SA's latest best Still water Trophee venues

[emjaysmit]

Correct me if I am wrong but with my experience in freshwater angling and dam angling in particular, certain venues just seem to produce the goods at certain times. They rotate and during certain times it's like the venues take turns at producing. This is just an attempt to try figure out what are the latest happenings and whats hot and whats not.

Lately I have had my best fishing ever at Loch Logan with a few hours rewarding me with 19 fish over 2kg's of which the biggest was a 2.9kg. 15 fish over 1.5kg's and quite a few other fish in between...two giants that schooled me and a heap of fun. A day like this would surely be hard to beat by any other fisheries standards. Oh yes and there is also a 13.41lbs fish that came out there not to long ago.

My next ventures will include the following :

St.Bernard
Giants Cup
Pinegrove
and maybe 1 or two other venues if I could get round to that. Also what times of the year are good for these venues. And maybe some other venues you might have in mind or share recent experiences you might have had on trophee still waters. Maybe even attach a few pics of PB fish if possible. Thats always nice to look at and to get one amped for a good trip. So come on guys sell your respective venues and let's see where the busses lie....

[Andre]

I presume that your talking trout trophy dams. I don't think 2,9kg's is a trophy trout. I think it has to be in double figure in pounds to be qualified as atrophy trout. 2,9 kg is about 6,5pounds, which anyway would be a nice fish, so well done.

[emjaysmit]

agreed andre...the two monsters I lost were way bigger and the regular 10lbs fish that make their appearance I think will qualify it as a trophee trout fishery, also the big 13lb+ fish that made an appearance...oh yes and then I also almost forgot bird of prey trophee trout dam that also regalarly give double figured fish although the scenery is pretty bland. I still think the other venues offer not only the fish but also the scenery that goes hand in hand....

[Uli@84]

Hi Emjay,

Pretty new to the game and I have not had chance to fish Stillwaters of your magnitude yet, but if your willing to travel I know the eastern cape holds some good stillwater from what I have read.

Highland lodge and the Dams Around Somerset East, both of which is a drive for you have been known to produce trophy fish in excess of 10Lb. Believe there is a picture on the Forum of Alan Hobson who runs Angler and Antelope with some form of Trout Monstrousity of 13Lb. Good ideas for fishing holidays maybe.

These two are on my list of want-to-visit.

Also congrats on all your catches so far.

My 2c.
Cheers

[emjaysmit]

Thanks alot boetie, yeah I am also a complete newby to this very terrible devorce appraoching sport...Just got my latest sage and tfo ticrx compliments of allsorts and mr.lampert...loool...there is just no stopping is there...think these past 3 months have seen me swing between about 14 5wt rods alone hahahahahaha, I have been fortunate enough to fish some nice stillwaters as of January...of which Gunyatoo was my absolute worst followed by Greystone Lodge...

Other than that the fishing truly has been epic...the streams really dissapoint me this side...look, the scenery is breath taking and the technique is very technical and challenging...but for peet sake man...I am really missing something...maybe it's a gap in my culture but catching fish of 30-150g is just about the most boring thing I have ever done in my life...I am not yet old enough to appreciate a 00#-2wt in a little stream catching fish upto a 500mm bottel length...give me a trophee trout that runs me 20+m into my backing in a matter seconds and then my ears pout...but having a 6k custom tooth pick hardly get a bend in it and then shout what an awesome fight...no thanks...I am not that bored with my life thank you very much...

So to all you streams guys I am really not taking the piss with you and I know at a later stage in my fly fishing career I will come to love the idea of doing what I have just talked about and appreciateing the idea of catching a little wild trout with a cdc fly and a custom rod with some 3000 year old woved beetroot tippet or whatever...

But for now...leave me to hunt that ellusive double figured fish..that is afterall what gets my heart pumping...and offcoarse I would love to go fishing the wonderfull streams SA has to offer...when givere the chance..and I WILL appreciate it for what it is...but..each to his own...let me hunt my big still water trout...or canned trout..or whatever whoever wants to call it...atleast it gets the heart pumping...I would rather be hitting a 5 second quartermile in a NHRA dragster than appreciating doing 20km/h on a pure bred horse or 100km/h in a ford model T...I am lucky enough to still have my youth..have to work for my money and hunt the big one when ever I get the chance...

Then I would rather go catch yellows...

[Andre]

How about an 18 to 20 inch, wild river trout?

[Uli@84]

Hi Emjay,

Some mixed emotions you got going there he (Just a little joke)

I must be honest that I have not really gotten into all the facets of the sport yet, so I cant debate with you on this matter but I would think that you should not close yourselves off to stream fishing just yet based on the fact that the fish are small, generally skills within a specific sport(Fly-Fishing in this instance) is transferrable to all aspects of the sport so I would think, small technical things as you mentioned learned on the stream should transfer over to still water fishing and vice versa which in the long run would only improve your game.

But just a thought, as long as you like what you do, cool beans

Cheers

[smallstreams.co.za]

Let's talk again when you have been cleaned up by a 18" wild trout on a 3 or 4 weight on 5x tippet. Easy to slag something you have not experienced yet ....

[emjaysmit]

aha Mario my dear, you see, I was not slagging it...I want to find a river or stream that I may catch somthing upto 20 inches...thats my problem...but you see I want to constantly do it. I don't want to constantly catch 9" fish and once a year land a 20" fish...

I agree wioth you guys...I am not slagging anything...and I did say that to you guys in the previous reply. Each to his own. I also dont believe in dropping my rod and reel size just to make the fight seem better. I rather go look for bigger fish. Like I said, very technical and it must be awesome catching these very weary and skittish fish. Especially having to resort to ultra fine tippets etc..I would love to and I am still gonna take you up on a Rhodes trip Mario. Those photos you sent me over whatsapp was breathtaking. The Sabie river looks like a sewage spill compared to that. For me remember trout river fishing is very limited. I have to travel 800km looking for trout. Yes I do have massive tigers and yellows but at this stage I don't care much for them...trout is what I am after...

So being based in Nelspruit can someone point me in the direction of some good rivers...Mario has got me sold on Rhodes already...now I just need to find out if there is anything closer, I have got the Sabie and Blyde basically guys..where as trophy venues are a reality for me...

So please I am not knocking you guys...really so don't put your fists up...it's my uneducated that has me stuck on bigger is better at this stage. If I put two and two together it's not hard at all to snap a 5x tippet. It's all relative I think. I wish I could get to fish streams at some time that are worth it. But I am still very new and new to the sport. At this stage I don't care for 200g fish. Or whether it's a wild or natural trout or a stocked fish...what matters is a proper fight on the fly tackle and that's what got me hooked so far. And obviously the scenery which I am pretty sure there are loads more towards the Cape etc.

But for now, I have to get to the stage where I appreciate the wild trout and river fish...I need to get the oppertunity to be challenged and having a trout snap my 5x tippet due to my dumb hands and the idea of working hard for it. Always wanting to go back for more. It's somewhere I will end up someday in my fly fishing path. We all have one..we all travel different routes and we all have out own rights and preferences. I don't think I am wrong in any way. If I feel catching 10-20cm trout is boring then it is boring to me. If I prefer a propper fight and prefer a 10lbs trout then it is my right. I don't slag or put anything off.

If you guys like catching small fish on small tippets. By all menas do so. I am not one of them...not yet in anyway. Although I know I will get there shortly. Thats's why I ask questions before I knock something. That is why I try everything before I knock it. And so far for me stream fishing for 10-20cm on a 5wt fast action rod is just boring...and instead of dropping my # and convince myself that it's a great fight landing something I used to use as bait for bass, I simply go looking for bigger fish...

BUT none the less there has to be method in madness...and I am sure someone like Mario will turn my way of thinking. Hopefully I can still be saved afterall...Up and till that time...come on guys tell me where the big trout lie...which is afterall what the thread is about...

[Korrie]

Let's talk again when you have been cleaned up by a 18" wild trout on a 3 or 4 weight on 5x tippet. Easy to slag something you have not experienced yet ....

I know a couple of guys who only fish still waters, rivers does nothing for them, there are a couple of my friends who almost exclusively fish rivers, can't see the joy of stumbling over rocks, getting your balls wet etc.
That is the beauty of the sport, each to what gives him joy.
With that is the joy of journey of the personal growth that we are all on, of what gives us the joy in fly fishing. Small streams, big rivers, still waters, fly tying etc