Witvis at Jonkerhoek

[Jasper]

I received THIS with my "Wild Card" Newsletter:

"The Jonkershoek fly-fishery, which specialises in rainbow trout, is going to lure even more anglers with its new witvis. This is a member of the yellowfish species and has been stocked in a dam for fly-fishing. According to CapeNature's Pierre de Villiers, these fish make for great angling. "They are really beautiful fish and put up a spectacular fight," he says. Remember to get your fishing permit (R45 a year) and follow the principle of catch-and-release. "

... no comment on this either way!

[BuzzLiteBeer]

Noticed the same thing along with a notification that my Wildcard will expire in April 2008. (I renewed it in December 2007). This obviously gives the impression that a freshwater permit is required for Jonkershoek and that a Wildcard is valid for 4 months.

[Benja]

is that at the kleinplaas dam?

[Jasper]

I was more interested in the Witvis in stocky ponds that the permit aspect

[Jasper]

is that at the kleinplaas dam?

it's here http://www.jonkershoek.com/

[Jasper]

I was more interested in the Witvis in stocky ponds that the permit aspect

... not in CATCHING them ... but how they will stand the pressure of 10000 C&R's!!

[BuzzLiteBeer]

... not in CATCHING them ... but how they will stand the pressure of 10000 C&R's!!

From what I've heard this won't be a problem because they seldom bite anyway.

[MyWorld]

Isn't this the same witvis that sommer die once you caught it?

Heard reports that this is a very sensitive fish and once released it would just roll over and die, no stamina...

The stocking program is gonna be really busy keeping up with restocking lost fish...

[Ryan Weaver]

Howzit guys.
We currently have a self sustaining population of Witvis in the bottom dam. Originally stocked in in November 2005 as a summer fish species for visiting flyfishermen. Since then we've seen more and more coming out each summer, though they are hellishly difficult to catch. Sean Mills and Leonard Flemming have both targeted and caught them successfully with Leonard landing 3 in one day and being broken up hectically by one of over a kilo. I've worked with them in our aquarium, at two oceans and for the recent Fisheagle Brandy advert and find they're a lot hardier than trout and don't succumb to handling stress nearly as quickly. The usual rule do apply though: If caught regularly they do get hook shy and if fought for too long and handled badly they're a lot more likely to die from excess lactic acid build up. Luckily they're not easy to catch though so it is usually the more experienced and appreciative flyfishers that manage to hook and land them. We will be looking at distributing the population out between the rest of the dams before the next spawning season.
Hope this answers some of the questions raised.
Cheers
Ryan

[Scythe]

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for the feedback, being somewhat Geelvis bef@k myself it is good to hear that your stocking efforts are paying off in terms of a self sustaining population.

This makes me very hopeful that the other stocking/relocation & preservation efforts by CNC will enjoy the same kinds of success.