Natal skalies

[KROMSTOK]

Hi guys, hope some one can help me. I have learned to catch yellows on fly in Cristiana on the Vaal, now I have moved to Natal and have found gr8 spots in Paul Pietersburg in the Pongola. The problem is that the same tactics as for the Vaal don’t work, I cant seem to find the right pattern or technique to catch this yellows or skalies.

Can somebody please help with:

1. Fly patterns?
2. Technique, strike indicator etc.?
3. Best season?

[Herman Jooste]

Hi guys, hope some one can help me. I have learned to catch yellows on fly in Cristiana on the Vaal, now I have moved to Natal and have found gr8 spots in Paul Pietersburg in the Pongola. The problem is that the same tactics as for the Vaal don’t work, I cant seem to find the right pattern or technique to catch this yellows or skalies.

Can somebody please help with:

1. Fly patterns?
2. Technique, strike indicator etc.?
3. Best season?

There is a great article in this months TCFF by Horst outlining SSYF, specifically in the upper Pongola region. You will notice that the tactics differ hugely from the SM tactics in the Vaal.

[KROMSTOK]

Thanks Herman, going to get it now!

[George Thom]

I grew up in newcastle in Northern KZN and fished the buffolo river a lot for scaleys.I use small zak nymph,s (#18),green,brown and musturd caddis and if you find them in pools look for hatces.small ddd's,adams,any hopper patterns(#12-16).If you tie your own flies try and mimic a "reismier" or alt use a RAB,coz in late summer thunderstorms they hatch in huge numbers.Best seasons i found were from late Feb to end of Nov.Depends a lot on the rain.Most of the time these fish were stubburn and you really had to get in their face with your flies.one thing i bought that came in really handy was a small fishtank net.before i hit the water i net below the rapids to see what is washing down and then match the hatch.also check out favorite flies and teqnuiqes of the experts vol 2.enjoy

[chris williams]

Hi George, yes what you say all makes a lot of sense. The other good things (whicvh I'm sure you know/do but just for maybe some of the others who havn't yet tried this) is when turning over stones/rocks looking for insects, keep the net downstream to trap any bugs that may wash off. Rummaging through the weed with the next also turns up a whole different range on shrimps, scuds, aquatic beetles and the like. Various species of dragonfly nymphs often in the shallow slow/static sandy bits of pool, and leeches (yuk!) in the muddy more stagnant pools, not that your beloved Buffalo would have any of that!

I went for a wedding years back near Newcastle for one of my Swambo's cousins. They were farmers and they had a reception in between the main river (may have been the Buffalo, I can't recall?) and their big main dam. Late peeyem, I snuck off fifty metres with a couple of cold Castles and sneaky casts with my 9 wt and black zonker next to some shoaling barbel. I immediately hooked one to my kids' delight, but as I was playing it the mother of all storms came down the valley. I managed to land and return the
fish but we had to hot foot back over a couple of sheep electric fences back to the marquee. My dress shirt and suit pants and best shoes were all covered in mud, but I got a bigger ovation from the (by then) inebriated wedding guests than did the bride!

[George Thom]

haha .I feel you.been caught like that as well.That is why I never leave my poncho at home when I go out anymore.There is 2 main rivers, the ncandu whitch runs through the town and into the buffolo and the buffolo.I don't fish the ncandu anymore coz of polution exept when i'm high up in its catchment valley.Enjoy