The Adventures of a South African Fly Fisherman

A Father and Son Weekend at Stonecutters Lodge

2017-12-06T07:45:00.001-08:00

It does not often happen in your life where you get the opportunity to teach your parents something new, well…. unless they ask you a real mundane question about technology. So when I got the opportunity to spend a weekend with my dad at Stonecutters Lodge I immediately made a plan! I previously visited this venue back in 2012 (Old article available here: Stonecutters Lodge Review) and with the knowledge of this previous visit I knew it would be a fantastic spot to introduce my dad to fly-fishing! What is even better about this venue is that he would have the opportunity to catch a fish in both a stillwater and a river, both not being super technical!

We left Johannesburg in the morning to arrive at Stonecutter Lodge (35km from Dullstroom on the Lydenburg Road) at lunch time, luckily we had some burgers packed and could have a quick lunch before heading out to the dam. To make the experience easy on my dad I decided not to go into detail with casting as the wind was howling on the day. I did the casting for him and would hand him the rod the retrieve, with his inexperience he missed a couple of fish and after an hour or so asked me to fish while he watched. It was not long before I landed the first fish of the trip on an epoxy buzzer. We decided to call it a day as it was getting quite cold and got a braai started before the evening set in!

The next morning I decided to head out early before breakfast to figure out the fish before I would take my dad to the dam.

An early morning rise on the main dam

During this hour session I was fishing a three fly rig with a sunburst blob, buzzer and small glass bead GRHE. After about 2 minutes I landed the first fish of the day, later in the session I landed another fish, both taking the small GRHE. I headed back to the Cobbles cottages for some breakfast.

First Rainbow Trout for the morning at Stonecutters Lodge

Rainbow Trout Successfully landed

A feisty Rainbow Trout trying to shake the hook at Stonecutter Lodge

Another beautiful little Rainbow Trout on the bank

We headed out for the second morning session and I was determined to get my dad onto a fish, I fished both a sinking line (rigged with boobies and a tadpole) and a floating line with a blob, buzzer and dragonfly. We immediately had some fish on, however lost quite a few with my dad still figuring out how to fight them properly. Eventually a small rainbow grabbed one of the boobies and I managed to slip the net under him before he could shake the hook.

My father's first Rainbow Trout on Fly

A Close up of my dad's first Rainbow Trout

After our success in the dam we decided to head to the river. We stopped at various spots with little success, the river was fairly low and the fish would most likely be concentrated at certain spots. We reached a picnic spot with two umbrellas and a beautiful little run end in a pool. I realised that I left my bag behind, I quickly ran back to fetch it leaving my dad at the spot. When I returned to my amazement he had a fish on the line, now you have to realise at this point I did not show him how to cast properly yet or even mention anything like mending etc. I quickly grabbed the net and camera to assist him and we quickly had the fish back into the river!

My dad with his first river Rainbow Trout caught unassisted

My Dad's first river Rainbow Trout safely landed

Another angle of the same fish

After all the excitement my dad decided it was time for lunch and an afternoon nap, I however decided to head back to the river for the evening rise. I quickly landed a few fish on nymphs in the same pool my dad had success in. As soon as the light started fading the fish started going crazy for a mayfly hatch in the glide above the pool. I had some serious fun with plenty little feisty Rainbow Trout coming out cast after cast!

Dry fly-fishing action on the Dorps River at Stonecutter Lodge, with various Rainbow Trout landed on mayfly

On the final morning I wanted to maximize my day, so I a got up at sparrow's fart and this was indeed a really good decision. As I arrived at the dam the fish where rolling on the surface and I really got excited! I quickly tied on a dry and presented at the rising fish, it took me a few fly changes before a fish took a pale yellow klinkhamer! It gave quite a great fight with plenty acrobatic jumps before getting it safely in the net!

A nice tail jump from the Rainbow Trout on dry!

An early morning Rainbow Trout caught on dry fly!

Later the morning a switched tactics and managed land a fish on a buzzer rig. As it became lighter after sunrise the activity died down and decided to fish deeper with a sinking line and a three fly booby rig, it was not long before I landed the biggest fish of the trip on the opposite side of the dam, unfortunately I managed to let the fish flop out of my hands before the photos was taken. As a consolation prize the GoPro caught some spectacular jumps!

Fish on a buzzer rig

The largest fish from the trip trying to get rid of the fly

Some Rainbow Trout Acrobatics

After this productive morning session I met up with my dad and decided to head to the picnic spot on the river to get him into some more fish! I barely had the camera setup and my dad was on already, seemed like he was made for river fishing!

Perfect timing - another little Rainbow Trout for my dad!

My Dad's third and final fish of the trip

A couple, fellow guests from the lodge came past us and asked for some advice, I gave the husband a quick nymphing lesson on the the section above the pool and to his amazement hooked and landed a wild little rainbow. It was his wife's turn and although she got plenty take she just could manage to set the hook one. After they left I landed a couple of fish before we decided to head back for lunch!

Some European Nymphing action on the Drops River

After lunch I was on my own again and decided to target the deeper pools further down stream. On our previous trip we had success in this sections with small streamers. The fish in this section almost act like bass sticking to heaver cover in deep water I tied on a small olive over gold zonker and had the most amazing fun afternoon with over 10 fish coming out on this fly! (Have a look at some of the action photos below)

Some action photos of the afternoon streamer session

My father joined me later on the river and I decided to call it a day and head back for an early braai and just relax. We decided to head out early in the morning on our way back to Johannesburg! It was a very enjoyable and memorable stay at Stonecutter Lodge, one I will never forget.

For more information regarding the accommodation visit the their website (http://www.stonecutters.co.za/) and have a look at the gallery below for more photos of the accommodation, facilities, river and dams!

Gallery

The Accommodation - The Cobbles :

Stonecutters Lodge - The Cobbles (2 bedroom units)

The Patio and Braai Area of one the Cobbles self-catering studio's

Stonecutters Lodge - The Cobbles 2 Sleeper Bedroom

Stonecutters Lodge - The Cobbles Lounge Area

Stonecutters Lodge - The Cobbles Self-catering studio kitchen

The Accommodation - The Trout House:

Stonecutters Lodge - Trout House

Stonecutters Lodge - Trout House bedroom

Stonecutters Lodge - Trout House kitchen

Stonecutters Lodge - Trout House lounge area

Stonecutters Lodge - Trout House dining area

The Lodge and Restaurant:

Stonecutters Lodge - The Lodge and Restaurant Area

The Dam and Pond:

Stonecutters Lodge - Main Dam

Stonecutters Lodge - Small Pond

The Dorps River:

Stonecutter Lodge - Dorps River

Sterkfontein Dam Interactive Map

2017-08-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

An interactive map based on the Sterkfontein Guide: http://www.fosaf.org.za/documents/Guide_to_Sterkf...

A day on the Lake: Sterkfontein Dam

2017-08-03T08:49:00.001-07:00

Introduction:

We recently visited Sterkfontein Dam and I have put this article together predominantly for newcomers looking to fish this world class sight fishing venue. I am no expert on this dam by any means, however I do try and approach any venue in a similar manor. Many of the flies (both dry fly and nymphs) in my boxes are confidence flies that I feel comfortable fishing on both rivers and dams for a multitude of species.

The information that will follow is a breakdown of the 2nd day spent on Sterkfontein Dam and how I approached each situation. The first day we predominantly spent look for good spots en experimented with a few flies. On the first day we only managed a couple of fish and lost a few more on a fairly cold and windy day.

Leader Setups:

The following two leader and rig setups were used during the day:

Early morning:

Leader: 12ft 3x Rio Tapered leader

Leader connection: 2mm Rio Tippet ring

Tippet:

20cm of 4x GTM Stroft – Connection between indicator dry fly and tippet ring

90cm of 4x GTM Stroft, 120cm of 5.5x GTM Stroft with a dropper tag

Flies: Foam Head hopper, Size 16 Walt’s worm and Size 16 Frenchie PTN

Late morning to Afternoon:

Leader: 12ft 3x Rio Tapered leader

Leader connection: 2mm Rio Tippet ring

Tippet: 90cm of 4x GTM Stroft, 120cm of 5.5x GTM Stroft

Flies: Foam Only Doctor’s Beetle, Orange Leg Bullet Head Hopper and Foam Head Hopper

Note: A 1.5mm tungsten bead was added above the last triple surgeons knot to sink the leader below the surface

Early morning Session:

I started the morning fishing a rocky point with a rocky bay on the one side and a bay with weed beds on the opposite side. From a high vantage point we could see fish cruising along this point, close to the shore, a good place to start the morning. With a fairly cold wind blowing directly into the point the fish where still feeding deep and I opted to use a nymphing rig with a dry fly as an indicator.

I fished this rig in the same way you would fish a river upstream (in this case directly into the wind), keeping in contact with my flies and watching the dry fly for any movement. A few casts in a school of fish cruised passed and I made a cast to a fish that broke the surface. The leading fish (the largest in the school) picked up the Walt’s worm, the bottom fly.

Mid-morning Session:

We moved on to a cliff that had a small beach and a scum line bending around it. I climbed down to the small beach and found a good hiding spot between some boulders. Fish where cruising along the scum line and I presented a foam only beetle to the largest fish I could see. The fly landed approximately a meter in front of it and it caused a reaction take from the fish. After this fish we fished the section for another 30min before moving on.

