During our usual March bass fishing trip to the Natal Midlands we also visited Midmar Dam to attempt some bass and carp fishing. We had mixed results with the carp not really biting but the small bass kept us busy. We still enjoyed it though, it’s a very nice place.
Fishing
Our trips to the Natal Midlands is primarily centered around catching largemouth bass. There is a host of spectacular bass fishing dams in the area including Albert Falls, Craigie Burn and Mearns, but for one day only we decided to target carp at Midmar Dam.
Carp
We couldn’t find much info online but we already knew there was massive carp in the clear water of Midmar, we saw some monsters from our boat the last time we were there. So we picked the first best spot we could find, Eikedal. Here the shoreline is a bit more sloped towards the water which we thought meant it might be deeper.
We didn’t cast too far, possibly 80m, and as bait we tried all the usual suspects, from banana to garlic, pink sweets to caramel. To make a long story short we blanked emphatically. Not even a nibble. We couldn’t even blame the spot, we could see them jumping not too far from shore.
Carp jumping is usually not a great sign, the air pressure was perhaps not ideal. Either way we packed up empty-handed and decided to switch to bass.
Bass
While waiting for the stubborn carp to show any indication of life we also tried for bass in the area and actually managed to catch a few. All packed up and mobile again we decided to try a few spots for bass. Around the Eikedal area we had mixed results but at Morgenzon we found a good concentration of bass near the submerged trees.
In the end we caught around 10 bass and lost a few. As you can see they were mostly very small but a lot of fun considering the day we had up to that point. In terms of baits once again the fluke \ swimbait was by far the most popular and junebug or any darkish colour was successful.
Summary
Ultimately it was another very enjoyable day at Midmar. The carp were not interested but the bass made up for it. It’s a beautiful dam in a beautiful area and every time we go there we are very impressed with how clean the shores are and how fantastically clear the water is. If only the dams in Gauteng could be this well looked after.
We obviously can’t give any tips regarding carp fishing but in terms of bass, junebug flukes \ swimbaits worked very well for us, if only to catch the smaller ones from the side.
For what it’s worth we paid R40 pp for the day which is a really good deal for what you get. Also included below is a map of the resort and Midmar’s contour lines clearly indicating the deeper spots. Click here for a larger version of the contours.
(1 day)
bass x10 (small)
Beacon Vlei
Cloud 9 – Craigie Burn Dam
Station House – Mearns Dam
Fish Eagle’s Lair – Albert Falls Dam
Map & fishing spots
