The following photo’s are a representative selection of the various attractions at Treeferns Trout Lodge, viz. accommodation, fishing, scenes on the hiking trail, farming, fauna and flora, etc.
Jumping brown trout (Google)
Another year gone by….with memories still fresh of all our planning and ‘Things-to-do’ at the beginning of 2011…
We’re now in the middle of December with the Festive Season on our front door….Christmas…new years’ eve….and then: 2012 !!
This year was the first year that Bell’s made use of our waters for their annual Bell’s Competion in the Dullstroom area. Out of 12 venues that the anglers fished, we were chosen as the best fly fishing destination !!
In October, we hosted a competition for Diabetes SA. This was a very big success! Thank you for your support in this matter.
Thank you to all the Corporate Groups that visited us and thank you for all the compliments regarding our catering, accommodation, fishing and the lodge in general.
We are planning to host a traditional farm house breakfast from February 2012, every Saturday morning at our lapa. More info on this to follow. Our kiosk will be in full operation from January; providing you with the best home made jams, rusks, cookies, daily groceries, fly fishing equipment and a whole lot more!
I must admit, the past 12 months’ fishing was not as good as 2010: and this was all over the Trout Triangle: And the reason?….maybe the extreme weather conditions we’ve experienced: From gail force winds, (that did not stop blowing…..and it’s still blowing since May this year !!) to extreme cold weather (as low as -9 degrees Celsius on a few occasions), heavy snow fall, and a very, very dry season up till now……Everything in nature was turned upside down and the fishing as well.
Apart from these terrible conditions some anglers had some good luck. The biggest brown trout for this year was caught by Barend Pieters in dam no 9 : 4.3 kg !!! A few big rainbows came out of dam 10; well over 3 kg each.
Our Trophy dam also delivered a whole lot of monsters with an average size of 3.5 kg! (but fishing is difficult for now and can you believe this? These monsters are still in spawning mode! J)
Our biggest concern is the ‘Catch-and-release’ of fish. Our trophy dam did well and fishing was easier in this dam, because we did not allow any CAR. The rotation on fish is high and anglers got their trophy fish. Therefore we have decided that dam no 5 will also be a NO CAR dam from now on. The simple reason for this is the huge amount of pressure on our dams and we need to rotate our fish especially for the beginners. Fishing became more and more difficult, even for the experienced anglers. We had more than 400 anglers in a period of 60 days: and almost everyone released their fish. Our dams are ‘over-stocked’, the water is becoming more and more muddy/murky, less oxygen, fish are more lethargic and then; bad fishing!
Over the past year, we made some improvements on the farm: building new bridges between the dams for a safer and easier walk way, erected a veranda at Ribbok-chalet, replaced the whole deck at Arum-Chalet, finished the new weir below dam no 10, put up new sign boards, marked out the hiking trail etc. And the improvements never stop….
We had our 2nd school group this year from ‘Nesher Christian Based ‘ school in Delmas. What a pleasure it was to have these kids on the farm ! If you’re interested in this, please contact us ASAP so that we can work out something for your school group.
We made a lot of new friends over the past 12 months, actually, not friends anymore but new members of the Treeferns Family. We are looking forward to your next visit in 2012 !
Very important: We offer 25% discount in January and February on our accommodation ! We do have an increase of the price of fish: from 1 January it will be R 75-00 per kg and the Trophy dam’s fish will still be R 100-00 per kg (NO CAR allowed in the trophy dam….and also in dam no 5 from 1 February 2012).
We thank you all for your loyal support, and wish you a happy Festive season and Blessings for 2012!
Animated rainbow trout (Google)
Regards,
The Treeferns Family !
Official newsletter of the Belfast Fly Fishing Association
“THE WATERS, THE FISH, THE BEST”
PO BOX 799, BELFAST 1100.
TEL. (013) 253-0748 FAX 086 502 9280
EMAIL: bffa@lantic.net
___________________NEWSLETTER NO. 57 __JUNE 2011__________________
Belfast Fly Fishing Association
PRESENTS
‘Jack Frost’
Floating Trophy
30 July 2011
- Fly Fishing
- Clay Pigeon Shooting
- Target Shooting
- Bow & Arrow Shooting
- Knife Throwing
Entry fee: R1000-00 per team / R250 p.p.
Single entrants can be teamed up with other single entrants
(R500 deposit secures your place)
Please contact Magda at 013 253 0748
or email bffa@lantic.net
for entry forms and more details.
Dear Bel-fly Readers
It is cold and wet and it is winter! All we need now is the snow.
Half way through the year also means time to renew annual membership. Please look out for the renewal form and assist us with a speedy payment. Finances are still in dire state and we had no choice but to finally retrench Magda, our office administrator. Magda has agreed to continue doing the administration of the BFFA on a voluntary basis.
