Flyfishing report: Yellowfish - East Free State

And so, another season comes to an end.  I was on the dam on Good Friday and although we saw plenty fish they were just showing us the middle fin and not eating.  I have puzzled for many years what the Yellows do in winter? And where do they go?

Here’s my theory:

In the summer months there are more insects on the water, and the yellows need a high protein diet to produce eggs and sperm, for spawning.  So, they are mainly feeding on or looking for insects.  Hence, we can entice them to snack on our humble imitations.  In winter they seem to go down and are not on the surface looking for “protein”.  I think they revert to an herbivorous diet, grazing on plant material and I’m sure they will also eat larvae of Dragon and Damselfly nymphs, Bloodworms and Caddis larva.  So maybe if you are that desperate to catch a Yellow in Sterkies, in the winter months, you’re going to have to go to the “Darkside”.  The fish we saw last weekend were all swimming slowly on the bottom, behaving like Onderbeks (aka. Mudfish). 

Looking back:

It’s been another spectacular season, with bigger fish and larger bags overall.  I really think that the work Craig and his anti-poaching team are doing, is starting to show dividends.  There are certain areas where I have noticed a decline in the fish numbers, the Quarry and Eskol in particular, where there is still wholesale “poaching” taking place.  I use this term lightly, but when I see two fishermen with 27 rods in the water, I don’t consider that sport.  I’m sure they are not fishing barbless and are not practicing CAR.

With the dam remaining at 100% the weed has had a chance to establish itself. In years past the water level fluctuated, causing the weed to die back in winter. Not anymore.  With water now coming from the Lesotho Highland’s Project, Gauteng is not reliant on water from Sterkfontein, so the dam remains full.  What we really need is for the water level to drop right down to 60%, that should sort the weed out. 

The top “catching” flies, on my boat, were The Good Dr’s Beetles, Black Foam-winged Hoppers and Foundlinks.  Please do not take this as the gospel truth but rather read it as what flies we use the most.  As I mentioned at the start of this article, we got the middle fin on Good Friday and the only fish that did come to the net was caught on a Balbyter.  They rose to the aforementioned flies but always turned away without attempting a take. 

The most common question I got through the season, besides “why are we not catching fish?”, was, “how long must my leader be?”  My answer is always, “as long as you can handle and turn-over”.  If you can turn over a 16ft leader in a 12-knot wind, then great.  Tippet rings have become a new trend, they’re great because they drown the tippet and protect your leader.  I did however see more failures at the tippet ring than anywhere else on the terminal tackle.  My advice is to have fresh tippet and use a system that you are confident with, remember to have soft hands.

That’s me signing off till October 2026.  Have yourselves a great trout-chasing winter. And remember the two most important things for success on Sterkies are Line-management and casting ability, so practice, practice, practice.

Should you want to order some of the Good Dr’s Beetles for next season, tied by the Good Dr himself, you can give him a call. Hans van Zyl @ 082 783 7716.

A fine Sterkfontein yellow.

And the last fish of the season.