Smalblaar 5

[rols]

a stupid little thing, but for anybody that has never fished the streams, the anticipation is amazing. i have to remind myself to close my mouth sometimes as i'm almost "mouthing" my cast and i get so dry, i have to slurp from the stream.

[Herman Jooste]

i have to slurp from the stream.

Oh to be able to drink from the water you are fishing.

Trully envious

Drink from the Vaal = serious sh*ts + other horrible consequences.

[rols]

hi herman
been in the cape for my 11th year now. only now tasting the gold. i can see where the passion and secrecy and everything wonderful comes from these guys. everyone i have fished with, gets out the water to pee. stompies in a container. if only the monkeys bordering our waters could all take a leaf from these streams and make it work. but ja been down there

[gkieser]

a stupid little thing, but for anybody that has never fished the streams, the anticipation is amazing. i have to remind myself to close my mouth sometimes as i'm almost "mouthing" my cast and i get so dry, i have to slurp from the stream.

Mouthing the cast?? It's a common thing on our streams - probably the real reason they made our streams strictly barbless! hehehe.

Ja i am on the holsloot on saturday. Really looking forward to it as I haven't fished the rivers since october! Funny thing - I have been tying those CDC Softs tonight too! hehe.

This changing flies thing reminds me of another fish. Last year Kev and I opened the season on Smalblaar 6. We were supposed to fish on 1 sept but there was a disaster at work so i couldn't go fishing and we ended up eventually going a few days later. So the day we got there it was absolutely cooking, and we were both hammering the fish. Both of us fished a CDC and Elk and there was no need to change it up most of the beat. After the big pool we decided to take it slow and video the fish taking the fly, and we continued to do that all the way up to the krom junction and got some really cool videos of fish taking the flies and fish jumping while on - it was just one of those days that you could do that and every video clip had a fish. So anyways we got up to the Krom junction and fished up a little way when we saw what we thought was a cracker of a fish! As Kevin always seems to do, he gave me the honour of catching this thing. So I cast into the run which had an overhanging tree, and the fish comes up and looks, then rejects it. Now it's about 17h00 or so, and all of a sudden I have to make a fly change. Obviously Kevin is now video-ing this, and I changed to a stacked hackle, drifted it over him, and nothing. Next fly change was to a parachute caddis, which i drifted a few times but couldn't see, so I had to change again, with Kevin commentating on the video "He can't see the fly and he's fishing like a chop!". I was gob smacked that this fish had seen three different flies and was not interested, when we walked up the whole beat and didn't have to change flies once before then. Next fly was a klinkie, and he took it, but only after about 6 or 8 drifts, and when i lifted the rod i lifted it into the overhanging tree and it was just such a comedy of errors on my part. He turned out to be a fish of no more than 12 inches if that, but he was dark green with a massively extended kype! Anyways, the point is that even though we caught shoeboxes full in the rest of the day on a single fly, this one fish gave us serious admin, and for that he becomes one of those fish you remember for a long time. It's those days when you catch that 1 fish in a difficult lie, or that somehow makes you work for it, that you remember the most - not the ones that come to the fly with ease!

[Herman Jooste]

It's those days when you catch that 1 fish in a difficult lie, or that somehow makes you work for it, that you remember the most - not the ones that come to the fly with ease!

Grant, you are SOOOO right! I get so much more from catdhing a yellow that I "know" is there than general drifting. I can spend up to an hour in one spot changing flies, drift, even leaders if I have to! But once it's in the net the day is complete.

[Andre]

Grant, you are SOOOO right! I get so much more from catdhing a yellow that I "know" is there than general drifting. I can spend up to an hour in one spot changing flies, drift, even leaders if I have to! But once it's in the net the day is complete.

ja, i had a situation like that about 5 years ago, on the klein caledon, near Clarens. Took a few hours to get one fish. I wrote the story to TCFF with a photo and they printed it. I must see if i can dig it out

[rols]

thanks guys
geez i can't wait for sat. when i last checked it's SE winds, sunshine deluxe.
so if the fish comes to look but does not bite, then you have another chance at it? i've learn't that if he's "pricked" you must move on, as they either dash away or clam up. i must admit, this confidence in your fly goes a long way.
thanks for all the help.

[Herman Jooste]

Rols, I have only ever fished trout once in my short f/f life. That was at Castleburn ( southern Berg ) last year over the new year, I fished dries ( doffy me ) in the ponds for two days, caught 1 x 5" rainbow at 05:30.
Next day went to the river, followed Maximum's advice on this forum, caught 5 trout in 2 hours!
The best was that I caught them using a technique that I have developed on the Vaal that actually "throws back" to my bait fishing days.

What I'm trying to say is that "instinct" or rather general fishing knowledge should NEVER be forgotten. or POO-POO'd.

[rols]

Rols, I have only ever fished trout once in my short f/f life. That was at Castleburn ( southern Berg ) last year over the new year, I fished dries ( doffy me ) in the ponds for two days, caught 1 x 5" rainbow at 05:30.
Next day went to the river, followed Maximum's advice on this forum, caught 5 trout in 2 hours!
The best was that I caught them using a technique that I have developed on the Vaal that actually "throws back" to my bait fishing days.

What I'm trying to say is that "instinct" or rather general fishing knowledge should NEVER be forgotten. or POO-POO'd.

daar gat jy nou we are going to belly flop,... belly hop...belly wade... as well as some more stealthier approaches, but come hell or belly we gonna get fish on sat. i'm going to go so far as to say nic will be buying the beers for ALL....on sat afternoon. nic....? your cue..? ok trust me, he will be buying.
this session is gonna be good. my bags are packed already.

[Herman Jooste]

Confidance RULES, don't forget the pic's, especially of Nic buying