Cracked ego

[Nymph+O-]

I took my boet (third time fishing, second time pb 4.5kg SM) and a mate (first time) of his fishing at a very special piece of water that has not seen any fishing pressure. The conditions weren't prime as there were 3 frontal systems moving across SA and the barometer was on the fall. Needless to say the fishing was extremely slow and the water was cold.

The day started off with our host catching the first yellow of about 1.5kg's - everything went pear shaped from there and we commenced to casting lessons when after we decided to take a break and have a bite. The 2 novice okes stuck to their guns and persisted with combing the water for fish (See on the way there I gave the guys a lecture on fishing and how important it is to first find the fish before you start worrying about fly selection and so on)

Soon after lunch we heard a ruckus coming from way up stream, I saw my boet with a well curved rod and a landing net claiming his first catch for the day. As two experienced fishermen my mate and I had a bit of a laugh over this as we recalled the days when only a fish for the day made your outing. My boet reappeared in the distance time after time (landing a fish). Eventually he waded down stream to weigh his 3.8kg SM and to have a pic or two taken. I was mesmerised as I've only managed two rats and mice for the day.

To cut a long story short I ended up with those two small fish for the weekend including a blank session on the second day while my boet's novice 1st time angler caught 3 fish (one of 2.5 kg's!) and my boet with several fish over 2 & 3kg range.

I crawled away from that experience as a very humbled experienced fisherman knowing that I've pulled every trick in the book to get myself into fish but failed miserably. The only consolation was that they caught the fish on the flies that I tied.
Any of you guys felt this sort of pain before

[Wade]

Plenty Ferdie, plenty

[Scythe]

Good story.

The worst time in my fishing career, was when I entered my first winter of fishing the Vaal. Being an "uBer Troot fisherman" and having caught "stacks of SmallMouth" all spring/summer/fall long, I was ready, I had done my reading, gotten my flies sorted, practised my casting, the whole shebang.

Now I'm willing to bet most of us most of the time would think, oh gee, a little 1.5Kg fish, pah, who cares, get it over with so you can get into the next big one.

4 blanked trips later, got my first proper winter SmallMouth ... can not even begin to tell you how much I appreciated that SmallMouth.

Right then and there I realised yet again, we're students forever, be thankful for every fish you get even the rats & mice, you never know if it will be your only fish for the day!

[MyWorld]

Hehehe, had a similar experience this Saturday, got to the water late and promised someone I'll show them the ropes...

Got to the water and immediately I knew it was not on, there was heavy rain upstream, a very chilly breeze blowing and the water was ice cold!

We spend 2 hours "practicing our casting" and all he had to show for the days fishing was a foul hooked muddy scale.

Man, at one stage I was praying hard for him to at least have one bite to talk about, but alas, it seems winter is edging closer and closer...

[tye2]

I took my boet (third time fishing, second time pb 4.5kg SM) and a mate (first time) of his fishing at a very special piece of water that has not seen any fishing pressure. The conditions weren't prime as there were 3 frontal systems moving across SA and the barometer was on the fall. Needless to say the fishing was extremely slow and the water was cold.

The day started off with our host catching the first yellow of about 1.5kg's - everything went pear shaped from there and we commenced to casting lessons when after we decided to take a break and have a bite. The 2 novice okes stuck to their guns and persisted with combing the water for fish (See on the way there I gave the guys a lecture on fishing and how important it is to first find the fish before you start worrying about fly selection and so on)

Soon after lunch we heard a ruckus coming from way up stream, I saw my boet with a well curved rod and a landing net claiming his first catch for the day. As two experienced fishermen my mate and I had a bit of a laugh over this as we recalled the days when only a fish for the day made your outing. My boet reappeared in the distance time after time (landing a fish). Eventually he waded down stream to weigh his 3.8kg SM and to have a pic or two taken. I was mesmerised as I've only managed two rats and mice for the day.

To cut a long story short I ended up with those two small fish for the weekend including a blank session on the second day while my boet's novice 1st time angler caught 3 fish (one of 2.5 kg's!) and my boet with several fish over 2 & 3kg range.

I crawled away from that experience as a very humbled experienced fisherman knowing that I've pulled every trick in the book to get myself into fish but failed miserably. The only consolation was that they caught the fish on the flies that I tied.
Any of you guys felt this sort of pain before

I'm glad !! it's about time !!

[Chris Shelton]

Ok, here's my confession. I went down to Melkbos with a mate on Sunday morning to have a few casts. The water was a lot cleaner at the slip than the previous evening, so I made a decision to fish for an hour max and then head off to do some bait hunting, taking advantage of the approaching low tide to scratch around in the rock pools.

Armed with a few Wonderworm, two small crabs and a baby octopus, we headed for Kreeftebaai to see if we could pick up a Steenbras or two. I rigged up a metre long trace with a live crab on the top dropper, octopus leg on the middle and Wonderworm on the point. Above the swivel I attached a sliding grapnel sinker. The water looked very nice, a bit of colour, but not excessive, minimal sand in the waves, nice foam about, and the waves were nice and evenly spaced. I could not have wished for better looking conditions. At 13 deg C, the water was a tad on the cold side, but still acceptable. I put a short cast out to the edge of the beach break and lit a smoke. 20 minutes later I reeled in, only to find all 3 hooks stripped clean. If only I still had my braid I thought, also, I should have packed my lighter stick in! Gary reeled in to find the same, both his hooks stripped clean.

While we were baiting up, another chap arrived and walked 100 metres to the left of us. In we cast again, another smoke. The feller to our left baited up and walked to the waters edge and cast in with his small what looked like a kids rod and coffee grinder. We were still puffing on our smokes when I saw his rod buck in his hands and he was into a fish! A moment later he beached it, a small Steenbras that must have just made size (or so i hoped), because he kept it.

Needless to say, we baited up 3 more times thereafter,... at least our bait was coming back to us now. Whatever stripped our hooks clean on the first cast was no longer there.

Gary couldn't contain himself any longer, so he strolled over to the guy, hoping to engage in conversation on the deeper secrets of catching the elusive Steenbras around these parts. Turns out, this was the first time the guy had ever fished at this spot, and it was his first fish ever! The bait.... White mussel!

Now let me tell you, I've been fishing this coast nearly every Sunday morning for at least 4 years now, and am yet to catch a &%$*£* Steenbras! Ok granted, I'm mostly targetting Kob, but still, I'm absolutely flabberghasted!

Anyway, I've decided that I'm going to specifically target Steenies with my light 7ft rod from now on. Just this morning I walked a few kilometres of coastline to survey the gulleys and look for hot spots with washed out pebbles and shells etc. I've identified a really good looking spot less than a km from where I live. All I need to do now is fish it, try it at high tide, low tide, SE wind, SW wind, NW wind, 13 deg, 14 deg, 15 deg, until I work it out. Its like playing the flipping lotto!

[Michael]

a While ago at Eastco, I was fishing the main section of river, and battling a bit...landing the odd fish. In the middle of the river, on a small island of rocks, two young guys with rugby shorts and no shirts were HAULING the smallmouth yellows out one by one (and releasing them at least), with conventional rods and little coffee grinders. I went over and chatted to them for a while. They were catching them on maize pips (tinned kernel corn pips). Cast downstream, wait about 10 seconds...fish on!

I looked in my fly box...no maize pip imitations

I didn't mind though, was good to see these youngsters cathing fish and having a ball, and releasing all their fish. Well...maybe it did sting a BIT...