to Matt in the water. He was still quiet, just looking down at the fish and taking a moment to appreciate its significance. You could visibly see it meant a lot to the man, putting his hand out to show the adrenaline causing it to shake. Those are the moments on the water that live with you and will be reminisced about for a long time to come. Major kumbaya.

Soon it was my turn to tussle with the anak. It happened during one of our best sessions on the flats where we saw a ton of fish. We ran north to one of the river mouths and

Matt gets his anak and Stu captures the moment. (Below) Golden trevally and a golden sunset.

committed the day to fish in that section to wait for the water to push on to the flats so we could chase perms. It was a bit shitty and cloudy in the morning and I was worried that it was going to blow out the session. But at dead low, at the beginning of the push, the sun came out and the water was crystal clear. We started finding schools of daisy-chaining perms in the deep and while we tried fishing to them, they weren’t super-happy. When the tide started pushing the flats came alive. We started having shots at goldens literally shot for shot. Then the perms started sneaking in behind us. Matt had just released another golden when he called out that something was coming along towards us. It was swimming in the deep water, but the water was not spilling onto the flat enough for the fish to get up. There were three permit on a guitar shark. Jumping out the boat I ran up to intercept them and put a shot out across the shark. As soon as the fish came over the fly there was an insta-bite and I was into a pretty good fish. I got him on quite a big Flexo, a 1/0, with yellow legs. Doing my pre-trip research and chatting to the Bruces on the ground, there was all this talk about their go-to fly, the Gav’s Crab. I tried to fish it but did not enjoy it as it felt like a kite in the water, so I went back to the Flexo, because I had confidence in it and got him to chow. Confidence kumbaya.

“THOSE ARE THE MOMENTS ON THE WATER THAT LIVE WITH YOU AND WILL BE REMINISCED ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME TO COME.”

“THE ANAK WE WERE FISHING TOO WERE ACTIVELY FEEDING SO IF YOU PUT A FLY IN FRONT OF THEM PROPERLY, YOU WOULD GET A BITE.”

From ticking off my first anak, the whole session turned out to be loose as school after school of perms came onto the flats. These fish were on a mission, drifting over white sands and rooting around everywhere in the gutters and pockets. The anak we were fishing too were actively feeding so if you put a fly in front of them properly, you would get a bite. I’ve fished a lot to both Indo-Pacific permit (Trachinotus blochii) and the one we get up in Oman (Trachinotus africanus). I did not get enough experience in front of the anaks to make a definitive call, but from what I saw I think the Blochii is a little more finicky and a more nervous fish. Still, the anak is a permit through and through so time spent puzzling, getting refusals, and spooking fish are par for the course.

My barra education was also a challenge. Geeno explained their habits to us, mainly that they are prolific ambush predators; that if your fly was not in the zone they would not move very far to eat; and that the rule of thumb is to keep fishing a potential piece of structure (a brush pile, or drainage point coming out of the mangroves) multiple times to make certain there was not a fish holding there.

The rivers in this region cuts into the land and are lined with incredible mangrove forests that fringe the tidal zone and appear as a shadow of the rivers path. As the tide drops and flows out of the forest all the bait and aquatic life move with it and create perfect hunting opportunities for the barramundi. Late on the dropping tide they lie in wait in soupy back eddies or gutters for something to drift over their upward-pointing eyes and mouth.

Matt was quick off the mark and had his first barramundi grip and grin not long into our first barra session. I pricked a few but couldn’t get them to stick. You know what it’s like when your fishing buddy is off the mark and the pressure is off for them? They’re having their first beer, being a little too supportive, insisting you stay on the bow until you get a fish, chatting shit, tacking pictures, etc. By the time Matt was into his second beer, the pressure was slowly escalating, and my accuracy had gone to shit. The fly line got tangled in everything and every second cast I was getting jammed in the trees. As Matt was reaching for his third beer, the chuckling began, mostly because every bite I was getting was a Jimboet (the local name for a gold spot grouper). So, naturally, I was called Jimboet for the rest of the trip and I left that session still barra-less. Later in the week we had an opportunity to fish for them again. I was first up and was

“THREE OR FOUR SHOTS LATER AND I WAS ON! FINALLY, I HAD A BARRAMUNDI TO MY NAME.”

struggling again, I just wasn’t feeling it. Matt stepped up and it wasn’t long before he went tight with a perfect little barra, so it was my turn again. Geeno was bumping us along the mangrove edge calling out likely spots and getting pissed off with our weed guards that were failing every couple of casts causing us to get jammed and blow out the spot when retrieving the fly. “No dramas,” he circled back and put me into position in the exact place Matt, 10 minutes earlier, had got a fish. “There’s definitely a few in there Bruce.” Three or four shots later and I was on! Finally, I had a barramundi to my name, one of the fish on my list and a big part of the reason I had travelled to fish with old Geeno.

