Fresh Water Archives - Page 7 of 14

11Aug 2013 by Warren Prior No Comments

A Long Weekend in Underberg

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trip Report, Trout

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times...no long weekend should ever go to waste. And since it had just been Nick and Tarryn's birthdays, we decided to do a family trip to Underberg for a little fishing and relaxation. Sadly my Jeep was in the shop so I borrowed my mom's Corolla and quickly packed it on Friday morning before the 7am departure time. Amazingly it almost seemed to fit in more than the Jeep and we easily packed all my fishing equipment, including my float tube, as well as Emma's pram and various other bags. I was truly impressed. [caption id="attachment_1349" align="alignleft" width="300"] A misty afternoon at Lund's Dam[/caption] We met up with Nick, Tarryn and Mila at our usual garage on the N3 and…

21Jul 2013 by Warren Prior No Comments

A Wintery Nyala Pans

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Yellowfish

With the (trout) streams having been closed for almost two months now I was starting to get some serious withdrawal symptoms. I needed to get into a river, and I needed to do it now. So I picked up the phone, gave Nick a call, and we put together a trip to Nyala Pans to fish for the Natal yellowfish (or scaly as it's perhaps better known). Knowing that the fish are a little lethargic in winter I got off to a leisurely start and climbed out of bed at 6am. By 6:30 I was on the road and by 7:30 I was at the water, cup of coffee in hand, and kitted up. The drive had gone by quickly and the condition of the dirt road had been fantastic.…

17Jun 2013 by Warren Prior No Comments

The Boston Fly Fishing Festival 2013

Event, Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trip Report, Trout

[caption id="attachment_1303" align="alignnone" width="900"] Sunset on route to the Boston Dargle Fly Fishing Festival[/caption] After having taken part in the inaugural Boston Dargle Fly Fishing Festival in 2011 (and having then missed the second festival due to my wedding) there was absolutely no chance that we were going to miss the third running of this (now) legendary festival. So we made sure we got our entries in early and then counted down the days until the festival began. [caption id="attachment_1304" align="alignleft" width="300"] View over Ivanhoe[/caption] When Friday, the day of registration, finally arrived my day in the office dragged. Thankfully I managed to sneak out a little early and headed for my house where two of my team mates, Nick and Neill, were meeting me at 4pm. We threw all…

19May 2013 by Warren Prior No Comments

A Family Fishing Trip To The UHTFC

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trout

Since the birth of my daughter fly fishing has taken a bit of a back seat but, being who I am, that was of course definitely not sustainable. So when I was told that Peter Hayes was offering a clinic to the Aids orphans in Underberg I immediately took Friday off, packed up the family, and headed for Underberg. Neill was meeting us there but sadly Nick was unable to make it. Strange that we fish together almost weekly and yet have never done an Undies trip together. Anyway, moving on. Sharon and I were woken at 4am by a sick daughter. This was not the start I was hoping for as we trolled the internet in the dark working out whether, at 6 weeks old, we needed to worry…

01May 2013 by Warren Prior 2 Comments

A Day On The Bushmans

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trout

It's been a slow river season for the Baha Boys with only a few trips having been undertaken. And of those trips Lesotho is the only one really worth mentioning. A raging Lotheni River over Christmas meant 5 fishless days for myself, and the birth of my daughter also meant a short lull in the fishing. So when Worker's Day rolled around, and both Nick and I had a free day, we grabbed the opportunity with both hands and headed for the Bushman's River. I guess there's no real point in introducing the Bushman's as (almost) every trout fisherman in South Africa knows it as perhaps the best wild brown water in the country. That said there have been numerous recent reports around the vast number of rainbows coming out…

24Feb 2013 by Warren Prior No Comments

Inanda Dam Domination

Bass, Fly Fishing, Fresh Water

[caption id="attachment_1074" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Releasing a largemouth bass[/caption] With Inanda Dam so close to our humble homes it's amazing that we don't pay it more frequent visits. It could be that we take it for granted. But it could also be due to the ever present fear of crocodiles. That said I don't know of any recent reports so I like to put that thought into the back of my mind. On Sunday morning Nick and myself headed down to Inanda Dam for a 6am start. Many of you may remember our previous fail when we arrived at 5am only to discover that the gates only opened at 6. Well this time we arrived at 6am only to find out that the gates had been open since 5. Can they…

13Jan 2013 by Warren Prior No Comments

Lesotho 2013

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trip Report, Trout

[caption id="attachment_964" align="alignleft" width="225"] Ian kitting up his bamboo rod[/caption] After a week of nervous weather watching our day of departure for Lesotho arrived and, as expected, it was raining. The four of us climbed in the Jeep and began the three hour journey that would take us up Sani Pass and into the Mountain Kingdom. Although none of us were new to fishing in the rain, navigating a pass that had been eroded by daily downpours (and was more the likely slippery and wet) was an obstacle that lay in the way of our fishing. We were also a little nervous that the river would be too high and that the trip would be in vain. We made our usual first stop for fuel and coffee and quickly learned that any slowing of…

29Dec 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

A Morning At North End

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trout

Since I was camping at Lotheni for 5 nights and the river was (sadly) unfishable we headed into Underberg for the day. After a quick cup of coffee with Alan we shot across to North End due the thatch gazebo which offered some shade for Sharon in the 30 degree plus heat. On arrival (at 9am) I noticed two other fisherman on the water. I quickly kitted up one of the boats and then rowed out onto the water. The other fisherman looked less than pleased that I was there (I guess the boats are a little noisier than float tubes) but after a brief chat all was resolved and we got down to fishing. Apparently they'd landed just one 4 pound rainbow between the two of them that morning. And with…

27Dec 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

A Raging Lotheni

Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trout

[caption id="attachment_926" align="alignright" width="300"] A Very High Lotheni River[/caption] It was with much anticipation that I walked down to the Lotheni River, ready to end 2012 (and start 2013) with several wild brown trout. Sharon and I had booked 5 nights in the nature reserve from boxing day into the new year. Camp was set up and I was ready to enjoy 6 days of trout bliss. On our drive in I could see that the river was high, but looking down on a river from above is always a little deceptive. It was therefore only when I stepped onto the bank that I realised that the river was literally raging. In fact it was impossible to cross in places and, despite having fished it often, it was unrecognisable to me.…

17Dec 2012 by Warren Prior No Comments

Midmar Bass Bashing

Bass, Fly Fishing, Fresh Water, Trip Report

[caption id="attachment_888" align="alignleft" width="300"] Launching At Midmar[/caption] Amazingly it had been 8 years since Nick and I last visited (and camped) at Midmar Dam in the Kzn Midlands. Yes, it's not as scenic as the mountains and bass are not as fondly thought of as trout by most fly fisherman; but we're not most fly fisherman! So when a long weekend popped up just before Christmas we packed the vehicles, hitched the boat, and took the families up to Midmar for a relaxing weekend with a "little" fly fishing. We arrived at around 6pm on Friday evening which left us just enough light to pitch the tents and get camp ready before darkness fell. Then the beers came out, the fire was lit, and we began the usual discussions of…

Category: Fresh Water