Gerhard Laubscher

Gerhard has been fly fishing since the age of 13. After finishing school in 1994, he guided and managed a small fly tackle shop in Dullstroom before heading off to the University of Pretoria where he studied information science, psychology and publishing. After graduating, Gerhard decided to pursue his passion for the fishing industry. His saltwater fishing and guiding has taken him to just about every atoll and archipelago in the Indian Ocean and he has extensively fished both the east and west coasts of Africa, making him one of the few who have fished in just about every country in Southern Africa. His focus on Southern Africa's indigenous freshwater species, like Tigerfish and Yellowfish, has also made him a forerunner in these fields. He was instrumental in the development of the patterns and techniques for Largemouth Yellowfish. On the saltwater side, Gerhard was also instrumental in leading exploratory trips to west Africa looking for monster size Tarpon and has, to date, landed a fair few of these brutes - a feat never before accomplished. He is an accomplished fly tier and has designed numerous freshwater and saltwater fly patterns that are used all over the world today.

Over the years, conservation of our natural resources has become one of his primary objectives and he was particularly influential in raising funds for and creating several conservation and research programs studying a variety of Africa's indigenous species. His attention to detail and in-depth knowledge of Africa and her fish species ensures that FlyCastaway will remain on the cutting edge.

Where it all started

Gerhard was exposed to the wonders of the great outdoors at a young age and, through the guidance of his father, learned the value of conservation. He learned that each ecosystem had its own unique charm and fascinating secrets, delighting young and old alike. It was inevitable that a lifetime pursuit of the great outdoors was waiting for him, although water always held the greatest attraction for him - along with the almost mythical creatures that inhabit it. Today fly fishing is his medium of choice, the eyes through which he looks at nature, with fish and water becoming his subjects.

My Passion

"Every day I spend on the water I learn something new, whether it is a small mountain stream high up in a remote section of the Drakensberg, the tropical rain forest of West Africa, or a sand flat on a desolate coral atoll somewhere in the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean. Fly fishing takes me to the most beautiful places in the world, and through the years has exposed me to some of the most fascinating environments known to man. It is this passion for these ecosystems and the conservation of them that I would like to expose the world to."