Who taught you to fish ?

[fdavis]

I was privileged enough to be raised on the trout streams of the Natal berg and dams of the midlands. My old man had a fly rod in my brother and my hand before a cricket bat, hockey stick or rugby ball. With Dad being a member of NFFC, I was exposed to serious stillwater fly fishing from a young age. But it was the streams that I loved best - places like the Polela, Loteni, Injasuti, The Bushmans and therolling hills of the 'Berg still pervade every early memory I have. Strange how the fish were so much bigger back then.

Other less fished favourites were the Yarrow (I hear this pretty stream is no longer what is was) and Mooi.

When it was holidays there were odd fly fishing trips to the Maclear and Rhodes districts. My paternal grandfather was a major role player in the original stocking of the Maclear rivers and a well know flyfisherman in the district during those formative years of South African fly fishing. And with these areas being my land of my father's youth, there were many streams and rivers to be fished that were steeped in family history. A favourite memory of mine was sitting on next a pool on the Tsitsa listening to Dad recount the story of Nan (Dad's Mom) out fishing Oupa Jack!

Other holidays were to the George/Knysna area where my maternal grandfather schooled my brother and I in the art of catching musselcracker and other rock and surf fish.

Moving to that area in the early ninties meant hours spent on Knysna and the other Southern Cape lagoons. Salt water flyfishing was the obvious next step and we eventually worked out many of the tough species of the area. Dad and I made many a mission of exploration and discovered the trout in the Karoo and then the forests of the Southern Cape. Later came the yellowfish of the Gourits.

My Dad made many "important visits" for a variety of reasons during my years of study in Stellenbosch and these were the only times he would condone skipping lectures (as long as Mom wasn't told!).

He's just retired and he and Mom are staying with me in the islands for 3 months. We play on spoiling many a fish's day in the coming months.

I can only thank him for teaching me how to fly fish and thank fly fishing for bridging that generation gap that so many of my friends and their fathers struggle with.

Teach your kids how to fish

[fdavis]

So, who taught me fly-fishing? My son.

Well played David