March 2012 Middle Vaal Report

 

During the last few weeks the Vaal has been in the news for all the wrong reasons again. The culprit is nothing new but due to lower rainfall, warmer water, higher levels of organic matter the algae bloom is out of control. The Barrage is now starting to resemble Harties (a fishing paradise when I was a kid) and judging from reports is fast becoming irreversibly damaged. And it is not so much about the fishing but more about the quality of strategic water supply and the future use of it – think food for a growing population.

The state of the river has left most fishermen depressed and avoiding the river. I do not foresee an improvement in the quality of Barrage water in the next few weeks so the outlook is bleak. Talks of flushing the Barrage system is short term and will not improve the quality of water in the open system downstream – in fact the opposite will happen. Continued pressure is the only way we will get the required changes. Instead of launching a lone crusade a good idea would be to join up with the guys from SAVE www.save.org.za

If you need to get the fix my suggestion is to travel or explore the lesser know rivers and tributary streams of the Vaal. I can see and feel the onset of winter, the changes are very subtle but enough for you to have to start making changes to your approach. The fish will be out of the shallow riffles and rapids, only venturing there late afternoon if the food is there. Start a bit later in the morning and search the deeper water below the rapids. It will require better line or fly control to connect to the fish.

Update! Since my post to FOSAF I've received some very positive reports on the river. Photo evidence suggest visibility is cracking - around 1 meter maybe more. That means one thing, get out and onto the river in the following few weeks. Don't forget to pack the dry flies, conditions will be perfect for sight fishing.

Over the years I've been trying to improve the quality of the photos on the Blog, and I think I'm getting there. But Chris and his mates have upped the bar with this video of a day out on the Vaal. Awesome work guys, like the editing

Cheers

Carl & Keith

February 2012 Middle Vaal Report

Blanking is not a concept I’m used to in fishing. Certainly not when the other members of the party are successful – my son, my wife and my complete novice mate Hennie weighing in with a 1.8kg trout. 

Driving to Dullies I was reminiscing about my introductory days to fly fishing. I was the same age as my son - 10 with tons of enthusiasm and a real love for the veldt I got from my dad. Boy how much has changed since then and how much have I learnt over the years. 

I very rarely blanked in the early days because I was relentlessly pursuing the trout knowing that they have to eat at some stage. I think I was better prepared and focused in those days - I only had to pack MY gear, now it's food, wine kids stuff, photographic equipment etc.

No subdued colours
yet the fish take the fly?

In mitigation I did not use a sinking line and the successful members of the family held onto the only intermediate. These days I very rarely fish for trout so the usefulness of a sinker in my tackle bag literally disintegrated and I never replaced it. If I blanked with free rising trout all around me I would consider it a failure in my fishing ability :-).

The conditions dictated that I relent and get down where the fish are. Warm water due to a few weeks of hot weather and less rain than normal, meant the surface was void of feeding fish. I just hate those days when the visual aspect of fly fishing is taken out of the equation so I improvised and spent some of my fishing time taking photos. Reading Peter’s report on Dullstroom this week I’m not feeling so bad.

 

It is a good thing the Vaal is in great condition compared to the corresponding months the last few years. Flow rates are within the fishable levels and the spawn is over in most areas. 

Fishing reports are sketchy and some guys are battling to get the fish on the hook and in the net. I think it is a temporary thing as traditionally this is the best time of the season, leading into the early autumn when the smallies start moving out of the rapids.

If you are blanking, take a step back and just re-evaluate your tactics. Or take up another hobby until you get your mojo back and the fish start jumping into your landing net.

Sunset in Dullstroom

Cheers

Carl & Keith

January 2012 Middle Vaal Report

Apologies for the hiatus over the December holidays. Work and holiday got in the way of fishing reports, mostly work. I trust you had a good rest and enjoyed fly fishing possibly in some other part of this country covered by the many reports on the FOSAF site.

