Stamp of an Empire - Nyanga's Brown Trout
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By Ben Tyser
In fact, the history of trout in Zimbabwe starts off with the introduction of Brown trout into Nyanga’s cool streams. These were of the famous Loch Leven strain, renowned for their hardiness and adaptability and the strain of choice for stocking the Empires infant trout fisheries. Although they initially thrived, subsequent introductions of Rainbow put paid to the vast majority of self‑sustaining Brown trout populations in Nyanga. It’s not entirely certain why, in other parts of the world the two often coexist side by side but in our rivers at least the two were not happy bedfellows. Relatively soon, Brown trout were soon confined to two river systems in Rhodes National Park where impassable falls prevented Rainbow from migrating upstream. Further stockings of Rainbow meant that eventually, we were left with just one river and less than 5km of fishable Brown trout bearing river in the country. So, despite it being one of the world’s premier game fish and arguably the fish that gave birth to fly fishing, it is possibly Zimbabwe’s rarest game fish.
Being such a prized game fish and a rare capture for Zimbabwe, I was very keen to tick this particular piscatorial box. I’d heard that Brown trout could still be reliably caught in this one river so in late October I enlisted the services of Nyanga local, Guy Maclwaine, for a day’s fishing. Guy’s services are invaluable; originally from Nyanga and now living at Connemara he is very knowledgeable about the park and has actually commenced, with National Parks permission on some light restocking of the Park’s Rivers. This is fitting as it was Guy’s grandfather Major Maclwaine who pioneered much of the early stocking on the Park’s rivers. On the day that we were to embark on our expedition, I was picked up buy Guy from Troutbeck in his Cruiser, along with some extra help in the form of a labourer and a chainsaw. As we descended into the Pungwe valley it became abundantly clear why this was necessary - the road to the river is at times choked with wattle and pine. Featuring on National Parks maps, the road to the river and the falls is in one of the more isolated parts of the park and is in many cases, just that, a line on a map. After a few pit stops to remove offending wattles and fallen over trees we were well and truly on the downs and chugging down to the river. It is a bit of a shame that much of the park is so infested but I understand some steps are being taken to remedy this.
No fish bears the stamp of Empire more than the Brown trout; before being usurped by Rainbow trout in most cases, it was the Brown trout that new colonists from Europe yearned for, be they in the Great Lakes of North America, New Zealand or here in Zimbabwe. Due to their faster breeding, growing and wider temperature tolerance Rainbow proved to be the more successful emigrant, especially so in Africa. However, Brown trout are still a prized quarry amongst fly fishermen; furtive, selective and can often ultimately reach bigger sizes (of the two species Brown trout tend to piscivory more readily).
Clearing wattles and pine on the track down to the river
It was brutally hot this time of year and the river, like many others, was on its bare bones. So arriving at the river I did have my doubts about our prospects – these were quickly dispelled as we spied and spooked a fish at the pool almost immediately upstream of the pool. The tactic was to fish upstream to a set of falls about 1km upstream, beyond that trout do not occur. Upstream of the first pool I flicked a weighted nymph into the rapid where it entered the pool. Almost instantaneously the indicator yarn dipped, I struck and shortly after I had my first Zimbabwean brownie in the net. Not the biggest fish but a big tick in the box.
Soon the wattle peters out and we were on the downs
Suitably chuffed we continued to fish upriver. It was immediately obvious that there were decent numbers of fish around – several of them of a decent size. While the trout spooked easily we did come across one large individual (around 2lbs) who couldn’t be less bothered by us or our flies. In fact the only thing that did make it budge was a prod from the tip of a fly rod!
First brownie - small but perfectly formed - note the prominent red spots
We didn’t catch anything on our upstream jaunt and soon reconvened at the car, our plan being to fish downstream to the falls that descended into the Pungwe valley. Moving down river, the channel becomes windier, flowing through a mini flood plain and is interspersed with lots of inviting pools and riffles.
Again, the brownies lived up to their elusive reputation and did not suffer fools; putting your head above the parapet would see them scoot into the margins and put down any feeding activity. I was not having a great deal of joy on the nymph and switched to a good ‘go to’ fly; a weighted Woolly Bugger. This versatile fly has an enticing up and down action and is a passable imitation of a dragon fly larvae, tadpole or mountain catfish, all Nyanga trout diet staples. Switching had immediate dividends, casting into the deeper sections of pools I was rewarded with a number of takes, follows and ultimately some beautiful fish. Brown trout adapt very quickly to their environment and fish in one catchment may have dramatically different colouration to fish in a neighbouring valley. This is down to the vast genetic diversity present in Brown trout; these Nyanga browns had big bright red spots on their flanks and were sparsely spotted; in contrast to their heavily spotted Loch Leven strain descendants.