Dam levels are looking good. The three dams in use have recently been stocked again thanks to the generous sponsorship from one of our loyal members, Harry Dickinson from Machadodorp. Included in the stocking were some monster trout of which two were caught during the afternoon session of the recently held Ladies Competition. (See photo).
If you have visited BFFA waters recently you would have noticed ground works taking place at the entrance gate going onto the wall of Dam 6. Soil had been deposited and will eventually be used to fill up around the edge of the dam in this corner to make more fishing space available. We would like to thank one of our committee members, Dave Hepworth, for his initiative to approach contractors currently doing some road construction coming into Belfast, to off-load their access soil for this project.
Upcoming events include the annual ‘Jack Frost’ competition to be held on the 30th of July 2011. The new structure of our exciting trophy event had become very popular over the last two years and we are looking forward to see a whole lot more of our members entering this year. Please ensure your place in this now becoming a prestigious event by booking as soon as possible.
Please note that the date for the competition usually held in September had been moved forward to the 15th of October 2011. We had numerous requests for another ‘Night Fishing Competition’ and it was decided to include a ‘night fishing’ in the program for our Annual Fly Fishing Festival. We therefore had to move it to the closest full moon phase which happens over the weekend of the 15th of October. Final program will be available closer to the time.
Regards
From Your committee.
9TH ANNUAL LADIES FLY FISHING COMPETITION 20-22 MAY 2011
Early registration and light refreshments were served on Friday evening giving the ladies and their partners an opportunity to meet and mix with other competitors and the organisers. As usual the ladies received their well stocked “goody bags”.
Unfortunately for us many of our usual entrants had been selected to go to Nationals on the same weekend and whilst we missed them it gave 20 ladies the opportunity to spread themselves around the dam. After several requests we decided to open up the days fishing to those gentlemen brave enough to cross dress. This was well received by the ladies who welcomed them with good spirit. Saturday morning late registration took place from 6.00 am and at 6.45am when all competitors drew for positions and took to the waters for a very tough days fishing with only one fish being caught in the first morning session. The fish were there but only 6 trout were caught in the morning and 19 in the afternoon.
Brunch was served at 11.30, followed by a fly casting demonstration by Hendrika (one of the cross dressers) who also offered to help any of the ladies with casting problems.
The afternoon brought great excitement when Davinia (Dave Hepworth ) landed a 60cm trout weighing in at 3.3kg, a record for the day but not for long for only half an hour late Angelique Bailey landed a 64cm trout. She had entered our competition for the first time this year, congratulations Angelique we are sure you will be back next year.
The prize giving dinner attended by competitors, partners, and officials followed a strenuous but fun days fishing..
Heather Harvey won the trophy for the longest bag for the 3 rd time previously having won this competition in 2005 and 2010. The total value of her prize was R7950, which included an accommodation voucher from one of our main sponsors valued at R5500. 2nd prize, valued at R6860 went to Robyn van Leeuwen. 3rd prize, valued at R5820 went to Justine Smit. The longest trout measuring 64cm was caught by Angelique Bailey and her prize was worth R4150.
There were also prizes for our cross dressers.
All competitors received Lucky Draw Bags at the end of the evening and competitors, officials and guest received thank you gifts of bulbs from Hadeco.
Congratulations to all the participants, especially the prize winners
LONGEST BAG Heather Harvey LONGEST TROUT Angelique Bailey
2ND LONGEST BAG Robyn van Leeuwen WINNING TEAM Chantie Minnaar, Natasha Bean, 3RD LONGEST BAG Justine Smit Angelique Bailey and Christelle Price
4TH LONGEST BAG Thelani Scholtz
Other prizes were awarded to Natasha Bean, Charmain Calcutt, Ina Meyer, Chantie Minnaar, Mariolette Nel, Franciska Pile, Thelani Scholtz and Justine Smit.
Franciska Pile, Justine Smit and Glynis Shoebotham were presented with their 5year awards for having fished 5 of the 9 competitions to date. They join 11 other ladies 2 of whom have fished all 9 events. Thank you for your loyalty.
The Sunday competition for competitors, officials and their partners was held on Sunday morning and the weekend ended with lunch and another prize giving where a number of prizes were awarded and lucky draw prizes were distributed, all couples received a goody bag.
The Belfast Fly-Fishing Association raised sponsored prizes worth R104 000, making the annual event well-worth entering. Our 10th Competition will be held from 18th to 20th May 2012, please diaries now to enter early and ensure your place.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE SPONSORS WHO MADE THIS EVENT POSSIBLE.
With out you there would be no competition.
