Fly’s the limit as a sport explodes
A new demographic and an injection of youth have transformed fly fishing
If you go down to the woods, or a kloof or an estuary today... you’re in for a big surprise. Fly fishing is no longer what it once was. The clichés have been popped; tweed has been swapped for tatts and hi-tech gear; the old association with whisky and weirdos now shares space with craft beer, spirits and cool kids; almost every fly angler practises catch and release, and the demographic you’d expect (old white guys) now has some company on the water. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what is behind the renaissance (or plain old naissance) of fly fishing globally, but in SA the scene is undeniably alive. Maybe the devalued rand means more people are vacationing at home and with the Boks and Bafana Bafana invariably sucking or choking, more people are turning from TV to nature for something that seldom lets you down. You could also point the finger at the general hipsterisation of anything vaguely crafty or belonging to a nerdy niche (birdwatching is apparently also on the rise). Bu...
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