The Mission Fly Fishing Magazine

29/07/2024

B L E N D I N G • I N

Ready to geek out? Our resident bucktail aficionado Andre van Wyk recently got into blending bucktail… and he’s hooked. Check out his discoveries and a step-by-step at the link in bio.

“To be clear, this post is not in any way claiming to be something new, but more of a personal development thing on my side. Blending materials (before tying them in) was something I never really gave much time to prior to a few weeks ago. Now that I've started, it has become something of an addiction.

“It's added something to not only the end product of the fly itself, but has given me something new to experiment with, adding even more enjoyment to my time at the vice.

“Perhaps you, like me, are a little wary on where to start, and how to go about it. So I figured perhaps the following might be of some help, or interest, and encourage you to give it a spin next time you're at the vice.

“Blending fly tying materials has a couple functions - I'll stick with the blending of a single material in this post, cause that's what I've been doing. And surprise fu***ng surprise (ed. Dre is known for his deep love of the stuff), I've been blending bucktail. My interest in blending got tweaked by seeing the incredibly gifted tyer Andrew Warshawer back tying again and posting on Instagram. Andrew's flies were always incredibly inspiring and doing my best to emulate his incredible work was a big part of what got me so hooked on bucktail and tying big flies like BEASTS and large Hollowfleyes.

“Andrew is a master of not only proportion and bucktail manipulation, but has an amazing ability to utilise different colours within his ties to imitate the forage he's tying to represent. What stood out to me was his use of often "off" colours in very small amounts, which when mixed in with the more "regular" colours of bucktail, added an incredible depth and dimension to the finished flies.”

Blending bucktail and fly tying materials of various colours, or different materials themselves is nothing new. It has become an addiction.

25/07/2024

H I G H • F I V E S

Generally fly fishing guides work in pretty wild places. But Scottish guide Alasdair Grassie works in one of the wildest places on Earth, Nyerere National Park (formerly known as the Selous Game Reserve) in Tanzania where, amid Big Five game and other toothy critters, he guides clients of Majestic Rivers into Tanzanian tigerfish, yellowfish, vundu, bagrid catfish and other species.

He’s The Mission Issue 46’s High Fives guide and you have the dubious privilege of full access to his inner-most thoughts at the link in bio.

Generally fly fishing guides work in pretty wild places. But Scottish guide Alasdair Grassie works in one of the wildest places on Earth.

23/07/2024

T H E • P A W • N Y M P H

Developed by African Waters guide Blaede Russel and tied for us by fellow guide David Taylor, the versatile PAW works as well for the slab-like Niger barbs of Cameroon’s Faro River as it does for other yellowfish and trout. Check out our latest step-by-step below.

🎥 Matt Kennedy

Originally design by Blaede Russell, and tied by David Taylor, The PAW (Pink And Wet) nymph is a simple bead head built specifically to target Niger barbs. B...

18/07/2024

P I C K • U P • S T I C K S

Where others see firewood, a club or, simply, dead trees, driftwood sculptor Tony Fredriksson sees the adipose fin on a tigerfish, the gill plates of a bumphead parrotfish or the stream-lined flanks of a salmon. As featured in The Mission Issue 46 (May/Jun 2024). Our interview at the link.

Where others see firewood, a club or, simply, dead trees, driftwood art sculptor Tony Fredriksson sees the adipose fin on a tigerfish.

16/07/2024

F I G U R I N G • T H I N G S • O U T • O N • T H E • H A B A H

After transplanting his life from South Africa to Boston, USA for work, when life gets hard frequent contibutor Jeff Tyser finds comfort in a striped bass fishery he has dreamed about since he was a boy growing up in Joburg. As featured in The Mission Issue 46 (May/Jun 24); full story at the link in bio. 📸 Jeff Tyser and Ross Garrett.

"In the old times, before the relentless assault of content the internet now vomits over us, fly fishing dreams were born in the magazine aisle of the local CNA. The glossy spreads of Fly Fisherman, Field & Stream and Fly Fishing in Saltwaters contained images and tales that would, in no small part, shape my identity and the trajectory of my life. It was here, after school one day, that a photograph of a fly angler lifting a huge striped bass from the surf was burned into my mind.

"Cut to 2022. An opportunity to join a Boston-based ad agency lands unannounced in my inbox. Weighing up a move to this corner of New England, one might consider the storied history, iconic brownstones, Ivy League schools, mom and pop trattorias, lobster rolls and people who talk like Ben Affleck. I see an opportunity to wade in the footsteps of Jack Gartside. I picture salt marshes, windswept jetties, 12-inch Fleyes and blitzing stripers. And so, the decision is easy. Much of what follows, however, is not.

