August report delayed- Carl disgusted with himself ;-)

We've not posted the August report yet because Carl claims to be so under the whip in his day job he's not had time to blog... he disgusts me and apparently himself. Hopefully we'll hear from him before the end of the month.

Have you been on the Vaal recently? please post a comment and let us know what you've been up to.

I am off to Scotland next for a few days fishing the Tweed and its tributaries for browns and grayling... and maybe some sea trout! watch my blog "flies and stuff" for more.

July 2008 Middle Vaal Report

A few weeks ago I was fortunate to enjoy a day’s great fishing on the drift at Elgro Lodge. They run a professional operation, safe & clean facilities, boats in perfect condition and the trip gives access to some of the best sections of the Middle Vaal. We were rewarded with world-class fishing – I nailed the smallies on dry and my mate got stuck into the largies and bigger smallmouth.
A group from the Flytalk.co.za forum got together for a trip on the 28th and they more or less blanked. I won’t mention anything about their abilities with a fly rod ;-). Jokes aside it certainly highlights the true nature of the river in winter. If you blank you may give up on it, if you get into the fish you are forever converted to the supreme fishing experience of the Vaal river.

Water and Weather forecast
Flows are still basically a gamble, I mention a number and the next day it is up by 10. Monitor the flows on the two sites. Rand Water and DWAF or contact a reliable landowner. It seems Goose Bay and Schoemansdrift are producing data, but neither of them tie up or reconcile back to the Barrage. That said the flow is certainly fishable and the latest report on visibility is from 100-150cm in the Dome.
Winter solstice is behind us so the days are getting longer but alas not warmer. The next two months will be the coldest but the fish will still eat!! Our recent trip coincided with the antitheses of the Perfect Storm – the perfect fishing weekend. On the Saturday the high pressure system remained over the centre of the country, it was balmy 20C and we had no wind.

Insect Activity
Looking back at the archives of Middle Vaal reports for winter it’s fairly obvious that mayflies are the main food source you need to imitate now. Mayflies hatch in the rapids or in the open water of the large pools – but fish will feed for several metres below these spots. Be vigilant and you’ll notice the little sail boats on the water or in the air (too late for the fish, for now). The water flowing past you will be a soup of nymphs, shucks, spent, hatching and trapped adults, giving a clear indication of what must be imitated. I would err on the small size when tying or buying flies.

Caddis imitations in smaller sizes are also important the adults and pupae more than the larvae. I haven’t fished midges/buzzers/chronomids but these insects are abundant in the Vaal during winter and do form a large part of the diet of smallmouth. They hatch in very slow moving water, where the larva lives in the muddy substrate.

I tend to have cover for every insect on the Vaal and Sterkfontein dam in my flybox. Before every trip I add to it and after the trip new patterns and shared ideas find slots.

Approach and Technique
As mentioned earlier we picked a good weekend for the last trip – I guess the more you go out the luckier you get.
I started the morning searching for largemouth but when I noticed the first signs of surface feeding smallmouth I switched. I always take two rods on the boat both loaded and ready. The dry fly rod had an indicator dry with a small mayfly emerger on the dropper. I battle to keep track of size 18 dries at 30 yards. This “indicator” was a Vaal caddis tied with a thick stack of white CDC.
I prefer to use my own boat, it allows for 2 rods and going solo allows one to stand on the pontoons of the boat. There’s only one captain and you can go where you want to – plus you get all the exercise of rowing.

Once you clear a rapid and the major rocks it’s fairly safe to stand up on the pontoons, which gives you the required elevation for spotting fish (don’t forget the hat & Polaroids).
Keep an eye IN the water, a bump against a rock can send you into the 10C water! Follow the main flow and scan the eddies or quieter water for rising fish or the dark shapes holding or moving just below the surface. Yellowfish on the Vaal do not present as the golden beauties you see in Sterkies or held up for photo’s.
When entering a new pool it is a good idea just to pull over and spent a few minutes resting while scouting the surface. It is amazing how a barren stretch of water comes alive. If you are familiar with hunting or game viewing you’ll know how rewarding it can be just to sit on a kopje and scan the bush.

LARGEMOUTH
Bertu landed and released this beauty first thing in the morning around 9 am. This after three boats passed thru the pool. Flies that worked for him were all dark coloured which made sense considering the low visibility – black provides a better contrast.

