Fly fishing in South Africa

[Guest Vagabond]

In answer to a request for information.

 

We spent a week in the Drakensberg Mountains east of Lesotho. There is good flyfishing there in both rivers and farm dams, although the locals were telling me the fishing had deteriorated as compared to five or more years ago.

 

(Sounds familiar - is there anywhere in the world where anglers are saying the fishing has IMPROVED over the last five years?)

 

Nevertheless, I managed to catch fish up to three-and a half pounds. Caught browns and rainbows from two dams, and some browns from the Mooi River. All the small fish were browns, and all the bigger ones rainbows - it would have been nicer if t'were t'other way round, but there it is.

 

The locals were using pretty gaudy flies, but I had most of my fish on Pheasant tail (river) and Green damsel (both dams).

 

The fishing was quite stimulating, as there were plenty of snakes in the marshy fringes of the dams (brown water-snake - harmless), and the river had a recent floodline of rotting debris along the banks, full of various rodents and the odd spitting cobra or rinkhals (nasty).

 

Not a problem, as cobras slope off when they sense heavy footfall. Er, heavy footfall ? But there's me creeping very quietly along the bank so as not to spook the trout!

 

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Vagabond

[Guest Newt]

Vagabond - I know the UK isn't a mecca for anti-snake gear but before your next trip to the wilds where they do have such things, you might be interested in a pair of boots that tie off near the knees and are guarenteed to be snake-proof.

 

If not the boots, we also have a variety of knee-high and hip-hi leggins that will not allow a snake thru. Just slip them on over your shoes and trousers.

 

The fishing does sound like it was well worth the trip though.

[Guest Vagabond]

Thanks Newt, but the leggin's sound as if they would be bleedin' 'ot to wear in a S African summer.

 

Did wear a stout pair of walking boots though, as I have quite a lot of experience of walking the Australian bush. Snakes rare but very nasty.

 

Trouble was, on the Mooi River, that the flood debris was beside me on a steepish bank - about the level of my left ear! The venomous snakes present were spitting cobras, so a dose of venom in the eye was more likely than a cobra up my trouser-leg.

 

Vigilance is the best preventative, and I have to be doubly vigilant because my ears died about six years ago, so I can't hear a slither or hiss (can still hear the phrase "what are you having?" though.

 

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Vagabond

 

[This message has been edited by Vagabond (edited 08 January 2002).]