This is the best part of our way of life...the outdoor experience.
I know it well...this is just one of the rivers we have at our disposal in our club...incidently one of our active senior members is ex- Natal, Junior Springbok player Ormond Taylor and cricketer Pelham Henwood.
Even if you are not a fisherman but enjoy the outdoors I think you will enjoy this quality video.
https://youtu.be/x3raF0QoSOc
I'm always out in the bush with my dogs. Perhaps I should take up fishing.
Can't think of anything more peaceful.
You're local isn't a millions of miles from Nelspruit, CC.
Some good trout fishing up there.
Very different to the Natal scenery but in a good way.
Fly fishing is the only thing that comes close to deep see fishing in my book. Regular river fishing requires too much booze to keep it interesting.
The best fishing spots I have been to are off the coast of Vancouver Island north of Port Alberni and in Alaska.
Did quite a bit of fishing off the Natal coast (ski boats) and enjoyed a grilled Barracuda on many a beach.
Also, enjoyed Shad fishing on the South Coast.
But for the best experience, sheer enjoyment and scenery you cannot beat Alaska.
My grandson is a fly fishing guide and has produced many videos of Alaska fly fishing as well as running fishing schools for the Lodges along the coast.
Arthur, guiding as a pro Fly Fisherman all over the world must be one of the most pleasant jobs one could have and depending how good you are, lucrative.
Alaska, Chile and Argentina (Andes region and Patagonia) South Island NZ (around Queenstown), Kola Peninsula and Kamchatka (Russia), Iceland, Norway, Montana USA (at least used to be), Tasmania, Chalk Streams in Hampshire (Eng) certain Rivers in Ireland and Scotland are all gems.
I dream about these places but SA although the fish are small (some surprises every now and then) it's the total African experience that's so delightful in ones spirit.
It's become a very wealthy man's sport. A friend of mine Dr Tom Sutcliffe (now retired medic) fishes with some retired cricketers in Rhodes area,( E. Cape NE Highlands)...Jacques Rudolph and ex Australian opener Matthew Hayden, who are both fanatics. Film actor Liam Neeson is also an avid fly fisherman as well.
Arthur your grandson probably knows Gary Borger...he's an American re known fly fisherman...probably the best wielder of a fly rod in the world...Robert Redford when he directed the 1992 movie...A River Runs Through It, employed him to stand in the casting scene in the movie. It obviously was not done by Brad Pitt.
Gary has visited our fly fishing community a number of times and given talks and demonstrations and clinics and is quite well-known to us...a very likeable man with fantastic skills. He said that after the movie was made Brad Pitt immediately was taken by fly fishing and subsequently fishes often.
Here is the scene
https://youtu.be/gnz7BQ7lxJQ
Warning: It's contagious, it's a pox. If you are a person that likes the outdoors, the intrigue and the challenge to catch the wary trout (and other species as well) then beware.
Having said that it is a very pleasant disease that actually removes worries, stress, keeps you fit and you become more at peace with those around you.
Plum ... fly fishing ... me?? Haaaaaaahahahahaa!!! I know nothing about fishing. I'll probably tangle myself up so badly you'd never get me loose.
I watched the movie with Brad Pitt and can say that they make it look easier than it actually is.
My dad was a keen fly fisherman. I avoided his company at the best of times and so never learnt the art.
Is it too late at 57?
CC
As I understand it, proficiency is possible relatively quickly with further progression being dependant on one's touch and intuition.
For me, standard river fishing is too boring. When I finally get a bite I've normally found other ways to entertain myself.
At least with fly-fishing one is busy, and it feels like your real-time actions have a direct result on the outcome.
No argument from me.
Fly fishing is an art ... a skill ... far better than dropping some home made bait recipe into the dam and hoping for the best.
That holds no attraction for me. Rather talk shit with Dumb Fuck Dave.
Besides ... stagnant dam water stinks ... while a moving river, where one usually find trout is far more appealing.
It's an adventure ... where one uses your brain ... not a drunken snore fest ... not that I'm apposed to getting shitfaced every now and then.
CC, you have no idea what you are missing
Classic, good action fishing, is awesome... it gets the adrenaline going, and the surprise of what you are catching, is always a cool bonus
There are plenty of different techniques and products, in all forms of fishing, and making your own flies, and catching something with what you have just made, is also such an awesome accomplishment...… and nothing beats a fresh rainbow trout on the coals, with lemon and garlic....straight after a fresh catch...
It does take practice, but you should easily be able to do it after a bit
If you know nothing at all about fishing, as you have stated , then please don't for one second believe that deep sea fishing is like fly fishing...… because they are not even remotely close...…. you cannot compare pulling in a 4kg trout to pulling in a 70kg hammerhead shark..... out in the middle of nowhere...…with no land in sight...….the experiences of landing both fish either on land or out in the middle of the sea are just far too different to explain or make you understand..... unless you have done both.
Imagine being out in the middle of nowhere 20km off shore and you are taking the hook out the mouth of a decent size hammerhead shark, and it bites more than one partitian / air chamber of your boat...… it sorta changes your outlook on life
AJH...actually in the Shadow Cast scene, Gary Borger did not do that amazing Shadow Cast but his son Jason did ( he is almost as good as his dad) as he looked more like Brad Pitt from the back and has indeed more the age) but Gary was the instructor on-river craft employed by Redford and corrected mistakes that pertained to the craft in Norman Macleans time. The film is a true story told by writer Norman Maclean. When Redford initially approached a very old Maclean, he did not want his book turned into a movie as he believed Hollywood would not give an authentic picture of what it really was like and being a purist did not want his story sensationalised. Sadly Maclean died but before it happened Redford gave him a solemn promise that he stick as close to real story and activities as they truly were in those days. Robert Redford imo is a one of the best directors in the film world around. He is a perfectionist and master of turning out the real thing...one of the few in the Hollywood deception that has integrity. This film indeed is a classic of note and if you have not seen it...it's a must see...it's available on online streaming in fairly good quality.
There were a couple of alterations though but justified, ie the Blackfoot River in Montana had become polluted and sadly not in the pristine condition as in those olden days...so the venue was changed to the upper Yellowstone River which is still in good condition. I'm sure Mozart has seen it and those who have visited this part in the USA. It's still beautiful and one of the gems in the USA.
But it's really sad that mankind has ruined gems like the Old Blackfoot River in Montana.
We in SA are fighting to keep and restore our rivers and streams free of contamination and abuse by natures greatest enemy the indifference of the masses.
That sounds absolutely amazing, DA. I can get my teeth into that.
Probably soil me undies the first time I hook something like that ... especially with no land to flee to.
Makes me think of the last time I was on the north coast. I went in deep ... easy 150m in ... when all of a sudden a school of dolphin swam by. They sailed through the water like it was nothing. Those fins scared the sheaaaaat out of me. Made me realize that a 150m is a long way ... also how clumsy man is in comparison ... totally vulnerable ... easy pickings for anything hungry.
I have caught a carp in the stink water ... and a shad on the south coast ... but that's when I was still young and handsome.
"especially with no land to flee to"
Lol, my point exactly, it certainly creates a very different environment for you
Also, you have absolutely no idea how a day of deep sea fishing can affect your leg muscles..... the constant adjustments with your stance during the day, because of the rolling of the boat in the swells is crazy...... you use muscles that you never knew you had
"I have caught a carp in the stink water"
Same here, plenty of them..... tasted exactly like mud, much like a bony mullet does as well
"Those fins scared the sheaaaaat out of me"
I have no shame at all in saying that I would quite possibly have soiled my broeks
Could have sworn I heard the Jaws theme music start up.
DA it's different strokes for different folks but I too did my fair share of ski boat fishing in Simonstown.
Those days we came in loaded...yellowtail, tunny, kob, geelbek and snoek and redfish and yes we hooked big shark too, mainly bronze whalers and sometimes steam engines which were far too big to land ( probably some white death) that broke and cut our traces.
It's fun but it's the same thing...an adrenaline rush, bare in mind that it's relative to the heaviness or lightness of tackle you use...catching yellowtail and other surface feeders with fly and flyrod was the best fight you can have.Ever tried marlin or tuna on fly tackle...that's the best.
But clear streams and mountains take preference now...it's the beauty, the art, the clear water, the nature, birds and pictures that are so rare and exquisitely stirring.
"But clear streams and mountains take preference now...it's the beauty, the art, the clear water, the nature, birds and pictures that are so rare and exquisitely stirring"
I genuinely couldn't agree more with you seb, and I only wish that I could experience what AJH is talking about above though..... Alaska…. the sheer beauty of that place is just totally unbelievable... it seriously is breathtaking
Fishing in SA has now become such a dangerous hobby or sport, purely because you and the family can so easily get attacked for going to these remote fishing spots that most others don't know about... but at the same time isolating your family should something happen and it is far from any help..... sad but true, it happened to my mate not that long ago.... and he is very lucky that he survived after being shot and diving into the river at night to escape 5 of them.
As for the deep sea fishing, for someone like CC who has not done much fishing, comparing deep sea fishing with fly fishing would seriously confuse someone, because it is not even remotely the same thing, whether it be from a actual fishing experience perspective, or even just from a equipment perspective.... hence my point
"bare in mind that it's relative to the heaviness or lightness of tackle you use"
Lol, you know your stuff seb.... I know precisely what you mean..... and it is sometimes incredibly frustrating......because the reality is always there, of going too light, and losing that monster.... but also, going too heavy, makes it no fun at all.. not even a bit
"Fly fishing is the only thing that comes close to deep see fishing in my book. Regular river fishing requires too much booze to keep it interesting."
Just to clarify, I meant that fly and sea fishing are similar in terms of how active one is during.
The two are obviously very different things.
But it's cool. I think CC got what I was saying.
"When comparing fly fishing to deep-sea fishing I was talking about how busy one is"
More fabrication...… sheeeesh man, it comes so naturally to you Plum
"As usual, you entirely misunderstood the post and then jumped to the stupidest of conclusions"
Ok, lets get this straight then Plum...…
So for the record..... I am the one that misunderstood what you posted.. and jumped to conclusions...… however...….and wait for this...……because this particular one is a fucking gem people...…..."drum roll please"...……. you Plum, still felt the need and the urge... to come back on to this thread.....and explain precisely what you actually meant to say, to begin with.
ROTFLMFAO
You would only do that if you yourself knew that what you posted to begin with, was wrong..... therefore providing more "clarity" by coming back on to this thread and explaining yourself again, to the rest of the posters
This is just too stupid to comprehend...…… it genuinely is..... even from you
Don't deny it.....it is as clear as mud...…..
You are a laugh a minute dude...….
These books that you often speak of.... you know, the ones that make you a "well read" individual...… which part of the kiddies section do you get them from......it's a genuine question?
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Case closed...… another one..... too easy...… fucking easy
"Fly fishing is the only thing that comes close to deep sea fishing in my book. Regular river fishing requires too much booze to keep it interesting."
Now I wonder what kind of moron would deduce from the above that fly fishing and sea fishing are similar.
Oh, that's right. Rucker's resident dimwit.
I now see how the moniker DumbAss came about.
Well in the context of challenge and adrenaline rush it is almost similar depending on the lightness or heaviness of the tackle and the type and size of fish you are targeting and not in the context of technical method although flyfishing for gamefish is relatively similar but not entirely identical.
I enjoy both in this context...the only real reason I don't do ski boat fishing is I don't have the contacts I used to have in the Cape as I now live in KZN and yes it costs an arm and a leg to do it today...fuel costs etc and the fishing is nowhere like it used to be in the palmy days.
But I'm more philosophical in my approach today and enjoy the surroundings of nature, it's diversity of beauty and the solitude and escapism from the madness of societies continual rush and the pace and stress that's in business today. It's a very calming release and gives a person peace.
I guess this happens to all of us at some stage in life...when you are younger you perhaps don't see it like this but it will come one day. This sums it up and no I'm not as old as Norman Maclean in this final scene but I'm getting there and can understand and relate to it. It's a brilliant movie scene...Redford is a genius.
https://youtu.be/NJF70sHMFN8
"Now I wonder what kind of moron would deduce from the above that fly fishing and sea fishing are similar"
Well if you were so very confident about your first statement on the meaning of the two being that similar, you would never have had to come back to this thread to "clarify" that for everyone..... would you?
Duh!! Plum...
