A weekend of trout fishing in leopard country is a reminder that SA still has clean waters

Trout are what biologists call an indicator species. If they can thrive in a wild river system or human-made dams, it’s an indication that the aquatic ecosystem is doing just fine. 

There is a school of thought that trout as an alien species have no business in South Africa’s waters, and government policy on this front remains typically muddled. This author does not plan to wade far into this debate, beyond throwing a cast or two that will likely give rise to a few objections. 

As previously noted, in a developing economy like South Africa’s with its many challenges, the objections to trout look out of place. The industry spawned around trout has contributed about R1.8-billion annually to South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) and sustained the employment of about 13,000 people in 2014, according to an analysis that year by Cobus Venter, an economic consultant. 

The fact is that in some of South Africa’s river systems, trout – mostly rainbow but also browns – are well established and have been for more than a century. Their presence in such waters is a gin-clear indication that those systems are clean, and that the wider ecosystem is likely to be relatively healthy as well. 

The same cannot be said for many of South Africa’s water systems, which are in a shambolic state. 

Untreated sewage is a disgraceful problem in many South African metros, which also face shortages of purified water that flow from the failure of government departments to do their job right as bottom feeders scavenge the funds required for maintenance and development. 

The stream that runs through the Cradle of Humankind has been fouled by the collapse of the Mogale City’s sewer treatment plant, devastating the native wildlife including fish as well as small businesses in the area.

That was also an area where I fished for trout regularly in stocked dams, and I miss that convenience as a Johannesburg resident. 

So it was a relief to finally cast for trout on a recent April weekend at Rivendell, which is 17km from Lydenburg in countryside that is teeming with leopard and other wildlife. 

It was my second journey there on a trip hosted by Frontier Fly Fishing, a Sandton-based shop. Co-owner Tom Lewin was our host, and he brought along legendary guide Mark Yelland to help out. 

It is, quite simply, a special place. Coming from Johannesburg via Dullstroom, you drive through Lydenburg and then hit the R36 for a few kilometres before hanging a right for a few more kilometres down a dirt road. 

And presto, you are in paradise. 

The Spekboom River cuts through a Bushveld valley alive with game and birds. There are reportedly no less than 15 families of leopard in the vicinity, and anglers are always told in no uncertain terms to be off the water by dusk.

The fishing is superb as the river is regularly stocked while also boasting wild populations of trout that have established themselves – another indicator of the health of the waters. 

I caught no fish bigger than about 400 grams and only caught a few in total – others in our party who are far better at the craft of fly fishing had the podium totals – but just casting in clean waters is cleansing for the mind and the soul of an angler. 

I will readily admit that most of my fish I caught stripping a streamer through the waters, which is anathema to purists such as my host Tom, who is a self-confessed dry fly snob. 

A dry fly floats on the water, often with a nymph pattern tied beneath that sinks below. This is very technical fishing that requires the fly to float in a natural way that produces no “drag” on the water, which makes it look unnatural and therefore unappetising. A streamer by contrast is a “wet fly” that goes below the surface that is stripped through the water by a pulling motion with your free hand. 

A rainbow landed by the author at Rivdendell Trout Estate near Lydenburg. (Photo: Ed Stoddard)