It just shows how quickly the wheels can fall off and you can get flustered when you put yourself under pressure. It also shows how you can get on top with a little confidence.

I changed up to a Gurgler and a few metres further down the river I managed to pin one on the top which was a big bonus and just another reason to cheers with the boys and sink another XXXX. Peak kumbaya.

The week flew by in a flurry of fish and beer foam and before we knew it Matt and I were on a plane back to Dubai. Not that I didn’t achieve what I wanted while out there, I did, but I left wanting more, which is what you want from a trip. Cape York gave me a glimpse into what it has to offer, and I can only imagine what it would be like to guide it like Geeno and spend many days on the water joining the dots and getting to witness another unspoiled eco system.

Who knows? Maybe there’s a second verse or two ahead for the kumbaya crew.

“Geeno explained that the rule of thumb for barramundi is to keep fishing a piece of structure multiple times to make certain there was not a fish holding there.”

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Chasing yellowtail off Cape Point or Natal snoek off Kosi Bay? Xtratuf Ankle Deck Boot collection has been crafted specifically with off-shore anglers in mind. Featuring a lightweight design with a slip-resistant Chevron outsole and front and rear pull-on tabs, the 100% waterproof 6” ankle deck boot is a great option if you’re looking for both foot protection and slip-on-and-go styling. These things may have featured on The Deadliest Catch, but even if you’re just entering the freezer at the bottle store, you might as well do it in style. xtratuf.co.za

XPLORER - ESSENTIALS & VERTICAL MAGNET CLOSE FLY BOXES

Embracing the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid), Xplorer’s Essential Fly Box is a slim, versatile, high-capacity box capable of taking your dries, nymphs, and buggers. Designed with angled entry points for easy fly loading and with deep gutters to protect and preserve fully hackled flies, it sports a magnetic quick access open/closure and a strong impact-resistant shell.

Another addition to Xplorer’s 2023 collection is the new Magnet Close Fly Box. Deep enough to protect even your bushiest dries, it has a compact design and can be attached to a lanyard for convenience and security on the water. Looking for a one-handed opening fly box? Look no further. xplorerflyfishing.co.za

GRIP - SQUIRREL ZONKER STRIPS 1/8”

Grip has some spiffy new squirrel Zonker strips. Perfect for getting that irresistible movement in small freshwater zonkers, they come in five colours: Natural Grey, Natural Red Belly Squirrel, Dyed Black, Dyed Olive, and Dyed Orange. scientificfly.com

HARELINE - DYED OVER SADDLES

On the bugger train? Perchance you are obsessing over other streamers of various lengths and hues? Then we suggest you gird your loins, make space in your stash and take a gander at Hareline’s quality selection of Dyed Over White Saddles now available at Mavungana Flyfishing. hareline.com, flyfishing.co.za

ICEBREAKER - MERINO LONG SLEEVE THERMAL TOP

You know your smell right? As in, when you are… “pitting” sufficiently that even you can smell yourself when you scratch your head or put your seatbelt on. It’s the smell that, when you arrive home from a few days fishing, makes your wife turn green, your kids run to the neighbours, and even your dog give you the stink eye. Merino, somehow, magically masks that stink. You can spend a long weekend away and go properly feral (no shower, no swim, no toothbrush, no deo, Norman no-mates) and not only will this incredible base layer 100% Merino wool jersey’s soft fibres regulate your body temperature and keep you warm, it will keep you less honky than usual. Plus, with gusseted underarms for mobility and comfort and offset shoulder seams to prevent friction, it’s designed for (makes vigorous double-haul motions) movement. icebreaker.com, frontierflyfishing.com

SIMMS - THERMAL QTR ZIP MIDLAYER TOP

Take it from a crew of amnesiac numbnuts who have forgotten their waders for winter surf fishing, their puffy jackets for icy stillwater trout sessions, and made numerous other clobber fails – if you can keep your core relatively warm, you can keep fishing. Simms’s warmest midlayer, the Thermal 1/4 Zip Top is one of those unassuming yet mildly magical garments that adds warmth on its own, or layers under your favourite jacket to dial in reliable comfort in truly frigid conditions. A grid-fleece interior traps heat next to skin without adding bulk or limiting range of motion, and a smooth exterior makes for seamless layering. A high collar with a quarter-length zipper allows for venting and easy removal. simmsfishing.com, frontierflyfishing.com

