Rio Elite Warmwater Predator – sink tip    

It’s the only sink tip line that doesn’t tangle and Rio has managed to create a sink tip that you can cast accurately. It remains to be seen how long it will last, but so far I have been really impressed with it.

Anetik Low Pro Tech Hoody    

Being savaged by tropical sun is no fun, especially when you’re naturally pink like me. I’ve been through dozens of shirt brands, and these are the best I’ve found in both material and design. Major plus for me is the drawstring on the hood, meaning in windy conditions or boat rides it stays in place and keeps my Goldilocks out my face! Lightweight, cooling, pretty perfect… only drawback for me is no thumb loops.

Any Leatherman    

Not to much to explain here as we all know how handy these tools are especially on a fishing trip. I’ve had my current one for 10 years, it never disappoints and gets better as it ages.

Scientific Anglers Absolute Leader Wallet    

For the life of me, no matter the pack, sling or waistpack I use, I tend to struggle to find the thing I want when I want it and have to take everything off, dump it out and sift through the various bits and bobs till I do. It drives me nuts.

I recently got hold of this leader wallet from Scientific Anglers and it’s been the product I never knew I always needed. Featuring several re-sealable bags all housed under a Velcro closure, I have my tapered leaders organised by length and strength, plus a few pages spare for strike indicators, fishing license etc. It hardly takes up any space in a pack, but when I need something I now know where to find it.

Enertec lithium battery

I’ve used this battery for the pasty year on my Ark inflatable. I also used the C-tek One smart charger. The battery has an amazing range, charges pretty quickly and being a smart battery it means that you are able to check the battery level while on the water which is very useful for understanding efficiency, range and whether you need to conserve the battery or not.

Gnarly Poppers    

I was lucky to get hold of these poppers from Arno Laubscher of Scientific Fly earlier this year. Hands down one of my favourite top water flies at the moment. It is always fun fishing surface flies, but it can be tricky to get a popper to track correctly and make the right noise.

The design on these is incredible. These suckers do the trick, and I have already had great success with them in Texas and Tanzania. Now I am taking them with me to the Seychelles and am sure they will do the trick out there too!

C&F Design bobbin holder (Standard)

I eventually splurged on a C&F Design bobbin holder (Standard) after wanting one for the longest time. Besides the fact that it’s real pretty to look at, the C&F Design bobbin holder is a proper functional piece of fly tying kit. Advocated by many to be one of the best bobbin holders around, it’s easy to see why. Its ergonomic design and slim profile allows the bobbin to fit comfortably in your hand, yet it has the feel of something sturdy. It comes with cool features like a foam slit through which the thread runs resulting in“automatic” tension adjustment, something that is lacking from the majority of other bobbin holders that tend to lose tension with regular use. 

Here are a few other features I like:

1) Full ceramic tube

2) Fits comfortably in my hand

3) Comes with a bobbin threader

4) Just looks cool

I would highly recommend this for any serious tier who likes aesthetics as well as functionality.

Echo Bad Ass Glass 9-weight

For targeting medium sized predatory fish in remote places,I recommend this rod for two reasons: Firstly, its strength and flexibility allows the angler to hold fairly big fish under the boat purely with the bend of the rod without snapping the tippet – you are basically fighting the fish with the bend of the rod (and not the drag of the reel), without letting it take line and so preventing the fish from finding structure to wrap you up in or snap your line on.

Secondly this rod is also incredibly tough (like a piece of biltong) and handles a beating really well, i.e. hitting overhanging branches while casting or boat batter and rash from getting tossed around on the deck or during storage in the boat etc. It just seems impossible to break, so it won’t (or is unlikely to) let you down and leave you less-one-rod on the trip.

Pierre Sempe Coloured Monofilament

Initially I was skeptical about using fluorescent tippet material, making me feel somewhat less incognito. However, I’m still catching as many fish, and losing even fewer than before. The really thin 0.12mm green/yellow mono that I’ve been using has outperformed all of my other more traditional 6x options. This fluoro coloured “spider silk” is strong and withstands a lot of pressure, presents a dry fly delicately and is extremely visible (to the angler).

Per Matt Gorlei’s demonstration, it can be used really efficiently for Euro-nymphing too, where two rod lengths of this tippet is strong enough to throw a team of nymphs, and the fluoro colour-contrasted indicator signals the subtlest of takes.

Fishpond fly puck

As a simple fly fisherman, I feel intimidated by a complicated fly box. Fishpond’s fly puck lets you store some slabs of meat or sprinklings of bugs, and removes the need to look over the other 1000 flies to get to ‘those ones’, which normally lie enveloped in a nourishing, maternal, big soft-feel nipple type thing.

Yeti Side Kick 6l dry bag

Bigger than the old 3l bag, it has space for a fly box, tippet spools, my mirrorless fuji and phone. The magnetic closure system is properly waterproof and it’s made of a tough fabric that takes well to wear and tear. I use it as sling pack while wading and as deck bag on the SUP and kayak.