Sedgefield late afternoon fly fishing

I had one decent session with the Garrick at Sedgefield, small fish but on light tackle it was exiting. For the rest of the holiday success evaded me due to some obscure reason only saltwater fish know about.

Through some cunning planning and negotiation I managed to convince the family to stay over at Rooipoort near Kimberley on the way back home. It has always been on my bucket list to visit this unspoilt part of our country and to fish for the Yellowfish in the Vaal bordering the reserve.

A magnificent Red Hartebeest bull, Rooipoort

We arrived late afternoon on New Year ’s Eve, not enough time to fish but I did get to drive down to the river. This place is big, it’s 7km on a good dirt road to get to the river! I inspected the water in the last rays of 2011 sunlight. It looked promising but I did not see a rapid at this spot.

Petroglyphs, Rooipoort. Glad they're not in the Vaal anymore.

Next day I was back at the spot closest to the house. There were some fishy activity but as far as the eye can see it was flat open water. I walked the banks trying to spot feeding fish, while my efforts was unsuccessful I spotted a new species for me, some very big. Grass carp with their yellowish bodies almost confused with our beloved yellow – a flat head and black markings on the tail showed them up. They also refused the fly. I continued downstream stopping whenever the riverine bush allowed but a walk along the banks proved futile. The only fish I saw were the grass carp cruising and the occasional catfish.

The long flat piece of water continued for at least 5km maybe even longer. Eventually I could spot a change in features downstream – islands with channels and reeds. As I walked out of the bush I could hear the murmur of the river and then the full force of destruction hit me. This whole area was being mined by the “community” bordering the reserve. Full on earth works right in the middle of the stream bed, damming up and channelling the flow and a big 3X2m oil spill left right there. Some very large and powerful machinery was used here. I walked to the spot where I could hear the water, it was gushing through 2 or 3 storm water pipes. I got one yellow there.

I drove further downstream looking for a place that resembled a natural stream bed, something like the middle Vaal. The next drift (shallow section) looked better at least the mining was done on the banks clearly by a large contract mining operation. Being 1 January all looked quiet only a few people moving about and the tell-tale string of 2 litre bottles across the river. Obviously holding up a gill net supplying someone with protein or income. I wish it could selectively catch the hundreds of grass carp that I saw during the day. I got a few consolation yellows from the deeper channels. The river at this place was nice and clear affording me an opportunity to search for feeding yellows but the only fish visible in the shallow water was grass carp. After a disappointing day I called it quits and started the long trip back.

The reports I get to see from the middle Vaal are positive. Beginning December the water was still clear, with the moderate rainfall it should remain like that. If you time your trip with decent flows you will fish one of the best pieces of fly fishing water in the world.


New Year Milkyway



Cheers from


Carl & Keith

November 2011 Middle Vaal Report

Sunrise on the way to the Vaal

The red-chested cuckoo calling was a sign that the summer rains were on the way. This is the call for all fly fisherman to get to the Vaal and enjoy some of the best fishing we've had in. Kobus and I headed the call, took a Friday off to fish the Vaal far from the maddening crowds, only to run into a Bells festival in full swing at Elgro River Lodge. I was glad for a river and not a dam, we would’ve been stumped, next venue was perfect not another fisherman in sight. Since my previous trip on 1 October clarity improved to a meter, perfect for a bit of sight fishing and I think the limit when it comes to close in fishing. I could cast to feeding fish and watch them react to the fly coming into sight.

The fish get excited and one can clearly see the eager head movement of the take, while there is no sign of movement on the indicator. A timely lift of the rod connects to a very surprised fish shooting off to deeper water. This particular section has one of the prettiest runs on the Vaal and when clear reminds me of famous rivers in Montana.