AJF Agencies, Almar Groentemark, Alsumic Trout, Anford House, Angling Africa, Belfast Fly Fishing, Cape Union Mart, Classic Blue, Colin & Jean Turner, Distell, Dunkeld Serenty Spa, Earth Gear, Elands Kloof Trout Farm, Elgin Farm, Embroidery Basket, Fishing Pro Shop, Fitzgerald’s Mica Hardware, Forelwater Trout Farm, Gani’s Witbank, Glendower Whisky, Grip Hooks, Hadeco, Harmonette, Harry Dickinson, Highland Rose Serenity Spa, Highland Spar, Highland Springs Country Estate, Iain Stewart, Jandi Trading, Karel-Jan’s Country Cottage, Kosmos, Machado Stud Lodge, Milly’s Restaurant, Mrs Simpsons Restaurant, OK Value, Orange River Cellars, Owl & Trout Guest House, Platanna Press, Perfume Direct, Peter Naylor, SA Philips, SDM Eyewear, Senqu, Stealth (Dave Lavene), Stuart Ormerod, Tabard, Tabrar & Earle, The Kingfisher Country Lodge, The Village Angler, Belfast Tops Bottle Store, Urban Fly Fishers, Valley of the Rainbow, Verlorenkloof Estate, Wayne Plastics and Woody’s Place Guest House.
MPUMALANGA FLY FISHING ASSOCIATION
MFFA trials were held on the weekend of 4th and 5th of June 2011 and was hosted by the BFFA.
On the first morning fly fishers were welcomed to Longridge dam with warm fires and hot tea, coffee and rusks while registration took place, with 14 men, 3 juniors and 1 lady to make up the pack of 18 .
They then eagerly made their way down to the water to wait for the whistle to blow. A total of 6 fish were caught in the first session which ended at 11 o’clock. A delicious chicken curry and rice along with drinks was served up during the break.
The second session ran from 12 till 3 and a further 7 fish were caught with Alison O’Brien showing the men how it was done taking the session with two fish.
The second morning 14 anglers arrived at the BFFA club house once again welcomed by fire, tea, coffee and rusks. Anglers made their way up to the golf course dam to start the days fishing. 4 fish came out during the 1st session. Anglers then made there way down to the club house where braai packs, pap, rolls and drinks were served.
With full stomachs the anglers started the second session. 3 fish came out during this session with Andre du Plessis landing 2 great fish measuring 59.5 cm and 60 cm.
The first MFFA trials went down without any hitches and the anglers had a great time. A BIG thank you must go out to both Magda and Johan for all the hard work and organising and without them the event could not have been possible. Also, a big thank you to the BFFA and all its members for giving us the opportunity to fish on their waters.
Hope to meet you all on the water again soon.
Lyle Smith
Steering chairman MFFA
Treeferns Trout Lodge has six self catering chalets, nestled in the valley next to a trout dam, each sleeping 6 people except Eros-chalet, our honeymoon suite, which sleeps 2.
FOSAF’S OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER – NUMBER 31 – FEBRUARY 2011
EDITORIAL: FOSAF CHAIRMAN’S 2010/11 ANNUAL REPORT – Ilan Lax Chairman of FOSAF
INTRODUCTION
This report is being written early to allow for the fact that our AGM and EXCO are being held slightly earlier than usual. It is once again my pleasure to report to the membership on our activities in the year under review and to thank you all for making it a positive year for FOSAF. As always a special thanks a due to Liz and Stuart Tough for the efficient manner in which they manage FOSAF and for the travel arrangements, logistics and organisation of the EXCO.
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT:
State: We continue to await the outcome of the NEM:BA regulations process. The drafting and mapping exercises have been long completed and the delay by the authorities is worrying. We remain hopeful that the framework will provide a practical and pragmatic approach to what has proved a divisive and challenging set of issues. FOSAF remains committed to working with the relevant authorities to achieve a win-win solution in the interests of anglers and the environment. Each chapter interacts with their provincial authority and provides a useful conduit for communication with anglers.
Public: At last year’s EXCO FOSAF agreed to improve its outreach with the media and reaffirmed its connection to Flyfishing magazine. All media releases and public information are provided to all interested media on an independent and transparent basis. We believe we can do more to get our message across to anglers in general and will need to find creative and novel approaches to achieve this. Peter Arderne must be thanked for his continuing efforts to update the website.
Anglers: The launch of the FOSAF Guide to Fly-Fishing Destinations in SA marks a further milestone for our publications. The new guide not only improves upon the previous editions but also provides up-to-date and well researched information on each region, the different species, techniques, flies and accommodation options. The team, lead by Bill Mincher, deserve high praise for this outstanding publication.
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT:
EXCO: The EXCO met on a face to face basis after last year’s AGM and the meeting was conducted in a positive and constructive spirit. We set some useful goals and debated some difficult issues. We achieved a measure of consensus that augured well for the year ahead.
FOSAF NATIONAL 2011 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Notice is hereby given that the 24th Annual General Meeting of The Federation of Southern African Flyfishers will be held at the Bowls Lounge, Bryanston Sports Club, Payne Road, Bryanston, Johannesburg at 19h00 for 19h30 on Friday 11th February 2011
Chapters: Full chapter reports will be forthcoming at the EXCO however I will briefly note some observations:
Eastern Cape: Martin and Jess Fick have stood down after five years at the helm. Alan Hobson has assumed the leadership of an able team comprising representatives of most clubs. I attended the EC AGM and found the chapter to be in good health. I believe we have turned the corner and look forward to working with Alan and his team to take flyfishing in the EC forward. I thank them and Brian Clark in particular for their exceptional hospitality during my visit. The positive outcome in the Ugie and Maclear area underscores the fact that working together can bear fruit.
