A little bit about me

Hi,

Just a little bit about me and my back ground.

My name is Ross Jenkinson, 28 years old. I stay in Pretoria South Africa.  I started fly fishing in September 2009.  I was introduced to the art of fly fishing by my girlfriend (Kelly), cousin’s husband if that makes sense.

My first experience of fly fishing was on a long weekend away at the Golf and Trout Estate in the heart of Clarens in the Freestate. If you have ever been to Clarens, you will appreciate that this is a very small picturesque town in the middle of the mountains, close to the border of Lesotho.

Michael (Kelly’s cousin’s husband) informed me beforehand he would be taking his fishing gear and would I like him to pack me a rod and reel too.

Having never tried fly fishing in my life, I knew that casting was going to be my big obstacle.

Michael dually set up a rod for me early on the Saturday morning. It was only a short walk from the stoop of the chalet to water’s edge. He positioned me on the far side, away from any major obstacles and obstructions in the water.

Michael gave me a brief lesson in casting, the do’s and don’ts and then was pretty much left to my own devices.

I consider myself a quick learner, but I surprised myself as to how quickly I picked up the casting action.

After seeing Michael successfully land his first fish within 15 minutes of us reaching the water’s edge I was very excited.  My aim was to at least feel what it is like to have a fish tug on the end of my line before we go. 

I successfully missed a couple of bites; I did however hook a “decent” fish, only to lose it before being able to land it.

The rest they say is history……………… The fly fishing bug had officially bit!