Rediscovering a Treasure

On a recent family hike into the hills I was over the moon to rediscover a fragile population of Brown trout that I had assumed were wiped out in the drought.

Pockets of Gold: Lesotho’s Elusive Brown Trout

Nothing in fly fishing excites me and intrigues me more than a big Basotholand Brown trout. We all know how spooky and difficult to catch a Brown can be. Now add to that some mountains, crystal clear water, bright sunshine, and there you have the ultimate fly fishing challenge.

The most well known Lesotho Brown trout are those inhabiting the Maletsunyane  and Bokong Rivers. I haven’t fished either of these rivers but from what i know, the Maletsunyane probably has the biggest fish of all Lesotho Rivers. Unfortunately it’s only in a few km of river between the Maletsunyane Falls a wier above Semonkong town. This section of river has some very heavy angling pressure due to it being such a short section of river and having a popular tourist attraction and lodge close by. As much as I enjoy catching Browns and especially big ones, this river doesn’t appeal to me. I believe there are some big Browms below the falls but they are few and far between.

The Jewel of Eastern Lesotho

Dramatic sandstone cliffs, willow trees in full autumn bloom, clear water, and shallow cruising trout. What more could I ask for? Here follow a few pictures

Skating Spiders and Dapping Dries

While fishing the beautiful Elandshoek River, I discovered, for myself, a method of small stream dry fly fishing that I will certainly be using the next time I’m out and the going gets tough.

Forgotten Rivers of the Tribal Lands

Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape have plenty of fantastic river fishing which remains almost completely unknown to most fly fishers.  I consider these streams

Trail Running for Trout

Hiking and running 100 km in 3 days, over the Drakensberg to fish a Lesotho river that’s seldom, if ever seen another fly fisherman other than myself and a few mates.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get all the latest to your inbox!