Relaxation - What's That?

April 8, 2011

Fly Fishing in Madagascar – Day 9

We have not stayed still for more than a short nights sleep since we got off the plane here in Madagascar. We have fished every day. But yesterday was our last guided day with George so today we slept in to a whopping 6 AM then relaxed most of the day.

It simply began with a couple nice cups of coffee while enjoying our incredible view from camps porch. Then we had breakfast including a couple fried eggs each. Then I caught up on my journal so I can keep these reports coming.

By 10 AM, I’d sat still long enough. It was time to go snorkeling. Granny and I drug our gear all the way. I like snorkeling because I often find some fish to throw flies at later. I was just about to head for the room and gather our stuff when out came one of the room cleaning gals with a scorpion that she found while sweeping our room. It’s just another daily hazard you run into in this neck of the woods. I’m sure glad Granny or I didn’t step on that thing!

The snorkeling was decent. There is better snorkeling near here and we could have hired a boat to head to the better reefs, but Granny and I wanted no part of being on a schedule today. We simply wanted to be on our own which meant snorkeling right in front of camp. We saw some neat fish. There were lots of parrotfish and angel fish and we even saw several saddleback anemonefish. And amongst those highlighted fish were tons of other little guys in every color you can imagine. In fact, we snorkeled for over two hours straight and got out of the water pruned up and burnt up. Not a good combo at all.

For the rest of the afternoon Granny opted to read in the shade the. I grabbed my 8-weight Ross FW rod, my new Ross F1 Series reel rigged with Scientific Anglers Saltwater Sharkskin line WF8F and headed for the treacherous rocks. The tide was very low but just starting to rise. I could see coral heads scattered everywhere and normally areas like this hold plenty of fish, but here has been heavily tapped by the local fishermen. I only ended up with a few crazy looking sand lizardfish.

When the sun got low I retrieved Granny and took her on a short hike. We were hoping to find one of the famous Madagascar Chameleons. I’m sure we walked past a bunch but they were too well camouflaged for us to find them with the untrained eye. Instead it was good exercise and we reached Sakatia Island’s highest point. From there we watched the sunset over the Mozambique Channel. It was spectacular to say the least.

We just finished up our last night with our camp staff. We had a few drinks with dinner and its time for a nap. We will relax most of the day here but tomorrow night we leave and fly to Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar to begin the next part of our adventure.

Stay tuned for more fish and who the heck knows!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing Website

Fly Casting for Kingfish

April 7, 2011

Madagascar - Day 8

I literally lit up my computer here to type away at today’s blog and an obnoxious cockroach that was obviously attracted to the light blocked out the screen! Yikes! It would have been worth it if only he hissed as I swatted him away. Shucks!
Anyway, there’s not much to write about today. On George’s advice we dedicated the morning to fly fishing for kingfish. A kingfish is what most of the world refers to as “trevally”. In many parts of the Indian Ocean, particularly South Africa, Mozambique and apparently Madagascar; they call all the trevally a “kingfish”. And a king he is. I can contest to that because in 1996 I landed a 90lber on Paris Flats in Christmas Island. Luckily, on that day I was specifically targeting them so I was using a Ross 12-weight. Had I not been, I would never, never, never had even a remote chance. They are extremely powerful fish. (Now every bug of night is attacking my headlamp. This will be very fast.)

We hit about four of Georges favorite trevally spots. All were rocky islands with beautiful coral reef and strong tidal currents. I got tossed around pretty good launching casts first with big poppers, then big streamers and then finally dredging with heavy Warpath Jig flies. Not only did I not see a fish. Not even a follow. George and his mate were dragging a live sardine suspended behind the boat while jigging bottom with bait and all they caught were two little groupers like the one in the picture – absolutely gorgeous. I wish I could have nailed one of those on the fly. But fishing was truly SLOW. The sea can definitely go quiet on you. Tides change. Weather, which has been beautiful, can also change in ways we don’t notice such as wind and barometric pressure.

Unfortunately we fished for trevally unsuccessfully all the way till about 1 PM. Our original plan was to go till noon then bottom fish like we did yesterday but time slipped away. We then began the slow trip home hunting for birds and tuna. We found a school of feasting yellowfin right away and Granny got one good cast to them without a strike and we never saw them again. We travelled slowly for over an hour before finding our next flock of diving birds. This time there were frigate tuna everywhere and Granny and I each picked up a mere one. Then they were gone. There must be plenty of natural food in the water and they just wouldn’t eat our flies. In fact, one tuna puked up an assortment of foods from tropical fish to baby squids. Well, at least we didn’t get skunked and have Carpaccio again for appetizers for us and the crew at camp!