Afternoon Session:

The next spot was a bay with rocky banks on either side. The wind was churning up mud which formed lines between dirty and clean water sections. I fished a small hopper on these lines and got smashed by a large female after a few minutes.

I moved to the one rocky bank and found another good hiding spot between large boulders. At this spot large females where cruising past every 2nd minute and I could choose which fish to cast at. I landed two fish at this spot on bullet head hopper with orange legs.

Approximately 50m further I found a similar spot where I managed to hook another two fish on the same fly, only managing to land one fish with the other one that threw the hook file tail walking.

We decided to call it a day and started our journey back to the car at 15:00

Vision Loikka Gummi and Stud Boots Review (6 to 8 Months)

2014-11-02T09:31:00.003-08:00

As I mentioned in my article on 21 February 2014, I will give you feedback on the performance of Vision Loikka Gummi and Stud boots. In that article I mentioned various criteria I will use to rate the boots and I have given ratings below out of 5 with a brief discussion.

Comfort (5/5): I found the boots to be very comfortable due to the light weight synthetic materials. This is the first pair of boots I have used with built in studs and my first assumption was that I would experience stud. The foam padding on the outer and inner soles are however sufficient to prevent stud pressure and are very comfortable. During a full days fishing I do not experience foot fatigue with these boots.

Feet Protection (4/5): These boots have decent ankle support and are heavily padded on the inside, which prevents your ankles from over extending and protects them against bumps from rocks etc. The toe tips are fairly soft, however I found the rubber covering to be sufficient protection if the boots are worn with thick wool or neoprene socks. Due to the light weight of the boots I also found them to be quite comfortable while hiking on river banks.

Sole Grip (3.5/5): Personally it took some times for me to get use to the Gummi and Stud sole configuration. As with all wading you have to be careful with your foot placement to prevent slipping. The tungsten tips do slip on occasions and will slide a few centimeters before gripping hard into the rock. I found the grip to be sufficient in all my wading conditions which ranges from still water fishing, the Vaal River and Small Streams throughout South Africa. The tungsten tips really come into their own while wading in rivers with rocks covered in algae, which is often the case while wading the Vaal River

The tungsten tips really help a lot while hiking on the banks of dams and rivers, this is normally where for example felts soles will often slip on wet grassy banks. The only situation where I felt the grip was not sufficient was on smooth, iron-rich boulders while climbing out of river beds. Care has to be taken in these situations and can normally be overcome by taking slow well placed steps.

Sole Durability (4/5): I have been wearing the boots since the beginning of March 2014 and have fished various venues ranging from the Bushmans River (KZN), the Broederstroom River (Limpopo), the Crocodile River (Gauteng), the Vaal River and some local streams and dams.

Up to this point the tungsten tips and their fittings have shown virtually no wear. The Gummi soles have a circular grip pattern, some of the grip points do tend to wear off on the side of the soles. The soles show little wear towards the middle sections.

Exterior Material Durability (5/5): The exterior materials of the boots have really impressed thus far. There is virtually no visible wear and tear visible on the exterior of the boots. The rubber layer on the toe part of the boots is still firmly glued onto the synthetic materials. I do advise to wear decent gravel guards with the boots to protect the neoprene sections at the top of the boot and the laces. Up to this point these section of the boots have also shown virtually no wear and tear, however I do think these section will get damaged without gravel guards.

Lacing System Durability (5/5): The nylon laces and rings still look brand new, and the lacing hooks shown no signs of rust.

Interior Material Durability (5/5): The inner soles have a strong nylon material and show no wear. The neoprene and stitching on the interior of the boots also still look brand new, I suggest wearing thick wool socks or neoprene wading socks to help protect these materials.

Weight (5/5): These are some of the lightest boots I have felt in hand and they proved to be even more comfortable while wearing them inside and outside the water.

Value for Money (4/5): These boots are quite expensive, however they are similar priced to boots in the same quality range.

Longevity (4/5): Up to this point the exterior of the boots have shown great durability and very little wear and tear. The soles have shown some wear, however that is very understandable. Normally the exterior of wading boots determine their longevity, my previous boots completely fell apart after a year and the soles where still intact. At this point personally I think these boots will at least last another 2 to three years.

Vision Loikka Gummi and Stud 6 to 8 Month Review

Vision Loikka Gummi and Stud - Minimal wear and tear visible on the exterior

Vision Loikka Gummi and Stud Review - Shoe Tip Wear and Tear

Vision Loikka Gummi and Stud Review - Sole Wear and Tear

Zwakala River Retreat - Venue Review

2014-10-26T05:39:00.001-07:00

Introduction

Zwakala River Retreat is the only venue in the Haenertsburg area that provides instant access to the Broederstroom River. This mysterious and tranquil river that flows through indigenous forest and pine plantations offers fantastic, catch and release fly-fishing for both Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout. This privately owned farm venue provides accommodation in various configurations ranging from a comfortable campsite on the river bank, romantic cottages for couples and cabins for families. There are various other activities on the farm such as mountain biking trails, river tubing, swimming etc. for the non-fishing members. There is also an events venue (Mina’s Art Café & Farm venue) ideal for weddings, family or corporate events, music performances and art exhibitions.

Accommodation

During this venue review we stayed in the newly finished Cob House which is a 4 sleeper cottage with 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen and veranda. The cottage does not have any electricity, it has solar powered lights, a fire boiler for hot water and a gas fridge and stove with an oven. The one bedroom has an on-suite shower with one door leading into the living room and the second bedroom is separated from the second bathroom with two doors, one leading to the patio.

Cob House Cottage - Veranda

Cob House Cottage - Living Room

Cob House Cottage - Main Bedroom and En-suite Bathroom

The living room has a large L-shaped couch perfectly positioned around a cosy fire place. Between the living room and the kitchen there is a dining room table looking out over the veranda. The kitchen is fully equipped with all the necessary utensils and as previously mentioned a gas stove/oven and fridge. In front of the veranda there is a fire pit and braai facility, which is the perfect place to sit and relax after a day’s fishing.

Cob House Cottage - Second Bedroom

Cob House Cottage - Fire Pit

Personally, what makes a venue special for me in terms of accommodation are the smaller details! When you break away for a weekend you want to be comfortable especially if you taking your partner with you. Zwakala passed this test with flying colours, from the fire place being lit on arrival (which was perfect with the cold, misty weather), to the most comfortable bed with feather down duvets and cloudy soft pillows. I also loved the fact that the cottage does not have any electricity which allows you to really just break away from all modern day distractions.

Fishing

The section of the Broederstroom River that runs through Zwakala offers some fantastic fishing! The river is only a few meters from the cottage, which allows a very relaxed fishing experience. To fish the river effectively you need at least three days to cover all the sections. The river has various features from a slow flowing section through a forest, various slow riffles, some faster flowing pocket water, pools with waterfalls and some deep slow flowing sections with a lot of structure.

Perfect dry fly water - Slow flowing section of the Broederstroom River

Forest section of the Broederstroom River

One of many waterfall pools

Perfect pocket water in the Broederstroom River

I suggest that river should be fished very slowly and patiently, you will often just have one chance on a big fish during your stay and you don’t want to mess it up. In some of the overgrown sections you will often find a pair of fish slowly sipping insects of the surface, you need to observe them for a while, plan your attack and only then present a fly to them. If you don’t fish this river slowly you will often walk past some of the bigger fish or just end up spooking them, often they will just be holding on the bottom and you will only spot them by seeing an occasional flash as they take a food items.

Brown Trout caught on a Bullethead Hopper

Bullet Head Hopper with CDC underwing

Ideally you should be fishing a 3 weight rod (or lighter) with a maximum length of 9ft, shorter rods will definitely help in the overgrown sections. I recommend you fish a 9ft 3x tapered leader (if you can handle longer you can use a 12ft) that you step down to 6x tippet (or even 7x in some of the shallower sections).

Largest Rainbow Trout of the trip

I enjoyed fishing dry fly and I mostly fished a dry and dropper rig and switched to a single dry fly if I spotted fish. I caught most of my fish on small Puterbaugh Caddis and Bullethead hoppers. I used black jig mayfly patterns for the dropper and occasionally fished a NZ rig in the deeper sections, this delivered the largest fish of the trip. In some of the pools I switched to a single black or olive jig streamer which proved to be very effective. I fished the streamers upstream the same way you would fish a nymph and just kept contact with the fly.

Summary

Zwakala River Retreat offers the perfect balance between living comfort and fly-fishing quality! This is definitely one of the best fly-fishing venues you can visit that your wife/girlfriend will also enjoy!

The Video

Zwakala River Retreat from flyloops.net on Vimeo.

The Angler and Antelope Guesthouse Review

2014-04-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

Introduction

This was a trip and review way overdue; I had been threatening to visit Alan Hobson in Somerset East for quite a while. During last year’s Getaway Show at the Coca Cola dome I finally met Alan at their exhibition stand and we decided there and then to arrange a date for a review. We decided to do the review during December last year and I couldn't wait to explore the hidden fishing potential of Somerset East.