Barend also used a dark coloured fly to contribute this beauty to the Largiebase

– plus he threw some cash at the problem and made use of the guiding services of Ian Couryer. The money spent on a good guide is an investment in your future fishing pleasure. Even if you hit a bad day in terms of weather etc. you will learn so much that will stay you in good stead for the future.
Unless you can get onto the river with a very knowledgeable buddy who is willing to forgo some fishing time and show you the ropes (NOT!) a guide is the only option. Of course there are some dodgy guides out there, but in general if you go with a word of mouth recommendation you are safe.



News
Keith is launching a new Blog sharing his experiences in the UK http://fliesandstuff.blogspot.com/. I’m sure it will be filled with his passion for fly fishing and great new fly patterns to inspire us.

Cheers got to go fishing!

Carl & Keith

Flies and Stuff- keith blogs his UK flyfishing

finally, after 16 months of living in South England I have started blogging some of the amazing fishing I have had. Come over and have a read and if you have mates in the UK (or are considering visiting or moving to the UK) let them know too, I'd be happy to offer help based on what I've learnt so far

June 2008 Middle Vaal Report

Winter has well and truly arrived, although living on the northern side of the Magalies I only notice it when I visit the Vaal. I spent a day out on the river the last weekend of May and the water was only just bearable in neoprene waders. That said if you manage to stay out of it you can easily still fish with only longs. We are so blessed with temperate days of clear blue skies.

Water and Weather forecast
Planning a trip should centre on the major frontal systems. If it’s big it will sweep the country and you’ll be better off tying flies or cleaning the garage. I thought this would be a very cold winter but on the odd hunting trip the campfire was a pleasant experience.
Flows have been erratic up to 25 cumecs in the last two weeks (up to 30 from the 8th), which is above the winter flow regime. Hopefully we can get some low constant flows, which should contribute to increased visibility.

Insect Activity

In winter the main focus will be on mayflies. Some of the readers have sent me questions in the past on what are meant by all the terms used when describing the various stages of the mayflies. For those who still have questions have a look at this great article on Hatches magazine - http://hatchesmagazine.com/page/january2006/86
I do not think we need to be able to define between male and female to be successful on the Vaal. Heck I cannot find any plausible reason why a fish would pick a male over female. I may be wrong;-)
There are some new updates at http://www.danica.com/flytier. Note how many tiers use CDC, especially when tying grayling flies. Don’t overlook this aspect as there are similarities in the way these fish feed.

Approach and Technique
The last trip was always going to be tough. I did not have a boat only my float tube, which hasn’t been used for 5 years and which I have never used on the Vaal. In short it wasn’t the perfect tool for the job. I prefer to use the two-man inflatable used by the rafting fraternity. From a fishing point of view they are perfect. The inflated pontoons offer a stable platform allowing the angler to fish and spot from a standing position.
The visibility is still not optimal but if you know where to look you will find the smallmouth. I fished a likely looking pool but there were no takers. I then decided to walk the bank for approximately 1km up and down stream. I was looking for the tell tale sign of consistent risers and I found them at the head and eye of the pool.

The channel was split by a small island joining up at the head of a long pool- see photo above . The fish were holding (blue circles) out of the main current (green line) occasionally sipping insects off the surface.
The key to success in winter is searching the pools for feeding fish. Some pools are really big and you tend to get “lost” and cannot decide where to fish. You can start by fishing the likely areas blind, constantly watching the water for signs of activity. Here I would target the head or throat of the pool as long as it’s deep enough. Tail-outs are always good, especially if you have a deep drop-off. Calm or protected bays with minimal flow can warm up and I have seen pods of fish holding fairly close to the surface in such places.

If you do strike it lucky and find a feeding pod I trust your casting will be up to it because you won’t get within 10 metres without spooking them.

LARGEMOUTH
Focus your attention in the tail-outs close to quieter water with protected bays, hyacinth beds and rocky outcrops. Juvenile fish hang around these rocks and occasionally venture out to far. Fish the imitation all the way back to the rod, lifting the leader and then fly clear of the water. Don’t commence casting with 3-meters of fly line out the tip, it is easier to load the rod but you will miss takes. Stand back from the edge at least until you have covered the drop-off with a few casts.

My personal preference is to use natural colours.

Work pressure kept me away from the Bells Largemouth festival. These two flies were tied specifically for the festival. I like the push of water generated by the woolheads – which should register on the lateral line even in lower visibility. The foam popper can be fished top water or below the surface – it is obvious why a surface running fly would be appealing!

Thanks for the contributions for the Largiebase. Unfortunately we do not have enough information to publish – only about ten submissions – crap fisherman I tell you ;-).