Northvaal: Peter Mills continues to provide able leadership and Peter Arderne’s steadfast efforts ensure the efficient functioning and management the various projects allocated to this chapter which remains in a healthy state.
The Western Cape: Leonard Flemming who has lead the committee for the last few years left to pursue career opportunities and was succeeded by Gerald Penkler. The committee continues to work in an harmonious and cooperative manner balancing the interests of indigenous species and trout and engaging in important outreach activities.
KZN: As noted last year Jim Read continues to provide sound and wise leadership. The chapter continues its good relationship with EKZNW and other stakeholders and continues to participate in the province’s freshwater fishing liaison committee. The clubs in the region remain active. Increasing interest from anglers indicates a shift for the better and I believe that there are useful lessons that could be shared with other regions.
Free State: Dirk Human has had a difficult year and has struggled to achieve cooperation from the various groups of flyfishers in the region. We remain grateful for his efforts at developing a FOSAF presence and focus in this important region.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE
Dr Bill Bainbridge continues to ably guide the team. The year not seen as much activity as previous years although the committee has reviewed a number of projects and articles submitted for comment. The committee remains vigilant to the outcome of the NEM:BA process and will address any challenges that may emerge.
STRATEGIC PLAN
As noted last year I still feel there is room for FOSAF to be more proactive. Despite reviewing progress against the strategic targets we set ourselves I feel we did not achieve as much as we had hoped to do. We will have to work harder in the year ahead to realise some of the goals we set ourselves.
CONCLUSION
I think it is important to note that FOSAF is a voluntary organisation. Yet whilst its members are all volunteers, we mange to achieve a huge amount and FOSAF’s legacy is monumental. We need to do more to broadcast and celebrate these achievements.
My thanks go out the each and every member who contributes no matter how large or small. In particular though, I would like to thank: the secretariat of Stuart and Liz Tough for their committed and consistent backup; John Webber for dealing with our Audit and the preparation of our AFS with the detail and care he always applies; our President Andrew Levy and vice presidents Tom Sutcliffe and Bill Mincher for their consistent wise counsel, and my colleagues on the EXCO for their support and commitment.
I remain willing and look forward to working with you again in the year ahead to address the challenges facing FOSAF and to promote fly-fishing.
Members 2011 unpaid annual statements are enclosed with this newsletter.
Kindly advise if there are any changes to your contact details.
The new FOSAF Guide to Fly-Fishing Destinations in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean is now available to 2011 paid up members at the discount price of R160,00
The member’s special for 2011 members includes the Favoured Flies series of FOSAF books, Vol 1 , Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4 and Vol 5 all for the price R490.00
PLEASE NOTE THE OFFICE PHONE IS 011 467 5992 . THE FAX NUMBER IS 086 671 0110
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE FLY – Tim Rolston
A mostly imaginary scenario on a trout stream.
There are a few trout rising here and there on the crystal clear stream, the angler, a seasoned veteran carefully looks for signs of fish, ignoring the one rising in the distance for the moment. He knows that there is a good chance that there will be another trout close at hand and that an injudicious step will probably spook the unseen quarry and more than likely upset the riser as well.
He cleans is polarized glasses and scans the pockets in front of him, taking special care to look right at the back where the fish frequently hold and are as frequently spooked by an incautious fisherman. A shadow gradually turns into a feeding fish as he focuses carefully. The trout is in a tricky spot, the currents are complex and drag, on this stream a dead giveaway to the trout, has to be avoided. He could make a reach mend but that is risky and if he can edge a little closer and close down the angle he will make the cast much more easily.
He has taken some trouble in preparing for his outing, his clothing is dull and muted and his shirt is actually camouflage just to be on the safe side. He has matted down the blank of his rod to avoid unnecessary rod flash and has removed his watch. His fishing reel is matt black, the shiny silver ones look nice in the shop but pragmatism suggests the dull tackle will catch more fish. Anything that might glint is hidden inside his vest and he moves cautiously so as not to bang the rocks together as he wades.
The fish have been tricky, catch and release has educated them and he knows that he probably won’t have a second chance. The leader has been lengthened to something in the region of eighteen feet, and fined down to 7X in the hope of hiding the presentation and giving a more natural float to the fly.