Today was our last fishing with George. George was a real treat to fish with. It’s hard to know if you are hiring the right guy when visiting a remote country like Madagascar but we lucked out. Not only was George very knowledgeable of where the fish live in his waters but he was a great guy with a lot of fun ideas to make our days enjoyable. I'd recommend George to anyone wanting to fly fish in Madagascar.

Damn! The cockroach just spun out in my beer glass. It’s time to turn off this headlamp and enjoy a cold one in a new glass with the Carpaccio and Granny and the staff. We don’t need to get up early in the morning so time to have some fun. Tomorrow we are chilling out as they say. That’s tough for me to do so we’ll see. I’m sure I’ll fish from the shore here and do some snorkeling. The snorkeling is supposed to be some of the best in the world.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing Website

The Rare Sighting of the Dogtooth

April 5, 2011

Madagascar - Day 6

We fished with George again today and will for the next couple days. George filled us in on pirates to start the morning. Everyone knows about the Somali pirates tormenting parts of the Indian Ocean these days and they do come as far south as Madagascar. Luckily George assured us there’s nothing to worry about with a boat of dirt bag anglers.

Fishing was flat out slow today. We tried to go way out to sea for a reef George knows about but the weather was a little threatening with wind and dark clouds. So we headed back closer in and went north to where we fished yesterday. The entire way George and his mate dragged two billfish trolling rigs but like yesterday afternoon we didn’t get a strike. Once we got to yesterdays fishing grounds the wind started to calm some and it was quite nice. We drifted a favorite reef several times. I chucked my 12-weight with the 700 grain SA Bluewater Express until my shoulder went numb without a bite. It was so surprising to me I asked George to disassemble one of his trolling rigs and dredge some bait along the bottom. If there were fish down there surely that would catch them, however he only caught three little strange looking fish. The fish just weren’t active.

By mid afternoon seas around Nosy Be were as calm as a small lake. With great visibility for any disturbances on the water, George said it was time to chase birds and tuna. Fishless to this point, Granny and I were all about the move. But once again it quickly became apparent today was a different day. There were no birds at all. The ones we saw were doing the same as us, searching for the odd bait crashing tuna. At last we stumbled into one cooperative school and lucked into skipjack tuna and frigate tuna. One, George called the blue is one I have never caught before. He was more elongated like a bonito and colored with an unusual blue, however I think this one also was the frigate. Just incase you’ve never caught a tuna before, even though these tuna are small, they gave us plenty of fight on the 8-weight. Pound for pound the power of any tuna is amazing.

Despite uncooperative fish today, every day in blue water offers some sort of thrill. In a previous blog I gave mention to the dogtooth tuna. I said one would be a real goal to catch. But what I didn’t say was that my chance of catching one on the fly is about as good as the Cubs winning the World Series this year. If you did not read about this specie in the link I provided earlier, do it now. Dogtooth tuna are one of the fiercest fish in the ocean. If you hook one at the surface while in 200 feet deep water, he’ll get to bottom and break you on the rocks in seconds. If you hook one at the surface in 400 feet of water, he’ll get to the bottom and break you in the rocks in seconds. From what I have heard, and with further confirmation from George, dogtooth tuna are the strongest fish on Earth. They also reach an amazing 300lbs and swim to speeds of at least 40 mph! Then you throw in the teeth they have that are four times the length of a barracudas, and you have little chance. In fact I’d start being concerned about a hooked dogtooth eating the boat!

But nothing is impossible, and tonight we chased a school of dogtooth. It’s rare that they feed on the surface but they were there and they were eating skipjack tuna over 20lbs each! They were simply shredding them in mid air! The doggies (as George calls them) were all easily 60lbs and leaving 6 feet from the water. It looked like they were in slow motion but we could barely keep up to these feeding beasts even with both engines running full throttle.

