Rhodes update

[smallstreams.co.za]

Okay, so for the record, Rhodes is still pretty dry and we have not received any rain.

[Umhlangarox]

Okay, so for the record, Rhodes is still pretty dry and we have not received any rain.

Hahahaha so hopefully the forecast is accurate and you get rain at the end of October

[JadeDsantos]

You guys all have the wrong approach, its not about predicting, its about dicatating the weather.

I have spoken to my local shaman, he will be holding a rain dance ceremony for the NEC coming sometime September or November. He is normally 100% correct, he just struggles with how much, and when exactly, but it will rain in those months.

@Matty sounds like you have spoken to him already?

[Umhlangarox]

You guys all have the wrong approach, its not about predicting, its about dicatating the weather.

I have spoken to my local shaman, he will be holding a rain dance ceremony for the NEC coming sometime September or November. He is normally 100% correct, he just struggles with how much, and when exactly, but it will rain in those months.

@Matty sounds like you have spoken to him already?

@Jade I have, will shortly be able to tell you when and how much rain the NEC will be getting

[Circus]

So despite the drought and warnings from everyone I spoke to that the fishing would be garbage, I went to Rhodes last week.

The plan had always been to fish the Kraai under low flow, clear conditions. Its just that the flow was lower than planned. At the Kraai bridge 10km after Aliwal the flow was about a quarter of the Kloppershoekspruit’s flow was in April.

I stayed at Kelvin Grove near Moshesh's Ford (lovely cottage right above the Kraai) and fished a variety of Big Mac water for the first 4 days. Flow was so low on the upper Kraai beats that you could cross the river in the shallow sections without getting wet above your wading boots. Visibility was about 2m.

Despite the adverse conditions, the fish were around. In every pool with water over 1.2m, I found fish, normally a few together huddling in the shade of a rock. Low flows meant that dead-drift nymphing techniques weren’t appropriate and I caught >90% of my fish actively retrieving large Zak nymphs, small black w/b’s and black aggravators. It felt kinda weird to be fishing a river like a still-water, but whatever works.

While the numbers caught per day were less than half of what we achieved in April, the size of the fish was most encouraging with 75% of them in the 12-14 inch range vs >90% less than 11 inches in the Bell/Bok/Sterk/Riflespruits in April.

I was fishing my new 10’ #3 and it performed excellently – the heavier weight and extra length vs my 7’10” #2 were clearly evident, especially when needing to roll cast 15m into the wind.

The best had to wait for the final day of the trip when I fished an out-of-the-way beat on the Kraai below Barkly. I’d arrived at 13h00 due to an ill-timed conference call and the water was daunting – very large pools with little depth necessitated carefully picking spots and walking a lot. Having found my first likely spot, on my second cast, the take was gentle, but the first run took me right to my backing and I knew I’d found what I’d been looking for. A minute later I saw a flash of gold and realised why the first run had been so powerful. Very happy that I’d switched up to 5x due to the howling wind, I landed a magnificent yellowfish some minutes later. It was about 65cm long and must have weighed around 5lbs. My first Kraai yellow was as brightly coloured as the ones in Sterkfontein and in water as clear!

2 casts later I took a 12-inch trout from the same spot. Through the rest of the afternoon I took both trout and yellowfish from three separate pools, with the largest trout coming in at about 18 inches and two others at 16 inches. What a way to end the trip.

Was it worth it going when flows were low? Definitely, but be smart an stay closer to the bigger water.

[jmac]

great report.

glad to hear you got the fishing that you were hoping for. especially because you were prepared to take the chance.

I've fished a couple of beats on the kraai below Barkley and they've never failed to impress. went there the first time with Fred Steynberg guiding me and in the last pool of the day, fishing a drop-off with an adjusted leisinring lift that he showed me, I hooked yellows and rainbows , almost shot for shot, for about 15-20 mins, none of the yellows were anywhere near as big as yours though.

[firephish]

Sounds like fantastic fishing, thanks for sharing.

I have never managed to fish the Kraai, seems like i need to make a plan.

[smallstreams.co.za]

So despite the drought and warnings from everyone I spoke to that the fishing would be garbage, I went to Rhodes last week.

Who said the fishing would be garbage?

Nice fish there btw. The Kraai outside Barkly is also controlled (2 beats) by the WTA, so it's quite apt that this is counted under Rhodes (for those wondering )

[Circus]

Who said the fishing would be garbage?

Without naming folks, lets just say 2 separate folks around Rhodes and a fly shop employee in JHB. And if I had tried to fish the rivers upstream of the Kraai, they would have been correct. The Kraai flow was also noticeably stronger downstream from the Joggem and Vlooikraaspruits.

After landing the big yellow, I almost stopped for the day on the principle that everything else wouldn't compare. I'm glad I didn't as the three big trout all made it to my top 5 Eastern Cape river trout.

Mario - I found a couple of very pleasant gentlemen on the Wildside beat who you'd given advice to.

[smallstreams.co.za]

Mario - I found a couple of very pleasant gentlemen on the Wildside beat who you'd given advice to.

Then they must have suffered because of the advice then Do you know how they fared?

I think when you talk about fishing in Rhodes you specifically come to fish the bubbling and amazing streams rather than pool hopping and fishing it as a pond. So there could be some justification in their comments.

However, as you say, to catch fish in those conditions you have to employ those tactics, especially if you travel such a distance.