He selects a fly from his box and carefully sharpens it with a diamond dust hook hone, no matter what it says on the packet about chemical sharpening. Our angler knows that there is no point in going to all this trouble to fish with a blunt hook; he tests it on his finger before he is satisfied. Then he adds a hint of fly floatant paste, he doesn’t like the sprays as they tend to spread over the rest of the leader and make the tippet float. He carefully degreases the tippet with another paste, at pains to use different fingers and avoid adding floatant where it isn’t wanted. The leader itself is monofilament, braided leaders in these situations, the angler knows, spray water and scare fish and fluorocarbon, although he uses that in the dams, isn’t as flexible as the mono and won’t give quite such good presentation.
He has glued the butt of the leader into the tip of the fly line, knots at this junction will catch in the rod rings, making casting tricky and possibly leading to the loss of a fish should the joint catch up at a critical point during the fight.
In fact our angler doesn’t like knots much at all, so he has used a tapered leader for the first nine feet and then added sections of various diameters to achieve the final result. He has tested it and refined it based on the flies he is using and the wind conditions of the day and is satisfied that it is turning over well, giving both accuracy and slack at the same time. He doesn’t want to make a mistake; this is going to be a one cast shot before the fish spooks. Finally he is ready, pulling line off the reel and estimating the distance the angler makes a trial cast upstream and away from the fish, insuring that he can see the tiny fly and that he has got the distance correct. Finally he makes his cast, landing the fly just a foot or two in front of the fish and directly in the current lane in which the trout is feeding. He mends the line slightly where it is going a little faster under his rod tip and waits.
MEMBERS DRAW
The winner of the February/March 2011 members draw is David Lawrence of Parklands in Johannesburg whose prize is a self-catering weekend at Engeleni Lodge in the Kamberg Valley.
He can see that the fish has spotted the pattern, its demeanor in the water has changed, looking more focused than a moment previously and tipping its fins the trout rises in the water to intercept the fly. Not so much a take, more allowing the pattern to drift straight down its throat such was the accuracy of the cast. A pause and the angler strikes, immediately giving line to protect the fine tippet and allowing the soft actioned rod to absorb the shock as the startled fish takes off. A brisk battle and the trout is netted and released, it is the twentieth one for the morning and that probably took not a lot more than fifty casts to achieve.
As he puts the fish back into the water a voice from the bushes, an angler has been watching from a distance, “what fly are you using?” he asks..
It is the perennial call of the uninitiated, a question of almost hallowed import and so far from the mark as to make it laughable. Although perhaps the fly made a difference it isn’t the main reason for our angler’s success. Most fly fishermen put far too much stock on
the pattern and that in itself leads them to ignore all the other little refinements that go into good fishing and success on the water. Anglers like Pascal Cognard who has individually won numerous World Fly Fishing Championships on various continents isn’t successful because each time he ventures out he has a different fly to everyone else. It is technique and preparation that produce the results and whilst a selection of flies may well add to the confidence of the fisherman and provide options on difficult days, the fly box is only one of many variables which need to be mastered for success. If you are battling next time you are out on the water, give a thought to all those other things before you start changing flies, it will probably be worth the effort.
DISCOUNTS FROM FOSAF AFFILIATES AND MEMBER CLUBS
Discounts are available to FOSAF members from the following Affiliate Resorts:
Southern Drakensburg/KZN: Giants Cup Wilderness Reserve, Lake Naverone, Riverlea, Wild Dog Estate and Sani Valley Flyfishing and Game Lodge.
Gauteng and Mpumulanga: Kloofzicht, Misty Valley Lodge, Elgro Lodge, Stonecutters Lodge and Vaal Streams.
Discounts are available to FOSAF members from the following Affiliates: Angling Africa, and Frontier Flyfishing, and from the following Member Clubs: Underberg/Himeville, Belfast, Clarens, Dullstroom and Waterval Boven.
Contact details and information are available from Liz 011 467 5992 and on the FOSAF website.
AFFILIATE SPONSORS
Finsbury Estate, Anford Country House, Highland Run, Katrinasrust, Komati Gorge Lodge, Lunsklip Fisheries, Millstream, Oxbow Country Estate, Stealth Rod and Reel, Transvaal Fly Fishers Club, Tudor Estates, Verlorenkloof, Whiskey Creek, Winchester Marketing, Mavungana and Nooitegedacht Trout Reserve.
Details are on the FOSAF website – www.fosaf.co.za
This month, I’ve decided to change our main subject from fly fishing to what Treeferns really has to offer!!
With new innovative technology, all info about us is just a mouse click away, but sometimes you just want to hear/read about it in a paragraph or two without browsing through the whole web page.
A frequently asked question is: ” What of the women and children/ non-anglers…what are they going while dad is fishing?”
This past week for instance, we had a group of 20 guests some of whom from the Netherlands, who accompanied a honey-moon couple, Roel and Wilma Janssen, on their vacation. They saw some of the most spectacular places in South Africa: from The Kruger National Park to St Lucia, game drives etc. ….till they arrived at Treeferns! Everyone was amazed by the awesome surroundings, clean air and water, and absolutely no disturbance of sirens, vehicles driving, crazy taxi drivers and all the other horrible things you get in the cities!