A typical pool on the river
Typical colouration of a Nyanga brownie
One particular fish hit the fly with great force but then went belly up in contrast to the others. Pulling the relatively substantial fish in, I noted that despite having an outsized head, the body was very clearly emaciated and the fish was clearly in poor condition. A shame, as it would have been a big fish but was either ‘going back’ on itself in old age, diseased or failed to recover from spawning. Stripping the Bugger through the clearly visible shoals of trout was very rewarding and heaps of fun; the trout’s predatory instincts were clearly switched on. Being a hot bright day, I suspect many more fish were tucked in under the banks, safe from predators and invisible from prey. As my fly was stripped through the pool I’d often see a ripple followed by a bow-wave as the fish moved to intercept the fly. Retrieving the Bugger through one pool a sizeable fish, not 2m away sauntered out of his previously invisible hideaway in an undercut in the bank to have a leisurely look. Clearly the biggest fish I’d seen all day, with a serious set of shoulders on him I’d have put this brute at easily over 3 ½ lbs, good fun on a 3-weight needless to stay. Unfortunately after a few more heart stopping follows he decided to shut shop for the day.
The Woolly Bugger won the day with four fish, with one on the nymph and a very satisfying fish on the dry. Either the conditions weren’t great (low water and hot) or these browns aren’t as obliging as their rainbow cousins but the dry fly didn’t really carry the day. I did however account for one fish on a Daddy Long Legs which was very satisfying. Spying a fish upstream, I landed the fly about a meter in front of it. As the big fly drifted over it, the fish turned and inhaled the fly. Waiting a split second for the fish to turn back upstream I struck and shortly had my first Nyanga Brown trout fly capture. Another good tick!
Guy organised a hearty lunch and cold beers at the top of the falls, overlooking the middle Pungwe valley. It was heartening to see a good head of game, this section of the park is one of the remotest and hardly see’s visitors. We spied kudu in the hills and wildebeest on the valley floor. Reedbuck were plentiful and we flushed several whilst fishing or driving.
Fish rising to a dry
The great thing about this location is that you can then devote another half day to an expedition down to the Pungwe to have a crack at the rainbows. On this occasion we drove down to the middle Pungwe. This section of the river really looks promising but was noticeably tougher. We saw few fish and between us accounted for one small rainbow from a pool (again, the Woolly Bugger doing the business). In his book, A Flyfisher’s Nyanga, Turnbull‑Kemp refers to this section of the river as the meadows. It is very scenic and looks ‘fishy’ but there the comparison ends – he notes in the book that this section of the river is ‘devoid’ of fish. Whether this is down to the presence of eels (his reason) I’m not sure but it is strange when the upper Pungwe, a mile upstream is pretty productive. Nonetheless, I’d had wild rivers browns and rainbows to my rod in the same day surrounded by God’s country. It really did count for a great experience.
In summing up, I’ll impart some advice from my very limited experience. On these rivers you really don’t need a rod bigger than a 5wt; not only do the bigger rods deaden the fight but you sacrifice presentation and in the often confined casting space that you have, they are a hindrance. After a day scrambling over rocks and through thick bracken, brambles and thorns my legs were torn to shreds. A good pair of lightweight trousers would have been a godsend. A pair of old takkies are all you need for wading; unless you fish in deep midwinter I don’t think chest or hip waders are necessary or desirable.
LEFT: Dry fly brown
RIGHT: One more on the Woolly Bugger
Landing good sized fish
I highly recommend the services of Nyanga Trout Tours to anyone looking to explore the fishing in the national park. Guy Maclwaine can organise trips into often inaccessible parts of the park, together with much needed liquid and food refreshments. He can be contacted on phone (+263 772)333574, email - guy.macilwaine@gmail.com or guydebsmac@gmail.com, or visit his website at http://nyangatrouttours.com/
A view down into the Pungwe valley and the set of falls that mark the extent of the brown's distribution in the park
Not far from where the browns end, rainbows can be caught
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