UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH MARK YELLAND
The Complete Fly Fisherman|December/January 2019/2020
TCFF chews the fat with guide and local fly fishing legend Mark Yelland and talk about his love for yellowfish.
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH MARK YELLAND

TCFF: You are probably one of South Africa’s best-known fly fishermen. Where did it all start?

MY: It all started in Krugersdorp on the Woes (West) Rand – I was exceptionally fortunate to have the Monument Dam just 100m from my home. The fishing bug caught me at a very young age, I guess around seven or eight, mainly bait fishing until my early teens when I started bass fishing. The fly fishing addiction would have started around 1980. My last year of schooling was at Damelin College in the then heart of Johannesburg in Bree Street. My guess is this is where things really went pear-shaped. You see, the door to Damelin was about a good cast length away from the famous Laxton’s Hunting & Fishing store, and it was there that I met the fly fishing and fly-tying lunatic Angelo Komis. The rest, as they say, is history and what proceeded was a slippery downhill slide into fly fishing nirvana and yet another five-star education squandered on fly fishing. We could debate “squandered” at length.

TCFF: You fish for everything that has fins, in both fresh and salt water. When and where did the yellowfish bug take hold?

MY: The yellowfish bug took hold in the late Seventies when I was introduced to the smallmouth yellows of the Vaal River. We fished venues like Eendekuil, Benjoh (now Vaal de Sioleh) and Vaal Hackle. I count myself as exceptionally fortunate at having the privilege of meeting and fishing with some of the early pioneers of targeting yellows on fly, the likes of Theo van Niekerk (originator of the famous TVN fly) and Charl du Plessis, both of whom also had a lot to do with catching largies on fly. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where my lifelong love affair with the Vaal River started and I owe those who introduced me to the river and its yellows a huge debt of gratitude.

This story is from the December/January 2019/2020 edition of The Complete Fly Fisherman.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December/January 2019/2020 edition of The Complete Fly Fisherman.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE COMPLETE FLY FISHERMANView All
It's Called Evolution
The Complete Fly Fisherman

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.

time-read
4 mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
At The Gates Of Antarctica
The Complete Fly Fisherman

At The Gates Of Antarctica

Mauritia Kirchner falls in love with the far­flung Falkland Islands.

time-read
7 mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
Six Of The Best Largemouth Flies
The Complete Fly Fisherman

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.

time-read
10 mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
Ascending caddis pupa
The Complete Fly Fisherman

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.

time-read
4 mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
In Search Of Natal Yellowfish Top Scaly Rivers Of Kwazulu-Natal
The Complete Fly Fisherman

In Search Of Natal Yellowfish Top Scaly Rivers Of Kwazulu-Natal

Carl Freese shares his favourite home rivers for hunting KZN scaly.

time-read
8 mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
A Rod Maker's Thoughts: Why Bamboo?
The Complete Fly Fisherman

A Rod Maker's Thoughts: Why Bamboo?

Stephen Boshoff elaborates on his passion for bamboo.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
Rhodes AN ICONIC TOWN AND HOME TO fly fishing legend: Fred Steynberg
The Complete Fly Fisherman

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.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
The TCFF Charity Initiative: FLY FISHERS GIVING BACK
The Complete Fly Fisherman

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.

time-read
2 mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
IN MEMORIAM: Gunga Donn
The Complete Fly Fisherman

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.

time-read
7 mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
In pursuit of Weza
The Complete Fly Fisherman

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.

time-read
5 mins  |
Jan/Feb/Mar 2021