From the Vaal to the Orange, river guide Thembane William Tatse of Kalahari Outventures only came to fly fishing recently, but practice makes perfect and his office is the Orange River so he’s fast becoming a smallmouth and largemouth yellowfish pro. As featured in The Mission Issue 18.
5 best things about where you guide?
- The team, aka Die Ous, aka The A-TEAM. Weโre the best. It is really a blessing to have been chosen to work with them.
- The desert environment I work in, including Tutwa Lodge, Augrabies National Park and the many special places around it.
- Itโs mind blowing, the huge number of wildlife species we have. The birds can`t stop singing and there are wild animals everywhere. Even the cows are wild. You hardly ever see people on the river except your fellow fly fishermen.
- The natural environment around the Orange River is so awesome, especially the section we are paddling in. The river is calm here with nice, clean flows.
- The fishing is truly insane. When you see the numbers of fish we have, it will blow your mind.
5 common mistakes that clients make?
- Trying to cast very far even when they donโt have to. It can drain a lot of your energy and still often results in no fish landed.
- Underestimating the guideโs ability to put them into a fish.
- Noticing a very nice spot or hole in a rapid and then wading straight to that spot and spooking the fish, instead of fishing the water leading up to that spot.
- Not bringing enough water.
- Not bringing a wading stick. Some folks are not physically fit enough to wade without a stick so they end up falling in the river and causing chaos in the water.
5 indispensable flies for freshwater?
- Wooly Bugger.
- Caddis (natural green and mustard).
- Squirmies.
- Black and Olive Nosediver.
- MSPs.
Catch the rest of Thembane’s High Fives in The Mission Issue 18 below.
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