The channel cuts between 2 islands, long strands of water grass gently undulating in the reduced flow, occasionally opening up to reveal the gold of a yellow. I wish the Vaal could always look like this. This is the 3rd week of October and it certainly feels like summer is here. I’m hearing all the summer migrant birds in the garden – paradise flycatcher, cuckoo and purple-backed starling. We are experiencing a heat wave in Gauteng at the moment, not great for fishing and fisherman. From our previous trip we had one younger member with some serious sunburn, my advice always cover up as much as possible, long-sleeved and legged trousers are the best option. I try to avoid adding sun cream while fishing – some foreign oily substances get onto your flies – opting instead to cover up early in the morning. Baseball caps although they look cool is another thing to avoid, rather get a wide brimmed hat with a dark under brim fabric, makes spotting fish a lot easier. A Buff is a handy sun protection garment, although fairly expensive. I was standing in the queue at Woolies and noticed a similar piece of material at R30, unfortunately in feminine colours. I have a feeling of being ripped off when I paid 5 times that. Next time you see a guy with a mauve buff it might be me☺.

During these hot spells the fish are also at risk. Oxygen levels drop in the warmer water impacting their recovery time after a fight. Make sure you spend more than enough time to revive the fish in the flowing water. If you struggle in finding fish in the regular spots, realise that they do not like the direct harsh sunlight. Find shaded areas under the willows or against the bank undercuts shaded by vegetation. Try fishing in the cooler times of the day, spend the hottest times resting up for the afternoon session. I’m noticing the small black ants are becoming very active, moving nests and collecting food. Although I do not have this down to a science, my experience from previous years is that this indicates the big rain is about 10-14 days away. Get yourself onto the river!

Cheers Carl

There is still plenty of beauty on the Vaal

October 2011 Middle Vaal Report

After an almost 12 month absence it was absolute bliss getting into the Vaal on Saturday. The weather wasn’t particularly great with a strong upstream wind and with a grumbling cloud cover overhead. The wind was “predicted” to die down towards the afternoon prompting me to swing the boat’s nose upstream. Flows were very low and with the wind in my back I travelled like a Frans Steyn penalty kick, effortlessly with the wind.

The floods have certainly “cleaned” up the river. The substrate is cleared of debris and mud, a few spots even had nice pebble beds. Visibility is not great, I would say 50cm but it is good enough to spot the odd flash of feeding fish when the sun is right. After such a long absence from the river I find it very difficult to fish blind. The mojo of just knowing where a fish lies in any given stretch of water is gone. That is when I spend a few minutes at every rapid or run to scan for fish activity - a head breaking the surface, a tail wagging up in the air or the telltale flash of gold. This also helps to identify any spawning activity, in most cases spawning will be a very visible splashing and trashing.

It took a while before I found the fish. Paddling through the glides normally spook fish and it’s easy to spot the bow wave of a departing fish, but I saw nothing. So the fish were somewhere else, very difficult to see anything in the deeper pools, due to the strong wind there was no surface activity. My gut feel was that they were in the faster rapids, aerated water, with lots of food. I kept on going until I reached the first big rapid above Elgro lodge. Even with the flows around 15 cumecs my unpractised hand could not get the fly into the zone. In the slower water I got strikes on the NZ-rig so I knew the fish were there and active. I removed the strike indicator and with a good mend and control a feisty male grabbed the fly in a pocket. It does help to know the fish are there but when you’re not getting takes the most likely problem is your flies are not in the feeding zone.

The fly that worked for me was this caddis, tungsten bead, but you can use lead in the body.


I recently bought a macro lens and was trying to have a closer look at the naturals in the Vaal’s larder. The photos are not great, I battled without a tripod☺. But the pupa shows nicely what the key triggers would be to include in an imitation-black wing buds, long legs and antennae bright green abdomen.

A great top fly to swing down and across when the big Vaal caddis are emerging. There were plenty mayfly nymphs and these smaller caddis larvae on the rocks.


Earlier in the season a friend reported a buddy and he fished together – he blanked. He made one comment that got me thinking, every time his friend switched to another fly he would get a few fish. My theory is that the fish were feeding higher up in the water column and a new fly sunk slower due to air bubbles trapped in the dry body, this put the fly in the zone for longer. Until it got completely water logged, and sunk out of sight too quickly.