FLY TYERS - 43 POP TOP STASH BOX

Fly tying night at your buddy’s and you’re busy stashing materials in one of those ubiquitous Woolies bags? No sir! Get organised both at your tying desk and on the road with the Fly Tyers 43 Pop Top Stash Box from Hareline. This storage box with hinged lid includes a total of 43 Hareline Stash Pods to store and organise beads, dumbbell eyes, hooks, dubbing and much more. Made of durable plastic, the clear pods can find a firm grip in a foam base. Pairs well with the new The Mission X Gerhard Human sticker series, available on our website now. hareline.com, flyfishing.co.za, themissionflymag.com

“DIAL IN RELIABLE COMFORT IN TRULY FRIGID CONDITIONS.”

Simms’s wool beanie will encase your noggin with warmth and timeless style. The perfect blend of lambswool and nylon (80/20) to keep your pip warm, and snugly covered, it features a rolled cuff for that extra The Life Aquatic styling. simmsfishing.com, frontierflyfishing.com

FISHPOND - MAORI TROUT HAT

Visors occupy a strange headwear middle-ground between accountant golfers, tennis starlets, poker dealers, and authentic salt-encrusted fly bums. With this schweet understated onesize-fits-most offering from Fishpond, you should manage to pull off the latter. Not recommended for anyone lacking a full head of hair. fishpondusa. com, frontierflyfishing.com

SCOTT - CORK MESH CAP

Finally a cap with multiple personalities that wants to be A) a rod handle, B) a fly holder, and C) could, possibly, absorb a few knocks when your guide klaps you for stuffing up a cast. Now in stock at Mavungana Flyfishing, Scott’s Cork Mesh Cap has a cork front with an oval Scott logo, a twill visor, a black mesh back, a precurved visor, and a dark underbrim for extra fish-spotting vibes. scottflyrod. com, flyfishing.co.za

LOON - QUICK DRAW ROD SLEEVE

Our art director Boderick just had his dog Kimba jump on his favourite 7-weight and snap it in his car. Is there a solution for such a scenario, other than volunteering Kimba for mine-clearing work? Voila the rod-dome or, as Loon prefer to call it, the Quick Draw Rod Sleeve. Like a cobra that’s shed its skin, this sheath stores fly rods at home, in-vehicle, or in a boat so that they are protected, fully rigged, and ready to use at a moment’s notice. Available from Xplorer Fly Fishing in the Single Hand – Full: 1.25” x 96” iteration. loonoutdoors.com, xplorerflyfishing.co.za

ADH - HIGHLIGHTER STRIKE INDICATOR

If you are still on the hunt for the perfect strike indicator and have not yet been convinced by the various bobbers, balls, wool, and foam offerings, perhaps the Adams Fly Rods Tricolor Sight Marker is more your speed? Basically, like the guy in the Crazy Hot Matrix, you get to bust out these non-toxic, neutral-odour pens and draw the strike indicators you want directly onto your leader or tippet when nymph fishing. Not only does it increase your efficiency on the water dramatically, but it saves you time and weak points as you don’t need additional knots. The three bright colours – fluoro yellow, fluoro pink, and black – are easy to spot against a variety of backgrounds. When you need to replace the tip, you can simply “cut” a thin slice off in an instant with a piece of tippet material – like a cheese slicer. Keep the off-cut to bin later as it is not biodegradable. adh-fishing.com

“PROTECTED, FULLY RIGGED, AND READY TO USE AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE.”

PAY DAY

THE TOOL - STORM KETTLE

Based on the traditional Irish fisherman’s kettle, the Storm Kettle is a self-contained water-boiling vessel, which transfers heat from a built-in fire to a double-insulated chamber that holds water. The kettle works incredibly efficiently because oxygen is funnelled into the dish making for extra-hot flames and steaming mugs of coffee in record time. As hot air is funnelled out through the flue, the surrounding walls of the kettle are heated up and thus so is the water. While it won’t squeeze into a backpack and isn’t intended to be carried into the bundus, it’s perfect for car camping or at a log cabin weekend getaway. We took our Storm Kettle to Lakenvlei, the Cape Piscatorial Society’s stillwater venue, to test it out.

How to use the Storm Kettle without melting your face off

Fill the double-walled chamber with water. The cork serves as a plug to prevent spilling, but needs to be removed when boiling water.