The town is situated approximately 150 km north of Port Elizabeth and 100 km north of the well know Addo Elephant Park. For the newcomer fly-fishermen out there Alan and his wife Annabelle owns a 4-star guesthouse in the town and provides access to various fly-fishing venues in the area. These venues provide fishing in both rivers and dams with various fish species such as Largemouth Bass, Bluegill Sunfish, Carp, Sharptooth Catfish, Smallmouth Yellowfish, Moggel, Mullet, Blue Kurper and trophy Rainbow Trout. Alan recently caught a Rainbow Trout of over 6kg in the Little Fish River which just proves what quality fish this area can produce with its good quality water and healthy ecosystems.

Alan guiding me on the Little Fish River during high flows

Alan is a highly skilled fly-fisherman, a REFFIS registered fly fishing guide and he is also registered as a field guide with THETA. I can highly recommend his services for both novice and experienced anglers, as he has a great knowledge of fly-fishing in general and a lifelong knowledge of the fishing on offer in and around Somerset East, including the well known Thrift Dam.

Accommodation

The Angler and Antelope Guesthouse is 4 star rated and consist of 3 buildings, the main guesthouse, a self service cottage and an old historical church building converted into a bar, restaurant and a fly-fishing shop. The church building is the ideal place to tie some flies on a rainy day or enjoy a drink while swapping elaborate fishing stories.

The guesthouse is centrally situated in the town of Somerset East and is the ideal base for fly-fisherman looking to explore the fishing on offer in the area. The rooms have various comfort features such as heated flooring, air-conditioning and free WiFi. For more information about the rooms please visit the website at www.anglerandantelope.co.za

The restaurant in the old church building offers guest breakfast and dinners, the ideal arrangement for fisherman that would like to spend the whole day on the water. They have a delicious menu that uses ingredients from local suppliers such as Karoo lamb and beef.

The Angler and Antelope Guesthouse

Somerset East is surrounded by various parks such as the Addo Elephant Park, Camdeboo National Park and Mountain Zebra National Park. What really surprised me about the area is the wide variety of vegetation that rapidly changes from open grassland, Karoo shrubs to forests in the mountainous areas. This makes fly-fishing so much more exciting in this area and just driving to your next fishing spot can provide you with a mini game drive.

Fishing

The fishing around Somerset East can only be described as fantastic and adventure filled! We spent 4 days in the area and barely scratched the surface of the fishing potential. Unfortunately during December fly-fishing can be temperamental in South Africa due to thunderstorms and the rivers where un-fishable in the area.

This was however not a problem, there was endless other fishing options to be explored. On the first afternoon we fished at the nearby Glen Avon Farm that offers both Rainbow Trout and Largemouth Bass fishing. The specific day was fairly hot and we experienced a significant thunderstorm earlier the day that seemed to put the trout of the bite. The bass on the other hand was feeding aggressively and I got smashed on almost every cast with a green deer hair popper.

Glen Avon Farm Dams - Managed by Bankberg Troutfishers Club

Vlei Dam - Glen Avon Farm Dams

Mill Dam - Glen Avon Farm Dams

Bass Dam - Glen Avon Farm Dams

On our second day we took a drive up to Mountain Dam with Alan Hobson. The dam is situated on the mountain that overlooks Somerset East. It is a beautiful looking dam surrounded by indigenous shrubs and has various features from deep rocky drop offs to shallow weed beds. It was not long after we started fishing that Alan was into an average size trout, the dam has an average of 750 g to 1.5 kg Rainbow Trout at the moment. The fish in this dam has a great growth rate due to good water quality and food sources, and should have some trophy fish in a year or two.

Getting ready with Alan Hobson to fish Mountain Dam

Mountain Dam, Somerset East

Alan had some good success during the day fishing small nymphs with a quick retrieve just below the surface and with his great local knowledge easily out fished me. I caught my first Karoo Rainbow Trout on a weedbed with a large size 4 dragonfly pattern. Later the day I managed another fish on the same fly on the opposite bank fished slowly of the rocky cliff. Soon afterwards we called it a day when it got fairly misty and cold.

On the third day we took a break from serious fishing and Alan drive us around to explore some of the local rivers. As previously mentioned the rivers had high flows and was unfishable. It was still worth seeing this area as Alan caught a 6kg+ Rainbow Trout in one of the pools a month before. I will definitely be back to explore this river in the future.

On our final day we explored a dam that has various species such as Largemouth Bass, Blue Kurper, Sharptooth Catfish, Carp, Mullet, Moggel and Smallmouth Yellowfish. The amount of fish in this dam blew me away and at various stages during the day I found myself surrounded by schools of Carp and Sharptooth Catfish. It was difficult to decide what to target and after an hour chasing carp to no avail, I decided to target catfish on a 9 weight setup. I fished a double fly rig, a BBB and Carp tugger combination. I caught around 5 catfish between 3 to 10kg and all of them took the carp tugger on the calling method.

Fly-fishing for Sharptooth Catfish in the Karoo

My first decent catfish in the Karoo

We booked two nights at Thrift dam over new years after our visit in Somerset East. Before we left The Angler and Antelope, Alan gave me detailed advice on techniques and flies to use at this iconic South African dam. Alan knows this dam like the back of his hand and it is well worth arranging a guided trip with him or to one of the other trophy dams in the area. During my stay at Thrift dam I caught my personal best Rainbow Trout, a specimen of 27 inches! I caught the fish from a float tube of a weedbed with one of Alan’s flies, a Hobson’s Original Tadpole (HOT fly).

Cottage at Thrfit Dam

Rainbow over Thrift Dam

A storm brewing over Thrift Dam

Moments before my first fish on Thrift Dam

Last fish from Thrift dam

Conclusion

The Angler and Antelope Guesthouse offer a unique fly-fishing experience with endless options. The fishing ranges from trophy trout fishing in both rivers and dams, Yellowfish and Moggel in rivers and a variety of others species in dams. Alan also offers a fly-fishing guided service that I can highly recommend, he has a great knowledge of fly-fishing in general and also the fishing in the area. The guesthouse offers a very relaxing and comfortable stay and is the perfect base for fly-fisherman that would like to explore the fantastic fishing on offer in the area.

The Video

The Angler and Antelope Guesthouse Review from flyloops.net on Vimeo.

Vision Loikka - Out of box first impressions

2014-02-21T07:44:00.001-08:00

I just bought a new pair of wading boots and decided on the Vision Loikka boots with the Gummi and Stud sole option. They also are available in felt soles and the Gummi sole without the studs. I chose the Gummi and Stud configuration, because I will need the boots for various situations. I think the studs might help the longevity of the the Gummi sole, however this theory will need to be tested.

I plan to review these boots over the next two year and keep you updated on the wear and tare of the boot. I will also report on the performance of the sole on different surfaces and in different situations.

As a first impression the features I noticed about the boots are:

They are light weight;
Limited stitching;
It has a rubber layer that protects the front part of the boot;
The sole is raised in the front to cover half of the toe point;
There is neoprene webbing at the shoe laces that will hopefully keep out any gravel; and
The tungsten stud protrude slight further than the Gummi sole.

Over the next year I will be testing the boots at several venues and I will give short report back on the performance of the soles and how they grip on different surface. My first trip will be in Lesotho where will be hiking short distances with the boot and also do some wet wading crossing the river. I will also be wading with the boot if I have to nymph or fish dries in pocket water.

My aim is to test the boots under the following criteria and rate them from 0-5:

Comfort;
Feet protection (ankle support and toe protection);
Sole grip (I will break this down into different surfaces);
Sole durability;
Exterior material durability;
Lacing System durability;
Interior material durability;
Weight;
Price (Value for money);
Longevity;

I will give you feedback on the above mentioned categories every sixth months for the next two year. Please feel free to ask any questions and also suggest any additional criteria.

Vision Loikka - Gummi and Stud

Side View - Notice the Rubber Layer

Gummi Sole over the the tip

Close-up of the Gummi and Stud sole

Blast from the past Czech Nymph Leader Setup Video

2014-02-06T03:53:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this video we made around a year a ago for our website www.flyloops.net. It features Craig Stockden flyloops co-owner and developer and myself (Pieter Snyders) website content editor. It gives you a brief breakdown down a Czech nymph leader setup!

My First trip as a host – Three Rivers Lesotho

2013-12-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

After a year of planning and making arrangements with clients that booked their spots through www.flyloops.net, it was at last time to make my way to the Three Rivers Lesotho Camp. This is a new and exciting location Tourette Fishing has opened for guided trips. The focus of these trips is targeting Smallmouth Yellowfish on dry fly with some big Rainbow Trout also coming out from time to time. I decided to take of an extra day and stay over in Fouriesburg where I would meet the clients before crossing the border. This would be my first trip acting as a host and also my first time fishing Lesotho. Understandably I was quite excited and nervous at the same and I was really hoping that everything would go down according to plan.

Day 1 – 13 December

I woke up early on that Friday morning and checked my phone for the time, I was met with a message of bad news. Two of our clients, a couple of friends, would most likely not be able to make the trip due to personal family matters. The show had to go on though and the remaining clients would be arriving soon. When both clients arrived we decided to take only one vehicle and quickly transfered all the luggage. We soon crossed the Caledon River and arrived at the border, after a few minutes of paper work we soon entered the Mountain Kingdom.

