The Fancy Frenchie

The PTN (Pheasant Tail Nymph) is possibly one of the most effective flies ever tied and over the years there have been many variations of this very effective fly. The PTN and most of it's variants are simple to tie and is a very effective Mayfly nymph imitation. One of my friends recently introduced me to the Frenchie, which is basically a PTN with a hotspot tied into it. The hotspot can either be a high-vis thread collar or a thorax made of Ice UV dubbing just behind the bead.

Fly materials used:

1. #10 Dohiku Scud Hook
2. Orange thread
3. Pheasant tail fibers
4. Silver wire
5. 2mm Tungsten bead
6. Coq de Leon fibres

Tying sequence:

1. Slide the tungsten bead onto the hook, wrap the hookshank with thread and tie in the Coq de leon for the tail and the silver wire for the ribbing.
2. Tie in about 5 strands of pheasant tail fibers, wrap forward and tie in just behind the bead
3. Bring the wire forward for the ribbing and tie in behing the bead.
4. Form a hot spot collar with the thread just behind the bead, whip finish and give it some head cement.

As you can see this fly is very easy to tie and doesn't take much time to tie either. I usually use it to target cruising fish whilst sight fishing for them or as a point fly when fishing it NZ or Euro nymphing style.

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.

The Sneaky Damsel

I was playing around with some ideas for an new Damselfly nymph pattern, and after some trial and error I came up with this idea. Damselfly nymphs are an important part of a Trout's diet and especially so in stillwater environments, thus it is important to have a good Damsel pattern in your box when heading out to a stillwater venue.

Fly materials used:

1. #10 Dohiku Scud Hook
2. Olive Thread
3. Olive Seal's Fur Dubbing
4. Olive Larva Lace Tubing
5. Olive Select CDC (Cul De Canard)
6. Olive Hungarian Partridge
7. Bead Chain Eyes or burnt Monofilament

Tying sequence:

1. Slide one CDC feather into a 1 1/2" piece of Larva Lace tubing.
2. Wrap the hook shank with thread from the eye of the hook to about halfway down the shank.
3. Tie in the eyes about 2mm behind the eye of the hook and then tie in the tubing with the CDC feather inside. Make sure to push the CDC feather in far enough to wrap it in with the tubing.
4. Tie in the Hungarian Partridge for the legs and dub with the Seals fur to form the thorax and the head of the fly.

I usually fish them (as most people fish other damsel patterns) with a floating line on a relatively long 3-4X leader (12ft) and if prevalent, I target weedbeds or any other type of vegetation in the water. The materials used gives the fly a very realistic silhouette and the fly has very good movement in the water. They almost always produce fish, and they they are definitely in my top 10 of must have flies for targeting stillwater Trout.

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.

Buzzer Time

One of the most productive stillwater flies for Trout (and other freshwater species) is the humble Midge which are one of the most prevalent sources of food for Trout in many stillwaters across the globe. Their life cycle has three phases which are important to the fly fisherman. Firstly is the larvae, then the pupae and finally the adult. Sometimes Midges hatch sporadically throughout the day, thus making them a very important addition to any angler's fly box.

The Buzzer I tie (which is a pupae imitation) is very plain, simple and quick to tie. But as many fly tiers and fly fisherman will tell you, sometimes the deadliest of flies are the ones that are the least complicated to tie. Simple, yet very effective. Plus the less time you spend behind the vice, the more you have on the water to fish!

Fly materials used:

1. #12 Knapek Midge Pupae
2. Black Thread
3. Orange Goose Biot
4. Silver wire
5. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails

Tying sequence:

1. Lay a base of black thread and tie in a piece of silver wire at the back.
2. Form a slender body with the black thread and form the ribbing forward with the silver wire.
3. Tie in the point if the goose biot facing forward about one third from the eye of the hook.
4. Create a thorax with the black thread in front of where you tied in the goose biot, leaving about 2mm open from the eye of the hook.
5. Now pull the biots forward and tie them off just behind the eye of the hook, trim of the excess of the biots and then create a neat head with the thread.
6. Coat the fly several times with Sally Hansen.

I usually fish them static under a strike indicator (Thingamabobber or dry fly) or I use them when sight fishing for picky Trout. These are very productive when the fish are feeding sub surface and refusing any other offerings you might present to them. Tie a couple, test them and let me know if they worked for you!

