Will & Dre

Altough we are passionate carp anglers we enjoy most fassets of modern day fishing and were never more reminded of this fact than when we hooked a small barbel at Bon Accord dam in January. Despite the small size of the barbel , it still caused utter chaos and reminded us of it’s immense fighting power. Barbel is the omnivore of fresh water and will eat almost anything you put in the water. At Bon Accord dam the barbel are plentiful and can be caught on the usual baits such as small fish heads, platannas and chicken liver.

In January we did not target barbel per se, but managed a few takes on earth worms. Keep in mind that earth worms produce catches of various species and sizes and when targeting barbel, bait such as platanna is recommended. Also keep in mind that catching with platanna is not legal in all nine provinces of South Africa , so do your research beforehand! In future articles we will focus a bit more on how to catch this amazing fish, covering topics such as bait, rigs and venues.

Hyacinth is a common problem experienced at fishing waters in and around South Africa and many people have been battling with this intruder plant over the past decade. Bon Accord wasn’t overseen and during a few occations in the 2010 fishing season we were left with a sea of hyacinth obstructing each and every available fishing spot. It is with great excitement that I announce that most of the hyacint have been removed since, and that fishing can once again be enjoyed by young and old.

I do however have to point out that there is still a small amount of hyacinth present, mostly a problem when the wind picks up forcing these plants to the side.

Sadly the conservation of all other areas around Bon Accord dam are lacking.Papers, bottles, cans and other litter can be seen lying around the once beautiful grass banks while staff members strole past leisurely picking up the minimum required.