Hi guys,

Today was the first time I made a concious effort to catch Kurper (Tilapia) on fly! And man was I fustrated!

We went to De Voedpad kloof about 44km from Middelburg for this "mission" as we saw them earlier this season while
We went hiking there.

The weather conditions were hot (probably high 20's low 30's) partly cloudy and the water was very clear.

Ok so we arived at 09H00 and I rigged my 4/5# rod with a 5# reel and 5#WF floating line and a 10ft leader (2x tippet).
I started moving around the dam cast a #6 black zonker hoping for some bass, yet no interest was show in the fly.
Even casting the zonker at sighted bass yielded nothing. I then tried a red eyed damsel and nope nothing,
Even the sighted fish just swam off as if they KNOW!


After about an hour of walking and casting around the dam I arrived at the the reeds where the stream enters the dam, there I noticed
A school of +- 20 fish, and these weren't babies either I guestimate them at about 10-15inches. And the the "vis koors" started kreeping in!

From 10-12H00 I stood there knee deep in the dam casting to the school about 8m from me, I tried everything, san juans, orange deaths, red eyed damsel, olive wooly buggers (big and small),
Pheasant tail nymphs, DDD's, DDD's with san juan (NZ rig), and the a white death that yeilded a bite but the fish was off after about 2sec. And then as if they all learnt a new lesson.... They all just ignored the white death thereafter!
I varied my retrieves from slow to fast and dead drift but nothing.

At the venue I thought I was casting at Redbreast Tilapia/kurper, but once at home I paged through one of my books and noticed that those fish I cast at resembles the Israeli Tilapia or "oreochromis aureus" as I definately
Noticed the black spot on the base of the dorsal fins.

Ok before I go on too much about blanking today and everyone notices my skill level let's just keep it at that.

Any thoughts on what I could have done better?

Cheers
George