FOSAF'S OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER - NUMBER 74 - June 2022

"ON THE LINE" - EDITORIAL FROM THE FOSAF CHAIR - ILAN LAX

Wow, what a summer! The season "came and went" in the glint of an eye, as some people are wont to say! Winter is truly here in the KZN Midlands. The veld grass has turned to the khaki beige that attests some regular frosting. The distant Berg has for weeks been holding onto its snowy hoodie which usually would have melted away after a few days. It is truly getting chilly.

It was an eventful summer. I have only heard and read about the bountiful fishing our waters across the country produced. So many waters and so little time, I hear some of you moan! Well, if you are able (and I can't say I am!) to prioritise your interests like some of the anglers out there, many hours could be spent pursuing the gentle art.

Our hearts go out to the many people who have suffered the loss of their homes, possessions and even worse their loved ones as a result of the flooding in KZN and elsewhere. While those rains have wreaked havoc mostly closer to the coast, they also provided a much-needed top-up to the water table, filling and replenishing aquifers across the country. Strangely enough, except some parts of the eastern Cape. PE is going through the kind of "day zero" hell Cape Town experienced a while back and the rest of us hope they'll pull through.

In so many of our municipalities, both the politicians and the officials appear unable to rise out of the sad cycle caused by a of total lack of planning, maintenance and budgetary capacity, rampant corruption, gross ineptitude and most importantly, no accountability or consequences. I hear so many ordinary South Africans saying they are gatvol of this situation. Yet I see so few people willing to be active citizens that are prepared to become involved in taking back their power by doing something positive to change things and enhance their sense of agency. We really do need to learn to help ourselves and we can!

In case you hadn't heard, we won our case against the Minister of Environmental Affairs. The judge ruled in our favour especially in relation to informed consultation and the sufficiency of the information required for making meaningful representations or objections. However, the Minister has now made an application for leave to appeal. The matter was argued again during March and we await the Judge's decision. We are most grateful to our legal team for their pro bono support.

The task team which the Minister set up with a view to finding workable solutions to address the trout conundrum is making progress albeit slowly. A report on the process has been drafted and is being finalised before being sent to the Minister. We remain hopeful that the practical win-win approach will be adopted and that common sense will prevail.

Talking of common sense or rather its absence, we were recently at a total loss for words when the already over-stretched MPTA unilaterally changed the stocking permit system from an annual one to a monthly one. This created an unworkable situation where almost all trout value chain stakeholders were unable to get the required permits timeously or at all. These unnecessary permits are a waste of time and have not significant or practical purpose except to further state control in a context where there is no need for it. Hopefully the representations made will result in a reversal of this most impractical decision. We wonder whether those responsible will face any consequences?

This edition of the Tippet focuses on a number of different aspects: On the one hand there is the work FOSAF has supported around saving the iconic sandfish. Our thanks are due to Jeremy Shelton and his team and Leonard Flemming who has done so much to help make this project a success. Also in the Western Cape, is the threat of manganese and iron ore mining prospecting to Pompies Hoek area. Thanks again to Leonard Flemming for raising awareness of these threats to our waters. For more regular updates see the YWG newsletter edited by our stalwart Peter Ardern. (See the box below)

Jan Korrubel wrote an account of his visit to the Rhodes Dirt Road Wild Trout Festival held earlier this year. Thanks Jan! Huge thanks and appreciation are also due to Dave Walker and the Wild Trout Association who over the years have raised funds and contributed a massive amount to our NEMBA campaign. FOSAF could not have achieved what we have been able to do over the years without this vital support.

The winter chill means the river season has come to a close, with toasty fires and just a wee dram of some warming amber fluid not mention the company of family and friends. This is a good time to restock the fly boxes, do some reading, or just to go fishing at your favourite stillwaters. Whatever your hankering, I wish you all some excellent time on the water or doing whatever else interests gets you busy with.

Yours on the line

Ilan Lax
National Chairman
FOSAF

YELLOWFISH WORKING GROUP

The June 2022 YWG newsletter is now available on the link: https://www.fosaf.org.za/read-YWG-168.php Please contact Peter Arderne at mwardern@mweb.co.za if you need any additional information about the YWG.