Make a fire in the bottom dish. It doesn’t have to be a bonfire – twigs and sticks will suffice, and a block of fire-starter helps too, in case you’re dealing with soggy mulch. Leftover coals from a braai also make for a great heat source.

Place the jug on top of the fire dish. As you lower the jug onto the fire, hot air is immediately forced through the chimney, so keep your burn kit handy. Continue feeding the fire, either by dropping sticks down the chimney or in through the air-intake vent in the fire dish.

Once the water has boiled it may start erupting out of the kettle. Water is tipped out by leveraging the urn by the metal cord. Use the cork plug to keep any remaining water warm. instagram.com/stormkettles.za

THE BOOK - A TRAVELER’S GUIDE TO THE END OF THE WORLD

Amid massive wildfires, Biblical floods, extreme heat waves, dreaded Arctic blasts and rising sea levels, unless it’s happening to you it’s hard to fathom how bad things are on our planet. In A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World: Tales of Fire, Wind and Water, David Gessner takes you on a tour of climate hotspots from the Gulf of Mexico to the burning American West to New York City to the fragile Outer Banks, where homes are being swallowed by the seas. While it may be doom and gloom subject matter, Gessner approaches it with a sense of humour and compassion as he talks to people on the frontline of the age of fire, heat, wind, and water. Most importantly, Gessner, thinking like a father, asks scientists and thinkers, “What will the world be like in 2064, when my daughter is my age now?” “What is the future of weather? The future of heat, storms, and fire?” bookshop.org

THE SUNNIES - BAJIO PALOMETA

As any angler will tell you, good polarised sunglasses are one of the most important accessories for fishing, especially if you prioritise sight-fishing over everything else. Platon Trakoshis got to test the Bajio (pronounced bah-hee-oh) Palometa sunglasses recently and he’s impressed.

PACKAGING

You can’t judge a book by its cover, but a pair of sunnies that come in good packaging hints at an overall commitment to quality. These glasses came in a cotton bag with a very cool image of a palometa (permit in Spanish) on the front that would look great on a T-shirt. Inside was an impressive, stitched casing made from sustainable cactus leather that even smells like leather. There is plenty of info included about the sunglasses and what the brand is about, which in a nutshell is sustainability and stewardship of our shallows, flats, and estuaries.Bajio’s commitment to these things feels genuine, but it’s also smart business because these are all important touch points for any serious angler. It’s a big plus knowing that by purchasing a pair of Bajios you’re supporting a company that actually stands for something you care about.

THE LENSES

The glasses looked good and, on putting them on, I was blown away by how clear the lenses are and how they don’t tint natural colours too much. Bajio uses LAPIS technology which blocks 95% of blue light combating haze, glare, and eye strain, which is fantastic for the harsh African sun and long days on the water. You also have a choice between glass lenses and polycarbonate lenses. The ones I tested were polycarbonate. What stood out the most is how clear they are even in lower light conditions. This was made apparent while fishing the Cape streams with a younger friend with better eyesight than mine – I could see things in the water that he was struggling to see.

THE FRAMES

The frames are extremely light but don’t feel cheap and they fit comfortably. I was impressed by the soft rubber nose inserts that stop the sunnies from sliding off and that don’t dig into your skin. There are also rubber side shields for keeping out the sun’s glare that are vented to avoid fogging, which is always a risk with a wrap-around style. These rubber additions are in the temple tips too which helps prevent the glasses from slipping, and the arms have two-way flex hinges with keeper holes for a strap, making them very secure.

Launched by former Costa exec Al Perkinson, the hype behind Bajios over the last few years has been strong. I now see why. I have fished the Palometas up the West Coast and on the Overberg coast while targeting blacktail in highglare conditions. I have fished them on the Berg River while targeting carp in variable light ranging from deep shadow to sandbanks; at Lakenvlei while targeting trout in weed beds; and I’ve used them for spotting indigenous dry fly-munching witvis at locations I’ll take to the grave. Finally, I have worn them while spotting hyper-camouflaged small stream trout in the whiskey-coloured waters of my local Cape streams. Not only do they live up to the hype, but I think they’ll hold their status when, either through delamination or poor aftersales service, some other brands have failed the test of time.