"In a world more connected than ever, I am duped into underestimating the profound impact of physical distance. Nearly everything that has ever felt familiar and safe suddenly feels impossibly far away. Beneath the veneer of starry-eyed wonder and new-guy exuberance, more sinister undercurrents swirl: self-doubt, exhaustion, grief and loneliness."

After transplanting his life from South Africa to the USA, Jeff Tyser finds comfort in a striped bass fishery while fly fishing in Boston.

11/07/2024

T H E • 4 T H • P E R M I T

From the archive: The Mission Issue 39 (May/June 23): In search of Trachinotus africanus (aka the fourth permit), Oliver White and Jako Lucas went fly fishing in Oman. They came away with a new permit box ticked and a different way of fishing experienced. Full interview at the link in bio.

📸 Austin Coit, Hayden Dobbins

"After successfully adding the Anak permit to their species tick list while filming 'Glorious Bastards' in Australia a few years ago, it made sense that jet-setting guides Oliver White and Jako Lucas would be drawn to Oman to target the africanus, aka the 4th permit. There, they teamed up with local experts Nick Bowles, Stu Webb and the rest of the Ocean Active crew. We caught up with Oliver and Jako to find out a bit more about this fishery."

In search of Trachinotus africanus (aka the fourth permit), Oliver White and Jako Lucas went fly fishing in Oman.

09/07/2024

W I S H • L I S T • F I S H

Is it a salmon? Is it a kingfish? No… it’s an Aussie salmon. Saffer ex-pat Liam Surridge rates this sight-fishing species a must when Down Under. Read the full species profile at our link in bio.

"A 9- or 10-weight rod is good for targeting Aussie salmon and, if fishing from the shore, a floating line or sink tip are go-tos. From a boat a sinking line is a good option if the fish are slightly deeper. However, fishing topwater is also an option, with a sink tip or full floater. Aussie salmon are not leader-shy so a 20 or 25lb tippet is the way to go. They don’t have sharp teeth but their mouths will wear a tippet thin so a 40lb short mono bite trace can help you avoid losing fish during an extended fight. Any topwater patterns are good. I usually fish a NYAP or a foam popper. For subsurface action, baitfish patterns like Clouser Minnows or Deceivers are good fly choices, in a size similar to the bait in the area."

Is it a salmon? Is it a kingfish? No… it’s an Aussie salmon. Liam Surridge rates this sight-fishing species a must when Down Under.

04/07/2024

M A R B A T H O • I S • H E R E

For Rolf Nylinder, Marcus Lemke and Håvard Stubø, aka the Lemmel crew, “Marbaten” is the name given to a mythical place of good fishing. Think Shangri La, but for fish. Combine “Marbaten” with Lesotho and you get "Marbatho", the name of the film Rolf made about their trip from Cape Town to Jozi via the Bokong last year.

Starring The Mission's own Brendan Body and Matt Kennedy, indigenous fish whisperers Leonard Flemming and Platon Trakoshis of Feathers and Fluoro, the FlyBru guys, and African Waters guide Riley Meyer, this movie is an angling fever dream of fly fishing wins and losses you have to see.

Read the full cover story and watch the film at the link below.

Rolf Nylinder, Markus Lemke and Håvard Stubø did it all. They caught hard-fighting indigenous species and beloved aliens.

02/07/2024

I S S U E • 4 6

https://themissionflymag.com/magazines/issue-46/

We’re unabashed superfans of filmmaker Rolf Nylinder and his Lemmel crew (Håvard Stubø and Markus Lemke), so when they took us up on the offer to visit South Africa and Lesotho last year we knew something great would come of it. “Marbatho” (Marbaten+Lesotho), the story of their trip, is our lead feature in this new issue. Rolf’s film of the same name will be dropping any day now.

Then, we take a trip across the Atlantic to join transplanted Joburger Jeff Tyser in Boston as he grapples with the American approach to work-life balance by fishing for stripers in the waters around Boston harbour.

Not done with the salt, we zoom off to the Middle East, where Matt Kennedy’s photo comic “Slab City” unfolds amid Dubai’s skyscrapers and Ocean Active Fly’s urban queenfish fishery.

What else? We have a Lifer with Seychelles veteran Serge Samson, an in-depth rod review of the Thomas & Thomas 10'2 Zone which Gerald Penkler tested on everything from Cape streams trout to indigenous witvis, and also European bream and Ide in Holland.

