Gauteng Dams
Bon Accord 2012 Update
March 27, 2012 | 
Author Since Bon Accord dam is so close to where I live I don’t always post when I visit. I think of this dam as my practice grounds. It is not one of the biggest dams but yet it is big enough to make a big difference regarding how deep you cast. We also sometimes test our different baits and techniques and practice our casting. Since Bon Accord dam is just 14km from my home it is also nice to be able to fish for only a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
About three weeks back I made a quick fishing session from about 16h00 till sundown and I caught about 7 very small carps. A week later I visited with a friend. We arrived at about the same time and caught 9 small carps by sundown.
It was only last Wednesday when a very special friend of mine proved to me that there are indeed much bigger carps in the dam. Now I really don’t want to admit that she can probably outcast me by far (if there even exists such a word 
), but she is a very practiced and experienced angler to say the least.
Being a public holiday the banks were packed with anglers and finding a spot was difficult. I had to settle for a not so popular spot, at about the middle. Any case when Nanette arrived she took one of my rods, put some magic mix of my dupas, dough, floaties and ball dips on the rig, and even though she asked for a rig with a heavier weight (which I did not have), she cast a distance that was mildly amusing to put it very lightly. I wanted to re-bait after about 20 minutes or so, as I always do, but she told me to let it lay for about an hour. I was getting the fire ready for braai or something (what I did when the reel started spinning is not really that important for a fishing story), when I suddenly heard the fish run. Out of excitement I grabbed her rod and started reeling in. I got orders all the way while doing so! 
She did the last bit herself while I stood ready with the net. Out came a beautiful 2kg+ Bon Accord carp. Unfortunately we did not weigh it, but somewhere in that region, and the biggest carp I’ve seen there in a long time, and…. caught on mere #1 sized hooks!
It was as if after seeing that bigger carp (I know it’s not that huge but still big for a dam where I usually only catch 500gram fish) I started believing enough to catch a bigger one myself. Saturday came and I had to feed the addiction again, so I called my buddy Joe, who caught some nice pics of the boats on the dam and the fish in the dam that day, to join me for a fishing session. I was able to catch I nice bigger carp that day. I got to weigh it this time and it weighed 2.5kg.
The next day Andre joined me for a short midday session. We caught about 7 fish (if I remember correctly now) and once again a bigger than usual Bon Accord size carp took the bait on one of Andre’s rods. The fish gave a nice fight, something we all love and we landed the fish safely a few minutes later.
All and all I’d say fishing has improved over the last few months at Bon Accord, but maybe thats just because our techniques improved. The hyacinth problem is getting better, but there are more boats now because of this. Also it is somewhat sad to see that some people are netting fish in the dam. And I am talking about 5kg+ fish, which goes to show that there are even much bigger fish in the shallow waters. I know it is a very touchy subject amongst anglers, especially when specimen anglers are involved, but I personally don’t have a problem with people taking fish home to eat, although I normally put all the fish I catch back into the water safely. But netting fish takes things to a whole new level. And if you don’t believe me about the 5kg carps being netted, just drive around the dam on the highway and you’ll see people selling salted fish to the passing cars and taxis.
And thats what I have for a small update on fishing conditions at Bon Accord dam for the first part of 2012.
Thanks Joe for letting us use your photo’s! And for those who don’t know the website’s top banner is also one of Joe’s artworks.
To read more about our other Bon Accord dam fishing trips click here.
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Fishing at Baja dam
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
