Off to the Bushmans....

[gazzarowan]

i'm going to durban this weekend and next weekend...i wonder if i should make an effort and head out that way too...would love to have a look at the bushmans river. heard too many stories

[smallstreams.co.za]

Koos, tel jy nog die vis mater??? Wat het gebeur daar?

[E.T.]

Just a quick report....

Thursday

Left Pretoria at about 12pm. Made a quick stop at Harrismith to get some food, etc. and off we went. The drive was slow as there was road works everywhere. It was only after Harrismith that we finally catching up a bit. What i don't get is that these road works never seems to finish. Drove past there last year and it doesn't seem like there is any progress. Well we arrived close to 6pm. Unpacked and headed down to the water. Too dark to see the flies so that was a waste.

Friday

Got up, had some coffee and took X-man down to the water. The river was running low and super gin clear. I knew straight on that the fishing was going to be tough. Well I proceeded down stream with X-man almost running behind me.....Pappa, wag, stadig, dra my!!! Oh, my goodness!!! What did I think bringing this little monster with me??? I got into the water with X-man on my back and the whole time he is chirping comments like....Pappa jy gaan in die swembad val!!! So now I start wading upstream looking for a big enough rock to put him on. Letting him lean against me I start stripping line to make a cast upstream and just as I am thinking that this is it, the little bugger throws a rock or stick into the water. Turning around to him feeling like I could rip his head clean off his neck, he laughs to the point of almost falling off the rock.

Eventually his mom came down to the water and fetched him. Now they wasn't even 20 meters away when something happened that I myself have never seen. A trout came up to the dry bumped it with its nose and went down again. Made another cast to the same lie only to see the same thing happen. Now I was fishing my tried and trusted CDC & Elk with Rubberlegs and was stunned to see this happen.

I moved upstream fishing likely lies with no success so I switched to nymphs.
Went onto the bank at one stage and stayed clear behind some bushes. I was looking at 40-60cm Browns in a deepish pool. I thought that my luck has changed and that I am in the pound seats. Was I WRONG I made a cast upstream and as soon as the flies hit the water the fish would swim off only to return. Patiently I made another cast, this time it was even more perfect and gentle than the previous. I observed the beast from on high only to see that when the flies drifted by closely they would dash off

I was stunned with disbelieve!!!!

Well I carried on upstream and saw fish everywhere. What I couldn't get was the fact that I would cover all likely lies and the moment I put a foot forward, fish would scatter where I previously placed my fly.

Frustrated I returned home for a bite to eat and later on I fished around the cottage with X-man dropping rocks and whatever he could find into the water. It was on such an occasion that I missed a take on the dry. What can be done? What can be said??? I was screwed!!!

Saturday

I wanted to get up early, I did, I promise, but I just couldn't. The extra weight of Xavier on my back the previous day took it's toll. So I got up later and took my time getting ready and after some coffee I had my wife drop me off with the car to a lower section. This time I was ready. I had my hydration bladder filled with Game Something Berry and I was confident that fishing alone would produce the goods.

Not even an hour into fishing I felt that my back was cold and wet. What on earth could it be? I soon discovered that kneeling and almost bloody leopard crawling the river had my bladder leak in my pack and it was right at the cap of the thing. Well by this time my Sandstone Shirt looked like I had been shot or if I had something on my back with a little something

Sorted that crap out and pushed upstream, no fish in sight. At one stage the wind pushed like crazy from behind me and I lost my balance and fell down. My shin still feels like it is being hammered by a small jackhammer. Got up fished, but back casting was a mission in the wind. Hooked myself, trees, bushes, shrubs, everything else on the banks and had to untie knots probbaly 10 000 times. I can teach Harry Houdini a few tricks, my bra

Eventually I stumbled onto some fish. By now I got rid of the Dry and Dropper Rig and was fishing nymphs. Same story, the moment the flies hits the water they are off like a Springbok on a Jet Plane. Worked my way upstream with no luck.

