Warren Prior, Author at Baha Adventures

02Dec 2012 by Warren Prior 2 Comments

Choosing A Float Tube

Articles

A few years ago, while in the process of buying my first float tube, I took the time to sit down and write an article on how to choose the float tube or boat which best suits you. Having not used many tubes at the time most of my information was gathered from the internet and, as we all know, everything on the internet needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Over the past few years I’ve been far more involved in fly fishing and have had the pleasure of using various craft. I’ve also had the pleasure of chatting to several people involved in the industry and as such have had to reassess some of my original opinions. When I began my quest for a float tube…

02Dec 2012 by Warren Prior 1 Comment

Fly Fishing Myth Busters

Articles

There are many old fly fishing rumours, and this is where we bust them! Swimming In Waders Nick Testing Waders One hears so many horror stories about waders and how fly fishermen drown in them because they fill up with water and make swimming near impossible. For safety reasons the Baha Boys decided to put this myth to the test. So on a warm summer's day Nick pulled on his waders and jumped in the swimming pool. The first test was conducted using neoprene waders since these are what Nick usually fishes in. His first impression was that of surprise at just how buoyant the waders were. In fact he found it hugely reassuring that the waders kept him afloat without the need for him to try and swim. Being…

02Dec 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

Still Water Trout Lies

Articles

I often find it strange that people are intimidated by rivers and yet think of dams and lakes as their friends. Yes, it's true that still waters are often easier to fish, especially when they're maintained specifically for that purpose, but in rivers the fish have fewer places to hide and the water is easier to read. When one approaches a still water, especially a relatively large one, they are met with an expanse of water with endless places for fish to hide. It’s also relatively unclear as to what lies beneath that glassy surface. Is it deep or shallow? Is there a lot of structure? And most importantly, where are all the fish? As such deciding where to start fishing is not always an easy decision. I suppose one…

02Dec 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

Upstream Dry Fly Fishing

Articles

A Silky Pholela River A Lotheni Wild Brown One of the many benefits of fly fishing is the amazing destinations it takes you too. You can end up anywhere from a crystal clear mountain stream to a rocky shoreline unspoiled by humans. There's something for everyone and the only limitation is your imagination (and budget). Luckily for us in South Africa (and KwaZulu-Natal) some of the most beautiful fly fishing destinations are right here on our doorstep. This month the Baha Boys take you stream fishing in the Drakensberg and explain how to fish the dry fly with huge success. Few memories come close to that of your first wild trout taken on dry fly. Sadly, despite the pristine streams available to us in the country, fly fishing is dominated…

18Nov 2012 by Warren Prior 1 Comment

Inanda Dam Bass Bashing

Bass, Fly Fishing, Fresh Water

[caption id="attachment_590" align="alignright" width="300"] Warren With A Bass[/caption]After a rather interesting DFT demo by Marco Breschi, our club’s bass expert, I had a chat with him and we decided to head down to Inanda Dam on Sunday morning for a little bass fishing (on fly of course). With my newly tied strip leech in hand, Nick picked me up, we met Marco at the gate, and we headed down to the dam. Our first mistake was arriving at 5am only to be told that the gate only opens at 6am. We must thank Nick for this great piece of planning, so if you ever happen to run into him please be sure to rough him up a little. None the less we put the time to good use by pumping…

11Nov 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

Another Underberg Himeville Trout Fishing Club Trip

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trip Report, Trout

[caption id="attachment_585" align="alignleft" width="300"] Hail On Arrival In Underberg[/caption] Having been up to Underberg earlier this year I was quick to accept another invitation to go up and fish a few of the UHTFC (Underberg Himeville Trout Fishing Club) waters. I put in a half day’s leave and met Neill at Plantations at 1pm. We promptly packed up the Jeep and were soon on the road to Alan’s house in Underberg. After weeks of rain (over 400mm in a month which normal has around 90mm) I was glad to see that the weather sites all agreed that it would be a sunny weekend. That said there was a severe storm warning for the Underberg area on Friday and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Thankfully we had just carried the last of…

04Nov 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

Cancelled DFT Outing

Fly Fishing, Salt Water

The heavy rains of October had not yet eased but we'd promised a salt water outing and we had to stand by our word. As such we headed north on Sunday morning to the agreed venue of Westbrook. Sadly people seemed deterred by the conditions and despite the last 2 outings having been supported by over 20 anglers, it was only Nick and I who arrived. The was perhaps lucky since the conditions were terrible and even we decided to give the fishing a miss. That said we explored some of the coastline for future venues and eventually succumbed to the temptations and flicked a line at Casino beach for half an hour. Sadly the ever productive beach produced nothing for us and we eventually headed home empty handed, but a little wiser as…

20Oct 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

Port Edward Quickie

Fly Fishing, Salt Water

[caption id="attachment_575" align="alignleft" width="300"] Port Edward Beach[/caption] During a recent trip to Port Edward Nick and I took the obvious opportunity and headed down to the waters edge to get in a little fly fishing. Sadly October had seen over 3 times the normal rainfall for the period and as such the seas were chocolate brown to say the least. Not being easily deterred we fished the rocks in front of the chalets with no luck before heading north. We were hoping to find a few gullies but sadly the seas were as big as they were dirty. Eventually, after an hour or so of exploring, we decided to head back to the beach. We'd fished a few gullies while battling with waves, and Nick had dropped a small fish,…

06Oct 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

The Bushmans River With An Aussie

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trout

[caption id="attachment_572" align="alignright" width="300"] Underwater Brown Trout[/caption] Thankfully the weather on Saturday was rather more pleasant than on Friday. We were therefor up at 5am and headed for the Bushman's River to do a little small stream fly fishing. Competition was in the air since my uncle was out from Australia and I had been dominated by him on the golf course. Thankfully I got off to a good start and landed my first fish just a few casts in on a small elk hair caddis. Nigel struggled a little thanks to what he deemed to be "small fish and light tackle". Apparently it was somewhat different to the tigerfishing of the previous week. In fact he struck so hard on his first wild brown that it sailed past us…

01Oct 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

Warren’s DFT Demo Tie

Fly Fishing, Fly Tying

[caption id="attachment_568" align="alignleft" width="200"] Warren Prior's DFT Demo[/caption] On Monday 1 October I had the pleasure of being the guest tyer at the Durban Fly Tyer's monthly meeting. Although I was originally asked to demonstrate a salt water fly I opted for something a little more intricate and exciting to tie. Since past flies had been aimed mainly at salt water fish, trout and tigers I initially decided to tie a yellowfish fly. My first idea was therefore to tie the famous orange hotspot. Sadly however, with all the recent rains in Kwa-Zulu Natal, the rivers are a little high and muddy and yellowfishing has therefore taken a back seat. I therefore made a small change and decided to tie the Pheasant Tail Nymph, or PTN as it is commonly…

Author: Warren Prior