MAY 2011 FLY FISHING DIARY AND NOTES

Snow in Rhodes from Dave Walker!

Dave Walker, owner of Walkerbouts Inn in Rhodes, Eastern Cape Highlands sent me photographs of the village under a blanket of snow. The pictures, taken by Tony Kietzman, don’t necessarily record a rare event for this place – snowfalls aren’t uncommon – but fly fishing shots in snow are. Tony’s pictures are atmospheric and you can feel the cold bite in that air.

Dave Walker wading the Bell River near Rhodes

From Tom Lewin at Frontier Fly Fishing

Knot tying tool

Says Tom Lewin,

This is the most amazing little tool I’ve come across in a long time! It allows for the effortless tying of 16 different knots – even with gloves on! It also has an ingenious little feature that allows you to thread a fly so easily you could literally do it with your eyes closed. The tool comes with a little 32 page booklet that easily fits into a small vest pocket. This is one gizmo that really will make a difference on the water.

Sounds good to me. I just received the CFA Three-in-One Tweezers from Frontier Fly Fishing that reached me two days after I ordered them. It’s a brilliant gadget, with wire hook-eye threaders in three sizes – Ultra Midge, Midge and Standard.

 

May 2011 fly fishing in Rhodes – an encore

I had a good response from the piece I posted on my recently trip to Rhodes with a few requests from subscribers to please add a little more of the same. I was also struck by the number of people asking questions about the photography. Clearly there is a growing interest in this aspect of the sport so I will add a few words on that as well.

Of all the rivers in this area the Bokspruit has to be one of the best and certainly my favourite, especially the higher reaches, like Birnham, Brucedell and Gateshead. The river is stiff with fish in these beats, not big but very accommodating.

Tony Kietzman on the Bokspruit River, high up its course on the farm Birnham

I really got a feeling of the fullness of the rivers on this trip when I saw them lower down in their courses, say from the bridge at Moshesh’s Ford where the Bell comes in on the left as you look upstream, to join the Sterkspruit and then become the Kraai. It’s a good place to lean over rails and hunt trout with your eyes.

The Bell and the Sterkspruit junction from Moshesh’s Ford Bridge

Even though the rivers were full we managed to get a few trout out of them, mostly rainbows, many already richly painted in nature’s spawning livery that Tony felt may already have dropped their eggs or milt. One of them was the most brightly coloured river trout I have ever seen up here. It looked neon-lit from inside!

Neon-lit trout

By the beginning of May there is a deeply autumnal flavour to the landscapes in Rhodes with sweeps of brown veld, lone poplars standing like giant yellow candles and pools littered with brightly coloured leaves.

Lone poplar on Carabas, Bokspruit Valley

The trouble is so many of my autumn shots end up looking much the same, so I tried a different theme for a change. I took a shot of leaves in a pool and painted it with Photoshop’s Liquify filter.

Leaves in a pool using Photoshop’s 'Liquify' filter

I guess one of the problems in fly fishing photography is that people being photographed are quickly aware of you and often adopt an unnatural, posed look. To liven up angler scenes, take shots when the subject is not conscious of what you’re doing. Some natural poses tell an angling story all of their own, mostly a story that needs no words.

The contemplative angler

Don’t overlook the ‘critical moments’, as in when hooked fish jump and be prepared for it. Set the camera to a fast shutter speed and on multiple frame drive (‘High’, if your camera has it),pre-focus on the scene and wait.

Another critical moment is as the angler lifts the fish into a net, when the spraying water will give a sense of movement. Better if the shots look unrehearsed. The timing needs to be right, of course. I suggest a long lens (so the angler is less aware of you) with the shutter speed set to at least 500^th of a second to freeze the water.

Then get in close and look for pictures that are taken from unusual angles, like a trout shot through the black webbing of a landing net, or a trout in a net, but half submerged.

 

Underwater shots are fun, but frustrating and trying. What often can make a good underwater picture is an angler releasing a fish.

 

What does make interesting subject matter, though, and is strangely easier to get right, is the half-in, half-out shot, even when there is just a hint of the presence of an angler.

It’s also worth remembering that if the fish you are photographing isn’t too deep, the fish and whatever else is in the water, like a net, will throw a reflection onto the surface mirror, often enhancing the picture.