 

Saving Sandfish project update
Jeremy Shelton

It's been an exciting and productive year for the Saving Sandfish project. We've been able to deepen our understanding of the sandfish life cycle and threats, we've worked with land owners to create new sandfish sanctuaries, and with the help of local community members we've undertaken Africa's biggest ever fish rescue. None of this would be possible without the support of donors like the Federation of Southern African Flyfishers. Below is a brief overview of some of the project highlights from the past year.

August 2021: Sandfish spawning migration
Following a hefty cold front that covered several Cederberg peaks in snow in late August, the Biedouw River experienced a substantial pulse of flow that triggered the migration of 150+ sandfish. The fish, some of which exceeded 50cm in length, spent their first few days in the Biedouw settling into pools, waiting and preparing to spawn. As the flows subsided, a series of warm days in early September appeared to trigger the spawning - which started with fish moving from their staging pools into nearby riffles in late afternoon. Our team was there to collect detailed data on spawning sites and behaviours for the duration of the spawning period. The fish spawned late into the night, becoming bolder as darkness set in, allowing us to observe and document their behavior at very close range.

September 2021: Sandfish tagging and release
In September 1000+ sandfish were collected from the sanctuary dams where fry from the 2020 sandfish spawn had been placed. After 10 months of growing in the dams, these fish had reached to a size of 15-20cm putting them largely outside of the predation window of bass. These fish transported from the dams down to the lower Biedouw River and released back into the river coinciding with the spawning migration of wild fish. Prior to release, the fish were tagged with PIT tags (tiny tags with unique barcodes) will allow us to track the survival and movement of these fish, and importantly reveal whether they return to the Biedouw during the spawning migration in 2022.

October 2021: Doring River Fish survey
In mid-October the team embarked on a journey down the Doring River to re-surveys sites that had last been sampled a decade ago. The plan was to use the data to better-understand how fish populations in the river have changed over the last decade. The survey revealed steep declines in numbers of the three larger native fishes, the Clanwilliam sandfish, yellowfish and sawfin. Most catches were dominated by non-native bass and bluegill, and no juvenile native fish were recorded indicating recruitment failure due to alien fish predation. The survey also captured the first record of non-native common carp in the Doring River - a species well-known to alter aquatic ecosystems by reducing water clarity.

November 2021-February 2022: Sandfish rescue
The 2021 sandfish rescue begun in November and continued through to February when the last pools in the Biedouw River finally dried up. Building on the 7,699 sandfish that were rescued in 2020, an additional 7,386 young fish were rescued and relocated to the safety of sandfish sanctuary dams. At over 15,000 fish now rescued, this effort has become Africa's largest freshwater fish rescue to date! A fish rescue team from Heuningvlei, a small settlement near the headwaters of the Biedouw, were trained and employed to assist with the 2021 sandfish rescue. Two new sandfish sanctuary dams were created by working with local land owners to remove alien fish.

March 2022: Doring River tributary survey
A survey of tributaries in the Doring River system with historical sandfish records was undertaken in March 2022. The four tributaries surveyed were the Gif River, Kransgat River, Tra-Tra River, and the Matjies River. The other Olifants-Doring tributaries with confirmed sandfish populations are the Oorlogskloof and Biedouw Rivers, which have been recently-surveyed by the Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve and the Saving Sandfish Project. Sandfish were recorded in all four tributaries, but three of the four populations are in very bad shape, with low numbers of fish confined to just a handful of warm, stagnant pools. The good news was the finding of a healthier sandfish population in a remote part of the Matjies river flowing through the heart of the Cederberg Mountains. The data from these (and or other) surveys will deepen our understanding of the status of sandfish in the wild, and will support better-informed IUCN Red-List assessments in the future.

Project media and communication
The Saving Sandfish project has a strong emphasis on sharing the sandfish story with different audiences to build awareness and support for local freshwater conservation. To this end, the fourth episode of the Saving Sandfish web series was produced, a presentation about the project was given at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), four radio interviews were done including this one on RSG and this one on Cape Talk. There have also been several recent articles published about the project including one by National Geographic titled The unprecedented effort to save one of Africa's most threatened fish.

