As fly fishers we are always dialed into the weather. Seasonal changes are picked up almost as second nature and as a hatch junkie, I get a strange excitement stirring inside, when almost subconsciously, I become aware that the sky starts to lose its summer haze. There's dew in the morning, a crispness to the [...]
On the Highveld our warm season has been a case of famine or feast. Spring didn't last long as the drought conditions put strain on the streams and the fish. Even our tailwater fishery below the Barrage took strain. One fish that's not put off by low flows and high temps are carp. They regularly popped [...]
Some time ago , I was invited by friends to join in on a float / flyfishing trip down the Orange river , below Augrabies falls. I decided to make it a father-and-son affair and booked my son , Luka (aka Stickman) on the trip as well. With little time to practice his nymphing skills [...]
Global Warming ? The winter just isn't coming. In fact we are experiencing hot weather , by Autumn standards , and we're a month away from winter solstice. The unseasonal temperatures has put a bit of a damper on the Beatis hatches , but at least the fish are hanging around longer before retracting to [...]
Similar to last year the Autumn on the Highveld is lingering longer than usual and we are experiencing wonderful warm days in late May. This can of course change very quick with the arrival of serious cold fronts. But for now the days are balmy with little wind , which is great for fish and [...]
Recently I decided to drop in on a new piece of water that's been haunting me. Blueliners will know how unknown possibilities can chip away at you. You just gotta scratch that itch. The water looked small , thin and off colour due to rains. Doubt started welling up as I "trekked" downstream to a [...]
I have been climbing into rivers for the past 20 years . First with the single minded purpose to catch a fish. I caught my first fish in flowing water on a river , which over time , became my companion and I its friend. We’d share our different moods and together welcome and take [...]
MC Caddis is the short abbreviated name we use for Macrostemum Capense. A big bug on my home waters , and since agricultural & industrial pollution has wiped out the Golden Stones on most stretches , probably the biggest hatching bug we encounter. The larval form of this caddis is what the locals refer to [...]
After the first serious thunder showers of summer has rolled through , the flow of my rivers and streams pick up well..... sometimes too well. With some of my waters blown out at this time of the year I turn my attention to tiny meadow streams. The nice thing is about all the rain is [...]
THE KLINKHAMER I started fishing this specific pattern back in 2007 and met with immediate success. Although I've always punted the abilities of the fly , its been slow to catch on - a blessing in disguise. Unlike the mayfly hatches where you sometimes have to go through a lot of fly changes [...]