There’s a High Fives with Scotsman Alasdair Grassie of Tanzania’s Majestic Rivers, The Little Guy features found-wood sculptor Tony Fredriksson and his phenomenal fish sculptures, there’s a Fluff focused on Sean Mills’s Soft Serve tilapia snacks, a rare dram from Ardbeg, select beats, books, tons of clobber and plenty more.

Read The Mission Issue 46 online for free at the link in bio, or, if you live in South Africa, you can grab a free copy from your nearest stockist this week.

ON THE COVER: A fever-dream Lesotho scene, illustrated by Rolf Nylinder himself. You can own the cover... details inside the mag.

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01/07/2024

T H E • S T O K E • I S • R E A L

One of The Mission’s unsung heroes, Brendan “Bod” Body, is many things. A former pro skateboarder and skateboarding magazine founder and editor, a profligate fly thief, a tall ginger giraffe with verbal diarrhoea, and our long-suffering art director.

Watch our short film about a day in his life, at the link in bio.

Bod might claim to be a nobody in the skateboarding and fly fishing circles, but following his passion for magazines has allowed him to live and breathe the lifestyle as though he was a professional in either sport. The two things that have kept Bod coming back to his skateboard and fly rod is his hunger for learning, whether it be new tricks or new species to master, and doing it together with his buddies.

🎥 Matt Kennedy for The Mission Fly Fishing Magazine.

One of The Mission’s unsung heroes, Brendan “Bod” Body, is many things. A former pro skateboarder and skateboarding magazine founder and editor, a profligate...

28/06/2024

T H E • S O U R C E

Stop scrolling. You're looking at the M’Goun River Valley in Morocco, one of only two remote streams that is inhabited by a small but spectacular fish. Dadès trout, an endemic, isolated, and now endangered species has miraculously survived over a million years in its genetic state.

Although the M’Goun belongs to the extensive Draa River Basin, which runs 1 200km from the High Atlas range through the desert and eventually to the Atlantic, the Dadès trout survive only at the very apex of the watershed’s sources, occupying a total range of no more than 22km of our planet. Despite possibly being the world’s oldest trout, it has been a mere 10 years since a team of Spanish scientists first studied and classified this species as Salmo multipunctata."

Twenty years in the making, a father and son find the heart of their passion for fly fishing in a fishery that needs you to love it to life. Full story at the link in bio.

Story and pictures by Samuel Fretwell.

Fly fishing in Morocco: A father and son find the heart of their passion in a fishery that needs to be loved to life.

26/06/2024

CAPE TOWN, 1 JULY: Get your tickets for the "Marbatho" screening here: https://themissionflymag.com/product/marbatho-1-july-cape-town/

26/06/2024

Limited tickets left for the screening in Cape Town on 1 July (Monday).

In November last year Swedish filmmaker Rolf Nylinder and friends Håvard Stubø and Markus Lemke toured South Africa and Lesotho with The Mission. Rolf made a film about that trip called Marbatho and now, after screenings in Malmö and Oslo, we are hosting the final screening in Cape Town on 1 July...

25/06/2024

A L L • Y O U • C A N • E A T

The trips that remain seared into your memory until you lose your marbles are the ones that provide challenging yet hugely rewarding fishing and quality vibes with your mates. That’s what Rob Scott and friends experienced as they went fly fishing in Eastern Europe.

"What gives a mission that special flavour? What produces that uniquely foreign taste of adventure and exhilaration that leaves you sublimely sated, but with a little room for just one more bite?

Like a delicious meal, it’s probably more than any one single thing.

For me fly fishing is the key base ingredient. Mix in a few exotic fish species, ideally in a beautiful far-off place with lovely locals and equally lovely weather. Spice it up with a wide variety of waters to target, and make it just difficult enough to fish or to access. Naturally, a good crew of tight mates is crucial. Then, sugar-coat the whole thing with a favourable exchange rate and good local beer, and the dish has prepared itself. Garnish with banter.

Good friends Nick, Cloete, Dean and I got to sample the sweet and varied spread laid out by fly fishing in Eastern Europe – specifically Slovenia, Bosnia and Croatia – and gorged our way through a magnificent two-week menu that any fly fisher would do well to savour at some point."

Rob Scott and his friends experience fly fishing in Eastern Europe. From The Mission Issue 45 (May/Jun 2024).

24/06/2024

D U N K I N’ • D R A G O N S

Garden Route fly tying guru LeRoy Botha’s latest obsession? Foam and deerhair dragonfly patterns you can float over w**d beds or fish with intermediate or sinking lines and/or split shots – the variations are endless.

