Fishing Spots

Fishing at Vaal Rawda can only be described as magical!

Don’t pack your rods away just yet!
With the chill of winter peeking over our shoulders, many people are rushing for their warm blankets and heaters.  It seems that many anglers have decided to throw in the towel too, and have packed away their fishing gear whilst they wait for the cold weather to pass.  However not all anglers feel the same.  There are a few die-hard fans who are sticking to their favourite past-time. My brother Muazzam ‘Guzi’ Mungalee, is one such person.  On the Saturday, 21 May 2011 we braved the chill in Lenasia and headed for a fishing spot near Oranjeville on the Vaal Dam.  Armed with enthusiasm and our Carp tackle, we took our sons and a good friend Salim Latib with us to try our hand at some pre-winter wishing.
The night sky was brilliantly lit up with stars and the moon began to rise in front of us from about nine o’clock that evening.  Things were quiet and serene and although we were enjoying the beautiful evening, things were starting to get a little too quiet.  With a huge bonfire at our feet, and bellies full from the braai we had just had, eyes were beginning to get a little heavy.  Then it happened! Like a fighter jet zooming through the sky, the strike indicator on one of the rods shot up and the reel gave a piercing sound that filled the air with excitement.  Guzi flew from his chair and in a blink of an eye was at his rod, fighting the welcomed guest on the other side of his line.  The spell was broken.  From then on there was no resting, not even the chill of the wintery night could stir us as we all took turns at our rods.  One after another, some caught successfully, some lost – but they came out to feed at the spot we were in.
In the morning when we lifted our keep-net we saw no less than a dozen Carp all over 2 kilos.  The largest one caught on the Sunday at about eight o’clock in the morning, weighed 4,5 kilos.  What more could an angler ask for?  As we packed up to head home, we stopped to admire the golden landscapes touching the jade water.  All we could do was sigh and thank our Creator for blessing us with such a wonderful trip.  So before you decide to get too comfy this winter, remember that there are sights to be seen, scents to be smelled and fish to be caught! So don’t pack away your tackle just yet.

 TO BECOME THE PROUD OWNER OF A PORTABLE GAS STOVE JUST LIKE THE ONE THAT ZUBA HAS, SEND ME AN EMAIL ON:

adil@fishingfanatix.com

and I will send you the details!! 

If you would like more details on Bamboo River Lodge, then go to

www.bambooriverlodge.co.za 

Smilin Thru a lekker place on the Vaal

http://www.smilin.co.za

Although we didnt catch any fish we noticed that along the river banks there were plenty bait species like shrimp and smaller fish.  We therefore assume that on a good day you could probably pick up some nice yellow in the region. Check out this clip to get a an idea of the peace and tranquility this place has to offer. 

 HOW TO GET THERE!

JOE VAHEDS REPORT BACK FROM SMILIN THRU

Just a report back on Smilin Thru, very nice venue,fishing was very slow caught two in the rapids in the morning smallies, late afternoon we caught four 2 kg using mealies just under the pool section all and all very good trip . I blanked but I think  i've been concentrating on the bass too much.

THE BOY WITH THE TWO IN THE HAND IS FAEEZ VARACHIA
Joe Vahed

One of the Varachia lighties with a lekker Carp from Smilin Thru 

The Guys Were Killing it at Oupa Fats

Thursday 04/02/2010 - Guzi took a friend of his, Yazeed Valli of Y&J Plumbing, for a quick afternoon Bassing session at Oupa Fats.  First they made a quick stop at Amazon Tackle Shop for some bait.  The bait of choice was 'platties' - nice big juicy platannas, because some guys reported that they caught some big barbel on platties at the Fats. Yazid made his first cast, believe it or not, with a shad trace, red float and all.  He had a live plattie on the hook, and within minutes he was ripped.   His little reel was singing our favourite song, and the steel wire on his shad trace was being pumped by a moerse big bass.  He landed the 1.5kg monster and popped his line back in with a fresh plattie.  The result, another big bass.

Meanwhile, Guzi 'Masterfisherman' was fishing on the bottom, with a live plattie, when after about fifteen minutes or so, his magnum reel began to sing, and his 12ft rod popped off the stand and was making its way to the water.  Our hero then ran after his rod, until he was knee deep and his nike tekkies sop nat. He saved the rod, and hooked the rod thief on the other end.  His prize was a nice barbel of about 8kgs.  Within the next hour, they landed another eight barbel, all the same size. Woww talk about a lekker afternoon, while we all slog at work waiting for the weekend.

Yazeed Valli (Below) with two barbels caught at the Fats!

 OUPA FATS!!!

  Closest to home!!!

Here we see an excellent bass taken from our local fishing spot known to many simply as 'Oupa Fats'.  This is where we have had some wonderful  fishing experiences free of charge. 

Check out the map to give you an idea of    where to find Oupa Fats.  But I must warn you, it can be a little rough, so make sure you don't go alone

 Yazeed Valli with a beautifull Bass from Oupa Fats

Guzi with a bass from Fats

RUST DE WINTER!!

This spot is one of Imo's favourite spots, found in the Limpopo Province.  To get there take the N1 past Pretoria in the Direction of Polokwane.  Take the Hamenskraal turnoff from the Highway and turn right towards Hamenskraal, follow the boards from there on.  This is an excellent dam for Kurper, Bass and Karp.  we have also caught some huge Barbel from the boat.

Another one of our spots is Rust De Winter in Limpopo Province.  This is a great spot for Kurper, Bass, Karp and Barbel 

DA GAMA DAM!!!

Da Gama Dam is found in Mpumalanga.  It is about 15 kms from the nearest Kruger National Park Gate.  When we fished here we stayed at a place called Corne Cove.  It was a beautiful place, and the owners were very friendly.

This magnificent 1.4kg Bass was taken at the picturesque Hulala Lodge on the Da Gama Dam in Mpumalanga, caught by the master fisherman himself Guzi