Specimen Venue Cape Town
- Thread starter BobZA1983
- Start date
None as far as I know. There are plenty good carp fishing spots and a good number of active specimen anglers, but the sport's not as big or organised as in the northern parts of the country.
Breede river has some good spots where 30lb fish are not uncommon, if you are relocating and are willing to make effort you will find good fishing. Guys tend to be a little secretive in the Cape wrt venues, for obvious reasons.
Breede river has some good spots where 30lb fish are not uncommon, if you are relocating and are willing to make effort you will find good fishing. Guys tend to be a little secretive in the Cape wrt venues, for obvious reasons.
Hi all,
I'm from western cape and fishing here is great at certain venues, but the majority of them are too unsafe to fish so you can't overnight. That means that you only have short sessions.
With that said... there's a lot of people not releasing the fish and actually selling them. So I don't think there will be a dedicated specimen venue soon.
Most of the specimen anglers here are very secretive of their venues, bait and fish (sizes etc.). Probably because most of the public dams here you are not allowed to fish. Which in my opinion is stupid... apparently the fishermen kill the bird life and make a mess etc, but you are allowed to fish in nature reserves which is hotspots for bird watching.
Let's hope in the near future that more venue will be available this side.
I'm from western cape and fishing here is great at certain venues, but the majority of them are too unsafe to fish so you can't overnight. That means that you only have short sessions.
With that said... there's a lot of people not releasing the fish and actually selling them. So I don't think there will be a dedicated specimen venue soon.
Most of the specimen anglers here are very secretive of their venues, bait and fish (sizes etc.). Probably because most of the public dams here you are not allowed to fish. Which in my opinion is stupid... apparently the fishermen kill the bird life and make a mess etc, but you are allowed to fish in nature reserves which is hotspots for bird watching.
Let's hope in the near future that more venue will be available this side.
I am from WC and I have really struggled to find Specimen venues. So much so that I am forced to focus on other fishing disciplines.
The thing that anglers here don't seem to have got right is the setting up of syndicates. I for one, would pay well for a well managed venue with good fish. If there was more of a financial incentive then land owners may be more inclined to set up proper fisheries. This obviously applies to all disciplines.
If anyone has a suggestion on good places to fish, it would be most appreciated.
The thing that anglers here don't seem to have got right is the setting up of syndicates. I for one, would pay well for a well managed venue with good fish. If there was more of a financial incentive then land owners may be more inclined to set up proper fisheries. This obviously applies to all disciplines.
If anyone has a suggestion on good places to fish, it would be most appreciated.
There are plenty venues with serious fish, but you have to work hard to find them. The guys that are in the know land good carp on a regular basis, but when word gets out the venue gets destroyed, that's why it's secretive.
The little pond in Jonkershoek is a prime example - held a good number of 20's and a couple of 30's and for almost 10 years a couple of guys had great sport. Then it became public knowledge and now you're lucky to land a 2kg fish.
The little pond in Jonkershoek is a prime example - held a good number of 20's and a couple of 30's and for almost 10 years a couple of guys had great sport. Then it became public knowledge and now you're lucky to land a 2kg fish.
*Rant*
This is why a syndicate is such a good option. Syndicates can:
- Manage the anglers
- Allow limited anglers per day
- Record who is fishing
- Regulate and maintain the facilities
- Generate Revenue
- Enforce rules (catch and Release, unhooking mats etc)
- Increase the overall quality of fishing
For example, a farmer with a decent sized Dam could offer:
- Safe Fishing
- Decent sized fish
- Decent Sized Swim
In exchange, would earn Rod fees. For example, if you had:
- 6 Swims
- R150 per day
- Maximum week ends (2days x 52 weeks)
The farmer would earn about R93000. Surely that is enough for someone to at least take this seriously. Applied to a larger water that is considerably more. And there would be minimal initial investment. Also, as your fish grow bigger from feeding on anglers bait you can up you price if you can now offer larger trophy fish.
