ee 1g i i NEW YELLOWFISH VENUE ) // Te UT Nene, RIVER LODGE yy) ao PERC NITDI) ZL we THE LEADHEAD = A IT AG jee a CASTING HOLGER eS AMAZING FLIES JURASSIC LAKE TROUT ON DRY FLY foNten meant VES!©€V42KOOL | Sa Superior insulated polyethylene iceboxes ke 19 models ranging from 10 - 200 litre THE WORLD'S EVAKOOL OFFERS STRONGEST ver ‘A comprehensive range of p ANCHOR! ea withstand and operate in the hat EvaKool iceboxes is overwhelming and the rang include styles and sizes to suit users from all walks of lf. a “ ) www.evakool.co.za Cell: 083 630 7282 | Fax: 086 656 9914 takealot " E-mail: intogevancoueoas‘www.completeflyfisherman.co.za | wwrw.completeflyfisherman.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018/2019 | [SSUE | FEATURES & FLY-TYING REGULARS 18. Dullstroom Revisited lan Couryer takes a wall down memory lane on a recent trip to Dullstroom and reconnects with his roots. 20. Up Close: Holger Lachmann ‘TOFF chats to Holger Lachmann about his passion for fly-tying, 24. Jurassic Lake Argentina ‘You've probably heard of Lago Strobel or Jurassie Lake, as it's commonly referred to. The lake is world famous for its massive rainbow trout, but did you Jnow that you can catch these explosive and hard-fighting fish on dry flies? Rasmus Ovesen makes the trip, 36. ‘The Blue Bastard ‘A new flats species in this day and age? You bet, and one that eould soon become a stand-alone species for those addicted to flats fishing. Richard Schumann tells more. 42. Gkhui Gkhui River Lodge Dylan Isaaes joins a group of largemouth yellowish anglers to sample what is on offer at this exciting new venue. 48. 56. 66. Vs 90. When, Where and How to 6. Eaitor's Cast ‘arget Bass on Fly . Ever tried your hand at these fresh ed water brawlers? Roger Barrett shares 49, Gear Bag some tackle and tacties for bass. 76. Product Review: ‘The Leadhead Story: Frontier Fly Fishing’s ABug for Deep Waters New Horizon Rod Series Best known as the originator of the linkhamer Special, Hans van Klinken 78, ‘Specialised Services tells the story of his even more suecess- ful pattem for deep-water nymphing, 80+ Traveling Angler 83. Outventure Guide Shrimp It: Cracking the Code {Ata loss fora shrimp or prawn, {imitation that will work on our local waters as good as almost anywhere else? Fly-Tying Field Editor Murray Pedder looks at the options. Casting for Carp Contributor Arno Laubscher shares a few tips and tactics for carp fishing, as well as his go-to fly forthe species. ‘The Pulling Power of Fish ontHe cover Andrew Levy muses over the advertising Nac ee) 99 industry's fascination with fy fishing PHOTO BR HerLaciramnFull service ORks HORIZON @& Simms aly ol nesburg Tel: (011) 463 9048/9is my final editorial for 2018 and I ‘our annual TCFF Sterkfontein event (the 20th since its inception) is behind us. Fittingly, and maybe deservedly after two decades, we had three days of great weather, lots of sunshine and excellent catches. Our ‘post-event recap confirmed that this was one of our best events ever as far as the weather and almost everything else was concerned, so we are extremely pleased and already looking forward to the 2o19 event. A huge thankyou toall our supporters and sponsors; you helped make a great event happen! To those who missed our Sterkfontein Experi- tence this year, we look forward to seeing you in 2019 and, ifyou're keen, bookings are already open. If, like me, you have a couple of weeks of fishing planned for the festive season, no doubt you are busy checking tackle, tying flies and getting gear ready. Speaking of fly-tying, as you will notice from our front cover, there are some exceptionally talented tyers out there. Holger Lachmann's flies are stunning, and his attention to detail, probably as much to the fish as to the angler, is remarkable, More to the point, these are ‘not demonstration flies, but flies he actually fishes with, which is commendable. spend 4 lot of time behind the fly-tying desk when bulk tying for assignments, events or fishing trips and have done so for decades, but must admit that my flies look nothing Itke his. Here's the thing though: he has inspired me to be more creative with certain patterns and, while they took almost double the time to tie, I'm pretty pleased with the results. 1 hope the article will do the same for you. While the 2oth Sterkfontein event was a milestone, it coincided with another great happening at TCFF. ‘This November sees the 25th anniversary of the first issue of TCFE, published in November 1993. ‘Two Inundred and sixty-throe issues later, we are extremely proud of the long road travelled Our industry has seen many changes and challenges, some of which persist to this day. However, Iam optimistic that things are changing for the better, one being a resur- gence of interest among anglers (and even rnon-anglers) to become fly fishers, and that can only be a good thing. Support those new to the pursuit and help where you ean, for they are the building blocks for the next generation of fly fishers and it’s up to us to ‘make sure the pursuit survives with all that ‘we hold dear intact. ‘That not only includes the way we like to fish but how we ethically go about it and, most importantly, respect for the quarry. ‘As fly anglers we should all support the sustainable use of the resource, ‘and that continues to be our battle ery. With a new year looming, we have alot of ‘great things happening in 2019. The launch ‘of The Complete Book of Fly Fishing for Yellowfish is imminent, as is Volume 2 of ‘The Ultimate Bucket List series; both projects lose to our hearts. Volume 1 has vietually sold out ~ a first according to our distribu- tors. If you failed to secure a copy, there are stil a half-dozen at our offices, or ou can get the online version. It makes a perfect Christmas gift. In closing, Id like to thank all those who have faithfully supported us for the last two and a half decades, readers and advertisers alike, ‘TCFF is produced by ly fishers for fly fishers and, while we speak your language, ‘we welcome input from our readers, good and bad, as long as it remains constructive. We will continue to make the publication better and strive for higher standards so as to produce a magazine that not only makes for great reading but is something we can all be proud of. Right now, the tying desk scaling, 1 stil need to tie up some D vernate dun imitations, for those fussy spring creek browns, so 1 Teave you with this: may the festive season be ‘g00d to you, have fun, catch lots of fish and be safe. See you downstream in 2019. PS Secobs ss ees eae seanVisit wwrxplorertlyising co za for suggested retall pices and more information or your closest dealer. Contact 031-564-7368 or emailjandignetactiveco za THE RIGHT LINE for every fish. INTRODUCING OUR NEW 2019 LINEUP RIO PRODUCTS Make the ConnectionLETTERS TO THE EDITOR Tob 2711409 LETTER OF THE MONTH Firmly hooked (and landed) ‘My first real fy fishing trip started off with the surprise of see- ing snow next to the road on the way to Semonkong Lodge in Lesotho. Snow in winter is by no means unusual in the Moun- tain Kingdom but it was the middle of November! Luckily for us the weather stabilised, the air pressure began to rise, the ‘melting snow lifted the level of the Maletsunyane and in turn seemed to invigorate the wild trout that inhabit it, My boyfriend and his friends quiekly tallied up a brace of wild Drown trout; I, on the other hand, took a bit of time to come to terms with the casting and all the snags that the riverside offered. Eventually 1 too caught a lovey little brown trout, my first ever! I was totally mesmerised by the beautiful markings onits golden flanks and was now proverbially hooked and keen to get another. ‘The following day we planned a hike into the gorge below the 192m-high Maletsunyane Falls to target the rainbows that inhabit this section. The hike down was quite a harrowing experience given my fear of heights = the views from the precipices being both majestic and terri- fying atthe same time. By the time we reached our first fishing spot ~ an ancient plunge pool set in the most spectacular of surroundings imaginable - my legs were more than just alittle shaky. My boyfriend (or tormentor depending on how you viewed things at this stage) hooked and landed an aerobatic rainbow. Lassessed my surroundings while catching my breath, and noticed an eddy to the side of the chute that entered the pool, and decided it would be a good place fora fish to chill and. ‘wait for food to come to it. Our guide Choloane had told me the day before that I should wateh the bubble lines and fish the edge of the currents. My first few casts elicited no interest and. just as Iwas about to give up, Choloane suggested a fly change and afew more casts. Next thing I had my rod tip wrenched. downwards as a huge hook-jawed denizen of the deep engulfed ry fly. The fight was intense and I hung on for dear life while the big rainbow struggled for its freedom. Choloane profes sionally coached me through the fight and clambering over the slippery rocks like a rock rabbit deftly netted my fish. 1 felt a sense of awe holding the 56cm magnificently speckled beast hile a few quick pictures were snapped. I feel very privileged. tohave caught a wild-spavined river rainbow of this size so early in my fly fishing life. Best of all,I got to see te fish swim back into its dark watery lair and of course claim bragging rights for the fish of the trip from my far more experienced companions. 8 | DECEMBERUAMUARY 20182019 | TOFF Win a Sage Pulse ‘oft, 5-wt fly rod valued at R7250, ifyourleter chosen as Lele ofthe Month Emaltedtoraconplttysnermance22 em 18/9 voor 02 SPONSOREDEY Frontier ‘To say Twas on cloud nine would be an understatement; this was very good thing asthe hike out ofthe gorges something that should not be taken lightly and being in good humour certainly helped! 1 would ike to thank the folks at Semonkong Lodge for an absolutely amazing experience and encourage more ladies to give fly fishing a try. tis a most fulfilling, pastime that brings one loser to nature and takes a person to the most spectacular of places. Jennifer Hammer. PG letter shortened) Wou, Jennifer ~ that’s some trout! Well done! 1 don’t think anybody will disagree with my decision toaward your letter “Letter of the Month” status. A ‘great Sage rod tothe value of R250, compliments of the boys at Frontier Fly Fishing and TCFF, will be on its way to you as soon as you contact our offices on (012) 371-3915 with your details. No doubt it will be a great help when you put your newfound skills tothe test on your next outing. Tight loops! Ea. ‘Thumbs up to our better halves ‘Asa fanatic of anything fly fishing, I have to admit I ean go a bit overboard with things. simple day trip fishing the Vaal ‘has me prepping a week ahead, tying fies till the morning hours and double-checking everything in my vest pack. This drives my wife insane, Weekends away and holidays are planned around the requirement that there is some fishable water in the vicinity and if I am not talking fly fishing, T am watching YouTube tutorials, listening to podcasts or reading TCFF. She understands this, mainly because she knows fly fishing keeps me sane. Being new parents to a beautiful baby boy, our responsibilities have changed, and I would much rather spend some quality time with my family than fishing. Yet, every so ‘often my wife senses the tension building up and tells me to go. fishing. This is a shout-out to all the wives and partners of us fly fishing fanaties. Iam sure I speak for the vast majority of ‘men who have to explain why we need to get to the Vaal River ‘on a weekly basis because of flow rates, or why we need to spend money on buying a new