{"id":6304,"date":"2019-08-28T18:44:53","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T16:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=6304"},"modified":"2019-08-29T12:39:16","modified_gmt":"2019-08-29T10:39:16","slug":"an-indian-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=6304","title":{"rendered":"An Indian Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Waiting for the turn of the season is what you do as fly fishermen, knowing that with each one, a particular species will appear on our radar.
\nAnd whilst we couldn\u2019t claim to be men of all seasons, come Winter it\u2019s the TOPS Corporate Challenge that every angler is clamoring to enter.
\nAnd judging from this year\u2019s grand final you can understand why.
\nA glass of not so serious was truly embraced, with the Bains whisky tasting setting the tone for the celebrations to follow, each finalist reveling in the fact that every team was walking away with a holiday prize, just for making it this far.
\nThe fishing was simply off the scale, with a large contributing factor being the proverbial Indian Summer experienced this last weekend. The fruit trees were in premature bloom and the Mayfly hatch had the Trout enjoying the floating buffet.
\nSession One witnessed more fish landed than in the entire 1st leg, revealing just how many fish inhabit these WildFly waters.
\nThe lure of a Yamaha boat, as well as a brand new Nissan Navara, was incentive enough to keep everyone on the water and the balmy weather ensured that the trout played ball.
\nThere were even a few elusive Brown Trout who deigned to make an appearance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Water temperatures were fortunately still frigid, keeping the fish in feisty condition and spawning many stories of being stripped into the backing, ploughed into the weed or broken up!
\nNaturally these tales were the cornerstone of conversation at the legendary Notties, with hushed mutterings of the imitative versus attractor fly patterns that were delivering the results.
\n300 fish in a day from the 60 qualifying entrants, is a tally that could have sparked yet another festive evening, but a long day on the water took its toll as some weary contestants fell into their beds, calling it an early night.
\nThe final day of a TOPS Corporate Challenge is one of conflicting emotions, with the desire to slow it all down and enjoy every last moment battling against the urge to cover as much water as possible in your quest for the trophy Trout.
\nStories of a water\u2019s pedigree adding fuel to this fire. But all good things eventually come to and end, which at the TCC final resulted in an 18th birthday bash deserving of it\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That evening over five hundred thousand Rands worth of prizes were handed out for the 514 fish recorded, as well as the 112 fish lost, bring the productive total to 1290 Trout over the entire event.
\nWater temperatures were fortunately still frigid, keeping the fish in feisty condition and spawning many stories of being stripped into the backing, ploughed into the weed or broken up!
\nNaturally these tales were the cornerstone of conversation at the legendary Notties, with hushed mutterings of the imitative versus attractor fly patterns that were delivering the results.
\n300 fish in a day from the 60 qualifying entrants, is a tally that could have sparked yet another festive evening, but a long day on the water took its toll as some weary contestants fell into their beds, calling it an early night.<\/p>\n

The final day of a TOPS Corporate Challenge is one of conflicting emotions, with the desire to slow it all down and enjoy every last moment battling against the urge to cover as much water as possible in your quest for the trophy Trout.
\nStories of a water\u2019s pedigree adding fuel to this fire.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But all good things eventually come to and end, which at the TCC final resulted in an 18th birthday bash deserving of it\u2019s reputation.
\nThat evening over five hundred thousand Rands worth of prizes were handed out for the 514 fish recorded, as well as the 112 fish lost, bring the productive total to 1290 Trout over the entire event.
\nCraig Cowell, walked away with a brand new Quintrex boat and Yamaha motor for a single fish of 62cm with Daniel Greene earning the accolade as top fly fisher for his 24 fish at an average of 44cm.
\nWith yellow fish adventures from Kalahari Outventures, Fly Fish Van Der Kloof and Easy Holidays, Trout adventures in Semonkong, Highland Lodge, InverMooi and luxury escapes to Fordoun and Cathederal Peak Hotel,
\nto the incredible international Tiger Fishing holidays up for grabs, it was smiles all round.
