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WildFly

     
Wildfly brings you some of the best freshwater and saltwater fly fishing action from Africa and beyond, with a variety of incredible challenges and adventures. The team target a wide mixture of species from the stunning Blue Tigerfish from Tanazania, to Largemouth and Smallmouth Yellowfish in South Africa to Triggerfish and Giant Trevally in the Seychelles. The Wildfly team are expert fly anglers and bring the action thick and fast whilst the drone and underwater photography really shows off  some of the most incredible and beautiful fly fishing locations you're likely to find anywhere.

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The African Sharptooth Catfish is an incredibly hardy creature that can adapt to some of the most severe conditions that this continent can throw at it. Which is just as well, as during the recent drought, the water levels of the reservoir at Bloemhof Dam, have dropped to only 16% of normal capacity. Despite his concern for what the long term effects of low water will mean for the local human population, fly fisher Terry Babbage enjoys these conditions, as the Catfish or Barbel, as they are also known as here, are easy to spot and cast a fly to. He has found that making his fly splash as it hits the water attracts the Catfish and he has caught up to a hundred fish in a day using this technique. Which must be very tiring, as they all seem to put up one hell of a fight. To watch African Sharptooth Catfish now, just login or register
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With the stunning backdrop of the Drakensberg Mountains, sits Kamberg Valley and the River Mooi which is well known for it excellent fly fishing for brown trout. The landscape is stunning and you could be mistaken for thinking you're in Scotland or Ireland which is probably why this river was chosen by John Parker as a suitable location to originally stock Brown Trout ova way back in 1893 and they've been thriving here ever since. With recent rain to flush the river out, Gareth and Rhuan make their way up river looking for some likely spots but the river is still carrying a little colour and they're unable to spot fish so decide to start with streamers and wet flies and searching tactics. Gareth soon finds some stunning little trout that eagerly take his streamers but Rhuan is after some of the bigger fish river is known for so they head into the lower reaches and start again in a tailwater area. Conditions are perfect with overcast skies and plenty of insect life and Rhuan is soon into a good fish. In 2012 the Mooi River was impounded creating Spring Grove Dam into which Bass and Rainbow Trout were introduced creating even more fly fishing opportunities in this area. So the following day Rhuan and Gareth decide to give it a try and focus on the shallows that have recently been flooded with the rain hoping the trout will have moved out of the deeper water to feed in these new flats. They have an epic fly fishing session catching several hard hard fighting rainbows in glorious Kwazulu-Natal sunshine. To watch just login or register
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The team are in the stunning kingdom of Lesotho, fly fishing at Semonkong Lodge on the upper reaches of the The Maletsunyane River. The river was originally stocked in the 1950's with Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout and both species now thrive here along with the native Yellowfish. The browns here here can reach prodigious sizes and its not unusual to catch them up to 10lbs which is incredible for South Africa.  The water is very low and the sun bright as the Wildfly team start fishing, so knowing that the trout are likely to be in the deeper pools, they start by using weighted streamers to get down to the fish. Smallmouth Yellowfish and Rainbow Trout also reside here, often together in the same areas so Gareth decides to move downstream and soon picks up a nice rainbow. The team camp overnight in the stunning valley and make an early start with Jeremy landing one of the monster brown trout the river is known for, right next to the campsite. But the following evening, rain arrives and colours up the river making fly fishing difficult so the team head back down the gorge to Semonkong Lodge but will there be one last chance for Gareth to get the brown he is after? To watch just login or register
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The Kilombero Valley in South Western Tanzania is the destination in this episode as the Wildfly team explore the Rufigi River system looking for a very special target species, the Blue Tigerfish. The Blue Tigerfish really is a true freshwater monster growing up to 20lbs, almost 10lbs more than its South African cousins, and sporting a distinctive blue adipose fin. Gareth and Jeremy head into one of the River Kilombero's tributaries and their guide puts them on the spot immediately as Gareth hooks into a large powerful fish on his very first cast. On day two they move out of the main current of the river to a newly formed ox bow lake where the water is much calmer...well except for the aggressive tigers here which are smashing baitfish left right and centre. Using poppers, Jeremy soon attracts the attention of a tiger who smashes his fly on the surface before another thrilling fight ensues. Moving up river to some rapids, they decide to switch tactics and use fast sinking lines in a deep hole and Jeremy soon hooks into something very special, but is it the 20lb Blue Tigerfish from Tanazania he's been searching for? To watch just login or register
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Brad and Jeremy are being hosted by the Alphonse Fishing Company in the Seychelles, one of the world's finest saltwater fisheries especially for fly fishing. Conditions aren't great, its windy and there's plenty of rain around which makes spotting fish nigh on impossible but the guys are itching to get out there regardless. They start on Bijoutier, one of the smallest islands in the area, walking the shore and looking for signs of fish. There's a pushing tide and a lot of bait fish around so they're hoping the Giant Trevally will show up for lunch..and it isn't long before they do! There's a reason why these fish are so sought after by fly anglers and its easy to see why in this stunning episode. After Brad has some back breaking  fun with a large 1m long Giant Trevally, they focus on the numerous Bonefish and Trigger Fish on the flats using crab patterns. The Bonefish are quite obliging but the Triggers or 'handbags' as the guys call them are a bit tougher, rejecting many flies and when hooked are very powerful for their size. The fly fishing here on Alphonse is simply incredible and even in adverse weather conditions, plenty of sport can be guaranteed. To watch, just login or register
