Katka is a force to be reckoned with. As a professional guide in Iceland, World Champion and Brand Ambassador for Rio Products and Patagonia, we were lucky enough to host her on her recent travels to South Africa. In association with Patagonia, we hosted 3 days of Euro Nymphing Clinics with visitors from around the country, on the Bushman’s River at Snowflake Cottage.

With the recent rains, we were met with a roaring river. This couldn’t have presented better conditions to apply the various techniques and strategies for Euro-Nymphing. With the weather playing along, Shaun, Jono and Katka did a stellar job of coaching, assisting and making the days on the water filled with as much learning as possible.

Each morning would start with welcoming the guests to a warm cup of coffee, snacks and a brief introduction to the team that would be spending the day with them. This would be followed by Katka presenting gear, with the likes of specific rod lengths, lines, tippets and leader constructions that would be used for the day ahead. A thorough dictation of this proved insightful for most, as this is a known, but relatively unexplored technique. The benefits of which are undeniably more effective than the standard indicator rig. Provided the understanding of how, when and why to deploy its tactics. With this in mind, our suggested gear for this are as follows:

Rod: Between 10’ and 11’ 2wt – 3wt (Xplorer T50 Tech 10’ 3wt or Diamondback 10’/10’10 2/3wt)

Reel: Anything that would provide balance to the rig. Our latest Flow Reel is great for the T50, where the Evo #003 proves effective too.

Line: Rio Euro-Nymph, or the Rio Euro Nymph Shorty.

Leader: Rio Two-Tone Tippet and Powerflex Plus in 4X – 5X. Or Rio’s pre-made Euro Leader.

Terminal: Rio Tippet Rings, and Rio Powerflex Plus in 5X – 7X

After the discussion around gear, we set about assisting all attendants in the rigging of their own gear. With a variety of skill levels and experience, the morning introduction session built up quite a bit of hype, and once everyone was kitted up and ready to go, we loaded the crew and made our way to the river.

With high energy levels, each group would be given a demonstration by Katka, showcasing her styles and approach to two techniques. One being a dedicated Euro style with a two-fly rig, and the other being a dry and dropper, also on the euro rig. On all three days, a fish was caught in each demonstration, proving that even in high water, a change in approach with a focus on margins, cushions and eddies.

One – on – one sessions were then the course of the suit, with Shaun, Jono and Katka making their rounds as each angler deployed their new learnings. We were happy to sign each day off with every angler catching fish, and leaving with smiles on their faces. Its not often that we welcome international visitors for clinics like these, so to leave a week like this with a prominent feeling that each and every angler learnt something is exactly why these events are so well attended.

A huge thanks to Katka and Patagonia for coming down south, and adding significant value to all. But mostly, thank you to everyone who joined! It’s fantastic to see how rapidly the community is growing. From competitive anglers to weekend warriors, a week like this proved that we’re all in it for the same reasons; to learn, share and to enjoy our precious time on the water.

Until next time!

#neverstopxploring #patagoniafish