Overall, these are excellent glasses with well thought out features and accessories. I’m a convert and I plan on getting some of their other styles as well. bajiosunglasses.com

THE SMALL STREAM GUY

WHILE WE TEND TO BE OMNIVOROUS IN OUR TASTES, THERE’S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR THOSE WHO SPECIALISE. HYPER-FOCUSED ANGLERS KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE AND CHOOSE TO SPEND THEIR AVAILABLE TIME AND EFFORT TARGETING ONE SPECIES IN ONE PRETTY SPECIFIC WAY. SMALL STREAM NUT, STANTON BEVAN HECTOR , FITS THAT DESCRIPTION WITH HIS ONE-TRACK DEVOTION TO THE DRY FLY FISHING OF THE WESTERN CAPE. HE WEIGHS IN WITH THE WHY OF THIS FISHERY AS WELL AS HIS GO-TO CLOBBER FOR LONG DAYS IN THE KLOOFS.

Photos. Matt Kennedy

My love for the Cape streams started long before I started fly fishing. I was a Boy Scout for 10 years, so we usually hiked or camped all around the Western Cape and I occasionally fished the streams there. Couple that with my love for swimming in crystal-clear water and it’s love at first sight.

My dad and my mom’s brothers were big rock and surf anglers. Sadly, my dad passed away when I was very young so he could never teach me. Nonetheless, I was exposed to fishing at a young age. I always had fishing rods and hooks and would fish very often on Scouts camps or our regular family camping trips. During my 20s, as a master’s student, I started fly fishing and never looked back.

All the rivers in the Cape are something special, whether they hold trout or not. Every time I see a picture of a Cape stream my heart skips a beat and I want to be right there beside it, walking its banks. The stark contrast of their setting, the incredible fynbos and all the unique species contained in it, the colour and clarity of the water… the list goes on. For me it’s a multi-sensorial thing.

No two days on any Cape stream are alike. The different waters require different tactics, whether you’re on the Holsloot or a secret stream in the Cederberg. Even on one stream there’s often a variety of types of water that can test your angling ability. Then there’s the intimacy and solitude of the streams, especially when I am alone, stalking a trout in a crystal-clear run high in the mountains with a dry on light tackle. Seeing it sway from side-to-side in the current, intercepting a tiny morsel off the surface, does it for me every time. It’s not as though I haven’t had the opportunity to fish for other species in other places. It’s just that the trout – their environs in the Cape, and the way I like to fish for them – ticks my boxes.

During those early years, I met and fished with Leonard Flemming and many other great anglers who shaped my angling and fly tying. But two anglers who contributed the most to my development as an angler were Tom Sutcliffe and Ed Herbst, first through their writings and later as friends. Fly fishing has given me great friends like Tom, Ed, Stephen Boshoff, Eben van der Merwe and many others, so guiding (a form of teaching) is my way of paying forward what was taught to me. As a teacher it is innate to want to see your student become successful. So, guiding provides the opportunity to share techniques, etc. If you see someone struggling with something, a quick suggestion may make the world’s difference to their angling experience. I also like to see other people catch fish.

I am scientist (molecular biologist), so I spend most of my days thinking of research, writing, and teaching. There are quite a few parallels between fishing and laboratory-based research. Firstly, both are hands-on pursuits. While fly fishing we think a lot about how to circumvent problems or about an innovative technique that will improve our fishing. Scientific research is much the same, whether you’re in the lab or writing about research, you must continuously come up with new strategies and ideas and be able to think on your feet. Secondly, on any given fishing day, we are exposed to changing conditions whether it’s weather or fish behaviour, etc. You must continuously adapt and change tactics. These tactics form part of your skill set. The more techniques and skills you’ve mastered the better you perform in both fishing and scientific research. Thirdly, fishing also offers the opportunity to experiment with different tactics, flies, leaders, lines, rods, and so on.

I don’t often buy new stuff and when I do I give it very careful thought because it has to fit a specific purpose. Small stream angling is pretty much a minimalist affair where the less you carry goes a long way.

“IT’S NOT AS THOUGH I HAVEN’T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FISH FOR OTHER SPECIES IN OTHER PLACES. IT’S JUST THAT THE CAPE STREAMS TROUT AND THE WAY I LIKE TO FISH FOR THEM – TICKS MY BOXES.”

So, careful thought about gear is important. Generally, I look for a couple of things when it comes to gear:

Robustness. It must be able to withstand the harsh environments of the kloofs. I don’t like to baby equipment while fishing. That’s not to say that I don’t take care of my stuff, but I just hate the idea of having to watch equipment all the time while fishing. Thinking about breaks or damage while fishing takes concentration away from actual fishing. I want my gear to do a job and do it well.

Portability. Most of the time I must either be able to carry it in my hand (like a rod), or it must be able to fit in my backpack.

Lightness. It has to be light and not cumbersome to carry. Many of the lesser-known small streams exist in far-off places that require a couple of hours of hiking. Equipment therefore must be able to survive the hike and not be a drag.