Took a bit of a rest at the cottage and headed down to the water again. Had one take on a CDC & Elk, did away with the rubber legs. I missed the take. And that was the final straw, snipped off the fly and reeled in the line. My fishing was over. I tried everything from dry and dropper to dry only to 2 nymphs to just one nymph to nymphing downstream, niks...nada..boggerol...

In conclusion

It was the toughest fishing I ever had. The water was low and very clear. If you spotted a fish, it has seen you already. Fussy fish that bumped my go to dry as if it was a sub standard fly. Wind blowing and stuffing up casting.

Dries I fished
CDC & Elk, Foam Hoppers, etc. Only the CDC & ELK had 3 takes.

Nymphs
PTN, ZAK, GRHE, CDC Nymphs, Bling Nymphs, etc. On these I had no takes.

Would I go back to fish the Bushmans again? Yes in March or April for sure.

[smallstreams.co.za]

Tough times Koos, that's the way it goes with browns and streams I'm afraid ...

[E.T.]

Tough times Koos, that's the way it goes with browns and streams I'm afraid ...

Tough I can handle, Impossible is another thing. Everything worked against me this weekend. But I am glad that I got to see this place and to get to know it a bit. So March/April I will be well prepared and I will make sure that I catch one of those big Browns

[smallstreams.co.za]

Tough I can handle, Impossible is another thing.

Welcome to stream fishing for trout Koos Of wag, dis mos daai maklike vis om te vang

Everything worked against me this weekend. But I am glad that I got to see this place and to get to know it a bit. So March/April I will be well prepared and I will make sure that I catch one of those big Browns

Maak eers sulke statements as jy terugkom met evidence volgende keer

[E.T.]

Welcome to stream fishing for trout Koos Of wag, dis mos daai maklike vis om te vang



Maak eers sulke statements as jy terugkom met evidence volgende keer

Mario

It's true sometimes you get to an unknown place and everything is perfect. The water levels are just right and you are knocking fish left right and centre. Other times you get out and the odds are 10:1 in the fish's favor.

I took a beating, but I consider this to be school fees. I don't think that I am over confident. With the amount of times I get to fish the Berg, I reckon that I am not that bad at all seeing that I have taken a 16" Brown on Lotheni last year. So I believe that a 18-20" is on the cards for me in the not too distant future.

Rusty??? Yes I am thats for sure. Before this weekend I only spent 5 hours on the water, so yes I am rusty, but this is also something I am planning to get rid of soon.

I am always up for a challenge and taking the odd beating now and then, well I don't know what that builds, cause it sure as hell ain't character.

So going back next year in prime season, would hopefully produce the goods, seeing that I took notes this weekend

[smallstreams.co.za]

So going back next year in prime season, would hopefully produce the goods, seeing that I took notes this weekend

Notes won't help, but I sure do agree with you on the "rusty" part. I missed so many fish in the Cape a few weeks back that I'm pretty sure Neil and Darryl laughed their butts of while I was not looking The only thing that really helps is fishign that sort of water on a regular basis.

[jock0]

Sorry to hear you battled Koos but at least you saw fish! I'd wait till the end of April as March might still be pretty high but it's not the end of the world. If we all waited for perfect conditions we'd probably never go fishing

I hoped you wouldnt have low water but alas it seems you did - so much for the snow melt someone was going on about...

[E.T.]

Sorry to hear you battled Koos but at least you saw fish! I'd wait till the end of April as March might still be pretty high but it's not the end of the world. If we all waited for perfect conditions we'd probably never go fishing

I hoped you wouldnt have low water but alas it seems you did - so much for the snow melt someone was going on about...

They had plenty of rain and snow. Simon went on that they had about 2500mm of rain not too long ago. So ja conditions not the best but I will go back next year to settle the score

Didn't fish the reserve nor the Rural Area.