this is interesting as i too had the same issue in Europe i went to some lake that everyone talks about good fishing but hell all day long these small fish were biting , i mean as soon as the bait hits the water they bite its so frustrating. I thought it was maybe the wrong time of the year but there were so many of them i could not understand it.. the one guy said fish like to be in numbers so when a place is over fished the larger fish send out signals to start breeding in numbers and that is what causes the sudden burst of small fish being hatched... sounds weird but cud be true..
Rietvlei
- Thread starter Rooibok
- Start date
It is unfortunate, It is my favourite venue. I fish the dam often and have noticed the average weight of the carp I land getting smaller. A year ago my average was around 7kg and has progressively declined to around 6kg. On my last few sessions I have not landed a carp in double figures but it was a regular occurence when I started targeting the dam. What has changed, and it is happening rapidly?
Hi, Rietvlei Dam use to be a very popular Small Mouth Bass venue quite a few year ago. Please correct me if I am wrong, but at the moment there are no bass in the dam at all. The apex predator of small carp is currently the sharp tooth catfish. How many of those are in Rietvlei? From what I have read on the forum, there don't seem to be many. So the only thing that will happen is an explosion of the carp population. As you well know,
Tshwane is not going to do anything to alleviate this problem. Would it not be possible to approach them and ask for permission to tackle this problem as a community.
Put a paper together on how you suggest the problem has to be addressed and make an appointment with the relevant person at Tshwane. Go and see them and talk about it. You never know, it might just work.
All the effort will be worth while in the end when you catch your next PB at Rietvlei.
Tshwane is not going to do anything to alleviate this problem. Would it not be possible to approach them and ask for permission to tackle this problem as a community.
Put a paper together on how you suggest the problem has to be addressed and make an appointment with the relevant person at Tshwane. Go and see them and talk about it. You never know, it might just work.
All the effort will be worth while in the end when you catch your next PB at Rietvlei.
During My last session I landed a few healthy large mouth Bass but the takes were few and far between. I really had to work to land a fish. In the past I would be pulling them out all day. You may have a point and the numbers may be decreasing.
I agree that the venue should be correctly managed to restore balance. It will be an uphill battle to convince the authorities to impliment such a programme and let alone roll it out effectively. We would only stand a chance by approaching the management of the venue collectively. We would also have to supply facts and proof.
It would be sad to see this beautiful peace of water turn into a solely papgooi venue. No offence to conventional anglers.
I agree that the venue should be correctly managed to restore balance. It will be an uphill battle to convince the authorities to impliment such a programme and let alone roll it out effectively. We would only stand a chance by approaching the management of the venue collectively. We would also have to supply facts and proof.
It would be sad to see this beautiful peace of water turn into a solely papgooi venue. No offence to conventional anglers.
HennieB - did you speak to the management about the massive amount small carp in the dam, and the possibility of a joint effort between management and the public to remove some of these fish. Obviously you would also have to give valid reasons why this should be done and point out the benefits to the dam. Is there any member on Sealine that will be able to help validate such a proposal.
Nope I didn't, I won't waste my time. In the past for instance SACS wanted to sponsor 10 canoes with oars and life jackets when line or fish becomes snagged they flat out refused.
There was also a suggestion to management to clearly mark swims etc, also turned it down. There have been Rietvlei clean ups where anglers took time off from work to clean up water grass, broken off lines and death rigs. It took a lot of planning and was done on own cost. Rietvlei management made no effort to help whatsoever.
I mean they don't even own up to the crime that took place at the dam or even held anyone accountable. There is always excuses about the chalets being full yet there is no one ever using them.
There was also a suggestion to management to clearly mark swims etc, also turned it down. There have been Rietvlei clean ups where anglers took time off from work to clean up water grass, broken off lines and death rigs. It took a lot of planning and was done on own cost. Rietvlei management made no effort to help whatsoever.
I mean they don't even own up to the crime that took place at the dam or even held anyone accountable. There is always excuses about the chalets being full yet there is no one ever using them.
