YELLOWFISH ADVENTURE: Orange River Largemouths

Every once in a while, I open the fishing magazine and read an article about yellowfish. Yellowfish is an indigenous protected fish. More specifically, the Largemouth Yellowfish (Labeobarbus Kimberleyensis). The fish is indigenous to the Orange, Vaal and Wilge river systems. The articles give me angling fever. The record stands at 22.2kg caught by one Ina du Plessis in the Vaal Dam during a club competition in December 2015. Looking at the photo, it’s hard to believe that I’ve never caught a largemouth yellow on artificial lures. I did catch one of 9kg with bait in the Wilge, the story about this catch will be told at another time.

One evening I was sitting around the campfire with Dirk and Divan Swart and Pierre Pieterse and the yellowfish story of the Wilge came up. Divan tells me about someone he knows at the Orange who guides visiting anglers, Devilliers is his name. He gives me the number and I call him right away and make arrangements for October. I need to get a group together, which is the easiest part of the arrangements. Dirk and Divan are right in; my partner Pierre thought just a little about it and then he said yes. One phone call further and my brother Tom Benadie is in too. October is a good time as the rains will not yet cause the river to flood. Rainfall in the Orange is much later than here with us on the Highveld. October is also a good time because of the temperature. It’s bloody hot next to the Orange.

The location we choose is near Vioolsdrif on the border post between RSA and Namibia. It is 1441 km from Middelburg according to the GPS. That’s 14.38 hours of driving. We will drive longer, and I work out between 16 to 18 hours. Anglers are only slightly on the eccentric side I think – so many miles just to hunt largies is madness! I can already see readers smiling as they read the article. Deep inside every angler there is a dark, deep line that no one can describe or tame, an urge to just go around the next bend or bush or stone and so we go on and on. Another excuse to buy a fishing rod, reel and utensils for Christmas, I think to myself – “from Hubby to Hubby” says the note in my head! I smile slyly to myself as I walk into the tackle store, my list is slightly longer than usual.

First a 7ft spinning rod. I decide on the Abu Garcia ‘Vendetta’ as well as the ‘Sienna C3000’ reel. Devilliers recommends 30/40 pounds braid in the X8 class because of all the rocks. The X8 is the number of strands that make up the braid. Even though a lightweight, a heavy action rod with a 3000 to 4000 reel is dead right for the job. The tackle should not be too heavy. It is in your hands all day and heavy tackle can make one quite tired. The Afri jig in ‘Bulldog’, ‘Rasta’ and ‘Gold’; a 1/4 oz Cranka crappie in black and brown; 40-pound braid as well as 8- to 12-pound leaderline make up part of my purchases. The leaderline is very important as we found out later. Then I also buy a few more spinners as well as artificial crankbaits for yellowfish just in case.

We take to the road early on the morning of 16 October. I make a big mistake on the GPS and put in Vioolsdrif. It’s 40 degrees-plus at Upington. It is so hot that the aircon in the van no longer wants to work. Opening windows is not a solution and the temperature gauge of my pickup is in the red every now and then. At Upington, the GPS takes my border post route and 16 hours later we are standing in front of Namibia’s border post. We can’t go through. We need to turn around. Our destination is literally just across the river but on the wrong side, the Namibian side. It’s 16 hours later and we’ve just extended our route by 3 hours. We must go back to Upington, then Springbok and Vioolsdrif. My personal meter is in the red. I sweat in foreign languages. I grabbed the GPS and threw it out the window. What a disappointment! Three hours later, we reached our destination on the Orange – 19 hours of driving is over. I’m dead tired but grateful. We hurriedly unpack and start preparing our gear while Divan pours us a cold one with ice. It’s late before we crawl in. Our accommodation is inside a barn with tents set up for everyone and it immediately provides a comfortable, bushveld atmosphere.

DAY 1 

We choose a weir that overflows with a nice slope that ends with a strong current at the bottom. We can see the smallmouths in the shallow water. The water is crystal clean. The Orange is not very deep with a lot of stones. Devilliers takes each of us through the stream and nicely explains to us what to do. We fall and slip on the rocks every now and then and only a white belly and a hand holding a fishing rod protrudes above the surface. We are not prepared for the stony river bottom. My sneakers collapse, so Devilliers drives to the OTK to buy some of those low-profile whitewater shoes. They look like milking parlour shoes. I still have them to this day. Good shoes are a must for the Orange. Fishing slops don’t work between the rocks.

We each quickly catch a smallmouth-yellowfish on lure. It is bloody hot. Hard to describe but in and around the river it is nice and cool, but just 10m away from the river it is unbearably hot. You can’t sit on a stone, that’s how hot it is. The largies are just quiet. Dirk saw a crab in the shallow water. He immediately changed his tackle to use it as bait with a longer trace, thin mono line with a light clip-on weight. His tactic of casting just next to the stream paid off immediately. His line is barely in the water than he’s on with a nice largemouth. With the strike the yellow climbed out of the water and stripped yards from his reel. The others change tactics and throw bait. Everyone has fish fever. They each catch a nice largemouth on the method.

