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Monday 20th November 2006 I AM HAUNTED BY WATERS
Heather on the Vaal If you are afraid of water but love fishing, try fly-fishing for Yellow fish and your fear will be cured – it worked for me! I have always loved fishing – I only wish they lived on the land as I am terrified of dark waters. Not so bad when you fish from the bank, but to actually walk into water where I can’t see the bottom, well I never thought I could do it. I even get a fright when my sponge unexpectedly touches me in the bath. It was like the T.V. series “Fear Factor” where you conquer your worst fears. I am not afraid of anything other than dark water. This has a lot to do with first of all drowning in my previous life, and secondly, of a few very scary incidents in this life involving water and crocodiles! I did not tell anyone of my fear, only Kevin my husband knew and was very supportive, I didn’t tell anyone because it was an unreasonable and irrational fear as I am a very strong swimmer. I would like to thank Thalia Thain the SARFFA Representative for Lady Fly Fishers of The Fly Shop for encouraging me to take part in the Ladies Nationals. I would then like to thank Cheryl Cook from Lakenvlei in Belfast for organizing for us to practice on the Vaal two weeks prior to the competition. Eagles Nest was the venue for our practice and to say it took all my courage to step into the water is an understatement, but I did it and by carefully following the other anglers out to where the fish were, I made it. The cure happened quickly when I forgot about the water and concentrated on the absolute thrill of catching and releasing Yellows and Modderbekkies! For the next couple of days, I never waded far and tended not to move around too much but the excitement of the type of fishing and the realization that I had to wade and stand in the water made my fear seem less scary. I freaked out slightly each time a fish swam into me, but there were always my friends nearby to laugh with me and make light of the situation. Cheryl and I were “hooked”. We could think of nothing else between the practice and the Nationals. We just couldn’t wait to get back to the Vaal. During the competition my fear had almost disappeared and I found the intense concentration helped me forget where I was standing. I still did not venture too far and felt more comfortable when following someone in the water, but the heart palpitations and sweating had stopped (or at least they were then caused by the Yellows!).
I loved the Nationals and I am so proud of Cheryl for coming second. We both agree that we have “Yellow Fever” as we cannot wait to get out there again. I hate to say it, but trout fishing, although I can do it from the bank, pales just a little in comparison to those fast flowing waters where the Yellows and Modderbekkies hang out! Not that I will stop fishing for trout. Catching Yellows on fly has really awakened a yearning in me now to catch all sorts of fish on fly; the ultimate would be to try for some Tigers. I grew up in the wilds of the old Rhodesia, fishing whenever I could. As for the incidents with dark water, they involve nearly being washed over a dam wall when I was young. Being behind my friend while crossing stepping-stones when he stepped on a crocodile. A crocodile snapping in my face on Lake Kariba while in a small boat and getting concussion when the raft I was in flipped at the infamous “Four Man Hole” rapid on the Tugela. This made me afraid of water, but strangely enough not of crocodiles. My bakkie has a sticker on it that says “I love Crocodiles” and I can call them to me by imitating the call of their young. This is a great trick to do at croc farms, but people I am with don’t appreciate it out in the wild. In Norman MacLean’s beautiful book, “A River Runs Through it”, he says that he is “haunted by waters”, I know what he means.
Belfast
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