So in part one of the article we had a look at a suitable venue, we briefly discussed tactics and we had a look at the essential equipment you will need for targeting stillwater Trout. Next we are going to have a look at flies that you will need for stillwater Trout.

Now you don’t need boxes full of flies with a horde of different fly patterns. The more time you spend targeting stillwater Trout the more you will develop a preference for certain fly patterns, as you will see which flies catches fish on a regular basis and which flies don’t. It is very important to have confidence in the flies you fish with, so take time and experiment with different patterns.

These are our current 10 favourite flies for targeting stillwater Trout:

Speedcop Jiggabugger

If a Jighead streamer and a Woolly Bugger had babies, then this is what you would get. The Speedcop Jiggabugger is an attractor pattern of note, with various triggers built into the fly and it has a jigging action that drive Trout crazy. It is very effective and can be used any time of day. Vary your depth and retrieve (faster and slower) until you get the fish committing to the fly.

Crystal Woolly Bugger

Not only a very effective Trout fly but it works great for Largemouth Yellowfish too. It is a great searching pattern and although it does not imitate something specific it could be mistaken by fish as a Leech, Minnow, Dragonfly nymph or just as an attractor pattern. As with the Speedcop Jiggabugger, vary your depth and retrieve until you start getting reaction from the fish.

Zebra Midge

One if the quickest and easiest flies to tie but also one of the most effective. Zebra midges imitate Midge Pupae amongst other things and they are deadly. Tie them in black and red and you are ready to trick even the finickiest of Trout into biting. Fish them static and give them a twitch every now and then.

Wire Worm

This is a great Midge Larve imitation fly as it has a bit of weight and a hot spot. It can be fished on its own, as part of a stillwater Midge rig or as a dropper under a strike indicator or dry fly. Midges or Chironomidae (Chirnomoids) are the most prolific food source for Trout in a stillwater environment and because of that Midge Larvae and Pupae patterns are a must.

Papa Roach

If I personally had to choose only one fly to target stillwater Trout with, then this would be it. It is probably the best Dragonfly nymph imitation on the planet and it accounts for more trophy Trout that any other fly that I know of. Fish it around weed beds and hold on tight! Be cautions of the commercially tied versions as they are far from the real deal. Fish it static and retrieve the fly very slowly (figure of 8 retrieve) just to pick up the slack in the fly line.

Damselfly Nymph

Damsels are also part of Stillwater Trout’s staple diet and they are very important pattern to have in your fly box. Fish them around reeds and weed beds or when sight fishing for that big cruiser.

Blobs

Love them or hate them, they work. It is a very effective attractor pattern but could also be suggestive of a Daphnia cluster. You can rig them at the top of your stillwater Midge rig in conjunction with a Zebra Midge in the middle and a Wire Worm at the bottom of the rig. Drift the rig on windy days and watch you fly line for any movement. Takes can be either aggressive or very subtle.

Boobies

Get your mind out of the gutter, we are talking about foam eyed Boobies. One of the deadliest flies for stillwater Trout when fished on a sinking line and when nothing else is working. It has a unique swimming action under water when stripped which drives Trout crazy. You can also fish it on a floating line as an indicator fly on the surface or as part of a washing line rig.

Chernobyl Ant

Now this might be a surprize to some, but we have found the Chernobyl Ant to be a great indicator and Hopper pattern for stillwater Trout. Originally a Stonefly imitation they can also be used as a Hopper or attractor pattern. They float like a cork and they do a great job of imitating Terrestrials.

Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear or G.R.H.E.

Still one of the best nymph patterns for Trout. Use it when sight fishing or as a dropper under a dry fly. It can get the fussiest of Trout to commit when no other fly will produce the goods. Tie them in a weighted and un-weighted version for extra versatility.

Here is a link to part one of the article.

© 2015 Guns and Fly Fishing. All Rights Reserved.

Most fly fisherman in South Africa start out by fly fishing for stillwater Trout. This is due to the fact that fly fishing is synonymous with Trout and as it is also referred to by some as Trout fishing. The problem with this is that a lot of people think that you can only fly fish for Trout, which is off course not true.

