I've been contemplating ways to alter the attack when the surface bite for Breede and Kleinbrak grunter slows down, and I think, as always with the help of mates, I've found one or two things worth trying. I've fished Karoolskraal only twice, both times the fishing was rather challenging. Which is fine because the vibes [...]
Think you’ve got skills? Want to see one of your patterns immortalized in South African fly tying like Herman Botes’s Papa Roach or Tony Biggs’s RAB? We’ve teamed up with Arno Laubscher of ScientificFly and Grip Hooks for a multi-issue fly tying competition where each category winner gets Grip fly tying material prizes of R500 [...]
It’s been a while since I’ve been fishing for an Eastern Cape Stillwater troot but a recent trip to the land of milk and honey for a family event got me thinking back to the glory days. The Stormberg and Winterberg are particularly special places to me and these high-altitude waters, which are often large [...]
I've been messing around with various techniques and styles of Bucktail tying recently, incorporating a few of Bob Popovic's techniques as usual in a variety of different patterns. I've always had a love and attraction to the tear drop/razor belly style of baitfish patterns that the likes of Jason Taylor ties... There is just something [...]
This is a series of bait and their fly imitates that I'm doing as nod to Saltwater Prey, probably my favourite piece of fishing literature. However I will do this (rather selfishly) as and when I'm imitating prey items for upcoming trips. If you've spent a fair amount of time on fishing boats in the [...]
? To see stoneflies on steroids getting munched by big-ass fish, you have to experience the USA’s salmonfly (Pteronarcys Californica) hatch. To find out more, we chat to former Protea fly angler Craig ‘Yeti’ Richardson who lives in Idaho these days where he guides on the Henry’s Fork River. What was your first experience of [...]
A large number of swimming prawns (almost certainly Penaeus monodon, aka Tiger Prawn) have invaded Southern Cape Estuaries at least as far south as Breede. This sparked some conversation here at Feathers and Fluoro, with resident science type JD wondering out loud whether or not they’d be followed by springer (Elops machnata, aka skipjack, ladyfish, [...]
TOTALLY COMMITTED Nine to five. That’s how long I worked that flat today. The blazing sun burned me right through my shirt: I now look like a tomato with vitiligo. Also, I missed an appointment. Within an hour or two of fishing I felt as though I had a steel rod in my back, and [...]
Natal scalies may be aggressive at times and eat big flies, but they are no pushover. We (Jeff Tyser, Ben Pellegrini and me) had many big yellow mambas swim over to check out our flies, but most of them either spat the fly out so quickly we couldn't connect with them (they sipped and spat [...]
IRONMAN SBS If you haven't read part 1 and part 2.1 of this series, may I suggest you do before working through this piece? If we’re all still friends after that, let’s tie this thing. Note: Pic heavy post, and I found some of the finer points quite hard to explain. I hope you can [...]