rod, fly line or tying materials. ‘The latter always seems to be a touchy subject and I have tried everything to justify spending the amount of money I have on fly fishing: “Honey, I bought you a fly rod and reel so you ean Join me on the next trip", knowing fully she has no interest in fishing. Yet she nods her head, smiles and says, "Thanks but you can keep it, I don't fish.” ‘Thank you very much for your understanding; we really still love you more than fly fishing. Frank Solomon. (Letter shortened.) Frank ~ all Iean say to that is Amen. Ed.SLL SERIES a x = Solarez es sng THomase Tuomas” (5 CORT MAND SSfandt by parti ‘The organisers of the SPA Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa Winter Fy Fishing Competition report that this yeae's cevent was the largest and most suecessful to date, with NEWSWORTHY ! Report-back: 7th annual SFA Kloofzicht event ‘75.competitors and 136 trout landed during this single-day event held on ‘22 July this year at the Kloofzicht Lodge dams, Anglers supported the effort for CANSA and FOSAF’s Yellowfish Working Group ipating inthe event. ‘The grand prize winner ofthe trout com- petition went to Jared Hughes, with Dustin Martin and Brian Gradidge landing eight trout each. ‘The women's trout competition resulted in three trout each for both Melissa van Wyk and Rene Koegelenberg, ‘The junior trout competition went to Michael Krenczeck who bagged ‘two trout. Species competition winners were 1) Scott Morris 2) Rene Koegelenberg and 3) Gas Szalay. The Williams Hunt Fly Competition winner was Gavin Fletcher. Dates for next year’s competition will be announced soon, so book early as space will be limited. EPSON’ Se EXCEED YOUR VISION ‘The Wild Trout Fly Fishing Festival will be held from 16 - 20 March on the waters in and around the village of Rhodes in the Eastern Cape. Registration will take be taking place at Walkerbouts Innon the 16th, and fishing from the 17th ‘onward. ‘The assistance of a guide ean be arranged through the organiser, and fish- ing beats wil be allocated each evening, 2019 Epson Wild Trout Fly Fishing Festival accel The cost is R5.450 and R4300 for non- partners (excl aceommodatic and breakfast). Included in the rates are five evening meals, four lunches and four days of fishing. Self-catering accommo- dation can be arranged with Margie Mur- ray at the Rhodes Tourist & Information Centre on Tel: (045) 971-9003, or e-mail info@wildtrout.co.za Inits eighth year, this year John Hunter (Bonanza event co- ordinator) was faced with some special challenges to improve the fishing quality and the Bonanza experience for its competi- tors, and also to try to top last year’s record fund-raising achievement of R85,000. True to form, Dullstroom and all the event sponsors rose, like hungry trout, to the challenge! This. year the DFFA smashed all previous records and handed over | ‘a cheque for 115,000 to Helping Hands (Dullstroom's own | registered charitable organisation). Overall 524 fish were caught over four fishing sessions with some exceptionally big fish eom- ing out. The Bonanza has earned a reputation for an impressive list of prizes totaling around R250,000, principally from the ‘main sponsor Xplorer Fly Fishing and co-sponsor Zero Appli- ances. The four session sponsors (The Village Angler, Frontier Fly Fishing, Mavungana Flyfishing and Walkersons) once again donated wonderful prizes, and a host of other sponsors also _ ‘made contributions, including the True Grit Award sponsored | 10 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20"8R019 | TORE Report-back: Dullstroom Fly Fishers Association's Dullstroom Bonanza by Drew brother Mike ~ a previous DFFA Chairman who passed on a few years back. There have been some ‘fitting winners ofthis award over the years, but none so fitting as this year’s winner, Jan de Jager, who consistently goes out of his way to assist less experienced anglers. Well done Jan, i's what this event + Winning team: + Winning angler: Daniel Factor + Runner-up angler: Geoff Muir + Biggest fish: Bongani PhutiSPONSORS TT TNAT Pag CONTACT: INFO@YKMD.CO.ZA aT TF rad Ie s aac WeD tickets LAKESIDE GAME LODGE Peet ‘aon sume FesTua sa PAY IN STORE Sead asNew Products &oear SRP: Rgg20 Polarised sunglasses by Nalin Designed for those looking for a durable mid-sized wrap, Kanaio Coast provides superior coverage paired with the un- rivalled protection of Maui Jim’s patented PolarizedPluse lens technology which removes 99.9% of harsh glare, blocks 100% of harmful UV rays and enhances colours, ensuring optical views while on the water. ‘This wrap delivers enough versatility to be ‘worn for both outdoor activities and casual wear, making it an ideal ‘g0-to pair for the fishing season ahead. SRP: Rg010 Visitwuauiimcomto find aretaler a you Byron Bay was designed with aetive lifestyles in mind and has a slight wrap for added protection. ‘This lightweight nylon frame is structured with generous width and spring hinges to provide optimal comfort for those with larger face sizes. The Byron Bay frame is built to withstand any activity level, while providing wearers with its patented PolarizedPlus2 lens technology, and it enhances colours to ensure optical views while on the water. 12 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20"8R019 | TOFE GEAR BAG i ih Price: Ri993, LOOP TPU Dry Backpack Loop’s 23-litre capacity waterproof roll-top back- pack is made from 420D Nylon with a TPU coating inside. This bag has a modern welded construction and features useful daisy chain fasteners with four adjustable straps for attaching rods or rod tubes. The two sturdy side pockets are ‘made from four-way streteh mesh fabrie for thermos flasks ‘or water bottles. The backpack benefits from an ergonomic back plate designed with well-ventilated channels to circulate cooling air om hot, humid days. For ease of wear, an ad- justable waist belt with robust buckles complements padded shoulder straps to provide superior carrying comfort. (Contac MaranganaFysing on OT 2685850 r (01) 2540270 O® Visit nplretifshingena fr more nirmaton and arabiily New SOLE reel Xplorer is proud to announce the launch ofits new fresh, water fly reel called the SOLE. CNC machined from bar stock aluminium and anodised with matt gun-smoke finish, the SOLE has a one-way bearing disk drag that adjusts from the rear of the reel. Available in 4/swt and 5/6wt (spare spools available), the SOLE replaces the previous Mirage reel. SRP: Ri295WHAT'S NEW e— Rl0'snewsink tip line ‘The InTouch Big Nasty Sink Tip line is a multiple-densiy, sink-tip line designed tocast large and heavy flies thanks to its front-loaded weight distribution and ultra-low stretch ConneetCore. ‘The seamless blend of three or four densities ensures a smooth transition of energy when casting and the best depth control while fishing. Itis available in loat/hover/intermediate (F/H/D, float/hover/intermediate/sink 3 (F/H/1/S3) and 4 float/intermediate/sink 3/sink § design (F/1/S3/S5). The designed to give anglers the option of fishing at different depths, with the F/H/1 an ideal choice for fishing in the top 2ft ofthe water column, the F/H/1/S3 a great line for fishing 2ft- aft in depth and the F/1/83/Ss being perfect for fishing between 4ft-8ftin depth. SRP: R1680 ‘walabl rom acl dealers countrywide or contact ani rating on (03 547968, Great new hat from local manufacturer Down and dirty Welrkiown orl hat maker Roguehes developed anall-newcotton | Imagine a word where yu ned to gt dawn to cana hat ats sane South Afean pice Manufactured in Haswiew, the ah butallyou haves Noting ye. In hat ord ‘perro 08 th Ag comedians | tr ste cl bala Aigo SONA weight, the new MUNDA Safari is perfect for fishing, hiking, canoe- | Sinking Leaders. Luckily, we live in such a world. Ing et T nor only protects aint he sunt isle water stant | These ot leer attach to the ed offline and enn tiv oats. Further features incade a chinseap for windy days, large | put your fy anywhere in te water column. With five brass eelets and an inside hidden pocket where you en store stall | diferent denies, you be ble to cover evrything tscenlalssuchasyour ered cerd/money/ID. Avaablein sand bone | fom the surface ote depts. Hea for singe handed fouslatgreyin aus SMU MD, LO, XLand XXL. SRP: Rgg0 | Hinceanwell aight doublchandedines, Price: Rao | |ENTIFIC (Contact Rogue Outdoor Gea va eal: info @rgueceza rvs wowerouecozs Stealth isn't a fashion statement: it’s a science ——e ‘The G9 Guide River Camo Waders from Simm isthe fist wader designed to Keep ou from fourinjer CORE-TEX Pro Shell in the eat and es the Ga Cale Wader has the Grab fo witand Stay approaches in rge environments: Festres nt speed resch-though mite fea Sacbeccee elt fk,c aealdi cae eed Ce avo dak ney ppc ag ah seas sag Rn el ged ate. epee pe ame nsec si ie sa de. theanatomeayengncered neoprene stockigfet have an antsierbil Bush. Prices ss, 900 ‘Contact ory hig 30% ne barsigsaWHAT'S NEW Backpack for the adventurer The OSAH gol backpack js a lightweight yet robust bag that vill serve any eutdooroman well in protesting gear. 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Aral. blirse pos oases ea fp or | Sue ee tuo Sa Inaflysclecton pack afat patorne SRP: From RG9.95 "| Wiserocatsehena he hecan Fortrade enquiries contact (010) 7412292 oremaiinio@scentiithcan | bois easily retrievable. Available SS Price: R289 (M); R329 (L) Cui aaa ting 2885064070 New from Fly-tying Dungeon —e FID Bug Legs canbe steiced tie very sal is, They aremade wing eho whfecler bse, which nen dyed high. tious colonr Arabia lamprey otal end pe tech nse ats patter It come wtous base db bing colours an tne neers tat erate wonderful colour Maude Frm toe lyon arego-Tehtaloe Doma esa cme indinmfrallager- sued eich pater, FID Crinkle Hair ianigh toting yn dy fying utr hate used Toa aby tng pines Stull of midge pater. Jus addr favour oatant td ths material ents he cork! Pr (Contact Frontrange iy ishing on 0824531888 ervisitwwnontrangeiyshngcaza 14 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20:82019 | TOF“apIMp|iom sjpuolssajoid Aq pasr) Ca Semis wepuoinay ae cera ae era Pe er Peas Peete Eee PnWHAT'S NEW New generation Orvis Battenkill reels vege Trougfout Orsshistory thre as been ong and sucesso non 59 tocaftaten ee Spl teu ean eflordable he have wromtaen been known asthe ultimate in function and simplicity over the years. ‘The new Battenkill dise version is true to its heritage in looks and performance but updated with the latest in design improvements, and a significantly more powerful drag. The porting and finish pay homage to the Battenkills of the past, but this reel incorporates Orvis's best-selling midarbor design. Underneath that midarbor is the same sealed drag system found in the Hydros SL, incorporating sivinteracting carbon and stainless drag surfaces. Positive click drag, is simple and easy to adjust. The reel is built rom 6061-T6 aircraft aluminium with an ergonomic Delrin handle and changing from left to right-hand retrieve is simple. Battenkill Dise 111 is suitable for line weights 5 -7. Born to fish Simms's EbbTide Shirt leads the league in breathability, sun blocking (UPF 50) and sweat-wicking ability, whether you're casting the shallows or working a riffle. You'll be ‘well ventilated inthe breezy, go-anywhere EbbTide LS Shirt that dries quickly, locks the ‘sun and has two fly-box-sized pockets to hold your gear. A vented back panel lets the cool air low through the shirt and an extended sun cuff, one hidden chest pocket with hook- and-loop closure and a sunglasses chamois inside the bottom hem completes the pictur. Conte rote Fi Fishing on (00 4539088 o visit wwe ontiryishingcaza Following tradition Over and above its briefcases and full leather bags, local company’ Groundeover manufactures unique canvas-and-leather bags that are great for the outdoors. Included in the range is the Safari Travel Bag, ‘Gurable tog bag featuring one main compartment, a small inside zippered pocket and an outside zippered pocket for quick-stash items. Buckles on either end make the bag bigger or smaller. The Field Bag and has 2 main ‘compartment and two front compartments. Closing with two traditional brass buckles, it also has a removable shoulder strap. Vist wn groundeavernza fer futher infomation 16 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20:82019 | TCFE® Cun > ee) OFFSHORE eee DR DSM Sy Ca eee ed Yainatha @ YAMAHA | BBS Broucs FOR RETAILERS DETAILS NEAR YOU CONTACT WORLD OF YAMAHA 011 259 7600 / 0860 YAMAHA - VW. YAMAHA.CO.ZA Cee ets vane een att Eee ents foieee ret ronts eee ot Cae et Laeenon ony ce-eaenereneneneere err Matra Ty preempt £ sehen arnier ater senneri ~ aaearenhentonpieniaten peste sireryariey r RECO CLs “he wide valty of avgrs otter versatility repepeiieperanecint Cee nt eat eres ete) bie ey op ae tne bee cen Cry rr eau est aia yen on heer Sneed ‘maple, mésquits, oak pacific blend, pecan anesuaneetearrn Pet ee ee ea Sen ennachange of ab ~ peng fy fsh- Aner ~ has reconnected th the village of Duilstroom. 