There are however, not many things as pleasing as stripping your fly line in anticipation of a strike and then getting that sudden thump from a stillwater Trout. Another thing I love about stillwaters is the sight fishing opportunities for big cruising Trout in the winter months. This can be very challenging sometimes but it is also very rewarding if you get the fish to take your fly.

As most of us who live in Gauteng head toward the Dullstroom , Belfast and Machadodorp region over weekends to catch Trout, we at GAFF thought that we would share some of our proven tactics and preferred fly patterns for targeting stillwater Trout.

Venue

There are many stillwater Trout venues to choose from these days but unfortunately not all of them are up to standard when it comes to quality fly fishing. Most of these venues are more focused on people looking for a romantic weekend away than on serious fly fishermen looking for a quality stillwater Trout fly fishing destination.

Little Troutbeck is without a doubt our favourite stillwater fly fishing venue as the quality of the fish and the fishing itself is really top class. There are 11 dams of which Loch Logan, which is a 3 hectare spring fed dam, has the potential to be (if not already) the premier trophy Trout stillwater in Mpumalanga. Loch Logan has recently been awarded both the best stillwater and the biggest fish awards during the Dullstroom Classic, which is Mpumalanga’s most prestigious annual fly fishing competition.

When looking at a stillwater Trout venue, make sure that the dams and the fish are managed properly and that the owner or manager of the farm knows what he/she is doing. Most of these venues don’t come cheap, so make sure about the quality of fishing before making a reservation.

Tactics

When you get to a new stillwater, always spend about 5 minutes looking at the water before you start fishing. Identify structure and keep an eye open for any fish activity. Try to establish where the Trout will hold and where they will feed. Structure is very important as it offers protection to the Trout and habitat to its prey.

Submerged trees, reed beds, rocky structure, sudden drop offs and weed beds are the most common forms of structure to be encountered in a stillwater environment and it is in these areas where you want to start fishing.

Inlets into dams and shallow bays are also great places to start, especially so early in the morning and late in the afternoon when the water is cooler. Trout like to hang around in these areas as their food source will be more concentrated and thus easier for them to hunt.

When temperatures rise above 24 Celsius during the day, Trout tend to go into deeper and colder water where there is more oxygen. This usually happens between 10:00 am and 15:00 pm, especially so in the warmer months. Early morning and late afternoons are thus prime time as this is when the Trout will be most active, due to the cooler water temperatures and an increase in insect activity.

A sudden onset of a cold front or change in temperature will sometimes cause Trout to completely go “off the bite” as some refer to it. This is due to a number of factors, but the most important is the change in atmospheric pressure. You will notice that before a cold front or before a storm the fish activity will increase as the pressure drops but there after they will become almost lethargic during the front and a couple of days after the cold front has passed.

This should not deter you as you will still catch fish, but probably less than in optimal conditions. Unfortunately the weather does play a major part in fish behaviour so always keep an eye on the weather prediction ahead of a fishing trip, at least then you will know what to expect.

Equipment

A 10ft 6wt fast action rod will be ideal but a 9ft 5wt medium to fast action rod will also be adequate. A fly reel is not there to “just hold the fly line”, so you should preferably have a large arbour reel of reasonable quality and a decent drag.

You will need a floating line for the majority of your stillwater fishing but make sure to invest in an intermediate and sinking line as well. If not then get a floating line, such as a Rio Gold or Scientific Angler’s GPX and a sinking line such as a Rio Intouch Deep or Scientific Anglers Uniform sinking lines.

A float tube or kick boat is not essential but is required when you want to cover big stillwaters thoroughly and when you are serious about catching that 10lbs trophy.
9ft 2x tapered leaders will suffice and you can step it down to a 4x tippet when using smaller flies.

A good pair of polarized sunglasses is a must and make sure you wear adequate sun protection (hat, long sleeve shirt, sunblock etc.).

Waders are not compulsory except if you are going to make use of a float tube or if you are going to wade in the shallows (not permitted everywhere).

A soft mesh landing net with an extendable handle will make your life easier when netting a fish from a steep dam embankment. McLean makes great nets and they last very long.

In part two of the article we will have a look at ten of our favourite stillwater Trout flies.

© 2015 Guns and Fly Fishing. All Rights Reserved.

