Holiday fishing – it’s closer than you think
Spending this holiday at home? There is a lot more to do then you might think.
If you are on a staycation this holiday season, Muldersdrift has a few fishing options the whole family can enjoy.
The News found that there are indeed several fishing spots in Muldersdrift alone where you can pay about R60 a day, set up a tent and wait for carp, bass, yellow fish or trout to bite.
At Kloofzicht Lodge and Spa, Gilbert Hickman, a local fishing enthusiast, showed the News how fly fishing, that is fishing with artificial bait, is done.
“Fly fishing and fishing in general is very popular among West Rand fisherman, but we have many tourists from all over the country that pay a visit at one of the many dams in Muldersdrift,” he said.
If you are a beginner, you can find numerous fly-fishing clinics where the basics of the sport is taught. Dams like the one at Kloofzicht Lodge are stocked three or four times a year with fish weighing between 700 grams and 1,5 kilograms.
Even though it can be frustrating not to get the technique quite right, fly fishing is a very therapeutic activity.
Ralph Radford, an instructor at Sundowner Flyfishing Adventures, shared two basic tips:
• The line has to drop like a real fly touching the water. This lures the fish by making it believe there is an actual fly on the surface of the water
• Practice the strength in your wrist, as you constantly have to swing the line back and forth with the same momentum
Ralph also heeded some warnings when you attempt to fly-fish:
• When the wind is too strong, it can get very difficult to handle the fly’s direction in the air, which means you should take care not to poke out your eye
• Watch out for any obstacles behind you so that you don’t cast your fly into a nearby tree, or someone’s hat
After a day of attempting to fly-fish, you can head to any of the nearby dams to try your rod at bass or carp specimen fishing.
Young and passionate about specimen fishing, Brandin Mayn agreed that fishing is a waiting game. He spends most of his free time, when he is not working at a fishing shop, at carp dams in Muldersdrift with his rather expensive hobby. A start-up specimen fishing kit can set you back about R1 500.
“My mother once told me that you should teach your kids to fish, then they won’t have enough money for drugs and alcohol,” he said.
Every day is a fishing day, but not every day is a catching day, Ralph explained halfway through the day when no one had caught anything yet. Then someone caught a 6,7 kilogram carp. The waiting game soon turned into a fast-paced fast-thinking game.
Finally, Ralph gave one last warning.
“It can become very addictive, especially if you are determined,” he said.
Also read:
• Great festive season excursions for the whole family
• Muldersdrift: A hotbed of skills development for the tourism sector
