Truttablog

10 ways to catch more trout

That got their attention! This article is not about ten ways to catch more trout. It is an article about how numbers get our attention. Us flyfishermen are chilled. We are cool. We have been fishing for years. We don’t care how many we catch anymore. We are above that. Competition is so yesterday. We are far more noble than that. “So how big did you say that fish was….45cms?” and “let me see, what is that in inches”. “By the way what was the water temp?” ……….So you see, numbers DO matter. I knew it! No matter how blasé

10 June 2015

Photo of the moment (33)

6 June 2015

Three rivers and their stippled beauties

There has been much talk over the years about the subtle variations in the colouration and spot patterns on browns from different rivers here in the KZN midlands. I too have expressed opinions or generalisations about how the fish look in this river or that. So it occurred to me to post here a sample of fish pictures from each river. In this way you can not only decide for yourself, but you can help me identify a pattern or trend, if indeed there is one. Because much as I adore the poetry in describing the special colouration of some

28 May 2015

Photo of the moment (32)

22 May 2015

Slowing it down

I think I have been moving too fast. In years gone by (in fact right up until this week), I have been the guy moving on up. I glance at a bit of water, metaphorically shake my head, and move on. If a spot is half likely, I might dust it with a few casts, then tell myself I was right about it, and move on. The first cast at a pool or run is the best one, I reason, and each subsequent presentation will have diminishing returns. Now don’t get me wrong, I still believe there is merit to

18 May 2015

Photo of the moment (31)

13 May 2015

Crow bars and treble hooks

Last week-end, we kept a Rainbow from the Umgeni. That is only the third Rainbow I have ever seen come out of the Umgeni, (It is a Brown Trout stream) and in the interests of purity I encouraged my fishing buddy to smack it on the head. We don’t do that very often anymore, so it took me repeating the suggestion several times before he reluctantly harvested the little fish. What was remarkable about it, was what was in its stomach. There was a whole bunch of digested stuff that wasn’t immediately identifiable, but then there were these hard little

8 May 2015

Back to heaven

“all the rusted signs we ignore throughout our lives choosing the shiny ones instead” (Pearl Jam: Lyrics to the song Thumbing my way , from the album “Riot act” 2002)

5 May 2015

Photo of the moment (30)

3 May 2015

Buzz

It started with mosquitos the night before. They had bugged me half the night, buzzing around my ears frequently but at irregular intervals. I could hear them, and I guessed at their location for the purpose of aiming my ineffectively flailing open hand. The ants required the same open hand, but thankfully the blows were one hundred percent effective, crushing the little buggers milliseconds after they delivered a painful bite to the back of my neck. I had picked them up at a fence crossing. They must have been crawling on my back. There was this pole you see. A

29 April 2015