You state that what you posted was crystal clear to everyone on this forum...… and only a moron would deduce something else from it......but wait a second..... you then had to come back on to this thread, and you start your very next post with...…. "Just to clarify, I meant"
Give the posters here a bit more credit dude...… they see your fuckup for what it is..... another fuck up from Plum..... the most "well read" poster on this forum.....LMFAO
Stay down dude.... you are embarrassing yourself more than I ever thought you could.........but then again, it is the notorious Plum ego that we are dealing with here
DA,
Idiots often require clarification on things that normal people easily understand.
Does that make sense or do you need me to clarify...you know, because...
Stay down Plum..... just stop it bro..... it almost hurts me to see how stupid you are acting here
It's fucking hilarious how you constantly try and get out of the shit that you create for yourself all the time
As I said before...… give these posters a bit more credit dude...… you are nowhere near as special, intelligent, or as "well read" as you really think you are.
You have been schooled over and over again, on this forum, as far back as the CC and Cloudy incidents
Read some more dude..... maybe you can then start joining in on the adult conversations we have here
Just please don't run away again Plum..... even I appreciate your presence here..... because every village really does have an idiot
So, do you require further explanation required?
I know it's tough man.
You'll survive.
Promise.
...plank.
Oh dear, this thread was never meant to create d isharmony, on the contrary it was meant to create peace and goodwill about the finer and more tranquil aspects of life.
It's all good seb, no worries dude
Every village has it's idiot, and it just so happened that our resident idiot needed to be taught another lesson.....unfortunately on your thread, my bad
Exactly DA,
And it was all going well until you let your wounds get the better of you.
Even after polite correction, you couldn't resist.
...you sp anner
Peace to all...I like to create some peace sometimes but a certain Welshman here is opposite...don't worry he knows sweet fanny about these finer things in life and it does not take much intelligence to indentify him...oh shit another typing error...
It was fun while it lasted Plum...….thanks for the laugh
I can only explain it to you dude..... I cannot understand it for you
Explain what? That you're a lowlife who tried to sucker punch when you knew you'd lost, but couldn't even do that properly?
No need to explain you yourself. Your actions have done all the necessary explaining.
...doorstop.
"That you're a lowlife who tried to sucker punch when you knew you'd lost"
Describing yourself to a tee here, Plum boy
It was your vile and despicable behaviour that made you run away and leave this forum to begin with dude...….not me........don't go there bro..... remember, it was a bit of a dark place for you back then...….and we all had a front row seat to witness it......it was the time that your very true character was displayed for the whole forum to see..... the real Plum.... not this online persona
As I said Plum, I don't want you running away again like the coward we all know you to be...… you showed your true colours to this entire board already dude..... you can never get that back bro.....not even for R20 000
ROTFLMFAO
"Your actions have done all the necessary explaining"
Running is also an action...…. one that you are extremely proficient at.... if you don't believe me....just ask anyone here
It's also the very first thing that a coward thinks of..... and proceeds to do, when problems arise in everyday life.....so there is also no need for any explaining from your side either...….we see you for who you really are Plum, the man behind the name... because it is times of adversity that reveal our true identities and characters....…. and yours was revealed very clearly to this entire forum …….and you know it was...…...and that fucks with your head everyday ...…… the same as your R10 000 reward does...…….because you know as well as everyone else here does...…. that it shows you up for the real insecure and self conscious, low self esteemed moron that you really are......what a shame for you Plum boy
Do you actually think I'll be reading all that nonsense?
Give it a rest plankie.
Try as much as you want to, but you aren't fooling anyone here Plum......how many times must I tell you...... give your fellow posters some credit dude....you really are not that special
We all know that you did read it Plum...…make no mistake, I promise you that we all do know that you did...….you read every fucking word, slowly.....probably 3 times over......and you know why we all know that you definitely read it Plum....…...because it's all about Plum boy...… and we all already know, that when it's all about Plum boy...….. then Plum's massive ego kicks in, and it shoots through the roof.....
You have unexpectedly displayed it too many times over already on this forum.....you can't control it dude
Have a awesome weekend Plum...…. and when you go out for dinner...... order another plate of food...… to feed you ego
Lol poor plankie
Just keeps flogging the dead horse that is his reputation.