The first hour of the trip the landscape was characterised by valleys and farms, this however quickly turned into a beautiful mountainous landscape with various small rivers and streams. We soon reached the top of the pass and every corner of the road had a new surprise, a broken down Land Rover, a donkey car and a land slide (luckily we were able to get pass these massive rocks).

One of the massive rocks that almost blocked the road - Photo by Christo Els

One of the valleys we drove past

After another hour or two we started seeing some glimpses of the Katse Dam. Around the dam there are a few villages and we saw our first signs of fish, a few small Rainbow Trout netted by some of the locals.

We would meet our guides from Tourette Fishing at the Katse Hotel… I must admit with this being my first trip to Lesotho I had no idea where it was. On the GPS we could only find a location called the Katse Lodge and we hoped that this would lead us to the Katse Hotel. After a while we reached the bridge below the Katse Dam wall… this stretch of river really got us itching to get to our final destination. A few kilometers further we arrived at the Katse Lodge aka the Katse Hotel, quite confusing but the hotel staff soon confirmed that they are also known as the Katse Hotel.

View from the Katse Dam Lodge

Having arrived with time to spare we decided to order some Maluti Lagers and relax until the guides to arrive. Luckily our guides, Mark Murray and Yuri Janzen, also decided to arrive early! I decided it would be a good opportunity to check up on our other clients; however they confirmed that they will definitely not be joining us. After finalising that matter we made our way to the camp!

We soon arrived on a stretch of gravel road with a bay of the Katse Dam to our right. It reminded me of scenes at Sterkfontein Dam, with clear blue water and from time to time you could clearly spot some fish rising. The bay started getting narrower and soon we could see sections of the river that we would fish the next few days. The Three Rivers camp is placed in a perfect setting, a flat bank between two big pools. The pool below the camp is just perfect… with a set of riffles flowing into it with a small forest of poplar trees on the right hand bank and willow treed on the left. The pool is fairly deep and ends with a set of rapids below it. It is fairly deep and it seems that the Smallmouth Yellowfish use this as a resting pool before heading upstream to spawn.

Tourette Fishing Three Rivers Lesotho Camp

After unpacking the guides gave us a quick tour of the camp, the camp is very basic however very functional and comfortable. With a small hut as a kitchen, three canvas tents (each with two stretcher beds with mattresses and a small cupboard), a paraffin shower (nicknamed the jet). After orientation we got our rods ready and decided on a game plan, I would fish the section of the river below the camp and the guides would take the clients above the camp.

I took the trail through the poplar forest and I got really excited with the sight of schools of Yellowfish in the pool. I decided that I would walk a few hundred meters downstream and work my way back to the camp and finish of at the home pool. Soon I met a local herd boy fishing from the bank with a hand line and I tried my best to communicate with a little bit of Sotho and hand gestures. He seemed to be fascinated by my rod and reel and the whole outfit (I am sure most fly fisherman would agree we look quite ridiculous most of the time with all our gear and gadgets). The thing that caught his eye the most was my bait (a stimulator with rubber legs) and he laughed when I explained it was suppose to be a grasshopper. He decided to follow me around and for my first few hours of exploring I had a fishing companion.

The riffles below the camp pool was fairly void of big fish and I only managed a very small Rainbow Trout, I must admit there was millions of them and it does seem like smaller fish stay there to grow to bigger sizes and then move to the upper sections of the river or back into the Katse dam. I eventually worked my way to the home pool and crossed the tail section to fish it from the opposite bank. When I passed the pool earlier I noticed a lot of fish in the head of the pool and decided to fish that section. I had a size 12 Stimulator on and this did not seem to attract any attention. I decided to size down to a size 16 Ed’s hopper and with the first cast it got smacked… I missed this opportunity and placed the fly down again. The fly drifted for a moments and I could see a fish rising for it, this time it was a confident take and the fight was on. I was amazed by the fight this fish put up, it was not a massive fish but still respectable. After a very spirited fish I had the fish in the palm of my hand (I forgot my net at home… enough said…), the golden color of these fish where just spectacular and they fish where in great condition. I managed another couple of fish out of this section in similar fashion and then decided to head back and fish the riffles at the tail of the pool. I noticed a school of males and changed to a dry dropper NZ-rig. On the first drift, fish starting rising to my dry, however none of them took it. The next moment a fish hit my nymph incredibly and shot of into the pool. It gave an incredible fight considering that it was a small male and I was quite shocked that he could pull that hard. That concluded my days fishing and I head back to the camp.

Camp pool

Top view of the camp pool

Around the camp fire we exchanged our day’s events and both clients where happy with their afternoon’s efforts with both getting fish on the scorecard. At that point I really felt relieved and relaxed, sitting in the middle of nowhere with a beer in hand, with the calming noise of the river a few meters away, a sky full of stars and our guide “chef” Yuri Jansen preparing a great meal over the fire.

Day 2 - 14 December

On our first morning I woke up fairly early and upon leaving my tent I was greeted by Yuri, who offered me a cup of coffee. After finishing my cup of coffee I decided to give the early morning rise a go, this proved to be fruitless as the fish where rising to very small mayfly at quite a distances and it was nearly impossible not spooking the large school of fish. I decided to head back for breakfast and prepare for the long day ahead…

One of the clients netting a fish in the Camp Pool

On this day we would drive a few kilometers upstream and fish a completely different stretch as the previous day. We drove in an old Toyota Land Cruiser that is kitted out with extra benches and a cooler box fridge. It was quite a scary piece of road for me as I have a mild case of vertigo and it had some high drops on the one side. Luckily it is a very short drive and we soon arrived to our parking spot. The arrangement was the same as the previous day, I would fish the bottom section and the guides would head upstream with the clients. I set off downstream and decided to cross the stream and see how far I could get before starting to fish back upstream towards the parking spot. This specific stretch of river had a long straight section with various large pools and faster water with a large bend that created a deep slower flowing section.

Amazing water clarity - Photo by Christo Els

I started fishing in a pool a few hundred meters before the bend in the river. I could see fish feeding on the bottom of the pool; however it was too difficult to get the flies down to them. The shallow fast flowing pocket water above the pool looked like a better prospect and soon I caught some of the smaller male yellowfish. I soon attracted a small crowd of spectators, a bunch of young local kids, watching me pull out fish after fish. They looked very curious yet very cautious of this funny looking man with a big beard and strange outfit. I found the fishing too easy in this section of the river and I decided to move up to the pool on the bend of the river.

There were various rises in the tail of the pool, although they looked like small Rainbow Trout. This assumption was soon confirmed with a small little Rainbow taking my fly. Closer to the head of the pool I had a fish come up to my fly, that I could have sworn looked like a Brown Trout, it however go rid of the hook very quickly. While changing flies I spotted a massive Rainbow Trout cruising a meter from me, he must have seen me as he just slowly disappeared into the depth. I made a few drifts in the general area, however I had no reaction. A few casts later I had a golden flash under my fly, I immediately made another cast towards the same spot and got smashed by a decent sized Yellowfish. This was the biggest of the day thus far and the fat female soon gave up the fight and settled the palm of my hand. I thought it would be a good idea to change tactic and drift a streamer through the pool. This proved to be a great decision and I got smashed by a big rainbow, unfortunately after about a 2 min fight the fish jumped out the water and the hook flew out of its mouth.

The sections above this pool had a few deeper pockets to the left and they just screamed trout. With the river having quite a high temperature in these lower sections it seems that the trout prefer deeper pockets and pools with a lot of oxygenated water entering them. I soon landed a small Rainbow Trout above the pool on a dry fly, I then switched to a nymph setup and landed a decent fish in a deeper pocket. For the next half an hour or so I fished another section of shallow fast water and again landed quite a few of the smaller male yellowfish. After this productive stint I decided to head back to the Land Cruiser and have some lunch. I was quite exhausted when I got to the parking spot and decided that I would take a rest, I think the high altitude was getting to me…

Another Beautiful fishing coming to the net - Photo by Christo Els

After my rest I made my way back to the river and I spotted one of the guides, Mark Murray with one of the clients. I met up with them briefly and enquired how their day had gone and at what time we would head back to the camp. There was about a half an hour of fishing left and I decided to fish a nice slow flowing section below the parking spot. I made a perfect cast into the head of the run with a green deer hair bullet head grasshopper pattern. A large pair of lips appeared and slowlysipped the fly of the surface, I set the hook and all hell broke loose. The fish ran the leader over a large boulder and head straight for the faster flowing main stream. I quickly ran after the fish and tried to stop it from heading downstream. After a few nervous moments I managed to get the fish close to me and slip my hand under her belly. This was my biggest fish of the trip thus far and I was happy to end days fishing. We all met up back at the Land Cruiser and made our way back to the camp.

One of the clients catches of the day - Photo by Francois Roux

After arriving at the camp I decided it was time to test out “the jet”. An interesting geezer that works with paraffin and sounds like a yet engine you start it up. Having a hot shower in a remote place I always a great experience especially spending a whole day in a cold river. With the shower having no roof it is an even better experience, with the Milky Way as a view.

The outdoor shower aka the "Jet" - Photo by Francois Roux

That evening we were treated to a plate of curry and some interesting fishing stories from our guides ranging from Salmon fishing in Russia to raging hippos chasing boats in Tanzania while catching trophy Tigerfish.