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.

Adopt a Rod

There are many worthy causes that can be supported these days and amongst the most popular are pet adoption organizations. There are many pets who are given up for adoption or merely just left to fend for themselves. The right thing to do is to adopt one of these creatures and to give them a warm loving home and to take care of them for years to come.

I however feel that there is a worthy cause that most people and especially in the fly fishing fraternity seem to ignore... I introduce to you, "Adopt a Rod". Many rods and reels are bought every year and with that the previous years models become unused and in certain cases unwanted. The new rod or reel takes preference with the owner and the old rod or reel becomes forgotten, and in some terribly sad cases they seize to ever see the light of day again.

I recently purchased a used Sage TCX 6wt 9ft rod, that was still in a mint condition and I paid almost two thirds less for it than what it's original price was. This is a rod that sold for almost $900 US (R9000 ZAR) before being replaced by the new Method this year.

Earlier this year I also bought a Sage SPL 1wt 8'1ft rod from a guy that did not use the rod anymore. Yes the SPL might be an older model and there are better rods with newer technology available today like the TXL-F but at the time this rod was the benchmark of smallstream rods and still is just as fantastic today as it was back then. On the SPL I have a Click III reel which is also a used item that I bought from someone who wanted to sell it.

What I'm trying to get at is that premium branded rods and reels are not just for the high income earning elite, it can also be affordable if you keep your ear on the ground and shop around for a used model. It is also a good way to be introduced to premium quality brands such as Sage, and once you start using their equipment you understand what the fuss is all about.

I'm not saying don't buy a new rod, if you can afford it go ahead by all means! But buying used rods and reels is a great way to acquire premium tackle at a more affordable price. A wise man once told me that the more confident you are in your equipment, the better you will fish.

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.

The Fish of a Lifetime

We all now that feeling that we get when we go through a fly fishing magazine and we see a photo of some lucky angler posing with a once in a lifetime fish. You are happy for the angler but you also feel jealous and sad as you know that the possibilities of catching such a fish are slim to none. You can only dream of catching such a fish!

Well this is a brief story of such a fish that I have been lucky enough to encounter. Funny enough it happened on my honeymoon, and if it wasn't for my wife granting me some time to make a couple of casts then I would not have caught this beauty.

What started out as a picnic by the river turned out to be one of the most memorable fishing sessions of my life thus far. After sitting down and having a short lived picnic my wife gave me the nod and without wasting any time I rigged up my 2wt Stealth Infinity rod and waded into the river. My first instinct would be to start of with nymphs or a dry fly to imitate naturals, but for some reason I tied a #12 Zulu onto my tippet and focused on a piece of water just beneath a riffle.

I made two or three casts and nothing happened, I then made n cast and the fly landed just behind a big rock, and I gave the fly two twitches. I saw a flash, it was a very nice Brown Trout but it didn't commit to the fly. After getting my breath back I continued the retrieve hoping that the fish would take the fly, and then it happened, as if in slow motion and the Trout ate my fly!

I let it turn with the fly in it's mouth and then made sure that I set the hook. It then struck me that it was going to be a challenge landing this fish on my 2wt! I did not expect to catch anything above 10 or 12 inches if lucky, therefore the 2wt was my rod of choice, but it was a decision that I almost regretted!

The fish jumped a lot, and everytime it leapt out of the water into the air and shook it's head I was sure that I would lose it. It then headed down stream and my little Sage Click III reel screamed like a Banshee and my palm could barely keep the fish from racing away like a runaway train.

It then went into a deep pool, and fought at the bottom, and then came up again to jump out of the water to try and get of the fly. The fight was intense and felt like it would never end, but after a while it graced me with it's beauty and I landed it with my smallstream Japanese curved net made my Mario Geldenhuys.

This is when I realised that this was one of those fish of a lifetime. The Brown Trout Hen measured just over 26 inches and weighed 2.6kg. Thankfully my wife was there and took some photos after which I then released the amazing creating back into the cold and crystal clear river.

Now for some this might not be such an amazing fish, but here in South Africa we rarely get wild Trout that grows over 20 inches in a river. I have only ever dreamt of going to New Zealand to catch a 25" + wild river Brown, but as lady luck would have it I caught it right here in the good old RSA.

