Fixated Fish - TCC Leg 3

Fixated Fish - TCC Leg 3

Great casting is simply lost on the fish. That isn’t to say that a good cast doesn’t catch Trout, it’s just a reminder that the graceful art of a tight loop presented with pinpoint precision does not always translate into an obliging take. Case in point was the third leg of the TOPS Corporate Challenge where the fixated fish were to be found within a rod length of the bank, requiring all your patience and a mere flick of your stick to reach them.
But we are creatures of habit and I for one still get immense satisfaction from aspiring to that perfect cast, to the extent that it’s easy to forget about the fish with your line sailing beautifully against the backdrop of the Drakensberg. Until your partner lands a 60cm beast that eats a few meters from the water’s edge! Those fly fishers who worked less over the weekend definitely caught more in the challenging conditions. The weather couldn’t have been better and if enthusiasm was ever a factor in catching fish, the Trout didn’t stand a chance.
Some say the fish you see is often the hardest to catch, a statement that I don’t ordinarily subscribe to, yet every angler had far too many sightings of uncooperative Trout this weekend, as they glanced at flies with disdain. The water temperature was hovering at ten degrees, which for the fish, in human terms is akin to hot-blooded men running through the streets chasing anything in a skirt. Many might think that a bright attractor pattern would be a simple solution and whilst the odd fish might be fooled, the water clarity coupled with their proximity to the fringes of every dam called for a lot more finesse. Size 16 buzzers, fished with glacial speed on a long leader was the answer that a few experienced fly fishers came up with and it certainly paid dividends.
Fortunately, as usual at the TCC, it was the festivities that took center stage for many. With the shackles of the pandemic era, having finally been broken, this benchmark event was back to full capacity, and many great friends united in WildFly country, reliving the times that a 21 year old event indelibly etches into one’s memory. The atmosphere of the legendary Notties proceeded to lead the way!Over the qualifying legs, 637 Trout were recorded for the top 15 teams to make it through to the illustrious final, half of these landed in the first leg when the fish were still actively feeding. But kudos to the winning team in the third leg, the Zimmers, who figured it out and between them managed to land just over 25% of the total Trout netted this last weekend.
A 62cm beauty from Alistair Moores Pitt took top honours, and his partner Wayne Stegan showed real class by catching 13 fish at an impressive average of 48cm, cementing his team’s place, and earning him the accolade of Top Dog!The prize-giving was a belly of laughs as even those that failed to trouble the scorers, walked away with an armful of prizes and every entrant made the most of the pink ticket they had been given by their better halves to unwind and celebrate the moment!

The stage is now set for the 21st TOPS Corporate Challenge final, hoping that the Trout don’t see us coming!

Habits 7 of Successful Fly Fishers – Part 1 Winter

Habits 7 of Successful Fly Fishers – Part 1 Winter

Mindset might be everything, but I’m no shrink and I’m not going to pretend that the positive laws of attraction are going to get you more fish. But what is proven, is if you fish with confidence, you don’t second guess what you’re doing all the time and hence stick with the plan that will eventually yield results!

I have a few seasons (my wife might argue too many) of Winter Trout fishing in South Africa under my belt, so hopefully these cardinal basics will make your experience on the water more rewarding.
  1. Find the fish. As obvious as this might sound, to many anglers jump onto a water and start casting. Aside from the evident tell tale rises, you have to make an educated guess as to where the fish are. In the colder months, Trout will favour the shallows, either looking to go through their instinctual spawning behaviour or feed on the fringes. Spillways are a productive starting point, being easily accessible and generally have rock / shale, which the fish will mill around. Inlets will also have fish gravitate in this direction, looking for flowing water, but reeds / weeds often dictate that you need a float tube to work this area effectively. Dam walls, especially if they have a rocky layer on top, tend to have fish cruising up and down near the surface. It’s always better to cast to a sighted fish!