Day 3 - 15 December

On our third day we head back to the same parking and would be our last full day to explore the river as far possible upstream. I would fish the same stretch the guides and the clients covered the first day and they would hike further upstream on a narrow mountain footpath.

The weather was not playing along this day with a strong wind howling down the valley that made casting very interesting. I decided to fish with two rods on this and rigged my 10ft 3 weight with small black nymphs and my 5 weight with a dry fly. I started off by fishing nymphs across and down to simplify casting and also not to spook the big schools of Yellowfish migrating up the river. This proved to be highly effective and I soon landed a fish in the first pool. I moved up to the next pool and on my first cast hooked into another good fish.

It was not long before I attracted some attention from the local herd boys and I soon had my own “guide” that showed me some of the good fishing spots. I found the fishing fairly challenging on this day as there where higher densities of fish moving up the river. It was especially challenging to catch fish on dry fly this day, making a well presented cast in the strong wind without spooking large schools of fish seemed nearly impossible. On this type of river you can really understand the value of a guide and/or fishing buddy. From higher positions it is easy to spot fish, however when you get close to the river bank where you are hidden from the fish it becomes fairly difficult to spot fish and determine which are the best ones to present your fly to.

This section of river was truly beautiful with a lot of variety, it would change from fast riffles to long deep with the most amazing shaded of blue. During lunch I stopped at a long pool to eat a sandwich and observe the fish swimming through the pool. In that moment I realised what a special place this is and I couldn’t believe I was sitting there, watching these large schools of fish, in such a relaxed state that I could probably have taken a nap and not be bothered to fish further on that day.

My lunch Pool

After lunch I decided to try my luck with a dry fly on this pool. I slowly moved into position behind a bush close to the water’s edge and made a gentle cast in front a smaller group of fish close to the opposite bank. One fish slowly rose to my fly, it slowly sucked it in, I slowly set the hook and then I completely missed it for some reason. The whole school spooked and I missed my chance for that section of the pool. I decided to move to the head of the pool and drift a nymph towards some tailing fish in the faster moving water. After a few drifts I hooked into one of the energetic males and he gave me a spirited fight.

It was getting rather late and I decided I would finish of my day at a big pool I found about a hundred meters or so above the long pool. I could see some big Yellowfish rising in this pool and decided to have a go at them. This proved to be a rather frustrating exercise as I would make a perfect cast and then the wind would push the leader over fish and spook them. I decided to give the pool a rest and Czech nymph a very fast and deep section of the river above this pool. It was not long before I picked up a small Rainbow Trout and after releasing the fish I decided to dead drift a streamer into the pool. I carefully watched the streamer drifting past a huge bolder and saw a shape moving towards it. The fish suddenly darted towards the fly and grabbed on to it, however I could managed to set the hook properly and he was gone in a second.

Time to head back to camp, the last pool I fish on that day - Photo by Christo Els

I made a few casts after that with no results and I soon spotted the guides out the corner of my eye. We made our way back to the car and I was glad to hear that the clients also had a good day picking up some good fish on the narrower upper reaches of the river.

That evening there were some more camp fire stories to be told and certain parties of the group felt celebrations was in order with it being a successful trip. It ended up being quite an early night with the long days fishing, good food and some very good whiskey resulting in some very tired and relaxed fisherman!

Day 4 - 16 December

As usual the day of departure was perfect! We decided to fish close to the camp for a few hours and stop art around 9:30 when brunch would be served. This proved to be a good decision as the fish seemed to be fairly active this morning. I decided to fish only with my 3 weight this morning and 5x tippet to get a perfect presentation. My plan of attack was to change flies until I found something that fish would eat with confidence. I soon tied a size 16 brown CDC and Foam beetle on and on my first cast with this fly it got hit aggressively! The first fish missed the fly and I immediately put it down in the same area. Another fish spotted the fly and also attacked it with speed, this time I firmly set the hook and the fight was on! The same trend followed the rest of this short session and I managed 5 fish in an hour, missing several more a perfect ending to one of the best trips I have done.

After arriving back at the camp we quickly packed our bags had a good brunch and then made our journey back to Ficksburg. During our drive back we swapped stories of the fish we caught, lost opportunities, funny encounter and I think we all had mixed emotions leaving this little piece of fly fishing heaven.

The Video

Three Rivers - Lesotho Yellowfish Trip 13 to 16 December 2013 from flyloops.net on Vimeo.

Trip Details

If you would like more information regarding this destination contact me at pieter@flyloops.net

Mnweni Cultural and Hiking Centre Review

2013-10-20T13:40:00.003-07:00

On the very cold long weekend in August we made our way to majestic Drakensberg Mountains. This would be my first taste of the Berg’s streams and we opted to explore some lesser known rivers. The Thonyelana, Mnweni and Ifidi Rivers all fall in the same catchment and drain into the Woodstock dam. We stayed at the Mnweni Cultural and Hiking centre, a community run project. Jo-Anne and Ian Glen from Chameleon Adventures hosted us during the weekend, they work closely with the centre and host large groups for hiking adventures.

Accommodation

The accommodation at Mnweni consist of 5 comfortable 4 sleeper Rondawels with 4 single beds (linen provided) and a coffee table that is supplied with coffee, tea and hot water. There is a central ablution block with hot showers that is shared by all guests. The communal kitchen has all the necessary cutlery and crockery for self catering, or you can arrange with the manager for a catered option. During our stay Jo-Anne from Chameleon Adventures catered for us and we were pleasantly surprised with some proudly South African dishes such as an authentic Durban curry bunny chow.

View from the Mnweni Cultural and Hiking Centre (Photo by Ross Garrett)

The centre is located in a rural setting between the Royal National Park and Cathedral Peak National Park. The centre is situated close to a village and some of its residence have been trained and accredited as guides, rock art custodians and porters. Guests that are interested in hiking can arrange these porters for their expeditions in the Drakensberg Mountains.

Each morning when we stepped out of our rondawels we were met by a different nature scene, one morning with a misty blanket over the Drakensberg peaks the next with a sunrise coloring the peaks with different shades of yellow and red.

Fishing

The first day after our arrival we decided to fish the Thonyelana River for the remainder of the day. With a cold front moving in and some dark clouds around I was not to optimistic that we would catch a fish. The river was very low and skinny and I decided to use a French leader with two flies, a size 14 black jig with a silver bead and a smaller brown nymph on the tag.

The first thing I noticed about this river was the amount of black mayfly nymphs walking on the bottom of the stream. I have never before experienced a stream in such a pristine condition, crystal clear water, plentiful insect life, the only thing that was missing now was a lot of fish…

Pool on the Thonyelana River

The fishing proved to be tough, I worked each pocket and pool carefully, however I just couldn't manage to get a single take. As the day went on the weather got worse, first it started raining softly and then it turned into sleet. My spirit was fairly low at this point, I got to a nice section of the river with a lot of pocket water as a I made my second drift through the first pocket I suddenly felt my fly disappear. I made a short wrist flick and I saw a silver flash shoot through the pocket, after a few nervous moments with the fish trying cut me off on every possible rock I managed to slip my hand under the fish. It was a beautiful 11 inch Rainbow Trout that took my black jig, unfortunately I did not take a photo as I thought my Go Pro was on and I was sure that I would catch more fish (this proved to be a big mistake as it was the only fish I managed to catch). A few pockets further I managed to spook another fish, this was the last encounter I had on this stream before we had to call it a day with the daylight fading fast. I estimate I only covered approximately 5% of the river as you need to hike and camp to fish the upper reaches of the river.

The next day we fished a few sections of the Mnweni River and the last pool of the Ifidi River. The Mnweni had a lot of sandstone sections that gave some of the pools a fantastic turquoise color. Although we noticed a lot of fingerlings in the river we couldn’t manage any fish. The cold front had really settled in and made fishing conditions really tough.

French Nymphing on the Mnweni River (Photo by Ross Garrett)

This venue as great potential and for the adventurous fly-fisherman there are kilometers of river to explore. Due to the steep gradient of these rivers do tend to flood quite quickly during warmer months and it is recommend to fish these rivers before and after winter. During warmer months Natal Yellowfish migrate from the Woodstock dam into these rivers to feed and spawn, which offer the fly-fisherman another exciting target. I would recommend that for fly-fisherman that would like to target the upper reaches of the streams they should arrange with Chameleon Adventures to hike each of the rivers.

In Summary

Mnweni Cultural and Hiking Centre offers a unique and very affordable fly-fishing experience in crystal clear streams that offer the angler Natal Yellowfish and Rainbow Trout. If you have a boat you can also fish for Natal Yellowfish and Largemouth Bass in Woodstock. I will definitely head back to this venue in the feature to explore these rivers and target Natal Yellowfish on dry fly!

Venue Photos

Mnweni River (Photo by Ross Garrett)

Mnweni River (Photo by Ross Garrett

Little Rainbow Trout caught by Ian Glen the day before our arrival

Baby Trout on the Mnweni River

The Video

Mnweni Fly Fishing from flyloops.net on Vimeo.

Sharptooth Catfish on Fly Video Clip

2013-09-25T04:28:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago I visited my home town Kroonstad and went for a quick morning session of fishing for Sharptooth Catfish on fly. I used a purple and red JM platanna and got a small one and then hooked up with a decent fish. Here is a photo of the fish and fly:

The Video:

Sharptooth Catfish on Fly from flyloops.net on Vimeo.