\nThe Zimmers took 4th, with a wonderful trip to Inchingo in Namibia for their efforts and Team Craighoppers earned a trip to Bains lodge on the lower Zambezi for third. Runners up, WBHO get to relax at Royal Zambezi lodge and the 2019 champions,
\nBophelong Construction will experience the trophy tiger waters of the Barotse at Matoya lodge.<\/p>\n

The TOPS Corporate Challenge certainly exceeded expectations, on it\u2019s 18th birthday, justifying it\u2019s reputation as South Africa\u2019s premier fishing event.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Waiting for the turn of the season is what you do as fly fishermen, knowing that with each one, a particular species will appear on our radar. And whilst we couldn\u2019t claim to be men of all seasons, come Winter it\u2019s the TOPS Corporate Challenge that every angler is clamoring to enter. And judging from this year\u2019s grand final you can understand why. A glass of not so serious was truly embraced, with the Bains […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":6220,"comment_status":"closed","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":"An Indian Summer","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[22,70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fly","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TCC-2019-the-final-banner-smaller2.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15667,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=15667","url_meta":{"origin":6304,"position":0},"title":"The Trout Report","author":"Gareth","date":"November 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"That it was a cold Winter in the Natal midlands few would argue and these sustained sub zero temperatures translated into the fish staying in their uncooperative spawning behaviour beyond the normal few months. Tough fishing it certainly was for most and those that refused to change their habits struggled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fly"","block_context":{"text":"Fly","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=92"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/the-trout-report-banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/the-trout-report-banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/the-trout-report-banner.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/the-trout-report-banner.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/the-trout-report-banner.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/the-trout-report-banner.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10560,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=10560","url_meta":{"origin":6304,"position":1},"title":"Self Isolating Trout – TCC Leg 3","author":"Gareth","date":"October 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A few anglers thought that the Trout were adhering to the Covid regulations this last weekend as they certainly were reluctant to come within casting distance, let alone out to play. Weather is always a go-to excuse, but 34-degree heat and Trout do not mix well, let alone the toll\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Airflo\"","block_context":{"text":"Airflo","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?tag=airflo"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/self-isolating-trout-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/self-isolating-trout-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/self-isolating-trout-copy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/self-isolating-trout-copy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/self-isolating-trout-copy.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5496,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=5496","url_meta":{"origin":6304,"position":2},"title":"Great Expectations","author":"Gareth","date":"May 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Every fishing trip deserves a happy ending. It\u2019s never guaranteed, but the prospect of success is what motivates the hunt to begin with.\u00a0When we can\u2019t fish, we resort to scratching the itch vicariously through reliable fishing reports, condensed nowadays into a single photo that has more thumbprints than an old\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wildfly Fishing Series"","block_context":{"text":"Wildfly Fishing Series","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=36"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Tarpon-jump-near-boat.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Tarpon-jump-near-boat.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Tarpon-jump-near-boat.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Tarpon-jump-near-boat.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Tarpon-jump-near-boat.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Tarpon-jump-near-boat.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2611,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2611","url_meta":{"origin":6304,"position":3},"title":"The Blue Tiger","author":"Gareth","date":"September 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite man\u2019s appetites, the Kilombero valley in Tanzania remains one of the last great frontiers to explore. The Kilombero is the largest tributary of the Rufuji river, which from it's source in the Livingston Mountains to the Indian Ocean is more than 600 km long. When flooded, at it\u2019s peak\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_Tiger-Duo2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2601,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2601","url_meta":{"origin":6304,"position":4},"title":"The Real Cock Tease!","author":"Gareth","date":"July 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Fly fishing is a fickle mistress. One minute you are enjoying her warm embrace, each cast an artist\u2019s brushstroke, your fly in absolute command of the trout\u2019s attention. Then, moments later, every piece of vegetation assaults your fly line and the scorn on the face of the fish\u2019s becomes apparent\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"b2ap3_thumbnail_IMG-20130719-01260.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_thumbnail_IMG-20130719-01260.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2664,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2664","url_meta":{"origin":6304,"position":5},"title":"TOPS at SPAR Corporate Trophy Challenge Final 2014","author":"Gareth","date":"July 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0\u201cSnapped up, hook straightened, stuck me in the weeds\u201d are common overtures that you hear at any pub on a typical fishing weekend. \u201c Thepressure bottomed out and that darn Easterly blowing\u201d can compliment these commiserations over a wee dram. 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