Opening day and first day of spring.

Well I booked a stretch of water on the Mooi River at Reekielyn and went fishing yesterday. All I got to show for it is a wrenched left knee and a badly sprained and bruised left foot.

I have a very high tolerance to pain but when my foot twisted under me, (I actually heard something crack or snap), and all the weight was put on to my right knee twisting it inwards I just sat down thinking I would never be able to get up without help. For about 5 minutes I didn't move, then I thought maybe, just maybe it might not be so bad and using my cane wading staff as a crutch I stood up gingerly. The pain was intense but I managed to hobble to the water and dunk my foot wading boot and all into the water letting the cold water ease the pain, while I rubbed my knee. 

For a moment after I collapsed from the pain I thought to myself, "This is where I turn to "biltong", (jerky) under the African sun. No one knows where I am and I might not be able to walk out of here". Fortunately I did manage to hobble out.

In spite of my pain I decided to continue fishing, hard to concentrate with a throbbing foot and aching knee. I was wet wading so the cold water on my foot did help, but even with a wading staff hobbling over loose boulders did not help. After about two hours I decided to pack up, apart from one strike when I let my half drowned dry fly drift under a overhang, I saw neither hide nor hair of a trout, not even one trout rising in one of the pools. I did some photos though.

Click to enlarge.

When I walked out at 6am to pack the car the moon was just setting as yellow as butter behind the railing along the N3 highway.

Due to the late winter snow of last month the water level was quite good. This pool in the foreground good be a good place for trying a streamer,or old fashioned wet-fly, fished down and across. 

In summer most of these rocks are under water. The broad pool in the background is wide and quite deep, with a flat sandstone bottom. Almost impossible to wade though, as it is pitted with potholes which are difficult to see. 

Nice little cascade.

A beautiful cascade with nice pools above and below.

The waterfall at Reekielyn, below the fall there is a beautiful pool and with the low water it was quite accessible,  but with my bust foot there was no way I was going to get there.

After I painfully hobbled out of the gorge, I saw why no trout showed themselves.  A very visible cold front was approaching from the south accompanied by a freezing wind. Down in the gorge I was protected from the wind, but the trout knew. The photo above shows the Kamberg, (Comb mountain) and advance clouds of the cold front starting to cover it. Drove home through a heavy cold rain, it might have been the first day of spring but winter hasn't given up yet.

Will have to go and see my Dr tomorrow, see if he can patch me up. If it was my head all he would need is vinegar and brown paper. Through continuing to fish I don't think I did my foot and knee any favours.