Lesotho Yellowfish Trips

2013-06-06T02:47:00.002-07:00

Join us (flyloops.net) and Tourette Fishing on a once in a lifetime adventure to the majestic mountains of Lesotho to catch Smallmouth Yellowish (primarily) and Trout! This is a brand new venue and you will be one of the first people to explore these waters with fly. Each trip can accommodate a maximum of 4 people with either a three night/four day option or a five night/six day option.

We have chosen the following periods for this trip:

· 11 - 16 December 2013 (trip runs Wednesday to Monday as Monday is a public holiday)

· 11 - 16 March 2014

Each trip is limited to 4 rods, so early booking is essential!

Tourette Fishing’s Lesotho operations began in 2009 when we launched Trout Trekking Trips, offering guests the opportunity to fish remote, pristine waters otherwise not easily accessible to fly fisherman. The quality of these fisheries, and the beauty of the country and people, has kept us and our guests coming back for more and exploring new fisheries. In 2011 we made it our goal to explore the countries waterways looking for a world class yellowfish destination that we knew would be there. In 2012, after numerous exploratory trips, hours spent on Google Earth, some intense white knuckle 4x4 trips and epic mountain treks, this goal was achieved!

We are pleased to be able to offer a yellowfish experience like no other. This is dry fly and sight fishing of the highest quality. Yellow fishing as it was millennia ago. We have indentified and set up mobile infrastructure on Three Rivers which give Tourette Fishing guests the ideal platform from which to experience the some of the finest yellow fishing available in Southern Africa, as well as immerse themselves in the magic that is the Lesotho highlands and her people.

Angling (species): Smallmouth yellowfish (primarily) and trout. All fishing is strictly catch and release fly fishing.

The Fly Fishing and Lesotho Wilderness Experience

Sight fishing to yellowfish on remote rivers in the highlands of Lesotho is without question the pinnacle of fly fishing for most anglers. The Three Rivers are unspoiled and only fished by a handful or hardcore, dedicated, and well informed fly fisherman each year. The fishing is technical and rewarding.

We endeavour to fish dry flies as much as possible, with the yellowfish in the Three Rivers showing a great affinity for terrestrials. Early morning and late evening hatches of caddis and mayflies are not uncommon, as well as some very heavy flying ant hatches. Standard nymphing techniques are also very productive. Guests can expect to be kept busy each day fishing to sighted fish or drifting flies through likely looking lies. A comprehensive list of suggested flies and tackle will be sent to all guests prior to the trip.

If sight fishing to yellowfish in crystal clear mountain rivers was not enough, the beauty of this harsh mountain wilderness is astounding, and reason enough to spend time in Lesotho. Surrounded by drastic basalt cliffs and big skies, passing locals as they drive their livestock between pastures, and hiking through small hillside villages is all part of the magic that is Lesotho. Nights are enjoyed around the camp fire, under a blanket of stars, and days filled with clear rivers, feisty fish and unforgettable scenery.

Three Rivers modus operandi and mobile fly fishing camp details

Three Night Option:
The Three Rivers trip starts and ends at Ha Lejone, Lesotho (a 430km drive from JHB). Here guest meet with their guide and follow the guide on good tar road to our secure vehicle parking where they will leave their vehicle and transfer to the Tourette Fishing mobile fly fishing vehicle. Those who wish can follow the guide in their own vehicle, as long as it is a 4x4 or SUV type vehicle.

From the pick-up point the group departs to the first mobile fly fishing camp 1 (MFFC1), giving access to Rivers 1 and 2. On arrival the camp is set up and guests fish the home stretch that evening. Guests spend three nights (2 full days) at MFFC1 fishing Rivers 1 and 2. Guests taking the 3 night option spend a further half day fishing Rivers 1 and 2 before departing after lunch on Day 4 to get back to their vehicle where the tour ends.
Note: the upland sections of River 2 also offer endless small-stream dry fly opportunities for small rainbows on the lightest gear.

Five Night Option:
On the morning of day 4, guides and guest break MFFC1 and drive to MFFC2 (2hr drive). On arrival, guests fish the home stretch of River 3 up to MFFC2 where they meet for lunch. That afternoon is spent fishing upstream from camp until early evening. The following full days is spent fishing River 3 returning to camp for the last night in the early evening. The trip ends on the morning of day 6 when guests are returned to their vehicle.

The mobile fly fishing camp approach and benefits it offers:

Due to the remote location and lack of infrastructure is these areas, and to avoid driving long distances from the mediocre accommodation that is available to the various rivers, we have modelled this trip on mobile camping safaris. An approach that Tourette Fishing has vast experience in.

We have identified two mobile fly fishing camp sites, both within walking distance of the Three Rivers you will be fishing. We use a fully kitted land cruiser safari vehicle to move between, and set up, camps. Accommodation is in 3mx3m canvas tents. Camp beds and all other mobile safari equipment is provided. The mobile camp comprises 1 tent per two anglers, a kitchen area, and undercover living area. Each site has a toilet built specifically for the fly fishing groups. Hot camping showers are available each day. We have fridge facilities for drinks and meat. All cooking is done on gas stoves and the camp fire.

Having three rivers, all offering world class sight fishing and dry fly action, each originating in different catchments allows previously unimaginable flexibility. Although the aim is to fish these rivers as per the itinerary, weather can affect water conditions. The mobile approach allows guests the option of moving between the rivers if the need arises. Having the choice of three rivers, and the infrastructure to easily move between them is invaluable when fishing the high altitude rivers of Lesotho and ensures your time is as productive and enjoyable as possible.

Catering:
There is a catered and non catered option. For self catering groups, all utensils, storage, fridge/freezer space, and cooking equipment is provided.

Self Drive:
Guests with their own 4x4 vehicles are welcome to bring their own vehicles for the duration of the trip and do not need to park them at Ha Lejone if they would prefer not to.

Community Involvement:
Both MFFC’s are setup with the local communities’ involvement. A daily levee from all guests is allocated to the community which is used for community school projects. This community based initiative ensures the operational integrity in all areas guests fish, as well as stimulating job creation within these remote areas.

Pick up and drop off point: Lejone, Lesotho

Trip Itinerary:

Day 1: Meet at the Ha Lejone and Transfer to MFFC 1. Set up camp and fish the home stretch.
Day 2: Fish Rivers 1 and 2
Day 3: Fish Rivers 1 and 2
Day 4: Three Night Option - Fish to lunch time. Transfer back to Lejone.
Day 4: Five Night Option – Break camp and move to MFFC2. Fish River 3.
Day 5: Fish River 3
Day 6: Fish to lunch time. Transfer to Lejone. Tour Ends.

Costs:

Three Night/Four day Option - 4 rods: R5,050.00 per person

Five Night/Six day Option - 4 rods: R9,150.00 per person

Price Includes:

Meet and greet at Ha Lejone, Lesotho
Tourette Fishing professional guide for duration of trip
Mobile Safari Vehicle and Mobile Camp Equipment
Fishing Licence
Community Levies

Price Excludes:

Transport to Lejone
Catering*
Drinks
Gratuities
Tackle

*Catering on request R900 per person for 3 night option or R1500 per person for 5 Night option

Booking and Enquiries:

To book for these trips, or for further enquiries please email: pieter@flyloops.net

Fly-tying Preparation for my trip to Haenertsburg

2013-03-15T04:33:00.001-07:00

On Eastern Weekend I am heading up to Haenertsburg, Limpopo, to fish some of the dams and rivers in the area.

Here are some of the flies I have been tying for the weekend:

EARP (Easy and Reliable Pattern by Mario Geldenhuys) Red Wire Rib Variation

EARP Orange But Variation

EARP White Bead and Rubber Tail Variation

Synthetic Frenchie

Synthetic Mercury Frenchie

Red Tag Jig

Orange Tag Jig

Orange and Hen Back Soft Hackle

Orange and Hen Back Soft Hackle - Another Angle

Welgemoed Lodge - Rainbow Trout on the Bokspruit

2013-02-01T07:07:00.001-08:00

Welgemoed Lodge was our first venue we visited in the Rhodes, Eastern Cape area during the December holidays. A review article will follow soon, have a look at the video for now!

Welgemoed Trout Lodge from flyloops.net on Vimeo.

Tying the Mercury Brassie

2012-10-08T00:26:00.003-07:00

So me and Craig Stockden from flyloops.net attempted our first fly-tying clip. I manned the vice and he played camera man. We started of with an easy pattern the Mercury Brassie featured in one of my favorite books Tying and Fishing Tailwater Flies by Pat Dorsey

Vaal River - Heritage Day

2012-09-26T05:51:00.001-07:00

So myself, Craig Stockden and Jeandre van Schalkwyk decided to head down to the Vaal River near Potchefstroom to do some early season flyfishing for Smallmouth Yellowfish, or that was the plan.... What unfolded during the day was not what we expected or hoped for, that is fishing for you!

As we arrived at the venue we headed up to the pool above the rapids, fish where surfacing everywhere and we got all excited! We quickly rigged up and head down to the water! The fish where taking caddis adults that where emerging, we noticed two different species small white caddis and a dark brown caddis. Craig managed on hook-up in this period, unfortunately his tippet parted!Jeandre fished below and in the rapids with no success!

