Fantastic rainbow trout caught at La Ferme

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Posted on 30th October 2010 by admin in Catches

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Headed out to La Ferme, Franschhoek, today around brunch time to wet the line. Arrived there around 11h30 and by then the clouds had moved and the sun was beating down so it was assumed that the fish would be hiding out from the heat. Unfortunately that was the case until around lunch time when the wind picked up and clearly resulted in bugs and such falling into the dam, which got the fish up to the surface!

Fishing 2m from the edge of the water and using a DDD, this stunning rainbow trout jumped at the fly and put up a good 10 minute fight:

She was released shortly afterwards and swam off quickly!

Several other smaller ones were caught by other fisherman, but this beauty definitely took the cake today.

2010 CPS Bell’s Fly Fishing Festival

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Posted on 25th October 2010 by admin in Competitions

It’s come to that time of the year again where the Cape Piscatorial Society and Bell’s Whisky team up to hosting the Fly Fishing Festival at Merwida Lodge in Rawsonville in the Western Cape from 22nd to 24th October 2010.

One of the best things about the festival is that it’s aimed at beginners as well as experienced anglers, so you don’t need to feel shy if you’re new to the art of fly fishing nor do you need to worry about no competition if you think you’re an expert. The event is not limited to members of the Cape Piscatorial Society, so anyone is welcome to attend.

The best part in my opinion is that a guide will be assigned to two anglers, which means you’ll get individual attention, whcih is priceless if you ask me!

The event starts on Friday evening (18H00) at Merwida Lodge in Rawsonville with registration, guide/beat draw and an excellent dinner. The Saturday morning starts with an early breakfast and then a full day of guided fishing (with packed lunch) on the Elandspad, Smalblaar and Holsloot rivers. The festivities continue at Merwida Lodge on Saturday evening with a delicious spit braai followed by a prize giving. The prizes are kindly donated by Bell’s and many other fly fishing related companies and individuals. Sunday morning starts with a later breakfast and guests can then either fish a beat on one of the rivers unguided (packed lunch), or head home early to recover.

If you are attending, please make sure you have the following:

  • 2wt – 4wt rod with matching reel and floating line
  • 5X and 6X tippet
  • a selection of dry flies and nymphs
  • hat and sunblock
  • quick drying long pants (not essential but more comfortable)
  • wading boots or shoes with good ankle support
  • daypack to carry your lunch and drinks

Costs will be: R995 per person sharing, inclusive of accommodation at Merwida Lodge and other venues around Rawsonville, all meals from the Friday night to Sunday lunch, guided fishing on the Saturday. As this event is very popular and usually oversubscribed, full payment must be made by the 30th September 2010 to secure your place.

To book your place, please fill in the attached form, below, and email it to cpsbells@gmail.com.

Download: CPS Bells Fly Fishing Festival 2010 Booking Form

Eikendal Fly Fishing

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Posted on 23rd October 2010 by admin in Destinations

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Eikendal Wine Estate is situated on the R44 road between Somerset West and Stellenbosch. It’s a 30 minute drive from Cape Town and is a beautiful location. Fly Talk run the fly fishing at the damn and Phillip, the on-site manager, has a tackle shop with every little goodie you could possibly think of, he’s also there to offer advice and if you’re just keen to give fly fishing a go, he’ll be more than happy to set you up with a rod and some guidelines.

The estate offers fly fishing on two dams, an upper and a lower, both which have rainbow trout and brown trout. I didn’t manage to catch in the 2 hours I was there, but I arrived late and couldn’t get myself into the zone, despite seeing at least 30 jumpers whilst throwing from the bank of the lower dam. Eikendal allows tubes on the lower dam, which would appear to be incredibly popular as there were more tubers than bankers.

Lower dam looking towards the estate
Lower Dam
Float tubes at Eikendal

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Cost: R100 for the day
Fish: Rainbow and Brown Trout
Tackle: Fly Fishing
Rating: 3/5
Catch and Release: Yes, but you can keep 1
Contact: Philip 021 855 2646 / flytalk@telkomsa.net

Focus on Catch and Release

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Posted on 22nd October 2010 by admin in News

All angling clubs should practise environmentally friendly catch-and-release in their competitions, the SA Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity said on Thursday.

South African fisheries were on the decline and it was vital that everyone took measures to protect aquatic resources, the Grahamstown-based institute said.

It said an example had been set by the Mackay Bridge Angling Club based at Colchester in the Eastern Cape.

The club hosted an annual fishing competition in the Sundays River estuary where winners used to be judged solely by the weight of their catch.

The estuary was one of the institute’s tagging study sites.

In co-operation with the institute, the club had from 2007 changed the format to include a voluntary catch and release element.

The first 25 fish to be caught, tagged and successfully released resulted in prizes.

If previously tagged and released fish were caught again, the angler was awarded R2 500, though this prize had yet to be claimed.

The institute said the change in format of the competition was well-received by participants and had created much-needed awareness around sustainable fishing.

The challenge was to encourage other angling clubs, competition organisers and social anglers to practice catch and release.

via News24

You might also want to read the the fish depletion that was on Carte Blanche.

Bass feeding video

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Posted on 19th October 2010 by admin in Videos

This video was taken at Devil’s Lake in North Dakota in the United States. It’s probably one of the best video’s I’ve seen in a while, you honestly feel like you’re right there feeding the bass.

Take a watch:

It isn’t the Western Cape unfortunately, but I felt I would share it anyway :)

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