James Topham

James has been part of the team since early 2010, and has quickly built up an impressive repetoire having done full seasons on the lower Zambezi River, St Brandon's and Farquhar. James started fly fishing whilst attending Maritzburg College, and was fortunate enough to have plenty of friends who had access to the renowned streams and still waters of the Natal Midlands. Between the Midlands and his parents' place in South Africa's Lowveld, James soon had a wide variety of freshwater and saltwater fly fishing experience under his belt. After school he studied copywriting at Red & Yellow in Cape Town and again was exposed to a whole new fishing environment. He worked on a commercial Tuna ski boat during his studies and spent the rest of his time prospecting as many of the fisheries that the Western Cape could offer.

Where it all started

His father's stories of fly fishing clear untouched Lesotho streams (which he was later to visit) and fishing at his side in the gullies with red bait and farm dams with a small spinning rod are his first vivid memories of where it all started. His first fish was a small mullet from Zandvlei estuary which he caught when he was probably 4 or 5. He took it home in an ice cream tub, played with it in the sink for hours, and when his poor mom woke him up in the morning, she was horrified to see that it had spent the night with him. Since then there has been no turning back!

My Passion

"The greatest appeal with regards to guiding is the fact that you never stop learning. You learn from each destination you fish, your fellow guides and, of course, from your clients. It's my thirst of knowledge, my love of fishing and the satisfaction gained from seeing a happy client with the fish of their dreams that keeps me striving to improve."