Their visit started off with a traditional farmhouse dinner prepared on the old coal stove in the main house that was re-built in 1908. After a very long journey they were early in bed after this delicious meal. Early next morning after a huge breakfast, we went to our neighbouring farm, Greystone Lodge for clay pigeon shooting. And the winner was none other than the bridegroom, Roel Janssen, with his new wife, Wilma, almost in tears when he received his certificate and bottle of mampoer, distilled in one of the smallest towns in South Africa, ‘Tonteldoos’…about 60km from us. After the clay pigeon shooting, we all went on a scenic hike on our farm; a good 2-hours hike. The alternative hiking trail takes about 4 hours. After the hike it was fishing time! With a quick lesson in casting, it was all fun for the rest of the afternoon with Donè, one of the guys in the group who caught himself!! Luckily no serious injuries occurred. When fishing was done; it was party time: A quick ‘braai’ at the lapa, music and then we introduced them to real South African boere-musiek…..this went on till 01:00am! Next morning it was the last breakfast on the lapa deck overlooking the trout dams and then lots of tears saying goodbye! Thank you very much, Roel and Wilma Jansen from Maastrich, Netherlands, and your families for honouring us with your visit. Can’t wait for the next one in September!
In short: If you don’t fish, you can decide on a few things from, hiking, bird watching (129 species!!), clay pigeon shooting, game drives on our other neighbouring farm, or a visit to places like Dullstroom with it’s restaurants, curio shops, Belfast, Waterval Boven and Machadodorp…. If you’re into the so-called ‘unexplained’, then you have to visit the stone circle museum in Waterval Boven….ever thought of other forms of live in the universe…..?? Then I need to say no more!
Our hiking trail is very popular as well as our star gazing (weather permitting!). After 4 very long misty months, we can see some of the favourites in the night sky again like the planet Saturn with it’s planetary rings, moon phases (with rocks and craters clearly visible through the telescopes), Nebulae, Stars clusters and other galaxies during the ‘Dark Moon’ phases.
Our annual fly fishing competition is still on for the last weekend in October in conjunction with Diabetes South Africa. This will be a fun-filled weekend for the whole family. Remember to book your entry and accommodation ASAP. More on this in next month’s news letter.
About fishing the past 3 weeks: The biggest one came from dam no 11: A whopping 3.6 kg by Dirkie Joubert, a new addition to the farm. Flies and patterns that still works: DDD with small droppers (size 18 or smaller!) and all your smallest flies in your box (sizes 16 and up) like Red Humpy’s, Buzzers, Adams and Midge Pupae.
A tackle shop in Dullstroom, The Village Angler’s new owner, John Hunter, and I, fish regularly and then we put some flies together for our anglers to buy at our shop on the farm. These patterns are tried and tested! (Our shop/kiosk still offers the best home made jams in this area! )
Our new chalet/ house ‘The Oaks’ is completed and very popular. Johan de Waal is our first syndication member. Only 7 syndications available: 4 weekends and 2 midweeks for 8 persons: Only R 17500-00 per year (a total of 20 nights)!! For more info on this, feel free to drop me an e-mail: mornejansevanrensburg@vodamail.co.za
Inputs from our guests are always welcome! We are now also on Facebook, thanks to my sister-in-law, Sonya Smith, owner of Sonya Smith Funeral Group.
Till next time…
Enjoy fishing!
Morne van Rensburg: Manager: Treeferns Trout Lodge.
072 403 1895.
Invitation and agenda for the a route development meeting in the Nkangala District
Facilitator: Thiofhi Ravele from Open Africa
Date: 28th February 2011
Time: 14:00 pm – 16:00 pm
Venue: Mayor’s Boardroom, Emakhazeni Local Municipality
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Open Africa has taken the successful wine route concept and applied it to travel in mostly rural and marginalised areas across Africa. We work together with communities to develop, market and monitor routes. We create off the beaten track, self-drive routes, clustering travel attractions in an area for travellers to explore (e.g. accommodation, tour guides, local artisans, food suppliers). A route can be any length and cover varied attractions. We then market the routes through an innovative travel portal (www.openafrica.org) and various other marketing initiatives. We also institute monitoring and evaluation tools to track route challenges and outcomes. |
Agenda
1. Introductions & attendance
2. Overview of Open Africa and the route concept
3. The proposed project and potential parameters
4. Feedback on desktop research for the Situational Analysis
a) Marketing aspects
b) Community aspects
c) Environmental aspects
d) Technical aspects
5. Identification of possible partners in the route development/support process
6. The way forward
Star Gazing Hot Spot …. only at Treeferns Trout Lodge, Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Our rainy season on the Highveld came with a ‘Big Bang’ to our province and Star Gazing for the past 3 months was difficult due to the weather.
Fortunately, seasons are changing and for the past 2 weeks we could set up our telescopes and enjoy the starry night. It’s amazing to see the changes is the night sky since August 2010. Luckily, objects like Orion’s Nebulae is now visible from early evening and with bigger telescopes and camera’s, things like the Horse Head nebulae is easier to find comparing to August last year.
