View Full Version : Poll: what is your main area of flyfishing interest?
It seems that the anglers on this forum are quite clearly divided in terms of their preferred target species, although obviously there is some crossover.
I thought it would be interesting to get a profile of our members.
Which one of the following groups is where most of your flyfishing interest lies?
* Trout
* Yellowfish
* Saltwater
* Other freshwater species
Please vote in the poll as well as recording comments below.
I'll start:
My main area of interest is trout, although I do have some interest in saltwater flyfishing, hopefully I'll get to try some soon.
I have little interest in yellows because I don't get much opportunity to fish for them. I do find the technical contributions regarding nymphing from the yellow fishers interesting as some of it can be used in trout fishing.
I fish mainly for yellows, but also fish for trout, and when given the opportunity,
I'll fish in the salt or where ever I am. I just really love fly fishing.:D
dpammenter
22-01-07, 07:21 AM
i'd have to admit that i'm more partial to trout than any other, but that's not to say i don't enjoy fishing for the other species
Herman Jooste
22-01-07, 08:11 AM
I predominantly target yellows due to the close proximity of the Vaal to my home. I do however occasionally fish for other species, e.g. trout, salt etc.
wernerm
22-01-07, 08:13 AM
I guess I'm a bit of a purist and prefer trout fishing to anything else, but staying in Gauteng access to trout water is few and far between so I'll pretty much catch anything on fly. Going to try yellows for the first time on the upcoming Vaal trip.
QKSLVR_76
22-01-07, 08:53 AM
I would have to say bass (largemouth or smallmouth), but on the occasion I would target trout or bluegill, but stillwater instead of river.
Clintfly
22-01-07, 09:19 AM
I'm New to yellow fishing on the Vaal and love it...
Salt water and any other f/fishing. Not too keen on trout anymore...
Nymph+O-
22-01-07, 09:33 AM
You haven’t fished until you've fished for Yellows! Obviously these mighty fine vigorous fish are my main area of interest, as far as fly fishing goes. I do occasionally target other fresh water species like Bass and Trout but I'm instantly reminded how much more there is in hooking onto a Yellow and feeling the speed and strength pound for pond much stronger then Bass or Trout.
I also believe that each area has it’s own bit of speciality like for example Trout, I would say is far more technical in terms of conditions and fly selection and the surroundings would definitely be more cunning then a day on the Vaal.
Saltwater – I would love to give it a try but it does not seem viable to spend money on saltwater fly fishing gear but only see the ocean one a year.
I would have to say bass (largemouth or smallmouth), but on the occasion I would target trout or bluegill, but stillwater instead of river.
Welcome QKSLVR, glad this thread has prompted you to post. I look forward to hearing of your successes with the bass. I love flyfishing for SM bass but unfortunately don't get much opportunity to fish for them anymore.
hi
i prefer fishing for bass, would love to try for yellows, love saltwater and wished i was flyfishing when i lived in natal. basically i love using my fly rod as my chosen "weapon"
cheers
roland
chris williams
22-01-07, 09:47 AM
Hi Kevin
Your poll is a great idea, unfortunately I'm going to be a 'spoilt vote' as I fish with equal enthusiasm and just about equal regularity for any of the options given - basically I flyfish for anything that swims (fish) wherever/whenever I get the chance
Cheers Chris:)
gkieser
22-01-07, 09:53 AM
I voted for trout but would have preferred to choose: "Moving Fresh water with anything in it".
I love fishing for yellows on the Vaal and if I lived in gauteng I would have voted for yellowfish. Thinking like that, If I lived in Natal I would probably have said saltwater or stillwater trout. i would say those are the best for each area. Down here in the Wcape, the trout streams are too hard to ignore but there are also rivers with bass and carp so that's why I would have liked to say any fresh moving water.
mariusjonker
22-01-07, 08:04 PM
Started on trout, now I chase anything that will take a fly. Trout, bass, blugill, carp, platties, and anything the deep blue can offer.
Would have to agree with GKieser.
Moving freshwater. Specifically, LM YF, SM YF, SS YF, LS YF, Muddies, Carp, Barbel, LM Bass, SM Bass, Troot and whatever else can be found in running water.
Not much of a fan of stilwaters anymore, though Sterkfontein would be the exception as well as possibly venues with ClanWilliam YF in the Cape.
Well so far the results show that interest in trout fishing is nearly twice that of yellowfish and more than twice that of saltwater.
I am somewhat surprised by that. It certainly seems as if most of the recent interest has been in the yellowfish section of the forum. Are yellowfish anglers more passionate about their sport than trout anglers? Are they more willing to share information?
Herman Jooste
23-01-07, 07:59 AM
Well so far the results show that interest in trout fishing is nearly twice that of yellowfish and more than twice that of saltwater.