2. Work the top water first. Early morning is when the fish will be in the upper reaches of the water column, so tackle up with your floating line (I prefer the Airflo Superflo) and stay out of your float tube. Work those fringes, with short casts and a gentle presentation, the least amount of casting the better. A 12 foot leader is preferable. Your choice of retrieve is a little like roulette, in so far as static / slow or give them something to chase. I like to start very slow and let the fish find my fly and then only strip when I’m sure they aren’t buzzing your fly. Obviously, patterns in this respect vary greatly.

3. Patience will always be extolled as a virtue for fly fishers and I’m a big believer in keeping your fly in the water longer, as opposed to casting relentlessly. If you have to cast to a moving Trout, then make sure you lead it, any fly put on its’ head will invariably spook the fish. Patience is a relative term, so if you think you’re fishing slow, try fishing a little slower or try leaving your fly, but always keep in contact with your line. The finest anglers that I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with have more patience than I do.

4. Are they Feeding or Fornicating? This will dictate fly pattern, in so far as whether you are going to use a colourful set up,  to attract /  irritate the Trout or are you going to mimic a food source. Spawning fish are easy to spot chasing each other and will always gather around shallow, shale/ rocky substrate. Feeding fish will be largely found foraging around the weed beds and dam fringes, bare in mind that their food supply is predominantly made up of far smaller invertebrates at this time of year.

5. Time to Float tube. When the sun get’s high enough, (around 9am in Winter) then you can focus on some effective flow tubing. It has been called legalised trawling and although you might catch a lucky fish motoring around the dam, you’ll scare more Trout than you’ll catch. So, again find an area that you can work effectively, which will revolve around structure. Keep your movements to a minimum and make sure you cover this area with your fly before you disturb it with your tube (to a Trout we look like the QE2 bobbing around). Generally you’ll now be on an intermediate line, which is better than a sinking one, as you keep your fly in the water longer.

6. Induce the take. There’s no real textbook on retrievals or stripping your fly, your slow is another anglers medium, a pause can be any duration between retrieves and length of one’s strips vary greatly. But regardless of your retrieval, on a intermediate / sinking line I always induce the take or hang the fly. You never know what’s following your fly and all too often Trout will chase right up to the bank or your float tube fins. Get into the habit of simply lifting your rod when you’ve about 5 meters of fly line left in the water. This changes the direction of the fly from a horizontal motion to a vertical one, often resulting in the Trout committing right at the death. Do this on every retrieve, so it becomes ingrained in your style of fishing.

7. Fish where the fish are. Don’t move away from an area just because you caught a fish there. If there’s one fish there, there will be more, as it’s the habitat that holds fish. This is especially more evident in Winter, when they they tend to congregate. Hence work an area properly and methodically before moving off to find greener pastures.

Fishing still involves some luck and in the sage words of Gary Player, the more you play the luckier you’ll get.

Above all, remember not to take it too seriously, as this is your relaxation time,

and you although we all want to celebrate each catch you should always celebrate the moment!

The Middle Fin - TCC Leg 2

The Middle Fin - TCC Leg 2

The Middle Fin – TCC Leg 2

A lot of Trout clearly didn’t get the message from Uncle Cyril this last weekend as they kept their distance from the very social advances of the fly fishers.

The TOPS Corporate Challenge has built its reputation on the camaraderie and festivities surrounding the fishing, which was embraced by the entrants yet again, with commiserations about the lack of landed Trout soon replaced by the celebratory toasts to the time being spent together in WildFly country.

Some quality Trout still made an appearance, with Wim Slabber and Dave Launder battling it out for biggest Rainbow, both measuring 60cm, the latter taking the closely contested honours.

We all know the multitude of reasons why the fish can give us the middle fin, but what was clearly a major factor was the swirling wind, changing from South to East and back again, almost hourly, driven by pressure changes and hence uncooperative fish.

That the water temperatures have plummeted to as low as 10 degrees Celsius kept the Trout chasing tail, firmly in full spawning mode, ignoring the variety of fly patterns thrown at the problem.

