WILD TROUT ASSOCIATION
Fly Fishing in the Berg
Eastern Cape, South Africa
The Wild Trout Association (WTA) is an organisation of riparian owners with
trouting waters at their disposal and affiliate members who provide services and
facilities such as guiding and accommodation. The WTA is thus a fly-fishing
marketing body that promotes fly-fishing on a sustainable basis on behalf of its
members. The headquarters of the WTA is Walkerbouts Inn,
Rhodes Village.
General rules of the Association
- Fish by fly only with recognised fly-fishing equipment
- Fish on a catch-and-release basis only
- Leave gates as you find them
- Please do not drive through lands of any description, ever
- Do not litter and fires are prohibited
- No pets allowed
Remember that you are on private property that is precious to the owner.
Treat it as such.
What does the WTA do?
The formation of the WTA brought about long-needed access to these waters and
has been remarkably successful in doing so. It has taken many long years for the
association to expand the scope of its access to fishing.
The WTA is responsible for the administration of the fishery, including the
central booking system and other administrative functions such as data capture
and processing, permit fee disbursements and marketing.
Riparian members have been encouraged to develop the necessary infrastructure to
accommodate visiting fly-fishermen to the area. Fly-fishing cottages and lodges
have duly been established along the rivers and in the village of Rhodes where a
host of different accommodation options has become available.
In addition to making the fly-fishing resource more easily accessible, the WTA
has concentrated a great deal of its efforts on making the attractions of the
Eastern Cape Highlands known to the general public. Although trout fishing is
the major sport practised in the region, there are umpteen other attractions
such as snow-skiing, hiking, mountain biking, bird-watching, pony riding, rock
art viewing and, for the hunting enthusiast, greywing francolin shooting to be
enjoyed as well.
Where does the WTA operate?
The greatest concentration of fly-fishing on wild running water available to the
public in Southern Africa is to be found in the Highlands of the Eastern Cape.
The Highlands straddle the southernmost portion of the Drakensberg and continue
into the Stormberg. The WTA administers and has access to more than 350km of
running water throughout the Highlands and is the largest sport fishery of its
kind on the entire continent of Africa.
The waters range from Lilliputian streams found at the headwaters of the
tributaries of the Kraai River that grow as they tumble down into the valleys
below. These freestone streams and rivers are mostly fed by summer precipitation
including thunderstorms and to a lesser extent by melt water from occasional
snowfalls in winter.
Catch Policy
The preferred method of fishing is on a catch-and-release basis. However, permit
holders who land trophy-size fish may remove them for mounting. Alternatively,
visitors who would like to sample the fruits of their labours are welcome to
remove pan-sized fish for culinary purposes whilst in the Highlands.
Images by Tom Sutcliffe
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