In its last Cederberg river system redoubt, South Africa’s remaining Clanwilliam sandfish population is fighting for survival. They’re a tantalisingly, challenging target on fly. In issue 24, Leonard Flemming runs us through what is being done to save them and how you and your fly rod could help. An indigenous sandfish from the Biedouw [...]
Chasing the elusive labeobarbus grand slam, Leonard Flemming discovered he had missed his mark when the chiselmouth goal posts were moved. "There are a few things that need to be achieved by a fly fisherman in South Africa before a date with the Grim Reaper (or the day you emigrate). Here's hoping death comes first, [...]
I dig fishing big dry flies with long 'legs' or rubber appendages for extra movement. The bigger flies are more buoyant and therefore also highly visible, they float longer than tiny dries and they can work charmingly well as 'indicators' when a dropper nymph is attached (I prefer 'New Zealand style' for this). Big dry [...]
"Never again will I be unprepared for an ant hatch" were part my thoughts on the drive home after watching sceptic Clanwilliam yellowfish refuse some of my 'buggy' nymphs over the weekend. The fishing was phenomenal, best I had ever experienced in the Tankwa Karoo, but I missed out on about three extra yellows that [...]
“How can this be happening…” “And all this because people still eat weird shit” “How can one even begin to consider eating bats, civets, pangolins…Or monkeys!? Immoral meat, that’s what it should be called, immoral meat and it should be banned everywhere in the world” I gripped a thin, sharp but dusty edge with my [...]
SMALLMOUTH, largemouth, Natal Scalies, Lowveld, Clannies… South Africa’s yellowfish species are loved and lauded, but some cousins fly under the radar like the endangered Witvis. Leonard Flemming recounts what it took to catch his first one and how he’s been consistently targeting them since then. "Once upon a time, long ago, before I had caught [...]
"A mirror-calm bay glided into view as we hiked around a dry wheat-coloured hillock. Dry grass lined the banks as far as the eye could see and I regretted wearing the thick socks that had turned into scratchy grass seed pin cushions. This was forgotten as ripples broke the surface and the backs of two [...]
IT'S EASY TO ASSUME when you're out fishing, that the fish have always been there and that nature provides, but in South Africa with specific species like yellowfish and trout, more often than not there are people behind the scenes fighting to ensure that we can enjoy our fishing. FOSAF stalwart, Bill Mincher who passed [...]
"Mark is good to watch, which some fly fishers, no matter how good they are, are not, though it's not something I can easily find words for. I guess with Mark his most important attributes as a fly fisher are his ability to read both the water and the fish and his casting skills, especially [...]
As much as I love crunching black mussel shells walking a West Coast beach, I also cherish the succulents of the mountain ranges that lie near this coastline. I get to do and see these things when I set off on mini adventures, solo missions to find fish. Succulents of the Cederberg fascinate me. [...]