As rated a fish food as dragonflies are, we believe it is in fact underrated, as seen here, the ultimate freshwater fly-tying inspiration.

20/06/2024

M A R B A T H O • C A P E • T O W N • 1 • J U L Y

Cape Town! Join us for a special screening of "Marbatho" on 1 July.

In November last year Swedish filmmaker Rolf Nylinder and friends Håvard Stubo and Markus Lemke toured South Africa and Lesotho with The Mission. Rolf made a film about that trip called "Marbatho".

After screenings in Malmö and Oslo, we are hosting the final screening in Cape Town on 1 July 2024 at Tommys Chop Shop. Expect only the finest cinematic glory, beer, merch, and hijinks. Space is limited to 50 people, grab your ticket at the link below.

In November last year Swedish filmmaker Rolf Nylinder and friends Håvard Stubø and Markus Lemke toured South Africa and Lesotho with The Mission. Rolf made a film about that trip called Marbatho and now, after screenings in Malmö and Oslo, we are hosting the final screening in Cape Town on 1 July...

19/06/2024

T H E • G R U N T E R I S T

What does it take to become a grunterist? What does it mean to be one? And is it a good idea in the first place? What is a grunterist, anyway? At least one man has walked the walk, and it wasn’t pretty. We may never have had this cautionary tale, were the whole process not witnessed by A Lucid and Restless Bystander…

"If The Original Grunterist were with us today, I think he’d want to know that we’re keeping our eyes on The River.

Oh. No. He isn’t dead. It’s just that somewhere in the early to mid-2020s, the silly fu**er lost his mind.

Alive with spotted grunter and cute little coots, the vast, shallow saltwater sand flats and black marshes of the Southern Cape did something to him. Not just like 'Ogh, it speaks to my soul, bru.' Something happened to him out there. It’s been said that what went down 'changed him'. Some say, 'He’s checked out.'

What I’m saying is that if you were wondering, this is where you find out what really went down on those flats. And if you’re thinking, 'Well, that sounds ominous,' that is a reasonable instinct to have."

What does it take to become a grunterist? What does it mean to be one? And is it a good idea in the first place?

07/06/2024

G O T • C R A B S

Forearms need coverage, whether because of the cold or the heat. The Mission, as always, delivers. Featuring Gerhard Human’s unique artwork and some surprise details, Got Crabs (listed among the few things you can say both at an o**y and before the start of a flats session) is a super-comfortable long-sleeve T made for our die-hard crustacean fans. Shop now: https://themissionflymag.com/product-category/apparel/

07/06/2024

E P I C • N A N O-T E C H

Leonard Flemming gets to grips with Epic's 590C Nano-tech 5-weight in Lesotho.

"I personally felt that it was a very forgiving rod, almost correcting a poor cast and also giving delicate presentations, the type of casting tool you require to target skittish fish with in calm conditions when fishing slightly larger rivers. Derek Smith's finishing touches added an extra edge to this beautiful matt blank for me. Michelle, my wife, got attached to the rod quickly and enjoyed landing several Lesotho rainbows on it, as well as smallmouth yellowfish in the Orange River en route."

Looking for something both forgiving and capable of correcting a bad cast? Leonard Flemming gets to grips with Epic's 590C Nano-tech 5-weight

05/06/2024

O H • B R O T H E R • W H E R E • A R T • T H O U

The Broederstroom, the small montane stream that flows down the escarpment valleys of South Africa’s Limpopo province, eventually joining the Letaba River, is in the dwang. Silt from large-scale farming operations is threatening the water quality and the local trout population.

The Broederstroom is home to self-sustaining populations of brown and rainbow trout. It’s one of Limpopo’s fly fishing gems. After weaving under old lichen-covered trees and through small patches of native grassland, the Broederstroom’s margins become lined by plantations, and more recently established avocado, kiwi and blueberry crops. It’s in these areas that the vegetation composition of the river has been drastically altered.

Story by Matt Kennedy. 📸 Rob Tooley, Kade Thompson

The Broederstroom, the small montane stream that flows down the escarpment valleys of South Africa’s Limpopo province, eventually joining the Letaba River, is in the

03/06/2024

T H E • F I S H • T H A T • D O E S • N O T • E A T – PT • 1

For years Peter Coetzee’s pulse has never quickened at the sight of salmonids (especially trout). But when work took him to the Baltics, he discovered that he was now obsessed with the area’s massive Atlantic salmon.

