Sterkfontein is regarded as one of the premiere sight fly fishing venues in the world. Who wouldn't want to cast to sighted smallmouth yellowfish in crystal clear waters, ever fearing the imminent Berg storm. http://www.youtube.com/embed/iydiRETssBw
Sterkfontein remains one the premier fly fishing locations in South Africa, growing in popularity annually with no end in sight. Not only does it provide some of the best sight fishing in the world, but it also offers fishing for a purely South African species in a venue of unmatched beauty. But it's not all sunshine and roses. Sterkfontein is also known for it's tough conditions and unpredictable weather. Sunshine can turn to lightning (and pouring rain) in an instant, turning a once tranquil dam into a fierce, ocean rival, sinking boats caught unexpectedly in the storm. This is where we chose to camp for a week... [caption id="attachment_2926" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Sunset over Sterkfontein Dam[/caption] Sharon, Emma and I arrived at Sterkfontein on Monday morning where we met up with Nick, Tarryn…
[caption id="attachment_2116" align="alignright" width="225"] Nick with a bass[/caption] After months of waiting it was finally time to head back down to Inanda Dam for a little bass bashing. Sadly conditions were not what we'd hoped they would be. Heading north towards the Umgeni River revealed algae on the surface that was so thick it appeared to be paint. Throwing out a popper was useless as it would either sit on top, or work it’s way under where you could no longer see it. Fishing sub surface may have worked but we weren’t interested in sitting in the muck. We therefore headed towards the dam wall where the surface was thankfully clear of the green goo. There was however another problem in that the dam was so low that there was…
Well done to Warren for having an article and a few photos published in Wildside Magazine. [caption id="attachment_2112" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Warren's article in Wildside Magazine[/caption]
With the windy months having passed us by, and the water warming through the spring months, it was time for another trip to Cape Vidal. Sadly however we battled with booking and managed to secure just a single campsite, meaning that just 6 fishermen could join us on this adventure. I picked up Graeme at 4:30am and we headed to Durban where we met up with Bruce and Laurence. After quickly packing the trailer we hit the road at 5am with Vidal set firmly in our sights. We stopped just twice on route, once for the maditory cup of coffee, and then again for the even more mandatory Wimpy breakfast. The other two adventurers, Neill and Arthur, were already on route from the South Coast Fly Anglers and had agreed to meet us on…
A few months ago I received a phone call from Alan asking me to be the guest speaker at the UHTFC AGM. I happily accepted, feeling honoured that I'd been asked, and began planning my speech. The months flew by and before I knew it I was packing my bags (and laptop) for the trip up to Underberg, hoping my talk would be well received. I arrived at Twin Springs, just outside Underberg, at around 3 in the afternoon. It was overcast and misty, with temps in the single digits, and sporadic drizzle passing in waves. Neill and Derek had spent the morning on the water and were looking a little worse for wear, although they had picked up some lovely fish for their effort. We therefore decided to relax…
Having been far too long since I'd visited the trout bliss of Underberg I decided to put a quick trip together to right the wrongs. Sadly my trusty sidekick (Nick) was unable to join the adventure, so I headed up alone at lunch time on Friday. The plan was to meet up with Neill, Alan and Wayne for a weekend's fishing. I battled through the Durban traffic, making the mistake of stopping at McDonalds for a quick bite (which was anything but quick), and thankfully still reached Underberg just after 3pm. Neill was on his was to Trelevans II so I quickly caught up with Alan before heading across to the water where I joined Alan and Wayne. The level was good despite the dry winter, and before I knew it I…
