Fly Fishing For The Incomati Chiselmouth
Catching The Incomati Chiselmouth On Fly
Incomati Chiselmouth
The Incomati Chiselmouth (Varicorhinus nelspruitensis) is a beautiful looking fish, and is also known as the Inkomati Chiselmouth. It is known as the Inkomati Beitelbeck in Afrikaans, and is the only species of Chiselmouth found in South Africa. There are 4 species in the greater Southern African area.
The Incomati Chiselmouth is similar in appearance and habits to the Yellowfish species. The difference lies in their mouths, which are wide and fairly straight. They have a chisel-like bottom lip which is where they get their name from.
More Information On The Incomati Chiselmouth
The Incomati Chiselmouth is a relatively small fish that grows to lengths of up to 35 centimeters and can attain weights of over 1 kilogram. They are occasionally caught by lure, bait and fly anglers. This freshwater fish species is an olive colour, darker olive on the top to a lighter olive and creamy colour on the bottom of the fish.
The Incomati Chiselmouth is found in the Pongola River (Phongolo River), as well as the Incomati river further north. It could possibly occur in Lake Jozini, and is also found in the tributaries and streams that occur off the Pongola River. (Read more about fly fishing locations here)
The Incomati Chiselmouth can generally be found in cooler deeper waters around faster flowing water, rapids and rocky areas. They breed in Summer and are a bottom feeding fish that use their “chisel-like” bottom lip to scrape the bottom for algae, insects, crustaceans and other organisms.
How To Catch The Incomati Chiselmouth On Fly?
The Incomati Chiselmouth is a challenging species to catch on fly and is a bottom feeder. Nymphing techniques and Yellowfish flies will work well for this fish. They often congregate in schools of up to 100 fish, so when you find them you can have a lot of fun! A 4 or 5 weight rod is ideal, with a matching reel and floating line. A tapered leader with a 6lb – 10lb tippet is the perfect leader setup. It is best to use heavier nymphs and even a split shot or two in order to get your fly down into the strike zone quickly.
The best flies to use for the Incomati Chiselmouth can be seen listed below:
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