I am somewhat surprised by that. It certainly seems as if most of the recent interest has been in the yellowfish section of the forum. Are yellowfish anglers more passionate about their sport than trout anglers? Are they more willing to share information?
Your observations are very astute Kevin.;) Maybe us yellow boyo's from the land of "smoke and taxis" fish too little and talk to much:eek:
I will try to catch anything with fins and gills .... he he he
I have never caught atrout before so I cant coment on that,I have caught clanwillian yellow,and it was great fun,but NOTHING can beat the feeling of a leerie chasing and hitting your fly,They leave you breathless and trembling and made you utter the most fowl language a man can think off but that feeling I think is the ultimate.
I wils start fishing for trout in streams one day whenI am to old and weak to cast a 10-9wt for 25m with a big popper:D
gkieser
23-01-07, 12:42 PM
Well so far the results show that interest in trout fishing is nearly twice that of yellowfish and more than twice that of saltwater.
I am somewhat surprised by that. It certainly seems as if most of the recent interest has been in the yellowfish section of the forum. Are yellowfish anglers more passionate about their sport than trout anglers? Are they more willing to share information?
Kev, I reckon it's just a matter of timing. At the moment all the guys who prefer fishing for trout will not actually be fishing much for them, especially in WC because of the heat and low water levels. I imagine that is the main reason why there are much less contributions in that section.
You will also notice that the number of Saltwater posts has increased a lot compared to spring last year when I imagine the Trout forum would have been firing big time.
I think all this shows is that the majority of the fly fishermen on here will target different species depending on the time of year, and not many are only interested in tageting one species regardless of the season. I personally believe that makes for a much more interesting fishing career.
Chris Shelton
23-01-07, 12:53 PM
My vote goes for yellows, even though I have not targeted them much, but I see them as the new frontier in the Cape. I am really looking forward to seeing them grow in popularity as more and more waters become available in the future
gkieser
23-01-07, 06:57 PM
Are there any guys out there that favour panfish? It seems it is pretty popular in the states.
mariusjonker
23-01-07, 10:33 PM
Are there any guys out there that favour panfish? It seems it is pretty popular in the states.
I will on occasion target bluegill (summer months) for a "fun" day. Normally try to outfish the "bread guys" and up to now managed to do it on the day. Is also a nice way to get youngsters going as even a "terrible" cast can catch a fish. Best fly...White Fritz #12 (weapon of choice):D
Interesting thread. My 2cents worth says I like yellowfish, and will make the trip to the Vaal or Orange as often as I possibly can. I prefer the Richtersveld region of the Orange for the remoteness and the whole outdoor experience associated with the fishing. It's not really about the yellowfish themselves, although awesome to catch, let's face it, do not really require much by way of technical skill and purist application of technique. I may get shot down for this, but I think that yellowfish are really easy to catch (except of course Clanwilliams, or Witvis) if you just follow a few basics. Wild river Trout on the other hand require a certain degree of skill and technical excellence to catch. Things like presentation of the fly, fly selection on the day, leader setups, stealthy wading etc. etc. etc, all add up to increasing your possibilities of success. If you can catch even one wild river trout, you have had to have done something right, whereas, you can catch a Yellow, and really have no clue how you did it. Also the Cape streams are really beutifull places to do this in ,as is the Vaal. So I have to say, my first love is wild Trout on the Cape Streams.
Kind of chganged my mind since this post way back in January. I now think the ultimate must be Tigerfish during the barbel run in the Okavango Delta....
Wild trout in the mountains of Lesotho comes a close second.
shector
20-11-07, 03:09 PM
I have to agree with Andre. I prefer wild mountain trout, thats why I started flyfishing in the first place. The epitome of flyfishing for me is sight-fishing to feeding wild river trout with small dry flies (preferably your own patterns) in crystal clear mountain streams. There is nothing more soothing than Western cape stream water wrapped around your ankles and a fly rod in your hand! This is one of the reasons why I love the Western Cape!
My second target species will probably have be Clanwilliam yellows on dryfly.
visvrou
20-11-07, 03:11 PM
Must be Yellows, with Trout not very far behind.
I'll never agree with Andre on the ease of acess wrt YellowFish and after my recent experiences fishing the Estuaries my new list would be:
1) YellowFish (in all their incarnations)
2) Saltwater
3) Wild Troot
I'll never agree with Andre on the ease of acess wrt YellowFish and after my recent experiences fishing the Estuaries my new list would be:
1) YellowFish (in all their incarnations)
2) Saltwater
3) Wild Troot
Ja, but things have changed since that post that caused all the SH one T. After the last Nationals, I realised that Vaal yellows can actually be quite worthy. Remember that when us Kaapies go for Yellows, we normally have to make quite a trek to get them in numbers, so we try to plan things around the times when the fish should be playing ball. This means the hot months on the Vaal and Orange when the fish are aggressively moving through the rapids, and the chances of catching them in vast quantities is far greater. I recently saw a different side to the Vaal where things were generally not so easy. Spooky fish, critical fly selection, carefull wading, etc. etc. ja, yellows are great and challenging at times, just like everything else. Let me tell you, to catch 20 something tigers per day when the barbel are running, is also not a hugely difficult fete if you get a few basics right, but get the times wrong, and you can go home with nothing.
