Still climbing mountains and catching leervis/garrick at 78, Zandvlei local and retired geologist Andy Killick might very well be the muse for Toby Keith’s country hit, “Don’t Let The Old Man In”.

I have had a few jobs. Apart from short stints as a clerk in the Cape Town Traffic Department, as a handyman and an editor of foreign students’ theses, most of my career was as an exploration geologist, an applied researcher (geoscience), and finally as a geological consultant.

I am now retired and life is very leisurely. Many of my days start with a short fishing session around daybreak in Zandvlei. This is followed by attending to other issues such as house maintenance, correspondence and a little bit of research work. Being blessed with good health, I also spend about a day a week hiking or rock climbing in the mountains of the Cape Peninsula.

SHOP THE MISSION

I fish a lot in the small freestone streams of the Western Cape, but I probably fish Zandvlei most often even though it is very seldom for a full day.

I have personally caught leeries/garrick, elf/shad, carp, sharptooth catfish, Mozambique tilapia, largemouth bass, mullet and Cape stumpnose in Zandvlei. But leeries are by far my favourite and remain my main quarry because of their speed and aggressive takes. One gets many follows that end in refusals from leeries. I get a better hook-up rate fishing in low-light with a fast retrieve.

My typical setup for Zandvlei is a 9-weight rod with a floating line and a 3m leader of 7kg monofilament as my basic rig. This enables me to cope with casting in the wind and keep the fight relatively short for the benefit of the fish. Flies I use include brush flies, Deceiver and Clouser patterns, along with surface flies in early summer. However, I have caught leeries on a great variety of flies (even small ones on trout flies) and continue to experiment.

“A four-month trip … culminated in a three-month sojourn in hospital after a 150m avalanche-induced fall from a rock and ice peak in the Rockies where I had soloed.”

One place, never again? Working in countries where alcohol is banned based on religious grounds (no beer), and in the Sahara (no fish) at temperatures around 50°C, are experiences I would happily forego repeating.

The biggest adventure I have ever been on was a four-month trip visiting a chain of parks and reserves from the east coast of Canada, down to southern California, then up to Alaska on logging roads with my girlfriend in her VW Beetle. It culminated in a three-month sojourn in the Banff (Alberta) hospital after a 150m avalanche-induced fall on the descent from a rock and ice peak in the Rockies where I had soloed.

The best way to face one’s fears is by understanding the source of the fear and then taking well-considered steps to mitigate any real danger.

Read the rest of Andy’s Lifer interview in issue 53 below.