Gauteng Dams

Fishing at Baja dam

November 14, 2011 |

Author Andre

A few years ago Bronkhorstspruit dam contained only 13% of it’s overall water capacity , causing rapid growth of grass in areas not previously exposed to sunlight. Excessive growth of plants such as grass and hyacinth can have a major effect on your fishing trip and it is essential to choose your fishing spot carefully.

With limited knowledge of the bank at Baja dam and with only a small amount of time to fish , we decided to take the gamble and drove to Baja dam late Saturday afternoon. We arrived as the sun was setting and immediately knew that the success of our fishing trip was going to be determined by the spot we choose. We quickly identified three of the available fishing spots as possibilities. The difference between a successful session or the dreaded blank can be determined by the thoroughness of testing done before a venue is chosen. We immediately eliminated two of our potential spots by casting different sized weights and dragging them along the bottom.

With the venue elimination process behind us our focus shifted to the preparation of our ground baits , feeding spots and of course the different hook baits and dip flavours. In the hours that followed we lost a total of 4 fish between 2am and 4am. This was to say the least frustrating and we had to rethink our strategy. Bigger hooks , smaller baits was the verdict and Willem thankfully saved us from a blank with 2 decent sized carp within minutes of each other.

This trip was a reminder that there are a lot of factors to consider when planning your fishing session. The spot, weather, baits and tackle used all play an important part when it comes to your success (or lack thereof). Every now and again we are reminded that there is still a lot to learn and practice , and all that we can do is to persist … persist … persist

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Fishing Roodeplaat Resort

July 26, 2011 |

Author Willem

The past weekend we finally visited Roodeplaat dam for some winter fishing. I arrived at the Roodeplaat Dam Resort at about 17h00 on the Friday afternoon. Perhaps just a bit later than I would have liked because the sun was already setting and setting up camp in the dark is not one of my favourite endeavours. But none the less, after a few minutes I had a fire going and I had my lines in.

At about 20h00 one of my friends, Gideon joined me. The whole night went by with only some movement on one of the lines. I “kapped” it real hard but found that the hook link was cut in half. I changed the rig and tried again, regularly changing and experimenting with different baits, but to no avail.

The next morning Andre woke us up with his car doors as we were still sleeping next to the fire. It was a cold morning with a bit of wind which later went away. In the afternoon some of my other friends joined us for a braai at the dam. It turned out to be a great afternoon party in the sun.

The fishing wasn’t that great though. We caught nothing the whole afternoon. The guys next to us caught a few Kurpers on artificial spoon-type baits.

After the friends left and I was busy packing up my other friends called and said they’re on their way, so I slept over again. This time round the fishing went somewhat (but only slightly) better as I changed my rigs to braid, which could not be cut in half by whatever was cutting it in half, and I managed to catch a small barbel on some custard dough which was strange, because he could have gone for the worm on the other hook.

All and all I was happy with the conditions at the dam. The water seems clean and the banks are neat.