Another November, another fishing trip to the KZN Midlands to visit our happy place, Beacon Vlei. As usual we tried to visit at least one other venue and this time it was Fish Eagle’s Lair at Albert Falls Dam.
We’ve been meaning to go to Albert Falls Dam for some time, we always hear of massive bass being caught there. We realised quickly there aren’t too many options in terms of accommodation but eventually we found Fish Eagle’s Lair, which seemed ideal. After travelling through the beautiful Karkloof area we reached the dam and checked in to Fish Eagle’s with the help of Mike Masson the owner.
Unfortunately it was a misty, chilly late afternoon so we decided to rather visit the local pub instead of attempting to fish. Mike suggested the Amble Inn in Albert Falls so off we went. Fish Eagle’s is on the opposite side of the dam from the town but it’s a very quick drive. We spent the evening there and had a good time while discussing fishing strategies for the following day.
Unfortunately Albert Falls was extremely low, and it had been like that for a while. Where normally the water would be in front of the cottage we now had to drive to the fishing spots. It wasn’t that far and you can get to some prime areas via Fish Eagle’s.
Fishing
The weather didn’t play along again but we managed a few fish including some massive carp (also lost a monster) and a few bass. We think we did ok during the limited time we had to fish. There was the occasional bass boat that visited but even they we’re not very successful.
Very surprisingly we caught a blue kurper on a floatie which turned out being a lot of fun because it happened to bite on the small bass rod temporarily converted to a carp rod.
Accommodation
We stayed in Owl’s Nook which is the smaller of the two units at Fish Eagle’s Lair. It was very comfortable with an extra outside shower and open (but covered) kitchen\lounge area so you can fully appreciate the natural surroundings. It was fine enough as a fishing location already but when the dam is full again this would be the ideal accommodation location to enjoy Albert Falls. Mike was a great host, even visiting us at the fishing spot to see how we were getting on.
Summary
Really enjoyed our stay and will definitely stay here again when we return to Albert Falls. Hopefully this time the weather will be much better, the dam will be fuller, and the fish hungrier. Is that too much too ask? 🙂
Fish count (2 days)
carp x2 (large)
bass x2 (medium)
blue kurper x1 (medium)
need more info, directions and how many people does it sleep ?
We stayed in the Owl’s Nook chalet which only sleeps two. But the actual Fish Eagle’s Lair chalet (the main accommodation) is closer to the water and sleeps at least 4 I think. It’s located on the opposite of the dam from the town but not far at all.
But click on the link above and contact Mike, he’ll be able to answer any further questions. And apparently the dam is filling up nicely again…