“Rainbow trout are predators with a varied diet, and will eat nearly anything they can grab. Their image as selective eaters is only a legend.” (Albury Fisheries)
5 years ago trout was a foreign concept to me as a “Vaal” angler. What I knew of the species I got from fancy restaurant menus and watching Brad Pitt in that o’ so poetic fly fishing film… I spent most of my time targeting largemouth bass and on occasion a trip to Mozambique to hunt down the predators of the salt. Upon my introduction to Stillwater fly fishing in the KZN midlands, a size 6 Wooly Bugger was a delicate presentation as far I was concerned. The transition from a 4 inch bait fish to a size 18 midge pattern was difficult, to say the least.
My first big rainbow on a foam frog pattern
Along with my trout fishing baptism went all the usual books and writings by the fly masters of yesteryear. In their paragraphs and pages I was often reminded of passages from the bible, so out fear of breaking the “ten commandments” I stuck to traditional patterns for trout, never once thinking of using flip flop foam or hair of deer to create patterns that imitated rodents or amphibians… That is until one day a good friend of mine Juan, a fly fishing extraordinaire, drew from his fly box a carefully crafted foam frog, tied it on to the end of a short leader and cast it along the edge of a steep bank. As soon as he started to rhythmically retrieve the kicking toad back to shore, my jaw dropped to the floor as the water parted and the head of a monstrous rainbow trout erupted in the wake of the fly. The hook set narrowly missed the crooked kype and as the fly landed on the grassy shore we both looked at each other with amazement.
I went home that night with a whole new perspective on trout, one that made so much sense. Trout will hunt down and devour large pray vulnerably caught on the surface of the water… trout are predators. Recalling the stories that Juan told me after the dust had settled that afternoon, of early season rainbows tracking down big surface patterns and hitting the fly with power and precision, of bow waves in shallow water resembling torpedoes launched from German U-boats, I proceeded to tie my own version of the flip flop frog to swim out the very next morning.
Rainbow with a mouth full of mouse https://sanddollaradventures.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/trouteatsmouse.jpg
We started fishing at the first light of the day with a slight breeze rippling on the water’s surface, my foam frog piqued the interest of a few resident rainbows as the bow waves appeared and then disappeared behind the waking frog. I was struggling to get the fish to commit to the fly so I changed my retrieve from quick short one handed strips to a long two handed strip walking the fly on the surface. Bang! From the steady cruising bow wave erupted a broad speckled back, the explosion caught me of guard and I struck way too early. Nothing warms the body quite like a surface strike, I steadied my shaking palms as much as I could and made another cast out in the same area I had the strike. Half way through my retrieve the bow wave appeared again, trailing behind my fly. I was about to lift my rod when the fish surfaced and swallowed the frog, I set the hook and what followed was an epic tussle between man and fish, one that I won’t soon forget. After a few strong runs and acrobatic leaps I brought to net a healthy rainbow hen that at the time was my personal best trout. I was blown away by the results and the action the flip flop frog generated.
Another big Rainbow that fell victim to the foam frog
I continued to experiment with large surface patterns over the years, tying up mouse flies and over sized hoppers. In the right conditions they all attract the attentions of monster trout and it’s the visual excitement you get from this style of fishing that keeps us coming back for more. The season is changing and going in to autumn, it is my favorite time to be fishing big surface patterns in the early morning and late afternoons low light. Go out and give it a try you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.
Area Fishing: South Africa
Discipline: Freshwater Fly
Species Targeted: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Smallmouth Yellowfish, Largemouth Yellowfish, Natal Scaly, Tigerfish, Bass, Carp
Rhuan grew up in a fishing family and being raised on the banks of the Vaal River he spent many hours targeting anything that swims. He started out as a lure angler fishing with his father in local bass circuits and money trails. He caught his first Yellowfish on fly in the Vaal River and has been hooked on fly fishing ever since. Nowadays Rhuan spends his time in the KZN midlands fishing the pristine trout waters in the area and every now and then he visits his home waters of the mighty Vaal River.
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