Good luck

Carl & Keith

May 2008 Middle Vaal Report

It’s time to confess: “Hi my name is Carl and I fished for stocked trout at a lodge in Mpumalanga.” Everyone: “Hi Carl!” Ok it’s not really a sin and heck it’s not always that easy, I blanked on the Monday morning. We certainly do have some great rivers and stillwaters and the most beautiful scenery in that province. It is also where I started my love for fly fishing on a syndicate farm on the Slaaihoek road. There are just a few aspects of it that I don’t enjoy that much now that I have seen the light.
Before you send me hate mail I do not include fishing for wild trout under the vices of the dark side of fly fisher folk. Keith is actually fishing for them, using his great imitations of these: http://www.hatches.tv/play.php?vid=258 That is when spring does arrive in the Northern Hemisphere. The weather has been all over the place in the States, a friend in Seattle was complaining about the snow in April. So don’t complain about our early winter, at least we have clear skies on most winter days.

I enjoy following various international fly fishing forums and visiting the websites. It fuels new ideas in fly tying and reminds me of old trout techniques to try out on yellows. What does strike me is their dependence on the arrival of spring, apart from the obvious opening of the season, at times it’s downright impossible to fish due to the weather.

Water and Weather forecast

Free rising wild trout on light tackle

On the topic of weather we have now (hopefully) seen the end of the rainy (I was writing this before 1 May!) season. Planning a trip is not so much dependant on the rain as on frontal systems bringing cold and drastic changes in pressure which is not conducive to good fishing. Have you ever used this synoptic chart which is available here http://www.weathersa.co.za/ship/ship.gif?

I’m not a meteorologist but the line with the shark teeth ;-) = Cold Front. The jury is still out over the effects of High pressure vs Low pressure on fishing. A quick Google will give you the two sides of the story. I certainly don’t like fishing a day before a major frontal system hits, thereafter it is back to normal.
Flows should have settled into the winter reserve regime, they have been fairly constant for the last 2 weeks. Temperatures are dropping steadily hovering around 15C – time for the waders unless you managed to stay dry all day. On that keep some warm dry clothing stashed if you do get dunked, something windproof and some polar fleece.
Visibility is improving and in the region of 100cm which should increase if all the variables remain constant. But being variables they don’t so like predicting weather I’ll stick to ball park predictions and reserve the right to cock-up occasionally. But the nice thing is you do get days when smallies are 30cm below the surface and very visible from afar-so rather perfect your casting and presentation skills than worry about clarity.

Insect Activity
The mayflies are starting to dominate in terms of hatches- baetis species should be the dominate fly. But you don’t need to worry about the Latin or counting the tails to catch fish. Be prepared with the right size and colour fly. On a recent trip I was catching them on an ant imitation because it resembled the size and colour of the spent naturals. The smaller caddis species will be present in sizes from 12 down to 20. Keep in mind the wing versus body ratio of the caddis when choosing your flies.
As mentioned earlier there is so much we can learn from other fly fishing people. John Gordon developed and tie some amazing small patterns to fool the very elusive fish of the San Juan river in New Mexico. http://www.danica.com/flytier. Some of those patterns will work for selective smallies. Don’t be fooled into thinking a yellow won’t see those small flies, soon the water will be clear and if you present the fly to a pod of them good fun will be had. Now to find a hook that will keep a fat winter smallmouth.

Approach and Technique
Following on with the April theme we will stick to slow fishing. My last outing to Elgro Lodge the fishing in the rapids was very slow. I decided to take the boat downstream to locate the fish as the estate agents say: “Location, location!” I found pods of them feeding on a smorgasbord of nymphs, emergers and spent adult mayflies. The fish weren’t big but they were eager to take a well presented fly and that ladies and gentleman is the most enjoyable part of our sport!

The flies used were all tied with CDC.

1 F-fly

2 Loopwing CDC emerger
3 CDC spent wing
4 Vaal caddis
5 CDC ant

LARGEMOUTH
Pick up a current edition of a local FF magazine and you will see an article on fishing for Largemouth – the best time to fish is now. You cannot get better advice from this section than what Ian Couryer is writing. He has a wealth of experience pursuing these fish as an angler and guide.

A mate reported seeing a lot of largemouth feeding activity in the pools while out fishing over the long weekend. The smallmouth where feeding on the surface in the bigger deeper pools. Other smaller fish could be warming themselves in the warmer top layers during the day. This explains the visible feeding on the surface.

