The final of any gathering can often be a tense affair, the urge to win giving rise to a little friction. Which, when fuelled with huge rewards can create some fierce competition. That is until you throw fish and the good cheer of fellow fly addicts into the equation. (more…)
That this event has less to do with fishing and more about celebrating with friends was resoundingly apparent this last weekend. By lunchtime Thursday, the festivities started and you could be forgiven for thinking that the anglers were toasting their catches, such was the infectious atmosphere. It never fails to amaze me how the prospect of a weekend of fishing gets the party started. Enthusiasm is at an all-time high and the great fishing stories of old are recounted, careful not to let the truth get in the way of…
There are many factors that make a for great fly fishing event and surprisingly most of them do not revolve around the fishing. But if the Trout fail to make an appearance the atmosphere after a long day on the water can get a little frosty. Fortunately with the balmy weather playing it’s role, at the 2nd leg of the TOPS Corporate Challenge, the Trout came out to play, giving all the festive ingredients of this remarkable gathering a recipe that you just can’t replicate anywhere else. The legendary Notties…
Trophy is such a relative term, as your average catch might be another angler’s personal best, hence size must also be in the eye of the beholder. But benchmarks do determine accolades and the quest for a double digit Trout remains the goal for many a fly fisher. There are few destinations in South Africa where this is realistic in terms of waters that can consistently produce specimens of such size. This is why we tend to measure our fish in length, giving us many yardsticks and great fishing stories…