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Author Topic: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.  (Read 6442 times)

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Offline Herman Jooste

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Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« on: April 10, 2012, 08:42:32 PM »
Right, so the water temps are now 18 and fast heading lower. What does that mean ito fishing for yellows on the Vaal ?
 
Firstly it means that the fish are moving back out of the faster, shallower water and into the deeper glides and pools.
 
Where will you find them ? The deeper edge of a pool tail out, the throat of the pool ( below the fast water entering the pool ), the belly of a shallower pool, in a nice slow, deep glide between rocks.
 
And of course on or just below the surface, where there are rocks about 30 - 50 cm below the surface.
 
So how do we target them ??
 
In the early morning ( when the mist is still rising off the water ) find a tail out of a pool, and watch carefully for the fish sipping the spent flies from last nights hatch off the water. Cast a dry fly ( EHK or Mayfly para, or even a Klinkie ) so that it will have a natural drift over the feeding area.
 
After 10:00 the surface activity will probably die down. Find a deep glide or channel and drift 2 small nymphs ( Mayfly imitations ), ensuring that the bottom nymph is just above the bottom.
 
After around 12 - 14:00 the midday Mayflie hatch may start. Again look for feeding activity in the pools, and fish a dry and dropper, dropper about 30 cm's belowthe dry. The dry could be a DDD, or EHK # 14 with the dropper an unweighted nymph/emerger # 16 - 20.
 
Around 15:00 the afternoon/ evening hatch should start and a dry, or even dry & dropper should work.
 
Remeber a few things though.
 
The water is cold as is the air , dress warmly, and if wading wear waders. If you start shivering get off the water ASAP, hypothermia is nobody's friend.
 
A floatation device is best for quick manouverability, float tube/kick boat/ Inflatable boat.
 
Lastly, HAVE FUN. The learning curve in winter is very steep. If you don't enjoy it then rather go to Dullies/Waterval Boven/ Clarens etc.
 
Then there are also the Largies, which I am totally unqualified to comment on, on how to catch them. That would require a toatally new thread, and a master like Gerrit ( Largie Whisperer ) and Barend ( Troutmaster ) on Flytalk.
 
A few pics of the results of winter fishing.
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If we caught fish on every trip, it would be called " Catching". We don't, and that's why it's called "Fishing".

Offline Herman Jooste

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2012, 08:51:55 PM »
Some more pics.
 
Shamma's first SM on dry in winter.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2012, 08:53:51 PM by Herman Jooste »
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If we caught fish on every trip, it would be called " Catching". We don't, and that's why it's called "Fishing".

Offline Lichia amia

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2012, 09:07:21 PM »
Quality post as always Mr Jooste. Looking forward trying this out. Bring on the winter chills and a pitcher of Owbies .
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Offline Herman Jooste

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2012, 09:36:19 PM »
 :SBOKS:  Craig, it's a good hip flask of your favourite tipple, PLUS the OB's.
 
I'm scheeming about my first trip for this weekend.
 
Still mulling over the early morning or the afternoon session  :dunno:
 
Maybe I should just fish the afternoon/evening on Saterday and not have to watch my Superbru pics go horribly wrong, AGAIN.  :shk :craz:
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If we caught fish on every trip, it would be called " Catching". We don't, and that's why it's called "Fishing".

Offline Manuel Junior

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2012, 10:29:40 PM »
 :shre: (clap) (clap)
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Offline WalkersKiller

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2012, 08:29:46 AM »
Great post Herman!  :+ cred:
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Offline strandloper

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2012, 09:07:29 AM »
Excellent Advice Herman!

 :+ cred:

Reading your "vaal" updates is getting me itching to dust of the fly tackle....
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Offline Quickbite

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2012, 09:35:12 AM »
nyc  :tite
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Offline icstuff

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2012, 10:48:17 AM »
 :tkx: :win:

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Offline UrbanFF

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #9 on: April 11, 2012, 02:47:07 PM »
:+ cred: Great post Herman, would you mind if I shared on my FB page ?
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Offline Herman Jooste

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #10 on: April 11, 2012, 07:25:49 PM »
Quote from: UrbanFF on April 11, 2012, 02:47:07 PM
:+ cred: Great post Herman, would you mind if I shared on my FB page ?

Thanks everyone.
 
Urban, why not share right here ?
 
At least then all will see it  w;k , and learn more. Remeber compared to you I'm a NEWBIE at this game. :hehe:
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If we caught fish on every trip, it would be called " Catching". We don't, and that's why it's called "Fishing".

