This is the driest that Dullstroom has been in many years. Our rains are later than ever, and very little – having had less than 100mm this season. Dams are low and water temperatures are high, but still fish are being caught. It’s a real pity to see our town dam sitting on less than […]
Dullstroom guide Nathan Pahl gives us a handful of useful tips for flyfishing stillwaters in warm weather. Mornings are for margins Early, low light conditions call for a floating line and careful work in the margins. Start with a long (12-16ft) leader with a dry-and-dropper setup or (what often does the trick around Dullstroom) a […]
“We were arrested by the quality of the light. With little water vapour in the air, the sun burns close and clean and pure, affording the Richtersveld an unaccustomed brightness, a dazzling array of colour,” writes William Dicey in his book ‘Borderline’ of the remote Richtersveld. Few describe this region more accurately. We have been flyfishing […]
Dispatch from the Amazon River: “You know when the guides say, ‘you should have been here last week?’ Well we ARE having that week.” This from Mavungana founder Jonathan Boulton who is currently on the Amazon with clients. “Water levels are perfect, with multiple double figure fish (Peacock Bass) and Arapaima too…” ‘Nuff said. Here […]
Our guides recently returned to Pongola Dam with a few select regular clients for a ‘shakedown’ trip of sorts to target tigerfish on fly, and to see just how much of a comeback the system has made following the drought. Here’s what they came back with: The dam levels have reached something of a (happy) […]
The swansong of the iconic Orange River is undoubtedly the last section before it flows into the Atlantic. There where it runs like a lifeblood artery through the remote Richtersveld National Park. These lower reaches are the land of the Largemouth and Smallmouth Yellowfish. It is this remote section where we run our drifts. The […]
2019 proved a tricky season in Northern Alaska, but with access to two float planes, options were never far away. Mavungana founder, Jonathan Boulton hosted an elite group of anglers on the United Kingdom. These gents are used to fishing for Salmon on cold, overcast or rainy days… This is his trip report: We arrived […]
July Fishing Report With winter finally coming to a close, we can expect the fly fishing to start picking up. July was definitely one of the toughest months of fishing in Dullstroom since April, because although the trout are plentiful, they just haven’t been interested in feeding. But that’s due to a number of factors. […]
We trust in this version of the iconic Bimini Twist for backing-to-fly-line connections on our 9 and 12 weights. There are a couple of reasons, firstly: A Bimini Twist tests at 100% breaking strain, so there simply is no stronger knot to connect you fly line to the backing. Secondly, because it is a loop-to-loop […]
The Dullstroom One Fly Anti Rhino Poaching Charity event is our annual contribution to the fight against rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park. We have a long-standing relationship with the anti-poaching units in the Kruger through Bruce Leslie from Special Operations out of Skukuza. Each year Bruce gives us a wish list and over […]
To spawn or not to spawn, tis the question Climate change, global warming and greenhouse gasses. What on earth do any of these terms have to do with a small drinking town called Dullstroom that has a massive fishing problem? Well, a couple years ago, just about nothing; but this year things have started to […]
Join us as we head back to the Southern-most tigerfish fishery in Africa for the first time in half a decade… Let’s face it, we all love collecting those passport stamps as part of fishing trip mementos. However, catching what is considered largely a ‘cross border’ species while staying in SA makes it a pretty […]
Do whatever it takes to spoil the old man with something off this choice list. (Even if that means nicking his credit card), he’ll thank you after. Patagonia Stealth Atom Sling Bag 7L This is the happiest medium for those days on the stream, stillwater or estuary when a vest won’t do and a full […]
The Leaves Are Red Okay, so the leaves are not actually red, not yet anyway, but the season has definitely changed. Days are shorter and cooler, and the water temperatures have started to drop. Soon the trout will change colour and will be in full spawning mode. So let’s discuss how you can catch that […]
Fluorocarbon vs. Monofilament When to use what and why There’s a lot of hype and opinions surrounding this topic, most of which is misleading and untrue. I’m going to cut through the hype, debunk a couple lies, and help you choose the best tippet material for you. *Note, if you want to cut to the […]
The devil is in the details Part 2 With water temperatures still so high, I don’t see why we don’t expand a little on our previous article – prepping for the cooler months, helping you to make the best out of your trip. Last month we coved the importance of casting, fly selection and how […]
February Our season got off to a good start this year. With the dam receiving a lot of fishing pressure due to the Vaal been in the state that it is, we managing to get some great fish. The weather man got his predictions totally wrong – Score! We were expecting rain and cloud cover […]
The Devils In The Detail Part I Rather than give you a report in which I euphemistically tell you how bad the fishing has been due to the hottest summer we have had in 30 years, with water temperatures reaching mid-twenties; I thought I’d rather give you some tips on how to prepare yourself for […]
December fishing report Green drought… Having had only half of the rain we should have had by now, Dullstroom is in a bit of a green drought. Dams lower than usual, coupled with long hot African days – our trout fishing is certainly not at its finest. Most dams are sitting on 22 degrees, making […]
November fishing report Hot, hotter and hottest… Take your pick, as each and every one of them accurately describe Dullstroom’s weather in November. With that said, our trout are still feeding vigorously, are full of life and are pulling hard! Waters are warm, too warm most would say, but this always presents an opportunity to […]