First fish of summer.

Bass fishing in South Africa usually takes in the summer, that is all the month's that have and "r" in them.

Took a #6 fly rod down to one of the farm ponds and tried my luck, well first cast and I caught a nice small-mouthed bass. These bass are real fighters and give you a good run for your money.

Click to enlarge.

+/- 2 lbs.

Same fish, photo by Enrico Bucceri, a.k.a., the Italian Leprechaun. The following photos were all taken by Enrico.

I look a bit startled here, but this photo gives a nice idea of the size of the fish.

Tombi watching me cast. I think I have mentioned it before, Tombi means young girl in Zulu. Not so young any more +/- 14 years old now.

 Strike!

Second bass, small but gave a good account of itself.

Third fish, slightly bigger than the second. I caught four fish and missed several, think the hook was a bit blunt. 

My fly was a large "woolly bugger".

Kamberg fly fishing festival, 29th - 31st May, 2014.

Below are details of the Kamberg fly fishing festival. Kam = comb in Afrikaans and berg = mountain.

As you can see from the photos in the brochure it can get very there. Kamberg valley lies at a high altitude so the winters can be quite severe, trout love it so it makes for good fishing. Warm South African hospitality will more than make up for the cold weather.

Small mouth bass.

I haven't done much fishing this summer, the trout streams are all raging torrents, even the very small streams, and I would not try to wade any of them, most of our streams have be waded for any hope of success. Even my bass fishing in farm ponds has been very erratic, as I spend most of my time taking photos. Yesterday afternoon late though looked like a bass fishing evening, temperature, wind, light, every thing just right. Rigged up my 4/5 weight, too light as it turned out, and headed for the pond here on the farm.

All photos by the Italian leprechaun. (I can assure the ladies that Italian stallion he ain't).

Click to enlarge.

A partial view of the pond from the dam wall, a float tube might be a good option here due to the heavy weeds near the shore.

A very happy fly fisher.

A nice small mouth bass, one of six a hooked. These fish give you a good run for your money and my light rod did not help much. The last one I hooked just kept going, when I tried to stop it snapped my 3 x tippet like cotton.

Trying to save my woolly bugger without getting so deep that the water flows over the top of my boots.

Walking home the Italian leprechaun said that the two of us live like landed gentry, with none of the negatives that go with owning and managing a very large farm.

Reekielyn re-visited.

Quote: "Trout are never caught in ugly places."

Last Sunday I set off for a spot of trout fishing at one of my favourite fishing spots, the Mooi River on the farm Reekielyn. I knew the water levels would be high due to all the rain we have had, but I was unprepared for just how high. All the normal pools and runs were unfishable, though I did try. 

Click to enlarge.

The Mooi River flowing in from the west, on the left you can see where the Reekielyn stream joins the main stream. A large weighted streamer could have worked here if one was fishing with at least a 5 weight rod.

The Reekielyn stream, this stream was also flowing very strongly.

A Cape cormorant, I hope he had better luck than I had.

The four hours I spent there weren't wasted though as I was able to take a lot of photos. There were acres of these wild flowers, (wild gladiolus ?).

Dew bespangled trap door spiders web.

The Reekielyn falls flowing strongly.

The falls from stream level.

An oxbow lake on the southern bank of the river.

Wild flower, (grass orchid?) on the bank of the oxbow lake. I need to get a book on Natal wild flowers.

Your intrepid African fly fisherman.

Your intrepid African fly fisherman braved the dangers and hardships of Africa to bring you one photo of one 6 inch rainbow trout. Even if though I say so myself, a very beautiful little fish and worth all the effort to catch it.

Click to enlarge.

Wild rainbow, this stream was stocked once more than a hundred years ago and never again. Since then these fish have thrived and flourished here in the cool, pure, crystal clear waters.

