Outside Days » stream

Rivers of Gold: Thwarted Yellowfish Fever

Howard — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:05:59 +0000

You know you should find a fish in a river when the river’s name appears in the fish’s! So when we put the shotguns and rifles down long enough to flick fluff in the River Vaal, I fully expected to have the Vaal-orange largemouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus kimberleyensis) yanking my line. Nevermind that its sibling the smallmouth yellow fish (Labeobarbus aeneus) is much more common. I had might sights set on BIG.

Which was just as well: the Vaal is no trout stream or chalk river. Its a monster at 150m wide. Sidling up to it in our Crocs (shoes that is) and shorts, 5-weight rods in hands, we couldn’t help but feel undergunned. I have fished smaller rivers with 15 foot double handed 10-weights. Hours spent scanning the fish-porn online had armed us with a series of facts:
1. The River Vaal is wadeable
2. Yellowfish, regardless of mouth size, readily take dry and wet flies
3. The ‘freshwater bonefish’, even a 2lb yellowfish will take you down to your backing
4. Beware: yellowfish are dangerously addictive even for the experienced user

Unfortunately, as Fact 1 turned out to be…not entirely true, we were never able to prove the veracity or otherwise of Facts 2, 3 and 4. The Vaal had burst its banks six weeks before in floods the likes of which hadn’t been seen in 20 years. Although receding, there was just too much water heading downstream to make dipping more than a toe attractive.

Tiptoeing back along the bank to avoid waking slumbering monitor lizards (an effort put paid to by the dog mistaking one for a fire hydrant), we retreated to the buggy and the safety of our shotguns. Yellowfish fever will have to wait for another trip.

Fish ID: Plan See Trout

Howard — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:30:52 +0000

Having grabbed a few days holiday (ie. scouting trip for future packages), I packed my five weight Frequent Flyer and headed to the Austrian Tirol with my wife.The advantage of a second wife is you realise the importance of choosing someone tolerant of ones foibles and predelictions. I picked a game model happy to slog along lake shores to photograph my successes, supply flies, and sherpa kit.

Finding ourselves on the shores of the Heiterwanger Plan See, I took the opportunity to explore the waters rod in hand. According to the local fishing club, the lake, 200 feet deep in places, boasts trout and whitefish to double figures. Needless to say, fishing from the shore I caught slightly smaller specimens, the best being a 3lb+ wild rainbow. Admittedly, my tackle was a poor match for the situation, having anticipated stream and river fishing and not lake.

My German extends to the ordering of two sizes of beer. While equipped for discssing philosophy, my mini OED-German dictionary exhibited a paucity of terms for wildlife (although I can tell you the German for ‘paucity’ is wenigkeit). Add to that the extremely silver appearance of everything I hoicked from the water, and it became a challenge to ID my catch. Anyone who is interest in being a guinea pig on an Austrian expedition, or who can tell me more about the mysterious ‘renke’, please get in touch.

Splashing Around in the Dark: Sea trout on the Itchen

Howard — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:53:33 +0000

Start eating your carrots: some of the best fishing to be had in the summer months takes place after dark. Sea trout, the peripatetic siblings of the brown trout, return to the streams of their birth to spawn in the summer months. Most active after dark, sea trout are found in numbers in the lower stretches of the chalkstreams, spreading out at they migrate upstream.

The best nights to fish are those when the incoming tide and the start of the ebb are after dark. Seven weight rods provide plenty of power to cast large snake flies. For those brave enough to cast droppers at night (risking tangling and the ensuing unknotting by feel), they maximise return for effort. Fortunately, the mill pool we fish is civilised enough to provide ambient light from street lamps and neighbouring houses, reducing the risks of unscheduled swimming and fishing by feel. Once I’ve settled clients, directing them onto the most likely lies, the wader-filling holes to avoid, I get started on the stream of teas necessary to keep everyone warm and awake.

Like all fishing, catching isn’t guaranteed, but this mill pool is very productive, with bass bagged regularly as well as sea trout. It’s proved so popular, in fact, that we were booked within hours of releasing this years dates. If you are interested in fishing the 2009 season, please don’t dawdle in getting in touch and adding yourself to the waiting list.

From Our Foreign Correspondents: Fishing North Carolina

Jennifer — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:14:33 +0000

Friends from home (the American south) are adept at keeping me in the loop and homesick! Gene (more affectionately known as Bubba) loves his fishing and his whisky, and just as soon as he gets his passport, we expect him to be joining us on Scottish lochs, Hampshire banks and anywhere the fishing is fine. Until then, we will have to join him (vicariously in this case) streamside in the States.

The Nantahala makes Trout Unlimited’s top 100 American trout waters, having a diversity of stream types and species as well. Gene was fishing in a stretch of hatchery supported waters with native brook trout and introduced brown and rainbow all reproducing naturally. As the sign in the photograph indicates, the fishery is fly only and catch and release from October through June.

