Flyfishing report: Yellowfish - Middle Vaal

The two flyfishing festivals held in early October at the Elgro River Lodge were very successful. Participants came from many parts of the country and even an overseas visitor from Scotland arrived. The well-known yellowfish expert Horst Filter was there again, and the very knowledgeable Anton Hartman gave talks on alternative fishing methods and conditions which affect fishing while Derek Smith spoke on rod building and even donated one of his rods for fund raising for the Elgro Windknot Club. The river is running at an ideal 25 cusecs and with little or no rain predicted for the next week the season is off to a good start. This is particularly pleasing as the during the last two years with above average rainfall the river was flooded regularly.

Conditions downstream at Wag ń Bietjie near Orkney are much the same. Andre Hoffman suggests that the water’s brownish tinge may be due to algae on the rocks dying off. A cold front briefly disrupted fishing last Monday and Tuesday, but this was short lived. The fish appear healthy and strong, and the large females are full of eggs, and spawning has begun, so anglers must avoid trampling spawning beds. The spread of grass carp throughout the Orange/Vaal system is a concern because they can strip rivers of important weed beds. These long-lived fish grow very large and have bred extensively in the system. Consequently, only sterile grass carp may now be stocked in our waterways.

Horst with a grass carp

Festival participants heading out in boats.

Festival angler with a yellow.