My quest for a 20kg cat

J

J

Senior Member
Hi, I am planning a trip to Bloemhof next week for 4-5 days and badly want a barbel of 20kg+.

I will be using a Purglass Executive 400/2 rod with a Torium30 loaded with 35lb kingfisher line. Hooks will probably be 10/0 with baits varying from whole chickens to 2kg fish heads.

I need help with spots to set up camp giving the best chance to catch one of these monsters, is it better to set up shop just below the dam wall or does someone have a good spot on the dam itself they are willing to share?

I will have a little inflatable so can travel around 1km into the dam with all my kit.

I have never been there before so have no clue what the layout is like.
 
C

christopheradam

New member
Sandveld as close to the bridge as possible. Take your lines in approximately 250m and drop them under the bridge (Literally) where all the swallows are nesting. Went there in june and got this one of 24 kilos on fish head.

Same tactic as mentioned above was used.

I used 9lb line and a centre pin and had a lekker fight on my hands.

You have an inflatable so if the fish heads for the brige pylons you can go get it out.
 

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Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
nasty as it may sound, anything under a float still kicking near the bridge will get you a big fish... even try some small chicks.
 
J

J

Senior Member
Ok, So it looks like Sandveld is a good bet.

I will be using 80lb flouro as a leader, this ok or should I use some wire?
 
J

J

Senior Member
Damn, dont think i will be able to set up camp at the bridge as the wife will be coming with the kids (which is great) and I have had to book a chalet which are apparently about 4km from that spot, I can only hope the big cats will be out infront of the chalets in the open water.
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
The big boys cruize around quite a bit at night. Usually until 10 and then at abour 3 in the morning again.

If you are in the chalets try and fish as close as you can to the wire fence that runs into the dam. Think there was an old generator standing there as well. First spot as you come out the trees by the caravans.
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
The big boys cruize around quite a bit at night. Usually until 10 and then at abour 3 in the morning again.

If you are in the chalets try and fish as close as you can to the wire fence that runs into the dam. Think there was an old generator standing there as well. First spot as you come out the trees by the caravans.
 
J

J

Senior Member
Its was a lot of fun, the weather was ok for the most part but very windy at times, and I mean crazy wind.
The first night I casted put a plattie out and and put the specimen rigs out for carp with particles. I got a 9kg cat on the plattie before bed time. Now the carp rods were beeping non stop to the point where I turned the receiver on to vibrate and set the alarms to least sensitive settings, this didnt help. On the verge of madness from the constant vibrating of the alarm receiver under my pillow I got up and took my lines out so I could sleep.
The next day we were a bit worried because we didnt have any carp as bait which we expected to catch the night before, thought all the beeping might be from small fish in the water trying to swallow up the bigger specimen carp baits so I tied a conventional rig and threw it out with a bit of supercast with a piece of maize on the hook, not a minute later and I had the smallest carp I have ever caught of about 100gr, I tied my dad a conventional trace and that was him occupied for the next few days, this fly fisherman turned into a tempo carp angler in a few hours, he even had a system going whereby he didnt even have to get up, I thought he was going to fish himself to death as he simply couldnt tear himself away from catching small carp. I have never seen a dam with so many smal fish. The biggest carp to come out was around 4kg.

The bigest barbel I managed to land was 13.8kg and although way less then my target of 20kg it is still a new pb for me. I did hook into a fish using about a 1.5kg half a carp as bait that I simply couldnt get out, I hooked it on a Purglass 400/3 with a Torium 30 loaded with 35lb mono, the bait was dropped about 350m out, I got snagged and broke off after having the fish on for 20min to half an hour.

All in all it was a pleasant trip and I look forward to getting back there.


Bleomhof138kg.jpg
 
S

silver_foxx

New member
Geez these stories about Bloemhof.... :::S, I might just run away there & leave my life behind....but only for a week...LOL!
 
M

M!ST@ BL!nG

New member
any1 dats got a plattie pair dat i can buy??? pleez a male & female wud be gr8 im willin 2 pay 30 bucks for dem email me on cshamoil@yahoo.com and any tips on how to keep dem,cos im akeen barbel angler^^..^^..^^..
 
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