Those fish that did test the anglers, seems to be mouthing the fly, their tentative takes often not even felt by the fly fisher.

Testament to this was the successful hookups from those fishing with a strike indicator from the bank.

Doing less definitely resulted in more takes and anyone who stayed out of their V-boats reaped the rewards. T he clarity of the water ensured that the slightest disturbance had the Trout running for cover…..you can imagine what we look like to an unsuspecting fish kicking around in our QE2’s. And fly patterns were as contradictory as the stories filtering through about where the fish were being spotted.

The fairly infallible egg and nymph combination on a floating line, fished static in the spillways showed some promise, but so did dragon imitations stripped over weed beds, not to mention the go to Buggers with a hot orange bead. No absolute or definitive recipe this weekend!

Compared to the 1st leg where 320 Trout were caught and released, the inclement conditions reduced this number to a well-earned 155.

A large contingent of new entrants led the charge off the field, as the legendary Notties lived up to its’ reputation as party central, keeping the ethos of this event, ‘having little to do with fly fishing’, at the forefront.

And one of these brand new teams, conversely called ’The Bottom Feeders’ ran away with the title for the 2nd leg of the TCC with Mark Venter earning the accolade as top fly fisher.

Ten teams have already made it through to the illustrious final, with the last five place being contested in the 3rd leg between the 7th and 9th July….here’s hoping that the weather behaves and the fish decide that it’s time to feed again!

 

21 Year old Trout

21 Year old Trout

In so many cultures it is an official coming of age, demanding that you raise many glasses and toast such a momentous occasion.

21 years is reason enough to celebrate, but if you add the relaxation of social restrictions, coupled with the prospect of chasing some feisty Midlands Trout over a long weekend, well you can imagine how the party ensued.

The TOPS Corporate Challenge is renowned as a festive occasion, where you can catch up with old acquaintances and make new friends, with an excuse to your better half about the sport of fishing, but this 1st leg of the TCC also delivered some very memorable moments on the water.

Posting the valuable scores

104 fish in the first morning had anglers buzzing about the prospect of eclipsing their personal best, which James Hills nearly achieved with a stunning Rainbow of 62cm(8 pounds). This emulated his performance of last year, where he landed a 64cm Brown.

“Cat’s Whiskers, White Death, Boobies”…. fuelled by a satisfying Heineken, the lunchtime talk at the legendary Notties, would have been greek to any non fly fisher, with the weird and wonderful names of the productive fly patterns echoing amongst the laughter of the on field shenanigans.

 

Predictably the fish records reduced with rod pressure, 77 specimens being notched up in the afternoon session of day one, but the weather was near to perfect and the water temperature definitely motivated some early spawning behaviour amongst the Trout. Notably for Anton De Bruin who landed a 60 and 59cm in this 2nd session on WildFly waters.The crisp morning had every angler donning their Jonsson jersey’s the following day and this cold snap saw a very energetic 93 Trout make it to the net.

Needless to say, entrants were celebrating these catches until common sense called them to bed. The stand-out statistic was that 63 Trout were recorded at over half a meter in the very first day, showcasing the quality of this festival in terms of the fishery.

The diving catch – what a wingman

The 4th session witnessed a weather change with the wind forcing some frantic fishing as anglers endeavoured to make the final where every single team wins a fishing holiday.

For a few teams it was a little like the rugby semi-final between the Stormers and Ulster that afternoon, with some of them only landing their single fish to count in injury time right before the close of the session.

Fortunately, they could calm their nerves with a wee dram of Dalmore single malt at the evening’s impromptu whisky tasting. As usual, at the entertaining gala evening, in the spirit of The TOPS Corporate Challenge, the rewards for antics off the field almost shadowed what the winners walked away with.

Bucket loads of prizes from Outdoor Warehouse, Greys, Airflo, Umqua and Xplorer had everyone smiling.