What's next?
In August 2022, we will be installing an underwater PIT tag antenna to detect whether any of the dam-reared, bass-proof fish released into the river a year earlier migrate up the Biedouw to spawn - data that will help gauge the effectiveness of the sandfish rescue-rear-release conservation interventions. We will also be working with land owners to create new sandfish sanctuary dams, re-surveying more historical sites in the Olifants-Doring Catchment, and gearing up for the 2022 sandfish rescue.

FOSAF MEMBER'S DRAW

The winner of this month's members draw is John Smedmor (AS0052) who has won the FOSAF Favoured Flies Volume 1 - 5!

 

Pompies Hoek manganese and iron ore mining prospecting
By Leonard Flemming

I believe that news from any form of mine wastewater pollution in our rivers is received with a negative feeling by the public, and not only fisherman. Ironically, it is also, often, the higher reaches of rivers with relatively healthy and stable aquatic ecosystems that are at stake with mining developments and pollution.

These headwaters are shallower, clearer sections of rivers that in most cases form suitable spawning grounds for our indigenous fishes and are also populated by a rich diversity of fish species (of which some are already critically endangered). Such relatively well conserved rivers have become prime sight fishing destinations to fly fisherman. It is then also not surprising that fly fisherman kick up the biggest fuss when they find out about mining wastewater pollution in these clean sections of river that are their favourite fisheries.

As much as we enjoy spending time on these waters, we also grow attached to the fish that inhabit them, like the smallmouth and largemouth yellowfish on the upper Vaal and Orange and their tributaries, which have created a massive cult-following over the past 30 to 40 years in our country. Receiving news about mine and human wastewater fish kills on the Vaal River and seeing the masses of dead fish in photographs is best described as heart breaking.

FOSAF has played a big role in blowing the whistle on and countering harmful and illegal mining activities in such sensitive catchments. However, as if the Vaal River and recent Wilge River (Mpumalanga) mine wastewater fish kills have not been enough for humans to learn from past mistakes, companies are continuing to apply and prospect for mining rights in these areas.

We are currently facing manganese and iron mining prospecting in the Cederberg where a company called Orren Capital (Pty) Ltd is aiming to 'dig' for these metals at the confluence of the Twee and Leeu Rivers. This area, the Pompies Hoek farm, falls in a biodiversity hotspot (part of the Cape Floral Region - one of the world's six Floral Kingdoms) where, among other unique fauna and flora, the critically endangered Twee River redfin occurs (as declared by IUCN Red List data assessments).

Moreover, this area is also a suitable breeding area for likely the Doring River's largest Clanwilliam yellowfish and sawfin populations. It is also situated right at the 'top' of the last recorded Clanwilliam sandfish population in the world and any form of water pollution coming from mining activities could have devastating effects, i.e., resulting in the extinction of this iconic species.

Additionally, this area also falls within the Groot Winterhoek Strategic Water Source Area, as declared by our Water Research Commission (WRC). The WRC highlighted the importance of Strategic Water Source Areas, with disproportionately high rainfall and ground water compared to their size, so that we can protect them to secure scarce water for South African citizens and future generations.

Mining activities in these areas could easily contaminate the rivers and ground water and destroy this important life source. In my opinion there is obviously a lot at stake here and it is important to counter such current and future ruthless mining efforts. My suggestion is to register as an interested and affected party to comment on and oppose these proposals by Orren Capital (Pty) Ltd.

Send an email to the following addresses, noting that you'd like to register as an interested and affected party and request the Consultative Basic Assessment Report and Environmental management programme documents:
info@tprmining-resources.co.za - fritz@orrencap.co.za - tprrmining@gmail.com

PS - FOSAF has registered as an interested and affected party as well and will be going through the documentation and monitor any future developments in this regard.

