Kykdaar
Grey Hound
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 7,610
- Reaction score
- 3
- Location
- Wingate Park - Pretoria
- Bike
- Zundapp (all models)
Combine a favourite South African pastimes such as flyfishing with our common love of riding and exploring and it is hardly surprising that 12 wilddogs signed up for a trip to Clarens this weekend to go in search of some trout.
Two groups departed from Johannesburg â?? Happy snapper, Pom and friend (Mark) in the one group and John ST, his wife, Cavegirl and friend (Andries?), Cono and friend (Sam) in the other. Blazes and I rode together from Pretoria and Slashback rode up from Pietermaritzburg. Thankfully after the recent heavy rains the weather prospects for the weekend looked good with no rain expected on route or at our destination.
Having obtained permission to arrive from 9am onwards at De Molen trout farm so that we can spend the maximum time fishing, most dogs opted to leave between 4 and 5 am in order to get there in time. After battling our way through some dense early morning highveld fog, daybreak found Blazes and me in the middle of the countryside feeling refreshed and invigorated and looking forward to the day that lay ahead.
Arriving in Villiers a short time later via the backroads (a deliberate and very rewarding choice that we applied throughout the trip) we were waiting to cross the single lane iron bridge into town when we heard music being played full blast from what looked like a campsite a few hundred metres up-stream. Our jibes at the hooligan fishermen that inhabit these parts were short lived when we discovered the real reason for the commotion.
The Stag Rally was in full swing and upon entering the town we were treated by the usual moronic display of impromptu robot to robot racing from helmet less (headless?) he-men superbike riders clad only in shorts, t-shirts and slops. We looked on in amazement, filled our tanks and promptly got the hell out of Dodge.
Frankfort, Tweelin and Reitz were dispatched in double-quick time before we met up with John STâ??s group in Bethlehem for a quick coffee at the local Wimpy. With rising anticipation we tackled the last stage to Clarens and, ultimately, to the De Molen trout farm located about 5 kilometres further down the Golden Gate road.
Our accommodation on the farm consisted of a sandstone farmhouse sleeping six and the fishermenâ??s cottage sleeping another four. A fantastic venue with lovely views, it was precisely what I had hoped it would be. I will post more info and pictures of the place itself under the â??Interesting placesâ? thread as I can highly recommend the place to other dogs wanting to stay over in that area.
Having just arrived Blazes is already chatting-up the caretaker and reminiscing about the good ole days when we still had electricity. Notice, by the way, which bike the dog sniffs at.
Us wilddogs get treated like royalty with our bikes being well stabled for the night. In the background you can just make out the shape of Markâ??s Suzuki cruiser with which he used to good effect on some dirt roads in the area. Pom and Mark would have camped in Golden Gate but ended up pitching a tent on the lawn to be closer to the other dogs.
Then it was time to get into our fishing gear and start assembling for the assault on the trout. Here (from left to right) Sam, Happy snapper and Cono can be seen going about the task at a leisurely pace. Soon everyone arrived and we headed out in small groups â?? some to the river and the others to the dam.
I believe that it is fair to say that Happy snapper caught the first trout of the day. He is well versed in river fishing techniques and within a few minutes managed to catch a trout in the very same pool that I have been flogging unsuccessfully for the last twenty minutes.
The river was flowing strongly with skittish trout darting in and out of cover in the many crystal clear pools. One could literally walk for kilometres along the river and choose from dozens of prime spots to fish. Although a few day fishermen visited periodically, we basically had the place to ourselves to enjoy.
Soon the group spread out along the bank as the hunting intensified for the elusive trout. Later with the mid-day heat unmercifully beating down on us, most opted to seek liquid refreshments and talk k@rk in the shade until it became cooler. Blazes, Pom and Happy snapper were amongst the lucky few to report having caught a fish or two thus far. As for me, I did not even have a bite despite Happy snapperâ??s best efforts to impart the finer skills of river fishing to me. With Slashback putting up a cool pocket knife for the biggest trout of the trip, I knew that I had to concentrate my efforts on the dam for the late-afternoon session to be in with a chance.
And so it proved. Despite a lot of weed along the bank of the dam, having no landing net and Blazes refusing to offer any assistance I managed to land a fine rainbow trout estimated at between 1.2 and 1.5 kg to claim the coveted prize.
