| Date of Report: Friday, 6th June 2025 |
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Name: Niel Malan Email: nmalan8@gmail.com Phone: 064 517 3811
General: This report covers the period from mid - April 2025 to end May 2025. As I sit down to write this report, mid-winter is approaching fast, the water has cooled down a bit and the fishing has slowed down. Yes, CPUE (catch per unit effort) is a bit lower, but so what (See Keurbooms section)? I received this enquiry from Nic Ross last week: "I'm a Uni student from Mpumalanga and I've just been invited to stay with a friend along the Grootbrak Rivier near George. Unfortunately, I left my 7wt back home since I had no idea about this trip. I'd like to know if the winter fishing is good enough to justify Postnetting it down. I've heard rumours that the fishing dies down in winter, but I've also heard stories that this isn't the case at all". My reply to him basically said, and as will become evident from the report, there are still many windless sunny days to enjoy and fish to be found for the people that put in the effort. "Good luck with the exams and get you bloody gear down here asap". Give Benno Klinck a shout for tips and advice on the Grootbrak River area when you arrive.
Matt Zambetti informed me that the: "GRFF have lined up a couple of gatherings to get us through the cold months - with Anton Prinsloo from Woosah custom flies hosting a fly tying workshop at the end of June followed by a weekend of casting clinics with Mark Yelland in early July https://www.adventureonwater.co.za/mark-yelland-fly-casting-master-class/. Capping off the winter activities on 17 July is the Knysna leg of the International Fly Fishing Festival (IF4)@ Knysna Hollow. Tickets are available at: https://shr.link/a5lbr". Chris Wood added: "Will be making an announcement soon but the festival will be offering approximately a R million worth of prizes. There is a Seychelles trip and we are putting in Baines Lower Zambezi tiger fishing to. These are national prizes drawn at the end (24th)".
Talking about prizes, Adam Harris, who won a very cool GRFF prize recently, gives some feedback of his stay and fishing trip in the Sedgefield section of the report. Thanks to Heinrich van Rooyen for the generous prize in the GRFF March "fun quiz competition". Tight lines, till next time. PS: It is winter and I just blew my nose …..just to find out that my hanky is smelling of Mullets! Not sure if this is a good or bad sign, but I better finish this report soon. Garden Route Fly Fishers Milestones: First (Garden Route) saltwater fish on fly:
First Garden Route Spotted Grunter on fly:
New species of Garden Route fish caught by member:
Entry into the 50+ Club [Ed: 50 fish or multiples of 50 of a specific species from the Garden Route]:
BELOW IS SOME FEEDBACK PROVIDED BY MEMBERS RELATED TO THE INDIVIDUAL SYSTEMS: As always, thanks to all the members that have kindly offered information and stories. Without you this report would have been very short and feeble. That said, there are still many people that are not sharing their catches and info – let's hope they will also soon come to the party. Breede River Estuary (Witsand/Cape Infanta): Mike Dohlhoff reported: "Hi Niel....just a brief update ....other than the younger class kob between 30 and 70 cm, of which we have got quite a few, the river is slowing down with water temps now in the mid 15's...leerie and grunter are around but mostly small fish. I did have a really good Blacktail session last week off the rocks near the mouth and managed 5 fish ...4 were proper dinner plates....it is astounding how hard those bigger fish pull in the surf".
Matt Zambetti was impressed by Mike's Blacktail success and commented: "Looks like a little bit of red bait on some of those Clousers for the Blacktail…. Secret sauce?" "I think its orange yarn from the pic of the fly but definitely has a redbait look to it". Mike: "That's the idea". Matt: "Convincing". Ed: Why not tie up a few and give us some feedback for the next report Matt? Or perhaps we both tie some up and have a mini mid-winter competition. Prize can be an ice cold one, and I am not talking about the seawater. Goukou River Estuary (Stilbaai): Last time Philip Meyer promised us a good report for the next period! Here is his feedback: "During the past two months my fishing time was very limited, so not much to report from the Goukou. The river has come down a few times during this time, not flooding, but had an influx from cooler water with the water temperatures around 15 to 16 degrees Celsius most of the time. Reports from other anglers were also dismal. Yesterday I had a quick session and saw one grunter working a bank in the middle of the river, apart from that it was quiet. Looking back at last year, we had some of our better sessions during the first part of June, so hopefully it will be the case again this year and I can give more detail in the next report". " Hi Niel, ai, ek kom net nie by die water uit nie weens werk. Gister gou probeer om vir jou 'n vis te gaan vang, maar zero, hopelik volgende keer stuur ek iets beter". All good Philip, thanks for trying, but don't leave it to the last day again. Go and catch a big fish Now and send me that pic! Gourits River Estuary (Gouritsmond): Anthony Dinham reported: "Hi Niel, just a few small leeries in the 50cm range for me coming out of Gourits. Water has cooled down a lot which has made things challenging". Ed: Lekker, I will take that any day!