A good option is to fish baitfish imitations on or near the surface. Especially in the tail-outs close to quieter water with protected bays, hyacinth beds and rocky outcrops. Juvenile fish hang around these rocks and occasionally venture out to far. Fish the imitation all the way back to the rod, lifting the leader and then fly clear of the water. Don’t commence casting with 3meters of fly line out the tip, it is easier to load the rod but you will miss takes. Stand back from the edge at least until you have covered the drop-off with a few casts.

Cheers

Carl & Keith
mailto:carl.yellowfeverat@gmail.com remove the (at) to mail
mailto:keithat@yellowsonfly.com remove the (at) to mail

April 2008 Middle Vaal Report
(March not published due to bloggers block)

Fast food is part of today’s scourge of instant gratification proliferating society – I hate it. It’s all about doing as little as possible and getting satisfied in a short period of time. When the golden arches first arrived in Rome in 1989 the Italian response was to start what has now become the Slowfood movement. A return to traditional methods and ingredients served to the whole family or friends allowing for plenty of time for conversation and enjoying the food.
Fishing in summer can be fast food like in its approach and gratification. During the summer everyone is queuing up at the drive thru section of the rapids when large schools of smallies congregate to feed and breed. The ethics with regards to targeting the spawners are well published with another great article in the March TCFF. I’m not trying to be a purist saying that fishing in the rapids for feeding fish is wrong or unsporting. At times it’s the only spot to target smallmouth unless you want to spend a frustrating fruitless day on the river. That is certainly not the purpose of our pursuit.
This late part of summer and autumn is the return to slow fishing. It takes us back to a traditional steady approach with long leader and dry fly or maybe a single nymph. Walking the bank searching for the telltale flash of gold visible in the clearing waters of the Vaal. I love just standing observing the surface until you see those lips breaking the surface and the dorsal fin following to confirm a rising feeder.

Water and Weather forecast
The March weather predictions were for higher than expected rainfall. I thought we were in the clear towards the end of March. Flows were settling in the early twenties perfect for late season fishing. Then we had higher than normal rainfall just before the Easter weekend pushing the flow up to 170 cumecs. This left me with a weekend booked in Parys with flows just not breaking below the 60 mark. It was a great family weekend, we had some magnificent wines and lovely food at the local restaurants.

The predictions for April look to be just as dodgy with higher than normal rainfall forecast. The gamble is again to hit the rainfall right for that big weekend.
Insect Activity
The mayflies are starting to dominate in terms of hatches. Easter weekend they were hatching from small #16 to large #12 in colours ranging from cream to black. The odd Vaal caddis was still skating over the surface eliciting splashy takes from eager fish.
I would suggest arming yourself with a variety of nymphs, patterns of which there are hundreds to choose from, in varying sizes, weights and colours. Take a selection of small dries to simulate the adults. Don’t forget to include the odd large attractor dry. It can produce even in hatches of smaller insects. Plus it’s the only option to float a weighted nymph through the glides.
Here is another pattern I came across that is so simple to tie yet will produce plenty of fish in summer when the caddis reigns supreme.
http://www.danica.com/flytier/mlibertone/rubber_band_worm.htm

Approach and Technique
My suggestion for the month – get back into some slowfishing. April 2007 I enjoyed amazing dry fly fishing getting 6-10 fish above 5 pounds on some days.


LARGEMOUTH
“The time is near” not of the second coming like in Lord of the Rings, but rather of the main season for largemouth yellowfish. If you can’t get out onto the river go to a park or another open area to practice accurate long range casting. Work with longer leaders as this is required when targeting largemouth. Soon the practice will pay dividends.

If you do tie flies get into the archives of flies or favourite sites to brush up and get tying. Hatches magazine had this great fly under their warm water section, nothing new but there are elements that appeal to me. Dark back white belly, classic baitfish triggers.



NEWS
Do you enjoy photography especially when fly fishing? Have a look at the Zen Photography Hints at www.troutunderground.com there are some tips that should help to improve the shots you take.

Ed Hall is also running a blog it is really worth a read and to give your support for his conservation efforts.

I have started a general blog titled SAVING OUR AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS
(www.indigenousvaal1.blogspot.com ). I'd like this blog page to act as a gateway (HOME PAGE OF SORTS) to other blogs and web pages dealing with aquatic conservation in SA. I am still learning about the whole blogging thing so any suggestion on content, layout etc., would be greatly appreciated.

So far I have one link on the 'HOMEPAGE' to another blog page I created - CONSERVATION OF VAAL RIVER AND OF ITS FISHES (www.indigenousvaal.blogspot.com ). I'd also like this site to act as a general discussion page for fishermen to post there comments on conservation and possibly submit information for display on the blog spot.