Here is a picture of the caps kindly donated by Slahback to each dog on the trip, as well as the pocket knife that I received in recognition of my superior fishing skills. Thanks Slashback, very much appreciated.
With evening gently falling on a glorious day it was time to pull up the chairs, get together with a few cold ones, light the fire and get down to some serious kark prating in true wilddog style.
Blazes, Andries, Cavegirl and John Stâ??s wife
Slashback enjoying a cold one
The lawyers arguing
Happy snapper about to educate Mark and Pom on his technique for picking your nose with half a finger.
John ST stressing a point
Cono, Andries and Cavegirl in relaxed mood.
Mark reeling from the smell of Pomâ??s feet.
.
The conversation touched on everything from EKSDOM-bashing, bikes, movies, insurance, law of contract and self-defence. I was amazed at the amount of hardware carried by dogs for the latter purpose.
Here Happy snapper demonstrates how to use a shock someone into submission. Pity I did not have that on me later that night when the local poltergeist started playing games with my mattress, but that is another story.
So, after an eventful evening Blazes myself and Slashback decide to have some breakfast at Clarens before heading out to Golden Gate. The place is expanding with a number of new shops and housing estates being erected. It remains, however, as beautiful as ever. Just canâ??t beat such a naturally spectacular setting.
The same holds true for the Golden Gate area and, riding slowly and stopping often to take pictures, we were held in awe of it natural splendour.
Just before reaching the main highway we stopped to bid Slashback farewell and a safe journey. Not wanting this dayâ??s riding too be over to soon, Blazes and I took a beautiful gravel road to Kestell that he previously found and mapped. It turned out to bit a little gem of a road and we thoroughly enjoyed riding it.
Soon found our way blocked by cattle at a zebra crossing.
From Kestell we rode to Reitz and then re-traced our steps to reach Pretoria at around 17H00. The only noteworthy event on the return-leg occurred when we ignored a â??road closedâ? sign and ended up hitting a stretch of loose stones. With my heart in my mouth I just yanked open the throttle and held on. The added weight of my heavy bag over the rear wheel probably saved me from landing on my face.
I know a lot of you took photos of the trip, as well as the dayâ??s fishing. Please post them here for everyone to enjoy.
Lastly, sorry that I did not have the opportunity to say goodbye to each person personally, but I trust that you found the trip as enjoyable as I did and that you had a safe journey back home.
Cheers
Two groups departed from Johannesburg â?? Happy snapper, Pom and friend (Mark) in the one group and John ST, his wife, Cavegirl and friend (Andries?), Cono and friend (Sam) in the other. Blazes and I rode together from Pretoria and Slashback rode up from Pietermaritzburg. Thankfully after the recent heavy rains the weather prospects for the weekend looked good with no rain expected on route or at our destination.
Having obtained permission to arrive from 9am onwards at De Molen trout farm so that we can spend the maximum time fishing, most dogs opted to leave between 4 and 5 am in order to get there in time. After battling our way through some dense early morning highveld fog, daybreak found Blazes and me in the middle of the countryside feeling refreshed and invigorated and looking forward to the day that lay ahead.
Arriving in Villiers a short time later via the backroads (a deliberate and very rewarding choice that we applied throughout the trip) we were waiting to cross the single lane iron bridge into town when we heard music being played full blast from what looked like a campsite a few hundred metres up-stream. Our jibes at the hooligan fishermen that inhabit these parts were short lived when we discovered the real reason for the commotion.
The Stag Rally was in full swing and upon entering the town we were treated by the usual moronic display of impromptu robot to robot racing from helmet less (headless?) he-men superbike riders clad only in shorts, t-shirts and slops. We looked on in amazement, filled our tanks and promptly got the hell out of Dodge.
Frankfort, Tweelin and Reitz were dispatched in double-quick time before we met up with John STâ??s group in Bethlehem for a quick coffee at the local Wimpy. With rising anticipation we tackled the last stage to Clarens and, ultimately, to the De Molen trout farm located about 5 kilometres further down the Golden Gate road.
Our accommodation on the farm consisted of a sandstone farmhouse sleeping six and the fishermenâ??s cottage sleeping another four. A fantastic venue with lovely views, it was precisely what I had hoped it would be. I will post more info and pictures of the place itself under the â??Interesting placesâ? thread as I can highly recommend the place to other dogs wanting to stay over in that area.