 
NOT THIN ... but FAT! The Dirt Road Wild Trout Festival 2022 by ANGLERFISH
"Believe in something,
Like mountains and mountain streams,
Trout and mountain people."
- Harry Middleton

The title of this report stems from anglers "complaining" over the years (now who exactly moans when you are in The Center of The Universe?) about low water conditions in the rivers and streams surrounding the village of Rhodes in the North Eastern Cape, attending the Wild Trout Association Festival that takes place annually over the long weekend in the latter part of March - to which they receive the standard response from Dave Walker, "The Keeper of The Center of The Universe" and event Grand Puppetmaster : "It is thin ... and so?" ... arms wide, palms up in a sign of 'And what do you expect me to do about it?'

Conversely, in the years that there has been water, and sometimes even too much, Dave issues notice of "fat water", followed by a friendly warning .... "En laat net een donder kla!"

In terms to rainfall across South Africa, this year is definitely a fattie, a very FAT one indeed ... and memories of my first Festival in 2011 came flooding back (pun intended). Around that time, the Festival was a 3-day affair, with anglers arriving mid-week on the Wednesday, followed by three days of fishing over Thursday to Saturday, and departing on Sunday - and if memory serves, we sat in the Thanksjalot Pub at Walkerbouts Inn for 2 full days, tin roof thundering from the rain bucketing own, only venturing out late morning on the third day to get a couple hours on the river before departing the next day ... but, it is The Center of The Universe after all, and did we complain? ... No! ... and bar one, I have been back every year since ... thick or thin water notwithstanding ... and will continue to do so as long as possible!

Fat / Slim / Thick / Thin ... you see where this is going, right? So, this year I went prepared with much in the way (fat!) tying supplies for demo's, and sadly slim (not so fat!) in the way of wallet in anticipation of time to be spent in Walkerbouts pub...

After my 2011 introduction to the Festival, I would make a proper sortie of the event by heading down the weekend before to get a couple days of "scouting" (as guides are supposed to do <nudge><nudge><wink><wink>), but in recent years, life's pressures have made inroads on time away, meaning that I have only been able to get down for the Festival days. This year, I got my ducks in a row and decided to make a week of it and in keeping with the theme of this report, enjoy some fat time away...

After initially planning a solo trip, I received an offer from friend Graham Evans who was travelling down the Monday before the Festival's scheduled Wednesday arrival date. I had also been chatting to other long-time Festival attendee's, Paulo and Louis, and as they were also of plan to come down on the Monday, plans were hatched for some pre-Festival fishing ... I mean scouting...

The heavy rains of 2011 demanded that Peter Brigg and I travelled the long way round on the tar via Maclear / Ugie / Elliot, before arriving at Barkly East and traveling into Rhodes on a shorter section of dirt ... however, every year thereafter, I have travelled in via the lower Pitseng and Pitseng Pass and over the top of Naude's Nek, an offroad journey of 2-2.5 hrs give or take. And so, with the fat rains, Graham and I were anticipating the long way round, but then heard that Pitseng was reportedly "not that bad" ... Challenge Accepted! Pitseng turned out to be, well, "interesting" ... let's just say that my 2x4 would not have got us through, but with Graham's 4x4, an off-road detour through some fields, and a couple of "no hesitation" / "let's not think about this too much" puddles, we were through and headed up Naude's Nek which was dry and in good condition.

It is usual custom to stop at the top of Naude's Nek and celebrate our arrival in the hallowed Festival grounds with a wee dram of the traditional Amber Liquid, but it was getting dark and we could smell the beer at Walkerbouts still some 30km down the other side ... so, a total of four hours after leaving the blacktop, we had a cold one in hand. A couple more libations, and a famous Walkerbouts pizza for supper, and it was off to bed ... we had fishing ... I mean scouting ... to do the next day!

Paulo and Louis had made it in shortly before us, and along with Rhodes guide Tony Kietzmann, who on hand to greet the early arrivals the previous evening, some lively discussion ensued about current water levels and, most importantly, prospects for the Festival fishing that lay ahead. As the Bokspruit / Riflespruit / Sterkspruit Rivers on the Barkly side were blown out at that stage, it was decided that we should head up The Bell River back up Naude's Nek and recon the waters there.

