Wild Trout Association Guide Book

The Eastern Cape Highlands are home to the greatest concentration of publicly accessible wild trout water in Southern Africa, and this is the book that unlocks it. Compiled and edited by Dave Walker, the Dirt Road Wild Trout Association Guide (2026 Edition) is the definitive reference for fly fishing the rivers and streams administered by the Wild Trout Association across the Highlands around Rhodes.

The WTA administers access to over 200km of running water — the Bell River, Riflespruit, Bokspruit, Sterkspruit, Kraai River and beyond — making it the largest sport fishery of its kind on the African continent. This 250-page guide covers it all.

Whether you're making your first trip to the Highlands or you've been driving the dirt roads to Rhodes for years, the 2026 edition gives you the practical, on-the-ground information to fish with confidence. Beat directions are precise, with GPS coordinates and What3Words references for each access point, boundary and gate — a genuinely useful touch when you're navigating remote farm roads with no signal.

Beyond the beats, the guide includes a fish species section for the Eastern Cape Highlands, fly selection advice, highland fishing tips and a full accommodation directory for the Rhodes area. It's a book you'll use in the planning stages and keep in the bakkie.

Features

• 250 pages covering all major WTA catchments in the Eastern Cape Highlands
• Beat-by-beat access directions for the Bell River, Riflespruit, Bokspruit, Sterkspruit, Kraai River and more
• GPS coordinates and What3Words references for beat entrances, upstream and downstream boundaries
• Detailed catchment maps with beat layouts, roads and key landmarks
• Fish species guide to both wild trout and indigenous species found in EC Highland waters
• Fly selection recommendations and highland fishing tips
• Accommodation directory for the Rhodes area with contact details
• Compiled and edited by Dave Walker of Walkerbouts Inn, Rhodes