The best part though is I caught it on a fly I tied myself, a Zack nymph, (a South African fly) and with a 2 weight fly rod I built. This little fish gave a very good account of itself in the fast water, putting a serious bend in the 2 weight.

The setting, Injasuthi Nature Reserve.

The flat rock and it's pool. (See dialog below). 

While I was assembling my fly rod next to the road bridge crossing the stream, a car (huge 4 x 4 actually) stopped next to me and a young man stuck his head out, and said, "Walk down stream about 200 meters to a big flat rock and you'll find great fishing in the pool below it. Fish on the bottom with a weighted nymph and add some split shot to keep the fly down, the water is deep, and the fish are holding right on the bottom". Then he drove off with a wave and, "Good fishing".

I first tried my luck about 50 meters upstream, where I have often fished, missed several strikes, then decided to follow the young mans advice and head downstream. Just below the bridge was a nice looking bit of water so I decided to try there first. But I eventually gave up, not because I thought I would not catch anything but because I got tired  of waving back and greeting everyone as they drove or walked over the bridge. South Africans are a friendly lot and will greet, and talk to, anyone and everyone. So I headed downstream to the fabled flat rock and it's pool full of fish.

Easier said than done, usually one could walk right next to the stream, but the water was up, bank to bank, so it meant walking through the bush and grass above the stream bank. Now in theory that doesn't sound too bad but the grass is a meter to a meter and a half tall, it's hard and tough, to add to the fun, there are hard tough shrubs, just as tall, (or taller) and thorn bushes. Furthermore you are walking on boulders from the size of your fist to the size of your head. The grass is so thick you can't see the ground so you put your feet down hoping to luck, and this is great snake country. As I pushed and struggled my way through this "jungle" I kept thumping my wading staff on the ground to scare of any snakes.

An open patch on my route downstream.

To cut a long story short it took me almost 40 minutes to cover the 200 meters, only when I got there did I see there was a much easier route directly from the road. Well you live and learn. (I hope).

The pool, there is an eddy just in front of the rock and a deep undercut under the rock and under the grassy bank. I got several takes by letting my fly drift right through to the tail of the pool and swing, but missed them. My problem was that although my nymph had a bead head and a few turns of lead wire it wasn't enough to get really deep enough, and my container of split-shot was lying at home. 

A view upstream. Although the water was flowing very fast, there are plenty of nice holding spots. Against the far bank was a deep run with a nice undercut.

Cape Grass bird, (Sphenoeacus afer). I spotted this bird on my way out, habitat; rank grass-land. Well the grass here can be described as very rank.

Just another S#@t day in Africa.

Sunrise.

No, I haven't stopped blogging just been busy with all sorts of other things. Among others tying some flies to use on the last few days of river and stream trout fishing in our part of the world. Trout streams close on the 1st of May and stay close until the 1st of September to allow trout to spawn undisturbed. Fortunately this coming weekend is  a long weekend so there is enough time to get some stream fishing done. For the next four months it will be still water fishing and I'm looking forward to bobbing around on a large still water in my float tube.


In the meantime I thought I would post these photos of sunrise I took on my last trip to Lotheni.


Click on photos to enlarge.

Sunrise across the Kamberg valley.

Drakensberg foothills touched by the first rays of the sun.

Shadows and light.

Rock overhang gets a soft, warm glow from the early morning light.

Stern of the "Titanic" lit by the first rays.

Early morning light through an avenue of trees.
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Injasuthi exploration 2.

After leaving the part of the stream described in the previous post I drove further down the road for about a kilometre and pulled into a parking bay with a sign saying "gorge pools". Here the river makes a sudden decent into a steep sided gorge and over several rapids/waterfalls.


Click on photos to enlarge.

Here there was a very steep, but well demarcated track, that zigg zagged it's way down to the bottom of the gorge. 

About half way down I zoomed the camera onto this spot. Some really good looking fish possibilities there.

Although this is not a very big river it makes a pretty impressive sight as it comes rushing through this narrow gap.