“I had to get a non-resident 10-day license and a special trout license – year-round,” says Gene. He was fishing with wet, “brown stonefly, brown woolyworm and chartreuse beaded inchworm- little early for that, but it worked” and dry flies, “sulfur dun, caddis, really anything mayfly like in the afternoon – size of fly (wet and dry) came into play a bit, but all worked well.” If your travels take you to the States and you find yourself with a day or two to fill in the itinerary, we can usually find you fishable water and the right fluff to flick. (Jennifer)

Gamekeepa Fishin’

Howard — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:32:59 +0000

All of us need to escape the daily grind now and then, and flicking the fluff for mayfly-delirious brown trout is an addictive relaxant. Headkeeper Martin Broad stole away from the rearing field and the eagle eye of his underkeeper (and wife) to spend an evening on the banks of the River Test. The fishing was still challenging – all that rain has taken its toll on the hatch and the trout’s enthusiasm…or visibility.

A beautiful four pound plus brownie was ample reward for an evening’s patient work. Martin went back to preparing for the arrival of his partridge and pheasant chicks with lower blood pressure and a big smile.

Swan Replaces Trout on the Nation’s Plate?

Howard — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:00:41 +0000

One of the local river keepers is taking issue with the Queen’s diet: she’s not eating enough swan and, unchecked by natural predators, the mute swan population is booming. So, you might ask, what’s the problem? The charge laid at the swans beaks boils down to diet: by grazing on weed, the swans are uprooting valuable insect habitat and reducing the invertebrate populations on the chalk streams.

This, in turn, affects the amount of available fish food, reducing the size of populations sustained on a given stretch and the size of individual fish. Which upsets fisherman and keeper alike. Add to that the swans habit of joining sheep in field to graze, and the farmers aren’t all the keen on the population explosion either.

Over-grazing of weed is less of an issue in years like this one with plenty of water, but in a dry year it can be devastating. Weed works as a semi-permeable dam, helping to maintain water levels. Strategic weed cutting can make or break fishing on a beat. It comes down to conservation or preservation and species priorities when managing a population.

But how do you manage a protected species with a population that is getting out of control? Unique to this protected species is the Queen’s right of consumption: Her Majesty remains the sole legal predator. So the ‘keeper hopes Her Majesty will be serving swan to all her guests this summer.

Flyfishing claims another victim

Howard — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:25:31 +0000

It’s always rewarding to introduce someone to a new passion and pastime. This week we watched as builder extraordinare and all-round superhero Lee dipped his toe into the flyfishing pool by taking an evening lesson with me. His first fish was an enormous 4lb 4oz rainbow caught on a Montana. And he didn’t stop there, catching several others before dusk (and my wife) caught up with us. Using another awful pun, I’m glad to say he’s hooked…to the extent he made me late for a dinner engagement. I look forward to spending several summer evenings watch him get tangled in line.

Lessons are a great way to explore flyfishing without extensive investments of time and finance. They also make fabulous birthday, anniversary and wedding gifts.

Orvis Cast and Blast Meon Springs

Howard — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:39:05 +0000

Family-friendly Meon Springs provided the perfect setting for Orvis’ Cast and Blast, and the powers that be provided unbelievable weather despite the best efforts of the meteorologists to convice us otherwise. Even my parents put in an appearance, tried their hand at flyfishing, and went home with a trout for the table. Richard Banbury kept me busy with a reprise of my presentation on large mouth bass, and the debut of an introduction to shooting.

Dickson and Macnaughton, gunsmiths with a concession in Orvis’ Stockbridge store, were kind enough to loan me some choice weapons as props as well as being on hand to offer technical advice. Really it was just a platform for me to vent my pet gunhandling hates that peeve me over the season.

For those anglers out there looking for something a little different, we have just secured a few nights sea trout fishing on a productive tidal pool new to us on the River Itchen. Last year I pulled a PB salmon out at 2am…just after all my clients packed it in for the evening.

Orvis Open Day River Test

Howard — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:08:08 +0000

Orvis hosted its annual Open Day on the River Test at Kimbridge. A fun, social day on the riverbank, the event offers guests the chance to try any of Orvis’ rod range. The great and the good were there including angling journalist and fellow Orvis Endorsed Guide Paul Procter and the Orvis ghillies. Having not long returned from Texas with the challenge of largemouth bass, I spoke about the basics of largemouth bass on the fly in America. Pretty much wherever in the contiguous 48 your holiday takes you, you can fish for LMB. Sunday the 20th of April is the Orvis Cast and Blast at Meon Springs Fishery. I’ll be talking about shooting and Orvis’ range of guns and rods on the day. All are welcome and it would be great to see some familiar faces in crowd.

Cabin Fever: In which the Brits meet Texas Largemouth Bass

Howard — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:58:56 +0000

After a hectic few days shopping and pursuing hogs and quail, the pace slowed when we arrived in Golden, TX to stay with our friend Chris Wiesinger of Southern Bulbs at his little red cabin by the lake. The ‘lake’ is a 6 acre pond populated in equal number by turtles and largemouth bass.

We spent two delightful days fly fishing from the shore and boat for bass, tiptoeing through Chris’ narcissus fields, and ‘roughing’ it in the cabin. None of our bass were record-breakers, but they put up a hard, fast fight before surrendering.