Fishing the Bokong River
This week we saw the return of some familiar faces fishing the Bokong River. Dave Dyer and his crew from KZN filled our camp with many a cold beer, and as they would say “a crispy white wine”. This group consisted of Dave (Davo), John Bredin (I & J), his son Scott, Graham Dyer (G-man), Pelham Henwood (Reg) and Viv turner (Puza). A group that has been visiting the camp annually from the very first season – they are the MCC OG’s!
Move your feet, lose your beat
As many anglers who have visited the camp before will know, the fishing right below the camp in our home pool can often be some of the most productive and exciting fishing on the river. The first afternoon of arrival, is unguided fishing around as camp as guides and camp staff prepare for the busy days ahead. With all the fishermen in this group having had Bokong experience, they knew that getting down to home pool smartly and securing your spot was vital! With subtle looks and quiet moves, groups started to sneak down in search for a prime spot. The fishing was on! Fish on dries of all sorts, and in good numbers. But had you taken a minute to absorb the scenery or have a sip of water, you would turn around to the surprise of another anglers dry drifting through your beat. Many laughs and many fines were shared that evening over this poor fishing etiquette.
Every guides dream – lunch and afternoon naps!
As a guide, it’s quite tricky to explain to anglers that a good lunch break is just as important as a good drift. Luckily for the guides in camp, this was a concept that this group understood completely. Every morning session on the river was capped off with a tasty in camp lunch paired with an icy cold crispy white wine that Puza (Viv) had prepped the night before. To top it all off, a customary afternoon siesta was always on the cards as the guys mustered the energy for the afternoon session.
Old dogs don’t need new tricks
It was an absolute pleasure having the cool heads and experience that came with this group of capable anglers. They made the most of good river levels and kind weather. The river blew out for the morning of day 3, but it was no problem for (I&J) John who adapted and overcame the dirtier water with some heavy orange beaded nymphs. Besides that morning of dirty water, we were blessed with a beautiful Bokong river and some awesome days overflowing with good banter and laughs.
No room for error when fishing the Bokong river
After dinner every evening, a fines meeting was held where certain accomplishments or lack of accomplishments were noted, and dealt with accordingly. The fine being a concoction that Davo designed and served in a chalice engraved with “Bokong”. The most notable fine was handed to one of our guides, being Angus Mundell as he trades his fly rod for a tractor, and thus concluding his guiding career with a memorable group. Will we see him back? We all hope so, but if not, we wish Angus all the best for his new job!
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