MIKE WENTZEL recounts some tales of bad bovines, angry antelope and slithery things.
Many moons ago, when I was a skinny teenager, my dad had it in his mind to shut up shop on the used car business in Johannesburg and troop the family down to Muden Valley in the rural Natal Midlands. Thankfully, the lower reaches of the Mooi River wound their way about 50m past our main house, providing me with the perfect opportunity to hone my then rudimentary fishing skills. In the mid-Eighties and prior to the 1987 floods, the river was about 30m wide and had high-cut banks running along most of its length on the long pools. It must have been my second or third year of high school and the much-anticipated mulberry season had arrived. In October, as the mulberry trees that grow along the riverbank shed their ripe fruit, the Natal scaly and barbel gather in great numbers under the overhanging branches waiting for the bounty to plop into the water, and with massive swirls, they gulp down the ripe fruit. What I had learnt was that you had to sneak up on these fish very quietly otherwise they would spook, and if they did, it would be another hour or so before you could try again.
Denne historien er fra April - May 2018-utgaven av The Complete Fly Fisherman.
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Denne historien er fra April - May 2018-utgaven av The Complete Fly Fisherman.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
It's Called Evolution
Our quarry constantly has to adapt to the everchanging conditions of their environment. It goes without saying then, that we, too, need to revise our fishing strategy to remain successful on any given day. Anton Hartman explains.
At The Gates Of Antarctica
Mauritia Kirchner falls in love with the farflung Falkland Islands.
Six Of The Best Largemouth Flies
FlyTying Field Editor Murray Pedder lists the top six largemouth yellowfish flies for the Orange, Vaal, Vanderkloof and Gariep dams.
Ascending caddis pupa
The ascending stage of a caddis makes easy prey for both trout and yellowfish – the reason why Arno Laubscher propagates tying a pattern that imitates it.
In Search Of Natal Yellowfish Top Scaly Rivers Of Kwazulu-Natal
Carl Freese shares his favourite home rivers for hunting KZN scaly.
A Rod Maker's Thoughts: Why Bamboo?
Stephen Boshoff elaborates on his passion for bamboo.
Rhodes AN ICONIC TOWN AND HOME TO fly fishing legend: Fred Steynberg
Like the prodigal son, we return to Rhodes to meet up with old friends and revisit rivers filled with memories and wild rainbows.
The TCFF Charity Initiative: FLY FISHERS GIVING BACK
After two and a half decades of publishing TCFF, we are honoured and blessed not only by the support of our readers, but also our industry in the main.
IN MEMORIAM: Gunga Donn
It’s always tough to lose a friend, but when that friend is a fishing buddy with whom you have shared boats, banks and lodgings, it is particularly distressing.
In pursuit of Weza
Sean I'Ons relates how it took 40 years for a story of a fishery and the people he got to know along the way to come full circle.