1 ‘must sey, it is refreshing to visit @ town that runs on fly fishing, One of the many great things about trout and trout fishing, is that they create an atmosphere of excitement as like-minded people come together to socialise around this fantastic s re everyone talks.a language ‘Ona recent trip, despiteseveral friendly offers to fish some big fish waters, I headed down the road of nostalgia, past the much- vaunted Suikerbosehkop Dam to Dullstroom Dam, inquisitive tosee ‘what changes had been made in an absence of aver 15 years and to kill couple of hours. Whilea member of Dullstroom Fly Fishers Associa. tion many years ago, with both dams on offer, I never fully enjoyed the smaller bottom dam, not be- cause it lacked fish, but because it’s a deep, sombre water with few insect hatehes and consequently lacking in surface activity. A unique feature of our sport is that one has a choice asto how you want to pursue your quarry; it’s never been about just eatch- ing fish for me. Give me a floating line and some serious weedbeds and I'll be in business, and, as the day closes and if there isa hatch, I'm in my element! Apart from some cosmetic changes like an entry gate and the addition of some cottages atthe top end of the camp~ ing area, little was different. High, thick stands of grass that had festooned the fringes of the dam were all but absent now and there was a contingent of serawny-looking cattle flattening the FORUM: FRESH WATER by lan Couryer Dullstroom revisited Fly fishing for trout is where it all began. IAN COURYER takes a walk down memory lane on a recent trip to Dullstroom and reconnects with his roots. remaining sprigs in the nature reserve section. As this was not meant to be a fishing trip and I was wholly unprepared, I quickly rigged up borrowed rod and stuffed a packet of flies into my pocket along with a single spool of tippet and a pair ofnippers. I walked around the dam fishing the hot spots, but not raising any interest from the fish. A large pod of feeding grass carp worked one area, their brown, flag-shaped dorsal fins showing above the surface ofthe shallows. “IN THE DARKNESS, A FISH ROSE, | TENTATIVELY LIFTED THE ROD AND, AS | FELT RESISTANCE, WAS INSTANTLY BROKEN UP BY A POWERFUL, SURGING TROUT!” (remembered a day when a friend of ‘mine had spent the best part of an after- noon chasing down “some of the biggest trout I've ever seen”, inerror.) On the far side of the dam the wind had dropped, with the beautiful late-afternoon light shining directly on my face, and there, in cove across the water from my position, [spotted the widening rings of a rise. ‘Then another - slow and languid. And then athird ~ this time trout head-and- tailing hurried in the direction of the rises to ty to figure out what to tie om before darkness descended. s far as I could ‘make out there were between five and ten fish attracted to this buffet of hatching Bactis mayflies of th colour and size that one would expect to encounter (on the Vaal River. My selection of flies, which had been hurriedly assembled from the thousands I had in my boot in my selling trays, had not included a cream-coloured mayfly; I had overlooked that and taken a #14 Dlack Klinkhamer instead. In the fading light I quickly tied oon the Klinkhamer and made a east. fish rose just to the left of my fly. One fish ‘was working ina straight line along bank of reeds, rising at reason- ably regular intervals and then turing and working its way back towards me. ‘The rest of the fish were rising out of pattern. I picked the reed worker, hoping I could dupe him into taking the Klink as the fish were still taking the odd ‘emerging nymph, noting that some of the disturbances were just sub- surface. Getting the flyin front of the fish wasa challenge, and when finally I di, it was ignored. 1 figured 1 probably had ten minutes before it was completely dark, so not admitting defeat, I put the rod. down and jogged back to the car. After struggle to tie on the fy in the ow light, [Las finally ready. Ignoring a tangle in the fine tippet, [cast at two fish that were feeding very close together and mopping. up duns in a small area. I couldn't see where the fly landed but sensed it had landed in the zone. In the darkness, a fish rose, | tentatively lifted the rod and, as [felt resistance, was instantly broken up by a powerful, surging trout! Some of you may be surprised to hear that I was ‘smiling from ear to ear when T got back to the car. Sure, Ihad lost the battle, but Thad won the war. aRIVER FISHING DESTINATION FOR THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL FLY FISHING CHAMPIONSHIPS foo jor rainbow trout in the Spekboon Rover near Lydenburg ‘A magical place, reminiscent of Middle Earth from the book LORD OF fe RINGS by JRR Tolkien, Descend into the Mount Anderson Valley, conservancy comprising many thousands of hectares, where game wander wild, often grazing peacefully while iitorsfly fh or trout. Bag End and Hobbiton Cottages ae fully equipped for sll-atering and feature 4 bedrooms each sleeping 8 comfortably) and a large ‘open-plan living area with indoor fireplace forthe chilly evenings Enjoy asundowner on the lovely decks overlooking the river. Angus 073 188 5841 | Jenny 073 323 5722 | wwwsivendelltroutestate.co.za| Pleo PO nor te THE AMAZING FLIES OF HOLGER XSAN Dr aan reca vie ego ie Orca eroticy EUS COs aor) Dre neeeCC TCC eRe Do ra acid eRe aa er ELE eee cE eae ee Cees nt beginning, so I used locking piers to hold cies’ TCFF: Who was your early mentor rn cae HL: In Germany you need to pass an Ce cee na aes eR een ee Sec Cre eco cern sate to reed ~ SD ees ms ime under his wing and for the next few ome cena how to read the water and, of course, fly-tying, res Oo ed een mee TE Oliver Edwards. once saw Oliver live ata show in Germany when I was young, eee ROR acre Reno ee friendliest guys on the scene ~ a true ea ae crea rere ein on for your tying. ‘There are many guys Sa ee res Paton ong as TCEF: You were born and bred Or Oe ace ee ee ed fishing, but we've gota strong and grow= Sree a ee eee nan southern part of the country near the eines eerie tin tenisSr eGR Reem eet fly fishing for trout and grayling. In the een? Baltic Sea is very popular. Pike fishing re eer eee eer ty because we have so many waterways full en ere eens acer such as perch, zander and asp are also Pe ee ee ens creo eee E about? feaeene ore neers could post my flies, step-by-step in- eee Ne rue Tay tying in general. choose to writ Conia eee eae a rm ence yt with everybody that had a passion for fy RT eed ee ee eC et eter ete Sno en Cre meee ett een eee TCFF: If you could fish anywhere Carag mre ara tad HL: Difficult question because there are ‘many destinations I would love to fish. If Peete en nes Ree et ao Pore Sten ens Seg gs COO ae Oana Peau rec te a Perea Cnt oats TCEF: Do you belong to any clubs or organisations for fly-tyers? Pree eee tsi “WHEN YOU SEE A COOL FLY... THINK ABOUT IT FOR A WHILE AND TRY TO FIND YOUR OWN WAY TO GET TO THE END RESULT.” Tee Coe een ee oe eet ot of time on eaeh fly that you tie HL: A neatly tied fly doesn't take that eee ome ees a Re een Sec Tene as eee Pee eo ea Tae place where you can relax when you come home from work, so I don't look at the Sekt TCFF: Do you only fish your flies? ee eta nee ee ee ae ieee nee ttre Reg ae Pee ene? Oe es ke aE get realy creative and use the best hooks and materials for my application. Only when you start tying your own flies will you be able to customise according to the ‘Specific needs of your water. eee one)TCFF: What hooks do you favour? HL: There are many good hooks on the Perea eT ee ea te ‘This young company from Denmark de- signs hooks for very specific situations: from small dries to 6/0 pike flies. These PO mec! See ens so they know what they're talking about. It's cool when you get hook designers, who are open-minded to suggestions from fellow anglers. Their hook range is steadily growing and I'm looking forward eer nei Sree ee eae materials have you come across this year? eee ee eee ee oe oars ee Sree a ety ad oe rire etter ear eae Cog Cer enna seated ee erent Snes into my precious materials, That would. bea nightmare! rege Te eta ae erence ee eee or Ee Seen ney Care ee ae Whiting dry fly or spey hackle, finest Crete nine ee benefit so much using both synthetic eee ee eee Sen esc Pe red rege eee easy eran eae ee can flies. Everything from nymphs, small ries, giant pike streamers, realistic Se eee ons ee ee eee Sey eae Reena et eri Ren Re Lae not go without? a eee es the kind oftool you get in the cheapest of Peeetes eee een testes Secon nt ont t ty Rec ee een always keep coming back to my very old Sno a aes “WHEN YOU WANT TO BE Casi s AS POSSIBLE, IT CAN GET EXPENSIVE.”TCFF: What vise do you use? Ce enc vise, 1 find it has the best hook-holding Pee ence cera whether I'm tying on a small or big salt water hook, an articulated shank or a Coan Segoe a ene Tae na eae er ate ea eat aes to be as ereative as possible, it ean get Re eS eee Pee eed colours and mix them. As you progress, Sr eee Und oe erate ‘TCFF: Do youmake a living out of it? HL: No, itis and will always be a hobby. Something where I ean be creative and Storer Cement cee ee eR Sure ead ee ae eee eee eee es boring to tie five of the same flies in a Oe Ce ect ect Pct noe eee eee ee a Pe eee etre HL: My fishing, of course, and photo- eee en eet ty Peete etme ns rege re ee ee aspirant fly-tyers? HL: Be open-minded and try as many materials and techniques as you ean. RR en enn for a step-by-step instruction or a video eae eco try to find your own way to get to the end result TCFF: Where do you see yourself Ca ree HL: Hopefully fishing a nice piece of SC uc cea eee oePet ro csMy B-wt is packed away along with the remainder of my gear further down the beach, and with wind gusts starting to reach gale-force level, I've decided that it's time for the 6-wt to give way to heav- fer artillery. 