February 7th, 2012
SA's ten best fly fishing spots
We are lucky in South Africa to have a myriad of different options when it comes to fishing. In fact there are so many to choose from it can be a little overwhelming sometimes. To help you out, we’ve broken down ten of ours favourites into an easy to use guide for when you’re plotting and planning your next fly-fishing adventure.
Enjoy!
What: One of SA's best still water spots (certainly the best in the Western Cape) with sizeable specimens of both rainbow and brown trout. Kick boats and float-tubes are recommended but you can still land a whopper form the shore.
Where: Ceres
When: All year round though autumn and spring are best.
Fly: Mrs Simpson, Weighted Wooly buggers, Muddlers, Dragonfly nymphs
2. Orange River
What: Nymph fishing for large and smallmouth yellowfish (indigenous to SA), carp and barbel, mudfish
Where: Richtersveld, border between Namibia and SA and Hopetown (Great Karoo)
When: July to October
Fly: caddis larva imitations, beadhead nymphs,
Contact: +27 (0)21 788-7611 or +27 (0)83 626-0467, Richtersveld National Park
3. Western Cape Mountain Streams
What: Technical dryfly and nymph fishing for small and wily rainbow and brown trout
Where: Elandspad, Smalblaar, Holsloot and other streams on the Worcester side of the Paarl tunnel plus the Witte, Witels and Jan du Toits.
When: September to May
Fly: Parachute Ants, Comparadun, caddis flies
4. Off Cape Point (access by boat)
What: Here you can catch record-breaking yellowfin tuna on fly, possibly the biggest fight you'll ever experience on a fly rod.
Where: Off Cape Point
When: best month is May
Fly: baitfish flies
5. Kariega River, Eastern Cape
What: A classic Eastern Cape river estuary with mudbanks, drop-offs and weedbeds, the Kariega provides excellent fishing for spotted grunter, kob, leervis, springer, catfish and steenbras
Where: Near Kenton-on-Sea, Eastern Cape
When: year-round
Fly: Crazy Charlies, Clouser minnows, poppers, Deceivers, crabs imitations
6. Mooi River, Natal Midlands
What: Fishing for large river trout (rainbow and brown)
Where: Natal Midlands
When: November - May
Fly: Mooi Moth, RAB, Royal Coachman
7. Dullstroom, Mpumalanga
What: This quaint town is the premier destination for rainbow and brown trout fishing for Gautengers, with an excellent dam (and some stream) fishing relatively close to the big smoke.
Where: Dullstroom, Mpumalanga
When: Winter months
Fly: Hare's ear nymphs, dragonfly nymphs, DDDs
8. Rhodes, Eastern Cape
What: Excellent fishing for trout and yellowfish on relatively uncrowded rivers like the Kraai, Sterkspruit, Bell, Bokspruit, Willow and Rifflespriut
Where: The area around the town of Rhodes in the Eastern Cape.
When: Marc - April (Autumn)
Fly: RAB, Elk-hair caddis
9. Sandvlei, Muizenberg, Cape Town
What: Home to some surprising large leervis (over 20kg), this lagoon in close proximity to Cape Town is often closed off to the sea. This results in amix of freshwater (carp) and saltwater species (leevis, mullet, elf)
Where: Near Muizenberg, Marina de Gama in Cape Town.
When: Sunrise and sunset in summer months.
Fly: Poppers and deceiver patterns for leervis and elf; smaller nymph patterns (size 14 hook) for mullet and carp.
10. Rocktail Bay
What: Hook and land kingfish, giant kingfish and other species from the surf or off the rocks (careful they don’t break off your line).
Where: Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park
When: October - March
Fly: Lefty's Deceivers, poppers, Clouser minnows, Crazy Charlies, tarpon flies
And for those with a valid passport, these are two options worth considering too:
Bazaruto in Mozambique and the Okavango Delta Barbel Run with Tiger Fish
Happy fishing all and if you think your favourite fishing spot is worth sharing, why not drop us a line in the comments section below.
Photo credits:
Man fly-fishing: CircumerroStock < http://www.flickr.com/photos/circumerro-stock/3706571420/sizes/m/in/photostream/>
Kariega River: Colm Hally <http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjhally6/3310614954/sizes/m/in/photostream/>
User Comments
RzIDywKGPZRRmMtSubmitted by Silver on Sat, 03/03/2012 - 05:33. |
On the flipside, I was the dad who, in a pioervus life, was involved with the boys in Cub/Boy Scouts, soccer, football, taking the family on vacation and camping that was most of my life (outside of working). Now that most of the kids are making their own way in the world though I still find time to ride motorcycles with one son, help another seek a job and basically feed the other who's still in high school they still wonder why I disappear on a regular basis to spend time alone (or not) waving a fly rod for hours on end. Thankfully, my wife understands better than most; besides, it gives her plenty of knitting time. I may not be a full-time trout bum, but for whatever time I can spend on the water, the rest of the world and its worries melt away as moment to moment my focus is concentrated (some say reduced) on fooling that next fish. |
Not even close.Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 16:13. |
Hardly the top 10 is SA by any stretch of the imagination. |
Ten top fishing spotsSubmitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 09:34. |
It should be noted that not all of that some of the venues are subject to various access controls and or membership requirements. Anglers planning trip should carefully investigate the regulations with respect to access and permits required. For access requirements in respect of streams in the Western Cape and Lakensvlei dam please refer to the Cape Piscatorial Society on cpsoc@netactive.com or 021 4247725 |
