Another area we’ve been hoping to visit for a while now is around Warmbad \ Bela-Bela. There are quite a number of great fishing opportunities in that region like Warmbad Dam, Donkerpoort Dam, and many more.
Since we didn’t really have any other plans for October, we took the chance and made the short journey to southern Limpopo. Here’s some highlights of the places we visited, and how we fared….
Warmbad Dam
Warmbad Dam itself was a very pleasant surprise. It’s clean and beautiful, and the bass fishing was very good. We entered at Fish Eagle Bay boat club, which is the only place on the dam that you can launch as far as we know. The prices are reasonable and the facilities were very neat and clean. They have 2 launches, and a designated area to park boat trailers.
Unfortunately, we somehow forgot to bring our papers for the boat, and at Fish Eagle Bay they are very strict about this (and rightly so). We subsequently could not launch, but luckily we had our trusty inflatable handy and could still go fishing.
After finally getting onto the water we immediately went towards an area of submerged trees in the northwestern corner of the dam (this was recommended to us by someone we met at Klerkskraal Dam). On the way there we trolled along the eastern bank without any luck, but it was a different story once we reached the trees.
Here there was a hive of activity. We saw lots of fish eating something among the trees and along the banks. The fact that we were on the inflatable actually worked into our favour for a change. It’s smaller so we could go deeper into the submerged forest and target the fish more effectively.
It didn’t take long for us to figure out that they were after frogs, and once we switched to that we had a lot of success. They were also partial to worms, especially of the green pumpkin variety. The fish weren’t huge, but they were healthy and feisty. There definitely are much bigger fish in that section, but on the day we had to be content with the 8 or 9 smaller bass we caught in a few hours.
On the way back we trolled along the western bank and had a bit more success than earlier in the day. Here watermelon red grubs and flukes worked well behind the boat.
In general it was a very enjoyable first visit to this delightful venue, the first of many. And since it’s so near we’ll even consider it for day trips in future.
But next time we’ll make sure our boat’s documents are packed and in order 🙂
Donkerpoort Dam
Another dam in the area, just north of Modimolle, is Donkerpoort Dam. We found it by chance just looking at a map of the area, and also found Metsi Metsi which is the only place with access to the the dam. They have a very neat and comfortable camping area right on the water, but also offer accommodation and entertainment areas at the large farm house not too far away.
The dam itself isn’t huge but it’s big enough to harbour some really big fish. While we were there the friendly campers showed us photos of some big carp they had caught, and also a 3kg bass that was caught along the rocky areas on the western bank. While we were on the water we also noticed large schools of big barbel milling about in the shallows.
We only tried for bass and we were lucky enough to catch quite a few during our brief visit. There are reed banks in some parts and using darker plastics (because of the muddy water) in these areas proved very lucrative. Black craws and junebug flukes did the trick, and we had lots of fun catching these smaller bass.
It’s another hidden gem that has a lot of potential. We weren’t there for very long but thoroughly enjoyed our outing. Next time we’ll spend more time along the rocks though, where the bigger bass were lurking…
Sitruskloof
In terms of accommodation we stayed at a place called Sitruskloof which is just north of Warmbad Dam. We picked them because they also boast a decent farm dam stocked with carp and bass.
The old farmhouse where we slept was massive with lots of rooms and a big porch\braai area. You stay right in the middle of an orange orchard which was a unique experience. Just be aware that getting there is a bit of a rocky road not really suitable for cars with a low clearance.
We didn’t have much time to spend at the farm dam in the end. We did make an hour long attempt though but had no luck. Unfortunately, the dam level had dropped a bit recently and the fish population took a hit. But that should recover soon, and while we were there some day visiting fishermen did catch a few carp. The facilities are good, and it’s a really nice camping option.
Summary
It was a very successful first visit to this area. The fishing was pretty good all round, and the venues were superb. Warmbad Dam was a highlight and it’s already top of the list for a quick weekend getaway. There is also a lot more to explore around Bela-Bela and we’ll be spending more time there in future.
Finally here is a map of our travels over the weekend.
(2 days)
bass x20 (small)
bass x5 (medium)