Its bedtime now and I’m absolutely stuffed with skipjack Carpaccio. All I can think about is those leaping dogtooths. So much that an hour ago I peeled the line off my Momentum #8 reel that I use for striped marlin in Baja. I checked every knot connection thoroughly and combed over my Scientific Angler 700 grain fly line for dings. Everything is as strong and ready as can be. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll hook a doggie!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing Website

A Miracle Mackerel

April 4, 2011

Fly Fishing in Madagascar - Day 5

Americans and some Europeans are about the only cultures that follow tight schedules. Anywhere else on the planet being on time is of little importance. That’s why when George was approaching the hour late mark I still had confidence he was on the way. Sure enough at 8:30 AM he arrived as if he was on time.

George’s boat is decent. It certainly has some mileage on it. It’s about a 16 foot center console panga type boat with two 25 horse engines. One engine died on us several times today. Luckily George brought along a mate who constantly worked on the motor while attending other odd jobs as well. He also had along four worn out big game trolling rigs. This is never a good sign as often it’s an indication that the guide really doesn’t have a clue about fly fishing or that the guide has no confidence in the method.

We were headed north to fish the islands above the island of Nosy Be. It’s literally the end of a long Madagascar rainy season and the views along the way were simply green like you can’t imagine. It did not take long before we saw a heard of dolphin and a huge sea turtle.

Our fishing began with a school of charging bonito. George spotted them and with excitement shouted get ready. I grabbed my 8-weight Ross rigged with a Scientific Anglers Tropic Express 250 grain line and started stripping it off the reel. Bait was scattering everywhere and when we got close George cut the engines and we coasted in to the action. I launched off several casts and stripped at the speed of lightning but got nothing. We did this several times without success before George insisted we continue north for bigger fish.

It took over an hour before the next cast. We were well out to sea and we could see the distant silhouette of the mountains of northern Madagascar. Our fishing area consisted of a jagged rock island with a ton of submerged reefs. Although the wind was light, large ocean swells tossed us around which is the norm for saltwater fly fishing. George simply said prepare for big fish, and looking like a kid on Christmas, I fumbled through my rods for my 12-weight. This would be a blind casting situation. My line on this rod was a SA 700 grain Bluewater Express – talk about heavy-sink.

On about my 10th cast disaster struck. I heaved back in my backstroke and my reel crashed to the bottom of the boat. At first I thought I simply didn’t attach it to the rod well enough, but when I picked it up the screws that hold the reel to the reel seat were gone. I’ve used this set up a bunch in Baja the last year so I was dumbfounded! The airlines I thought! Then the stress took over my body as here I was 10,000 miles from home at a place I may never have a chance to cast too again having equipment failure! I was losing time! Then without saying a word I stripped the 700 grain line off the reel carefully laying it in my handy stripping basket. Then I took the floating line off my 10-weight set up and reeled the 700 grain on it. Then as not to wreck the floater I reeled it back on the busted reel. And within ten minutes I’m proud to say I was casting again. A bit disgruntled, but casting again.

To make a long story short, I pounded the water for the next five hours without anything. George put me on many more gorgeous reef areas. We chased busting tuna and mackerel and dredged strong current lines where he frequently catches sailfish and marlin. But I got nothing. This was not appearing to be my day. By now it was about 95° and I can tell you such heat didn’t help much. Granny was bored and I was losing confidence. Miraculously however, George was still full of energy and seemed fully behind the fly fishing. When I stopped casting, he’d say change flies or say no resting with a smile. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to break me so I’d troll or if he really knew something.

For those of you that know me, breaking me wasn’t an option, so although I was in some ways going through the motions, I kept on going. Sure enough, we got close enough to a school of skipjack tuna and I got one. Then another. And another and before I knew it I landed eight skipjack tuna. Soon Granny realized fishing was worth it so I handed her the rod and she caught a few while I took my first rest of the day.

We chased and caught skipjack tuna for at least a couple hours. There are many species of these smallest of the tuna family. These look like ones I’ve caught at Christmas Island but it will take some photo studying to really tell. Every one we caught was on a small light colored Puglisi type baitfish pattern I had in my box. You didn’t even have time to strip the fly if you could reach the busting fish. They just destroyed the bait pattern when it hit the water.

It was about 3 PM and it was time to at least start heading the direction back to Sakatia Island. George’s friend put two big trolling rods out with sailfish rigs made with some of the skipjacks we caught. Granny and I relaxed as we began the fast troll. We saw plenty of busting tuna and trolled through them hoping the billfish were below but each frenzy went without a strike.

