Originally Posted by
Chris Shelton
It saddens me to see so little said about the actual beauty of our kloofs, and so little regard or reference given to traditional landmarks, pool names, flora and fauna, etc, etc etc. It seems that all the modern fly fisherman is intent on is the fish and nothing but the fish, and how well or badly he did. I for one would like to see more written about the Kloofs themselves. They are afterall truly magnificent! One needs only to be removed from them for a few years, as I have been, to fully appreciate them for what they really are.
Perhaps us older kloofing fly fishermen are the real culprits here. We who are in the know should be making more mention of known pools and landmarks, and educating those who are new to our Cape streams. I for one was fortunate to have been brought up by a serious Cape stream fisherman, and names like the Blowhole, The Overhang, the Boegoe Ladder, Knights Cave, Archie's Dilemma, Fugel's Fancy, The Necklace Pools, Gog & Magog, Rooiwaterstroom, Ravenscraig Pool, The Swingbridge, The Catwalk, etc, etc, etc became household names to me. A mention of any of these and we knew exactly what was being referred to and where.
How many of you have noticed the Nuwejaarsbloome growing out of the crevices high up on the slopes of the Second Gorge for example? How many have stood admiring the magnificent stand of Aloe Plicatilis (strap-leaved aloe) before Loerklip Pool? Do you have any idea how old they are? Do you have any idea how scarce they are? Do you know that they are in fact endemic to an area no bigger than a couple of hundred meters? How many have seen the disa Uniflora flowering at the tail end of the Krom Lake? If you have, have you ever made mention of it?
These things should not to be taken for granted. Its not just about fish accompanied by our ugly mugshots that make for a memorable day in the kloof! There is far more to be appreciated, far more interest to be taken! Let's not let a very special part of our fly fishing heritage be lost. Most of the pools were named by our forefather fly fishermen, the guys who were involved in exploring and ultimately stocking the kloofs with the trout that we now enjoy the fruits of. The least we can do is make it our business to get to know the pool names and try to keep some of the traditions going.
Bookmarks