Inderdaad ;) Look as we've agreed, all fish are stupid, that's why we end up catching them. without the right techniqque and kills you won't catch nudda. Nuff said!
Can tell you this much though, big Troot in big lakes in cold water v SmallMouth & LargeMouth in rivers ... I humbly think Saltwater fish kicks all of their asses :D
(Show me the Troot, Small or LargeMouth that can argue with a 20Kg Kob or a 10Kg Leerfish ?)
Inderdaad ;) Look as we've agreed, all fish are stupid, that's why we end up catching them. without the right techniqque and kills you won't catch nudda. Nuff said!
Can tell you this much though, big Troot in big lakes in cold water v SmallMouth & LargeMouth in rivers ... I humbly think Saltwater fish kicks all of their asses :D
(Show me the Troot, Small or LargeMouth that can argue with a 20Kg Kob or a 10Kg Leerfish ?)
Ja we agree at last, I can't comment on the large kob or leerie, as I have never caught iether of them in sizes anywhere ner this, but a 10 pound pussy cat....mmmmmmm yummy!
Nice fish ... when were you up there ?
Nice fish ... when were you up there ?
About 3 weeks ago. This time of year, the water in the delta recedes, and the baitfish come out of their hiding under the papyrus islands. The barbel herd them into the channels. It is quite something to see and hear thousands of barbel splashing while moving upstream. The tigers patrol just ahead of the barbel. A 9wt, with a 450grn Teeny, 10m cast, let it go down, fast strip...Bang...on daddy!...works every time.
My preference would by for fish in moving water taking flies of the surface.
There is nothing like seeing a fish taking your fly. Be it a size #18 dry or a big popper.
Surface fishing is the ultimate for me.
About 3 weeks ago.
You didn't go with Turner by any chance ? He was up there in the last few weeks too and they apparently had a fantastic trip.
You didn't go with Turner by any chance ? He was up there in the last few weeks too and they apparently had a fantastic trip.
No, but I know about Turners group. We got more however. About a year and a half ago, I joined up with John Yelland at Upstream adventures. We take our own groups to different destinations. We had two groups back to back at Nxamaseri Lodge on the Okavango river, quite near to Sepupa.
I only did the first group as I had to come back for the Nationals, but John stayed and hosted the second group.
smallstreams.co.za
20-11-07, 07:19 PM
You haven’t fished until you've fished for Yellows!
Quite a statement there! What about freshwater Dorado, Steelhead, Salmon, or Tigerfish? Tigerfish are known to be amongst the hardest fighters you can find in fresh water. I understand that proximity and availability play a major role in the species we target, but if I had to choose 1 specie to fish for my entire life, it would be wild Brown Trout.
Not for the fight, not for the "status", not for the "purist" reasons one (hell, many) might think ... but mainly for the most amazing locations that these fish predominantly inhabit.
Hmmmmm, I sound a bit like Kingfisher ;) ;) ;)
Chris Shelton
21-11-07, 08:09 AM
[QUOTE=FlyGuide.co.za;47538] mainly for the most amazing locations that these fish predominantly inhabit. QUOTE]
I fully relate with this statement Mario. It is for this very reason that I have chosen the Clanwilliam Yellow.
The areas that they reside in are beauty with a difference; mostly arid mountainous landscapes, succulents, Acacia trees, Kokerboom kloofs, hot dry climate, dusty roads, quartz patches, mimacry plants, orange soil, awesome rock formations, bushman paintings, the smell of bokdrol around old vacated kraals, the sound of silence,.....and then, just when you get to thinking, "how the hell could anyone live here?" one stumbles across a stream, in stark contrast to the harsh surroundings.
These streams are very seasonal and as a result are ever changing, yet they hold many surprises. I remember a visit to one of these streams a few years ago, where I was greeted by 6 V-shaped wakes departing rapidly from the bank as I approached the stream. A visit to the same stream earlier this year found me looking for water as the stream had all but dried up!
I have no doubt that they are still there though, afterall, they have been there for thousands of years. No doubt, they will be found in the deeper holes in some of the more inaccessable areas.