Kleinbrak River Estuary: Rens Techman said that he "Caught two leeries at the start of May in the upper Klein Brak(pan). The rest of the month, I was just coding updates and add-ons". Ed: In other words trying to earn money so that he can go out and waste it on "updates and add-ons" (updating and adding to his already substantial flyfishing stash). Grootbrak River Estuary: Benno Klinck kindly provided feedback on the situation at the Grootbrak estuary. He said that: "Grootbrak mouth has closed again this month. Water is dark and visibility extremely poor. There are still fish in the system, but catching them remains a challenge. He also let slip that: "My visvang dae is ook vir eers getel…... ek word September Pa. Gaan verseker minder op die water wees van dan af". ED: Congratulations from all of us in the GRFF with the news and make sure you fish a lot before the little one(s) arrive(s). Anthony Dinham added: "Popped in to Klein Brak to have a look at the grunter activity and it was very quiet." Touwsrivier Estuary (Wildernis): No info received. Swartvlei River Estuary & lake (Sedgefield): Adam Harris who won a very cool GRFF prize recently, gives some feedback on his stay and fishing trip. "This weekend, my wife, myself and a friend stayed at Lagoon View Cabin in Sedgefield, thanks to Heinrich van Rooyen's generous prize that I was lucky enough to win in the GRFF March "fun quiz competition". Ed: More info at (https://www.airbnb.com/l/V7Uxy3ak), or speak to Heinrich directly and ask him about the GRFF members special price! "We arrived on Friday afternoon and managed to get in a good hour plus on the water at the bottom of his property, landing a few Leeries on White Salty Buggers. The next morning, Hein and I set off on a small boat he was trialing, and spent a good 3.5hrs drifting around the lagoon. What an epic session. Although I missed a lot of chases, I still managed about 4 fun-sized Leeries and broke off on a Shad (we assume). Hein was smashing the Leeries on all his self-tied Clousers. My best Leerie of the trip was on one of these Clousers, twitched and bounced off the bottom. The rest of the day I fished the surface with a really fast retrieve, white and tan coloured minnow/bugger patterns. Hein's Clousers did the job well and he managed Shad, multiple Leeries AND his first Grunter on fly! Around lunchtime I headed back to the accommodation for a much needed hangover meal (my wife, mate and I had a rather fun braai on Friday night!), then later headed off to fish from the bank a bit further 'upstream' at the Perdespruit 'mouth'. My wife and mate pumped some prawns and caught a couple of Cape Stumpnose while I managed another couple of Leeries on a grey over white flipper I got from Chris". Ed: Now that I like, will have to have a wee chat with my wife!
"What a fantastic weekend, amazing people and superb location. Thanks again Heinrich for your generosity, amazing accommodation and for the time you spent helping me figure out how and where to catch so many fish! I lost count but I think between the two of us alone we landed in excess of 25 decent fish. We will be back! My wife is already looking at properties in Sedgefield". Thanks for the great feedback and congratulations on the fish caught by everyone. Let's try and convince Heinrich to sponsor an annual Quiz Prize! Matt Zambetti added: "Only a couple of trips out in Sedgefield during the period. Water's cool and clear. Many flapping grunter tails around but they saw me coming. Had to settle for a few aggressive little leeries. Still great fun".
Last, but certainly not least, Anton Prinsloo provided some feedback on his Swartvlei outing: "Hi Niel…I have a pic of this slab I caught off the kayak at Sedgefield at the end of April….if you struggle for better pics, maybe you want to use it for your report". Funny story actually…...I found some nice sized Grunter tailing on a bank at low tide at Sedgefield late in the afternoon. I drifted nicely into a good position without them getting spooked, ready to make a cast…and out of the blue a guy was walking his dog on the bank and his dog started running in the water, and there went my targeted grunts. Didn't even get a chance to make a cast after all the hard work getting into a good position!" Ed: Snap, I know the feeling – dogs, SUPs and kite surfers! SUP coming straight past you: "Any luck?" "Yes/no. By-the-way, you just spooked a school of 30 big Grunter". "Oh, sorry". Let's hope that they will stay clear next time! But back to Anton: "I moved to another area where I was hoping there may be a fish or 2, made a few blind casts, and hooked this little guy on a sub-surface prawn". Ed: Lekker Anton, you know my view: "There is nothing like a small Grunter on fly – they are all special and all count!"
Jared Odell, who has spent many hours on that system, let me know that: "Still lots of grunter action to be had in Sedgefield, although the water is rising as the mouth has now closed meaning certain banks are no longer fishable, certain warmer days seem to increase the aggressive feeding of the fish making it easier to get follows and takes".