GEAR LIST

Rods: I use a few rods depending on conditions, where I’m fishing and the mood I’m in. Mostly I fish, in no special order: a Sage SLT 282 (my go-to), Scott GS 883, Scott F 262, Sage SPL 080, Sage ESN 2-weight, Boshoff 6’3 3-weight bamboo. I wish I had more bamboo rods. Each one of these rods is hand selected for a specific purpose.

Reels: I don’t need reels with fancy drag systems, so I mostly choose click and pawl reels. These include a Sage 3200 and spare spools, a Ross Colorado, and a very special Orvis CFOI

Boots: Simms Intruder boots. I found three key features that make them great. One, they are light, comfortable, and not too bulky. Two, the uppers are made from ripstop denier nylon, so they pretty much don’t scuff. Three, the rubber soles are fantastic for hiking and fishing. The only modification I made was to reinforce the fabric with some Shoe Goo.

Optics: I’m a bit anal when it comes to eyesight as most of my fishing relies on sight fishing. I wear contact lenses and get my eyes tested regularly so I spend a small fortune on contact lenses, because I find they keep my eyesight sharp. The Ray-Ban sunglasses I buy have to fulfil two roles, one fishing (obviously) and two non-fishing. So, they have to look “not kak”. I use two pairs of polarised sunglasses: gradient polarised lenses for normal days on and off stream, and light brown polarised lenses for overcast conditions on and off stream.

Chest pack: Simms Rivershed pack (2016). It offers enough space and can be converted into a hip pack for a quick stream session. It’s fairly comfortable to wear and can easily be stashed in my backpack for the hike out.

Fly box: Marc Petitjean fly boxes. I don’t like bulk. These boxes are flat, have enough organised space to keep the integrity of my flies intact. They can also accommodate nymphs, so they fit the script perfectly.

Rain jacket: Columbia Titanium Omnitech rain jacket. Extremely versatile. It’s a constant companion in my backpack and does well on rainy days when I go running. After almost 12 years, it’s one of my best investments.

Cap: Simms Single Haul cap.

“THE DIFFERENT WATERS REQUIRE DIFFERENT TACTICS, WHETHER YOU’RE ON THE HOLSLOOT OR A SECRET STREAM IN THE CEDERBERG.”

Flies: I carry a range of go-to patterns, mainly my own designs that I feel work for me. I have a thing for minimalistic tying (thanks to veteran Cape streams guide Tim Rolston), so my fly patterns reflect those same characteristics. I tie off the top of my head, so I tend to stick to two to four materials. It’s easier to remember the tying sequences with fewer materials. I’ve been having a love affair with CDC for a few years now, so I have spawned quite a few different patterns. Lately, klipspringer (a gift from Tom Sutcliffe) also features heavily in my patterns. My standard stream flies range from size 16 to 20, mostly dries, but I do have the odd nymph, CDC Brassies and ZAKs. There are a few outliers that are bigger and smaller when I need to adapt to water conditions or fussy trout.

Pants: Columbia Wallowa Belted Pants. Fishing the kloofs require a lot of rock hopping and bum sliding, so you need pants that can resist tearing. I don’t want my bum cheeks hanging out while fishing so I get a decent pair of pants that won’t damage easily while hiking through fynbos and sliding down rocks and stuff.

Shirt: Simms Bugstopper Intruder BiComp fishing shirt. This shirt works great because it has elasticated cuffs that I can pull up when it gets too hot instead of rolling up sleeves which is a drag. Plus, I also appreciate the collar to protect my neck (Wu-Tang Clan ��)

Sun scarf: Buff. Summer in the kloofs can be harsh, so I take all the sun protection I can get.

Waterproof bag: Ziplock bags for wallet and keys.

Hiking Backpack: Vaude Tour 40. Light and has lots of ventilation for longer hikes.

Nutrition: Aahh, eats! My staple on fishing trips is a packet of chips. These days it’s Big Korn Bites. Previously, Doritos or Fritos rocked my world. Sweets – Wine Gums, specifically chosen because on long hikes out, in the heat of summer, they can be your saviour. However, I was introduced to Sparkles by David Karpul on our Jan du Toit’s trip and they did a great job. Jungle Oats bars work as a morning snack.

Mains – I carry homemade sandwiches most of the time: bacon and egg, burgers, ham and cheese, or boerewors rolls. For emergencies I carry peanuts and raisins. You never know when you may be stuck in a kloof for an extra night. Powerade for replacing lost electrolytes during long hikes in summer.

