Wanting a Cottage
 Hi Jenny, I receive your e-mails from time to time which are most interesting.
 We have exchanged notes from time to time. I am the Chairman of a local Angling club here on the South Coast of Natal, and also a member of the Durban Boat Owners Assoc.
Would I plse thru you and your members enquire whether you know of anyone around Kariba who is looking to sell a small chalet/cottage . A couple of us would like to acquire somrthing along these lines, maybe not 100%, but 50%.
Can offer payment in SA or in Zim in Rands. We want to promote fishing there amongst clubs down here.
Await your feedback. Regards
e-mail : [email protected]

Wanting to Sell
Hi Jenny,
We are selling our brand new Osprey with trailer,canvas cover,tape deck and 60hp Mariner Motor. If any one is interested please ask them to contact me on 011 404760.
Thanks
Trish Callow

This weeks tip
Topwater Fishing - by Dave Masterson
The topwater plug has got to rate right at the top when it comes to the different baits and the kind of reaction they draw when they are presented just right.
From the subtle" tap tap "on a Texas rig worm, to the solid "thump" we feel on a deep diving crank bait, each bait has own characteristics as far as how the bass "feels" on the strike.
But Topwaters, oh the mighty topwaters. I guess you could say I cut my teeth on a Tiny Torpedo, and yes, it was clear, on the stock ponds around East Texas and the big pond, Toledo Bend.
I want to share a few secrets with you about this kind of fishing and a bait that very few anglers use. Therefore, if your one of the inquisitive minds that search for new and useful information, then this is payday for you.
Let me cut right to the chase on this awesome, but rarely used topwater bait {Heddon doesn’t sponsor me so lets get that out of the way}
It’s the legendary, Boy Howdy. A topwater, stickbait, with a weighted end.
Now, they make different ones, but the one& only one, is the bait that has the 3/8 oz weight at the tail.
Chrome with a blue back, Chrome with a black back, and clear with a blue nose, but has to be the weighted version.
Depending on the action, some times I shave the weight down , this helps the bait stick further up.
On windy days, I will do this on the school fish and it really helps.
Now, how do I fish it.
Long casts. Absolutely great for school bass, cast extremely good to, much better than a spook{ that’s another story}or one of the thicker cigar plugs.
So, right after the cast, I usually pause for 10-15 seconds, although I have had them explode on it before that!
Then with a fast tipped rod, usually a 6'6"All Star Popping Rod, I will pop the bait, with a snap of my wrist, while slowly reeling.
I do this about 3-4 times, then pause….
Most the time, the first pop after I pause is when the EXPLOSIONS take place. I mean they inhale it. I am not sure why the Boy Howdy works so well when other baits don’t. Maybe the profile, color and action, all come together to create the perfect illusion of a 6 inch wounded shad…..darting on the surface!
Please do not get me wrong, there are excellent topwater baits out there, and I use them. Spooks, Rouges, Rapalas, holy cow, there's a bloody ton of them, and they work…..but.
You have to get a few of these Boy Howdys for the school fish.
How many times have you been on the lake and found the schoolies only to be snubbed by them. You throw small cranks, traps, grubs and all your topwaters in your box…to no avail.
Try the Boy Howdy.
Now I am not saying it works every time but please try it. I will almost guarantee it will work. I have had baits, in fact, where the bass have eaten the darn chrome right off, exposing the bone colored body underneath…and they still work. If you were to open my Howdy box right now you would find 15-20 Boys inside, half of them will be bone
& chrome, as I call it.
So the next time you see a boil, or hear the schoolies behind you, pick up your rod and chuck a Boy Howdy on them and hold on.
Dave Masterson

I thought that we could all do with a bit of Humour
No one in this town could catch any fish except this one man. The game warden asked him how he did it. The man told the game warden that he would take him fishing the next day. Once they got to the middle of the lake the man took out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and threw it in the water. After the explosion fish started floating to the top of the water. The man took out a net and started picking up the fish. The game warden told him that this was illegal. The man took out another stick of dynamite and lit it. He then handed it to the game warden and said " Shut up and fish!".

A blonde wanted to go ice-fishing. She'd seen many books on the subject, and finally, after getting all the necessary "tools" together, she made for the nearest frozen lake. After positioning her comfy foot-stool, she started to make a circular cut in the ice. Suddenly ---from the sky--- a voice boomed, "THERE ARE NO FISH THERE!" Startled, the Blonde moved further down the ice, poured a Thermos of cappuccino, began to cut yet another hole. Again, from the heavens, the voice bellowed, "THERE ARE NO FISH THERE!" The Blonde, now quite worried, moved way down to the opposite end of the ice, sat up her stool, and tried again to cut her hole. The voice came once more: "THERE ARE NO FISH THERE!" She stopped, looked skyward, and said, "Who are you --- God?" The voice replied, "NO, I OWN THE ICE-RINK!"

One day while driving home from his fishing trip in the pouring rain, a man got a flat tire outside a monastery. A monk came out and invited him inside to have dinner and spend the night. The motorist accepted. That night he had a wonderful dinner of fish and chips. He decided to compliment the chef. Entering the kitchen, he asked the cook, "Are you the fish friar?" "No," the man replied, "I'm the chip monk."

Fishing rule #1: The least experienced fisherman always catches the biggest fish.
Fishing rule #2: The worse your line is tangled, the better is the fishing around you.
Fishing rule #3: Fishing will do a lot for a man but it won't make him truthful.

Jim had an awful day fishing on the lake, sitting in the blazing sun all day without catching a single one. On his way home, he stopped at the supermarket and ordered four catfish. He told the fish salesman, "Pick four large ones out and throw them at me, will you?" "Why do you want me to throw them at you?" "Because I want to tell my wife that I caught them." "Okay, but I suggest that you take the orange roughy." "But why?" "Because your wife came in earlier today and said that if you came by, I should tell you to take orange roughy. She prefers that for supper tonight."

Cheers and tight lines
Jenny