The Top Fly Fisher was awarded to Steve Benbow with his bag of 18 Trout, earning him an incredible Hardy rod and the biggest fish was retained by James Hills who floated away in the new WildFly V-Boat. The top five teams who qualified for the final were, ‘ST Fergusson’, ‘Novus Print Cape’, ‘Cathedral Peak’,  ‘ZZ Tops’, with ‘Novus Print KZN’ taking the 1st leg title of the 21st TOPS Corporate Challenge.

Kobus Potgieter with yet another wild Rainbow

Just a reward for an afternoon kip

TCC 2022 – Leg 1 Winners

The TOPS Corporate Challenge once again showcased why it is Africa’s leading angling event,  evident from the resounding cheers, with anglers celebrating the moment yet again.

It’s the 2nd leg in two weeks’ time, so standby for our next WildFly water report.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The best fishing trips always start by reliving your last adventure and past exploits.

This invariably takes place around the support of a bar counter at your mates house, enjoying a refreshing beverage.

As the night wears on it’s impossible not to embellish as all great stories or anecdotes should be revived with artistic license. This naturally leads to boasts that are never idle and challenges made in jest, culminating in the gauntlet being thrown down.

The rules of engagement are hotly debated, dates are set and one bids goodnight with much needed purpose.

Such was my last gathering with seasoned fly fishers Rhuan Human and Stuart Van den Linden, who despite their prowess with a rod are very much my juniors and are quick to remind me of how long in the tooth I’m getting. I reciprocate by reminding them of their millennial status and that which I’ve forgotten they’ve yet to learn. And quite stupidly on my part, with a fire in my belly (read single malt) I decided to challenge them both to a days Trout fishing on WildFly waters with the biggest trout winning bragging rights for 2022.

Everyone was to fish from a V-Boat and to make this contest definitive, one had to tie a fly of your own design and fish this single pattern the entire day. A cameraman was to be in tow, to record any shenanigans and hopefully some action for the next WildFly TV show on Supersport.

It only dawned on me the following morning that I had foolishly also given them first choice of dam, which they were sure to capitalise on.

I arrived on my allotted water at a respectable hour to discover that recent rains had rendered the dam almost unfishable, the dirty water forcing my hand to select a gaudy fly pattern that resembled no earthly creature.

Within the first hour I was throwing in the towel and when paddling back shore had, what I think was a desperate fish, put a good bend in my rod. Remarkably I was on the board with a beautiful 57cm Rainbow Trout and watching the cameraman filming this on a drone, inspired a bit of skullduggery.

Convincing him to go on a scenic flight to the next valley, Stu and Rhuan soon came into view allowing me to see what they were up to…..and I immediately wished I hadn’t! Over the next 15 minutes I witnessed them caning the fish, landing numerous Trout which I could see were going to eclipse the benchmark I had set.

One should never begrudge another man’s good fortune on the fishing front, but I just couldn’t face these upstarts with my hat in hand. Ego is a terrible motivator.

So shouldering a little too much pressure I 4X4’d to a piece of water that I knew would at least be clean and set about casting in hope of some obliging Trout. It took a while before another really good fish was landed of the same size, this time a Brown Trout, but there was no compensation in our competition for a different species.

 

It was at this time that the cheeky blighters sent me a few pics of their trophy Trout, followed by one of them celebrating their catches at Notties pub. My thirst for a pint notwithstanding, it was their assumptive toast of victory that now drove me to stay on the water. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last couple of decades when fishing in any friendly contest, it is that more casting does not help the cause. You actually have to slow everything down, ignore the angler, as it is only the fish you’re competing against.

 

And that’s when the first voice note arrived….bloody millennials! I have to admit the lads really knew how to mess with my head.

So, trying to keep some composure, I thought about my next move and picked my rod up to make the cast.

 

You never properly anticipate a strike and this one took me a few seconds to process what was happening. I knew it was a good fish, but only when it peeled line did the anxiety set in, realising that I had a beast on the end of my line. You rarely stay calm in these situations, it’s more akin to keeping a lid on the panic.

