Western Cape Yellows - guiding

[Korrie]

In the last couple of months I have discovered quite a few camping spots/accomodation in the Cederberg area, with access to the various rivers. With Clanwilliam Yellows in them.

If there is interest I can type it up and list it.

[Korrie]

Here are a couple of good spots

http://www.citysidesteps.co.za/suikerbossie.html

Algeria Cape Nature Conservation camping site is on the Rondegat river
http://www.nature-reserve.co.za/cede...mmodation.html


http://nieuwoudt-farm.com/

These, with Die Mond are all on rivers where Clanwilliam Yellows occur.
All of these sites, entails walking along the river to find the fish.
Sometimes a lot of walking.

As all of these are open to the public, access is easy and the facilities are super.

Some of the more secluded spots are not for sharing.

[adriaan]

Hi yellowfever (and other interested).
I do not know of any guides specifically operating the area, though i have seen that turner wilkenson fish for them and have written couple articles. Tell your mate all the best and good luck, to enoy the scenery and watch out for puffies and cobras while stalking. In my opinion, you don't just go and catch a clanwilliam. For me it was kind of a journey, that took several trips over several season, many hours research with maps and google earth, digging into historical and recent distribution scientific reports etc. I was not interested in the small fish in tributaries, so went to places like the die mond and beaverlac etc in the mainstream. First did not see any sign of clanwilliams, just bass and bluegill. I started to doubt if there is any left! It was only october last year that i spotted my first clan, as i was having a smokebreak, this BIG fish came cruising past, one meter from the bank in 30cm whisky clear water. i was shocked by the size, must have had been close to 70cm. It looked so totally out of place, and at the same time so totally at home. I just sat and watched, but as it turned around and came back towards me again, i flicked out my fly which was imediately noticed. no rush on the fish's part, it just slowly turned its direction and came up to the fly but at that very moment a small bass has intercepted it and got himself hooked. So this was not to be my time. The rest of that trip i saw a couple more but all saw me first. On the next trip i managed to hook one which show me and the 2x tippet no respect. several trips more i saw couple, and came close and then december i eventually hooked and landed one. it was a smaller fish of just about 50cm (had it on a catch report but attached here again). In summary, i do not think they are too difficult to catch, its just that they are very scarce, and hard to find.
Which bring me to that aspect, their conservation status, specifically in rivers. Something you cannot be ignorant of if you target clanwilliams. Once you start pursuing these fish, you will become very aware of how bad it is, with succesful recruitment only taking place in very few places. Loads of contributing factors, predatory alien fish, but also habitat degradation (water extraction during low flow periods, dams and weirs, siltation etc). See also Ryan's post 'Our green & gold - Clanwilliam Yellowfish' we discussed whether fishing for these threatened species indeed a good thing???!!! My opinion: i think popularising fly fishing for them and making people aware what an asset they are will in the long run be responsible for their survival, and for the conservation of their habitat. will need to go about it carefully though. There is areas where clans and sawfins etc still breed and maintain healthy populations especially upper olifants river gorge. Luckily access is very impossible, due to geographics and private land. (just for the record i say its a lucky state of afairs, even though that means i cant acces either!).

But i understand there has been quite a few dams stocked, and where the clanwilliams are doing very well, even breeding. Again this is on private land, and i don't know how to get access... (Philip, where is that dam you are holding that beaut fish in MC's article?).

MC (or anyone who are CPS), will it not be possible to get some of these dams under CPS management and open up for flyfishing? I guess the landowners are not in need of cash at all, so the incentive will need to be from a conservation point of view, where acess monies will be plouged back into indigenous fish/river conservation projects.

ok, that was my first post (sorry for making it so long).
cheers, Adriaan
PS. Anyone going after clans, enjoy and please please do everything to minimise your impact. barbless, wet hands, minimal handling etc.etc.
PS2: the other pic is of yellows, in a tailout of a pool. the pic was taken in november,and it could well have had been prespawning congregation. took some self dicipline not to cast at them, but then it is really a privelidge to just observe these fish in there natural habitat

[Andre]

Adriaan, if that is your first post, it is possibly the most awesome first post ever to have hit the forum. Welcome and thanks for a valuable contribution.

[fish]

Hi Adriaan,

That dam is on private property close to Citrusdal on the way to Clanwilliam. That fish was 4.3kg, we got another of 4.7 and I have seen a pic of a 6kg fish from the dam. There is also some big smallmouth bass in the dam and I don't think the resident yellows stand much of a chance. I will see if I can get hold of the owner and what his feeling is on 'opening up' the water.

