This
is probably my favourite
Bass fishing venue in the
Western Cape. There are
many reasons (first 3kg
plus Bass; numbers of
Bass; structure and
scenic beauty). Another
positive factor is that
you will often be the
only Basser on the water
or on the shoreline! A
4kg Northern Bass is not
impossible at this venue!
The
only possible negative
factors I can think of is
that I do not live within
easy reach (yet!) and
that there are no Florida
strain Bass (yet!) in
Theewaterskloof!
Just
below, you can get a good
idea of the size of the
Theewaterskloof Northern
strain Bass. Yours truly
sharing the photos with
the Bass!
Both
pics are of the same Bass
(see left pectoral fin)
which was released alive,
but not weighed. The
obvious change in
weather? The photos were
taken by my Dad one after
the other with only a
change of directon and
angle - a cold front was
just passing through with
intermittent rain (note
the jersey) ... For those
of you who know how
changeable Cape weather
can be, this would not
seem at all strange! The
Bass was caught from the shoreline
on a white-headed
chartreuse-skirted
spinnerbait with a nickle
silver Indiana blade and
a black worm trailer on a
Fenwick Flippin Stick and
an ABU baitcaster. To get
some idea of the size of
the Bass (caught one
December in the early
eighties), I am 1,83m
tall and weighed about
100kg at the time.
About
the Dam
Theewaterskloof
is the premier Largemouth
Bass water in the Western
Cape situated in the
mountains between
Franschoek and
Villiersdorp. This Dam is
a "structure"
angler's dream come true
- flooded farmland,
standing timber,
stumpfields, weeds,
bushes, buildings, ruins,
roads, tracks river
channels, rip-rap and
rockpiles! No-one could
ask for more, name it and
you could find it
somewhere in Theewaters!
The sheer surface area of
the water is massive (7th
largest dam in South
Africa; surface area of 5
100Ha) and, as the water
is used for irrigation,
water levels can
fluctuate rather
drastically. Beware of
the wind at this dam! The
notorious South-easter
can whip things up rather
quickly - many Bassboats
have been swamped in this
Dam. Here one really
needs a boat with proven
rough water capability as
things can turn nasty. At
times when fishing from
the shoreline, you could
have waves literally
crashing at your feet!
You really need a boat to
get the most from this
water, but do not despair
- if you can find points
and deep dropoffs,
fishing the shoreline
will produce. All my
Theewaterskloof Bass were
taken whilst fishing from
the bank.
The
water is clear but
stained a reddish-brown
colour similar to Rooibos
tea.
Just
about any lure will
produce. My favourites
for this dam are
spinnerbaits and
Carolina-rigged plastics.
I can just about
guarantee you that you
will eventually loose
your entire supply of
crankbaits should you try
to fish them, especially
from the bank. Expect big
fish (2 - 3kg) and tackle
up accordingly. A former
fishing buddy, Chris
Barnett,
who now lives in New
Zealand once showed me
just what a Zara Spook
could do at Theewaters!
Apart
from Largemouth Bass and
bluegill, the dam has
rainbow and tiger trout
as well as catfish
(barbel), Cape witvis and
blue kurper (mossambicus).
Carp have also been
noticed in the dam
recently - hopefully they
will not get out of hand
thanks to predation by
Bass which were
well-established in all
parts of the Dam before
the arrival of the carp. Please
remove all carp and
catfish you may catch at
Theewaterskloof and
encourage others to do
the same.
The
Bass feed on small fish
(and sometimes not so
small!) of all the above
species as well as crabs.
There
have been unconfirmed
rumours about limited
numbers of Florida strain
Bass in Theewaterskloof.
We will know this is true
when we hear of the first
5kg Bass taken at
Theewaters! May God bless
whoever introduces the
Florida strain into
Theewaterskloof! Annual
stocking of large numbers
of 15 - 25cm
hatchery-bred rainbow
trout would also be
excellent for the Bass.
Licenses
and access
You
will need a Western Cape
Provincial freshwater
angling license. If you
want to launch from or
fish at the Theewaterskloof
Sports Club
(pass through
Villiersdorp, take the
road to Caledon and you
will see the turnoff to
the Sports Club on your
right), you will have to
pay an entrance fee. Good
launching facilities can
be found here and
children can catch bluegill
on bread paste and
earthworm baits from the
jetty. Permits to fish
certain limited access
conservation areas of the
Dam may be acquired at
the offices of the
Theewaterskloof Sports
Club.
You
may also be able to
launch at Dennehof
Resort next door
(no problem if you are
staying there).
If
you are a member of a
registered angling club
or have the right
contacts, you can get a
key to the gate at Draaiberg
Bridge (turn
immediately right after
crossing the road bridge
over the dam just before
you get to Villiersdorp
on the Grabouw -
Villiersdorp Road). This
is a good launching spot
and an excellent place to
fish from the bank. Most
of the other shoreline
area of the Dam is
private property.
How
to get there
Theewaterskloof
is situated near
Villiersdorp some 115km
from Cape Town.
Map
of the Dam
[Thanks
to Paul
Cochrane for
the maps- reproduced from
the October 1997 issue of
Stywe Lyne/ Tight
Lines]
Accommodation
I
can recommend Dennehof
Resort (Tel.:
(028) 840-2091) on the
Eastern shores of the
Dam. Their chalets are
quaint and convenient.
You
may also try the Theewaterskloof
Sports Club (Tel.:
(028) 840-1669) which has
good camping facilities.
There
are guest houses and
self-catering
accommodation in
Villiersdorp itself. Try
this link
for more details.
Other
useful Theewaterskloof
links
http://www.theewaters.co.za/public_information.htm
http://www.saangling.com/SAangling/Waters/theewate.htm
Theewaterskloof
photos and catches
Brendan
Hartmann with
a Theewaterskloof Bass.
Brendan
reports: "Here
is the biggest fish I've
caught in
Theewaterskloof, she was
skinny but weighed in at
about 2.2 kg's. I got her
in 8 feet of water on a 6
inch Chartreuse and
Pepper Zoom
Lizard. Over the last 2
years the water quality
in Theewaterskloof has
been pretty bad which
explains why she was in
such bad condition. The
heavy rains this year
should hopefully have
flushed out some of the
water and we should be
seeing an increase in
water quality ... I've
decided I now want to get
hold of some 10 - 12 inch
worms and aim for some
quality fish. As soon as
I manage to get hold of
some I'll try them out
and keep you updated.".
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