1 pack it away and bend down to pick up my 8-wt. AS I grab it hear the giggling laughter of the guides somewhere behind me. The cheeky bug- gers, who have settled momentarily be hind their truck for a bit of shelter and 1 gulp of nourishing, warm Argentinian tied a large, bright-red spoon onto the end of my leader, while I was busy fighting and releasing my last rainbow trout. “Ha, ha, hal Classic guide humour think to myself. But pretend that noth- ing has happened and just play along. The laughter falls sient, for, shortly afte, I do the unimaginable: I get the spoon airborne, blind east it for a bit and send it far off into deeper water. ‘The silence doesn’t Iast very long, however. Because when a big rainbow trout resolutely hits the spoon and gets hooked, all of us are about to die laughing! Ever since it was first properly dis- covered in 2005, Jurassic Lake, in the southern reaches of Patagonia, has stood for me as one of the most monumental fly fishing destinations in the world; a tantalising and remote fishery in a barren tnd windswept desert with rainbow trout semythieal proportions. And every time Ihave heard stories about the lake's spectacular fishing or seen pictures of the almost unrealistically big and shapely fish that are caught there, I've felt relentless pull within. ‘The fact that it is has taken ‘me more than ten years to finally materi alise at the lake's pockmarked shores shouldn't be ascribed to. lack of wander- lust or attraction. No, the answer lies rather in the seeming paradox of the place: how it has come to embody some: thing unachievable, an impossibility, an unfulfillable promise. It’s not coincidental that Ihave a long, history of travelling to faraway desti- nations with a naive and open mind, without having properly adjusted my expectations or done much research. Too often, Ihave experienced how something that sounded too good to be true, actually was. And, personally, I feel much better being positively surprised than disap- pointed. Unfortunately, when it eomes to well-exposed fisheries, there's an increas- ingly drastic difference between historyreputation and marketing on the one ‘hand, and reality or personal experience on the other. And as my brother and 1 land at Lago Strobel on the rudimentary landing strip, recently built by Jurassie Lake Lodge, and we make our way tothe lake via windy and uneven gravel roads, ‘the myth is suddenly on an unavoidable collision course with reality. Everything, that ve previously heard about this place is now in a wrestling hold with all the sensory impressions my overstimulated brain is bombarded with. One simple ‘question begs an answer: will the fishing bbe able to match the expectations that ve managed to build up over the years? ‘Now that its late April and with the imminence ofa relentlessly long and cold ‘winter, the season is slowly but surely coming to an end, and, according to the ‘guides, the fishing is far from optimal. But, frankly, that suits me just fine, ‘When the fishing is at its best in Decem- ber and January, its actually good! ‘This s confirmed by the many stories told by the guides; stories involving vulgar amounts of trout concentrated along the shoreline in front of Jurassie Lake Lodge where the lake's only tributary, the Barrancoso River, pours in and where some lucky fly fishermen have caught ‘more than 100 rainbow trout in a single day. With an average weight of about akg, that comes to the quasi-industrial cateh of half a ton of rainbow trout in Tess than 24 hours! During our first day by the lake we experience something that few ever experience ~ a completely windless day, where Lago Strobel’s otherwise frothing surface i ike a big, shiny mireor. Bathed in warm light, we move along the beaches and the rocky, lunar-like shores eagerly ooking for fish. And it doesn't take us ong before we locate schools of relatively apathetic and spooky fish swimming about at random. Some nerve-wracking and highly challenging. sight-fishing awaits us, and having extended our I ‘ers considerably with cobweb-thin tippets and experimenting a bit with flies and presentation, the first few fish nervously start to react. “JURASSIC LAKE, IN THE SOUTHERN REACHES OF PATAGONIA, HAS STOOD FOR ME AS ONE OF THE MOST MONUMENTAL FLY FISHING DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD; A TANTALISING AND REMOTE FISHERY IN A BARREN AND WINDSWEPT DESERT WITH RAINBOW TROUT OF NEAR-MYTHICAL PROPORTIONS.”al Tvesent off cast in front of afew fish cireling near a well-defined drop-off, and as [start retrieving the fly, I immediately capture the interest of one fish. It lazily pursues the fy, following its monotonous path through the erystal-clear water with body language that, at the same time, seems both tense and indifferent. Shortly after, a vague tug propagates through the fy line and as 1 lift the rod, the fs sheds all of its seeming indolence. ll hell breaks loose, and I now find myself desperately trying to cushion the effect of a heavy run, which is only briefly inter- rupted by heetic scenes of tumultuous head shakes and metre-high jumps. In deeper water ~ with a full fly line and some 4om of backing dragging behind it ~ the fish finally discontinues its attempted escape and changes tacties. It now tries to find shelter along the lake's jagged subaqueous tufa reefs, and all ‘can do i it the rod, put maximum pres sure on the fish and pray to God that the leader isn't cut off. ‘When a good while later the fish glides ‘across the frame of my landing net and into the trap of the rubber mesh netting, aloud roar isimpossible to hold back. My first Jurassic Lake rainbow trout is a reality—and what fish! It must weigh in the vicinity of 6ky and is among the most flawless and beautiful fish I've ever see Dashingly chrome, with blushing red gills and infinitesimal ink stains along its Irideseent green back. And the tail fin! The massive tail displays a glittering mother-of-pearl glow that radiates from ‘the base, as if all the centrifugal powers from the fish's fierce tail slaps have dis- changed the silvery low of the flanks into the very tips ofeach tail-in ra After two days of some of the best ishing I've ever experienced, the inevitable happens — the wind picks up. It's as ifthe weather gods have taken a Jong, deep breath in order to thoroughly blow the whole desert apart, one last time before winter emerges and covers every= thing in snow and frost. The howling wind rips and tears at everything that manages to stay erect, and the lake has now teansformed into a roaring ocean, ‘where metre-high waves erash relentlessly onto the shore, partially blown apart by heavy gusts that cause a swirling haze of foam and droplets to rise from the lake {And this is only the beginning. Below: The author wth large Jurac Lake rainbow that was sght-shed along a drop-off. #8 hopper pattern sealed the deal Eee nd‘THE BARRANCOSO RIVER There isn't much cover or shelter to be found along but in the near- bby Barrancoso River, which transee desert through toweri there is an oce squalls that cast to both sta sme incredible sight- and close style fishing with plenty of shots g-7kg range. Itis.a tech fishery, where stealthy Im nerves are ‘worth the wholeJurassic Lake is the popular name for Lago Strobel, a remote, windswept lake in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz in Argentina. The lake was inducted {nto the fly fishing hall of fame when Christer Sjoberg — founder of Loop Tackle ~co-organised an expedition to the lake back in 2005. The expedition stumbled ‘upon a rainbow trout fishery that exceeded most fly fishermen’s wildest fant ‘and, once a camp had been established, it didn’t take long before Jurassic Lake = as it was cleverly dubbed = gained intemational attention and fame. Lago Strobel is a 6gkm* endorheie basin, meaning a closed drainagelake with- out an outlet. It's set in a treeless, lunar-like landscape and its shorelines are strewn with contorted tufa formations, cliff fragments and even remnants of petrified forest. Lago Strobel is inherently fishless. Why it’s been like that for ‘thousands of years is somewhat of a mystery, but it certainly isn’t due to scareity, ‘of food. ‘The lake offers a rich food chain mainly consisting of scuds, and with ‘the almost 40-kilometre-long Barrancoso River providing prime spawning and ‘growth habitat, we're talking about a unique biotope with enormous potential. ‘The explanation as to why the lake has such a prolific population of massive rainbow trout originates with the local gauchos, the hardy Argentinian eattlemen ‘eho have found their domain in the windswept and arid terrain surrounding, Jurassic Lake. They introduced a modest number of rainbow trout from the Santa Cruz River into the Barrancoso tributary some 20 years ago ~ a stock of = . fish that have flourished in the lake and become a self-reproducing population of en eee monster trout up to 15kg (and probably bigger). — Digi ii a i ee a ty inhospitable plateau, there’s rich birdlife in and around the lake. Flamingos, ‘ducks and eagles reside here, in addition to the endemic hooded grebe or mac tobiano whieh lives nowhere else in the world, and which wasn't discovered and documented until about 20 years ago. The lake is also rich in culture and history. People have lived here for more than 9000 years and along the Barrancoso River xyou can still find traces of human activity: stone-age tools, petroglyphs and ‘settlement remains.SSICLAKRe ee Daa) eae ets Ce en aCe ee ae me eines ee eee en ca Ne ee a eee eR ea onthe Barraneoso River. But we'reat our | a dry ly at lose range is indescribably at the surface. During the last couple of See eee ee ea ae nme ple of fish on dry flies and mouse | our last two days at Jurassic Lake. As nobyl Ants at the end of our leaders, atterns. The experience leaves us erav- _ we're about to find out, the lake's chro- we land double-digit rainbow trout from eres Cen er a een eer ee oes US eeeae ere a Ete Bea es) al a ~ os Ss et 7 ra Pe: ei “ eg re eens ey rnd ry ~ i PSSskg - okg. And I'm so consumed and devotedly absorbed in the fishing that it isn't until I sit in the small Twin Otter plane on my way back home via Co- ‘modoro Rivadavia that I realise what an extraordinary and unique experience it hhas been, Here, all the sensory impres- ons from the past week start to precipi tate, and I suddenly become chokingly aware of what an e Jurassic L rain, the clima hing. Allof itis, extreme, and it has left a deep impression Pe ns Coming to Jurassic Lake with extre mely high expectations, like I have, involves the risk of extreme disappoint ‘ment. After having experienced the place and the myth of Jurassic Lakeand having rienced a chrome dry fly fishery in a ofits own, there is no doubt left in my mind: this isa place that has not only exceeded my wildest expectations bout also my wildest fantasies! CLOTHES FOR JURASSIC LAKE Jurassic Lake isan extreme and moody place, especially when it comes to the ‘weather. Oftentimes, warm and calm weather is suddenly superseded by cold and raging winds and, as a result, you always need to be ready to switch from sunsereen and T-shirts to wool and \weather-resistant shell clothing. Late in the season there's even the risk of snow= storms. Regardless of when you plan to travel to Jurassic Lake, packing several layers of insulating core clothing and wind- and waterproof shell clothing i essential, The winds at Jurassic Lake reach speeds in excess of tookm/h, and with the ceaseless imminenee of extreme cold (and rain oF snow), you'll want to pack the best clothes you can afford. In addition, you should pack a warm wool Buff, water-resistant gloves and a beanie (or eap with ear flaps). Together with sunscreen and a pair of UV-protective crew necks, all these gs packed in « waterproof daypack. are plenty of sight-fishing opportunities, no matter the wind and weather condi- tions. Therefore, a good pair of polarised sunglasses is essential, They lso provide some much-needed eye protection when casting in the notoriously tricky winds that rip through the lake basin.THE GEAR Generally 9'6” to 10” 6- to 8-wt fly rods that are capable of handling turbu- lent winds wil be useful, but if you're lucky enough to ex} ‘you shouldn't rob yourself of