In January, the Durban Fly Tyers asked me to write an article for their monthly newsletter, The Bobbin. Having only recently started getting into the Australian fly fishing scene, I decided to write about my first taste of Aussie fly fishing.
I've now visited the Bend twice, both times in pouring rain with the river far too dirty to fish. But that's far from my biggest problem. On my latest trip, when everyone headed off for an afternoon nap, I decided to skip the river and give the still waters a try. I therefore got Dave to sketch me up a rough map of the dams on the property, grabbed my fly rods, and headed out for an afternoon session. My first stop was at Otter Dam which was too dirty to dedicate any time too. So I quickly popped over to Three Springs Dam which, although dirty, was fishable. I kitted up my rods and began prospecting the wall with minimal confidence. There was little sign of activity so after 15 minutes I called it and…
I often find it strange that people are intimidated by rivers and yet think of dams and lakes as their friends. Yes, it's true that still waters are often easier to fish, especially when they're maintained specifically for that purpose, but in rivers the fish have fewer places to hide and the water is easier to read. When one approaches a still water, especially a relatively large one, they are met with an expanse of water with endless places for fish to hide. It’s also relatively unclear as to what lies beneath that glassy surface. Is it deep or shallow? Is there a lot of structure? And most importantly, where are all the fish? As such deciding where to start fishing is not always an easy decision. I suppose one…
