REMOTE RICHTERSVELD DRIFT ON THE ORANGE RIVER

The finest fly fishing experience on the Orange River

The Orange River is South Africa’s longest river, with its mystical source in the Highlands of Lesotho it flows 2340 km West. Eventually its Swan Song is the last section before the Atlantic where it flows through the utterly breath taking Richtersveld National Park

Where we go

We have been fly fishing the Orange River for yellowfish,for many years from its confluence with the Vaal River at Douglas, progressively downstream. Like any river in the world, the most remote reaches and those protected by a National Park are the waters that produce the goods. Therefore we have chosen our piece of water, deep in the Richtersveld desert, Namibia.

Camping and Logistics

We have partnered exclusively with SA’s longest standing rafting company Felix Unite. As a result the standard of campsite, comfort and catering is unsurpassed on the Orange River.

An experienced flyfishing guide will row two anglers, in our custom designed built inflatable rafts daily. At the same time a logistics team heads downstream with all provisions and non-fishing related gear to set up camp. Having run operations in far flung parts of the world, being remote is not an excuse for Polony and white bread sandwich lunches! There is a staff ration of 1:1. Furthermore we have large spacious two man tents, hot showers, and a resupply halfway through the desert replenishing cold beers, fresh food and ice. Certainly a huge treat in the middle fo the desert!

The Fishing

The fishing is exceptional in this lower section of the Orange River. This is because of the distance the river flows and sediment is able to settle out. For this reason the water conditions are always optimal compared to many other areas upstream. We fish and carefully rotate three different beats of around 35 km each. As a result anglers access uncountable riffles packed with obliging Smallmouth yellowfish, many in double figures. We target the swimming Unicorn, the trophy Largemouth yellowfish holding in the boulder strewn pools. From swinging streamers through deep water on sinking lines to sight fishing for holding fish. We have caught multiple 20 pound Largies each season. In conclusion this is a trip of a lifetime for globally travelled anglers to rank beginners.

PROTECTING THE YELLOWS

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with 'The University of Mpumalanga' and 'Rivers of Life' to start a tagging program on both the Largemouth Yellowfish and the Smallmouth Yellowfish on the Lower reaches of the Orange River, in the Richtersveld National Park.

This is a first of it's kind and no research has been done on this section of the Orange River. We hope that the information gained from our studies will better our knowledge and understanding of the species to help protect them for future generations. Have a look at our short video in our blog below.