Series Methodology
The caches in this series have been placed along a great hiking trail and my favourite of the designated, "publicly accessible" trout streams in the Western Cape and one of the few remaining streams in the country that hold a self-sustaining population of wild trout. Each of the caches has been placed to loosely correspond with the demarcated fishing beats along the course of the river. Further details on what to expect when fishing each of the beats (taken from the Cape Piscatorial Society (CPS) website) as well as the trail up the point of the cache is provided on the specific cache page. I have tried not to repeat the details of the route in each listing under the assumption that you will have at least attempted (read) the previous cache by the time you get to the next one.
As this is a designated nature reserve, none of the caches are placed very far from the path so please respect the sensitivity of the environment you are in and don't go bundu bashing your way to the cache. Lastly, please be mindful of all others that you share this wilderness area with. Whilst the river may look inviting, particularly on a hot summers day, please don't wade up or down the length of the stream as this will seriously upset the fishermen you come across. The fish in this river are extremely skittish and notoriously difficult to catch and it's unlikely that someone will catch any fish out of the section you just disturbed for the rest of the day.
The Elands River Trail
Nestled in a valley just after the Hugenot tunnel, this easy to moderate out-and-back trail is a real gem and an ideal winter's day hike. The hike starts immediately to the right after the Worcester exit of the Huguenot Tunnel (see parking waypoint and attached photo of signs indicating where to park) and as you make your way up into the mountains, the buzz of the tunnel ventilation and any semblance of the city life you had before fades into memory...
From the parking area, the trail heads down towards the Smalblaar river and then back towards the tunnel. Keep an eye out for a sign just before the Smalblaar river indicating the direction of the Elands River Trail. It is about 4km (1-2 hours) to the boundary of the conservation area. The first few hundred metres after this cache are the most difficult, as the path has been cut out against a very steep slope. After this section the route becomes easier, following the river along pools and patches of sand. At places the path swings away from the river, climbing quite high and providing panoramic views over the valley before descending down towards Fisherman's Cave and the end of the official route.
NB!!! The Elands River Trail falls within the Limietberg Nature Reserve and all hikers are required to book and pay for a permit & conservation fee issued by Cape Nature (Phone: 0861 CAPENATURE - 0861 2273628873) before hiking on this trail. Wild Card holders are exempt from the conservation fee but must still book with Cape Nature and obtain a permit. Angling on the beats described in this series is fly-fishing, and catch-and-release, only and is controlled by CPS. All beats must be booked beforehand; this ensures that the fish populations are not put under too much stress and ensures you have an undisturbed stretch of river to yourself for the day.
Beat 1
The official start of beat one is downstream from where you are now at the confluence of the Smalblaar River as the old road bridge crosses the river. From here there are a variety of runs and pools, offering the potential of some quality fish. The pools however fish better when water levels are higher. An interesting run just below the first weir is tricky to fish well on account of the severe bend in the stream but this pool holds good numbers of fish.
Above the first weir is some excellent pocket water, tricky casting in tight spaces, and a deep pool with a steep rock face on the left side of the river. Above this point there is more pocket water leading up to another beautiful run before the river opens out into the large pool of the second weir.
Above the second weir is a superb run, with a steep rock face on the right side of the stream and then the river forms a massive dark and deep pool which has to be skirted using the path on the left bank. Access to the top portion of this pool can be achieved with some clambering down into the water. Accessing via either the river or the path brings one to one of the most picture perfect runs on the river. Again with a rock face on the right, this run holds some very good fish, but it is such an obvious spot that everyone fishes it and the fish are weary in the extreme.
From this run onwards the angler stays in the river, with several hundred metres of superb pocket water fishing and runs. At the very top of the pocket water are some interesting pockets with marked weed growth, terminating in a long glide which almost always holds feeding fish, but they are weary and a stealthy approach will be required in low water conditions. Above this run is a massive pool, the head of which often holds feeding fish in good flows, but the water becomes too thin in high summer. The top of this pool, with the catwalk directly overhead on the left is the end of the beat. A marker indicating the start of beat two can be found on rocks in the middle of the stream. A white cross on the rocks to your right can also be used to indicate the end of the beat. Escape from the river requires a steep climb up the left bank to the path or a less arduous path along the left bank that links to the path just above the catwalk. In case of emergency remember that the path is always on the left bank looking upstream, should you need to exit in a hurry.
Disclaimer: Most of the information on the path/beat has been taken directly from the CPS website and any/all credit for it should go the the author of the site.
FTF Honours go to AndyT1, Zambesiboy, Hesamati, Henzz and MnCo. Congrats!