Two days of pre-Festival fishing ensued in the high water conditions. The Bell being a rather narrow (for the most part), deep channel (in places) river, was bank-to-bank. The shallow sections were more suited to white-water rafting, and no place for fish to be sitting, trying to make a life for themselves ... eddies, and deeper pools therefore became the logical prime spots to target. Dry fly anglers all of us, we started with hopper patterns in various guises - natural and foam - but all on the larger end of the scale to compensate for the high flow. Fishing was slow on the first day, with the fish ignoring our offerings in the swift water. To counter the speedy flies, a heavily-weighted tungsten bead nymph was suspended off the bend of the hook of the hopper, and thereafter, fish started rising to the dry (with a some "accidentally" taken on the nymph). Only a handful of fish landed for each of us, but enough to say that we were back in Wild Trout Country, the fish were still there and they were hungry!

As is the case with the rivers and streams at The Center of The Universe, barring any more rainfall, levels dropped dramatically over the course of the day and that night, and conditions were much improved the following day. Again, the hopper patterns proved to be surefire fish-takers and our catch doubled. Of note was a solid 18.5 inch / 47cm fish taken by Louis on one of his own-tied foam hoppers. The drive back to Rhodes the evening was filled with excitement at how much the water level had dropped over the last 2 days, and all that bode well for the Festival fishing.

Upon our return to Walkerbouts, we were greeted by the Festival anglers had arrived over the course of the day and gathered in Walkerbouts Thanksjalot Pub, and it was time for the opening festivities to begin. The victuals - and beverages! - at Walkerbouts Inn are legendary and bountiful. A notable exception to this year's culinary offerings however, were the (in)famous "Prairie Oysters" ... described by Peter Brigg in his "Call of The Stream" blog as "those little oval shaped parts that come wrapped in a bag from the nether regions of young rams in the district" ... considered to be a rite of passage for Festival newcomers, causing the event to be renamed "The Testicle Festival" by some. Next year please! (but I will see them sooner at the Tiffendell aid station on this year's Rhodes Run in July).

And so it began : the event was called to order by Dave Walker, Festival Chairman and veritable Keeper of The Universe - and various parties introduced to the 50-strong group of Festival anglers ... "Ministers of Water Affairs and Beat Selection" : Heather Ralph and Rudi Hiestermann, and Guides (or rather "Sheppards") : Tony Kietzmann, Mike McKeown, Mark Yelland, Niel Hiestermann and Jan Korrubel (Heather and Rudi were also pressed into duty as required). Festival proceedings were also laid out as follows : "Tackle Fair" to take place the following morning (presentations included casting with Mark Yelland, and flies and river gear by Peter Brigg) on the Rhodes Commonage (ably maintained by Shaun De Wet - Thank You!), followed by 3 and half days fishing, with the ever popular Festival Auction to take place on the Saturday night before the final days fishing on Sunday. As is usual, The Keeper called the anglers literacy skills into question by with respect to the submission (or lack thereof) of daily catch returns, and a Festival evening doesn't end without Dave's booming "Don't forget yer lunch packs!"

With the rains having abated, both the Bokspruit and Riflespruit were back in play and most of the anglers were allocated beats up these two rivers, with other groups being allocated to the Glen Nisbett tributary of the Bok, as well as The Upper Bell River at Tenahead ... and some anglers choosing to go and play with the submarines cruising in Loch Ness up at Tiffendell. Requests were entertained daily by the aforementioned Ministers of Water Affairs, and groups rotated so that all got a taste of the variety of fishing on offer.