I thought I was done fly fishing for the day when I saw what I thought was a barracuda explode from a distant tuna school. George saw it too and the boat sped up towards that direction. Again a long narrow bodied fish scattered all kinds of baitfish. It was still too far to identify the species but then it sky rocketed (I’m not kidding) 12 feet in the air! It was the unique specie of king mackerel only found in the Indian Ocean and the very western part of the Pacific Ocean.

My heart pumped wildly and I pulled out my 12-weight as we bounced our way to the action. Praying it wouldn’t tangle, I stripped my line to the bottom of the boat. I was trembling with excitement. When the engines cut I launched my first cast. We were coasting so fast that my cast was quickly dragged and never had time to sink. I stripped the heavy sink line back and made another cast. This time my angle and sink was perfect, however, the feeding frenzy was already over. As I stood in the bow I gazed the horizon looking for the action to reappear. Then I stripped fast from the depths. That’s when I got jolted.

Catching one of these Indian Ocean king mackerel on any type of tackle is an accomplishment. To be lucky enough to have one of size eat your fly is a near miracle. And to land him even more so. These were the thoughts racing through my head. Furthermore, as my Ross Momentum #6 spun uncontrollably my final thought was that I must have a tuna rather than the mackerel. George, who has no idea what my experience is, was very concerned that I was over pressuring the fish. But the truth is, you can let a blue water fish like a tuna fight you or you can fight them. I fight them. I practically point my rod to the fish and pull the second their first run is done. I bend down with my legs, reeling my rod tip into the water as I bend, and then I stand up and pull. I repeat it over and over until I win. Only when the fish really pulls or feels like he is going crazy do I let him go far. The fish rarely breaks off because there is so much stretch in your backing, fly line and even your leader if made with Bimi twists.

I followed this process for about five minutes and there was my fish, a gorgeous narrow-barred king mackerel. I couldn’t believe it! Granny fired off some photos as the fish came to boat side. George was frantic. Not only was he a bit surprised we got this fish on the fly but he was rightfully scared of it. All king mackerel have razor sharp teeth. One careless move and you could end up with a severe gash or even lose a finger.

Now we were at a time of debate. Granny and I had made it very clear to George that we wanted to release all fish except a few for dinner. We already had a few skipjack tuna. George reluctantly asked if we had to let it go. I know how delicious a wahoo tastes and this fish looked every bit like a wahoo. “George, we will eat him too”, I shouted. George was relieved and on the next pass George sunk the gaff. I’d landed what will probably be the fish of the trip, and perhaps 2011, a gorgeous narrow-barred king mackerel!

Day one with George was fantastic. Sure, I caught a great fish and we got into numerous tuna on the fly, but what was best is that George is a fun guy that knows his stuff. George showed up with a plan and he stuck to it. He said he’s only seen a fly rod two other times but he kept the confidence even though our morning was slow. George is very cool and we should have a great next three days.

As you can imagine, tonight Granny and I as well as our Sakatia Tower staff ate big. We had tuna Carpaccio for appetizers and mackerel steaks for dinner. This should be a great trip! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

(Remember, it may take a few days for the next entry. But April 5 will come. Internet is hard to find here in Madagascar.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing Website

Last Gig for Awhile

Speaking to the fly fishers in Boise, Idaho is always a blast. I was there since Friday night as part of weekend fly fishing seminar with friends Phil Rowley and Pete Erickson. We started out Friday night with a visit to the Boise Cabelas store where I painted up a cutthroat while folks watched. Then we spent Saturday and Sunday giving a mix of PowerPoint presentations, casting demos and even some knot tying. I spoke about fly fishing photography, saltwater fly fishing, warmwater fly fishing and even entertained with some adventure programs.

I just walked in the door after a long 6 hour drive from Boise. The drive was a tough one on mostly slushy, snowy and icy roads. I’m beat but I need to unpack and then pack. No rest for this boy - it’s time for Madagascar!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing Website

Tailing Carp Dreams

Yes, that’s my old car almost completely buried in snow in mid March. There’s some absolute garbage falling from the sky today here in Victor, Idaho. It’s been warm so the snow is soggy. It rained all night. Then it turned to sleet this morning and now it’s dumping snow. It’s just lovely! But, it’s a perfect day to paint a jumbo Snake River Cutthroat, do a little writing, continue packing and researching for Madagascar and . . . watch a little NCAA – absolutely perfect!

