Queenstown is a brutal place.,The wind alone can make it physically impossible to stand up, let alone get the float tube on the water or even make an effective cast. But the fishing is well worth the hardship. The hardened anglers who understand these circumstances of “no-gain-without-the-pain” are rewarded with what is considered by most, as the best Stillwater fishing in the country.

Xplorer hosted a few trips to the windy highlands of the Eastern Cape this year in August. Based at a warm and comfortable centrally located lodge, with private accommodations per angler, we braved the cold and constant winds in search of monster fish.

The trip kicked off with a warmup session at the lodge’s local water on the afternoon the guests arrived. We headed up a well beaten track to wet a line as the guests had a chance to catch up with each other since last year’s trip. We fished this dam for a few hours from the bank with a beer or whiskey in hand to get the stoke up for the weeks fishing. As the sun started to set, we packed up the rods and headed down to the lodge for dinner, and then we continued the whistle wetting around the lodge’s pub to discuss the plans for the next day..

The first day’s proper fishing began before the sun was up in order to arrive at Pine Grove dam at dawn. We drove in convoy with boats loaded on the vehicles.  The rods were rigged and ready to maximize the time on water. This dam was known to be our best chance at a big fish, with trout in the high 60cm range brought to the net on previous trips. This is a big, deep dam with good weed beds  that hold an abundance of diverse food sources (platannas, dragon damsels, baitfish, tadpoles, leeches, bloodworms). The days fishing was challenging,  the prevailing winds blew inconsistently most of the day(the ideal wind NE didn’t blow). Nonetheless some good fish came from Pine Grove and a great time was had by all.

The next two days saw a rotation between Snowden Dam and Trophy/Long Dam. Both are susceptible to the Queenstown gales and both, thankfully were manageable to fish from the bank. A few good fish were taken from the usual spots on a newly developed leech pattern that proved particularly effective on these waters. We practically lost track of the number of fish that came to the net, thanks to this amazing fly. It also accounted for a good number of brown trout on Snowden Trophy.

The end of each day we had a recap of the days fishing in the pub before settling into another delicious dinner followed by a tying session for the next days innings. Everyone got along well, there was ample banter and jokes flying and new friends and connections were soon made.  We are grateful to have access to these amazing, exclusive waters and to be able to fish with anglers that truly appreciate the rewards of fishing such challenging environments. Until next year!

Jonathan De Sousa