Despite this lack of water at times, it never deters me from wanting to get out there as often as I can. One either loves a semi-desert environment or one hates it, but I love it! It is as if I am satisfying a deep inner calling everytime I get out there, something that I cannot really explain, but what I do know is that the yellows share the same environment that I love so much, and for that I am extremely grateful.
Nymph+O-
23-11-07, 01:01 PM
I understand that proximity and availability play a major role in the species we target,
I agree with you there and please don't get me wrong - yellows are probably not the sh!t that stinks but I would have to say the complete experience makes it worth while. I definitely prefer yellows to trout (stockies). I've never really been in the position to fish for real wild trout and I wish to change that soon. I have fished for tigers traditional style some years ago and I have to agree that they are awesome fighters, especially for their size.( i.e a 500g fish fights like a 2kg).
Yet, having said all this I would still love to get a Mahseer on the other end of the fly rod - they are also rated as a VERY worthy adversary when it comes to fresh water "superheroes".
chris williams
24-11-07, 11:35 AM
I think variety is the spice of life and I love fishing in different surrounds for different fish. On a regular 'bread and butter basis' living in Joeys, and with a little pad in Badplaas the various yellow species are my regular faves. Wild trout also up there but none really locally for bread and butter fishing
Definitley trout, but apart from them being a fine fish, it has a lot to do with where I stay. Thoroughly enjoy yellows (Not the wading in the Vaal) and barbel (Strong as a Greek wrester!).
Not worth kitting out for salt, due to the fact that I only get to the sea once in a blue moon.
Due to proximity the following order:
Yellows, Bass, any other freshwater species that will take the offering... :cool:
Trout? If I don't have to pay for it - OK.
Paying for fishing is like visiting a whorehouse - both ways you lose your bucks and smell the same afterwards. :D
Lardbeast
19-12-07, 08:40 PM
No specifics. Just to get out and do something. I like quiet and solitude and finding a spot with no one around except me and my dogs would be nice. Salt water stuff looks interesting. It's merely an excuse to pit my wits against a fish and so far the buggers are in the lead...:D
Pheasant Tail Nymph
20-12-07, 10:34 AM
As I am still young, my opinions might well change, but I chose yellows simply because they carry a special fascination for me. Nine species of beautiful fish,who can give challenging fishing while still allowing the beginner to get o few fish-all this in different but prestine surroundings. :) :)
I must say though that I have not fished for wild browns or rainbows. In fact, I have only caught six Smallmouth yellows at Sterkfontein Dam. I have not had the opportunity to fish for any saltwater species with a fly, yet. I would like to though.
I fish mostly for bass since I have free access to them, but I would like to catch every freshwater species that will take a fly.
I would have to go for all fish that can be found in water (not on the list of choices).
Fishing is all about the time spent on the water regardless of if you catch or not. Although catching is better than not.
chris williams
21-12-07, 06:17 PM
My favourite is anything I can catch
Canary kurper thus can be my only choice..
Spilogaster
09-01-08, 12:15 AM
...snip....
Fishing is all about the time spent on the water regardless of if you catch or not. Although catching is better than not.
Best day's fishing I've EVER had...... I fished all day on a river, and caught 1 (wild) rainbow trout. I think that the only way I'll beat that day's fishing, is fishing the same river (or scenically better), with the same company, under the same (weather) conditions, but catching LOADS of fish......
My favourite is anything I can catch
Canary kurper thus can be my only choice..
Surely you catch more than just canary's
Such a well educated and experienced chap such as yourself
chris williams
09-01-08, 04:35 PM
My attempts at a GM beaver-kurper hybrid so far unsuccessful..
dtayl13
11-08-11, 09:46 PM
Mostly trout, but I also enjoy smallstream Clanwilliam yellows. I also want to get into saltwater, but trout is top for me.
Bernard
12-08-11, 02:43 PM
Sjo! Tough.
I guess I like the diversity. Right now its smallstream trout, but its not really the spp, more the environs. Dying to dry smallstream yellow. I learned to flyfish in the vaal; nothing comes close to it. I also rate catching indigenous fish, of any type. Which is why I would rather catch a small trout in Morocco than a fat arse one in NZ. But my first big salty ran my knuckles blue and backing into oblivion - and good grief that changes you!
Iv'e only come across this now. Will be interesting to use these stats in our Carte Blanche story, regarding the popularities of fishing for yellows in our country.
Kewl.
ArcherFish
12-08-11, 04:36 PM
What about "All of the above" for those who have no particular preference.
gkieser
12-08-11, 11:40 PM
Water. .
JustinM
29-12-11, 03:41 PM
Trout will always hold a special place for me. I enjoy the high mountains, fresh air and clean water in which trout exist and can think of no fish prettier than a little spotted trout. The smaller the river, the more the enjoyment. Having said that, I would be interested in targeting any species on a fly and particularly enjoyed catching bonefish on the fly.
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