Little Brak River

[LeRoy]

Hi Neil,

Deewy and I fish this area together quite a bit, and along with the other rivers, the Kleinbrak has been fishing well. I haven't been to the Kleinbrak in the last couple of weeks, but if you have a boat at your disposal you're sure to find some leeries. The area around the Riverside camp is good to prospect, as well as the top weir above it. You could pick up some bigger fish closer to the mouth, though. I'm sure you know the drill, but look for drop offs and baitfish activity. Just make sure you have some all white and chartreuse and white clousers, white salty buggers, and some flippers, and you can't go wrong. Best producer for me has been chartreuse and white clousers fished with a medium retrieve. I caught my first junior elf on fly in the Touw River in Wilderness on a white clouser this Sunday though. Believe me, if there's elf in the Touw, there's elf in the Brak rivers as well. If you don't find fish in the Kleinbrak, go try the Grootbrak river, it's really not far from Kleinbrak at all. Deewy also hammered the elf from Santos beach in Mbay recently, mostly on flippers, and they should still be around. I've also heard reports of Bonito being taken off Dias beach on dropshot. Worth a ponder methinks, but around here you also never know. If you should feel like it, or need a hand finding some fish, drop me a PM. Hope this helps! Cheers..

[NeilRowe]

Leroy

Thanks. This is the sort of first hand knowledge I was looking for. I presume the Little Brak has mostly juvenile leeries up to about 500mm?

[LeRoy]

Neil,
Glad I could help. Most of the river mouths have been open for a while now, so I'd guess that the leerie population will be quite evenly spread at the moment. This could mean that your chances of huge numbers of fish are slightly smaller, while you may have a better chance at some bigger ones in any of the rivers in the area. Suffice it to say that since November I've done about 10 to 15 trips hunting leeries, and I took over fifty fish, with one or two blank days, and one or two ten fish days. That with a big break from fishing in December when the big rains coincided with the birth of my boy. Sizes ranged from rediculously tiny to about 600mm tip to tip. I took fish on Chartreuse and white clousers, white clousers, olive clousers, a white epoxy headed deceiver type thing, and, for some light entertainment, , on chartreuse and white dropshot minnows.

Another thing, the Kwaai and Keurbooms rivers are the only trout streams in the area. The pic of that tiny browny that Mario posted is from a section of the Keurbooms right at the entrance to Dr. Venneman's property, Outeniqua Trout Lodge.
From Kleinbrak I estimate about one and a half to two hours drive to the nearest Yellows.

Cheers, and enjoy!

[NeilRowe]

Leroy

Thanks. I'll contact you when I'm up there.

I've fished Outeniqua Trout lodge a number of times in the past. Will give it a miss.

I'll concentrate on the salt when I'm up there but thought that the yellows in the Gouritz might be accessible and an option.

your fly selection for leeries sounds like a description of my saltwater flybox.

Interestingly enough, I fished the Bitou extensively during December and caught about 30 leeries over a 10 day period. Almost all were caught on one popper that I tie. Ask Kevin Elliot - that non-descript popper worked like hell. Other poppers and flippers were often ignored (as were subsurface flies). But they loved this particular popper. Selective leeries???

[rols]

Leroy

Thanks. I'll contact you when I'm up there.

I've fished Outeniqua Trout lodge a number of times in the past. Will give it a miss.

I'll concentrate on the salt when I'm up there but thought that the yellows in the Gouritz might be accessible and an option.

your fly selection for leeries sounds like a description of my saltwater flybox.

Interestingly enough, I fished the Bitou extensively during December and caught about 30 leeries over a 10 day period. Almost all were caught on one popper that I tie. Ask Kevin Elliot - that non-descript popper worked like hell. Other poppers and flippers were often ignored (as were subsurface flies). But they loved this particular popper. Selective leeries???

umm....seeing as i was so honest as to return a certain item to you...i will forfeit the beer we were to have .....for a sneaky pm maybe, of this fly...i am fishing this area next weekend......for my eyes only though, and i will show leroy when we meet next thursday. no one else. flytalk honour
seriously though, would love some help, everyones outfishing me at the moment, maybe because i'm not drinking on the water lately....silly me

[KevinE]

Yep, doesn't look like much but the leeries loved that little popper:

[smallstreams.co.za]

Yep, doesn't look like much but the leeries loved that little popper:

That looks a lot like a certain/former trout angler I used to know

[LeRoy]

Hi guys..

Neil, with my limited experience fly fishing for leeries, I have to agree that they can be really selective at times. When I first started fishing for leeries, the only advice I could get from the local experts, was that I should fish faster than fast, on the surface. That was how you caught leeries, and that was that. I only started really catching leeries when I decided to waive this advice, though. By now I have caught them mostly on a medium strip retrieve, with the clouser swimming little more than a foot under the surface. I had one weird day, though, when I knew the leeries were there, I could see them, but they wouldn't hit any of my normal presentations. I gave up really trying and just stood there retrieving the fly slowly, basically hopping it along the bottom, and bang! On. I have never hooked a fish on the double handed strip, and I'm happy about that, cos I find it exceedingly tedious. I've seen them chase and refuse white or natural coloured flies, and then hammer a chartreuse and white one, and vice versa. I have also never taken a leerie on a popper, or any other surface lure. Now I'm not saying that super fast retrieves and surface lures don't work, but that for me, so far, it simply is not the most consistent method to catch them. I would however not mind seeing that popper of yours either, Neil, since I would love to experience the thrill of taking leeries on the surface. The fact that you've found your popper to be your most effective presentation, and the fact that I've found surface presentations to be my least effective, tells me two things. Leeries can definately be a bunch of moody, selective buggers. And I should give poppers another chance.

Rols, I like that.. Flytalk honour.. I'm really looking forward to meeting and fishing with you guys. I don't know if I'm at liberty to say, but I take it you've heard about Deewy's excellent luck this morning. Cuck, is all I can say. Gotta love SA. Hopefully some garden route garrick can help him out next week. I'll go check the spots so long this weekend. Just to see if everything's as it should be. Tight lines!

[rols]

yip,
see you next week, I must say it's going to be strange casting a heavier rod as all I've been doing is stream fishing lately. Till next week.
Cheers

[NeilRowe]

That looks a lot like a certain/former trout angler I used to know

You mean, this guy?