Tim Holschlag is the author of Smallmouth Fly Fishing, (Smallmouth Angler Press 2005) and River Smallmouth Fishing, (Smallmouth Angler Press 2010). When a couple of readers from South Africa invited him to fish the waters of their country, Holschlag couldn’t resist the lure of adventure. He embarked on a three-week trip to South Africa, where he fished the Vaal River and remote mountain streams. Angling for smallmouth, yellowfish, spotted bass, and bluegill, Holschlag enjoyed the rugged terrain, interesting wildlife, and great hospitality of his hosts.
South African Smallmouth Streams
When asked how South African smallmouth waters differ from North American rivers, Holschlag responded,
“The South African streams are smaller. They are full of riffles and rapids, crystal clear water carving streams out of the high mountains. These are cold, sterile waters; you can drink from the streams, and we did. My companions joked about this, saying in their Afrikaans accents, “We’re drinking like babOONs,” with the heavy emphasis on the last syllable. And there were baboons, and also ostriches, wild burros, and even giraffes. Lower down, the streams flow through deserts, with just a little green belt of vegetation on either side of the water.”
Streamers are Popular Flies for Smallmouth Everywhere
Holschlag found that streamers, especially those incorporating strips of rabbit fur, were effective on South African smallies. The locals fished Meat Whistles, with buggy front ends, well-weighted, accented with wiggly, rubber legs and supplied with a long strip of rabbit fur to undulate behind. These were generally tied in light brown colors.
The fish were feeding on small bluegills and crabs, along with the South African varieties of their usual American insect fare. Holschlag tied on a Shenk White Streamer. White turned out to be a great choice, so much so that his companions began fabricating white versions of their Meat Whistles.
“The waters aren’t very deep, and they’re crystal clear,” explained Holschlag, “so you have to fish the bottom. Sometimes the fish won’t even come up for a fly fished a foot off the bottom. Weighted flies and sink-tip lines got the flies down where the fish were.”
Holschlag and his companions caught smallmouth in the 15” to 20” range, along with hefty spotted bass, big bluegill, and several native yellowfish.
South African Game Fish Unpressured
“These fish don’t get much pressure, for a number of reasons,” said Holschlag. He explained that the native yellowfish aren’t a big part of the native diet, as they are considered to be too bony. Trout and panfish, including smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass, and bluegill, are recent introductions to South African waters.
Both brown trout and rainbows were brought over from North America and stocked around one hundred years ago. The browns fared poorly, but the rainbows became well established. Bass and other panfish were imported and stocked later, and they have also taken hold in their new environment.
“Overall, I was impressed with the smallmouth being as adaptable as they are,” said Holschlag. “In the 1920s, a small number of them were shipped over, and they stocked them in the streams. Now they are established in the higher water, where they were not stocked. In 2004 and 2005 there were drought conditions that stopped the flow of the streams, reducing them to a series of long pools. Even under those conditions, smallmouth survived.”
Fishing Private Water in South Africa
Most fishing rivers in South Africa are on private ranches. The ranchers sell permits to guides, allowing them to bring their clients onto the land and fish. “Our guides paid $10 to $15 a day,” Holschlag estimated.
Trout fishing enjoys great popularity among South African sport fishermen, but smallmouth fishing is only beginning to catch on. “People don’t target smallmouth for eating,” Holschlag explained. “It’s pretty much all catch and release.”
Asked if he would like to return to fish again in South Africa, Holschlag replied, “Definitely. There are about fifty places over there that I didn’t have time to get to. It was a great experience. Now, having fished in a different environment, I feel like I know a lot more about smallmouth as a species.”
Coming from the man who was already known as The Smallmouth Angler, that statement says a lot.
Brenda Layman - I grew up in eastern Kentucky in a family that hunted, fished, hiked, and camped regularly. Although I moved to Ohio to become a teacher ...
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