And the 2 famous planets: Saturn and Jupiter….Oh what a sight!! .. and do not forget about galaxies like Andromeda, Tarantula, and the thousands of star clusters.
With your lap top and programmes like Red shift planetarium and ‘stellarium’in your one hand, and the scope in the other: Star gazing is just one of those pleasures we have to offer.
My 11-year old son and I enjoy these quality times together and during October we both saw 2 ‘objects’ on one night: The one looked like a special craft and the other one was something we couldn’t make out in the milky way: A big flashing light which separated in different directions. The same week, on a news bulletin, it was reported that quite a few ‘UFO sightings’ were reported during the month of October all over the globe! Unfortunately, after several mails to organizations like SETI (search for extra terrestrial intelligence) nobody replied to our enquiries.
Clean air, clear skies, luxurious accommodation, unforgettable trout fishing, game drives and a magnificent view from 2000 metres above sea level: This is a winning combination for anyone who is looking for that Star Gazing Hot Spot: Only at Treeferns Trout Lodge, Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
News Letter nr.1 / 2011: (January 2011)
What a fantastic year 2010 was…..a year full of surprises: especially regarding weather patterns, behaviour of fish and the size of some fish that were caught!
The last 8 weeks, we had serious and rainstorms. A total of 1300mm was recorded on the lodge. With this in mind, one can understand why fishing was not so great in January.
According to our statistics through our permit system, our currents stock levels in our dams are as follows: (As on 4 February 2011)
Dam 1(Weir): 5 fish, Dam 2(Weir): 7 fish, Dam 3(Weir): 10 fish, Dam 4: 110 fish, Dam 5: 75 fish, Dam 6: 78 fish, Dam 7(Weir): 1 Fish, Dam 8: 132 fish, Dam 9: 111 fish, Dam 10: 92 fish, Dam 11: 51 fish, Dam 12(Fountain dam/Weir): 3 fish, Dam 13 (Kiddies pond @ Panorama Chalet): 3 fish.
Good news is that we’re busy upgrading a very old dam, just below dam 10. This dam (dam no 14) will be finished by April 2011. We’re going to stock this dam only with ‘TrophyFish’…NO Catch-and-release will be allowed in this dam!!
Flies that worked over the past 2 weeks are: Red Humpys’s, Buzzers (size 16 and smaller!!) DDD’s, small Black woolly buggers and Flash back nymphs (size 14 and smaller).
We’re currently busy cleaning up dam number 9. This dam produced our biggest fish on record. Unfortunately, these monsters started to hide between the reeds and fishing became more and more difficult in this dam. Because of the amount reeds and weeds, oxygen levels dropped also and the fish are not doing so well at this moment. Hopefully, this dam will start producing those monsters….and the very big Brown tout we all are looking for!!…and remember: It’s unnecessary to use a sinking line in this dam!!!….it’s not so deep: in the middle it’s about 1 meter deep!
Our first syndication is now in full swing! We only have 6 more packages available!! Remember that you can save more than 50% when buying your membership: 4 Weekends and 2 Midweeks for 6-8 persons OR 5x 3night weekends for 6-8 persons per year for only R17500-00. 60 Trout per package included!! For more info, contact Morne on 072 403 1895.
One of the most important events on our calendar is our 2nd annual Treeferns Trout Classic/ Competition. REMEMBER: Only 30 anglers will be allowed on the lodge the day of the competition. This will take place on Saturday 29 October. If you’re interested: Phone us ( 072 403 1895) and book your place ASAP! Entry fee: R 350-00 per person. Early coffee and rusks, Brunch and supper included. Accommodation available to anglers only. We have 32 beds available!! (R 270-00 per person per night extra for accommodation). Closing date for entries: 30 August 2011.
Looking forward to a fantastic 2011!!
Greetings,
Morne van Rensburg( Manager: Treeferns Trout Lodge).
What a fantastic year 2010 was…..a year full of surprises: especially regarding weather patterns, behaviour of fish and the size of some fish that were caught!
The last 8 weeks we had many heavy rainstorms. A total of 1300mm was recorded on the lodge. With this in mind, one can understand why fishing was not so great in January.
According to our statistics through our permit system, our currents stock levels in our dams are as follows (As on 4 February 2011):
Dam 1(Weir): 5 fish, Dam 2(Weir): 7 fish, Dam 3(Weir): 10 fish, Dam 4: 110 fish, Dam 5: 75 fish, Dam 6: 78 fish, Dam 7(Weir): 1 Fish, Dam 8: 132 fish, Dam 9: 111 fish, Dam 10: 92 fish, Dam 11: 51 fish, Dam 12(Fountain dam/Weir): 3 fish, Dam 13 (Kiddies pond @ Panorama Chalet): 3 fish.