On a sadder note we’ve received reports of some venues along the Vaal allowing jig fisherman to target spawning fish and also killing fish. Unfortunately this is a battle not easily won. Most venues along the Vaal have certainly been approached by us, Yellowfish Working Group and various other conservation bodies. How do we go about solving this? Education does work, there are still people who do not realise the threat faced by yellows in the Vaal some will listen and change their ways. Unfortunately the moral fibre of SA society is shot, on a daily basis I rage against people in Rustenburg driving over stop streets with impunity, but nothing changes. So there will always be people who will ignore your plea to change their ways. Try having a good chat with the venue owner if that fails I would suggest vote with your feet. Just keep in mind money keeps the person in business, their income is not solely from fly fisherman especially in winter!

This is the reason I support Elgro Lodge because they walk the talk when it comes to yellowfish conservation.

December 2010 Middle Vaal Report

Another year has flown by at a rapid pace. As a kid I wished away the days between fishing trips, now I never do as the days are too precious, but still the years rush by like the Vaal in flood – classic I know.I was lucky enough to spend some time on the hallowed waters of Sterkfontein. Although the fishing was extremely tough I was rewarded with some great photo opportunities.

The dam has been fishing like a temperamental lady, with a certain amount of tender loving attention something was forthcoming. But the great dry fly action of years gone by has disappeared.

Time has not permitted another foray to the Vaal before our annual seaside holiday, so I will have to let her rest until sometime in 2011. I’ll be crossing over the Vaal a few times this holiday – always casting an eye over to spot a fisherman or the ripples of a rise. If you do get to fish the river this December Herman’s report is as comprehensive a guide as you will find anywhere.
The Actual Vaal Report by Herman Botes
My experience on the Vaal so far this season has been an on-off affair. The unusual weather patterns seems to play a bit of havoc with my fishing outings , or I’m just picking bad days to step onto the water.
Very disappointing for me was the lack of surface activity at dusk (the time of day I look forward to all afternoon) - the fish do move into the thin water at dusk though. When you see fish activity in the thin water at dusk a dry-and dropper approach can be a lot of fun and you do not hang up as you would if you persisted with a standard nymph rig. Also try this same set up smack bang in the middle of the afternoon if the fishing is slow and concentrate on the smoother glides & runs just below some broken water.
Nov / Dec is mostly a caddis affair with the fish concentrating on grubbing on the rocks in the fast aerated riffle& pocket water , especially in low light and overcast weather. The rest of the day the fish hang out below overhanging trees / vegetation and deeper glides. It’s purposeful fishing, but if you get them in hard feeding mode , you will get pockets of full blown action along your beat . Imitations of Macrostemum Capense (green rockworm) & mustard caddis are good bets for control flies and Garth Wellman’s Green Machine as a dropper can be deadly. I also noted a very high percentage of ginger caddis (brown head/thorax ) in # 14 on the rocks at most venues. The interesting thing is that their appearance coincides with the disappearance of the forest green caddis(black head & thorax) # 14 Go figure ….

My pet challenge in summer is also to bump into a Trico mayfly migration which bring its own challenge and variation to the game. Trico Mays are big….. #14 for adult with football humped wing cases. The nymphs are STOUT with olive/brown dorsal side and yellow/cream ventral side -do not confuse them with the black Leptophlioebeadae? Mays of the same size.When these mays are ready to hatch the mature nymphs migrate to the slack water on the sides of the runs and shallow slacks behind big boulders from where they hatch. They do this by simply walking over & under the rocks. Needless to say the fish follow. To establish if a migration is happening or has happened - turn over a couple of the loser rocks on the side of the river. If one of the rocks is crawling with trico’s (looks like a cattle farm) , you could be in for some good fishing by concentrating on the thin water on the sides and using a stealthy approach. In good water clarity and light you can even sight fish to individual fish using a dry-and-dropper setup. Anglers mostly use a brown Mayfly imitation to imitate the nymphs and I had on occasion achieved good results with a brown gold bead may with a golden flashback. However this is not always effective , especially if you are simply covering water. Lately I found the yellow/cream/mustard ventral colour of the nymph to be more of an attraction and definite trigger - combine that with a brown thorax and a gold / copper or orange bead for an effective imitation. And of course a scruffy picked out GRHE will also account for fish.

