Based in Namibia, but just as likely to be found in the jungles of Bolivia, running down roosters in Mexico or stalking the Seychelles atolls, Christiaan Pretorius travels a lot and, as such, has his trip preparation down to a fine art. Here’s what he packs for the plentiful permit flats of Poivre.

“Fly fishing has become a lifestyle to me, it’s something I think of before I go to bed, it’s what I dream of and it’s the thing I think of when I start my day. Obviously it’s impossible to go fishing on a daily basis, which fact I have also come to accept.

“Even though I cannot always physically get out to fish, there are many things that I can do in preparation for upcoming trips, which to me is just as enjoyable as the fishing part. I have fallen in love with the process of preparation leading up to a trip. I have adopted the mentality that you should always try and control as much as you can, as there are so many other factors in fly fishing that one cannot control when out on location.  I am referring to things like, weather, fish migrations, bait availability, temperature, pandemics etc.

“When it comes to planning and preparation I look at everything I need to make it a successful trip. I start with the most important thing and that is to secure the right week in the season for the targeted species, factoring in tides, moon phases etc. This varies from species to species and, obviously, destination to destination. I try do my homework and definitely feel that social media has made that very convenient as you can get the most up to date information before a trip. You can communicate directly with guides on the destination… a big win in my honest opinion and a major tool.

“Corona virus rearranged most recreational fishing plans in 2020, so it’s been a while since I last packed my bag.  I was very lucky to be able to reschedule most of my trips over to 2021 and got my first one under the belt earlier this year. It was to Poivre atoll in the Seychelles where the plan was to chase permit with well-known company Alphonse Fishing Co. (alphonsefishingco.com).”

Get the what and the why of the tackle and gear Christiaan uses in the full story in issue 27 below. As always, it’s free.

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