Matjiesvlei at the Gamka River

My great friend and fellow nature conservator, Tom Barry, introduced me not only to fly-fishing, but also to fishing at Matjiesvlei. While doing my practical on the Gamkasberg Nature Reserve (near Calitzdorp) - which Tom manages - we plotted, planned and schemed (and did some fieldwork!!!) on fishing the upper Gamka above Calitzdorp.

Matjiesvlei is reached by taking the right turn-off about 5 km west of Calitzdorp on the R62 to Ladismith (before you reach the Huisrivier Pass). Matjiesvlei nestles in the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains and it is a most scenic drive to get there. The flow of the Gamka is regulated by the overflow and/or release of water from the Gamkapoort Dam, which is situated south-west of Prince Albert. I believe that small mouth yellows were introduced into the Gamka and the Nels rivers in 1953 at the same time as they were introduced into the Gouritz River systems. (Read Andre Pretorius's article in the "Stywe Lyne" of March 2005)

Once you arrive at the T-junction at Matjiesvlei, a left turn will take you to a causeway over the Gamka. The land on the Western side of the river used to belong to Piet Nel, but I believe he has sold his property recently. Good news is that all the fishing downstream from the causeway can be done from the Eastern side of the river - this land belonging to Gert Oberholzer. Permission to fish has never been a problem and Gert will invariably pay you a visit somewhere along the river. Don't be perturbed about the rifle - he always carries one!

The key to fishing the Gamka is flowing water. No flow - no fish. Tom and myself can vouch for this - we have put in the hard yards.

The "waterfiskaal" at Calitzdorp can be contacted and the release schedule from the Gamkapoort Dam obtained from him. Your fishing should be planned around this. First prize is obviously when and if the Gamkapoort overflows.

Park at the causeway and work your way downstream before fishing back towards your vehicle. There is about 2 km of small stream fishing in fast flowing water interspersed with a lot of small pools and pocket water - not unlike a typical Western Cape trout stream. Weighted (bead head) nymphs such as Tom Sutcliffe's Zak Nymph ("The Flyfishing Magazine" Jun/Jul 2003) or Ed Herbst's Sunken Beetle ("The Flyfishing Magazine" Jun/Jul 2003) or Fred Steynberg's All Purpose Bead Head Nymph ("The Complete Flyfisherman" Sept 2002) fished upstream and across on a light tippet and a strike indicator works well. Remember that this is 3-wt country - but don't leave your 5/6 wt at home or even in your car. A brilliant little fly, called a PS (Paul Boyers & Neil Moore - "The Flyfishing Magazine" Feb/March 2002) fished downstream and retrieved with a slow "twitch" produced 22 fish in less than 90 minutes on one of those glorious Little Karoo mornings. Fish vary in size from about 6 to 12 inches.

Where the Gamka turns east it spills into a series of long, deep pools ("seekoeigate"), which should be fished like any other Stillwater. You'll need either a float tube or small inflatable boat to fish these pools to their full potential. This is where the serious yellows hang out! The drop-offs are patrolled by 15 + inch specimens, but are more difficult to deceive than their smaller siblings in the river itself. Weighted nymphs and attractor patterns work well if allowed to drift over the drop-offs. In our experience it always pays dividends to impart some action and/or movement to your fly. Now we are talking 5/6-wt fishing.

These long pools are also home to some serious bass. They lurk in the structure (mostly dead trees) along the riverbanks. They have broken us off time and time again on fly tackle and Andre and myself have landed a few lunkers on conventional spinning tackle. Maybe this is a scenario for a 9 wt with 8 to 10 kg tippets? The streams connecting these pools also hold a healthy population of smaller yellows and should not be overlooked.

Above the causeway is another long pool that holds yellows at both the eye and tail ends. A floating platform is advisable as wading is only possible from the Western bank and then you have limited access at best. Make your way upstream into the gorge (with your 5/6 wt) and explore all the lies, riffles, drop-offs and eddies. Weighted nymphs fished slowly along the bottom will put you into quality fish - use your 3 wt at your peril! You can go miles upstream, but it becomes a mission to portage all the shallow sections.

We haven't fished the section below Gert's farm because it is heavily poached and netted. The locals net the pools for the indigenous "Gamkarivier Moggel" . It may be worth a try - but in my opinion fishing shouldn't be a frustrating let alone confrontational exercise.

Tom tells me that there are spots much lower down the Gamka , especially below the confluence of the Gamka and the Olifants that also hold quite healthy populations of yellows. Now we are talking "expedition " style fishing (egg. backpack weekends) here. This could be the focus of a future excursion - when , and if it happens, you'll be the first (sorry second to know !!)

For more information please feel free to contact Willie and/or Andre.

Willie Jooste