Offline deezynking

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2012, 11:09:38 AM »
cool stuff mate, my father in law is an avid yellows angler. he was stoked when i showed this to him  :ayb
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Offline Herman Jooste

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #12 on: April 15, 2012, 05:34:04 PM »
O.K. I know it's not really winter yet, but decided to apply winter tactics on Satereday afternoon.
 
Pieter ( ICStuff ) and I were on the water around 13:30, which for those that know me, is strange as I'm a morning person.
 
I have a little trial that I'm busy with. Which is best in the colder months, the morning or the afternoon,  :dunno:
 
We soon got to the chosen area at GVP on the trusty ARK and the fish were rising sporadically. I noticed much more surface activity below the reef in a few runs/glides and headed thataway.
 
Fishing only one dry I started hunting. After a few @*^%#! tangles I got the rythm back and started getting flies closish to the rises. One lucky cast with a lot of slack on the water and "WHAM" . The fish hooked it'self on the dive down, in the scissors.
 
 Pieter waded all the way over from the far side and front edge of the reef to net the fish and take the pics. Thanks mate,  :+ cred:  to you for doing that not once but twice  :shk :shk
 
The first fish of the day on dry weighed 2.6kg. Fly was a tan Parachute Adans # 14.
 Pics below.
« Last Edit: April 15, 2012, 05:38:31 PM by Herman Jooste »
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If we caught fish on every trip, it would be called " Catching". We don't, and that's why it's called "Fishing".

Offline Herman Jooste

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #13 on: April 15, 2012, 05:56:58 PM »
So we carried on fishing. Not having dipped the dry flies in hydrostop, nor having any floatant gel with me the EHK as well as the Para Flies were drowning after 3 or 4 casts.  :-(  Having got tired of blowing flies, or fast flicking flies dry I looked in the box, and there was a white backed foam beetle/whatever fly given to me by an old buudy who swore it was deadly ?????? ( You know f/f tales are worse the salty's ones ).
 
So I tied it on, after tying half a new leader through windknots, and HEY, I could see it at 20 meters and it didn't sink. :rck"
 
3rd cast in the right area and fish ON. AS I set the hook the SM yellow took to the air in a spectacular jump across the water. The fight lasted about 10 looooong minutesas I was worried the 4X ( 6 lb )tippet would pop, but the Scott SAS protected it beutifully.
 
During this time Pieter was back at the boat for some "sustenance" and saw I had a good fish on. Again he waded across to me, to not only take the pics, but to give me an ice cold beer that he had just taken out of the cooler on the boat. :happ:
 
This fish weighed in at 3.2 kg.  :clwn
 
Thanks again for witnessing the scale and taking the pics Pieter, and most of all for the beer. w;k 
« Last Edit: April 15, 2012, 06:08:04 PM by Herman Jooste »
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If we caught fish on every trip, it would be called " Catching". We don't, and that's why it's called "Fishing".

Offline schloshd1

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #14 on: April 15, 2012, 08:12:52 PM »
Well done Herman! Great fish in beautiful condition!  (clap)

I was on the upper Vaal this afternoon. Wind was howling and fishing was tough. Got 5 on dry, #16 klinkhammer. Nothing bigger than about 1kg though.
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Offline Rory

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #15 on: April 16, 2012, 08:03:43 AM »
Super fish Herman!!  :bow:  Did you guys nymph at all?
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Offline icstuff

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #16 on: April 16, 2012, 08:11:02 AM »
No we did not, others did and was rewarded with some yellows and lots of muddies. The yellows where taken on Copper johns and a hotspot. 
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Offline Rory

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #17 on: April 16, 2012, 08:13:10 AM »
Quote from: icstuff on April 16, 2012, 08:11:02 AM
No we did not, others did and was rewarded with some yellows and lots of muddies. The yellows where taken on Copper johns and a hotspot.

Nice. How cold was the water Pieter?
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Offline Lichia amia

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #18 on: April 16, 2012, 08:14:10 AM »
Nice fish Herman / Pietertjie  :cgrts:
 
 
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Offline icstuff

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Re: Winter Yellows on the Vaal.
« Reply #19 on: April 16, 2012, 09:23:11 AM »
Quote from: Rory on April 16, 2012, 08:13:10 AM
Quote from: icstuff on April 16, 2012, 08:11:02 AM
No we did not, others did and was rewarded with some yellows and lots of muddies. The yellows where taken on Copper johns and a hotspot.

Nice. How cold was the water Pieter?

I did not fall this time and it was not cold, about 17-18c
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