The Complete Fly Fisherman – August-September 2019

56 | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 | TCFF

Kloppenheim has 14 gorgeous lake-
side suites, 20 twin estate rooms, ten
elegant timeshare contained lodges and
four stylish conference rooms that can
accommodate up to 150 guests. Sue and
I were given the keys to one of the lake-
side suites which overlooks the main
dam. We immediately rigged up the rods
but the sunset seemed to be winning the
race. We managed to squeeze in about
eight casts each and landed three fish
before retreating to the cottage where the
gas fireplace was already warming our
well-appointed suite. These are gener-

ously sized en-suite rooms, complete with

your own private balcony overlooking the

dam. They come standard with DStv,

minibar fridge, a king-sized bed fitted

with electric blankets and everything else

one would expect from a four-star estab-

lishment. Dinner that night in the Triple

Twigs restaurant was exquisite and the

food throughout the weekend was top-

notch. The staff at Kloppenheim are

passionate about what they do, and this

is conveyed through their kind attendance

and constant smiles. The following

morning saw us lazily getting out of bed

and after a scrumptious breakfast we

were faced with an array of activities to

choose from. The resort offers birding,

self-drive game viewing, mountain biking,

tennis, archery, hiking, a labyrinth, horse

riding, a driving range, heated swimming

pool, an open-air Jacuzzi, as well as a spa

that offers a variety of beauty treatments.

Although we didn’t travel with children,

the resort is very child friendly and has a

jungle gym and play area, adventure golf

and a petting zoo. Sue headed for the

stables and joined me later as I set off to

fish the other dams on the estate.

The estate has six dams of reasonable

size and although there are two dams that

are nearly big enough to launch a float

tube, mine stayed in the car as a good cast

can reach most sections of the dams.

Heading further up the mountain and ten

minutes from the stables are three well-

positioned dams where the fishing is

considered to be more challenging than

the main dam. These dams are less shel-

tered and the wind on my right shoulder

put my casting skills to the test. I enjoyed

fishing these as they are geographically

detached from the rest of the estate and

the solitude gave me time to unplug from

the world and simply enjoy the art of

presenting a fly and fooling the odd trout,

which left me with the impression that

the luxuries of a four-star hotel could not

possibly be so close by.

“I AM STILL NOT SURE IF THE SPORT SIMPLY ATTRACTS GOOD PEOPLE

OR IF GOOD PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO THE SPORT.”