Good news is that we’re busy upgrading a very old dam, just below dam 10. This dam (dam no 14) will be finished by April 2011. We’re going to stock this dam only with ‘TrophyFish’…NO Catch-and-release will be allowed in this dam!!
Flies that worked over the past 2 weeks are: Red Humpys’s, Buzzers (size 16 and smaller!!) DDD’s, small Black woolly buggers and Flash back nymphs (size 14 and smaller).
We’re currently busy cleaning up dam number 9. This dam produced our biggest fish on record. Unfortunately, these monsters started to hide between the reeds and fishing became more and more difficult in this dam. Because of the reeds and weeds, oxygen levels dropped also and the fish are not doing so well at this moment. Hopefully, this dam will keep on producing those monsters….and the very big Brown trout we all are looking for!!…and remember: It’s unnecessary to use a sinking line in this dam!!!….it’s not so deep: in the middle it’s about 1 meter deep!
Our first syndication is now in full swing! We only have 6 more packages available!! Remember that you can save more than 50% when buying your membership: 4 Weekends and 2 Midweeks for 6 – 8 persons OR 5 x 3 night weekends for 6 – 8 persons per year for only R17500-00. 60 trout per package included!! For more info, contact Morne on 072 403 1895.
One of the most important events on our calendar is our 2nd annual Treeferns Trout Classic/ Competition. REMEMBER: Only 30 anglers will be allowed on the lodge the day of the competition. This will take place on Saturday 29 October. If you’re interested: Phone us ( 072 403 1895) and book your place ASAP! Entry fee: R 350-00 per person. Early coffee and rusks, brunch and supper included. Accommodation available to anglers only. We have 32 beds available!! (R 270-00 per person per night extra for accommodation). Closing date for entries: 30 August 2011.
Looking forward to a fantastic 2011!!
Greetings,
Morne van Rensburg( Manager: Treeferns Trout Lodge).
31 January 2011
Ending 2010 is almost like ending a very important chapter in one’s life…and waiting for the next exciting chapter to start.
Fishing was quite challenging the past 12 months but very re-warding.
Some of our fishing highlights for 2010:
1. Our 1st Treeferns Trout Classic competition took place on 30 October with 30 anglers and 187 fish caught on the day. (And remember our next one: Last weekend in October 2011!!
2. Our biggest fish on record was caught: This fish was far over 5 kg, our guest’s scale could only weigh up to 5 kg!! The good news: The fish is still here in Dam no 9!
3. We have implemented a permit/ catch card system to keep track of the fish population in the dams. This is working great and we have a very, very good idea of how many fish are in each dam.
On the farm/ lodge some things also changed:
1. Our honey moon suite was built (Eros-chalet) and it is very popular.
2. We have upgraded Reception, Arum-chalet, the lapa and braai area.
3. Dam no. 6 wall was extended by another 15 metres and fishing is now very exciting in this one.
4. One of the first dam walls (just under dam no 10), is in the process of upgrading and will be stocked in March.
5. A new 4 bedroom 6-8 sleeper chalet, ‘The Oaks’ (part of our new syndication opportunity) hosted it’s first guests in December.
6. We have implemented further safety measures for our guests.
Fishing in November and December (up to yesterday: 30/12) gave some anglers a lot of grey hair! Flies that worked in the morning, did not necessarily worked in the afternoon. You could fish with olive coloured woolly buggers for two hours and the next moment the fish would only go for White Death! The last 2 weeks in December things changed totally. 90% of the time throughout the day, fish would only go for flies smaller than size 16! Some of the flies that are still working on this size is Mrs Simpson, Walker’s/ Hamill’s Killer and the Machado fly. The less material the fly has, the better the chances of catching. Woolly bugger was a NO-NO! Darker patterns of DDD with a smaller nymph used as dropper also work and the best flies at this stage would be red/ green epoxy buzzers, Midge flies etc (BUT VERY SMALL!)…on floating/ intermediate lines, using 3m tippet 4x or 5x material.
The hot spots were :
Dam no.6: Near the inlet only,
Dam no 8: The jetty area,
Dam no 9: near the bullrushes/reeds/ inlet, and
Dam no 10: mountain side (small Hopper patterns) and nymphs and buzzers near the inlet.
We would like to thank you all for your support over the past year. 2011 will produce BIG FISH!!!! (so we hope!!!) Thank you for all your inputs: these have made our efforts a lot easier. Luckily fly fishing is my passion and it takes a fly fisher to know one!
About our Syndication: This is something to think about:
For R17500-00 per year/ package, you get 4 weekends and two midweeks per year, exclusive angling/ access to dams no 11 and 12, 60 trout included and the new 6-8 sleeper chalet. Almost 50% discount on your normal accommodation!
We wish you a prosperous 2011 and thank you for your loyal support. You are not clients anymore, but part of our family of Treeferns Trout Lodge.
See you in 2011!
Morne van Rensburg (072 403 1895)
31 December 2010
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