I stick with the lure and stand under the retaining wall and fish downstream with a Cranka Krappie. I cast into the stream and let the crappie float down slowly. Every once in a while, I catch a pretty little smallmouth.  I can see small crabs washing over the bank and know that they are good bait for the largemouths. The day ends in the dusk with a cold one and ice in hand. Dirk leads our friendly competition with a nice largemouth. Day 1 is done.

DAY 2

Dirk, Divan and Pierre start with bait. Every once in a while, they catch a fish but nothing special. I stick to lures. It’s a tough day. At lunchtime I decided to catch a catfish or two. Divan catches a mud fish, and I use the head for bait. I’m again going to stand under the barrier in the water. I look for a slightly deeper pool and cast the bait 10m away from me just next to the stream. Immediately there is an explosion as the catfish takes my bait and almost jerks me over the side. It was so unexpected and sudden. I catch some pretty catfish on the method with the largest being around 11kg to 12kg. I remind myself that I’m not here for catfish so immediately move back to the side again and change back to lures.

 Divan catches a nice largemouth on a Gold Afri jig. Everyone has caught a largemouth except me. Pierre works hard and every now and then catches a nice smallmouth and another nice largemouth. The Rasta, Bulldog, and Gold jigs all produce fish. Dirk also catches a kurper on a spinner; he has the most fish for the day and leads the way after the two days.

DAY 3

Day three arrives. Early in the morning, we look for a deep hole with the poppers and pop for catfish. It’s unsuccessful. We move back to the weir after about two hours of popping for catfish. I note that we have no success with a leader line thicker than 12-pounds. Everyone gets fish and my leader is 14-pounds. We talk about it and I change my leader to 10-pounds. The clean water definitely makes the largemouth yellows see the line. Pierre is immediately on with a nice smallmouth followed by a younger largemouth. It gives me courage. Dirk targets carp with bait and catches nice carp of about 8kg in a deep pool. I stick to lures and am reminded of the crabs that wash over the weir wall. The natural bait has to draw fish, I remind myself. I cast the crab just next to the stream into a deeper hole of water right along the retaining wall. There’s a big white splash on the water and I’m on!

 It must be a catfish, I think. The fish immediately jumps out of the pool into the mainstream. Devilliers screams from the shore “it must be a big catfish”! The speed of the fish tells me otherwise. The days before I had to endure sayings from my fellow anglers such as “everyone who caught a largemouth- yellow, one step forward; Benadie, where are you going!” So, could this be the fish I’m waiting for? My feeling tells me it’s a yellowfish because of its speed. “I think it’s a yellowfish!” I yell back. Devilliers gives me one look and realizes that I am serious. He turned around and jumped off the bank to come and help me. The fish fights furiously. I remind myself of my leaderline and set my drag one click down. “I have time,” I remind myself again. “Patience Benadie, patience is the watchword!”  The fish came a short distance and then ran back to the stream at great speed. I know right away it’s a pretty good fish. We are all still unsure of what it is. The fish is heavy and fast, and I know instinctively that it is not a catfish.

Ten minutes later, the fish is with us for the first time. Everyone shouts, “It’s a yellow!” The fish turned around and shot deep into the water. Now I’m shaking like a reed. It feels like I have a kidney stone the way my kidneys hurt. Adrenaline runs through my veins. I’m under pressure now and everyone comes to help and watch. My brain is racing with all the adrenaline and I’m becoming a little impatient. I want to tighten the drag a bit, but Dirk gives me one look and I know right away I’d rather not!

After a few more minutes, the fish is with me. He’s tired now. I see the crab is deep in its mouth and I know it is hooked solidly. It flew around again and made a final turn through the stream. I can feel it is done and slowly bring it to the bank where it lies on its side in the shallow water. I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. What a monster, what an experience, what a fish! I feel like I’m getting cold as I shiver in the 40-degree sun. It’s because of the adrenaline. I was literally knocked off my feet in amazement at what I had just caught. Fish fever is high. Then a quick photoshoot because the fish needs to be put back. In our group we have strict catch-and-release principles.

I smile broadly. Dirk was once again in the lead but only until the end. He shook my hand and congratulated me. Our eyes meet and for a second or two I know he knows this is going to be the winning fish. He smiled, half embarrassed but satisfied. We were successful and achieved what we wanted in the Orange. The years-long internal competition of friends remains healthy.

 The afternoon sun begins to set behind the mountain and like every other night, the fish immediately stop biting. We stand and admire the sunset. What a privilege to be able to be here. What a privilege to be able to do this. What a privilege to be able to be a South African with our great diversity of fauna and flora!

We hit the road back home early the next morning – without the GPS!

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