Focussing entirely on the fish, I couldn’t even tell you how long the fight dragged on for, all I really remember is the jubilation when I scooped it into the net in which it hardly fit.

We convened that evening to review the days produce and there was no hiding the young guns swagger as they sauntered into the pub, secure in the knowledge they had taught me a proper lesson.

Stuart had recorded his personal best of 62cm and of the 23 Trout they had notched up, not a single fish measured under half a meter, no wonder they were buying the drinks, exclaiming and celebrating.

Their’s was an outstanding fishing performance!

Celebrate the moments

Celebrate the moments

The celebrations of the new year seem like a distant memory and now that we’ve managed to sweat the holiday hangover in terms of work malaise out the system, it’s time to start planning your 2022 leisure calendar. Finding the time is always the challenge, as we juggle work pressure with family commitments and our children’s various academic years that seems completely at odds with each other.

Fish understandably are a lot simpler, with climate and seasons dictating their movements which revolve around the basic urge to feed.

And, that’s why slotting these windows into my iCal first to try and put a semblance of a schedule together seems reasonable, not that I dare tell my wife how I prioritise these best-laid plans.

 

But I read somewhere ( that’s my story and I’m sticking to it), that only by making yourself happy can you spread the sentiment and as every fisherman would truly admit, if he thought people would understand, nothing makes an angler happier than being on the water. As you get a little longer in the tooth this is something that you give a lot more thought to and so should you, as we all need reasons to celebrate.

Watch anyone with a rod in hand and you’ll see a picture of satisfaction and when the reel starts to sing the animated reaction will bring a smile to your face, let alone the jubilation shared when their patience is rewarded with a catch.

 

These celebrations are as varied as the people who enjoy this very social sport.

 

A youngster’s shrieks will pierce any bank-side braai party and their catching triumph is only trumped by the proud parent who has imbedded in them a lifelong appreciation for such gatherings.

Then you have that new species you notch up, with hollering and hugging that demands a celebratory toast, that has been known to get the party started.

Which, is only matched by sharing the moment with a fishing buddy when they land their personal best resulting in as many glasses raised as the years spent chasing this trophy.

I can even remember watching a seasoned professional reduced to tears that were soon replaced by high fives, at finally netting their holy grail of fish.

A few fisherfolk take some time to understand that this is a not so serious a sport. Admittedly, if you don’t score when all your mates are hammering the fish around you, you can lose perspective, but blanking in a fishing session is the medicine that every ailing anglers needs.

It makes you realise why you go fishing in the first place.

As the hosts at the TOPS Corporate challenge never tire of reminding all who attend ‘This event has absolutely nothing to do with catching fish!! ‘It’s about spending time with comrades, imbibing and embellishing, creating memories that will last forever” Which embodies what fishing is really all about.

The evolution of an angler is exactly this, you start by celebrating your catch but after so many good times with great friends at the water’s edge it dawns on you that if you didn’t have these mates to celebrate with, it would be a downright depressing.

 

So get your diaries in order and plan your next fishing adventure, because time doesn’t stand still and you need to celebrate the moment!

Snowmen

Snowmen

It’s not often that you see anglers return from the water with very little to say, especially if they have even less to show for their efforts. To say the fly fishing was tough in the 3rd leg of the TOPS Corporate Challenge would be like describing this world-wide pandemic as a mild head cold. read more

Fair Weather Fisherman

Fair Weather Fisherman

For once the naysayers, me included, got it completely wrong. We always watch any incoming weather with trepidation and automatically assume the worst especially when we see a front looming. And we had every right to be worried this last weekend, a max of 3 degrees pred read more

TCC 2021 Leg 1

TCC 2021 Leg 1

After 20 years of watching fly fishers pit their wits against the wiles of feral Trout, you would think that we’ d seen it all, yet every year at the TOPS Corporate Challenge something happens that beggars belief. read more

The Fly Shrink

The Fly Shrink

How smart do you think fish really are? I mean it’s not as if they’ve managed to crawl out the water……yet we seem to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure them out. read more