 LESSONS FROM THE LOWVELD — Part 1: Largescale yellowfish — by Dionne Crafford
SHARDS of light splinter on the broken water, creating fiery specks in the orange glow of the dying day. Above the cacophony of deafening cicada song, I am aware of the wailing of a taxed pole drag reel and feel the vibrations of pulsating graphite in my hand. Then I smile, open my eyes and have another look at the photograph on the computer screen ...
It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Recently, while “paging” through the folders on my computer, I realised that this statement is also applicable to flyfishing. I could not help but reminisce about the six years I spent in the Mpumalanga Lowveld before moving to Bloemfontein.
I learnt a lot while fishing those waters — predominantly in the Malelane and Komatipoort areas — and although I’m by no means an expert, I wanted to share some of the knowledge I gained when pursuing largescale yellowfish, largemouth bass and tigerfish.
Prior to meeting Reveck Hariram, I had not targeted largescale yellows, but after a number of Lowveld bullets put a few serious bends in my 3-weight outfit during our first fateful outing together, that all changed. Although I will deal with the Nkomazi area (specifically the Lomati River), I am confident that these tactics can be successfully employed on other small rivers in Mpumalanga.
MEET THE QUARRY
Labeobarbus marequensis, the Lowveld largescale yellowfish, attains a maximum length of around 47cm with a maximum published weight of around 6kg which is, in my experience, exceptionally large for this species. They are widely distributed from the middle- and lower Zambezi southwards to the Pongola system. Largescales prefer flowing waters of perennial rivers and are not common in dams.
Largescale yellowfish feed primarily on algae and aquatic insect larvae, but also take small fish, snails, freshwater mussels and drifting organisms such as beetles and ants. These fish breed in spring and summer, migrating upstream in rain-swollen rivers to spawn in rapids.
Males mature at approximately 7cm and females only at approximately 28cm. Females grow larger and live for longer. Due to their distribution they often occur in the same rivers as smallscale yellowfish.
Read the full story in the February 2010 issue of FLYFISHING. |
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