As a relative newby it is a real struggle to find fishing spots.I regularly fish a number of venues but these are all public knowledge. The whole secrecy thing is terrible. The barrier to entry should rather be financial. There are just so many more rewards that way for everybody. This includes the entire industry like tourism and tackle shops.
This is not to exclude anglers who can't or don't wish to pay but syndicates would/should only be for private venues.
If anything this country needs this huge fishing community of ours to be more industrious and generate for work and contribute more to the economy.
*End Rant*
This is why a syndicate is such a good option. Syndicates can:
- Manage the anglers
- Allow limited anglers per day
- Record who is fishing
- Regulate and maintain the facilities
- Generate Revenue
- Enforce rules (catch and Release, unhooking mats etc)
- Increase the overall quality of fishing
For example, a farmer with a decent sized Dam could offer:
- Safe Fishing
- Decent sized fish
- Decent Sized Swim
In exchange, would earn Rod fees. For example, if you had:
- 6 Swims
- R150 per day
- Maximum week ends (2days x 52 weeks)
The farmer would earn about R93000. Surely that is enough for someone to at least take this seriously. Applied to a larger water that is considerably more. And there would be minimal initial investment. Also, as your fish grow bigger from feeding on anglers bait you can up you price if you can now offer larger trophy fish.
As a relative newby it is a real struggle to find fishing spots.I regularly fish a number of venues but these are all public knowledge. The whole secrecy thing is terrible. The barrier to entry should rather be financial. There are just so many more rewards that way for everybody. This includes the entire industry like tourism and tackle shops.
This is not to exclude anglers who can't or don't wish to pay but syndicates would/should only be for private venues.
If anything this country needs this huge fishing community of ours to be more industrious and generate for work and contribute more to the economy.
*End Rant*
There are plenty venues with good fish, but it takes a lot of effort to find them. And trust me, when you've been through the mill trying to get access and then trying to figure out how to get the fish etc. you will also be secretive about your spots.
Some of the well known (public knowledge) spots that hold good carp are Bellwater Park, Doordekraal, Sonnestraal, Rondevlei (pay to enter, fish off the island), Zandvlei (a little dodgy nowadays) and Magic Forest. Of those mentioned the majority are a little sensitive with regard to whether or not you are allowed to fish and some are not all that safe either.
There are "private" venues that hold carp up to low 40's that I know of, some claim 50's, but I can't vouch for that.
@bassy, you either didn't read my post or you don't believe me I guess....go and see for yourself. A 4kg fish in that dam would be a good catch by the current standard.
Some of the well known (public knowledge) spots that hold good carp are Bellwater Park, Doordekraal, Sonnestraal, Rondevlei (pay to enter, fish off the island), Zandvlei (a little dodgy nowadays) and Magic Forest. Of those mentioned the majority are a little sensitive with regard to whether or not you are allowed to fish and some are not all that safe either.
There are "private" venues that hold carp up to low 40's that I know of, some claim 50's, but I can't vouch for that.
@bassy, you either didn't read my post or you don't believe me I guess....go and see for yourself. A 4kg fish in that dam would be a good catch by the current standard.
Good luck for tomorrow mate, regardless of your success or lack of, it's a beautiful dam in a beautiful area, so there are far worse ways to spend an afternoon. I haven't been back to SA for almost 3 years, but I have mates that fish for carp regularly and they've given up on that pond. It was one of the best kept secrets in the Cape until a couple of years back when it all went pear shaped.
Regarding big fish venues, Bellwater Park holds some monsters (not sure if they're still in there, but I haven't heard otherwise), that's a good place to start. The rest I'm afraid you'll have to work out yourself
Regarding big fish venues, Bellwater Park holds some monsters (not sure if they're still in there, but I haven't heard otherwise), that's a good place to start. The rest I'm afraid you'll have to work out yourself