Having just arrived Blazes is already chatting-up the caretaker and reminiscing about the good ole days when we still had electricity. Notice, by the way, which bike the dog sniffs at.
Us wilddogs get treated like royalty with our bikes being well stabled for the night. In the background you can just make out the shape of Markâ??s Suzuki cruiser with which he used to good effect on some dirt roads in the area. Pom and Mark would have camped in Golden Gate but ended up pitching a tent on the lawn to be closer to the other dogs.
Then it was time to get into our fishing gear and start assembling for the assault on the trout. Here (from left to right) Sam, Happy snapper and Cono can be seen going about the task at a leisurely pace. Soon everyone arrived and we headed out in small groups â?? some to the river and the others to the dam.
I believe that it is fair to say that Happy snapper caught the first trout of the day. He is well versed in river fishing techniques and within a few minutes managed to catch a trout in the very same pool that I have been flogging unsuccessfully for the last twenty minutes.
The river was flowing strongly with skittish trout darting in and out of cover in the many crystal clear pools. One could literally walk for kilometres along the river and choose from dozens of prime spots to fish. Although a few day fishermen visited periodically, we basically had the place to ourselves to enjoy.
Soon the group spread out along the bank as the hunting intensified for the elusive trout. Later with the mid-day heat unmercifully beating down on us, most opted to seek liquid refreshments and talk k@rk in the shade until it became cooler. Blazes, Pom and Happy snapper were amongst the lucky few to report having caught a fish or two thus far. As for me, I did not even have a bite despite Happy snapperâ??s best efforts to impart the finer skills of river fishing to me. With Slashback putting up a cool pocket knife for the biggest trout of the trip, I knew that I had to concentrate my efforts on the dam for the late-afternoon session to be in with a chance.
And so it proved. Despite a lot of weed along the bank of the dam, having no landing net and Blazes refusing to offer any assistance I managed to land a fine rainbow trout estimated at between 1.2 and 1.5 kg to claim the coveted prize.
Here is a picture of the caps kindly donated by Slahback to each dog on the trip, as well as the pocket knife that I received in recognition of my superior fishing skills. Thanks Slashback, very much appreciated.
With evening gently falling on a glorious day it was time to pull up the chairs, get together with a few cold ones, light the fire and get down to some serious kark prating in true wilddog style.
Blazes, Andries, Cavegirl and John Stâ??s wife
Slashback enjoying a cold one
The lawyers arguing
Happy snapper about to educate Mark and Pom on his technique for picking your nose with half a finger.
John ST stressing a point
Cono, Andries and Cavegirl in relaxed mood.
Mark reeling from the smell of Pomâ??s feet.
.
The conversation touched on everything from EKSDOM-bashing, bikes, movies, insurance, law of contract and self-defence. I was amazed at the amount of hardware carried by dogs for the latter purpose.
Here Happy snapper demonstrates how to use a shock someone into submission. Pity I did not have that on me later that night when the local poltergeist started playing games with my mattress, but that is another story.
So, after an eventful evening Blazes myself and Slashback decide to have some breakfast at Clarens before heading out to Golden Gate. The place is expanding with a number of new shops and housing estates being erected. It remains, however, as beautiful as ever. Just canâ??t beat such a naturally spectacular setting.
The same holds true for the Golden Gate area and, riding slowly and stopping often to take pictures, we were held in awe of it natural splendour.
Just before reaching the main highway we stopped to bid Slashback farewell and a safe journey. Not wanting this dayâ??s riding too be over to soon, Blazes and I took a beautiful gravel road to Kestell that he previously found and mapped. It turned out to bit a little gem of a road and we thoroughly enjoyed riding it.
Soon found our way blocked by cattle at a zebra crossing.
From Kestell we rode to Reitz and then re-traced our steps to reach Pretoria at around 17H00. The only noteworthy event on the return-leg occurred when we ignored a â??road closedâ? sign and ended up hitting a stretch of loose stones. With my heart in my mouth I just yanked open the throttle and held on. The added weight of my heavy bag over the rear wheel probably saved me from landing on my face.
I know a lot of you took photos of the trip, as well as the dayâ??s fishing. Please post them here for everyone to enjoy.
Lastly, sorry that I did not have the opportunity to say goodbye to each person personally, but I trust that you found the trip as enjoyable as I did and that you had a safe journey back home.
Cheers