For some odd reason I’m craving mirror carp fishing over at Blackfoot Reservoir here in Idaho. You can’t even drive to Blackfoot at the moment because of deep snow and even better, the lake is covered with three feet of ice. Nonetheless, I sit here daydreaming about tailing mirror carp.

In case you’re not up to speed on your carp you should be aware there are many different types. Carp are natives to Asia and Europe, where there is a variety of species. They since made their way around the globe carried by settlers for food. Here in the US the most prevalent and widespread is the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), (top) which is so common that it is found in 48 of the 50 states. The mirror carp (bottom) is a mutation of the common carp and is so different in appearance that one might incorrectly assume that it is a separate species. But it’s not. It is actually descended from common carp bred by monks back in the 12th century to have few or no scales, making them easier to prepare for eating (Although we’ve tried, my friends and I haven’t had much success making them edible!).

The mirror carp’s shape is similar to that of the common carp, but its scales are fewer and significantly larger. Usually, the scales are arranged in linear fashion, with two rows on top of the back, one down the lateral line of each side, and a row along the belly, all separated by golden brown skin. Some mirrors, however, have completely haphazard scale designs, and others are fully scaled. No matter how many mirrors you catch, no two will be the same, but all will be beautiful.

Like most invasive species, all carp are harmful to our shallow lakes and wetlands. Their feeding disrupts shallowly rooted plants muddying the water and they compete for food and spawning habitat of the native species. But like the cockroach, house sparrow, starling, and the red fox to name a few harty species, carp aren’t going anywhere. With that in mind, I hope you do or will learn to enjoy fly fishing for them as much as I do!

To learn tactics, fly patterns and more on how to catch carp on a fly, here’s a link to my past article in American Angler Magazine. And learn about other warmwater fish from my book!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing Website

Being Home Aint So Bad

Today is officially the first day I can wake up and not be bummed that I’m home instead of fishing the Amazon. Had we been able to make the trip I’d be on the long flight home as I write. Now I can truly move forward.

I made the best of the week and got in some good outdoor activities in the snow. I cross country skied several days, hiked, ran and Granny and I worked every muscle in our bodies to the breaking point on Saturday when we summited a no-name mountain on the outskirts of Teton Valley. We hiked over about 8 feet of melting snow on snow shoes. You could say it was steep and deep and the pics tell the story. We’ll be feeling that workout for a week!

I also managed to catch up on some art projects. I decorated some Cliff fly boxes for Travis Mason of Deep Creek Fly Fishers in California. This is a great club that I’ve spoke at in the past. I know Travis from my visit to the club and ran into him again while at the Pasadena Fly Fishing Show last month. Deep Creek has one of the best looking club hats I’ve seen and Travis generously sent me not only one of the hats but also a club t-shirt. Being in California last month also got me fired up about golden trout so I painted one up this week. I plan to frame him up and hang him in my den until I stock up some of the local art galleries for summer.

The species info I posted last week about several fish of the Amazon was a hit. I had a few requests to do more postings similar when I don’t have current fishing stories to post. It’s a good idea and I’ll try to do more of it. I’ll probably post more exotic fish than what we run into with regularity just because its fun!

I could fish this week but I’m rolling with all kinds of projects that keep me home. I haven’t been home much the last 18 months so I’m kind of enjoying it. And the college basketball – superb. I only started following it a few years ago. I really enjoy it and my bracket is set. Also, being home won’t last long because next week I go to Boise for three days of giving seminars and then Granny and I head on our expedition to Madagascar. Madagascar should be some good blogging!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing Website

Brazil 2012 - Join Me!

I will be hosting my annual peacock bass trip to the Amazon in Brazil February 11-18, 2012. That’s a Saturday to Saturday. The trip will have 8 anglers including me. The cost of the trip is $4395 based on double occupancy. This price includes one nights stay in Manaus at the Tropical Hotel Manaus, travel to our camp in the Amazon, guides, accommodation and food. It does not include international airfare (expect about $1500), your Brazilian Visa (about $160), tips to fishing guides, camp staff, taxis or food while staying the day in Manaus.

