Fishing - Yellowfish

Yellowfish fishing report
Click here for guided Yellowfish trips on the Upper Vaal

Often called South Africa's inland bonefish, this warm water fish inhabits most of the large river systems throughout the country. It feeds in the fastest riffle water on nymphs, emergers and adults. Once hooked it puts up a phenomenal fight said to rival the most supercharged of river trout. There are several sub species yet all are thick-set, full finned fish, and averaging around 3lbs with a good specimen weighing in at between 6 and 7lbs.

How to:

4-7 wt rods, floating lines and dead drifted nymphs or dries.

Flies:
View a selection of flies for Yellowfish. Click here.

Articles:

"Yellow fever" appeared in the 'Flyfishing' magazine in Spring 1999 Yellow fever has always been a very contagious disease… Its that time of year again, water temperatures rise as do heart rates at the thought of our very own inland bonefish.

The Yellows fighting ability precedes itself. These indigenous fish are fairly well distributed throughout the country, however their numbers are thin on the ground due to declining water quality, flow obstruction through water impoundment and angling pressure. They are truly omnivorous fish, making them a little tricky on the fly at times, but nothing a little thought and persistence wont overcome. Yellow fish regulars can often be a bit cagey, feeling that it is their environmental duty to protect this excellent angling species from new converts. Venues, fly patterns and tactics are often not disclosed, leaving many fly rodders feeling that regular success comes only to these elevated guru's who meet in secret every Thursday night with coded handshakes and an initiation involving outlandish body piercing with a GRHE nymph…. Two ways to get round this. First, you could come along and be privileged to watch these individuals in action at an organised workshop or book a day's guided fishing with them. Alternatively you could just get out on the water and go and enjoy some exhilarating fishing. Anyone with basic river skills will catch these aquatic bars of bullion. The Smallmouth Yellow (Barbus aeneus) populates the Vaal and Orange system and is the main target of Gauteng based anglers. There are numerous venues below the barrage, which for the costly fee of around R10.00 a car can be accessed! See your local fishing magazines and retail stores for details and directions.

As far as tactics, it is just straight out of the upstream nymphing coaching manual. There are two basic arenas. Fast riffle water which holds fish of all sizes in low light and smaller fish during the day, here the takes are fast and furious and you will never find yourself wondering "hmm….. I wonder if that was a take or not." The other area are the slower pools and tail waters, here the larger fish hold and heavy nymphs and repeated mending is needed to get the nymphs down. Here takes are very subtle and the slightest quiver or hesitation of the strike indicator should be reacted upon. As for choice of fly I don't dispute that there are some impressive customized yellow fish patterns out there, more often than not with some obscure title incorporating the inventors name. Once more don't be intimidated or overwhelmed, take along your regular nymph box, get out into a riffle and lift up some rocks, which are partly submerged in broken, well aerated, water. On the underside you will find a variety of mayfly nymphs and caddis. Tie on a heavily weighted bead head to get down - so to speak and then behind that an un-weighted, accurate match of size and colour of what Mother Nature has shown you, the fish will do the rest!

Dry fly action is not as consistent as that on the nymph, but can provide hectic sport in the late evening, again take a look at what's flying up your nose and ears and attempt a fairly good match.

Closer to my home in Mpumalanga is the Smallscale Yellowfish (Barbus polylepis). This can be trickier as it is more algiverous than its Smallmouth brethren. Takes on the nymph are incredibly subtle, bordering on unregisterable in the slower water. A good tactic is to get into the water below a likely looking stretch and then have someone creep upstream and spot holding fish. The spotter then talks the caster in, while he watches for flashes or slight movement from the fish as the nymph passes the target, he then calls the strike, more often than not ending up in a hookup. An excellent venue for this is the upper Komati River at Ntshengane Lodge owned by John and Wendy Clark. They have 5km of pristine river where I have had fish up to 3kg and seen fish twice that!

Some less conventional, but highly productive methods are as follows. If there are other anglers on the water fear not, cast up towards them. As they wade forward they disturb rocks loosening invertebrates and creating an unintentional chumline. I had some of my best fishing on the Vaal when a herd of cattle crossed at the head of the pool I was working up. Although not everyone's cup of tea, Czech Nymphing is deadly. While in Montana this year my guide described how every year the Czech team clean up at the World Flyfishing Championships, regardless of where they are held.

The end result feels like trying to present a wheelbarrow on the end of your tippet, but hey, there's no points for style in this game its all about fun and catching fish. You want a fairly long leader, between 10-11ft, at the bottom you tie in a loop and then place a couple of split shot depending upon the speed and depth of the water. Above the shot you place a heavy bead head and then 1 foot above that a micro nymph. You wade fairly deep, to where the drop off is just in front of you and then "cast" upstream. Holding the rod as high as possible and keeping nearly all the fly line clear of the water you follow the swing of the flies as the shot bounces along the bottom. Any hesitation or suspicious bump, lift the rod tip. This is particularly effective in deep water and accounts for many hard fighting Mudfish. Not that any self-respecting flyfisherman needs to be reminded, but if you have lunch on the riverbank be sure to tidy up after yourself. We have an excellent reputation amongst farm owners compared to our worm drowning counterparts and the longer it remains that way the better.

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