{"id":3553,"date":"2017-03-01T07:38:49","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T05:38:49","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2017-03-06T10:49:59","modified_gmt":"2017-03-06T08:49:59","slug":"the-long-con","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=3553","title":{"rendered":"The Long Con."},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"MsoNormal\">&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_medium_Picture5.png\" width=\"652\" height=\"359.41544885177706\" data-style=\"clear\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Tigers have always been my preferred fresh water species to catch on fly and my meagre pen just isn\u2019t capable of adequately describing that adrenalin inducing experience. But on a whim late last year I decided to do something completely different. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">So I told my wife I loved her. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">The immediate look of suspicion had me wondering if I\u2019d gone too far. And then the moment passed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">When I say passed, I mean in terms of the age old male practice of accruing fishing credits, the actual payment moment had passed. Of course it would have been remiss of me to not to use such a valuable and well- earned credit\u2026..so, what to do? <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">After much soul searching with my old friend Glen Livet, it dawned on me. I needed a new species! <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_medium_Picture4.png\" width=\"491\" height=\"252.99999999999562\" data-style=\"clear\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Why a new species? Firstly, that\u2019s what we do. We go out with a sliver of graphite and a roll of string, to which we attach a bunch of feathers and a hook and see how many different species we can fool into eating it. Simple. But in this case it was more about being able to inveigle the missus into thinking I had a really important mission to accomplish.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Accordingly, at what seemed opportune moments, I began to punctuate long sighs with dreamy whispers of all the things I still had left to do in the fast fading years of my life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">A card that can only be played once. With all my guile and cunning, I implored and begged like a blind sunglass salesman knocking on your car window, until finally one day with a magnanimous huff, the old girl gave in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">I had the legendary Vundu in mind! <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">More people have climbed Everest than have hooked and landed a Vundu on fly. Was this not a worthy quest indeed?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Incredulously from my life long fishing buddies, the suggestion was met with a kind off sniggering disbelief, if not downright rudeness. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">So, when in doubt, go to plan T\u2026\u2026.For Tiger. It wasn\u2019t difficult to get the boys excited about an end of year excursion back to their favourite Tiger hunting ground on the lower Zambezi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Deception was the preferred strategy for this adventure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Our motley crew landed at Old Mondoro. Greeted by intense heat. We couldn\u2019t get the ice into our g&amp;t\u2019s fast enough. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_medium_Picture3.png\" width=\"652\" height=\"334.0292275574113\" data-style=\"clear\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Early mornings and late afternoons were the only times a human could withstand the fierce sun. So these were the hours we fished. But, like any long con, I did not immediately sally forth in search of the main prize, rather tested my tackle on token Tigers, biding my time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Spending long hours on siesta and at the dining table, always staying close to the cold box, I slowly built up my inner reserves and hydrated my parched body in readiness for the arduous task ahead. Enduring the taunting jibes of my buddies as their tally\u2019s rose and weights increased, until it was time<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_medium_Picture2.png\" width=\"652\" height=\"359.41544885177706\" data-style=\"clear\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">I checked my trusty 9 weight and stole a big black brush fly from Jerry\u2019s box. Made sure my knots were secure and the hook sharp. Cleaned my sunnies, checked the cold box again and sauntered nonchalantly down to the boat. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">On the second drift of the day I saw the spot\u2026\u2026\u2026serendipity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Overhanging branches and submerged trees meant taking a chance. So I did. The false cast was tight and precise. The large fly gracefully whistled through the air and threaded through the structure like a well- aimed missile, landing just inches from the bank.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">On the first confident retrieve the water exploded where the fly had been so judiciously presented. With pounding heart I set the hook and watched in awe as the massive fish moved away from the shallows peeling line as it swam for deeper water. Tension. On the line and washing over me. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">This monster was too big to muscle and the 9 weight didn\u2019t have the backbone to lift it easily to the surface. Wait and hope. Two mind numbing km downstream the great fish finally tired and we managed to bring it on board. 50 pounds of quivering Vundu.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\"><span>&nbsp;<\/span>I had climbed my Everest. Alone and unsupported.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_medium_Picture1.png\" width=\"652\" height=\"360.7515657619989\" data-style=\"clear\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">Not one to gloat, I sheathed my wand, opened a beer and let others tell the story. When they got some details wrong I magnanimously assisted in jogging memories. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">My mates continued to pound the water in a desperate effort to save some face, but in truth the fight had gone out of them. Even then they knew the biggest fresh water fish of the season on fly was now beyond their frantic efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">I offered sage advice of course, who wouldn\u2019t in my position, understanding that the wisdom so hard earned could assist others on their long road to fishing enlightenment? Grudging acknowledgment of my achievement was all they would give in return. And that was only after studying the photos for a long time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">No matter, I am home now and can rest content that my mates will never again snigger at any outlandish suggestion I make<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">So in some small way my quest has made a difference, all my sacrifices seem worthwhile\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">I\u2019m of to tell that to the missus\u2026\u2026.and to mention that I love her. <span>&nbsp;<\/span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\"><span>&nbsp;<\/span><span>&nbsp; <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\"><span>&nbsp;<\/span><span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Normal 0 false false false false EN-ZA JA X-NONE<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-ZA\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Tigers have always been my preferred fresh water species to catch on fly and my meagre pen just isn\u2019t capable of adequately describing that adrenalin inducing experience. But on a whim late last year I decided to do something completely different. So I told my wife I loved her. The immediate look of suspicion had me wondering if I\u2019d gone too far. And then the moment passed. When I say passed, I mean in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":3554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_medium_Picture5.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3302,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=3302","url_meta":{"origin":3553,"position":0},"title":"Tiger Talk","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"April 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"If I could say one word to a tigerfish in a language that he could understand, it would be; \u2018respect\u2019. Tigers are one of the most lethal underwater predators that we get to encounter as fishermen. They have a set of teeth that strikes fear into the heart of any\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2272,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2272","url_meta":{"origin":3553,"position":1},"title":"Cunene River Mouth Trip","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"August 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When we planned our recent trip to Flamingo Lodge in Southern Angola, I was hoping for reasonably flat seas. This would make it possible to do the 250 km drive south along the beach to the Cunene River mouth. I had attempted to do the journey with some friends back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Inside Angling&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Inside Angling","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSC_0024-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSC_0024-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSC_0024-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSC_0024-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSC_0024-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSC_0024-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3522,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=3522","url_meta":{"origin":3553,"position":2},"title":"Majestic Matoya","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"September 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Inside Angling and Wildfly recently did a trip to Matoya Lodge in Zambia. Matoya is in the Barotse floodplains area, in Western Zambia, and is one of my favourite parts of the Zambezi\u00a0 River. I have put together a daily report on the trip:We met at King Shaka International and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Majestic-Matoya-Blog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Majestic-Matoya-Blog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Majestic-Matoya-Blog.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Majestic-Matoya-Blog.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Majestic-Matoya-Blog.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14712,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=14712","url_meta":{"origin":3553,"position":3},"title":"Maldives Trigger","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"April 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"There are two species of triggerfish that are hunted by fly fishermen on the shallow flats of Indian Ocean atolls. The yellow margin triggerfish and the larger titan triggerfish. Both of these fish are extremely challenging to catch. They are nervous and shy and extremely aware of everything happening around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Destinations&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Destinations","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=51"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/maldives-trigger-banner-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/maldives-trigger-banner-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/maldives-trigger-banner-copy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/maldives-trigger-banner-copy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/maldives-trigger-banner-copy.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/maldives-trigger-banner-copy.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9518,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=9518","url_meta":{"origin":3553,"position":4},"title":"The good side of Port St Johns","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"August 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"August is traditionally the windiest month on our calendar. With front after front marching up our coast there are few places where one plans a trip to during that month. Port St Johns is an exception. Not that the wind doesn\u2019t blow there in August. But it is a great\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Inside Angling&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Inside Angling","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/The-good-side-of-port-st-Johns.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/The-good-side-of-port-st-Johns.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/The-good-side-of-port-st-Johns.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/The-good-side-of-port-st-Johns.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/The-good-side-of-port-st-Johns.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/The-good-side-of-port-st-Johns.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2690,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2690","url_meta":{"origin":3553,"position":5},"title":"Restored Faith","author":"Gareth","date":"March 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the past ten years I've been fortunate enough to visit many venues along the coast of Mozambique, all of which have looked promising from a fishing perspective.\u00a0Yet the sad truth is that the burgeoning population of the country and their dependence on the bounty of theocean has had a\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/b2ap3_thumbnail_Brads-GT.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8sv9-Vj","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}