The outfit we use is River Plate Outfitters. I had a couple options as what trip or type of trip to do. Based on my previous trips, I booked what they call the “Floating Tent Camp – Regular”. You will not be disappointed. You can see exactly what this is on the River Plate website. It’s truly incredible! You may also check out photos and stories from my past trips at my Blog and my Website.

All I can tell you is that peacock bass are one of my absolute favorite game fish on the planet and on this trip you have a chance at several different species of peacocks! That’s not to mention the many other kinds of fish you will catch.

I am taking reservations starting today so don’t wait too long!

Contact me at jeff_currier@hotmail.com

Tiger Talk

Africa still has so many remote and unexplored fisheries that some of its fish species are not yet scientifically identified. I just spoke with Keith Clover of Tourette Fishing and he told me the tigerfish we will be targeting in Tanzania next week is no longer classified as the same type of tigerfish as those of the Zambezi and Okavango River systems. If you look back in my previous blog posted October 24th I mentioned that they were the same and want to clear it up.

My information came from an article “The Quest for Trophy Tigers” written in 2008. If you want a great read and to see some unreal photos it’s archived on the Tourette Fishing website in the articles section. At the time of the editorial there was little information on the Tanzanian tigerfish and despite its different appearance and larger size they were still considered to be (Hydrocynus vittatus). However, after recent studies of DNA from fin clip samples provided by Tourette Fishing, this amazing predator has been determined its own species. This Tanzanian tigerfish is (Hydrocynus tanzaniae).

The visual differences in tigerfish species aren’t nearly as dramatic as say that of trout species but I can see differences. In past trips to Africa Granny and I have caught at least two types of tigerfish.

The first hero shot on this entry is Granny with the Zambezi tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus). We were in Namibia fishing the Chobe River (five miles up from where it enters the Zambezi). It was actually my 40th birthday when she caught this beast!

The next photo is me holding a tigerfish that Granny caught in Egypt, (Hydrocynus forskahlii). We were Nile Perch fishing on Lake Nasser (the lake formed on the Nile River by the Aswan Dam). We were five days into a two week camping trip. Granny was tired of casting the 9-weight for Niles so I rigged her a red and white Clouser Minnow on a 7-weight. All I can say is she wished she had the 9-weight for this 7.5lb Egyptian tigerfish. Did I mention that tigers fight hard?

Lucky for me, Granny isn’t joining us to Tanzania next week and I’ll have a chance at a big Tanzanian tigerfish, (Hydrocynus tanzaniae). That’s the tigerfish in the last photo, courtesy of Tourette. They were only discovered a few years ago and the biggest caught so far is 28lbs.

The largest tiger is the goliath tigerfish (Hydrocynus goliath) of the Congo and Lake Tanganyika. You can find pictures of them on Google but I have yet to hold one and don’t have a picture to show. I would do about anything to go try to nail one of these on a fly. Goliaths reach 100lbs!

There’s plenty of work being done studying tigerfish these days. For your average angler having one on the line is enough. But I find it very interesting and hope to catch them all before I’m done.

Tanzania should be a great trip with plenty of stories and photos to come. If they don’t appear on my blog next week - not to worry. My guess is there won’t be any chance at all of internet in the jungle, but I’ll keep a good journal and transfer it to the blog the minute possible just like on my past adventures. I should also mention I will be interviewed live on Fly Fishing - Internet Radio on November 17th. It will be entirely about fishing for tigerfish and I’ll share stories from this trip and past trips. You won’t want to miss it!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Back to Africa

