I grew up on the farm Schaapkraal near the village of Commondale, in the Piet Retief district. Commondale is very close to the Pongola River, which is not only the border between Mpumalanga Province and KwaZulu-Natal, but more importantly the home of the yellow fish.
My father started fishing this river as a young man together with my late uncle Bodo Filter. Uncle Bodo lived in Commondale and worked at the Phantom fishing rod factory. So not only was Commondale home to the best yellow fishing in the country it was also home to the best fishing rods. Phantom closed many years ago and my dear god father went home to be our saviour many in 1999, but the yellows are still there. Their biggest threat is polution, black bass and people like my friend Erlo Beneke. Erlo is one of the most successfull fishermen in the district, who annually harvests the river and like my father Helmut Meier, does not know the meaning of catch and release. Another son of the Pongola is Horst Filter. Horst a well known environmental activist, but we know him as the protector of the yellow in the Pongola and its tributaries. Horst is a legend in fly fishing circles and co-auther of The Colt Book on FlyFishing for Warm Water Species in Southern Africa (By Garth Brook and Horst Filter). Rumours have it that Erlo once asked Horst to teach him how to catch yellows on a fly. To which Horst replied: I first have to teach you to "catch and realease" becasue with your skill and persistance the yellows of the Pongola have now chance to survive. So ... Erlo is still a pap gooier. As children we spend most Sundays fishing the Pongola with my uncles and my dad. My grandfathers farm "Jachtdrift" is one of the legendary fishing spots in the districts. Visit Feather and Fin B & B on the farm to experience it yourself. It is a pity we never realy learned the art of fly fishing for yellows. One year as a christmas or birthday gift, my mom, gave all of us a long weekend flyfishing with Horst. We stayed at Wandersheim near Luneburg and had a wonderfull weekened with Horst fishing for yellows in the tributaries of the Pongola in the Luneburg highlands.