Cheers,

Philip

[Korrie]

I know a couple of farm owners with Clanwilliams in their dams.

The problem is that the farmers have become over protective, bordering on obsession about "their" Clanwilliam Yellows.
It is almost funny to see how proud these farmers are when they go and show you "their yellows"

Like a father with his first born son.
In some dams, they are succesfully spawning, but the growth rate is very slow.
A very interesting point, according to some of the latest research, although not 100% proven is that the larger the yellows grow, they become almost completely herbivourous (sp).
For any one who have walked many km in the mountains, will understand, as there is not a hellavu lot of insects in the water in the high mountain streams.

[adriaan]

Hi Korrie,
herbivourous = plant eating? Eish, dont know your source of the 'latest research' but they have it wrong. The big guys, while still feeding on insects, start eating fish (piscivourous) and crabs, mice, snakes etc. they are true predators, much like largemouth yellows of the orange/vaal??? They need to eat big to achieve and maintain their weight. They could well feed on plant matter as well, but definitely not exclusively.

Just on your comment on growth rate being slow in dams - it is slow anyway, not just in dams - thats why they are so vulnerable to predation. i think they are only 6cm after one year?

Anyway, also been to a small farm dam in the agterwitzenberg where the guy have his pet clanwilliams, he feeds them dog pellets, and will not be to keen for anyone fishing there (but then i dont think you really want to fish such an setup).

But there is plenty other dams that have clans in them. just to clarify the situation, the clans will co-exist in dams with other species e.g. bass and bluegill, and will feed themselves dik on their fry. but the reverse is true as well and the gills and bass do a much better job in cleaning out the clans eggs and juveniles. In the absence of bass and gills, and where a suitable rocky substrate and gradient is present, they do breed quite succesfully. These dam stockings was initiated by CNC long ago in order to create aditional populations, to safeguard the species. There should be enough fish to work with to build up a viable fishery - even if it take 5 to 10 years. As long as there is enough dams where they breed succesfully, other dams can then be stocked with 'bass proof' size fish, no need to first eradicate the bass and bluegills first. these dams can than be managed for fishing, the revenue created plouged back into conservation projects. Imagine pulling a zonker through some deep water knowing that you can be picked up by either a fat smallmouth bass, or a 4-6kg clanwilliam!!

Philip, did not seriously expect you to reveal any info of your fishing spots...
I am thinking more along the lines of discussing a strategy where more dams can be stocked, and access managed for fishing. Management will be the crucial aspect, and thats why i think CPS are perfectly positioned. No farmer would like to just have people rocking up, and by the first sign of trouble he will lock his gate. There should be no conflict with CNC, they should probably welcome it, though i am 100% sure that if left to them nothing much will come of the ground, they are just to understaffed and underfunded and overworked. Thats why i think a lot will have to be left to private initiative.

I have also heard of syndicates having access to some of these dams with clanwilliams, great for the members, but no help to the mere mortals.

cheers

[Korrie]

Adriaan
That is what some fish scientist said to me.
For me it is more an omnivorous diet, what ever comes up will be chomped.But that they are apex predators, that I am sure off.


If you look at the about of biomass in the water in some of the higher streams, not a lot of food, and to sustain a couple of big fish, they might turn to eating anything that is available.

[petercoetzee]

what ever happened to the breeding programs that we used to hear about? was that just CNC stocking dams?

[adriaan]

Hi Korrie,
Agree totally with the omnivorous thing, reckon they will eat anything. and they can be aggresive. in the favourite flies series (think it is #3) mike dolhoff describes how they were testing the action of a plug/lure intended for saltwater, when it got taken by a clanyellow with a big bang.
Agree also about the less food in the higher / smaller streams and thats why the yellows you find there is much smaller. dont actually know if they are stunted, or just younger. The bigger water of the mainstreams and bigger tribs hold the larger fish.

Peter, from what i have read, one of the reasons the beeding station closed down was due the water quality being not really suitable for a hatchery. the draw-off is from the bottom of the dam, resulting in inferior water qual. But reckon other factors played a role as well, think the whole strategy of breeding and stocking was reconsidered due to not wanting to bottleneck genetic diverisity or mix up different strains etc.

Maybe someone else know more?