Flyfishing report: Trout - Winterberg & Stormberg

Winterberg.

Martin says that the Thrift fishing has been marred at times by one cold front after another coming through from the Western Cape. Up until mid September, however, some good catches of fish up to 9lb and averaging 4-5lb have been reported from Thrift. It was encouraging that several good browns were also caught.

Unfortunately during the past few weeks the fishing has been poor but the weather has made it very difficult with the wind gusting up to 100km/hr at times.

He thinks that this particularly inclement spring weather will have negatively impacted trout fishing in most of the the upland regions of the EC and KZN for those adventurous trout fishermen that actually made it to their destinations through the periodic snow storms.

Some late snow has fallen but little rain as yet so the level of Thrift is down by 1.5m although he expects Thrift to benefit from some late spring and summer rains.

Stormberg (Queenstown area).

The Queenstown Fly Fishing Club waters had its first stocking of the season last month and fingerlings have been booked from Martin’s Grahamstown hatchery for further stocking of his MTD strain rainbow fingerlings in about November.

Once it warms up a bit committee members will test fish the new Molteno dams and the large Steynsberg dam to see how the initial stocking of these recently acquired dams are doing. These dams could make an exciting addition to QFFC waters where membership has increased appreciably and also to cater for the growing number of visitors fishing club waters.

Generally it has been a quiet period fishing-wise because of the very cold conditions and high winds.

More information may be gleaned from the club’s website at www.qffclub.com.

The Highland Lodge waters. Vicky Bell states that there has been the odd good and windless day to enjoy amidst some bitterley cold weather. The stream of trophy fish continue to be caught from the lodge waters and the latest biggie was a 14lb monster shown below.

.Somerset East.

Alan Hobson at the Angler & Antelope Guest House says that whilst the weather remains topsy turvy, the good news is that the water temperature has remained cold. They have had some great catches in all the Bankberg club waters, the Little Fish River, the dams that feed off them, Mountain Dam and the Cradock waters. Glen Avon dams have also produced fish in the three-to-four-pound range.  Insect life is becoming livelier because of the few warmer days between the fronts moving through. Their summer season looks promising.

Note that the Bankberg Club will be holding their festival from 7 to 10 November. More details will be available later.

What you tackle looked like when left outside on some days.

14lb monster from Highland Lodge.

Good rainbow from one of Alan’s dams.