I decided to fish on the other side of the island in a deeper flowing rapid. I made my way across the rapid towards the opposite river bank and noticed some Sharptooth Catfish in the shallows. I changed to a 1x tippet and tied on the biggest fly that I had on me, a Red Eye Damsel, and selected a school of fish to target. I slapped the fly a few times near them and one catfish turned around and grabbed the fly. After a short fight the fish was safely in the net and I immediately phoned the other two to come and join me.

First fish for the day!

About 5 minutes later I was into my next fish, this one gave me a good bend in my new Sage One five weight, although it was no match for the serious backbone of this rod and after about 2 minutes the fish was in the net. Craig and Jeandre showed up just as I netted the fish and I could take a better photo of the fish.

The Upgrade

We continued to fish with little success and eventually Craig managed to hook a smaller catfish with a Black and Red Woolly bugger.

Craig with a Baby Catfish

After this fish we couldn't manage to get any catfish to take our flies and we decided to call it a day! Hopefully on our next outing the gold bars will give us a showing!

K-WAY Hydro Vent 20 Day Pack - On Promotion at Cape Union Mart Sale

2012-08-05T04:42:00.001-07:00

So I thought I would share this bargain buy I got over the weekend. A K-WAY Hydro Vent 20 Day Pack that on promotion for R275.00 (normally R500) at Cape Union Mart. They have a SALE on from 27 July to 19 August. They have the GoPro HD Hero Naked also on sale for R2299.00. Sale items can be bought online and items R250 and over get free delivery!

I got the orange bag, they are also available in blue and red

I bought it with the idea of using it for fly-fishing on mostly the Vaal River and small streams for trout. I will also use it for the occasional hiking trip, an added use that you get above other fishing vest or bags.

The pack sits high on your back to keep dry during wading

Tech Specs:

Volume: 17 + 3 litres

Size: 32 x 14.5 x 44cm

Weight: 1.038kg

Material: 420D Diamond ripstop PU Coated, 600D PU coated

Special features:

Hydration system compatible
Raincover at bottom
Breathable backing system
Expandable volume
2 mesh pockets

Some of these special features I find quite useful for a fly fishing outing. A hydration bladder can be inserted and is nice to have to keep hydrated during a hike on a small stream or a hot day on the Vaal. If you are not a fan of a hydration bladder two water bottles can be inserted in the mesh pockets on each side.

The breathable backing system is one of the features that I look for in a back pack and helps to keep you cool, especially if you wear a moisture control shirt.

The bag has a pocket at the front with mesh compartments ideal for small fly boxes, tippet, leaders or whatever you would need on a day outing on a river. The top pocket has further space for similar items or maybe a small camera, mobile phone etc (waterproof camera or a camera/phone in a dry bag). The main compartment has a lot of space for any larger objects such an extra reel, jacket, extra water bottles, food etc.

On the strap there is some space to clip on a variety of items such as nets, pliers, floatant and as you will see from the photo below a fly-fishing chest pack (the chest pack is an Xplorer Pesca Chest pack)

A chest pack can be clipped onto the back pack

The chest pack combined with the back pack

A chest pack will make it easier to change flies, rigs etc if you like experimenting or adapting fast to changing fishing conditions. On most occasions I will only use the back pack with a fly fishing shirt. In the one shirt pocket I will have a small fly box with a selection of dry flies, nymphs and a streamer or 2. In the other pocket I will have a few tippet options and items such as floatants etc.

I hope this gives you a different perspective on a back pack and an alternative option to the variety of fly vests and packs out there. And for R275.00 it is quite a bargain!

Flyloops.net - Flyfishing mobile app

2012-08-01T01:06:00.002-07:00

The flyloops.net mobile app has been specifically designed by flyfishers for flyfishing addicts.

The app gives you the ability to record your flyfishing as it happens, in real-time, by allowing you to take photos of your catches and upload them to your profile.
The geocoding features capture your location and seamlessly plots your catches in relation to other flyfishers who have fished nearby.

Other key features include:

Uploading of your photos from your photo library on your phone after your fishing session

Finding fishing venues based on your location

Viewing and commenting on the latest catches and photos on the flyloops.net network

Managing your personal photo's and catches.

Visit Flyloops.net to download the app: Blackberry App World

Fundamental Flytying “Tackle the Hackle” with Gordon van der Spuy

2012-06-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

In this fly tying DVD, a first of a series, Gordon van der Spuy and Charles Stewart explore the fundamental techniques and materials necessary to tie some well known and effective fly patterns.

Enjoy this easy to follow DVD, made for fly tiers by fly tiers, and be taken on an entertaining and insightful journey into this fantastic world of feather craft. The DVD covers the following fly patterns in 90 minutes:

• Dragon Fly Nymph
• Pheasant Tailed Nymph (PTN)
• Woolly Bugger
• Dubbed Mayfly Nymph
• Adams
• Spent Spinner
• Klinkhammer
• DDD (Duckworth’s Dargle Delight)

The techniques covered in the DVD will leave you well armed to tackle most basic fly tying patterns needed to tie and fish your own flies.

Please see my full review at: Flyloops.net

Stonecutters Lodge

2012-06-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 2 June 2012

Early on Saturday morning we departed from Johannesburg towards Dullstroom for a relaxing weekend at Stonecutter Lodge. On our arrival we where greeted by Margi Butler, one of the owner, and soon afterwards we joined her at the Stone Manor for a scrumptious breakfast.

After breakfast we decided to walk around and explore all the waters while we waited for a cottage to come available. The river looked promising and I could not wait to get cracking. We passed by the small dam and spotted quite a few fish hanging out in the shallows. This got us excited and I told my girlfriend that we will start at the small dam just to open the account for the weekend. We headed to the bigger dam and spotted a fish under the jetty and a few cruising in the lanes between the grass. Quite a few rises where also taking place in the middle of the dam, not surprise as people where fishing from the bank and probably spooking the fish.

We headed back to our car and the staff said we can occupy one of the Cobbles units. After unpacking we quickly got our rods ready two for my girlfriend for the dam and my 3 weight set-up for the river. Arriving at the small dam I spotted a small Rainbow in the corner of the dam and directed my girlfriend where to cast. The fish was not interested in her offering and she headed down to the bigger dam. I presented a Puterbaugh Caddis to the same fish and after a few twitches got him to take it!

I joined my girlfriend at the dam and explained to her how to fish a Papa Roach. During this process I spotted a Rainbow cruising towards us and luckily the fly was still in the water. I gave the fly one quick twitch and the fish jumped on it! This opened my account for the dam and I decided to leave my girlfriend to fish the river.

The cruiser caught on a Papa Roach

The close-up

Nice pink cheek!

I spent quite a while on the river with no luck. I tried various techniques from dry fly, dry and dropper and nymphing. I eventually spotted a small fish in a slow riffle, but only manage to spook it.

My girlfriend phoned me and she is joining me on the river as she was struggling to hook fish in the dam. I switched to a Spietkop (black woolly bugger with blue flash) and decided to fish the deeper pools on a long leader. I must admit this is not my favourite technique to use in a river, but I was quite desperate! When I got to the pool at the two umbrellas I got an energetic take on the fly! After a very frantic fight I landed the fish in the end of the pool. My girlfriend was just in time to take a photo and decided to give her a try on the pools on the way back to the dams!

First fish in the river safely in the net!

The strong little fighter

Interesting colouration on this fish!

We fished our way back towards the dams with no success until we reached the pool at the access gate. I showed my girlfriend a spot where is saw some fish rising earlier and on her third cast she quite her first fish in the river. A managed to stuff up the photo where after the fish wriggled out her hands straight into the river.

A good example of how to stuff up a photo!

On our arrival at the dam there where a few people fishing the dam with no success. I reckon they where just causing to much commotion with all the bad casting that most fish where holding to towards the middle of the dam. As the sun was setting people where leaving the dam until it was only me and the local guide on the dam. I noticed that fish where striking short on my Papa Roach and decided to trail a San Juan Worm behind it. On the next cast I hooked into a feisty little fish that gave a good acrobatic display.

Fish on a San Juan worm

As sun set I realised that it was full moon and this would allow me to fish until quite late. Frogs where calling loudly all around me and I remembered that I recently tied a nice fly imitating a tadpole. I made a cast across the right corner of the dam and got a strong take from another feisty little fighter! I decided to make a last cast at the inlet of the dam and got a very subtle take on the tadpole fly. This fish gave a slow powerful fight and I knew straight away it was a bigger fish!

First fish on the tadpole!

Second fish on the tadpole!

After this fish I head back to the Stone Manor where we had a perfect meal with the fire place flickering in the background!

Perfect ending to the day!

Sunday, 3 June 2012

Early the Sunday morning I decided to fish the large dam before breakfast. With it being the perfect time of day to take photos I decided to take some of the large dam.

Left side of the dam at inlet

Middel section of the dam where most fish where holding!

Right hand side of the dam

Full view of the dam at sunrise

After my photos session I decided to fish a White Death with a fat retrieve under the surface and soon afterwards had my first fish before sunrise.This was followed with another few fish in quick succession.