"Trout in South Africa constantly feel like they’re a moment from death. This fragility just distinguished the appeal for me. You may call them 'wild' if their tenure has exceeded a specific timeframe, but they just never seemed right in non-endemic waters to me (I’m excluding New Zealand, Gerhard and Ryan).

I had generally written off Salmonidae, until two almost simultaneous events occurred:

1) While in a Patagonia store, I picked up a book called A Temporary Refuge. It was the only fishy title on the shelf of environmental activism, camping and surfing titles. I read a single page, and it absolutely hooked me. This book got me really thinking about the intelligence of this family of fish.

2) I began working in the Baltics.

Alone, this probably wouldn’t have been enough. Until I found a forum proclaiming, “there are no big fish in Latvia or Lithuania or Estonia. Don’t waste your time”. I just couldn’t understand this. Google Earth showed some phenomenal looking waterways. And then I uncovered a bit of an undercover cult…and found that there are enormous Salmon in the Baltics. It’s just not spoken of."

Trout in South Africa constantly feel like they’re a moment from death. This fragility just distinguished the appeal for me. You may call them “wild”

31/05/2024

L A L U • B U G

Platon Trakoshis's Lalu Bug is a heavy dragonfly nymph pattern that rides hook-point up, imitating the stubbier dragonfly nymphs naturals from the classes Libellulidae and Gomphidae. This pattern evolved from a fly that Platon initially used for targeting carp on the Berg river, and now in its final form, is used to fish for an array of species, but still very similar to its buggy ancestor.

The Lalu bug is tied with a heavy scud body intended to sink the fly into fish-feeding zone extremely fast, just as Pla uses it to lead feeding carp in the fast flowing Berg.

Tied and designed by Platon Trakoshis. The Lalu Bug is a heavy dragonfly nymph pattern that rides hook-point up, imitating the stubbier dragonfly nymphs natu...

28/05/2024

N O B O D Y • L I V E S • F O R E V E R

The Mission Issue 45's cover star David Gravette, AKA "Captain Dislocate", is one of those fearless, peristent, stubborn pro skateboarders who's made a name and a living from trying and trying again (and succeeding) to pull off the perfect trick. It didn't take long for him to set his sights on fly fishing – maybe not as dangerous, but no less taxing in the patience department and no less giving of life's small and larger pleasures. We spent time with David and also got him to share his favourite country music tracks for this issue's Beats.

📸 Photos courtesy David Gravette, Drew Wilson

Pro skateboarder turned frothy for fly fishing, David Gravette fishing spoke to The Mission about sucker love, injuries and toe pin Clousers.

24/05/2024

S C H W E E T • S H I R T S

Your next T-shirt is at this link: https://themissionflymag.com/product-category/apparel/t-shirts/

We ship worldwide.

22/05/2024

M O H A W K • K W A N

The Mohawk 'Punk' Kwan is a fly adapted by Jimmy Eagleton of Retro Fly Studio to catch sandsharks, A.K.A. lesser guitarfish on South Africa's West Coast. While it may resemble any kind of bottom-feeding baitfish/crustacean, the fly is actually designed not to be seen by the target species, rather more for the angler to sight.

In this step-by-step fly tying tutorial, Jimmy takes us through how to tie this unique yet simple pattern, and the nuances that make it so effective when fished in the correct way. Watch the full video below.

The Mohawk 'Punk' Kwan in a fly adapted by Jimmy Eagleton to catch Sandsharks, A.K.A. Lesser Guitarfish on South Africa's West Coast. While it may resemble a...

20/05/2024

W I S H • L I S T • F I S H

Also known as a prison permit, banded permit, or just plain sheepie, a sheepshead seabream by any other name would be as strange, says Gulf Coast guide Jako Lucas. With its great dental plan and aggressive nature, the sheepie is a toothy skill-tester and, says Jako, some days it’s not clear why the hell they even exist.

“But I have also learned to love them. They behave a lot like a permit/triggerfish hybrid. You have to have your s**t together with your approach and presentation. And, even if you do everything right, they can still refuse the fly. Plus, if you are lucky enough to hook them, they can easily shake it free with those human-like teeth. I actually hooked a monster last week with a client, got him right to the boat, he did one more turn, the fly was crunched and our premature celebrations turned into misery.”

Find out the what, why, how and who of this Atlantic oddball (the fish, not the man) at the link below.

With a great dental plan and aggressive nature, the sheepshead seabream is a toothy skill-tester of the Gulf Coast.