In summary, the initial fat water slimmed down rapidly, and the fishing was FANTASTIC! Some 2362 trout were recorded, but The Keeper - rightfully - moaned again about angler illiteracy, as only 154 of an expected 212 catch returns were received; i.e., 73%, equating to an average of 15.3 fish/return/day. The size range was much as expected from previous years (average 4-6 inches / 100-150mm), but there were 6 fish reported in excess of 15.5 inches / 450mm. While we cannot divulge the exact whereabouts of these 450+mm fish, we can safely report that the bulk of the catches, and the best performing beats, were from/on the Bokspruit. All fish were noted to be in excellent condition (fat!), testimony to the fine waters of the area.
If you were lucky enough to be fishing the Bok/Riflespruit side, the return trip from the day's fishing usually involved a "forced stoppage" at the now notorious Roadblock, a tradition begun a few years back by those Renegades of The North, The A-Team : Russell, Woz and Wally ... a finer, and wider range of whisky for tasting you will battle on find anywhere else!

Jim Read thanking Dave Walker
for the magnanimous support for FOSAF from the WTA.

The auction table was loaded for Saturday night with some spectacular items up for grabs. Books by Peter Brigg and Ed Herbst, and artwork by Tom Sutcliffe generated a lot of interest, as did the fine nets from Andrew Savides and Tim Martin, stream tackle from Frontier Fly Fishing and The Kingfisher, RAB's tied by Tony Biggs and fly packs from Scientific Flies, along with various accommodation vouchers sponsored by well-known Rhodes venues and some further afield. And not forgetting the famous blankets from the Rhodes Stoepsit Fees, the auction raised just shy of R54,000. Of the total, R6,000 accrued to the Tony Biggs fund, R2,800 to the Rhodes Animal Care Project, and the balance of R45,150 will be applied to worthy causes such as the FOSAF NEMBA war chest as required.

One more day of fishing was had, followed by the closing dinner. Festival Chairman Dave Walker toasted Basie Vosloo, who was key in the development of the WTA (along with Dave and others), and whose recent passing has left a big hole in the community. Dave then thanked the numerous sponsors, Dirt Road Traders in particular, the anglers and their sheppards for their support, along with the staff at Walkerbouts for keeping us fed and watered. Importantly, thanks must go to the WTA Riparian members without whose loyal and much-valued support, there would not be as much fly fishing water open to the public as there is ... and no Festival for that matter.

In closing, there was a small matter of fines for various infractions on and off the waters (we won't name and shame here), and a Thank You once again to artist Joyce Carreira, who previously donated a magnificent sculpture entitled "The Nymph" which is awarded annually to the person with the most Festival spirit : the 2022 winner is Ken Quick in recognition of his longstanding support of the WTA and the Festival as well as his exemplary conduct towards fellow anglers ... we couldn't think of a nicer guy! Finally, Peter Brigg was asked to demonstrate a couple of his flies, ably done to the interested gathering on the JVice donated to the WTA by Ed Herbst.

"Once you get into Fly Fishing,
The other kinds of fishing isn't good enough anymore."
- Ansil Saunders

The Dirt Road Wild Trout Association Festival is considered to be South Africa's premier annual wild trout fly fishing event - bookings for the 2023 Festival are already open - dates are Thursday 16th to Monday 20th March - anyone interested in participating should email Dave Walker (dave@wildtrout.co.za), or Margie Murray (info@wildtrout.co.za) the sooner the better, as the number of participants is limited! DIRT ROAD TRADERS and The WTA look forward to hosting YOU at next year's Festival ... Thankshjalot, and see y'all in Rhodes!

 

FOSAF GOLD CLASS BUSINESS SUPPORTER

Discounts are available to FOSAF members from the following Selected Gold Class Supporters:

Castleburn, Driehoek Syndicate, Finsbury Estate, Flyz Inc, Frontier Flyfishing, Giants Cup Wilderness Reserve, Highland Lodge, Highland Run, Jandi Trading, Hobbies of Antiquity, Kloofzicht, Komati Gorge Lodge, Lake Naverone, Lunsklip Fisheries, Mavungana, Millstream, Nooitgedacht, Oxbow Country Estate, Queenstown FlyFishing Club, Sani Valley Flyfishing and Game Lodge, Stonecutters Lodge, The Fly Casting Coach, Transvaal Fly Fishers Club, Verlorenkloof, Whiskey Creek and Willow Realty (Pty) Ltd, Cape Piscatorial Society, Marabou Trout Syndicate.

 

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