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Eating Fishy in Zimbabwe

Cool clear, well-aerated waters are necessary, and cold flowing water is essential for breeding. Rainbows spawn from June trough to August and even as late as September. Breeding fish move upstream to suitable gravel beds. Under normal conditions rainbow trout grow to 150 mm in the first year. Average life expectancy is 3-4 years, rarely 5 years.

Tackle and tactics are as diverse as fly selection. You can be throwing a full sinking line on a six weight rod in one of the large lakes or you can be making short pin point casts with a 2 weight rod on a small stream.

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Rainbow trout originate from the west coast of North America ranging from Alaska to California. They are also indigenous to northeast Asia. Rainbows have been introduced to the rest of North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Africa and India. They are closely related to the Pacific salmons, the golden trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita) and the cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarki). Various regional as well as selectively bred strains of rainbow trout exist. All trout can assume an anadromous lifestyle (maturing in the sea and migrating back to freshwater to breed). Rainbows that continue to follow the anadromous lifestyle are known as steelhead and reach incredible sizes in their native range. The Kamloops strain from British Columbia in Canada is one of the fastest growing and largest rainbow strains reaching 50lbs (22.7 kg). The Mount Shasta strain from California is more resistant to high temperatures while the Isle of Man strain produces cock fish with very well developed kypes (the hook at the tip of the snout). Rainbows are an overall silvery colour with small black dots covering the body. Viewed from above, they have a beautiful blue green sheen and occasionally completely blue specimens devoid of any spots will appear in hatcheries. These have little chance of survival in the wild. A wide range of colours and patterns of spots are evident yet a common feature will be the band of pink extending along the fish's flank. Colours also depend on water clarity and in clear water; colours are usually bright compared to the overall silvery appearance of specimens from more turbid water. Rainbows occur throughout Southern Africa including Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania but are confined mainly to altitudes over 1000m. Most of the fishing is in stillwaters as a result of the ease of access and as a more reliable resource given fluctuating water flows in most of our streams. This has also contributed to an expansion in trout production to meet the demands of anglers rather than the table market. Stocking of trout in dams is essential since both species in Southern Africa require flowing water to successfully spawn and in most stillwaters (exceptions do exist) do not breed naturally. Fish are stocked at a variety of sizes from fry (2-10g) and fingerlings (100-200g) to large yearlings (1000g) depending on the type of fishery and level of fishing intensity. Experimental stockings with sterile triploids that do not develop sex organs and instead invest This species is widely distributed in high altitude lakes and streams throughout the world.

Rainbows prey as opportunity provides on a wide range of animal foods. Depending on what is available in the specific body of water, it can range from small invertebrates including aquatic insects, and especially mayfly nymphs, caddis fly and midge larvae to terrestrials like grass hoppers, beetles and crickets to frogs crabs and fish.

Fly Selection for trout varies greatly from one area to another. There have been countless numbers of flies designed for trout over the years, each angler having his own favorites and each one having its own specific use in its own specific area. It would be futile to even try list all the trout patterns available, as many patterns used have been taken from traditional English and American patterns. However, over the last 15 years patterns have been invented specifically for our local conditions by pioneering fly fishers of Southern Africa. New patterns are devised daily. What we can do is give a limited list of personal favorites that have stood their ground in many Southern African waters. This in turn will result in some debate, but we welcome your contributions. Nymphs Gold Ribbed Hares Ear Rubber leg nymph Dragonfly nymph Damselfly nymph Stick fly Suspender midge Red butt wooly worm Peacock snail Dry Flies Parachute Adams Humpy RAB (Red Arsed Bastard) DDD (Duckworth's Dargle delight) The stimulator Goddard caddis Dave's hopper Attractor patterns Wooly bugger Black or White death Mudler minnow.