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.

Field and Stream Revisited

The last time I was at Field and Stream was about 5 months ago when I reviewed the venue. I had such a great time back then that I decided that I had to head back there for a revisit! My wife and I invited some friends to tag along, and so on a wet and windy Friday afternoon we set sail for Dullstroom.

When we arrived on the farm we realised that the weather would not have a positive affect on the weekends fishing. The sky was overcast and the wind was picking up. We decided to grab our gear and head down to one of the dams before the storm arrived.

I decided to target opportunistic fish, and I landed a nice rainbow of about 1.4kg on a Peacock Woolly Bugger that I tied the previous evening. Lindie (our one friend) caught a nice fish with a Dave's Hopper and Edu our other friend caught a fat Rainbow on a Cactus Woolly Bugger.

After the sun set the weather turned for the worse and so we headed to our cottage and the comfort of the fire place. The next morning Edu and I got up at 05:00 AM and headed down to Meike's meer to hopefully catch some early morning feeding fish. I tried Buzzers and lost a fish, I then switched over to a Dragon on which I also lost a fish. I then caught a nice fish on an olive Slumbuster which I released into the cold highveld water.

We then were joined by Lindie and we headed to another dam called William's favourite where Lindie and I each caught a nice fish on Damsel patterns.

We then went back to the cottage for a lunch break after which we went to Matuka dam. Edu caught 2 fish, Lindie lost 1 and I caught 1 on a Papa Roach fly. Just before sunset the wind was again picking up and the cold settled in, we then decided to call it a day.

The next morning Edu and I again got up early and went to Meike's Mere for a quick morning sessions before we packed up. I caught one fish on Buzzers whilst it was feeding subsurface.

We had a great weekend despite the bad weather and we will surely return. I did not fish the river on this occasion due to the rain, but I will be back to target the wild fish in the river.

Here is a photo of the stomach contents of a Trout that Lindie caught and decided to keep.

1 x Bee

1 x Beetle

3 x Grasshoppers

5 x Dragonfly nymphs

1 x Caddis adult

1 x Minnow

1 x Beaded nymph fly pattern

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.

Custom Smallstream Japanese Curved Net

Every year my wife asks me what I would like for my birthday, and I never know what to tell her. Obviously anything fly fishing related makes me happy but I must say, this year she has truly outdone herself!

She ordered me a custom smallstream Japanese curved net by Mario Geldenhuys from www.customflyrods.co.za who is based in Aliwal Noord in the Northern Cape of South Africa.

Mario is quite the artist and he makes fine custom fly rods, handmade nets, J-Vice bases amongst other things. My net was made with bamboo and Guavira, which is a South American hardwood. It is a very time consuming and labour intensive process to make a net from scratch, and one which Mario is very good at.

Every net is numbered, has the owner’s name on and also has it’s own unique logo which relates to the owner in some way. 

Mine was net #88 and it had a hand drawn picture on it of a very special Trout that I caught a while ago. Mario took note of that and incorporated that into the design. He is meticulous in the details of his work and it shows in the final product.

Every now and then he sent me a photo of how far the net was throughout the process. This was something I’m sure not many folk would do, and something a truly appreciated of him.

Soon after receiving the net I christened it with it’s first fish! And what a remarkable fish it was! A 26 inch wild river Brown!

If you want a custom built fly rod or handmade net, do not hesitate to contact Mario at mario@customflyrods.co.za

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.

DIY J-Vice Base

Not too long ago, I made one of the best decisions thus far in my fly fishing/fly tying career and I ordered myself a J-Vice from Jay Smith in Pinetown South Africa. Jay (an engineer) is the mastermind behind the J-Vice, which is in my honest opinion the best fly tying vice available today. I got the new Salmon Head GooseNeck J-Vice machined from white Ertalyte together with a set of standard jaws, midge jaws and a waste basket amongst some other J-Vice accessories. http://www.jvice.com/

The standard bases for the J-Vice are made from imported American Oak and bases can also be custom made by Jay from any available commercial hardwood. Jay has made bases from Kiaat, Panga Panga, Hard Pear, African Rosewood and various other African Hardwoods.