the oppor- tunity to fish a9’ 4/5-wt, so bring one just in case. Ifyou're inexperienced when it comes to fishing in heavy winds, consider heavy shooting heads; if necessary in combination with switch or light double- hhanded rods. Even though the fish usually patrol the shorelines, sometimes they'll hang around the drop-offs, and then you'll need long casts to reach them. rience calm di ‘The fly reels should have stable, low- inertia brake systems, and they should be able to pack a weight-forward fly line and Yom ~ 450m of backing. You'll mostly but intermediate you'll typically be using fluorocarbon leaders with o.20mm - o.28mm tippets. Otherwise, when fishing dries, nylon leaders and tippets are preferable. Bring along even lighter tippet materials for the but never ‘oda windless and sunny da fish lighter tippets than necessary. Re- member: Jurassic Lake produces enor- ‘mous fish, and they are super-powerful! The flies typically used here are a mix of olive, white, grey and black streamers, ranging from #2 to #10, and #8 to #34 nymph and scud imitations in similar colours. The best dry flies are big and buoyant. Chernobyl Ants and similar foam flies with rubber legs and big, white wings of deer hair work great. At the same time, they're highly visible when fished at adi The common de- nominator is that they need to be tied ‘on strong hooks, otherwise they will get straightened by the bigger fish inthe lake JURASSIC LAKE LODGE Jurassie Lake Loe comfortable lodge strategically located precisely where the Barrancoso River enters Lago Strobel. In other words, it i situated in imn ate pri to the lake's most produc tive fishing area. Jurassic Lake Lodge accommodates up to ten fly fishermen \who then have access to several different beats of the lake in addition to 3okm of the incredibly exciting and relativ unexplored Barrancoso River. Further~ more, the lodge owns the rights to Moro Creek, which isa litle river that connects a series of smaller lakes — here you ean experience some amazing and practically undiscovered trout fishing, For additional information and current prices contact lodge owner Carlos Lopez Casanello directly via ‘mail: carlos@jurassiclake.com kelodge.com| Sart EXCITING NEW FLATS SPECIES. The Blue Bastard Anew flats species in this day and age? You bet, and one that could soon become a stand-alone fishery for those addicted to flats fishing. RICHARD SCHUMANN tells more Deena Sa nL Yad Pe rdCe eee gn Pa eens the blue bastard, but it was cer- Prete csi Poe Sent scr one Cee ty species. This find” by the scientific eom- Sree en eer ets eet sat who was convinced that this fish was not, as had previously been surmised, simply ‘acolour morph of the well-known painted sweetlips. He badgered researchers Rete eater tert ia ee ea att captured, They eventually capitulated, SO ese oes etree eae een c nts deseribed. It's surprising indeed that these fish should have been able to remain unknown ere eo ed not only a large fish but are commonly: Sree Rae nee Australia. Be that as it may, when a new Pe eee ec Poe ee eet ery that ilk, when I got the chanee, I just had Oe ne eee ck eee on cca bastards are a great, fun fish to hunt on eae eet Pere eee eon ec cent of something between a humphead Peat cee des rer eenentt entre Peer ene eter cae nearest coral bommie. Pe eae Dre ee gts cs not that dissimilar toa triggerfish, and so ee eee as the upside is that unless you accidentally drop the fly on its head and spook them, Reece ee a slowly tail their way across the flats, and Pomc ese ao) | fish, Se ee ee ee etsy sar feed ec rtd armors ic” ed ets “ester. “IT IS SURPRISING INDEED THAT THESE FISH SHOULD HAVE BEEN 3 ABLE TO REMAIN UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE FOR SO LONG, AS BLUE BASTARDS ARE NOT ONLY A LARGE FISH BUT ARE COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED ON THE TROPICAL FLATS AROUND AUSTRALIA.” ee oneFLY SELECTION Watching that big tail lazily waving at you from across the flat, itis obvious. 1g around for , erabs and the like. Eas close presentations are the norin. “IF ANYTHING'CAN STRETCH SECONDS INTO MINUTES, BU RWS er) Ch hela IEP) aera nee Ma oy ABOVE YOUR MOTIONLESS FLY CAN DO IT.”bas) Ree eo SOE ee acre for the most part you are going to have to een eee a Ce Ri eos Sees gees ead retrieve or, as I discovered was more ee ee ncn) often stopping the retrieve and letting the een eens Sr Ou Re ee cen ‘tres above your motionless fly ean do it Pee he prccent eae ees eed eae Ron situation occurs, my limited experience Sees ect ee eel ee eal Pe prea wineries foryou to give the fyjusta tiny twitch, If | you ean exercise the control, one of two Bie reece eee ae there is no mistaking it when it happens, Peer eer er ts ee ee ee oe cee eer come (like boneish, tarpon, permit and | Care eee ee) eee ee eins fishing for them exclusively, but for those Seen ate Pree eens flats where other fly rod targets swim: ea MCR ny and queenfish. So, should you at any stage become bored, which is hard to none er cos eee eet can get up to 10kg, and although I began oe ee Ree eer ‘quickly changed to a 10-wt for that extra Resort Sin ncat emo et Ros nee gees mec none ss een sen eco _4m tapered leader with a short bite tippet Sener nae ea Seen en te ees eee ers en era Pat are en as “BLUE BASTARDS ARE A GREAT, FUN FISH TO HUNT ON THE FLATS. WITH AN IRRESISTIBLE COME-AND-GET-ME TAILING ACTION SOMEWHAT REMINISCENT OF SOMETHING BETWEEN A HUMPHEAD PARROTFISH AND A TRIGGERFISH...” Ee}Blue bastards can be found on flats right around the top end of Australia from Broome to Lizard and, as 1 men- oe OL ee Roe erested, DIYs are possible, but Keep in Pre Roe eon Im places, there are really big tides to contend with, as well as salt water eroco- Cretens enor testers all of which, if not terminal, will see you Th eee pan \\S iS Co Ra ee cone en ares (on the wrong side of them. Fortunately, all these dangers are manageable. From a scientific perspective, very Toes ens eae renee sence lucky enough to work with researchers Ue OA cut who have managed to capture the first Dao Coe ad Sec ce ee c Soe ee ne ee eee ca Peete ent erent rere? ‘taken for further genetic studies and Sst Ten Renae eee ne men? public, 1am sure will spawn a whole new series of fly patterns for these great fish, Pree es information on flats fishing for blue ‘bastards, drop the author an e-mait eeeAlphonse Island _Aphonse Fishing Company offers bespoke fishing itnraries inthe pitine waters ofthe remate Seychelesouterslands. Bimming with adverse ange of troy species. these are some ofthe best fly fishing destinations in the word. Our suds are passionate fshermen with an unrivaled know. ledge and expertise guaranteeing trip of a ietime. OUR DESTINATIONS Astove Atoll ALPHONSE Cosmoledo Atoll Uafiilig., Amirante Islands +27 82 748 7290 [cMT+0200| +248 422 9700 _[cMT+0400] reservations@alphonsefishingco.com www.alphonsefishingco.comBaviine ORANGE RIVER: GOLD AT ey cat Rls Bees eas ari ISAACS joins a group of largemouth yellowfish anglers eee acon ce mince Chen Conca & i eae)th the state the Vaal River has been in for the past couple of months, fly fish- cers have been digging deep to find new venues to target small- and largemouth yellowfish. The Orange River ~ the Vaal's larger cousin ~ offers a fishery very similar to that of the Vaal and it'salways been popular with anglers based further down south. Its, however, Jjust out of reach for a weekend’s fishing, for thosein Gauteng. Besides, why bother driving a minimum of five hours if one hhas the Vaal right on one's doorstep? However, the recent water quality woes of the Vaal River have driven more and nore anglers to turn their focus to the Orange River and there have been reports of some good catches of late, especially as far as this river's largemouth fishery is concerned. So I was elated when Chris van der Post (@ Gkhui Gkhui Lodge share- holder) recently invited me to fish in an event he had organised for a few large- mouth anglers to sample his waters. 1 commandeered my trusty ghillie Corrie Rauch and told him what lay ahead. Largemouth yellowfish have always held a special place in my heart, so I was thrilled at the prospect of bagging a nice Orange River largie. (Gkhui Gkbui River Lodge is situated on the game farm Saaidam, roughly 650km from Johannesburg, between the towns of Orania and Hopetown and about 7okm below Vanderkloof Dam. We set off early from Johannesburg and arrived at the lodge at around noon. We were warmly greeted by Chris and up- and-coming guide Vian, our hosts for the weekend. It was tempting to kick ‘back and have a cold beer and admire the surroundings, but we were itching to get n our first afternoon session on the river. ‘THE FISHING With the boat secured on the Cruiser, ‘we made our way through the farm until ‘we reached our designated launching spot. Vian pointed in the direction of a dead tree overhanging the water directly across river; it seemed a good place to start mining for our first Orange River gold. Dropping anchor about three-quar- ters of the way from the tree, I hastily stripped line off my reel to get inthe first cast. With the water being off-colour due to the previous season's low water levels In the Gariep and Vanderkloof Dams, 1 opted fora black fly to geta better profile 44 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20:82019 | TORE in the water and thought Td work the Tkely ooking spots in the area for about {30 minutes before moving on. After my Tourth cast, something strange was hap- pening atthe end of my line ~ I couldn't ‘quite pat my finger on it and thought maybe I had just miss-stipped. Corvie ‘and I both waved i offand I sent out the next cast tothe same spot. Two strips later, my fly was inhaled by what I could ‘only guess was a reasonable fish as Tine ‘was peeling off the ree onthe initial run Gaining control, the fish fought hard and stayed around the boat, not giving an inch. Eventually it surfaced before taking off again, and, for a brief moment, we Doth saw that this was no small fish! Suddenly caution kicked in and I started pursing the fish, all while praying that my knots had seated properly with the horrible thought of losing this fish while dodging the anchor rope. With Corrie at the ready, and shaking just as much as 1, he cautiously netted the fish. Before ‘our eyes lay a largemouth of roughly 181b all its glory. Largemouths are to be admired and appreciated, whether tb or 2olb, and this one was particularly beau- tiful, After a few quick photos, she was released back into the river to hopefully provide another angler the same expe ‘ence and appreciation in years to eome. While I was still basking in the glory of the fish Thad just landed, Corrie covered the area a few more times and, loand be- hold, he missed a fish in that same spot trees. Within an hour, we brought three largies to the boat, ranging from 4lb to lb, with countless takes and misses in between. Corrie also landed a nice large. Thad another big fish smash the fly but ‘the hook didnt set and the fight was over before it began. In the afternoon, we were drifting down a fast-lowing piee of roughly 80 to 100 cumecs along some dead trees Anchoring wasn’t an option, so while drifting at the speed ofa light aireraf, Corrie hooked big fish. Chaos ensued while trying to turn the boat inthe fast- flowing water, the fish making its way cover and under every piece of structure it could find ~ the episode ended in tears and much colourful language! The day ended with us having boated three largies ‘while Klaas and his angling partner landed six. Chris and partner also managed a largi, and there was a hand of smal mouths among the group. ‘That night some big weather moved in and the next day everybody