Flyfishing report: Trout - Mpumalanga

DULLSTROOM

As a result of good rains from September onwards including a heavy downpour yesterday all the stillwaters in the area are full to overflowing. Despite some very hot days the rain has been accompanied by some very cold periods which have kept water temperatures reasonable. November is usually one of the choice periods for flyfishing in Dullstroom with the onset of good hatches, especially in the late afternoons and evenings.

John Hunter at the Village Angler states that the Dullstroom Flyfishing festival raised R135 000 for Helping Hand for funding the various charity organisations in the town. Some of the best venues were made available for this event, which is based on a competition and these waters included Millstream, Santa Estates, Wickhams Retreat, Laverpa, Forelwater, Forest Dawn and Critchley Loch Logie. A large number of trout were caught over the event weekend of 13/14 October and at least 3 X 61cm rainbows were netted.

Apparently the DFFA club dam at Jansens has also produced well and John Hunter has found the Minkie very effective on this water.

At Mavungana which has good day ticket fishing on their Laverpa dams Collen reports that their trophy dam is now closed until April when the water temperatures decline but their Laverpa dams continue to produce well mainly on sunken lure type flies as the water is a bit murky after all the rain. However, when there is surface activity dries including hopper and caddis patterns have worked.

Transvaal Fly Fishers Club (TFFC) celebrate its 50^th birthday at their AGM on 19^th November. Their Middelpunt waters rated by many as one of the top trout destinations in the country and the club now has room for a few more members.. A good number of browns have been recorded in the catches over the last month. Like the Dullstroom Fly Fishers Association all TFFC members are members of FOSAF

SABIE

Werner Wessels, chairman of the club at (sabietrout@gmail.com) states that the river is flowing well as a result of excellent rains and is being stocked regularly with catchable rainbows and browns. The AGM for the Sabie Trout Club will be held at 14h30 on 2^nd December at the Gunyatoo Trout Lodge.

Rainbow cock from a Laverpa dam.