I however decided to make my own base, as I thought that it would give my J-Vice setup a personal touch, and also I could make a base that suits my own needs and style. I was inspired by Mario Geldenhuys who builds fine custom fly rods, nets and vice bases. www.customflyrods.co.za

I used two pieces of 200mm x 400mm x 20mm Wallnut timber for my base, which I got from a local hardware and timber merchant.

I started off by tracing the outline of the base's shape with pencil onto paper, after which I stuck it onto the timber.

I then cut the shapes out and drilled out the holes that I wanted for my fly tying tools. The base has two levels, which then had to be glued onto each other as shown in the picture below:

After the glue has set overnight, the most time consuming process of the project starts which is the sanding.

I made use of a belt sander which helps a lot with the shaping of the base. After that I took a fine piece of sandpaper and sanded away until I was eventually happy with the base's appearance. 

I then took Woodoc furniture oil and generously applied it all over the base. I gave it three coatings and after which I put it outside in the sun to absorb all of the oil.

I then cut circles equal to the size of the holes I drilled in the base from a thin foam sheet to place at the bottom of the holes where my nail varnish, tying thread etc. will slot in into the base. After that I mounted the desk mount supplied by Jay onto the base. 

My J-Vice base was complete! It took me about 12 hours to complete and I was very happy with the outcome of the project. I helps a lot If you have all the tools available to you, luckily a case of beer persuaded my father in law to grant me access to his workshop which has all the tools and machinery required to build an Ark if you should wish to do so.

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.

Sediba Lodge Review

Sediba lodge is approximately 300km from Johannesburg and 12km from Clarens on the road towards Fouriesburg. Surrounded by the Rooiberg mountain range, it is situated on a 300 hectare game farm and offers an abundance of wildlife. There is one big dam in front of the lodges which is well stocked with Trout. 

There are also many other activities to be experienced close to Sediba such as horse riding, white river rafting, quad biking, absailing, hiking, golf, 4X4 trails, mountain biking and of course spectacular fly fishing in the area. The Little Caledon River is nearby as well as the Ash River if you want to target wild Trout in the rivers.

Accommodation

Sediba Lodge which is owned by Matt and Sheila Silcock is very tastefully furnished and offers all the comforts one could wish for away from home.  The accommodation has a very warm and upmarket feeling to it and the views from all of the lodges are nothing but spectacular. 

There are 3 lodges on the property, the North, South and Mountain lodge. All have en suite bathrooms, fire places which include wood and coal, full DSTV bouquets, heaters and electric blankets to fight the cold of winter.

Fishing

We arrived on the Friday afternoon late and I headed out to the dam to make a few casts before the cold and darkness set in. There was a thunderstorm brewing and whilst trying to avoid the impending lighting, I saw some activity in a couple of areas but unfortunately I couldn't persuade any fish to take my fly. 

The dam is beautiful and has some very nice structure that I suspect hold some big fish. The water was very clear and there are some rather deep sections too. I spoke to some of the other guests who were there and they caught some nice fish on the Friday and Saturday.

We spent most of our time fishing in the Ash River which is about 30km from Sediba lodge towards Bethlehem, and Sediba lodge will soon be offering guided trips to the Ash River through a guiding service to target the huge resident wild trout that call the Ash River their home.

                                          

Conclusion

Once you have been here you will surely return as Sediba feels like a home away from home. The hosts are very friendly people and will make you feel like you have known them for years. I think you will have to look very hard to find other accommodation that offers so much for so little. 

Sediba is not only a place for the avid fly fisherman but also for the family looking for a peaceful weekend away with the breath taking Freestate mountains as your backdrop. Clarens offers more than most country towns with everything from art galleries to curio shops, to some fantastic restaurants.

Recommended Equipment

5wt 9ft rod with a floating and intermediate line for Stillwater fishing.

7wt 9ft rod with a floating line and sinking line for the Ash river.

2wt rod with a floating line for the Little Caledon river.

Recommended Flies

Peacock Woolly Bugger, Papa Roach, San Juan worm, Midge patterns and DDD for the still waters.

Zak nymph, Hot Spot PTN, GRHE, RAB and Elk Hair Caddis for the Little Caledon River.

© 2013 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.