put in hard hours when we should have been kite surfing. Atleast westill managed to catch cour far share of both smallies and larges. ‘The front brought on an ever-impending pressure drop, which put paid to our fish- ng for the weekend. Al in all, 15 largies ‘were caught among ten anglers, which is pretty good going under the circum- stances. I bet in perfect conditions this, ‘number could easily have been doubled. “LARGEMOUTHS ARE TO BE ADMIRED AND APPRECIATED, WHETHER 1LB OR 20LB, AND THIS ONE WAS PARTICULARLY BEAUTIFUL.” By the following morning, the rest of the anglers had arrived and we were allocated our beats on the river. One of, these anglers was Klaas Viljoen, a local ‘who often fishes the water. Klaas told me about the oxygen weed that is prevales in the Orange and that plenty of aquatic ‘bugs and schools of baitfish congregate around this grass. This in turn attracts the yellowfish and we managed to catch a couple of eager smallmouths here. We ‘worked our beat thoroughly and came to avery nice piece where the flow was ideal along a bank covered with overhan TIPS AND TACTICS ‘The most interesting thing about the Orange River at Gkhui Gkinui is that it can almost be compared toa tidal lagoon fishing scenario. In the morning, the river will be lowing at 80 to 100 cumees. due to water being pumped for hydro- electric purposes from Vanderkloof Dam, and by the afternoon it will beata sedate 20 cumecs, causing the water to drop by over a metre. I wonder how much research has been conducted on how this daily Quctuation of water levels impacts fon the fish’s feeding habits and move-eee oehore lef Corrie Rauch with an Orange River smallmoxth (raer ip). Abore right: juvenile lange. ments. Most of our fishing was concen- twated around dead trees that had fallen into the water. ‘These trees, combined with some broken reeds that have accu- mulated under them, have ereated the ideal largemouth habitat. This section of the Orange River offers multiple types of structure, including deep glides, huge back eddies and rocky cliffs that lead straight into the river with broken piles of rock and eurrent underneath. We fished 7-wt rods with floating lines, and predominantly the typical black go-to large flies in #4 and #6. 1 don't profess to be a largemouth yellow- fish expert as I learn new things each time I fish for them, but I believe having confidence in your fly is key. Our leaders varied in length from 12ft to 16ft, but Klaas likes to fish an 18ft leader with which he has very good results. have always had good suecess in water with some kind of current, whether it's a Below: swirling back eddy or a slow laminar flow running along the bank. Big pools ‘ean be daunting at times, but if you find flow and structure you will more than Iikely be on the money. We managed to Tand a couple of smallies as well as some Darbel, the latter not being everyone's cup ‘of tea, but the small barbel that we caught pulled harder than any other barbel 1 have caught before — I can just imagine what a fish over golb will do to your tackle! ‘The smallmouths ean be targeted in the many rapids and glides that are right in front of the lodge. A few days after our return home, Vian sent me a picture of one of his, clients who had caught his first largie ‘on fly, also being his Second-ever fish on fly! Well, having experienced this venue firsthand, [can highly recommend Gui ‘Gkhui Lodge as they have no shortage of largies. Oh, and then Chris messaged, “The weather is perfect, wiio’s coming?” ‘THE LODGE AND OTHER ACTIVITIES ‘The main dining area is beautifully set up and complemented by a deck that overlooks the many braids of the Orange River. A fully stocked bar works on an honesty system, and one ean just run a tab and settle it at the end your stay. The Todge consists of six stand-alone en-suite rooms, each with its own private deck overlooking the river. The rooms are stylishly decorated, and equipped with air conditioners, a tea-and-cofiee station, as well as mini-fridges that are stocked with cold drinks and beers. Your stay includes three meals a day and the food is nothing short of exceptional! Gkhui Gkuis chef spoilt us with everything from lamb livers and freshly baked bread, to lamb shanks, rump steaks and more. An ice ‘machine in the kitehen works overtime to ensure you get cold drinks on the boat fr to quench your thirst after a long day's fishing atthe lodge. 1c author with afew smaller largemouths al taken along stractare. 46 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | TCFEbonus being that you can walk room and go and throw a line after a long day's meetings. DIRECTIONS From Johannesburg, take the Ni through Bloemfontein and then get onto the N8 to Petrusburg (475km).. From there, take the R48 until you hit the R369) (the road to Vanderkloof), Turn right nd head through Orania, Once out of, Orania and after roughly 25 minutes, start keeping an eye out on the right for the Gkhui Gkhui signpost. ‘There are alternative routes, but this seems to be ‘the most popular one that regular sedans will be able to manage. For those who prefer to stay on dey land, there is plenty to do on the farn including hiking, wing shooting, eycling, spa treatments oF simply soaking up the sun on the deck. With over 20,000ha of land being game-fenced, you have the ff seeing a host of animals in- white springbok, beautiful sable and gemsbok, among others. Ifyou ‘want to mix business with pleasure, the lodge offers conferencing facilities - the For further information contact Chris on Tel: (053) 831-1994, e-mail: chrisudpostig3@gmail.com, or visit www gkhuigkhui.com | DeceMBenviaNvanr 201872010,Bren UU korn ed WHEN, WHERE AND HOW TO TARGET Bass on Fly PAD auc ba Lanes co Ca cic ROGER BARRETT shares some tackle and tactics for bass. ‘ass (large- and smallmouth) are one of Cerone aoe as CNR met Dee ee cman Sree eons Senne reae smc ucua nia a cu Cee ‘waters) is a well-respected fresh water predator that attacks almost anything that moves ifit looks real or natural enough. Bass feed on a wide variety. Ceres eee to ‘more opportunistic than selective when choosing Pmt ier erty Se a a eee Cee ceo ene es catch largemouth bass on fly, but i's extremely cel LLL) ass are regarded as warm-water fish, $0 spring and summer are the best seasons to target them. Fishing during winter can be quite slow and Or ie eat Rae Ree Se een Reg Teed will most likely enteh the larger fish. Fish early in Cremer nn ee ccc Ny Cee au Ca se enc note Troe een ene oe uc ee? Peart ttWHERE TO LOOK FOR THEM Bass ean be found lurking in just about any part of the water column, from Just under the surface to right on the bottom. Underwater eover such as drop- offs, weedbeds, rock piles, woody debris, inlets, docks, banks, points, channels and even shade can all attract bass. Man- made structures like docks, boat slips, old fence rows and bridges will attract bass in the right conditions. Always fish around structure as bass are ambush predators and will seek the heaviest cover in which to hide in wait for unwary prey to swim by. You will be faced with the challenge of casting directly into weedy, woody, rocky areas and, once you've hooked bass, you'll have to fight hard to get it back out ofthe structure, Tactics Bass are aggressive fighters and must beapproached quite differently from trout ‘when targeting them on fly tackle. Anglers new to bass fishing may have a hard time hooking, and landing them initially, espe- cially when fishing in and around the heavy cover where they live. The impor- tant thing to remember, however, is not togive the fish too much slack. ‘They will not only try to get back into the structure Dut will aiso jump to rid themselves of the hook, so it's important to keep your rod tip low and your line tension fairly tight. Bass are not known for taking alot of line, but the bigger ones will some- times surprise you! Developing a good hookset is para mount as bass have large mouths and hard, bony jaws that make them tough to hook. Instead of lifting the rod to set the hook as is common with conventional bass fishing ~ fly fishers should use a strip-set technique to achieve the power needed to penetrate the bass’ bony jaw. ‘When you feel or see a take, give hard, Jong pull on the fly line with the rod tip pointed right at the fish. The direct co nection will give you the best possible power on your hookset and will work ‘much better than using the soft, spongy tip of the fly rod. It may be necessary to follow up with one or two more strips to make sure the hook is firmly set. ‘When the fish is hooked and the fight berins, keep the rod at a 45-degree angle to maintain pressure on the fish. Battles with bass are usually intense but short, 80 the most important thing is to keep the Tine tight and steer the fish away from any snags or obstacles it may try to swim int. Most lost fish are as a result of slack developing in the line, allowing the fish to throw the hook. If you're using the proper strength leader, you shouldn't need to worry too much about breaking, off. With a heavy tippet, even large bass can be stripped in by hand and do not need to be fought using the reel. Fight them hard and bring them in quickly and you will land a higher percentage of bass, and release them undamaged to fight another day TORE | OECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | 49FLY RODS FOR BASS When targeting bass on fly you have to be prepared with the right equipment and flies to target them around heavy weeds or snags. Bass are well known for hhugging structure, and this necessitates wier rods and a reel that has using hi good drag settings. Bass are dirty fight= ers, $0 you need a bit more backbone, An 8- or g-wt rod is a good choice for sting large bass flies that would be heavy and difficult tocast on lighter rods, For smaller bass, smaller flies and ope water, a oft 6- or 7-wt rod is a good sub- stitute 0 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | TCFE USE THE RIGHT LINE FOR THE OCCASION Bass are shallow-water predators and cean often be found holding or feeding in water less than 6ft deep. A weight-for- \ward floating line is ideal for fishing in ‘most shallow-water situations, especially for surface presentation. You can also use a floating line with a long leader and. fly that sinks to just beneath the surface. Bass will hit just about anything that moves on top of the water, Stop your retrieve occasionally to give them time to look at the fly, and you will find that they wil it the fly the moment you start of top-water fies that work fr b For fishing oft - roft deep, use a slow-sinking or intermediate line. This is perfeet for stripping a fly over the top of 1 shallow weedbed or fishing a gradual drop-off. When bass hunt small baitfish n shallow open water, an intermediate Tine will work perfectly, especially if casting a minnow imitation with a fast retrieve. When the fish are down, use a fast-sinking fy line to get the fly over deep structure. A fly line with a sink rate of 6 to 10 inches per second is the best Tine for this type of presentation. you will be casting and the structure you will be fishing will mostly determine your choice of leader. Lai ‘generally tippet shy, so you can afford to ‘go heavier. On a floating line, kg - 7k is perfect, and on a fast sinker, use a shorter, heavier tippet of 6kg - ok. Using an abrasion-resistant tippet is an advantage, especially when you have to bully the fish out of its cover. Leaderlength seill vary between sft and 8ft depending on conditions and the flies ‘you willbe using. Hike to make my own tapered leaders as this makes it casier totum over large flies, My formula for a Oft tapered leader is as follows: aft of lb (11k), 2ft of 2olb (okg) and aft of x8ib (Sky) FLY PATTERNS ‘The best flies for largemouth bass are without a doubt weighted and un- weighted Zonkers as they are very versa~ tile and can be fished in many different ways: unweighted flies on a floating or intermediate line in shallower areas, and weighted for deeper water. Retrieves don’t need to be fast either; bass will it these fies either when they're motionless or when stripped back at speed. An all-time favourite bass fly of mine is the Dahlberg Diver. There are differ ent patterns of this fy that imitate mice, ‘Below: The author oma private dam close to Mangurd in the Free State, "This fat bass fll w a popper ished on a lating = frogs, fish, lizards as wel a large insects. Retrieving with short, sharp strips that cause the fy to bloop on the surface will attract any nearby bass. Another retrieve that works wells to leave the fly motion- Tess fora few seconds and then just twitch the fly ~ that sudden movement will cause the bass to attack with gusto! On a weight-forward floating line I've taken ‘many bass in the early morning and late afternoon on this ly Poppers will take many bass in the carly morning and late afternoon when there is little to no wind and when bass tend to feed on the surface because they detect surface vibra when the water is calm. Usinga weedless popper is the way to go, especially when fished in and among structure such as lily pads, grass, ete. Retrieving with short, sharp strips will cause the fly to pop, and leaving the fly motionless for a few see- fonds usually triggers strike, A Deer Hair Mouse is also a popular pattern. Bass like large prey such as ‘mice and will normally pounce on this fy ‘without hesitation. The Deer Hair Mouse can be fished in a similar way to fishing poppers ora Dahlberg. ‘The Woolly Bugger is one ofthe most effective flies used in our waters for catching different species. A larger version of the Woolly Bugger is recom- mended when targeting bass. It is essentially a streamer and ean be fished in many different environments, and is especially productive when fishing the middle of the water column. Slow strips and pauses work well, bt is also effee- tive ona fast retrieve. ‘This fly is best used ‘with a sinking or intermediate line. ‘The venerable Mrs Simpson isanother well-known pattern, As with the Woolly Bugger, a larger Mrs Simpson is prefer- able when targeting bass on this fly. It Ce A ~{2 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | TCFE ‘ a Above left Streamers for bass, Above right: Woolly Buggers ae all-time bass favourites. Lefts Zones es, custom ed for both barbel and bass, ‘can be fished similarly to a Woolly Buy ‘ger and also works well for fishing the middle of the water column. It is also effective for fishing shallow underwater structure and larger areas such as sub- merged weeds. Brush Flies are great baitfish patterns, and bass respond well to them. Like the Woolly Bugger and Mrs Simpson, they ‘work well when fishing the middle of the water column, ‘The Clouser Minnow was originally tied in pursuit of bass, and chartreuse and white Clouser Minnows work well for bass in our country. Stripping them in either short or long pulls, they simulate Daitfish really well. The dumbbell eyes of this fly also help to keep the hook point riding up so the fly doesn't snag easily stig flies work best when fish are deeper and you have to get the snagless, heavy-head, upturned-hook fly in the target zone quickly in a specific location such as drop-off, rocks and other strue- ture. Let the fly settle before you start stripping. Sometimes bass will strike when the fly drops into the zone while dead-drifting, When retrieving the fy, use short strips with varying length pauses, allowing the fly to rise and then settle back again. When fishing deep, pay attention to the line as any movernent can signal that the bass has taken the fy Happy hunting? Below left Dabtborg-sle fies, including divers, poppers mice and frog patter. Below right A collection of bass poppers.BASS FISHING VENUES AND ACCOMMODATION Cert ene car tins! manages 5 venue in KwaZu Natl offering a varey of acconenedatin options boating tral, plenes and game vewing, ago nie Pee ts Beat Hecho 8s SOA DA ESOT Fame gn be a dB a Sf Msinsé Usinsi cristinaBASS FISHING VENUES AND ACCOMMODATION pIVAANSBAD (MATLALA ALOE PARK coat Quaggaskloof RVI \ FARM COTTAGES Beton ba fre he part porn pend sone ine on te wae Rucetatons estan ia her Wesfre no bel epe espe anh bem Gitn winenge be CBF | DECEMBERIJANUARY 20182010 | 55We A A bh a yes ‘ ee A! A SEC es aa ‘ i peas eeu CRSA Sieg 4 % , hae ent age Preece seit Prone. Yuraee Miesgesingnt e sitnn Peer h rer ree eration en reenter Cee ee ee Corie eeatreierersined Ph eneen eee emer ete Re eee ret penn meena coheed peer nreremntentrs ea ated Ret eee renee et serenity Seer Cee ae Sener er eee eas eer as SE ness ee ee od to the prototypes before I arrived at the Renta aren ter reat Bugs were originally designed for fishing Ce eae eee eats agentes ce eter ry Ce ce RO Re oC een Sea en fon the Danish coast for sea trout and even in the Caribbean for bonefish. My Klinkhamer Special is an extremely suc- cessful fly, but the Leadhead eatches even more fish, Deen ee eer) Pe ce ewe Klinkhamer Special. I tied the first pro- totype of the Leadhead in the same year PST ne ecm ee opment was for a completely different Se a a ere er ere ae en ing some were even downright ugly! RSet ee et these heavy bugs when my friends eon- tinued fishing dry lies, but Ihiad reached a stage in my fly fishing career when I started to understand that fish some- eee en ee Sree ee us eee cna after celebrating its 33rd birthday, think Pe kee cet tag the Leadhead and reveal all its secretsNEW FISHING GROUNDS When I started fly fishing in 1971, 1 fished only dry flies, and it took some years for me to discover the value of nymphs. To be honest, found nymph fishing very difficult, especially in strong, currents and deeper areas. I developed the leaded bugs especially for grayling, feeding in deep lies, and I never guessed hhow much satisfaction I would get from fishing them. Before 1980, I had only tied a few nymphs for fishing in Holland and to practise my tying skills, but be- cause of the good results from dries, 1 was seldom inclined to use subsurface patterns. During one of my summer holidays in the early 1980s, I met some Swedish fly fishing at the Glomma River in Norway. I had been fishing heavily in the areas around Kop- pang, Atna and Alvdal, but in search of new fishing grounds, I started moving, further upstream. I found a nice camp. ing site between Tynset and Os called Kvennan, located in an area described as lone ofthe best grayling waters in Europe. Unfortunately, it was crowded with other anglers — mainly from Sweden — but everyone was friendly, so I decided to stay, It was a good choice. In less than an hour Tbefriended a group of fly fisher- nen who had been fishing for a couple of days and knew exactly how to tackle the river. They invited me to accompany ‘them on their nightly trips and I realised ‘that this was the start of a completely new experience. Together we fished the most beautiful stretches of the river. After several more years of fishing this area, I had my own favourite beats and hot spots, knew every big rock and boulder and exactly where to goat almost every water level. I named the one spot Otter Creek because almost every time T fished this stretch I saw otters. This isa litle channel off the Glomma River that cuts an entire island in two, and where the channel converges and the current speed increases, the fishing was simply awesome, Yeats later, the island was officially named Otter Island but sadly all the otters have disappeared over th years. They never disturbed my fishing and were a welcome part of the fantastic wildlife in that part of Norway. [LARS AND THE KVENNAN SPECIAL ‘One of those Swedish anglers was Lars. He was the only one who fished below the surface with heavily weighted 8 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | TCFE rymphs and did so with considerable success. Lars called his killer fly the Kvennan Special after the camping place he had stayed in and fished for more than 15 years, Compared to Lars, I was a rookie, but I was eager to learn. One evening, after a bitterly cold and unsuc~ cessful day fishing dry flies, Lars invited me to his caravan and he gave me an ‘excellent tying demonstration of several of his flies. I regret that I didn’t make proper notes because I now know that ‘many anglers would've found my Swedish friend's patterns most interesting Lars was a good teacher ~ his tech- niques were simple and effective and with his help I caught a good number of fish subsurface. The Kvennan Special is still one of my favourites, but more importantly, it gave me the idea fora very ‘successful series of patterns. The follow- ing winter, I tied my first weighted nymphs with layers of lead wire. The materials Lars used for his pattern were not available in Holland, but I managed to tie acceptable imitations using rabbit fur dubbing for the bodies and partridge feathers for the tails. I called my first nymph Lars's Grayling Bug, and it worked quite well. Veron eet IMPROVING ON THE PATTERN After a year of experimenting with my variation of the Kvennan Special, | tried making improvements to the fly. Sadly, due to tragic family elreumstances, Lars and his friends did not arrive the following year, so T had to continue experimenting on my own. My priority was still dry fly fishing, but I played around with nymph fishing during periods of cold weather when floating patterns weren't successful. Around 1982 I started ‘omitting the tail from the fly and moved the body hackle much closer to the hook bend. I kept a smaller tag in the same colour as the original pattern and it was ore I experimented with tag ions. Instead of the wild pig, hair that Lars used in his nymph, I used partridge feather fibres that produced a nice long tail and added a lot more move- ment to the fly. Many people do not believe you can eatch grayling with a fly that hasa tail almost gem long, but I ean ascure you that I was catching more fish than ever before! 1 called this latest improvement the Lost Caddis, because it seemed like a reasonable imitation of ‘a cased caddis larva emerging from the stones and weeds, I weighted my version of La Grayling Bug and the Lost Caddis using leacl wire, but in 1984 I switched to using, split-shot when I ran out of wire, and placed lead-shot on the hook shank just behind the eye. And so the Leadheaded Grayling Bug Noawasbora, 1 fished this fly during the winter and first part of the new season with great results, but when | tried fishing it in the shallow waters of Central Europe, it got stuck inthe weeds or on the streambed.