barbel at kollege plaas
- Thread starter dola
- Start date
steelpulse007
Sealiner
Be sure to fish in the river, so keep left, the section to your right is quite shallow. I've heard that spots closer to the fence are nice. A while back after the floods the river was quite wide, it should be better now, so you can fish into the river bed easily. Platties and snails have worked well for me that section of the river, nothing over 8kg though. I once lost a cat on a day-old chic, which is usually great bait in the river. I would not rule out a fish head, especially if you're looking for the bigger cats. Let us know how it goes 
And I quote:
"Nog elker keer wat ons gegaan het behalwe met die social.... die staan plek heel links by die boer se huis.... pets mince en bom as voer balle maar baie....
so laat middag gaan gooi so 15h00 se kant.. en dan van so 17h00 af gaan gooi jy jou aas daarso...... vars vis koppie gras karp of muddie koppie..."
En
"Presies soos Koos daar se, het nog elke keer die babers in die vlakker water net voor die drop off na die ou rivier bed gevang, veral in die aande as hulle na die vlakker water kom, in die dag sal ek hulle in die dieper water gaan soek."
"Nog elker keer wat ons gegaan het behalwe met die social.... die staan plek heel links by die boer se huis.... pets mince en bom as voer balle maar baie....
so laat middag gaan gooi so 15h00 se kant.. en dan van so 17h00 af gaan gooi jy jou aas daarso...... vars vis koppie gras karp of muddie koppie..."
En
"Presies soos Koos daar se, het nog elke keer die babers in die vlakker water net voor die drop off na die ou rivier bed gevang, veral in die aande as hulle na die vlakker water kom, in die dag sal ek hulle in die dieper water gaan soek."
Hi tnxz for all d advise... got thr saturday aftanoon about 14h00 few hrs later had our 1st carp about just under a kilo about 17h00 hook its head n sent casted it in 4barber... Afta sunset 1st rod went crazy took out a carp at about 2.5/3kg ... Before the rod was re baited next rod went land it saftely this one was bigger. .. Few mins later 1 of my lines i sent wit d bait bout started screaming but sadly fish broke of... D rest of d nite was sad at 00h30 barbera alarm started screaming went to d rod offed d alarm n neva heard it again at approx 05h45 started reeling the rod to tension line wen i feel the cat on d oda side fwt fwt wit it till i brwt it close nw here comes d sad part as i see it head lifts up as i want to land n it breaks loose n i thr it goes cwt few more but sad day i wanted a cat as i have cwt many biig carps n cats b biggest i ttthnk 6/8kg.... I need more advise on how ta land it or how to get it tired or wat eva it takes please
Hi Dola,
Firstly what type of tackle are you using?
In the dam I would at least use 30lb braid minimum(I use 40lb).
Mono leader of 0.60mm / 0.80mm, attached to the braid via a power swivel.
I prefer using circle hooks as the barbel hook themselves. The size of the hook is dependent on the size of your bait. Fish heads I normally go with a 10/0 or 12/0 Mustad Demon or Z-Steel circle hooks (with the circle hooks, don't strike).
Your rod must have a reasonable back bone to set the hook once it has taken the bait and bully the barbel towards the side.
The reel must also have a good smooth drag as that come into play when the barbel gets close to the side. Your drag must not be to tight as they can snap your line when it suddenly turns for a final run..
Now when the barbel takes your bait, let it run, and give it some time to take the bait properly. With soft baits like chicken livers you can act on the first proper run, but with fish heads maybe only on the second or even third run. Then remember not to strike (when using circle hooks) as they hook themselves. Just lift your rod from the stand and start to tighten the drag. Once you feel proper resistance you can strike sideways once or twice to set the hook properly.
This generally works for me, but yes I have also lost fish through mainly being impatient...
My 2c..
Good luck next time.
Firstly what type of tackle are you using?
In the dam I would at least use 30lb braid minimum(I use 40lb).
Mono leader of 0.60mm / 0.80mm, attached to the braid via a power swivel.
I prefer using circle hooks as the barbel hook themselves. The size of the hook is dependent on the size of your bait. Fish heads I normally go with a 10/0 or 12/0 Mustad Demon or Z-Steel circle hooks (with the circle hooks, don't strike).
Your rod must have a reasonable back bone to set the hook once it has taken the bait and bully the barbel towards the side.
The reel must also have a good smooth drag as that come into play when the barbel gets close to the side. Your drag must not be to tight as they can snap your line when it suddenly turns for a final run..
Now when the barbel takes your bait, let it run, and give it some time to take the bait properly. With soft baits like chicken livers you can act on the first proper run, but with fish heads maybe only on the second or even third run. Then remember not to strike (when using circle hooks) as they hook themselves. Just lift your rod from the stand and start to tighten the drag. Once you feel proper resistance you can strike sideways once or twice to set the hook properly.
This generally works for me, but yes I have also lost fish through mainly being impatient...
My 2c..
Good luck next time.
dola wrote:
Am i the only one that could not read thatHi tnxz for all d advise... got thr saturday aftanoon about 14h00 few hrs later had our 1st carp about just under a kilo about 17h00 hook its head n sent casted it in 4barber... Afta sunset 1st rod went crazy took out a carp at about 2.5/3kg ... Before the rod was re baited next rod went land it saftely this one was bigger. .. Few mins later 1 of my lines i sent wit d bait bout started screaming but sadly fish broke of... D rest of d nite was sad at 00h30 barbera alarm started screaming went to d rod offed d alarm n neva heard it again at approx 05h45 started reeling the rod to tension line wen i feel the cat on d oda side fwt fwt wit it till i brwt it close nw here comes d sad part as i see it head lifts up as i want to land n it breaks loose n i thr it goes cwt few more but sad day i wanted a cat as i have cwt many biig carps n cats b biggest i ttthnk 6/8kg.... I need more advise on how ta land it or how to get it tired or wat eva it takes please
Hi Stock, the best guys to ask on info on the Vaal dam would be Deisel, Anthony Brit or even Antjar. Look for them on the forum.
At the dam I have only fished Aqua Via and I am not even sure if that is classified as the dam or river...
I have heard that Tago has big cats but personally I think it is the luck of the draw...
:fst:
At the dam I have only fished Aqua Via and I am not even sure if that is classified as the dam or river...
I have heard that Tago has big cats but personally I think it is the luck of the draw...
:fst: