Forgive the long absence.  These past months fishing and the doings of trout have not been a priority for me.  But with spring only a few months away the time approaches for new season preparations, and Surly, the Ghillie is back, a little older, .

Looking back, the fishing has been something of a mixed bag.  May and June  saw a great deal of action, partially because the fish were so "on", but also because so many rods plied the waters. I don't know if it was because locals were trying to get away from the hyperbole and frenzy that accompanied the World Cup? For whatever reason, occupancies swelled and fishermen were everywhere.  Heinrich Stander and party spent a week on our waters in early June and were rewarded with some more-than-decent trout. And then there was that eleven and a half pound cockfish caught at Lifton a few weeks ago, as if to confirm their December/January flush of large fish were no mere fluke.

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                                                 An Underberg Lake          

The district is so dry that as of today, July 28^th, all burning has been banned till further notice, or the first rains.  Dams that double as irrigation reservoirs are beginning to drop, but those that do not have to feed thirsty centre pivots are doing just fine.  Temperatures continue to confound; with global warming comes climatic instability... and it becomes ever harder to read the weather. The trout find so too. Spawning began late this year.  Jake Alletson reported seeing large numbers of mature breeders up in the Umzimkulwana, above our lake, as late as the 2^nd week of May.  When I came here more than twenty years ago, we would pick up the start of the spawning cycle as early as the first week of April, By mid May it would all be just about over.  And yet here we are, with August about upon us, yet still with we have a few fish that have not yet dropped their eggs.  Water temps are sitting at around 8~9 degrees. Unless we get a couple of late drastic cold fronts sweeping in from the Antarctic, I'd expect water temps to hit the magic 12 C level long before August is done. At 12 degrees the metabolic clock of the trout's  kicks into a whole new gear and they will begin to feed with more purpose than we have seen through July.  I promise to keep you better posted than has been the case these past difficult months.

                                                    In the autumn mist