Late Nov/early Dec is also the time of the second spawn for the fish (depending on flows) so be aware and tread carefully. This is a windfall for those married to the hotspot PTN as this little pattern will once again pull in good numbers of fish together with its fellow orange hotspot cronies. There simply is no denying the effectiveness of orange triggers especially around the time of spawn runs. Herman.

If you are going on holiday, travel safely, switch on those head lights and be more visible. Enjoy the fishing at your destination and spend some time with the significant other unless you’ve already fished yourself single. Have a blessed Christmas and I hope your 2011 will be a great fishing year!

Cheers

Carl and Keith.

March 2010 Middle Vaal Report

What does this beautiful lady have to do with fishing? Took the photo after sunset, it’s just amazing what can be painted with digital cameras these days.

I have to apologise for the hiatus in reporting but with sub optimal fishing conditions on the Vaal I have just not focussed enough on fishing. I think I may have lost my mojo so I’m off to Dullstroom to get my mojo right. Not my ideal type of fly fishing, rather it is a return to my roots and spend time with my ageing father. I started off fly fishing with my dad in the Machadodorp area about 30 years ago and now it’s the turn of 3 generations to share the pursuit. It also gives my wife the opportunity to practice her casting and out fish me!

Seems the flows are settling on the Vaal, so in the next few weeks we may be in for some typical autumn dry fly action. It is one of my favourite times on the river, before the extreme cold of winter sets in and the fish fattening up on the last of the summer insects.

Catch and Release

Twice in the past week this piece of research was discussed on two different radio stations. The species does not relate to the yellowfish of this report, but I think we can learn a lot from this. In the Vaal the largemouth is one of only 2 apex predators.

Catch and release fishing in the Okavango under the spotlight by Prof Nico Smit

Have you ever wondered why you do not see as many tigerfish in our river systems today as you did in the past and where they have gone?

Have you ever wondered what the possible reasons are for the slow disappearance of tigerfish from our rivers and if we will ever see their numbers restored? Is ‘catch and release’ angling placing undue stress on the tigerfish pollution?

The Centre of Aquatic Research (CAR) of the Department of Zoology at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has researched the decline in numbers of the tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus), which to many anglers is the epitome of Africa’s freshwater game fish species.

“As one of the most important predatory fishes in Africa, tigerfish are found in areas throughout the continent. However, in recent years its numbers have declined in many rivers due to water abstraction, pollution, obstructions such as dams and weirs and fishing pressure,” says Prof Nico Smit, head of the UJ’s CAR. “This has been recognised specifically in South Africa. The tigerfish is now included on the protected species list, together with such marine icons such as the great white shark and the coelacanth, which was once thought to be extinct.”

You can read the rest of the article here.

http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/Newsroom/News/Pages/CatchandreleasefishingintheOkavangounderthespotlight.aspx

Cheers
Carl & Keith

September 2009 Middle Vaal Report

Christoff Badenhorst with one solid beauty

Looking back on August and looking forward to spring the conditions for fishing is not perfect but the fish don’t mind – they have to continue eating. The Vaal did not clear up this winter as expected – there are multiple causes and we have experienced this in the past. Very frustrating considering this is the only time the Vaal offers the opportunity to sight fish. But don’t despair, the season is changing and soon we will be in full summer mode.
The first part of the season will bring its own challenges, most notably the curse of the Vaal (spirogyra). The long strands of algae that chokes up the rapids and prevents the nymph fisherman from effectively fishing the shallow areas. It is a growing (excuse the pun) problem exacerbated by the pollution. I have touched on some solutions of how to fish in this water, in previous reports. Best is to approach this with a dry dropper set-up and forget about nymphing until the river gets a good flush to clear the algae.

