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

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.

November Middle Vaal Report

Road trips I love them (at least till we get to the water)

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Some you can some you can’t. I discovered this on my previous fishing trip, to Sterkfontein dam. Not the middle Vaal I know but fishing for smallmouth none the less. On the Friday we arrived we had to fish on foot – with very strong winds we were forced to fish the accessible sheltered areas. The first spot produced my first largemouth in this dam on a small Zak nymph. It gave me a lovely fight and certainly got our tails up.

A fruitless 30 minutes followed and I moved to higher ground, which revealed very little in terms of fish, we moved on. Another shore access spot was completely blown out, with no fish showing!?!

One last trick up our sleeves; we had a choice of rocky shoreline and open bay with sandy/muddy bottom. The bay was wind swept but a small ridge gave enough protection to make a cast. My mates headed to the rocky shoreline, as this was completely protected, and the in the Manual of Sterkies chapter 4 states this is one of the spots.


The Zak did duty again, the high sun afforded enough visibility in the choppy conditions for me to spot 2 fish following but refusing the fly. I immediately switched to a hopper as the water was shallow about 1-1.5m. A short cast into the wind was all I required, the hopper drifted for 2metres before a big mouth engulfed the fly. WOW! She left the shallow flats like a Tokyo bullet train, trying with all her guile to rid her of the 5X tippet holding her back. I landed and released her taking a few minutes to savour the moment – and decide on continuing fishing or go call my friends – I’m such a good person.

The area they were fishing, a top spot in high summer, was void of fish.

They joined me in the bay and Jaco promptly got his first smallie in Sterkies.


The following 2 hours I experienced some of the most amazing fly fishing for smallies I’ve had in my life. The fish were big and fat, they engulfed the hopper (no missed takes) and they all ran like a bat towards deeper water.

Kobus did not have permission from the wife to go, he wasn’t there.

The one lesson I got ingrained again was to find the fish – the usual spots or some completely new place. At Sterkfontein the clear water makes this easy – if the weather co-operate. The Vaal in summer can become so predictable that our cerebral development in the fly fishing lobe takes a serious knock.

This is further aggravated by fishing the same venue! There are various methods to identify the holding places of the fish on the Vaal.



· Find a bit of high ground and use it to spot the fish flashing as they feed. Even in discoloured water the tell tale flashes are visible.
· Pause to survey the river at water level, you may just notice a tail doing the “overhere” wave. This accounted for my first largemouth, a fish of 4.5kg.
· In the pools and glides, keep an eye open for dark torpedo shapes just sub-surface or the dorsal-tail fins of feeding yellows.
· If you see nothing give the fly in water technique a go, but take a break every so often to check for activity.

Only the clever survive, the stupid catch nothing.

The longer term weather predictions are for this year to be an El Nino year, which translates into low rainfall, especially early season. To date this holds true and has afforded us fairly constant flows over October. The only spike due to a canoe race held over the last weekend.
Good luck tread lightly and avoid the spawning fish!

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

October 2009 Middle Vaal Report

Every now and again a really good story comes in via e-mail this one I think is worthwhile posting:

Steve and his buddies were hanging out and planning an upcoming fishing trip. Unfortunately, he had to tell them that he couldn't go this time because his wife wouldn't let him. After a lot of teasing and name calling, Steve headed home frustrated.
The following week when Steve's buddies arrived at the lake to set up camp, they were shocked to see Steve. He was already sitting at the campground with a cold beer, swag rolled out, fishing rod in hand, and a camp fire glowing. "How did you talk your missus into letting you go Steve?"
"I didn't have to," Steve replied. Yesterday, when I left work, I went home and slumped down in my chair with a beer to drown my sorrows because I couldn't go fishing. Then the ol' lady snuck up behind me and covered my eyes and said, 'Surprise'."
"When I peeled her hands back, she was standing there in a beautiful see through negligee and she said, ' Carry me into the bedroom, tie me to the bed and you can do whatever you want'.....
So, here I am!"

Anyway I had one of those moments the last weekend in September. Not the see through nightie moment, no I got to go fishing as the family were holidaying in Balito. Man I missed the Vaal – not fishing for the last 5 months - driving there through thick mist really got me searching the memory banks for info on what to do when I get there. But it is like riding bike once you’re on everything just comes back to you.
I read my old reports – I do – there is some good advice stored in there. But every year or season is different, nature just has some things that does not run linear. I still vividly remember 24 September in 2001 fishing a farm called Carryblaire for the first time. I met Chris the owner’s son at a wine tasting and cracked an invite to a then private venue. It was a red letter day we seriously klapped the yellows, in those days I still counted and tallied something like 50 and they were big fat wintered fish. [Nowadays I would call it a day before I get so many in a small area.] The big green rock worms were on every rock you turned over . I have never had a day like that again on all subsequent 24 Septembers.

We arrived at the venue with no other fisherman in sight. Okay a good start and the weather looked promising clear skies with a moderate breeze. The obligatory fish were rising in the pool while we strung up our rods and got the boats ready. Off we went heading upstream stopping at the tail-out of the first big pool. There is a nice high ridge affording a eagle’s eye view of the pool below – which revealed very little apart from some splashy rises. A splashy rise does indicate fish but if you are one-up with a CDC emerger it’s a futile exercise. So I suggested the rapids to my novice fishing buddy while I held just below him in the eye of the pool.


I kept an eye on him and it seems as though his casting was good enough but he had too much distance on his casts. Clearly he’s done some saltwater fishing. My position did not deliver any results so I decided to move through the rapids to a glide. As I got closer I noticed rises along the current line. Perfect head and tail rises clearly indicating surface feeding yellows – bingo! I got a good cast in, the fly landing right in the feeding lane, but it drifted past untouched. Second cast was a better presentation and I added a big upstream mend. A good fish appeared, took a natural and then sip-swallow-ziiiinggg I had my first fish on since 27 April. Damn it felt great.

Unfortunately the moderate wind picked up after that one fish, the hatch petered out and the fish disappeared from the surface. The rest of the day was spent unsuccessfully searching for rising fish and fishing the rapids. I got one brute from a deeper hole in the rapid that gave a good account of her self.

My fishing companion was still fishless at this stage, having tried for the rising fish and then reverting to the rapids again. I noticed that with his long casts he was not in control of his flies and proceeded to show him to fish closer to him. The visibility was around 80cm so there was no reason to fish 15-20m ahead. I had no strike indicator and had to really work the line to stay in touch with the flies. On the second cast a male fish obliged to show that what I suggested makes sense! Heck I love it when they make it look simple. I then lost something unknown, maybe a muddy or a catfish. The fly that produced all these fish was a tan coloured caddis larva.

In the area I fished I could clearly see the muddies spawning along the margins in the shallowest of water. The big pools had massive carp getting amorous. I have also read reports of yellows spawning. PLEASE DO NOT FISH OR WADE AMONGST THESE SPAWNING FISH. Yellows don’t all spawn at the exact same moment, if you hold back and fish the deeper channels and glides away from the riffles you will get feeding fish.


Good luck tread lightly.
Carl & Keith