The weather has changed. This October has been the nicest I can remember in my 24 years living in the Yellowstone area, but this morning the birdbath is frozen solid and the smell of snow is in the air. You may have noticed this past year that when the snow flies, so do I. That’s exactly why there haven’t been many posts this week even though late October can be the best fishing of the year. I’ve been packing, gathering info and pouring over maps.
I’m headed back to Africa. This time to Tanzania to fish for a colony of tigerfish only discovered in 2008. Although these tigerfish are thought to be the same species of tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus) I've fished for in the Zambezi River and
the Okavango systems, they reach sizes far larger. It is believed that the incredible biomass in this river allows the fish to grow faster and bigger than at other locations. They are also a good deal lighter in color and their stripes are much fainter likely because of the water color on these remote Tanzania Rivers.
The main reason of this expedition is to film a segment for the latest Confluence Films project. In the past three years Confluence Films has released two highly acclaimed fly fishing movies, Drift and Rise. The new movie to be released in fall 2011 is tentatively called Connect but that could change. The masterminds behind these movies are executive producer Jim Klug and
director/cinematographer Chris Patterson. Jim is the founder and director of operations for Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures and a long time friend. Chris is known for his stunning visuals and unparalleled camera work in numerous action sports. He has been the director/cinematographer of the Warren Miller Ski Films feature films for twenty years and has numerous other projects including all of the lead camera work for the winter action scenes in this year’s blockbuster DiCaprio movie, Inception.
Our hosts for this incredible shoot are South African natives Keith Clover and Rob Scott of Tourette Fishing – Fight it in Africa. Keith and Rob pioneered what they dreamt of for years – a place where one can catch a 20lb tigerfish on a fly. I’ve never met either but can tell from corresponding via emails and reading Tourette's incredible website that they are very keen adventure seeking fly fishermen. These guys not only guide tigerfish throughout Africa, but also on prime African saltwater fly fishing destinations including a place high on my list, the Seychelles.
Hopefully I’ll get on the water a couple more times this week before I head to Africa. Late October truly is one of my favorite times to fish my home waters, but there’s a lot that goes into preparing for a journey to Africa. If I don’t get out locally, I’ll be sure post on my progress of packing. I’ll also do my best to pass along some tips on preparing for an international fishing trip. It’s crucial that I'm ready for massive tigerfish so I too can be soon holding one of these incredible fish pictured here today!
Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

45 Doesn't Seem So Bad

I turned 45 today. 20 years ago that age seemed ancient to me. Even on paper it’s a little scary. But the truth of it, I feel great. I still feel like a kid and hopefully will never act my age.

Naturally I wet a line on my birthday. Good friend Rob Parkins and I did a short float on some sacred water. Our weather continues to baffle. It was easily in the upper 60ºs and the sky was cloudless. To top it off, we hardly had an ounce of wind. It was absolutely perfect!

Fishing was ok. I must admit we didn’t fish that hard but I think the weather is so nice that the big fish are inactive. Normally late October is a time of the first cold cloudy days that deliver blankets of blue winged olive hatches. Big trout are usually on the surface eating every mayfly in sight to fatten up for winter. But instead it’s bluebird days and the random blue wing, October Caddis and believe it or not, it’s so nice there are a few hardy late season grasshoppers around.

Nonetheless, we caught plenty of fish but the biggest was probably less than 13 inches. It was a variety pack however of good-looking little rainbows, cutthroats and brook trout and we caught them all on dry flies. We even caught a few whitefish which leads to the highlight of the day. Robs dog Shang loves to eat whitefish. Yes you heard me correct, Rob owns a fish eating dog. Obviously trout are kept a good distance from the jaws of Shang. In fact as I unhooked a brook trout Shang fell overboard trying to get him. However, when it comes to a whitefish, if he’s a good boy, he gets him. I watched Shang slam down three whities today in which he devours in less than eight seconds!

I don’t think I need to tell you it was no less than an ideal way to spend a birthday. We caught fish. We saw some moose. We saw a porcupine. We woke up some owls. And once again the weather was unbelievable. If only the Cubs were playing on October 18th! Someday. . .

Fishing was ok. I must admit we didn’t fish that hard but I think the weather is so nice that the big fish are inactive. Normally late October is a time of the first cold cloudy days that deliver blankets of blue winged olive hatches. Big trout are usually on the surface eating every mayfly in sight to fatten up for winter. But instead it’s bluebird days and the random blue wing, October Caddis and believe it or not, it’s so nice there are a few hardy late season grasshoppers around.

Nonetheless, we caught plenty of fish but the biggest was probably less than 13 inches. It was a variety pack however of good-looking little rainbows, cutthroats and brook trout and we caught them all on dry flies. We even caught a few whitefish which leads to the highlight of the day. Robs dog Shang loves to eat whitefish. Yes you heard me correct, Rob owns a fish eating dog. Obviously trout are kept a good distance from the jaws of Shang. In fact as I unhooked a brook trout Shang fell overboard trying to get him. However, when it comes to a whitefish, if he’s a good boy, he gets him. I watched Shang slam down three whities today in which he devours in less than eight seconds!

I don’t think I need to tell you it was no less than an ideal way to spend a birthday. We caught fish. We saw some moose. We saw a porcupine. We

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site