Author Topic: Vaal River Update (Read 566816 times)

Monster · « **Reply #380 on:** October 12, 2011, 10:29:19 AM »

Thanks Rory!

icstuff · « **Reply #381 on:** October 12, 2011, 10:30:14 AM »

Sorry the shock of working again has fried my brain, where are you fishing? Will try and make it as my wife has the car for the day...

schloshd1 · « **Reply #382 on:** October 22, 2011, 08:45:29 PM »

I spent today chasing largies. It was one of the most frustrating days that i have had fishing for them.
I positioned myself behind a rock on some cliffs about 1.5m above some fairly deep water with a rock pile about 15m away.I have seen fish at this spot before and know of a few that have been caught there in the past.
Viz was around 60cm. Within 5 minutes I spotted a big fish +- 5kg cruising right next to bank. I cast the fly into it's path, fish sees, swims up to it and the last second refused the fly and slowly slipped off into the deep water and out of sight. And this is how the next 4 hours went.
Between that fish and a pod of 3 or 4 smaller 1-3kg fish I must have had about 15 casts at sighted largies. Each time with them either refusing the fly at the last second or completely ignoring it. The closest I came to getting a solid take was one of the fish just nipping the zonker tail of a go-to.

I worked out that the fish were doing a rough circuit of the pool and rock pile and would pass my position 2-3 times every hour and a half. After they had past me and refused the fly I would change flies and wait for them to come around again and every time it was the same result. I also tried stepping down the tippet, lengthening it etc but no joy. After about 4 hours of this I eventually lined the pod of smaller fish and they bolted. I figured that the pool was now properly spooked so I went go watch a mate wrestle with a pappa bear barbel.

Rory · « **Reply #383 on:** October 24, 2011, 08:02:39 AM »

Myself, Herman, BigG/Gavin and Jaco fished above the Barrage on Sunday. The water had warmed up considerably since the last time we fished there, I measured it at 15deg which is about right for the venue. Things still don't look like they've recovered from the chemical spill.

Very little insect activity and even less goggas under the rocks. The fishing was as tough as expected, I think only Herman managed a fish in the net. Jan was fishing fishing conventional above the weir and all the fish he caught were in good condition. Looks like things should be back to normal there by the end of the year.

diamonddogs · « **Reply #384 on:** October 24, 2011, 03:33:49 PM »

Fishing seems to be better this year than last.
Managed a few nice size fish including 4 species in one day SM, Muddy, Catfish and Moggel (What a wonderfully weird fish!)

shagnrelease · « **Reply #385 on:** October 24, 2011, 03:53:45 PM »

thats a nice fish!!

Rory · « **Reply #386 on:** October 26, 2011, 07:44:43 AM »

Eish thats a sizer yellow!!

Mooi man!

Rory · « **Reply #387 on:** October 30, 2011, 05:28:42 PM »

Herman, Brian and myself fished a morning session on the Vaal today. When I left early this morning it was still pouring with rain, but thankfully the weather was already clearing down at the river. The flow rate is currently very low, but the viz is super, at least 40 - 50cm. Due to the low and slow flows, fishing was a little tricky in between all the watergrass. This kind of water is tailor made for mudfish and we hammered them. They're notoriously tricky to hook, due to the position of their mouths, so a lot of fish are lost because they get foul hooked. As an example, I only managed 3 fish in the net but lost over 10 before netting. Not as glamorous and sought after as the yellows, mudfish are dogged fighters and give a verygood account of themselves - plenty of fun! I'd rather catch a brace of muddies than blank any day!

Rumour has it that next weekend is the Vaal-Parys canoe marathon, which means Rand water will open the sluices at the Vaal dam on Saturday and then at the Barrage on Sunday - be careful! I'll try confirm this.

Some pics:
1. Early morning sunrise.
2. Herman, fish on!
3. Herman with a nice mudfish, check the size of the tail, plenty power!

Herman Jooste · « **Reply #388 on:** October 30, 2011, 06:34:52 PM »

Yes., Thanks Bryan and Rory for a great morning out.

We had the river to ouselves for about an hour, and then suddenly it got very crowded in a very small area.

Rory and I then started to move up towards wher Bryan was and Lo and Behold, another 3 fisherman appear out of nowhere.

I couldn't BUY a yellow today, but gad a gass with the muddies.

Bryan hooked 2 yellows that I know of, but kept on falling over before I could get the camera out

2 pics, first Rory on ,
2nd the smile says "Thank G*D, not another blank ".

SAfish · « **Reply #389 on:** October 30, 2011, 06:42:14 PM »

Well done guys! It looked like you had a blast!

schloshd1 · « **Reply #390 on:** October 30, 2011, 06:53:54 PM »

Nicely done Rory, great report back. Where were you guys fishing? I was fishing below Parys yesterday and viz was around 40cm.

Fishing was slow yesterday, I got 1 sm in the morning and 5 or 6 after lunch. Fly that produced best was a gold bead Zak.