Shot placement is probably the most important part of hunting in a responsible and ethical manner. It is however one of the most neglected aspects when it comes to hunting. Some people focus so much on rifle calibers and other things that they don’t pay enough attention to shot placement at all.

Now whilst adequate rifle caliber is indeed very important (and in most places a legal obligation) caliber will not make up for poor shot placement on an animal. If you do not damage the vitals of an animal it will not expire in a quick and ethical manner.

Ethics are off coarse what separates hunters from poachers amongst other things. We as hunters have an obligation to make sure that we treat the animals that we hunt with respect and it is our duty to promote, educate and ensure the conservation of those same animals that we hunt, to ensure the survival and well being of those animals and their habitat.

Now as this is an article about shot placement and not about ethics, I will refrain from saying too much about ethics, but the whole purpose of shot placement is to harvest an animal in the quickest, most humane, pain and stress free manner as possible for the animal. Whether you are hunting a trophy animal for the record books or whether you are hunting an animal for the pot, the animal should be treated with the same respect.

Now for this article we will exclude dangerous game and we will handle that at a later stage. The focus here will be on plains game.

The most effective and lethal shot placement is a brain shot. This is however the most dangerous and irresponsible option as the chance of wounding the animal is very high. Only certain individuals who have years of experience and adequate equipment opt for head shots, but even so it is not always possible for a brain shot on an animal as there just too many factors influencing the shot and making it too risky. The same goes for neck and spinals shots.

That brings us to the heart and lung area, which is what we will concentrate on. Now without getting too technical, the heart and lung area is the engine room of the animal. If these organs are damaged the animal’s engine will stop running and the animal’s vehicle which is its body will come to a standstill.

The lungs take in oxygen and the heart pumps the blood to all the vital organs. If an artery or organ is damaged the blood pressure drops as the blood escapes and so the lungs and the heart will eventually shut down. This all might sound very grim, but it the harsh reality and something that is important to understand.

With bowhunting the projectile (which is an arrow with a broadhead) cuts through the organs, whereas with rifle hunting the projectile (a bullet) induces a hydro static shock, thus creating much more of an exploding effect. Both projectiles will create a wound channel with a temporary and permanent cavity but the bullet will cause a bigger temporary cavity and because of that more internal trauma.

This does not mean that the broadhead is not as lethal; in fact in some cases an animal shot with an arrow goes down much quicker and bleeds much more that when shot with a bullet. This is however something that can be contributed to the heart either being full of blood or empty at the time of impact (systolic and diastolic) and it will vary from animal to animal as well.

There are so many things that can influence effective shot placement on an animal such as the position the animal is facing, vegetation in front of the animal, rifle caliber, distance of the shot being taken and other animals behind the target animal to name just a few. To keep its simple we are going to stick with the basics and focus on the shot placement and the position of the animal only.

As a rule of thumb and with all other factors being equal, the quickest reference for shot placement on an animal standing in a broadside position is to go up on the front leg of the animal with the crosshair and to stop and take aim approximately one third up from the bottom of the animals chest.

When an animal is facing quartering away the safest shot is to go up between the two front legs of the animal with the crosshair and to stop and take aim approximately one third up from the bottom of the animals chest. The same will apply for a frontal shot, but this only applies to rifle hunting and with an adequate caliber. It is not advised to take frontal shots with archery equipment, except for Giraffe perhaps where a frontal shot in some cases can be the most effective of shots to take.

Remember that animals won’t always stand still when you are taking your aim and it is important to study their behavior to better anticipate their movement. This might sounds strange but bowhunters who often hunt Impala and Warthog (notorious string jumpers) will know what I am talking about. Sometimes people also take aim and instinctively pull the trigger as soon as the animal starts to move, in fear of it “getting away”, causing an almost 100% chance of wounding the animal.

Let’s have a look at a few Southern African plains game species and the suggested shot placement for them:

Impala

Warthog

Kudu

Giraffe

Zebra

*Please note that the blue and red “vitals” illustrated in the above images are merely an indication of where the vitals are situated and they do not necessarily reflect the true anatomy of the animals.

© 2015 Guns and Fly Fishing. All Rights Reserved.