Largie Safari

Contributor SEAN I’ONS takes us on his annual DIYOrange River safari – a journey through rugged African country, where, at the end of the road, lies a slice of heaven.

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The shadows of the rugged Namibian mountains across the river crept closer to my campsite as the sun disappeared behind them to the west. I’d arrived back in camp early for the day and stretched back in my camping chair, lifting my feet up high to rest against the rungs of the rooftop ladder. The muscle burn in my biceps and the ache in my shoulders and lower back were still perceptible from the many kilometres covered in the kayak. My thoughts turned to what defines an “epic trip”. Does it earn that title due to the number of fish caught, the difficulty of the target species, the number of incidents encountered? I guess the answer to that is different for all of us. In my case, I’ve come to realise that the incidents that give rise to massive doses of adrenaline are remembered far longer and sharper than those 15-fish-an-hour episodes. This is especially true where the best of the 15 fish barely breaks the 1kg mark, but the adrenaline event is related to a 8kg-plus largie, whether landed or not.

My annual largie safari had been pulled forward to March from the usual September timing due to work events and all did not go as planned, but then it rarely does, which only adds to the allure. The rough plan was to commence with a visit to some of my usual haunts on the lower Vaal, prospect a new spot I had discovered for two days and then head west to the Orange beyond Augrabies with a quick splash and cast at one or two places on the way. A massive deluge of rain had me rethinking this plan as it poured non-stop from Johannesburg to Warrenton and flooded the road in numerous places. All this water would end up in the Vaal River and would be sure to muddy things up.

FROM BLOEMHOF TO POFADDER