Dam/Lakes/Rivers Freshwater fishing | Cape Town

[SurfAndTurf]

Good day,

I’m looking for some guidance in terms of where to fish for Carp, Bass and Barbel here in Cape Town.

I’ve researched for multiple hours but mostly found 10+ year old forums and not much on this topic.

We were recently at a wine farm in Stellenbosch which allowed fishing by its dam and caught 25-35cm Carps, but nothing else seemed to bite there. Also the fish were quite lazy and didn’t really put up a fight.

Hoping to find some more spots in and around the Stellenbosch/Franschhoek/Paarl areas as they are fairly close. Of course any other spots are welcomed.

Any spots along a river would also be perfect.

Thanks in advance, wishing you all tight lines!

 

[DJP]

People don't post about freshwater spots anymore because the venues get overfished and there is always some idiot messing it up for others in terms of access.

Google Earth is your friend. All of the dams/rivers around the cape have fish in them, most of them the above species. It's just a matter of safety and access. Identify some dams/ river sections, go for a wine tour and ask around a bit, make some friends and with a bit of effort you should get access to a decent spot or two. Don't go on to farms illegally and make sure you know where the properties start and stop if you do have permission.

 

[SurfAndTurf]

People don't post about freshwater spots anymore because the venues get overfished and there is always some idiot messing it up for others in terms of access.

Google Earth is your friend. All of the dams/rivers around the cape have fish in them, most of them the above species. It's just a matter of safety and access. Identify some dams/ river sections, go for a wine tour and ask around a bit, make some friends and with a bit of effort you should get access to a decent spot or two. Don't go on to farms illegally and make sure you know where the properties start and stop if you do have permission.

This makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the great advice.

I’ve found a pretty decent app called FishAngler where people can log catches and you can view them on a map which is super helpful. Also allows the user to record photos, species, length, weight and weather conditions on the day.

For anyone else who doesn’t know where to start, I’d say the app is a good place to get your bearings and know what to expect at certain spots.

As you correctly stated, seems like most if not all the dams have fish, just a matter of exploring and abiding by the rules of the specific spot.

It’s our duty as anglers to ensure we’re protecting our aquamarine ecosystem and ensuring that further generations can do the same.