Next week the Queenstown Fly Fishing Club will host its annual gathering when enthusiasts from around the country come into town and compete for the biggest catch.
The event is now held in the first week of September after the precedent set last year when it had to be moved to July because of Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
Chairman of the club, Reg Morgan, said they were expecting a great turnout with the spring weather expected to aid in catching the trout which will now be feeding. “Usually in winter the fish are spawning, which can make it difficult to catch them. In September is when they start feeding which is great for fishing.”
Aloe Grove will be the central venue, where participants will converge on their arrival on Thursday. They will then go off to separate dams over the next two days in groups under the direction of committee guides.
The dams used will include those at the Bird’s River complex, the top and middle dams under the care of Ed Clark and the bottom and quarry dams under Johan Wege. The others are Table Hill under Carl Miles, George Smith under Hugh Smith and the Aloe Grove Oakley Dam under Dylan Thompson while others will have to make their way to Indwe at the Pine Grove Pete under Pete Cloete.
The dampener in the mood at this year’s event will be the absence of land owners Julian Thompson and Dave Boucher, who both passed away in the last 12 months. The Amatola club will also be having its gathering at the Gubu dam in Stutterheim at the same time.
The big prize is a weekend getaway at Barkly East for the biggest fish. The rest of the prizes will be for the biggest bag which will be measured by length. The competition is a catch and release event. “There is a moratorium on fishing now. We should have a good weekend, especially since the cold front will be passing this weekend. The pressure will drop and the fish will be biting,” added Morgan.
The prize giving will be on Saturday night, followed by a braai.
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