Gear Keeper Net Retractor

I have had my Gear Keeper for nearly 6 years now. it is strong, reliable and almost unbreakable. This net retractor puts all others to shame; all these years later and it still works like it did on day one. If anyone is looking for a piece of gear that does the job and lasts, this is the one. It must be this brand though, these things are flippen brilliant!

Echo Bad Ass Glass 9-weight

Fishing these rods is like going to a rap concert, putting on earphones and listening to Metallica’s “Nothing else matters”.

Everybody is dressed cool, moves to a catchy fast modern beat, but none of that matters because you’ve got soul.

Guideline waders

I have both ends of the spectrum. The ULBC (Ultra Light Back Country) which is their featherweight “stuff them in your backpack and mission the whole day into the back country and pop them on” kinda deal.

As the name implies, they’re a very specific piece of kit, but when I don’t have space for a full pair of waders, these have performed excellently.

The other end of the spectrum is the Alta wader. The most industrial flagship model they have; super comfortable for guiding. I wear mine 60-70 full working days in row and then fish for myself too. They are warm for that early June ice cold glacial smelt, but also convertible so on the hotter days, when they can become pants only.

Lavvo tent

I’d recommend anyone planning to go on an overnight fishing trip in the wild together with friends to get a lavvo. A lavvo is a traditional Sapmi tent (The Sapmi are the indigenous people of the Scandinavian Arctic). It looks very much like a tipi, which is the traditional kind of tent used by the native peoples of North America. 

Nowadays you can get these in very lightweight, technical versions. Advantages: Lots of space, great ventilation, lightweight if you’re camping with friends, it can take very heavy weather due to the shape, you can stand up inside, it’s great for hanging out and cooking a common dinner in bad weather. In short: Once you go lavvo, you can’t go back! 

Lamson Guru S Blackout fly reel

I have been fishing these reels (I have two, the 7+ in the OG colourway and a 9+ in Arctic) for two years now. As far as mid-priced reels go, these things are awesome.

Mine are, besides one or two tiny knicks, still as good as new, and that includes the beautifully smooth drag. They’ve accounted for several PBs and memorable fish, including kob and yellowtail in 2024. Now, with the just-released Blackout colourway, I’ve been good, Santa, I swear! 

The Wiggle Minnow Fly

Disgusting, featureless and vile in every shape and form, however, wet it and pair it up with a sinking line and you create one of those flies that displays movements that teeter on the precipice of unethical fly fishing.

We recently had a client bring a few to Tanzania and after many requests David Taylor begrudgingly agreed to put the fly on under the condition that after a swim he had the final say on whether it stayed on.

Well it did, and the first fly quite promptly ended up in 16lber’s mouth. The second on the next day with myself hooked a fish that not only straightened the hook but bend it sideways too. We have discussed whether this should be public knowledge and have decided that that it’s in the best interest of the fly fishing community at large, as long as this doesn’t get to Dan factor.

Orial Outdoor Drifter 25l zip-top dry pack

I’ve been super impressed with this pack. I’ve used it pretty much for six months now, including on the Vaal River, in estuaries, on boat trips, and even offshore. It’s comfortable and the zip is 100 percent secure. I love that it’s got an extra rubberised outer layer on the bottom which is where most dry bags eventually wear through.

Fishpond Fly Puck

I’ve used it in Mexico and on the Orange River; it’s just a super handy waterproof little case. I had it storing pre-made leaders wound up and used it as a fly box to take a few select flies. It’s an easy to open simple thing that just works. Going to get myself a couple now as well. 

Echo Shadow II 10ft 3-weight nymphing rod

It presents a dry fly like a dream, is super smooth, handles line well, is devoid of unnecessary bling and costs a third of any of its rivals. It is extremely versatile too; it’s a great nymphing rod but according to Ed Trutter, is excellent on stillwaters too where it excels in presenting a team of flies.

Salomon Elixir Tour Mid Waterproof hiking shoes

Fishing the streams of the Western Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal or many other places that require a decent amount of hiking often means that you’re either lugging your wading boots as additional pack weight, or hiking significant distances in them.

Specific to multi-day fishing trips, where you’re camping and covering ground, the Salomon hiking boot range offers some great lightweight alternatives to those chunky wading boots. I’ve found the Elixir Tour’s to be a great middle-ground that offer the best of both worlds.

Waterworks Lamson Litespeed

Having been a faithful companion for the past 3 years, my Waterworks Lamson Litespeed fly reel continues to impress. This reel isn’t just aesthetically pleasing; it’s a powerhouse of performance. Lightweight yet robust, it features one of the smoothest drag systems available, with zero startup torque – a crucial feature when chasing powerful, fast-moving fish. Its precision engineering and reliability make it a top-tier choice for any angler.