Brought to you by The Southern African Trout and Flyfishing Directory
SOUTHERN AFRICA AS A FLYFISHING DESTINATION
Africa is exciting! It's justly famous for magnificent game parks and birdlife that abounds. And now we'd like to share with you the absolute wealth of flyfishing that is available to make that African adventure all the more memorable.
So, if you're thinking of a business trip or a holiday and want to pack that four-piece flyrod in, talk to us at the SOUTHERN AFRICAN TROUT AND FLYFISHING DIRECTORY to help put you on the right beaten track.
SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR FLYFISHING SAFARI
TIGER FISH IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Top of the list has to be a trip to deceive a tiger fish or two ( if you can land them). Only in Africa can you tackle this magnificent freshwater fighter and its a strong recommendation to spend a quartet of days on the Chobe or Zambezi rivers.
And while you battle an acrobatic tiger, it's a certainty that you may do so in the company of wild animals on the banks and extensive birdlife around you.
This is an excellent way to see Africa in ALL its glory.
TROUT
Not
everybody is aware of the trout of Africa, but there's an abundance
of fishing for you to consider in rivers and stillwater.
It's a pretty decent quality of angling that you can enjoy for rainbows and browns and the presence of green valleys and looming mountains makes it all the more memorable. Many of the trout waters are nestled in the shadow of the Drakensberg mountain range all the way from the Cape to Zimbabwe.
There are rivers with wild fish in them as well as stocked stillwaters in abundance.
Even if you're on business in Durban, Cape Town or Johannesburg, you're only a couple of hours away from throwing a fly.
Indeed, why not think of a special breakaway to Dullstroom in Mpumalanga on your way to the Kruger National Park
YELLOWFISH
There
are a number of different species of yellowfish in Southern Africa. In the
northern Provinces one will find the Western Cape one will find the very popular
smallmouth and largemouth yellows as well as smallscale and
largescales. In KZN, anglers will lock horns with the the Natal yellowfish,
also known as the scaly and in the Western Cape there is the sawfin,
Clanwilliam yellow and whitefish. To the north one will find the upper
Zambezi yellowfish as well.
Yellowfish can attain hefty weights and provide some of the finest stream and river flyfishing you'd care to enjoy on the continent.
There's a lot of similarity with trout techniques, but on a reasonable day, you can come away with having returned a dozen or more smallmouth yellowfish with many of 3 - 4 lbs snatching your size 16 nymph from a bubbling run.
Fishing for yellowfish is one of South Africa's best kept secrets.
BLACK BASS
Another
category of fish that rates a mention is the black bass - large- and
smallmouths.
Previously some Florida bass were also distributed and this means that there are some hefty specimens out there waiting to be caught.
BREAM
Under
the generic term of 'bream', there are many different species that will take
a fly. These are found throughout the country but are mostly associated with
a trip to the Zambezi, Chobe or Okavango where it is possible to catch a
number of species on a trip. Foremost amongst these is the threespot
tilapia, Mozambique tilapia, redbreast tilapia, nembwe, thinface largemouth,
humpback largemouth and pink bream.
SALTWATER FLYFISHING
Another
highly recommended trip is to the African coastline. Saltwater
flyfishing has been expanding and the Mozambique coastline provides
excellent fishing for kingfish (trevally), queenfish, bonito,
kawakawa, Natal snoek (queen mackerel) and Couta (king mackerel)
amongst others.
Interested in learning more? Drop me a line at entrepot@icon.co.za or return to The Southern African Trout and Flyfishing Directory