SA Country Life

They Call It Mellow Yellow

Fly anglers prefer the road less travelled, one that leads to wild and undiscovered places where fish grow portly and others dare to tread. So it comes as no surprise that two intrepid fishing friends invite me on a quest for the elusive pot of gold.

Flyfishing expert Arno Laubscher, and his companion Andre Hoffmann, a respected Vaal River flyfishing guide, lead me down a labyrinth of dusty back roads, 40 kilometres west of Orkney in the Free State, towards a seldom-fished section of the Vaal River to find big fish and solitude.

“This is private land and few people get to fish it. I take only special guests,” Andre tells me as we bounce along the rutted country road. I express my gratitude and tell him I am honoured to be included.

We pass miles of sparsely populated farmland until Andre gestures toward

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