Although the temperatures are rising don’t neglect the deeper waters below the rapids. At times the bigger fish congregate here (especially during a hatch) and this will give you a shot with dries. Even in low visibility the fish can be sighted if they are holding close to the surface.



On the largemouth front the low visibility did not prevent the guys from having a bumper season. The reports are all from the Middle Vaal and there are plenty of double figure fish in them. It just illustrates that if you spend enough time in the right water with the right techniques you will catch fish – even if conditions are not ideal. If you did put in some face time on the water and remain unsuccessful consider going out with one of the expert guides or sign up for one of the clinics. It can be a bit crowded but you will have the opportunity to mix with some of the notable experts.

Barend Esterhuizen put to work the knowledge gained from fishing with a guide.

Good luck with the spring season.

May Middle Vaal Report

“By 2035 SA will need 65-billion cubic kilometres of water and our current national stock stands at 33-billion. Our problem is that we are managing our water resources so badly, and are putting pressure on available fresh water,”. Dr Anthony Turton
*Source: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A994604
Alarmist some might say but after the Energy crisis of early 2008 I would prefer to err on the side of panic. It is a fact that we, those in Gauteng in close proximity to the Middle Vaal have been blessed with average to above average rainfall in the last 3 seasons. A fact lost on us City slickers used to bottled water and water on tap. We complain about the rising cost and dropping quality of our potable water, but until recently it wasn’t frowned upon for Rand Water to provide strategic water supplies to a mining company. Water was that cheap.
It may also be that we are protected from a severe water shortage experienced by the rest of our arid country because we have large upstream strategic reserves. Unfortunately it will be difficult to avoid the massive influx of refugees fleeing a desolate country side.
We really need to switch on and approach this challenge as a national threat. Do your bit to conserve water – bath with a friend, join an action campaign, make sure the company you work for don’t pollute and get your parents to switch on it’s your future.

Approach and technique

The plethora of April public holidays gave me enough free minutes and I eventually got onto the river. The mornings are crisp with a thick layer of mist drifting off the relatively warm river water. Winter in all her glory is here. There is no need to be on the water at first light, it is certainly a lot more pleasurable to reset the alarm and crawl deeper under the duvet. Unless if you’re into photography, that is the time to get out and experience the light fantastic.
The hatches will only start around 10 am, with sufficient numbers to get the fish onto the surface and feeding. My first day out started at 2 pm and the fish were already locked into a thick hatch of Mayfly. The clarity was around 50 cm but the yellows were able to pick size 16 naturals off with a few obliging to take a well presented dry. When I feel confident I switch flies after every fish, experimenting with different patterns. The naturals (nymphal shucks) were dun to almost black in the water. The flies producing were the f-fly, loopwing emerger, dark klinkhammers and even a CDC ant in size 16-18. The fish refused bigger patterns I used as an indicator.

The next morning the action was slow but it was great to be on the river for the first time with my son. He thoroughly enjoyed it and I was astonished that he persisted and did not head back to his PSP at the lodge. He even paddled me around the pool while I stood up spotting fish.

Again as mentioned in previous reports, first thing is to find the fish. Move around until you see the activity or spot the dark shapes just below the surface. You cannot fish blind in those large pools of the Vaal. On that morning I found the fish in a large pool, just where the water was smoothing out from the turmoil of the rapids. The hatches were sporadic so I reverted to the double burger with extra fries approach. A big hopper cast about 1 metre upstream of the fish was enough to entice my first fish of the morning. Once the hatch started they ignored the large fly again. I switched to small #16 offerings and had some great fun with decent size fish up to 5 pounds.
Insect Activity
The flies are small and sometimes it takes a lot of guts to stick such a small fly out there especially if you are used to lobbing #10 caddis boms in summer.
Believe me it does work. If you tie your own flies and battle to get the mayflies picture perfect don’t despair! I watched and collected a lot of the naturals and they were a sorry bunch.The cripples and emergers are scraggly bits none of the pure lines of the duns floating on the surface. The fish didn’t mind in fact they were the easy pickings.