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The damming of the Mooi River back in 2011 and the subsequent addition of a fish barrier, has created a stunning stretch of tailwater, throwing together a unique collection of fish species and an irresistible opportunity for any keen fly fisherman. The indigenous Natal Yellowfish or Scaly was joined by Brown Trout when they were stocked into the river in the late 1800's. They were later joined by Smallmouth Bass when they too were rather oddly introduced. The construction of the dam dislodged the surrounding Rainbow Trout and Largemouth Bass, throwing all five species together, creating a Royal Flush. The Wildfly team can't resist a challenge when it's thrown at them and vie to see who will be the first to catch all five species, on the fly in one day's fishing on the River Mooi. To watch, just login or register
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The Wildfly team head into the Kalahari Desert for a fly fishing trip down the Orange River which at 2200km makes it the longest river in South Africa. They'll be canoeing downstream for 4 days and looking for likely spots to target Largemouth and Smallmouth Yellowfish using a variety of styles from Czech Nymphing, to Long Line Nymphing and Streamer fishing. They're fishing a stretch of river below Augrabies Falls and guide Terry Babich hooks into something substantial early on giving him a powerful fight before it breaks him off in the rocks. But there's always more chances on this amazing river and especially with Largemouth Yellowfish that are opportunistic feeders, often hitting the lure within a few seconds of it hitting the water. Moving downstream again, Terry tries some Czech Nymphing catching a nice Smallmouth before catching a hard fighting Mud Fish or 'Muddy'. If you want to catch Yellowfish, the fly fishing on the Orange River is world class and Terry shows us exactly how its done.. To watch just login or register  
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The Namibian Gold in question is the host of beautiful Large and Smallmouth Yellowfish found in the Orange River. It marks the boundary between northern South Africa and Namibia, Wildfly's Rhuan Human has put himself in the capable hands of guide and Yellowfish expert Anton Hartmann on a rafting and camping expedition through its barren, desolate landscape. The fish in the Orange River have developed large bulbous lips through grubbing its stoney bed for food and there was some debate over what size and pattern of fly would be most successful, but Rhuan finds that his large streamers prove to work best. To watch Namibian Gold now, just login or register
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The Kruger National Park is widely regarded as one of the treasures of Africa but what of the fishing there? The park was created to provide a protected natural sanctuary for the continent's endangered wild animals and so with limited human access, the rivers running through it are under little or no fishing pressure. So it was with great anticipation that Gareth George of the Wildfly team accepted an invitation from the park's Scientific Services Dept to help catch and study the variety of fish species to be found there, which would enable them to highlight any issues threatening their ongoing survival. They focus on the Sabie River, where there is concern that a dam project over the border in Mozambique is causing saltation. There's also the possibility that fish farms in the area that have introduced the Nile Tilapia, could be gradually cross breeding with some indigenous species. The fishing in the Kruger National Park proves to be excellent and as Gareth gets into plenty of Tigerfish and the odd Catfish. To watch, just login or register
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Four years after their last visit to the Mohale Dam in the highlands of Lesotho, the Wildfly team find that the water levels are drastically down and that all of the feeder streams and rivers have virtually dried up. So they decide that the best place to fish is in the tailwater below the dam, which although rather difficult to access, has a reasonable flow. After a tricky hike down the canyon they find crystal clear water and some very spooky fish. Stealth tactics have to be applied in order to nab one of the Smallmouth Yellowfish or Rainbow Trout. To watch Mohale Dam Lesotho now, just login or register
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With most of South Africa suffering the effects of an ongoing drought, the water levels at Sterkfontein Dam are very much down, so anglers fly fishing here are having to find new marks and adjust their tactics. The Wildfly team are here looking to catch Smallmouth Yellowfish, that occupy the lake in numbers, sight fishing on the fly. The fish can be seen feeding, but the guys aren't sure what on. Whether its emergers or very tiny flies on the surface, either way its hard to match the hatch, so they try using hoppers and small caddis patterns. To make things even trickier, there is a strong breeze blowing across the lake, making it difficult to set a smooth drift on the boat. The fly fishing at Sterkfontein Dam is first class but that doesn't always mean its easy... To watch, just login or register
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With plenty of different fish to target when fly fishing on the saltwater flats, there's one in particular that can test many of the fly anglers skills and that is the Triggerfish. It requires a stealthy approach, accurate casting, a gentle presentation and a good deal of patience as flies are often ignored. Their appearance also belies their performance as these strange looking fish of which there are 40 known species, can put up an amazing fight. Gareth's first encounter with one on St Francois results in him chasing it down the flats only for the fish to wrap him around a rock, but the guide is quick to react and Gareth is soon holding his first ever Trigger. Triggerfish predominantly feed on crustaceans on the coral flats so crab patterns are commonly used but you do need to bring lots of them as break offs and fly damage are par for the course as Gareth soon finds out. Fly fishing for Triggerfish offers an exciting and different challenge to the saltwater fly angler and the islands of Alphonse and St Francois in the Seychelles are world class destinations for them as you'll soon find out in this episode. To watch just login or register

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