In Appreciation Of Our Specimen World

As the day settles in and the orange canvas fills the evening sky, I sit back in awe of the absolute privilege of fishing in Africa. All too often we forget what our southern African venues hold for us; we might not have those big 70lb-plus golden bars in such abundance as our counterparts over the oceans, but boy do we have the best wild waters there are to fish! Sitting next to the crackling fire with flames dancing in the cool evening breeze, I sit and watch some blue wildebeest making their way down to the water’s edge to quench the day’s thirst; in the distance I can hear the distinctive sound of a lump or two breaking the calm water and I pay close attention to the conditions and direction of sound. Being vigilant and making notes of the fish activity and times of day you observe them, together with wind direction, temperature and air pressure readings will build a picture that will become more valuable than gold to you. Taking the time off to put in a session next to one of our many wild water destinations means much more than just packing a trailer and preparing some feed and bait. A successful session depends on the amount of homework and time that you have put in to make as much of your time as possible! I often learn more from my sessions of blanking than catching. Patience is a virtue and will reward you with memories that cannot be bought. My camp for the week, blending in with Mother Nature. Where were we? Oh yes, watching the wildebeest drinking at the water’s edge and listening to Mother Nature sharing her secrets with us. My lines have been out since about half past eleven this morning and a few rays of light ago a bleep or two broke the silence of the cricket choir greeting the rising moon – it might have been a line bite from a bass chasing the last of the day’s kurper schools making their way past my camp. The 25,3lb Mirror carp, a prime example of the venue’s distinctive mirrors. As I sit scraping red coals under my braai grid, I hear the distinctive call of a small night owl making its arrival known to all, the wind has completely settled and not even a leaf is moving. Such peace and tranquility is hard to imagine when just yesterday I was still sitting in the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg’s rat race. I look up and say thanks! The sizzle of the meat on the grid breaks the silence and my companions join me next to the fire, eagerly voicing their thoughts on the session ahead. The best moment of big carp fishing: a safe release! Everyone has now filled their plates with a well-deserved meal after the day’s camp setup, and a silence again falls over our camp as we tuck into an old favourite, “pap en braaivleis…” After dinner we get the flames kissing the night sky and the kettle makes its appearance and takes its rightful place on the open flames, and with a cup of “boeretroos” we sit back and start the discussion on tactics and approaches on our chosen areas that we will be fishing for the next 4 days. It’s now that the fish move in schools and at depths of 30ft to 40ft which all of us are covering, and because this is South Africa and our fishing is unique, we are all putting out at least one flavoured bait just to get that first fish on the bank as it lifts the moral and confidence of the team. By half past nine everyone decides to call it a night; the long day leaving Johannesburg before the crack of dawn, setting up camp and getting the lines in their precise spots has taken its toll on energy levels. But hours later the silence in the cold, misty dark morning is shattered with a solid one toner, and everyone is up as if it were their own rod taking off - the dedication of a well-oiled team makes your session just that much more of an experience as everyone jumps in getting everything ready for whatever decides to make its way to the mat. You never know when that trophy carp decides to grace you with its presence. After a short fight a nice looking common of 19,8lbs makes its appearance and we safely release it back. With the crisp morning air biting we make our way back to our bivvyies to catch those last few hours of sleep, topping up the energy levels to max capacity. The 19,8lb Common carp, the early morning ice breaker. With the sun greeting the dew drops we get up and scrape the last of the hot coals together and some tinder revives the flames; the first of the day’s logs go on to the fire and we take in our places to greet each other with a cup to warm the inside as well. It doesn’t take long at all for the sun to makes its presence felt in the African bush and we all opt for a summer look, because that is what Africa offers you during the day. As we sit discussing the tactics and at what time we will go back out on the water another bleep brings everyone to their feet. We all look at the direction it came from, and as we decide that it must have been just a line bite or something and get ready to sit down again, the alarm screams away and the team is back in action. After going out on the boat to make sure we land the fish, one of the lake’s many gold bars makes its way onto my mat, a very good looking mirror of 25,3lbs. A few photographs are shot and the beauty is safely released to fight another day. Fishing in and around our beautiful country is something that should be explored and taken advantage of when you get the time. You might not be catching those monsters all the time but you will be left with memories and friendships that will last a lifetime, and if you listen to Mother Nature and you read all the little secrets she leaves you, you will start to understand why you are catching and where your success comes from.