Excerpt on Fly Fishing at Gateshead from Tom Sutcliffe’s Newsletter

Jan Korrubel’s KZN report

Well, after a 9-day ‘RodTrip’, fishing the rivers in Underberg and then Rhodes, I must say that I am sad to be back in the real world (luckily my wife doesn’t read this newsletter!).

First stop was in Underberg, for two days with good friends Inge and Miles Divett, fishing on the Ngagwane. The water was still a tad high, but we managed to find a couple good fish.

 

Miles and I then drove down to Rhodes when we scouted/fished for two days leading up to the Wild Trout Festival, where we both guided. Such a special place, but if I have to pick one day that stood out for me, it was my first day guiding on Upper Gateshead. We walked from Gateshead Cottage (the ‘Honeymoon Huisie’) up to The Saddle and over to the other side and fished upstream for a while, before following the river all the way back down. Feisty 12”+ rainbows (one of 16” from a member of my party) in skinny, crystal water all on dry fly – what more can one possibly ask for?

On my return I found some 40mm in my gauge – this was apparently from a single storm on the Monday (18/03) of my week away. I am sitting on just over 150mm for the month so far, some 90mm more than last month.

The rain has no doubt had an impact on the rivers and stillwaters. No reports from the rivers have come in as yet. I had a client booked for a local stillwater yesterday and the dam was dark and peaty. A lovely afternoon, ripe for a full-scale evening rise, but not a sign of a fish to be seen. Anglers on another local water reported fish launching themselves clear of the water, but nothing taking their offerings.

The weather forecast for thunderstorm activity today has just come to fruition, and it is raining as I type this. It is scheduled to pass over later, and the forecast is for partly cloudy conditions for the week, with a possibility of rain on Tuesday and then again next weekend.

Read the Newsletter in full here: http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=c96fcd9aabef5d0f6bca5bbd9&id=dec3ce22a3&e=1cfc1f1fd9

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