 

Using higher shutter speeds nicely freezes the line in mid cast.

But higher shutter speeds shallows the depth of field in long shots. This isn’t altogether a bad thing because with less detail in the background you are focussing more attention on the subject.

The shallow depth of field is easy to see in this picture. The angler is in sharp focus but the background isn’t

I saw some excellent pictures recently taken in this area by professional photographer and fly fisher, Warren van Rensburg. He and a good friend of mine, Gijsbert Hoogendoorn, spent a little time dodging thunderstorms in the Rhodes district like I did, but they got in some good fishing. I noticed that Warren made a lot of use of black and white images and most SLRs are geared up to shoot B&W if you want. I tried a few and have to admit I think they add a lot of atmosphere.

Book of the moment from Len Olyotts

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday (2007) is not your typical fishing story; in fact it is more a story of faith, which when you come down to it, has a lot to do with fly fishing and especially salmon fishing. I won’t give the storyline away but it involves a sheik, a fisheries scientist and the British PM. I would certainly suggest the book is essential reading for anyone involved with fisheries management and maybe also politics! An entertaining and thought provoking read.

The latest Steven Boshoff bamboo for a lucky buyer in London

South Africans need not stand back for anyone when it comes to building world class bamboo rods and nets. Here is an SB 7’6” 3-4 weight rod and an SB landing net destined for a lucky and very discerning London client. What do they say about things of beauty? Joys forever?

From Jan Korrubell on KZN fly fishing

The winter stillwater season got off to a bang this weekend in more ways than one.  The "proper" winter arrived with snow down to the upper Kamberg and Lotheni valleys, but melted in the lower reaches as fast as it came in, leaving the upper 'Berg in white livery.  We have also had the first good frosts, so no doubt the farmlands will going up in flames shortly.

The winter season kicked off with the Kamberg Trout Festival that ends today. Not fishing this year, I’ve been running between Notties and the Kamberg Farmers Hall all weekend, and can report on some pretty frozen fishermen!

The cold snap didn't keep the fish at bay however, and some really great catches have been logged.  Not really weighty fish (by last night the biggest fish on the board was 2.36kg / 5.2lb), but more in numbers: a couple teams reported catching in excess of 60 fish between them (teams of 6) in Friday’s afternoon session.  Things settled yesterday and maybe the fish were a bit wiser after 180 anglers flogged the waters and catch numbers slowed yesterday.  Last session is this morning (and again a rather chilly start with frost all around), and then the final Ra-Ra will be today’s closing lunch function.

 

As for the working flies that have produced the goods so far: the ubiquitous peacock/black and blue Speed Cop Woolly Bugger fished as #1 in a tandem rig followed by either a White Death or Red Setter, and judging by the fly sales, the winter colours (most notably orange) are also up there.

 

Only two more days till the close of the river season.  Haven't managed to get away this week, but live in hope that I might still sneak a late session.

That being said, from my outing a week ago, the middle Mooi is already very low, and I would suspect that the upper Bushman’s will be much the same. Didn't see or get any large fish. I think they are already down in the lower reaches having done their bit for procreation and hunkering down for winter.

 

A copy of Tom Rosenbauer's "Orvis Guide to Small Stream Fishing" landed on my desk this week. Haven't had time to peruse it fully, but from a quick inspection it's as good as the review from MidCurrent who are calling it the "The Bible" for small stream fishing.  That should keep me focussed on the long haul to 1 September...!

The South African Game Fair

The now well known hunting and fishing outdoor show is on from Saturday the 30^th of July to Sunday the 31^st from 9.00 to 5.00 pm in the Dullstroom Birds of Prey Centre. There will be raptor flying, sheep and gun dog trials, game and trout cooking demonstrations, knife making, archery, clay pigeon shooting, wildlife artists showing their work and importantly, the country’s biggest assembly of fly casters, fly tyers, instructors, guides and destination providers. Entry is R95 for adults and R55 for children and kiddies under three get in free. The proceeds all go to the Dullstroom Bird of Prey Centre and the South African Guide Dog Association. Leading tackle suppliers – including Orvis, Stealth, Xplorer and Hardy, are offering 30% discounts on their products! Learn more at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or www.gamefair.co.za