Toiletries: Toilet paper - when you gotta go…

Headlamp: Petzl. You never know when you might have to hike out in the dark. One evening Leonard Flemming and I hiked out of the Witte with no headlamps. That’s a story for another day…

Knife: Victorinox Swiss Army knife.

ACCESSORIES:

Masking tape: It may seem a bit odd to most, but it serves a purpose. I usually keep it in my bag for splicing the scarf joints on my Boshoff bamboo rods. Forceps/ Nippers: Dr Slick in matte black for reduction of flash.

Floatant: Veniard CDC oil, Loon Aquel

Tissue paper: For drying CDC flies.

Tippet: Stroft 3 to 8x.

Sunscreen: I like the clear spray-on kind that is less gunky, so Nivea or Island Tribe

Leader: Weight-forward leaders. I developed my own formulations a while ago that work in conjunction with specifically constructed, tapered tippet sections. Their reduced weight and ability to counter wind when using light line rods are incredible. They also help with quick leader turnover on smaller streams where there’s typically no room for a back cast.

Watch the Step-ByStep video for one of Stanton’s go-to flies, The Mountain Midge, at themissionflymag.com

THE NATURAL

ONE OF SOUTH AFRICAN FLY FISHING’S MOST UNASSUMING CHARACTERS, JANNIE VISSER IS A GRUNTER-ON-THE-SAND NINJA PAR EXCELLENCE, THE “J” IN JAM FLY AND, LIKE MOST OF US, A WORKING MAN WITH DEADLINES, SCHOOL RUNS, AND A LIFE VS WORK BALANCE TO CONTEND WITH. HE’S ALSO THIS ISSUE’S LIFER

Photos. Conrad Botes, Jannie Visser

The first fish I remember catching was a goby in Gordon’s Bay when I was around four years old. We used to go there every March/April holiday and my dad would take me along when he went rock and surf fishing. I always kept busy in the rock pools fishing for them.

I think I was blessed to not have lived in many places. Almost everywhere I’ve lived has been close to Cape Town. I was born and grew up in Grabouw. After school and the army I studied at Stellenbosch. After studies I was in the UK for a year. Work-life started and since then I lived in Stellenbosch for a few years and for the last 20odd years Somerset West has been home.

I have not had that many jobs and they have not been very exotic. My studies were in the agricultural field and my career also went in that direction. It started with harvesting fruit and sweeping packhouse floors, then quality control, logistics, and presently I market pome fruit (apples, pears) mainly in the Eastern markets.

On an average day I get up around 6am and make a nice cup of coffee that I can enjoy in peace. After that it is getting the kids ready for school. I drop my daughter off on my way to the office. Then it’s the grind until 5pm. Normally I try to get in some exercise during lunch. After work I try to spend some family time with the kids. On good days in summer I get to sneak in a short session on the Strand reefs before the morning rush starts.

My home waters are the Strand reefs. It is a few minutes from home and when conditions are right I can get in a good session, in a few hours. I have even caught a couple of kob during my lunch break. Of course if the weather is

nice, there are great evening sessions. It is really a special place and can be on fire if conditions are right. It amazes me that the fishing can still be good with all the pressure it gets in the middle of suburbia.

At the moment my go-to setup for the reefs it is an old Stealth X-treme 10-weight with a Stealth large arbor reel and an intermediate line. I left my previous go-to rig – a TFO with a Shilton reel – on the sidewalk at Strand only to realise that I did not pack it when I got home. Needless to say it was gone by the time I got back to look for it. I then started using my old Stealth setup again, which works perfectly fine. A friend bought back my setup from a local a few weeks later, but by then I had decided the old setup works just as well and it will not be a big issue if it gets damaged or dunked under water.

The best advice I have ever been given is,  never leave fish to find fish.

The greatest party trick I have ever seen was one a varsity friend used to specialise in.  He would pour a small amount of brandy on his head and set it alight. It was easy to extinguish the flames by just rubbing your hair quickly. The last time he did it he had already had a few too many brandies himself and poured too much on his head, so he could not extinguish the flames fast enough. Needless to say he had to go to hospital after this incident and was sporting a bald head for a few weeks.

Something that comes naturally to me is picking up how to do things easily by just watching someone do it. I have never had problems learning a new skill this way.

“THE BEST ADVICE I HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN IS, NEVER LEAVE FISH TO FIND FISH.”

“WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST FISHING RIGHT ON OUR DOORSTEP. IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE TIME AND EFFORT TO FIGURE IT OUT.”

Something I struggle with as an introvert is to be comfortable around new people. This was something I needed to overcome in my line of work where I am always in contact with new people. It is sometimes difficult visiting customers in the East and keeping the conversation going during dinner, taking the language barrier into consideration.

