Anyone for a spot of fishing?
A trip to Muldersdrift is a perfect weekend activity for all.
With the July school holiday in full swing, fishing enthusiasts looking for a day out next to a trout-packed dam can find just what they are looking for without having to drive for hours.
Muldersdrift, known best perhaps for its lodges and wedding venues, has various spots offering great fishing opportunities too. Kloofzicht Lodge and Spa, Bergsig Trout Farm and Log Cabin, and Brookwood Estate are just three of the many venues worth visiting.
Kloofzicht Lodge and Spa’s General Manager, Mano Sequiera, says they work closely with a number of trout farms to meet a growing demand for fly-fishing in the area.
“Muldersdrift has brilliant scenery, resources and the space to capitalise on this market so it made sense for us to set up a fly-fishing option for our guests. Along with that we work closely with Wayne Sinclair, who is the Managing Director of Sundowner Adventures & MBH Fly-fishing, the founding member of the Magalies River Conservancy. The major objective of the Conservancy is the conservation of large scale yellow fish in the area. We restocked our dams a short while ago so July is a perfect time to come over and spend a weekend.”
Brookwood Estate is another option, offering five well-stocked dams, three of which are only for fly-fishing.
“These three dams have some of the largest trout in Gauteng. The largest trout caught to date were a 4kg rainbow, a 3,6kg golden and a 3kg brown trout. We stock mainly rainbow trout with some brown and golden trout in winter,” said Brookwood Estate owner, David Bain. This estate also welcomes children and has a dam just for them where they can fish with anything from spinners to bait.
“In this dam we have a multitude of fish, ranging from trout, bass and carp, to bream and barbel. Our policy is that all fish, except for trout, must be released,” he says.
The fifth dam caters for fishermen after bass and carp only. The use of this dam is also on a strictly catch and release basis, with the largest carp caught to date weighing in at a massive 18kgs, and the largest bass weighing 2,5kgs.
Finally, if you are looking for some great carp fishing, you have to include the Bergsig Trout Farm, with its big carp fishery on the banks of the Blaauwbank Spruit in the Swartkops Gorge on your fishing itinerary. Co-owned and managed by Karen Byrne and her brother Thys Louw (Jnr), Bergsig has steadily added on to and improved its facilities to such an extent that specimen anglers used to Spartan conditions at other waters may class this as a ‘five-star’ venue. Fish care, as is the case at all the properties in Muldersdrift, is a priority and SACS fishing rules apply, with proper specimen carp tackle a priority. To assist newcomers, Bergsig has proper landing nets and unhooking mats available. The use of particles is banned, with boilies being preferred.
Gilbert Hickman, spokesperson for the Muldersdrift Communication Action Group (MCAG), says families should consider coming to the area as there’s a host of activities available for non-fishing enthusiasts to enjoy while the fisherman try their luck at the dams.
“A trip to Muldersdrift is a perfect weekend activity for all. While the fishermen are at it, there are spa treatments, lunch venues, art galleries and more, for the rest of the family.”
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