Goukamma River Estuary: No information received. Knysna River Estuary:
Craig Smith added: "From my side fishing has been very quiet with only a few fish spotted on each outing. Hardly any tailing activity. At times it looks as if they have fallen asleep and are just holding in the current. Sadly, not a productive month'. Craig also mentioned that David Powter landed a Spotted Grunter. Well, next time Craig. Niel Malan fished Knysna twice: "Water temp dropped over-night to 14C and NO big fish seen. Only fished for an hour as the water was very cold! Got a little Sand Steenbras and got a large Flat-head mullet while sight-fishing for it. Unfortunately I foul-hooked it and IT was already dead! The second time the water was even colder and I saw nothing so quickly packed up and went fishing in Plett". Keurbooms and Bitou Estuaries (Plettenberg Bay): Niel Malan, Malcolm Pannell and Deon Wilken fished this system during the reporting period. Between them they managed to land several juvenile Garrick, many Southern Mullet, a few Spotted Grunter and a solitary Shad and small White Steenbras. Deon Wilken reported: "I only had a couple of outings but managed quite a few "miniature" leeries and a Southern Mullet or two. Grunter were MIA (for me)". Ed: I did leave him a voice message the one day to say I am seeing lots of fish and if he can he must get there asap"…… But unfortunately the bugger was out of town. Niel Malan added: "The water has cooled down a lot in the Keurbooms and it has been difficult to find fish, especially with the weak winter sun. That said, I persisted and was lucky to fit in 15 flyfishing sessions during the reporting period. In the process I managed to fish for 59 hours and kayak/wade 51.5 km. That is a substantial time of not having to do DIY tasks, while still having fun. Looking back through my Strava notes, I could feel the cold water soaking through my legs, and occasionally splashing up against my balls, but also feel the adrenalin rush when the sun pops out and the Grunters show themselves on the odd day. Here are a few extracts that paints the picture: Keurbooms Upriver: "Blanked. No fish around, apart from a school of shad briefly hammering the baitfish in the distance. Looked like someone shooting an automatic rifle into the water!" "Quick look upriver to see if there are Grunter around. Saw a few small tails, but the cold water in the sea caused thick fog making sight-fishing impossible. Landed 5 small Garrick (one with a tag) and a small Southern Mullet". "Bernard Schoeman and I tried upstream as the water near the mouth was very cold. Water brown and no Grunter seen. Bernard got a small Garrick and a Southern Mullet on Die Spookvlieg and I only got a small Garrick". Keurbooms River near the mouth: "No grunter seen on the first bank, but got a 38cm shad in the channel. Very few grunter on Caravan Sandbank and only last hour before high. Water still chilly. No fish opposite our house." "Saw very few Grunter. One small Garrick". " 2 small Garrick and one Grunter nearly grabbed the fly". "Water 16.5C. Got 2 small Garrick, tagged 1. Eventually found quite a few small Grunter on the caravan sandbank, but tried 7 different flies and not a touch. A few follows on Die Spookvlieg. Also struggled to see them properly without my Maui Jim sunglasses that are in for repairs". "Took a gamble with the weather prediction…..that nearly paid off. Was hoping the predicted strong winds and clouds would stay away, but as I sat down in the kayak the wind came up and blew me across to the caravan sandbank. Water and wind cold and 4 layers of clothes were just not enough. No fish till about 1.5 hours before high. By then there were high waves and intermittent clouds that made sight-fishing challenging. Nevertheless, had 1 Grunter take and 1 heart-stopping follow till eventually I only had the leader in my hand. Eish, next time…" "Water 16.3-16.9C. Saw about 40 Grunter and had several good shots at them, but only a few follows and no takes. Deon Wilken got a Southern Mullet and a slow lift on my kayak back across the deep water to safety"…………….and so it went for 12 sessions. And then lucky session 13 arrived: "After many sessions finding very few fish I eventually found good numbers of fish. Three flies and 4 different species: 1 small White Steenbras on a Spookvlieg, 2 small Leeries, 2 Spotted Grunter (Shrimp fly and Goby imitation; #159 = 44 cm and #160 = 51 cm) and 3 Southern Mullet on a Goby imitation. Lost another nice Grunter. Weather and tides look stunning for next 2 days, but unfortunately out of town". 'During the reporting period I landed 33 fish (18 Southern Mullet, 13 juvenile Garrick, 2 Spotted Grunter, 1 Shad and 1 small White Steenbras. Ok, so you quickly worked out that my CPUE was quite pathetic – 108 min or 1.6 km per fish! Bad, but the moral of the story is just hang in there, put up with the bad weather and absence of fish, put in the hours/kilometers and eventually you will get a good session that will charge you up again like a Duracell Bunny waving her fly rod like crazy". I, for one, am looking forward to the next sunny day and the chance of stumbling across a school of grunter that are not skittish and very hungry'.
Groot Rivier – Nature's Valley: Niel Malan mentioned that: "I only fished here for 2 hours. The water was very cold and very dark. Landed a 40 cm Flathead Mullet (?) right in the mouth where the incoming clear water met the dark water".
Kromme River Estuary:
Fig 17. A Big-Eye Kingie that Marius caught – an unusual visitor.
Fig 18: One of several nice Garrick that Marius landed.
Fig 19: Another Spotted Grunter landed by Team M 2 – Marius and Marchandt.
Rock and Surf: No info received. Off-shore: No info received . Rivers: No info received. Still waters: No info received. Ok, report done. Time for me to grab my rod, wrap a few flies in my hanky and go fishing! For more GRFF info and interaction also see: |
