Little Troutbeck 14-16 Feb 2014

[emjaysmit]

Hi guys, it was an awesome learning curve that much I can say. Got there on Friday evening. Cold, Rainy, Wind Howling...Didn't brake my spirit though. With passing clouds and weather spurts the moon was there and gone every few minutes...at about 11pm after a late braai and putting the kids to bed I headed off to the dam outside our cottage called Golden Pond...basically casting blind folded I managed a take on a size 8 Wooly Bugger in Peacock color. Got it out the system, headed back to my cozy stoep and read up a little in all the books in the cottage.

Had a nice rest and was up at 4:30...pitch black outside. I was a bit enthusiastic as I "assumed" if the sun dips so late in the evening surely it should rise just as early...anyway, started up the fire again and enjoyed a good cuppa while reading some more on the stoep and hoping for a peep of sunrise or fish starting to become active. This did not help with the darkness becoming lighter at around 5:40am...WIND deluxe...DRIZZLE like crazy and this really eerie scene with mist and a forrest staring at me like a scene from Sherlock Holmes's Hound of the Baskerville's...Not a sign of a rise or any sort of life...worked my way towards the northern side of Golden Pond, got ready to make my cast and all of a sudden this thing comes running towards me and I can hear it approaching rapidly...as I was about to drop the rod and give my mind a chance to figure out whether a b-line would be the order of the day or bargaining the icy water of the dam a stupid deer made it's hasty appearance and swerved left...15 years got taken off my old age then and there...

Still addiment at my quest to the northern side without as much as a thump on the line I was now standing at the foreest entrance and it was pitch black in the forrest hole...history repeated itself once again with a stupid deer barking right next to me...I have never frozen stiff like that in my life or got such a fright before....I almost died...anyway...with most of the frights at end I was becoming very frustrated with the happenings...not a take...went through every piece of fly I had and nothing...eventually after the lady told me there are little golden baitfish I opted to tie on a little minnow type thing that represents a little brown trout and had some golden bits in. It also had a tail similar to a wooly bugger...one frantic strip and a missed take...

Spirits were low and I headed back to base to enjoy a hearty breaky with the family and to spend some quality time with them. I forgot to tak some butter with so I decided to visit John the farm manager in his house to ask him if his wife could please bring a brick with her when she returned from town. He invited me in and even insisted to give me a spare one from his fridge. What a lovely experience and awesome person. A quick butter question ended up in a two hour living room meeting sharing all kinds of stories...followed by an invitation to go fish with him as he hasn't fished for a wee bit like the scotts say...I wasn't going to pass up the chance and grabbed it.

Headed down to the first little pond just beneath his house...on his second cast he was into a fish...Emjay 0...lol...3 fish almost back to back and Emjay still 0...we then proceeded to talk about fishing and it so happens that he was fishing a olive still water damsel on a figure of eight retrieve. I did the same and still nothing. He then decided to give us a treat and we headed off to the farthest dam ontop of he hill...still armed with the still water damsels he was into 4 fish on back to back casts..I got one miss and a take right after the fly touched the water...lost it...after that not a touch and he was already probably into his 11th fish...at one stage he caught two at the same time when he added a little dropper fly...as the sun dipped below the hills the fish just started boiling everywhere...I then tied on a parachute hopper...two mised takes and a behmoth just clobbered me, grabbed me and broke me of almost instantly on a 8lb leader...it went under, dug through weeds and just broke me like string no questions asked.

When driving back to the cottages after it was way past dark we established one common difference. I was fishing a normal mono/copolymor leader and he was on a fluoro one...I also did not posses any of the flies he was using to get his fish...Nice braai once again and off to bed after reading up again...next morning looked way better with very little wind and blue bird skies...fish going crazy and sill no bites...at around 9am after breakfast I decided enough of this...grabbed the wifey and headed of into town....what was supposed to be a quick few flies and some fluoro leader material ended up in a brunch, toys for the kids and a 3k fly fishing shop bill...

Headed off to the Golden pond with great antisipation with my new arsenal...took a long 13 foot leader and tied on a weighted still water damsell...it was around mid day and quite hot...aimed for the deeper sections and just let it sink and work it back very slowly. 3rd cast and boom fish whacks it..landed her and this carried on for the rest of the afternoon, fish after fish. It's a pitty none of the brutes took the fly...I saw some absolute monsters in there...First weekend fish.jpg

I also managed the curiosity of my 1 and a half year old daughter after catching my very first hook jaw...what a milestone for me and jis they are beautifull. So full of color...
Abi check die vis.jpg

She even kissed it and helped me release it...she was so stoked with herself...
Abi kiss.jpg

Not the most successfull weekend for fishing because of me still learning but that's the price you pay sometimes I guess. Accomodation was top notch and my family loved every moment of the outing. When we eventually checked out I decided to give Loch Logan a go for a few minutes but the wind started picking up and was really harsh conditions to try and cast a fly line without it blowing your line into you or hooking yourself with a fly. Decided to call it a day and head home. John and his wife are suberb hosts and I would reccommend this venue to any person. There is some spectacular fishing to be had and the fish teach you plenty. They also fight really really hard...

[yella]

Very nice review MJ - makes me jealous.

[Herman Jooste]

Fantastic report back MJ. It's reports like these that make logging on to Flytalk worthwhile.

Glad you and the family had fun.

You sure are learning fast Boet. If you want to try the Vaal for some yellows before the end of April ( after then it gets tricky ) , drop a PM,

[emjaysmit]

if I manage to find myself on that side of the world I will certainly take you up on that offer Herman....thanks so much and thanks Yella for the kind words....I am really digging this fly fishing thing....still so much to learn but getting there....

[Scythe]

....still so much to learn but getting there....

Ha! Don't hold your breath, there is no end to this fishing journey.

"Instead, try to realize the truth."
"What truth?"
"There is no spoon."

[smallstreams.co.za]

The sudden "fish on" was probably brought on more by a longer leader and better presentation, rather than fluoro and fly choice imho.

what were you fishing ito leader and tipper before that?

[emjaysmit]

same thing same length...stuck to my same tapered 3x leader...just removed the mono tippet...added same length Sci Anglers fluoro 8lbs tippet...fish started the attack...fish on lol...I was fishing side by side wih John...serias...same casts and retrieves...he was into fish after fish...wenna's fly wasn't even getting a look...exact same still water damsel...I changed the day after and I started klapping the fish...think it had to do with the sink rate of the fly...

[Uli@84]

Hi Emjay,

Great report, and congrats on the nice fish.

Looking forward to your next trip

Cheers
Ulrich

[JamesW]

Were you fishing floating or sinking line? Also, what depth did did you get these hits, all important info!

[emjaysmit]

Was fishing a floating line...quite alot of weeds underwater especially with summer weather I presume...was fishing the deep centre pockets in depths 2-4m. Still a teething fly fisherman so I am starting with floating lines. I will work my way to an intermediate shortly