South African Saltwater Fly Fishing - Where, What, How, Why...
Saltwater Fly Fishing is a challenging form of angling, and definitely tests a fly fisherman's patience and skills to the maximum. Fly Fishing is often imagined with a stream, accompanied by schools of colourful trout feeding in shallow water; but very rarely imagined with an angler on some prawn banks, casting a fly at grunter frolicking in the mud. This article will talk about the latter of the two scenarios and why it is so rewarding.
When anglers talk about saltwater fishing in South
Africa, very few conversations will be about fly fishing, rather
spinning, rock and surf, dropshot and offshore. Once an angler lands
that first fish on fly, he will be hooked! Fly Fishing in estuaries or
in the surf is often overlooked as angler's prefer to fish areas with
other artlure or bait methods. I think this is as a result of the
unwillingness of the angler to 'waste his time throwing an artificial
fly back and forth'. This can be a huge misconception, because if you
get the fly right, the tide right, get lucky to be into a shoal of fish
and many other factors, you can be in for the time of your life
Targeting Species - South African Saltwater Fly Fishing
The beauty for me when saltwater fly fishing is
that you can literally catch every species of fish South African surf
and estuaries boast, from 2cm Glassies to 90cm Garrick. All depending on
what size fly you use, what area you are fishing, when you are fishing
and what tides you are fishing. In South Africa, our main target inshore
species on fly are:
Grunter,
Kob,
Garrick,
Springer,
Kingfish,
Shad,
Barracuda,
Steenbras and
Mullet. All these fish can be fooled into
taking a fly and in-between you can expect interest from other fish
species. The fight from these target species can leave you breathless
from the adrenalin rushes that when hooked, these fish provide.
Tackling Up - South African Saltwater Fly Fishing
As saltwater fly fishing uses completely different
tackle, it will be up to you to decide what your favourite set up will
be. My ideal estuary and surf fishing setup is an 8 or 9 weight rod and
reel with intermediate line, this gives you enough backbone to fight a
big fish but also provides a lot of fun when smaller fish are being
hooked. Remember backing is always good on a reel, especially on a setup
like this, try get around 60-80 meters of backing on if possible. Your
leader is also very important and the best way would be to tie your
leader into 3 or 4 different sections. For example, tie some .45mm line
straight onto your fly line and then decrease it every 4 feet or so in
strength until you get to your tippet. Your tippet should be lighter
than the previous strands of leader. I prefer to fish really light,
especially in estuaries. 5kg line is my choice. When fishing for species
with teeth, a small steel or bite trace should be added to your setup.
Fly Selection - South African Saltwater Fly Fishing
Of the many variations and types of fly on the market there are those that never fail... Salty Buggers, Crazy Charlies, Streamers, Zonkers, Poppers and Swimming Prawn Imitations. I have also used some freshwater flies with good success: San Juan Worm, DDD, Yellow Humpey and White Death. These flies have produced Mullet, Stumpnose, Pinky and Blacktail to name a few.
Where To Fish - South African Saltwater Fly Fishing
When inshore Fly Fishing, selecting spots apply the same principles as
any other type of saltwater angling. The best places to cast your fly
would be in estuaries and river mouths, gullies and inlets open to the
sea are also great places to start. Some of the best areas to fly fish
are on or around prawn banks. Here one can fly fish throughout the day
during different tides as the fish either hang around or on top of the
prawn banks or very close to them in the deeper water. Vary your
retrieve with your fly and don’t be shy of casting it into very shallow
water. Often lots of fish will be feeding here, especially Grunter,
Mullet and Steenbras.
All that’s left now is to experience this beautiful facet of angling yourself!
