Fishing Report - 11/12/13 January 2013

Venue - Vaal River (Ooesthuizens Farm )
Location - Vaal River, just below the barrage 
Date - 11/12/13 January 2013
Fisherman - Bertus plus other family members & I
Overhead Conditions - Rain, cloudy, very little sun +/- 26 degrees 
Water Conditions - 22 degrees, visibility 30 cm

We set off from Pretoria on the Friday afternoon around 4. 
Heavy rain had fallen all morning and we were questioning whether this was even worth bothering with. 
We didn't have a choice, some of the guys had already arrived that morning and set up camp. 
After spending the customary hour in traffic south of Joburg, we were finally making our way. The destination is only 1.5hours from Pretoria, so its not as if we had a long journey ahead of us. 

Arrived in the pouring rain!!

Luckily enough, the guys who'd arrived that morning had already setup camp, gazebo up and fire burning. 
We quickly unpacked the rods/tackle etc. We wouldn't start fly fishing till the morning but we baited the carp and barbel rods for the night shift. 
Mielies on, the carp lines were in, frog on for the barbel. This isn't really what i came here for but it will keep me occupied while we weren't wading in the water.  
First evening was spent around the fire, had a couple of bites on the the carp rod but nothing really worth getting excited about. 
Around 10 pm, a barbel swallowed my frog and the first battle had started. After playing the fish for some time i managed to land a +/- 6kg barbel. Good start to the weekend! Hopefully this was a sign of things to come. 

Arose the Saturday morning to grey skies but thankfully the rain had stopped. The weather forecast had predicted intermittent shows for the whole weekend. I was hoping they were wrong!

Fly rods rigged, Bertus and i were both using a combination of Caddis (green & mustard) as our control fly and the yellow fish brassie as our point fly (If you read my post from the 16 December) you will see this fly brought me a lot of joy a Vaal streams.

The venue doesn't provide a huge amount of opportunities for fly fisherman. Basically, one band of rocks stretching the length of the river. Within those rocks is where we would be fishing, plenty of small pools and swirling water. 

We hit the water around 7, fishing round the first set of rocks, the water was flowing a little faster here. The wading is very tough, big rocks! If you aren't using a wading stick you will seriously struggle which Bertus later found out! 

Despite the rain the water looked good. I knew we'd hook into something! We slowly made our way into the water, plenty of rises further into the river but nothing near us. 
Flicking out my flies into a nice piece of water, things just felt right for yellows! 3rd cast, bang i was in. whatever it was took my flies and was off down river, i knew it was something of decent size but it was close to the bottom so i didn't get a glimpse . My foot slipped on a rock, i stumbled, a lapse in concentration and i accidently let the line go slack. Damn he was off, i looked at Bertus and we both knew we were going to have some fun in the water. 

I stayed in the same spot for some time, landed a few small yellows! All taking the yellow fish brassie. I was already planning my trip to the fishing shop in the week to buy the relevant materials to make my own version. 

Bertus, his first time fly fishing had never felt what it was like to catch a fish on a fly/rod. He was fishing with a single mustard caddis, no strike indicator. Flicking his fly up stream and letting it slowly drift down along on the bottom. His first fish was one to remember! Not knowing he'd hooked him until the line went tight and a hefty bend in the rod. A good few runs later, the battle was over, Bertus successfully landed his first fish on fly tackle, a +/- 2kg carp. From the way the fish fought, to landing the fish, i could see Bertus really enjoyed the experience. 

Throughout the day we both managed to land quit a few more small yellows (95% caught on the number 14 yellow fish brassie), all giving a good account of themselves. All very healthy and proving that the years spawning was a successful one! 

This venue is primarily a carp destination with the deep sections of the river. But the small opportunity it offers the fly angler, i'm convinced this venue has hardly any fly rod pressure. For this reason, i will definitely be back. 

Keep it real....................with feathers and steal!  

French Leader Setup

French Nymphing is now becoming the latest craze hitting the Vaal and many other rivers and small streams. 
I personally haven't tried it yet but i will be giving it a go this weekend when we visit Arendsnes with the Jacaranda Fly Fishing Club. 

A full report will be posted next week. 

Until then, happy wading!

Fishing Report - 16 December 2012

Venue - Vaal Streams
Location - Vaal River, below the dam wall
Date - 16 December 2012
Fisherman - Michael & I
Overhead Conditions - Cloudy, warm, with sunny intervals, 27 degrees
Water Conditions - 20 degrees, visibility 50cm

Michael and I had been very keen to get out on the water before the festive period. We had decided to try Vaal streams for the second time. Our first outing there hadn't been too successful mainly due to the over head conditions and rain that had fallen in the days leading up to fishing. 

We arrived at Vaal streams around 7 am, warmly greeted by Isaac. Indemnities filled, money exchanged, lets fish. 

Arrived down at the water to find quit a few people camping and staying in the accommodation at Vaal Streams but no one fishing. Great, we had the place to ourselves leaving us ample places to fish and explore. 

I'd decided to tie on a green caddis with a small flash back nymph tailing (+/- 30 cm behind in a New Zealand rig form) i'd decided on this after reading numerous catch reports suggesting these flies were working. We hit the first set of flowing water directly in front of us. On our first visit to Vaal Streams we'd had a few hook ups and bites in this area, so it wasn't a bad place to start. Fishing 360 degrees i had a couple of bites but nothing of any real substance. I decided to move after +/- 15 mins of fishing. 

I moved round a large island which was densely covered with reeds and branches and decided to fish up to it as there were a few overhanging branches and what seemed to be break in the water where the current was swirling. I threw my fly in a few times and bang, i was in. Unfortunately the fight didn't last long as the hook came free and whatever it was got away. 

We continued to fish for the next couple of hours with no luck, we moved to various pools, rifles etc but still nothing. We decided to hit the bank for an early lunch and to reassess our tactics! 

Stomach filled, we came out with a spring in our step and some much needed confidence. 

For the afternoon session, i tied on a heavily weighted Caddis (Green) with a Yellow Fish Brassie (Still the same New Zealand rig formation), very in descriptive name for the fly. I decided to try a piece of water i hadn't fished early, narrow, shallow and plenty of rocks! 
3rd cast bang, i was in, the only thing i could think of at the time was. 'i have to get this fish to the net'. Fished netted, healthy sized Muddy, as usual a very good fight! Muddy released, lets see what else is hiding in here! 

Over the next hour or so of fishing in the same spot, i managed to land 2 very nice sized Small Mouth Yellow Fish. My guess would be between the 2 & 2.5 kilo mark and 3 more muddies! All of these fish were caught on the 'Yellow Fish Brassie'. Below i have attached a picture of the said Yellow Fish Brassie. 

Unfortunately these flies have been tied very poorly (I wont mention any manufacturers names here) I haven't managed to find the flies anywhere else! The only result is for my to tie my own variation. I have the vice, just need to locate the relevant materials. 

Hopefully heading to the Vaal again in the new year, will report back. 

For now, tight lines! 

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! 

The start of something new

Today........ 24 October 2012, I start blogging about my fishing adventures.

Keep checking to see where i have been and what I've caught.

Just an insight into a novice fly fisherman's experiences, hey, you might even find it informative. 

For now, tight lines.