‘THE LEADHEAD IS BORN ‘Then I had the idea of placing the split-shot on piece of monofilament tied on just above the hook eve like alittle jig head. This improved version would fish with the hook point up, and I named it the Leadheaded Grayling Bug No 2 (now better known as the Leadhead). Ingo Karvath from Germany developed a pattern using the same tying technique around 1085. I guess we had the same idea around the same time. His pattern is known as the Cousteau Nymph and it’s also an excellent fy ‘The patterns did not change much after 1984. experimented with other dubbings, but T always came back to rabbit fur, squirrel or a blend. I also experimented with a mixture of squirrel dubbing and very fine synthetic fibres, which works extremely wel in certain waters. I tried many different materials and colours for the tag, but fluorescent green Flexibody creates the most spec- tacular results and is by far superior because it's not affected by UV light and the colour is extremely durable, 0 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20:82019 | TCE FISHING THE LEADHEAD ‘The Leadhead is very simple to tie and it catches many species of fish under variety of conditions. Thave used it the world over with great success and am ‘confident it will work in your local waters. The weight ofthe Leadhead ean make it diffieut to cast, especially if you're new to fishing heavily weighted fies. My advice is to use a rod with a stiff tip, reduce your casting speed and avoid hitting yourself in the back of the head with the fly. Fish the Leadhead using the following techniques Dead-drifting: With this technique, cast upstream or up-and-across, and let the fly drift downstream as naturally as possible. My eyesight is not so good, 01 generally use a small, self-made, foam strike indieator attached to the leader. Looping the line: This technique has amazed some of my friends because seit exclusively on fast, rocky waters that are not too deep. Teast downstreain, and then mend and retrieve the fly by looping in line with my stripping hand. play the fly between the rocks so fish hiding under and between the rocks will come out to smash it. It's important to vary the speed of the retrieve, s0 experiment. I use a figure-of-eight retrieve on waters with slower currents Lift-sink cast: Cast upstream and let the fly sink, When you think the fly ink tothe proper dept, lift it briefly with the rod tip and lett sink again. ‘Repeat this sequence several times throughout the entire drift Stillwater motion: When fishing in stillwaters, I use the rod tip exten ively to give the ly motion. Combinea litle movement of the rod tip with slow draws of line with your stripping hand.Accouple of years later, my good friend Oliver Edwards made the most recent improvement to the Leadhead. One of the best fly-tyers of re know, Oliver loved my ‘wasn’t enthusiastic when I gave him afew of my Leadheads for the first time. He ‘kept them in his ly box for quite a while until he fished the River Ure with a group of friends and no one was successful in the terrible weather conditions. Oliver tried my Leadhead and was awestruck after landing fish after fish on the pattern, From that moment onward, he was impressed with my series of weighted ‘bugs and designed his own more realistic version of the Leadhead named the Peeping Caddis (read the description of the Peeping Caddis in his magnificent book Flytyer’s Masterclass). PEEPING CADDIS OR LEADHEADED GRAYLING BUG NO 3 hi 1560 #6, 2110 #10, or Daiichi 1710 #6 and #8. MONO: A piece of 0.0mm mono- filament to squeeze the lead-shot on and tie onto the hook (like jig head). ‘THREAD: UNI Big Fly for tying in the split-shot and UNI-Thread, Drown or tan. WEIGHT: Dinsmores tin split-shot, size BB or AB, depending on the size hook. PEEPING HEAD: Yarn such as Antron, burt to ereate the insect’s head. ‘AIL/LEGS: Speckled tail or long back feather from a partridge, wound as collar. BODY OR CASE: Squirrel fur dubbed and well picked out. GOLDHEADED GRAYLING BUG HOOK: Daiichi 1560 #6, 2110 #10, ot Daiichi 1710 #6 and #8. ‘THREAD: 6/0 UNI-Thread, brown or tan. HEAD: Gold bead. ‘TAG: Green fluorescent Flexibody (four turns). TAIY/LEGS: Speckled tail or long back feather from a partridge, wound as collar. BODY: Rabbit/squirrel fur dubbed and well picked out. “Top lfc The Leaded imitates sewed caddis, Lefts Leadhend variaigh, fom top to bottom Kvenman Special Lares Gray KVENNAN SPECIAL (original dressing) HOOK: Daiichi 1560 #6, 2110 #10, or Daiichi 1710 #6 and #8, THREAD: UNI-Thread, brown or tan. LUNDERBODY: Two layers of fine lead wire. Tait: A bunch of wild pig hairs (approximately seven to eight). BODY: Fly-Rite Dubbing No 8 and 3, mixed in equal proportions. RIBBING: Fine gold wire, ‘THORAK: Beaver underfur or substitute. LARS’S GRAYLING BUG MOOK: Daiichi 1560 #6, 2110 #10, or Daiichi 1710 #6 and #8. THREAD: 6/0 UNI-Thread, brown or tan. LUNDERBODY: Two layers of fine lead or copper wire. ‘alts Speckled tail fibres from a partridge, wound as collar. BODY: Fy-Rite Dubbing No 8 and 3, mixed in equal proportions. BODY HACKLE: Tail feather or long back feather from a partridge, wound as collar. RIBBING? Fine gold tinsel THORAX: Rabbit/squirrel fur dubbed and well picked out. LosT CADDIS HOOK: Daiichi 1560 #6, 2110 #10, oF Daiichi 1710 #6 and #8, ‘THREAD: 6/0 UNI-Thread, brown or tan. UNDERBODY: Two layers of lead or copper wie. ‘TAG: Small strip of green fluorescent Flexibody (four turns). ‘TaIL/LEGS: Speckled tail or long back feather froma partridge, wound as collar. BODY: Rabbit/squirrel fur, dubbed and well picked out. RIBBING: Gold wire. LEADHEADED GRAYLING BUG NO 1 MOOK: Daiichi 1560 #6, 2110 #10, or Daiichi 1710 #6 and #8, ‘THREAD: 6/o UNL-Thread, brovn or tan. Sewing cotton for securing the lead-shot. MEAD: Nontoxic lead-shot or substitute bead. ‘TAG: Green fluorescent Flexibody (four turns). ‘TaML/LEGS: Speckled tail or long back feather from a partridge, ‘wound as collar. BODY: Rabbit/squirrel fur dubbed and well picked ont. Left, from top to bottom: Lost Gaddis Leadheaded Grayling Bug No I, Leaheaded Grayling Bug No? TRE | DECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | 63Ht Sct ey ell ° \ Si Step 1: Place the hook in the vise. Depending on the hook model, I prefer using #6 thicker thread otherwise you will need a lot Step 2: Take a 1ocm piece of o.30mm monofilament and crimp lead-shot onto the middle of the monofilament. Step 3: Tie one end of the monofilament to the top of the hook shank; the split-shot must face the hook eye. of tying thread at this stag. to #10. Wind on 3/0 UNI-Threads I use the ar ae 5 Step 4: Then fill up well with the thicker ty Step 6: Clip off both excess mono parts. ng thread to ereate a nice underbody. Step 5: Now grab the other side of the monofilament and pul it over the lead-shot. Secure well with thread. 5 5 330 patterns in a row and let them dry overn Step: Step 9: Cut piece of fluorescent green a Step 7: A drop of cement locks the monofilament and Tead-shot in place ~ ight.) Set up the thinner tying thread at the end. Flexibody, taper it at one side and tie it ina Sc also use Super Glue. (I usually make 20 to {the tip ofthe hook shank as shown, Step 10: Make four wraps of Fle surplus material ‘Step 11: Find a high-quality partridge feather and strip it off at one side, Step 42: Tie in the partridge feather at its t 4 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | TCFF ip, just in front ofthe tag. dy to create a nice tag, simulating the head of the caddis larva. Secure well and cut off theStep 13: Wrap the partridge feather around the hook asa collar. Tie off and clip the: caddis larva. Step 14: Make a dubbing loop, and fill the loop with rabbit or squirsel dubbing or a ‘Step 45: Spin the loop tight. fibres toward the rear of the hook. Make one or two thread wraps on the base of the fibres. ‘The fibres imitate the legs of the excess piece of feather. Brush the partridge mixture of both. ofa caddis larva. Step 18: ec out the dubbing with a dubbing brush to create a shaggy body. low: The completed Leadhcided Grayling Bug No 2 that became known as che Leadhead Step 16: Now wrap the body and continue until the body looks like a cased caddis fly larva. Make it about as big asa real case Step 17: Whip finish. 1 prefer to use a whip finisher as the knot lasts longer. Snip the thread, RECIPE: LEADHEADED GRAYLING BUG NO 2 HOOK: Daiichi 1560 #6, 2110 #10, (or Daiichi 1710 #6 and #8, MONO: A piece of o.gomm mono- filament to squeeze the lead-shot on ‘and tie onto the hook (ike a jig head). UNDERBODY: 3/0 UNI-Thread to secure the Iead-shot and fill up. ‘THREAD: 6/0 UNI-Thread, brown or tan, HEAD: Nontoxic lead-shot or substitute. ‘TAGs Small strip of green fluorescent Flexibody (four turns). ‘aNl/LEGS: Speckled tal oF long back feather from a partridge, wound as collar. BODY on €ASE: Squirrel fur dubbed and well picked out. prefer squirrel dubbing formy bugs, NOTES Although originally designed for catching grayling, this pattern fools trout as well. ‘a simple yet very effective imitation of the cased caddis fly larvae that you will find in most cold-water streams. Even a beginner can tie this fly. When fishing, the split-shot will cause the fly to flip over and ride with the hook point up and the eye htly down, so it rarely snags the streambed. but there are many other natural and synthetic dubbing materials that substi- tute perfectly. Mixtures, combinations, and colour variations work fine; i's just amatterof preference. Ifyou like ragged bodies, some good natural furs include hare, possum, mink, fitch (polecat), wild rabbitand squirrel. TORE | OECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | 65CRACKING THE CODE Ata loss for a shrimp or prawn imitation that will work on our local waters as good as almost everywhere else? Fly-Tying Field Editor MURRAY PEDDER looks at the options, category as this particular style of fly suggests them perfectly. So why do tyers go to extra lengths to anatomi- cally imitate shrimps by adding eyes, fe- ers, carapace, egs.and so on? Because we cean and because we believe it takes the imitation to another level. Its also alot of fun tying these types of fies. Most importantly, the more realistica pattern, the more confidently we will fish the pattern and this naturally converts to fish taken. Pressured waters, especially certain flats in the USA, have driven tyers to look towards more realistic patterns, but [believe there is fine line between realistic and fishable. Some tyers go 10 extreme lengths to include ll the realistic {you categorise a Crazy Chari, it iE I ftsint the srimp/prewm 6 | DECEMBERUANUARY 20182019 | TCFE components and while this may cateh fishermen, it does not always catch the fish. ‘That said, Iam all for realistic and fishable patterns, and a balanced combi- nation ofthe two is what T aim for. Back to the Crazy Charlie. Why com- plicate things? ‘The Crazy Charlie has taken thousends of fish, is really easy to tie and offers all the attributes of an effective shrimp imitation. Because of its simple tying design its ted in various sizes, weights and eolours, with or with- rubber legs, with a heavy dumbbell or alight bead chain and so on, giving the tyer one of the most versatile tying styles. ‘The Crazy Charlie and Clouser Minnow are very similar in concept: both require simplicity, minimal materials, offer a ‘number of colour combinations, and ean be tied in various sizes and weights to tackle a large number of fishing situa- tions. Their styles can be applied to patterns to target both fresh and salt water fish, so they're very versatile, and, most importantly, they are deadly fish catchers. ‘Over the years, there have been some great advances in shrimp/prawn imita- tions and I would like to take a look at a few of them in this article. Some have ‘been around a while and others are a bit more contemporary. All have been effective and have taken numerous fish. ‘The last imitation isa prototype that has not yet been tried and will be heading to the Seychelles for field testing.MATERIALS FOR TYING ‘SHRIMP OR PRAWN FLIES + Dumbbells and bead chai izes and colours + Cray Tails for sandy bottoms, + Shellback (carapace) material such as Swiss Straw, Flexi-Back, Thin Skin, PVC from plastic bags and Seud Back. + Ribbing material, my favourite being simple mono. Various wires ean be used. Eyes, pre-made or self-made. + Assorted Flashabou and Crystal Flash, often used for feelers, ete + Craft Fur, Sculpting Fibre from Fish- ient, Congo Hair, EP Fibers, CDC, dub- bing caf tal, rabbit fur, fox hair, badger. Used for bodies and carapace. + Senyo Laser Dub, long-fibre shaggy