First fish of the day!

Another average one before breakfast

The close-up

Another fish that fell to a White Death

The close-up

My girlfriend joined me and I gave her a go, which resulted in another fish with her first few casts. We decided to take a break and went up to the Stone Manor for another great breakfast!

My girlfriend's first fish on the dam

After breakfast I headed down to the river for a quick session before our trip back to the city. I managed to catch a fish straight away on an olive woolly bugger at the same spot where my girlfriend caught her fish the previous day! I headed down stream and switched to a small epoxy baitfish. I noticed a fish rising behind a log in a slow flow and made a cast towards it. The fish hit the fly very hard and headed down stream. It turned around and wrapped itself around a log where after the leader parted. I was so disappointed as it looked like a very nice fish!

Nice fish out the river

After loosing the bigger fish I headed upstream to the pool at the two umbrellas. This proved to be a good decision as there where quite a few fish chasing my fly. I caught two fish in quick succession on a woolly bugger and a small olive zonker.

Another on at the two umbrellas

The third fish at the two umbrellas

After these fish I headed back to our chalet. I met up with my girlfriend and to my delight she told me that she caught a fish on a White Salty Bugger. I found this very funny and unusual, but at least it gave her a great result! Two fish in the river and one fish in the dam!

A feisty river fish on a Salty Bugger...

The close-up

A map of the weekend events:

View Stonecutters Lodge in a larger map

Please also see my review of Stonecutters Lodge at: Flyloops.net

Tube Bass Popper – Home Made Edition

2012-05-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

Introduction

This is my first attempt at a tube fly and I used materials lying around in my house. The main materials are a cork from a port bottle and an old pen cartridge. This tying sequence is just a basic idea of a tube popper and probably not the most correct way to tie a tube fly. It basically just gives you some ideas regarding the materials you can use for a fly like this and how easy it is to tie it. I hope this inspires you to try this alternative method of fly tying and also see odds and ends lying around in your house in a different light.

Tube flies have various advantages such as:

Various types of hooks can be used with one fly
The fly can be used with or without a wire trace
Often the fly will slide up the line once a fish is hooked and then the fish cant bite down on it
Another advantage is that the fish will only be left with a hook in the event of line failure

Materials:

1. SF Flash Blend - Bleeding Black (Alternatives: Bucktail, Marabou, Zonker Strip etc)

2. Crystal Flash

3. Crystal Chenille or Dubbing

4. Saddle Hackle

5. Rubber Legs

6. Stick-on Eyes

7. Marker Pen

8. Nail Varnish

9. Sally Hansen – Hard as Nails ( Ideally epoxy should be used)

10. Superglue

11. Wine Cork or Foam Popping Head

12. Any material suitable as a tube – I used an old pen ink cartridge

13. 6/0 Thread

Materials

Cork and Pen Ink Cartridge

Tying Sequence:

Step 1:

Color the cork with a permanent market to act as a base layer for the nail varnish

Step 2:

Form a hole in the middle of the cork with a fly tying needle, then insert the tube trough the cork

Step 3-4:

Apply some superglue on the tube and push cork further up the tube

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5:

Paint the cork with nail varnish using long strokes

Step 6:

Leave the nail varnish to dry for approximately 20 min

Step 7:

Superglue eyes to both side of the cork and leave to dry for approximately 3 min

Step 8 and 9:

Paint a layer of Sally Hansen or ideally epoxy over the cork and leave to dry (the Sally Hansen will take around 20min the epoxy will take longer)

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10:

Cut shallow slits into the tube material to prevent your thread slipping on the tube

Step 11:

Add a base layer of thread onto the tube

Step 12:

Pinch wrap the SF material and secure with a few wraps

Step 13:

Pinch wrap some flash material and secure with a few wraps

Step 14:

Select two saddle hackle feather, pinch wrap the on both sides of the tube and secure with a few wraps

Step 15:

Take another saddle hackle feather and hold it with the shiny side facing you. Pinch wrap the feather to the tube and secure with a few wraps

Step 16:

Take two round rubber legs, pinch wrap it and secure with about 3 wraps

Step 17:

Turn the legs perpendicular to the tube and secure it further with figure of eight wraps

Step 18:

Wrap the legs in front of the cork and tie in some crystal chenille.

Step 19:

Wrap the chenille forward towards the legs and secure with two wraps

Step 20:

Wind the hackle over the chenille and secure in front of the legs with a few wraps

Step 21:

Figure of eight wrap the chenille over the legs and finish of with another few chenille wraps in front of the legs. Secure the chenille with a few thread wraps and finish of the fly by whip finishing the thread behind the cork.

Trimming:

Step 1:

Trim the SF and flash to the same length of the saddle hackles

Step 2:

Trim the legs to three quarters of the length of the tail.

Leg Trimming Result

Step 3:

Cut the tube behind the tail to around 5mm

Step 4:

Cut the tube as close as possible to the cork

Final Result:

Top View

Side-on View

Rigging:

Step 1:

Slide the tube fly and a carp rig rubber sleeve onto the line and tie your choice of hook to the line

Step 2:

Slide the rubber sleeve over the hook

Step 3:

Slide the tube into the sleeve

CliMate Sports Scarf

2012-05-25T03:05:00.000-07:00

The CliMate Sports Scarf is a multi-purpose, multi functional headwear that is meant to control temperature, manage moisture and offer UV protection. In most fly fishing conditions it will be worn to cover your neck and lower part of your face. This offers UV protection to the lower part of your face caused by sunlight reflected by water. It also offers some protection against insects such as midges, mosquitoes etc.

Please read my review at: Flyloops.net

Weird Creatures - Braam's Place

2012-05-23T06:31:00.002-07:00

On 6 May 2012, A friend and I visited Braam's Place next to Garsfontein Road (See map below):

View Braam's Place in a larger map

The venue is suitable for beginners and fishing is quite dependent on when the dams where last stocked. Due to this fact it is wise to phone the owner Braam Swart at 083 250 4029 before a visit. The dams are usually stocked with fairly big Rainbow and Golden Trout around 1.5 kg to 2.5 kg fish, they also contain some Largemouth Bass around 500 g.

I managed to catch a rainbow trout in the top dam (refer to map at the bottom) on a white salty bugger on a slow retrieve with an intermediate line.

Top Dam with Lapa and Braai Area

Rainbow Trout on White Salty Bugger

About a half an hour later my friend managed to catch a Largemouth Bass that was lying next to the bank in the second top dam (refer to map at the bottom).

My friend's Bass

I managed to catch another two Largemouth Bass in the bottom left dam (refer to map at the bottom) on a brown foam hopper where after the fishing became quiet.

First fish on Hopper

Second fish on Hopper

I headed back to the top dam and tried the white salty bugger again it was not long before I added another two species to the list...but unfortunetly they did not belong to the fish family... A crab and a platanna (African clawed frog) grabbed my fly with gusto!

Crab on Fly!

Platanna on Fly!

A map of the day's events:

View Braam's Place in a larger map

Making New Friends

2012-05-02T08:30:00.001-07:00

One of the many reasons why I love fly fishing is making new friends! This sport is growing fast and it can be quite a daunting prospect to start from scratch with no assistance. On the weekend of 15 April, I offered to take two new friends to fish at Vaal Streams.

As we arrived I help them to set-up some leaders and we were of to the slower section of the river to cover the basics of casting. After the short lesson, I left them to fish on their own and I waded across the river to my usual spot. The fishing was indeed very tough and after about 2 hours fishing with dry flies I opted to switch to nymphing. After changing my rig set-up I headed back to the car where helped the two student also to switch their rigs to a nymphing set-up.

I decided to nymph downstream to my dry fly spot where I would try to get some fish in the late afternoon hatch. After about an hours fishing I felt a very soft take on my Czech nymph rig and quickly set the hook. The fish fought quite hard and kept to the bottom, unmistakeably a Mudfish! The fish took my bottom fly, a floating orange hotspot PTN! I found this quite interesting as you normally catch Mudfish on the bottom and not in the mid-water column.

Floating Orange Hotspot PTN!

My only Fish for the Day!

After this fish I headed back to my dry fly spot, after about a half an hour I got a take on a black foam beetle pattern, but I missed the fish with the strike. The two student met up with me a while later and asked for some dry flies as they had no success while nymphing. I gave them a black DDD and a black foam beetle and suggested that they head further downstream as I have not fished that area before!

I fished for another 20 minutes or so and decided to call it a day and head back to the car. After I packed all my gear in the car I tried to signal the two students to head back. I noticed they where next to the bank, possibly netting a fish... I thought to myself I would eat my hat if they managed to catch a Yellowfish on dry fly!

When they eventually got back to the car they told me that there was a decent hatch of insects on the river, the weren't sure what exactly, but the fish where going crazy! They managed to catch one yellowfish and another one snapped the the line!

First Yellow in the Net!

Future Pro!

I did notice a lot of beetles flying around during the day and it might have been what the fish where feeding on.

One of the Prolific Beetles on the Day!

All in all it was a tough days fishing, but still a success in my eyes, another two fly fishing addicts joined the club!

Amatola Wild Trout Flyfishing - Flyloops Review

2012-04-26T02:49:00.001-07:00

Please have a look at my recent review of Amatola at: Amatola Flyloops.net Review