This little fellow joined me, but mom was close by and she was a monster

Cheers until next month, enjoy the dry fly fishing.

Carl & Keith
http://yellowsonfly.blogspot.com/

April 2009 Middle Vaal Report

Just got back from a family holiday in the south of Mozambique. First time there and although I saw but a small part of the country what an eye opener. Shocking how war can put a country back and how difficult it is to make a comeback without natural resources. Tourism is great but it’s a fickle business based on seasons and school holidays. The rest of the year there are mouths to feed and it seems the sea as a natural resource is taking the brunt of the demand. Shore fishing was limited especially on fly. It may be seasonal it may be due to my inexperience, but snorkelling the pools did not reveal much more for the fly to entice.
I wish I could make a stop at Horst Filter on the way back. Although the rivers are not optimal it certainly beats sitting in the Easter traffic. Anyway, fishing the Luneburg area during winter is still on my to-do list.
Water and Weather
Joy when I got back and noted that the Vaal is getting back to fishable levels. I know for a fact there will be plenty of people out on the river before winter sets in. Autumn is a very productive time on the river, the fish are still to be found in the faster shallower water for those enjoying wading. There is also the opportunity to fish from a boat in the pools-as the clarity improves you’ll get great dry fly action.
Insect Activity
The archive of reports covers this subject well. If you do fish dry flies it will be mostly mayfly imitations.
A report just in from Gary la Grange is that the fish are certainly on the bite and there a big ones eager to take the fly. The smallies were hesitant to take a dry but obliged to take unweighted sub-surface patterns. Herman Botes reports that the yellows were very eager to take a dry on election day, pale morning duns (Adams) and Blue Winged Olives were hatching.
Largemouth
This is the start of the optimal fishing season for largemouth. Visibility will improve with the absence of rain and flash floods. The very big barbel move into winter mode (bottom of the river) and the largies take up their position as the prime predator in the river. When it comes to flies for the largies you have two choices:
1. Pick an all round fly e.g. MSP or Woolly Bugger in black. Tie it on and stick to it for a full day working all likely spots at all depths.
2. Pick 100 different great attractor patterns for fresh-& saltwater predators. Tie one on and stick to it for a full day working all likely spots at all depths.
You need dedication and perseverance to succeed with largies. It’s not the fish a minute stuff you get with the smallies in a hatch. You can spend a full 10km drift improving your casting and watching smallmouth feeding on #16 MF on the surface. Or you can hook into a 5kg largie at 10am and the day (year) is made.

This is not about fishing. I'm getting more into my photography. Upgraded to DSLR and a new Canon lense.

Carl & Keith

Middle Vaal Report

Pristine drinkable and fishable

According to The Blacksmith Institute the World’s Ten Worst pollutants are:
1. Artisanal Gold Mining
2. Contaminated Surface Water
3. Indoor Air Pollution
4. Industrial Mining Activities
5. Groundwater Contamination
6. Metals Smelting and Processing
7. Radioactive Waste and Uranium Mining
8. Untreated Sewage
9. Urban Air Quality
10. Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling

Six of which pose a direct threat to the Vaal and number 8 stands out as the current media reporting focuses again on the troubles of municipalities on the south of the Witwatersrand watershed. Don’t be misled this is not the only problem and may not be the one that tips the scale. Some of the others are remnants of a previous generation who took what they could and left. Reading more on sewage takes you back in history through the serious problems Londoners suffered including a few cholera epidemics – back in 1860’s! It seems history repeats itself, it is so sad that we cannot or do not want to learn from it.
Sewerage is front of mind in summer, it’s the peak of the fishing season and reading about spills leaves one with trepidation every time you plan a trip to the Vaal, in winter we forget it exist. What can one do about it? We cannot get involved in cleaning up, no seriously you don’t want to get involved it is specialised business. It’s not like the Cubs outing picking up paper and plastic around the local park. But as with most things in life we can actually do our bit.
• Report sightings of spillages. FOSAF produced a brochure, which is posted to our Blog with contact details for reporting pollution. Reporting to the press helps in creating awareness but does not solve the problem.
• Join an action group like SAVE.
• Don’t dump non-biodegradable waste down the sewer system. Report companies who do.
• Reduce you consumption of water and production of waste water.

• Take appropriate measures when you answer the call of nature! During our rafting trip through the Richtersveld, I was shocked by the visible signs of human excreta and toilet paper at the popular camping sites. The visitors are mostly affluent people who can afford a 4x4 and fuel to get there- boggles the mind. But I suppose the “Not In My BackYard” principle apply.
o Dig a deep hole 60cm plus.
o Burn the toilet paper.
o Cover up the hole.
Enough of this and back to the fishing.

Water and Weather
December was incredibly hot north of the Magalies, no complaints the rain is here and we are glad for the life giving blessing. It does interfere with the fishing though but you just have to learn to live with it and plan around it. Option one is to fish on Wednesdays, the flows seem to remain constant until then. By Thursday the thunderstorms move in and the heavens dump cubic tons of water onto the paved and tarred wetlands, sending most of it down to the Vaal. Weekend is stuffed!
But there are opportunities when flows remain at fishable levels and the reports I’m seeing are very good. Keep an eye on the weather reports and check the flows! Best to keep all equipment ready and packed for a quick getaway at short notice (make sure you have blanket amnesty with the significant other)!
Weather wise you’ll have regular afternoon thunderstorms to contend with, sometimes worth sitting out as the period afterwards can bring on some of the best fishing of the day.

Insect Activity
It is mostly still caddis patterns bringing home the bacon, with hotspot and flashback nymphs the other favourites. I’m a big advocate for alternative methods, which may not produce the large numbers of fish, but add a new dimension to your fishing. OK you get tough days when the only dimension you want to add is a curved arch into a rod with screeming reel - clearly not conducive to testing new flies or fancy techniques. But one of the followers of the blog Barend sent in this photo of a fish caught in January on a dry. What more do you want????

Klinkhammer from Europe to Africa what a great fly.

Approach and Technique
There is nothing new I can add, I have described every technique I know in the previous reports. I have to confess that I haven’t been to the Vaal in weeks!!! If only I fished more often maybe then I can finally piece together the puzzle of catching 50 5kg smallmouth in a day.
I mentioned earlier about being packed and ready to go fish. Get into the habit of sorting through all the stuff after every trip. Clean the tackle bag, remember to trash the salami sandwich you did not eat, dispose of tippet and recycle all the rubbish you took in. Why leave it there to create a headache for the resort owner! Clean and dry wading boots somewhere out of the sun. Put all the things together and check and check again. On a recent Sterkfontein trip I left my favourite rod and brought an empty rod tube. Fix broken equipment – which reminds me I have to attach a heel on one of my wading boots.
Largemouth
Fish are being caught in good size and quantities, downstream from Orkney area towards Christiana.
News
The FOSAF sustainable yellowfish pamphlets should be out there at shops and regular venues. If you don’t see it there get into contact with FOSAF or me to request some.

Remember to revive fish before releasing

I have added a slideshow of my popular flies. Most of the current ones are for Sterkfontein dam, but some like the F-fly does work on the Vaal. I will add more when time permit. You can also link to Keith’s site for more advanced stuff, but he is becoming very Eurocentric and I’m not sure his flies will stand up to African conditions ;-)
Our family started recycling most of our household waste. We are going through a learning curve, and there is extra effort involved but at least we are doing something for the planet which our kids will inherit. Are you doing it?

Cheers
Carl & Keith