Six Of The Best Largemouth Flies

Fly­Tying Field Editor Murray Pedder lists the top six largemouth yellowfish flies for the Orange, Vaal, Vanderkloof and Gariep dams.

- Murray Pedder

It has been one helluva busy largie season at Flyz Inc. We may have lost our tiger season due to Covid-19 with very few tiger flies being ordered due to the travel restrictions, but the factory has been inundated with orders for largemouth flies. Guiding and travel operators for the Orange River, Vanderkloof, Gariep and the Vaal have seen hundreds of anglers targeting this magnificent fish this year. Each of these areas and the guides fishing them adopt a certain approach and use specific flies when targeting the elusive largemouth. The questions around lines, terminal tackle, rod weights are fairly standard and all have merit in certain applications. Obviously flies and fly selection are at the top of the list of priorities, as this is where it all comes together. The right fly for the right conditions and how to fish the various patterns is the final puzzle piece to bring that trophy to the net. It’s the same with all fishing, I guess. We supply all the fly packs for African Waters, X-Factor Angling, Mavungana Flyfishing, Fly Fishing Vanderkloof and a number of private individuals targeting largies on the Orange and Vaal rivers. In this article and with the feedback we are receiving, I offer you six must-have flies that have been very effective. Before we get into the actual flies, let’s take a look at the main criteria in order of importance when selecting or tying largemouth yellowfish flies: weight, profile and size, water displacement, colour.

WEIGHT