Close-up of the water in the pool below the rapid in the photo above. One of the beauties of our Berg rivers is the complete lack of any pollution, the water is completely safe to drink just as it is. Creations natural champagne ice cold and invigorating.

Looking downstream from where I took the above photo, just a short run then over another rapid.

Below the second rapid, lovely pool and a reasonably long run before the river plunges over the next rapid. 

Looking upstream. This particulars spot, with some deep clear water, looks very promising.


The going is very rough along the stream with huge boulders to be clambered over and narrow gaps to be squeezed through. While I trying to get back from the next pool down, I found myself stuck on the side of of a steep sided rock with a five metre drop below me and seemingly nowhere to go. For a moment I considered the possibility of letting go, but this is not a place to be stuck with a twisted ankle or broken leg. Fortunately I managed to drag myself up to a narrow ledge and managed to work my way back. 

This is the spot I was trying to get back from when I got stuck on the side of the rock. This photo does not do justice to the predicament I was in. Looking at it now it looks like there was no problem, though when I took it I wasn't yet thinking how I was going to get out.  A good rule to remember is to take note of your trail behind you, ie., how you got to be where you are. A rule I did not apply here. I sat in the shade here for about 40 minutes, just relaxing, enjoying nature and thinking how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place. The rock I'm talking about, as big as a house, actually part of the wall of the gorge, is to the left of me. 


When I decided to leave I could not for the life of me see how I got there.  In front of me and to the right of me the situation was much the same as to the left, only smooth vertical rock down to the river. Behind me and on the downstream side thick almost, impenetrable bush, and more huge boulders, anyway I needed to get back, not get myself into a worse situation.  It's only when I had managed to climb out that I saw where I had gone wrong. 


I have always liked to hike and fish on my own. This can be very dangerous so I always take extra care, but sometimes in my enthusiasm and the excitement of seeing what lies around the next bend in the river - or as in this case on the other side of a huge boulder - I forget my own rules and end up in a situation as described above. Many a hiker has disappeared in these mountains and I often wonder if my old bones might end up being bleached by the African sun. It might not be the nicest, or easiest way to die, (if there is such a thing as a nice or easy way of dying), but it sure beats ending your days attached some machine. 


I'm not trying to be melodramatic here, it's just the way things are. The country is very rough and isolated but I'm not going to give up hiking and fishing in wild places. 


All the Drakensberg wilderness entry points, where you pay to enter or to buy a fishing permit, have Mountain Rescue Registers that have to be filled in before you start your hike, giving full details of where you intend to go etc., and when you expect to be back. On your return you have to sign out to show that you have come back safely. I signed in giving a totally different location as to where I eventually ended up, (due to having forgotten my fly rod and deciding to go exploring). If I had not signed out, the Mountain Rescue Teams would have looked for me in the wrong place.

Injasuthi River exploration 1.

After following the faint trail for about 200 meters I came to a natural sort of dyke covered with thick shrub and grass, struggling to the top this is what I saw. 

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Looking upstream there is a nice long riffle leading out of a long deep pool. The zoom lens makes the pool look smaller than it is. Along the far end of the bank there is a thick fringe of reeds, almost looks like there could be a small spring tributary entering there. Then to the right there is a vertical bank of sandstone.

Above, looking downstream, a lovely run ending in some fast water. Not easy to get down to the water from this position, but I think if I could work my way downstream from here along the bank it might just be possible.

Photo above, detail of the pool in the first photo. The water almost has a glacial colour, one could imagine the rainbow trout of a lifetime lurking in it's depths.

Closer detail of the pool, zooming in on the far bank.

Then upstream of the pool, lovely pocket water. A nice big bouyant dry fly should do well here. Then again maybe a soft hackle, with short casts covering all the possible holding areas. Considering all the overhanging vegetation, terrestials such as hoppers and foam beetles could also work well here. 