While fishing yesterday I saw one of the "local" kids fishing. He had an old P&P special spinning rod and a scarbourgh (sp?) reel with a fly line on it and was czech nymphing the runs. He said that he had also had a slow morning and asked if I had any split shot for him so that he could get his flies down. I did not have any with me but I gave him a few tungsten beaded flies. He tied 2 on and on his 2nd or 3rd cast he hooked and landed a +- 3kg sm yellow which he released.
I got chatting to him and he told me that "a man from Jhb" had taught him to fly fish a few years ago and taught him about releasing fish. He told me that he lives in one of the locations in the area but comes to visit his grandfather on the Vaal on weekends so that he can fish. I showed him the spawning fish and explained to him why they should be left alone, which he seemed to understand 100%, even with my pidgin Afrikaans.
He then pulled out R20 and asked if he could buy some flies from me as he did not want to beg for them. I let him take as many as he wanted and he cleaned me out of most of my control caddis, hotspots and Zaks

.

He then went off to fish again and caught another 3 or 4 yellows, all released properly.

Meeting this kid and seeing how much enjoyment he got out of fishing even though he has so little and the fact that he understood the need to release the yellows was one of the best experiences that I have had while fishing.

Herman Jooste · « **Reply #391 on:** October 30, 2011, 07:17:25 PM »

Great Stuff Andrew.

+ Cred for you. It's by actions like yours that we educate the future f/f.

Well done Boet.

Lichia amia · « **Reply #392 on:** October 30, 2011, 08:24:01 PM »

Well done Rory and Herman.

schloshd1 · « **Reply #393 on:** October 31, 2011, 05:52:37 AM »

Quote from: Rory on October 30, 2011, 05:28:42 PM

Herman, Brian and myself fished a morning session on the Vaal today. When I left early this morning it was still pouring with rain, but thankfully the weather was already clearing down at the river. The flow rate is currently very low, but the viz is super, at least 40 - 50cm. Due to the low and slow flows, fishing was a little tricky in between all the watergrass. This kind of water is tailor made for mudfish and we hammered them. They're notoriously tricky to hook, due to the position of their mouths, so a lot of fish are lost because they get foul hooked. As an example, I only managed 3 fish in the net but lost over 10 before netting. Not as glamorous and sought after as the yellows, mudfish are dogged fighters and give a verygood account of themselves - plenty of fun! I'd rather catch a brace of muddies than blank any day!

Rumour has it that next weekend is the Vaal-Parys canoe marathon, which means Rand water will open the sluices at the Vaal dam on Saturday and then at the Barrage on Sunday - be careful! I'll try confirm this.

Some pics:
1. Early morning sunrise.
2. Herman, fish on!
3. Herman with a nice mudfish, check the size of the tail, plenty power!

Did you guys try fishing the really fast water upstream of where Herman is standing with the muddy? The past few times that I've been there the yellows have mostly been in that fast water, including that bus that Michael got.

Rory · « **Reply #394 on:** October 31, 2011, 07:46:34 AM »

Quote from: schloshd1 on October 31, 2011, 05:52:37 AM

Did you guys try fishing the really fast water upstream of where Herman is standing with the muddy? The past few times that I've been there the yellows have mostly been in that fast water, including that bus that Michael got.

Ja we tried there as well, but what is normally fast water there was only "sort of fast" water. And plenty Old mans beard in between. I hope that canoe marathon is this weekend, give the system a good flush!

Rory · « **Reply #395 on:** November 01, 2011, 10:47:32 AM »

Flows will be up this weekend chasps, pasop!! They'll be releasing plenty water for the canoe marathon:

http://www.vaalcanoemarathon.co.za/Entry_Form.html

But, this means the fishing should be good the weekend after!

Herman Jooste · « **Reply #396 on:** November 02, 2011, 09:36:53 PM »

Or time your fishing well. For Sunday that is.

The fish feed on rising flows. They normally start opening the Barrage slowly from the Saterday evening. Be at Strome at around 05:00 fishing, you can fish the highest flow of 80 tons there if you are carefull ( around 10:00 ) . Eendekuil from around 06:00 - 11:00.
And so the "parade ' goes on, all the way down river. Remember close to and below Potch that water will only get there on Monday.

Rory · « **Reply #397 on:** November 03, 2011, 10:29:59 AM »

Quote from: Herman Jooste on November 02, 2011, 09:36:53 PM

Or time your fishing well. For Sunday that is.

The fish feed on rising flows. They normally start opening the Barrage slowly from the Saterday evening. Be at Strome at around 05:00 fishing, you can fish the highest flow of 80 tons there if you are carefull ( around 10:00 ) . Eendekuil from around 06:00 - 11:00.
And so the "parade ' goes on, all the way down river. Remember close to and below Potch that water will only get there on Monday.

Fishing in rising flows makes me just a tad nervous!!

icstuff · « **Reply #398 on:** November 03, 2011, 11:14:34 AM »

A rising flow makes me excited!

This is the first weekend that I am free again and it seems that we wont be able to fish :(

shagnrelease · « **Reply #399 on:** November 04, 2011, 12:52:26 AM »

Quote from: icstuff on November 03, 2011, 11:14:34 AM

A rising flow makes me excited!

This is the first weekend that I am free again and it seems that we wont be able to fish :(

More

than you can handle....