Full dams and fishing windows opening in the Midlands

IT’S hard to tell if the weatherman is consulting a forecast or just spinning a roulette wheel.

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One minute the temperature nosedives toward single digits and we’re wading through rain like ducks; the next it’s full blast summer heat and you can’t hydrate fast enough to keep up.

Welcome to a Midlands summer. Blink and you’ve missed an entire season. We all remember the furnace that was last December, so none of this should come as a surprise.

The Kingfisher trading times for the festive season are as follows: Monday to Friday 8am to Spm; Saturdays and Sundays 8am to 1pm; all public holidays 8am to 1pm. On 25 December, all branches will be closed. On 26 December, all branches will be open 8am to 1pm, except Kingfisher Kingsmead.

On Thursday 1 January 2026, all branches will be closed except for the Salt Rock and Ballito stores, which will be open 8am to 1pm.

The silver lining of these rapid weather swings is that they don’t hang around for long.

Forecasts suggest another spell of wet, drippy conditions in the coming week.

Last weekend's rough weather kept most anglers sidelined, but for those willing to brave the elements, there are still fish about.

The key, as always, is simply getting out there and making it happen.

Recent rains have pushed river levels up and kept many anglers off the water. Upper reaches are running clear but strong, while lower sections are chocolate milk.

The best advice is to head upstream. Reports suggest “heavy metal” is the order of the day, with fast flows making dry fly fishing far less effective.