One would have to get into the water and wade as the bank is quite high and covered with dense growth. Wading will have to be done very carefully as the bottom of the stream is covered in loose boulders, from fist size to the size of a football. A wading staff will be essential.

A bit further upstream the fishing possibilities become even easier. Here the growth along the banks is not so dense so one could fish off the bank.


The stream stretches back all the way to the Drakensberg, with small tributaries joining it every couple of hundred metres. Some of these small tributaries really look as if they could hold fish. Here is enough fishable water, with enough challenges, to last one a life time.
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Injasuthi River nightmare!

Spent Saturday evening making sure that my fly fishing tackle was in order for a trip to the Injasuthi river. Took out my two weight rod and reel, cleaned the reel and lubricated it, cleaned the fly line and checked the leader and tippet, replaced tippet. Emptied all the pockets on my fly fishing vest and made sure that only the necessary items were replaced, including the two fly boxes of flies that I have been tying these past few weeks. Spare reels of 4, 5 & 6X tipped material checked.  


Everything laid out neatly for an early start, rod, reel, fly vest, wading boots, net, etc. Spent the rest of the evening tying some more soft hackle flies to add to my fly boxes. 


Click on photos to enlarge.

Got up at 5 this morning, had a cup of coffee and packed everything in the car. Fed the dogs, the cat and the birds. Had some muesli and just after 6 I was on the road heading west. Theoretically the trip should not take more than a hour, most of the road is a lovely tarred road, but for more than 30km it goes through Zulu tribal area, so you slow down to avoid cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, people and the stray pig. Not to mention that I stopped every couple of minutes to take photos. Above is my first clear view of the Drakensberg just catching the early morning sun. Still about 30km to go.

Just 13km from where I took this photo to the Injasuthi camp grounds, but the road from here is just a pot holed track. I think that it's a policy of the conservation authorities to keep this piece of road as bad as possible, so that only those dedicated wilderness enthusiasts  bother to make the trip. This bit of road takes almost 30 minutes as you are reduced to driving at a snails pace, you could almost walk faster. Then suddenly about 3km from the camp you have a perfect tarred road to complete the journey.

Starting to get real close now and I can almost taste the fishing. Note the waterfall, just off centre to the left, plunging down several hundred metres of vertical mountain face.

The zoom lens makes these peaks look close, but from the camp they are several hours of hard hiking away, just to get to the bottom. For the climbing enthusiast there are more than enough challenges, for the hiker and camper, contour paths go all the way to the top. Just make sure you are fit and well equipped before you start.

Injasuthi peaks.

Got to the office at about 07:45 to pay my entry fee and buy an angling permit for the day. While waiting for the office to open at 8 I spotted this baboon sitting casually on the lawn. What it was actually doing, was watching people who were having breakfast on the veranda of their chalet, just waiting for the moment they might leave it unattended. 

After paying I drove down to the river and parked the car, put on my wading boots, fishing vest, cap and hung my camera around my neck. Grabbed my day pack and reached for the rod tube, .... not on the back seat, scratched around behind the front seats, not there, even felt under the seats, (as small as it is it wouldn't fit there). Then the reality dawned on me, I've forgotten my fly rod at home!  


What to do now? No way I can go back totally defeated by my own forget fullness! 


So I decided to do some exploring of the river. I tend to fall into a rut, find a good place to fish and keep going there, trip, after trip. Got back in my car and drove a kilometre or two back the way I came, following the river down stream. Found a parking spot next to the road and headed for the river, down a faint track, through dense scrub and long grass. As we say here in South Africa, "I had good luck with the bad luck". I found two stretches of beautiful trout water after about 3 hours of exploring. Next week end I'll be back, I might just camp there from Friday afternoon after school.

As I drove out of the reserve I saw this stream tumbling down the mountain. I was far away so I only zoomed in on the top half of it.


Next two post will be about my exploration and the fishing spots I found.