{"id":9978,"date":"2020-10-14T14:50:57","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T12:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=9978"},"modified":"2020-10-15T09:05:57","modified_gmt":"2020-10-15T07:05:57","slug":"tcc-leg-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=9978","title":{"rendered":"Big Trout Weekend \u2013 TCC Leg 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t

What makes big Trout suddenly come out to play?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Weather obviously has an impact, as barometric pressure is unequivocally one of the few legitimate excuses in every fly fisher\u2019s bible of reasons why we didn\u2019t trouble the scorers.<\/p>\n

Their temperament could be another, although this insinuates that they have a personality and short of their urge to feed, flee or fornicate, I just don\u2019t give them that much credit. That said, they have the ability to both excite and frustrate and if that isn\u2019t reminiscent of your better half then counselling is in order.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

\"Scott

Scott MacIntyre with a great Rainbow Trout.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"

Alex Bidder with a beautiful Rainbow.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

Feeding fish is what defined the 2nd leg of the TOPS<\/strong><\/a> Corporate Challenge<\/strong> and some chunky Trout saw fit to grace us with their presence.<\/p>\n

In the first session, Alex Bidder landed a 60cm Rainbow from Oakbrook, setting the benchmark for other contenders who landed 57 and 58cm from dams in the WildFly stable, with Hendrik Fourie getting three such beasts before lunch, only being outshone by his fishing partner, Rhuan Nel who nailed a 59cm beauty, this being his very first Trout on fly, caught at Loch Bess. It set the tone for a Trophy Trout weekend.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div>
\"Gavin

Gavin Baily with a gorgeous Brown Trout.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

Great fare from the legendary Notties, with entrants respecting the new normal of social distance but still engaging in some festive banter across the tables, saw the Top Dogs (#1 fly fisher in each team) and Blobs (the unfortunate souls that caught the least) swapping tales and misleading fly patterns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

 <\/p>\n

Deciphering the red herrings, it became apparent that black and olive strip leeches along with red eyed damsels were doing the damage.<\/p>\n

As one can expect from the Midlands weather, wind drove the fishing down from 137 in session one to only 72 Trout in the 2nd session, but to get an opening tally of 209 fish in a day (with only 12 teams due to Covid event restrictions) had every fly fisher up before the \u00a0sun on the second morning. Mist and drizzle coupled with a plummeting thermometer was the order of the last day, and yet many more fish breaching that 50cm mark continued to get everyone\u2019s adrenalin pumping.<\/p>\n

The inclement conditions were ideal for the Brown trout, which accounted for a surprising amount of catches, but proved to be too much for some, who retired gracefully to the warm embrace of Notties. Comparatively, only 106 fish were recorded in day two, which was attributed more to air than rod or competitive pressure.<\/p>\n

But to get 56 Trout over the half-meter mark making it to the net you didn\u2019t have to wonder why so many smiling faces anxiously awaited prize giving.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"

Steve Benbow with another big Rainbow.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"<\/div><\/div>
\n
\n\t

The <\/span>Biggest fish was ultimately decided by virtue of species, being a gorgeous Brown of 60cm from InverMooi Estate caught by Gavin Bailey and top angler was justifiably given to Eddie Kriedemann from ST Fergusson for his total of 22 feral Trout.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Top

Top Fly Fisher, Eddie Kreidemann.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"

Louise Steenekamp<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"

Frik van Staaden<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

 <\/p>\n

Qualification for the illustrious final has never been closer with 9 teams in contention, but the last telling session witnessed WBHO and RoadSpan Royals being outshone by Bophelong Construction who took top honours.<\/p>\n

Hardy<\/a>, Sage<\/a>, Greys<\/a>, Horizon<\/a>, Xplorer<\/a>, Airflo<\/a>, Scientific Anglers<\/a> <\/strong>and Rio<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0left all the entrants with a bucket load of prizes, along with a dram of Bains to raise a glass in celebration.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Bophelong

Bophelong Construction - Winning Team of Leg Two<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"The

The Plumb & Co. \u2013 Minion duo<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n
\n\t

With just one leg of the TCC left and the grand final being held in the 1st week of November, <\/strong><\/p>\n

Spring and the subsequent hatches are sure to see many more <\/strong>hungry Trout looking for a playdate.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
  • \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul>\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    1. <\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ol>\n\n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/em>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/em>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      What makes big Trout suddenly come out to play? Weather obviously has an impact, as barometric pressure is unequivocally one of the few legitimate excuses in every fly fisher\u2019s bible of reasons why we didn\u2019t trouble the scorers. Their temperament could be another, although this insinuates that they have a personality and short of their urge to feed, flee or fornicate, I just don\u2019t give them that much credit. That said, they have the ability […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":10230,"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":"","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-9978","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\/2020\/10\/Big-Trout-Weekend-TCC-Leg-2-copy-1.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2482,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2482","url_meta":{"origin":9978,"position":0},"title":"Big Brown Trout \u2013 Think outside the box. \u00a0","author":"Rhuan Human","date":"July 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"They have been the focal point of many novels, poems and more recently popular fly fishing films. Between the long hikes through charming scenery and slow-motion casting, rises the unmistakable golden head sprinkled with spots of black and brown, and often shades of red, to gently remove insects from the\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\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_thumbnail_IMG_2477.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2656,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2656","url_meta":{"origin":9978,"position":1},"title":"Big Trout Weekend","author":"Gareth","date":"July 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The weather was sublime, with frosty mornings being complimented by wind free balmy winter days and hence the fish played ball. \u00a0","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"b2ap3_thumbnail_Untitled.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/b2ap3_thumbnail_Untitled.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5858,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=5858","url_meta":{"origin":9978,"position":2},"title":"Big Trout surface","author":"Gareth","date":"June 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The dilemma that every fly fisher faces at a TOPS Corporate Challenge will never change. The object of the weekend is to rekindle long-standing friendships that are all too often marginalized through digital communications. But, one is also expected to make an effort at the waters edge and contribute to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Competitions"","block_context":{"text":"Competitions","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=80"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/TCC-2019-Leg-2-resized.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/TCC-2019-Leg-2-resized.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/TCC-2019-Leg-2-resized.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/TCC-2019-Leg-2-resized.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2498,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2498","url_meta":{"origin":9978,"position":3},"title":"Breaking The Surface","author":"Rhuan Human","date":"February 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cRainbow trout are predators with a varied diet, and will eat nearly anything they can grab. Their image as selective eaters is only a legend.\u201d (Albury Fisheries) 5 years ago trout was a foreign concept to me as a \u201cVaal\u201d angler. What I knew of the species I got from\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\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_thumbnail_SAM_3901.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2720,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2720","url_meta":{"origin":9978,"position":4},"title":"Big Fish Weekend","author":"Gareth","date":"June 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"But once they got onto the water, the Trout sure joined the party.\u00a0499 fish were caught and released with another 100 or so gate crashing, resulting in many long line releases. WildFly's handicap system of only allowing a set number of fish to count in each fishing session, prevented stocky\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"b2ap3_thumbnail_IMG_6984.JPG","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/b2ap3_thumbnail_IMG_6984.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10560,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=10560","url_meta":{"origin":9978,"position":5},"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":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8sv9-2AW","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9978","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\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9978"}],"version-history":[{"count":403,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10404,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9978\/revisions\/10404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}