Snowshoe is not regular in South Africa. I was introduced to this funky dry fly material via Instagram (the platform may have its pros and cons, but the pros still outweigh the cons for me so far...Like spotting great-looking fly patterns and 'new' fly tying materials). Materials I came across on Instagram, which I really [...]
From representing, captaining and coaching South African fly fishing teams all over the world, to whispering to spotted grunter on the sandbanks of the Breede river, fighting Geets in the Indian Ocean or snapper in Gabon, we know very few anglers who can match MC Coetzer for all-round skills. Massive streamers, micro-nymphs, delicate dries, salt, [...]
Plop. Greedy eyes swivelled towards the commotion. As they focussed, I swear she licked her fat rubber lips at the fry pattern hovering 1.5m away. She stroked her whiskers, cruised over and slurped it down. A plan was coming together and this was a welcome change. No hesitation or suspicion. Since moving to the Netherlands [...]
We're loving this new video series on Youtube from Gordon van der Spuy (aka The Feather Mechanic), one of South Africa's best fly tiers and instructors. An actor by trade, Gordon begins each video with a clear explanation of what he wants to achieve from the fly, the materials he will use and why he [...]
Have you ever struggled to spot your dry fly in low-light? That surface glare can be a real pain in the eyes when you are fishing your regular parachute dry, but here is the answer: Black posts or dark wings. Flies tied with dark, neutral colours, like dark grey or black CDC and/or poly-yarn, really [...]
It's cold. I'm wet. My fingers are numb. This is kak. Day 6 in the upper Gaula without a touch. And it's rained every day. A lot. This is salmon fishing. Why? Why is this the best thing I can do with my time? Why do I neglect my friends, my partner and other responsibilities [...]
As good as the initial Jigskinz poppers looked, they suffered from the same issue most crease flies have (in my opinion) -they were too soft. I tried all sorts of tricks using cut-able foam sheets until I decided that EVA blocks were the only option. There were two issues I needed to solve for; 1)Using [...]
I'm no fan of cyclists... I think if you live anywhere with narrow roads you probably aren't either. Unless perhaps you're a cyclist yourself. I'm not talking about mountain bikers, I'm talking about the lycra clad pseudo Tour de France coffee shop clogging shaved leg road cyclists that seem to be oblivious to everything and [...]
For some years, I have largely ignored my closest fishing hole. Five minutes from home, the Garden Route Dam was once a pristine bass fishing destination. The near-black tannic water made for challenging fly fishing, but experimentation and perseverance paid off. It also hosted enough bluegill to keep a kid busy for hours. But then [...]
Soft hackle and CDC Brassies should be in every trout and yellowfish nymph box; they imitate a variety of 'bugs' and have some serious mojo even on the slow days. I particularly enjoy fishing them patiently under an indicator in stillwater channels or deep pools where you can give them plenty of hang time to [...]
