Termite mounds, streams and fishing.

Thought I would try some fishing in the Little Bushman's river on the farm this afternoon. Packed my kit and 3 weight fly rod in a backpack and headed for the river, a good 45 minutes walk from the house. 

Walked downstream a bit and along the way came upon this 2 meter high termite mound. The South African writer, Eugene Marais, wrote a book during the 1920's titled,the  "The soul of the white ant," about termites and their colonies. He described a termite mound and the termite colony as a single living entity, not as tens of thousand of individual termites. The book makes interesting reading to this day.  His work was plagiarised by someone in Europe who won a scientific prize for "his" work. (so the story goes). 

Marais was a tragic figure, a trained medical doctor and a naturalist of note, he also was an opium addict, spent seven years in jail for manslaughter, (killed his brother). He was a renowned Afrikaans poet and wrote other books such as, "My friends the baboons," in which he describes his very close relationship with a troop of baboons.

Looking downstream, a long pool that goes around the spur of the hill on the left, almost forming a horse shoe bend.

These natural stone steps look as if they were created especially for a fly fisher to stand here and cast a line. Just mind the trees behind you. 

Looking upstream, where the rapids enter at the head of the pool is a good place to try bottom nymphing for yellow fish, they prefer fast running water to still pools. The pools are a good place to try for bass. Other fish that might occur here are carp, Tugela mudfish, several minnow species and small rock catfish.

I didn't stay long as there was a freezing east wind blowing and it started to rain.