Art, Advocacy, and Angling: The Life of Johann du Preez
with: johanndupreez_art
We caught up with Johann du Preez, an accomplished fly fishing guide, artist, and advocate for sustainable fishing. In this interview, Johann shares how his love for fly fishing and art intertwined, the places that shaped him as an angler, and the meaningful work he's doing with the IndyFly Foundation. From his journey in South Africa to becoming a global advocate for fly fishing, Johann's story is as inspiring as it is unique.
Johann, where are you from, and how did you first get into fly fishing? Did your passion for art and fly fishing develop alongside each other, or was one a later addition?
I am a South African, born and raised in the Free State province in central South Africa. For those who are unfamiliar with the Free State, there is hardly any fishing. The odds of me getting into fly fishing, let alone becoming a fly fishing guide were slim to none. At our high school we had a small dysfunctional fly fishing club, but it was a start. Before long I was running the club and planning trips. The obsession began to grow and it knew I was totally consumed by it.
Your artwork beautifully captures the essence of fish and the natural world. What inspired you to combine your artistic talent with your love for fly fishing?
As long as I can remember I could draw, it came naturally to me and definitely predates my fly fishing career. I was just fortunate enough to find a way of combining the two passions. Today I can’t separate the two, after all, fly fishing is art. I certainly look at fish and their natural landscape through an artistic lens. I constantly draw inspiration from nature. Two things I try to express in my art is the dynamic nature of water and how fish fit into that world.
I have played around with many different mediums, from pen sketches and watercolor to a more recent obsession with digital art. My art is never overly complicated or technically perfect, but I like to draw a fish with a certain amount of anatomical accuracy. It is a fine line between being too realistic and keeping artistic flair, almost like fly tying. It is an impression of life.
You’ve traveled extensively for fly fishing. What have been some of your favorite destinations, and how have these experiences shaped your perspective as an angler?
I have been extremely fortunate to travel and fly fishing far and wide. I often get asked what my favorite destination or fish is and I really can’t say, each place has its own merit. What I can say is that some destinations keep me coming back for more. Sette Cama in Gabon is one of those places, the variety of fish and the unspoilt wilderness is truly amazing overthere. Rewa Eco Lodge in Guyana is another destination like that. I love wild places with a variety of species to figure out. Southern Oman with NoBoundaries recently slipped into my top 5 destinations, it is a fantastic place with a ridiculous amount of angry fish.
As I mentioned, I love variety in my fishing. I am driven by new species and experiences. I especially enjoy catching those fish that others struggle to figure out. It is an exhilarating feeling when you finally crack the code on a new species.
You’ve done incredible work with the IndyFly Foundation. How did you get involved with them, and what impact has this collaboration had on you as an artist and an angler?
Indifly has been the most pivotal part of my fly fishing career. To be able to make meaningful change in the world through fly fishing is incredibly rewarding. I love working with native communities around the globe and sharing my passion for fly fishing with them. There is real transformative power in fly fishing and we have seen it first hand over the last decade. As of this year I have been appointed as the new Executive Director of Indifly. It is both a humbling and terrifying opportunity. I am excited to see what we can achieve in the next decade. It is going to be a time of growth and expansion for our organization. My goal is to conserve more fisheries and build a sustainable future for more native communities through this great sport. I want to leave this world a better place than how I came into it and Indifly makes that dream possible.
What’s next for Johann du Preez and @johanndupreez_art? Are there any new projects or fishing adventures on the horizon?
I always threaten to slow down and travel less, but each year it just seems to get harder to do that. With Indifly there are always new fisheries to explore and projects to execute. I can’t elaborate too much on the ‘what and where’, but there should be a few exciting new projects in the works soon.
On a personal front I have a few destinations to revisit and hopefully a few new ones to add to the ever growing list. Southern Oman is definitely on the list as I will be doing a couple of hosted trips with NoBoundaries. A wishlist trip for me is Western Australia with Aussie Fly Fisher, hopefully this year I can make it happen. I also can’t wait to get back to MagBay with LosLocos, those boys have one of the most epic programs on the circuit.
As for the art, I am finding less time to sit down and draw, but I will never put the pencil down for good. I have to feed the creative monster from time to time. I guess it will come down to quality over quantity when it comes to art.
In conclusion, I feel incredibly blessed to be in this industry and to be able to do so much of what I love.