I have caught many satisfying fish, but one I can mention is the bellman I caught after pursuing the same fish for more than an hour. Seeing it eat the fly after presenting that same fly hundreds of times on its nose was great.

My go-to drink is Striped Horse Milk Stout.

There are so many places to return to and still so many places I’d like to go to for the first time, but if I had to choose one place to go back to it would probably be Gabon. I just love the tropical weather and the wild environment. Obviously doing it with good mates is a must.

It is OK for an angler to lie to protect fish and a special spot.

The handiest survival skill I have is stamina.

A skill I would like to master is surfing. During the December holidays we go to Strandfontein up on the West Coast. The fishing is not great but surfing with the kids is fun.

I think the best way to face one’s fears is head on. Most of the time what you are scared of is not that bad after all.

The biggest adventure I’ve ever been on was two years ago when I took the family on a two-month road trip up through Transkei, Drakensberg, Augrabies, West Coast, and back. It was daunting to just go with no planning, worrying about the kids’ safety and where we will sleep each night. Luckily I have a wonderful wife who also enjoys

the outdoors and is more spontaneous than me. She just organised where we were going to stay and the direction we were going on the road. We have a spectacular country with so much more to explore.

I don’t really have a specific thing I want to do before I die (there are so many), but I think it is important to live life to the full and make use of all the opportunities you have. I want to get to a place where I can go fishing when the conditions are right and not when my life allows. I’d also like to teach my kids that there are many ways to measure success.

What I get out of fly fishing has changed over the years. When I started it was about catching fish. Nowadays it is more about the friendships and getting out in nature.

If I could change one thing in fly fishing, it would be the perception that expensive gear and destinations are what you should aim for to get the most enjoyment out of the sport. We have some of the best fishing right on our doorstep. It just takes a little time and effort to figure it out and it can be enjoyed with any cheap setup.

I do not dwell on the past or think much about how I would have done things differently as you cannot do anything about it. I prefer to try make things better for the future. One thing I am working on is to have more time outside of work.

Something I have changed my mind about is that in the past I tied complicated flies, now simpler is better for me. I also thought fishing could only be enjoyed when you do it yourself. Nowadays it gives me great pleasure to see my kids’ excitement when catching a fish.

The last fish I caught was a spotted bass, wild camping with a friend in the Cederberg.

“WHEN I STARTED IT WAS ABOUT CATCHING FISH. NOWADAYS IT IS MORE ABOUT THE FRIENDSHIPS AND GETTING OUT IN NATURE.”

POP QUIZ

AMD OR LSD? DDD OR RAB? TAKE OUR RAPID-FIRE QUIZ TO SEE IF YOU ARE A LORD OF THE FLY OR A SIMPLE GUY.

1. Which of the following are not ingredients Karim Boutellaka considers essential for a good mission (page 32)?

A. A good understanding of your guest’s needs and expectations.

B. A Plan B.

C. A BogaGrip.

D. Good behaviour.

E. A teapot.

2. When referring to bushveld grayling, one would be speaking about... (page 40)?

A. Sharptooth catfish.

B. Tannies with silver hair in Land Cruisers.

C. The effect of the harsh African sun on your skin.

D. Leaden labeo.

E. Niger barbs.

3. When seated at his tying desk, artist Christophe Chabouté is likely to (page 48)?

A. Express himself via the inter-marriage of fly tying and art.

B. Cut his ear off.

C. Shave his cat’s arse.

D. Take a photo of his yellow mug.

E. Dodge phone calls from his editor.

4. What did Jess McGlothlin not pack for post-midnight excursions in Swedish Lapland (page 62)?

A. Bear spray.

B. Hand warmers.

C. Mouse flies.

D. A headlamp.

E. Spare underpants.

5. According to Monte Burke, what did Stu Apte actually have written on his van during the golden era of tarpon fishing in Florida (page 78)?

A. World’s Best Fly Fisherman.

B. America’s Greatest Fly Fisherman.

C. World’s Greatest Lover.

D. World’s Most Modest American.

E. World’s Greatest Fly Fisherman.

6. With regards to the Wilge River, what does Garth Wellman say it is high time for (page 40)?

A. AMD.

B. EEE.

C. DTF.

D. WTF.

E. DDT.

7. Which of the following does Stanton Bevan Hector not pack for the Cape streams (page 108)?

A. Big Korn Bites.

B. Sage LL.

C. Vaseline.

D. Masking tape.

E. NikNaks.

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