Cheers

Carl & Keith
carl.yellowfever@gmail.com
keith@yellowsonfly.com
http://yellowsonfly.blogspot.com/

February 2008 Middle Vaal Report

For those of you who believe bad things only happen in Africa. Here is an account of Trout on the menu that turned out well. I suppose what we lack is a well funded and staffed Fish and Game department outside of the game reserves.
The last two months has not been great on the fishing side. It seems as though the rain arrives on a Thursday to push the flows up for the weekend. Have you been lucky enough to get onto the river? I do get reports of guys catching during the week or even in the high flows. That is a bit of a gamble, but not much more than the daily challenges facing the citizens of South Africa.
I remember those days when I still went fishing come hell or high water. Now a sense of balance has returned and family take precedence over a below par day on the river.



Water and Weather forecast



Well I can say that the weather guys did get a decent prediction in for last month’s report – lots of rain. If they are correct again March is going to be testy in terms of flows and weather.




Model forecasts are favouring the central parts for above-normal rainfall totals. The remainder of the country seems more likely to be dry. The entire country is expected to experience above normal temperatures, excluding the far southern and south-eastern parts.

There has been some bad press recently covering the pollution in the Vaal. It obviously raises the question of:”How safe is it to wade in the river?” I cannot give any assurance but the Randwater website does publish accurate reports like these.

http://www.reservoir.co.za/catchments/vaal%20barrage/barrage%20reservoir%20forum/barrage%20recreation%202008/barrage_recreation_15jan2008.pdf

http://www.reservoir.co.za/catchments/vaal%20barrage/barrage%20reservoir%20forum/barrage%20microbiology%202008/barrage_micro_jan2008.pdf

Also consider chatting with your GP about the benefits of a Hepatitis shot.

Insect Activity


The hatches are thick this time of the year, usually towards late afternoon when the day visitors who arrived at 5:30 are knackered and heading home. It’s really worthwhile booking an overnight stay once in a while and getting into the early evening action.
Partaking in international forums (like www.sexyloops.com) gives you exposure to a multitude of styles of fly tying and design. How about this for a super buoyant caddis-mayfly imitation? It looks easy to tie and incorporates CDC, nice clear hook gape for good hook-up on smallies. Thanks Per-Anders Nilsson for allowing me to use it. You can find his and many other designs on Sexyloops.


Approach and Technique

The approach would be to find the days when the flows are within fishing range 35 cumecs max and go fish. There are exceptions but that would depend on your urge to fish. If you do end up with time on your hands have look at this great popper. In smaller sizes it will work well for Largemouth and even the odd smallmouth. Popper!

When I see a fly like this CDC Comparadun I can’t wait for autumn to roll on. It is such a special time of the year and if the weather and flows play along the Vaal is transformed into one of the best fisheries in the World. Fishing is not easy but becomes technically challenging with all the aspects I enjoy about it.

LARGEMOUTH


The database is growing, albeit slowly (would help if I contribute). If any of you catch a largemouth please send us a brief email with the following details:
· Fly, size, colour.
· Date, time.
· Area, general, no need to divulge secret spots.
· Tactics, line, depth, retrieve.

This should benefit fellow anglers and could also provide valuable information to the conservation and research people.

NEWS

I came across this interesting article on the lifestyle changes in the US Great Outdoors .I immediately thought that there’s some benefit in this. Peaceful days on the Vaal with not another person in sightJ. But reading the article highlights the dangers of such a selfish assumption. There is actually strength in numbers and if all the users of the Vaal (and other water resources) can pull together we can put pressure on the governmental agencies to manage the resource properly.

We are all affected by the electricity crisis at the moment and suddenly there is emphasis on saving and not wasting. What worries me is that we (us and the Government) do not have the same attitude towards water. This year has seen good rainfall over most parts of the country, especially over the Vaal catchment. But when are we going to wake up to the fact that South Africa is an arid country with limited water resources. Will it be when they drain the last bit of water from a strategic resource like Sterkies and the subsistence guys move in to scoop up what was once a world class fishery?

Do your bit to save and conserve for our children’s children.

I would love some feed back from everyone out there on new items or points of interest you want to see on the blog. Tackle reviews comes to mind – that way I get to test new tackle for free – Patagonia, Sage etc.

Cheers

Carl & Keith
carl.yellowfever@gmail.com
keith@yellowsonfly.com