| Date of Report: Wednesday, 26th August 2026 |
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Name: Andre Burger Email: pafly@netactive.co.za Web: http://www.presentafly.com Phone: 083 632 8729 Eastern Free State. A report received from Josh Wampach of the Ash River Outfitters in Clarens (josh@ashriveroutfitters.co.za) which manages a stretch of the upper Ash River states that this river continued to provide the bulk of the fishing activity. Water temperatures averaged around 10°C and insect activity was exceptional, with some huge hatches observed during the month. Despite this, minnow and streamer patterns continued to outperform the smaller imitative patterns and produced the most consistent results. A major highlight was the WildFly TV team visiting to film the Ash River fishery along with the team from Xplorer whose footage is yet to be released. It was a valuable opportunity to showcase the river, the fishing and the broader Clarens area to a much wider audience. With the unusually warm weather, early blossoms and increasing insect activity, all indications suggest that the new season may arrive earlier than usual. From September 1 it should be safe to fish the Little Caledon again as the spawning season will have past although unfortunately one landowner allows fishing during winter. Regarding the winter fishing of the Ash one must remember that no wading takes place on the upper section as fishing is from a drift boat so spawning beds are not disturbed. There are several other stillwaters in the Clarens district which offer fishing, but preference is usually given to anglers who have booked accommodation Lesotho. Keith Clover reports that conditions have changed little at Makhangoa’s main camp which is closed for the winter, but Rosehip Cottage remains open for anglers who wish to fish the estuary of the Katse Dam which is 82% full. However, due to the cold there have been few anglers over winter. The Bokong River is flowing well for this time of year due to snow melt, but the yellows will only start migrating upstream in mid to late October depending on the first significant rainfall of Spring and early summer.
Drift boat fishing on the Ash..
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