I first fished Rustfontein about 8 years ago. Situated just outside Bronkhorstspruit it is easily accessible from Pretoria and Johannesburg. From day 1 I was in love with the place, catching a lot of great fish over the next couple of years. I became good friends with the then owner Ian as well as the resort manager Stuart, regularly helping them out with moving fish between the dams.
It was during one of these "bass relocations" that i saw some of the monsters that called these waters home... Several bass in the 3.5kg range were moved between the dams. I could not believe that such big fish flourished in these relatively small dams!
So it was with great sadness that after 3-4 years of great fishing, I heard that Rustfontein was being sold and that the new owners would not allow members from the public to fish the dams anymore. Not being a boat owner, it does limit the amount of places you can effectively and safely fish from the bank. Yes, there are other dedicated bass resorts in and around the Gauteng area, but most of these are overcrowded and over fished.
Over the next couple of years I would on occasion drive past Rustfontein, stop at the gates and plead with the security guards to let me fish, but to no avail... That was 'till January 2012!
For a while now I have been hearing rumors that Rustfontein would once again be opening its gates to the public. After a couple of frantic calls, I managed to get hold of Johan, the new resort manager and he confirmed that Rustfontein would in fact be reopening in January 2012.
I contacted Emile Weitz, the person who got me in to fishing in the first place about 15 years ago. We still fish together on a regular basis (or as often as our schedules allow us to!). He a AFSN ambassador down in Cape Town and as luck would have it, he was on his way to Pretoria.
So it was with great expectations (and memories) that we set off to Rustfontein over the past weekend. Even though the remnants of a couple of sub-tropical depressions were still affecting the weather patterns, we figured it would still be worth it!
Due to a couple of "technical difficulties" we only arrived at Rustfontein at about 11. After meeting with Johan and Jason (the managers) they took us through the resort and explained to us the vision that the owners have for Rustfontein. All gate fees as well as money generated by the conference facilities are being used in the building of an orphanage/children’s home on the farm! Truly, a great cause!
But, back to the fishing! We only fished for about 4 hours before we were chased from the dams by a thunderstorm. But in those 4 hours, we managed 18 fish between us with the biggest being 1.2kgs. The fish are wild! No matter the lure or technique we used, inevitably we would go on! We used flukes, toads, senkos, crank baits, spinner baits and even top water lures(in the mid-day sun!) and the all produced fish.
I am convinced that if it was not for the topsy-turvey weather we had over the past couple of weeks, the size of the fish would have greatly increased. And to prove my point, Johan showed me a photo of a monster that was caught a couple of days after they opened their gates...
A 67cm beast! You just need to look at the size of the head and gill plates to realise that this fish is in the 5kg mark!
Rustfontein is a true gem. The 2 large dams are easily accessible to bank anglers and waders. Small craft with trolling motors as well as kick boats/float tubes are also allowed. The 2 smaller dams are well stocked and are ideal for kids (although I caught my fair share here as well!) They are also situated close to the pool and surrounded by lovely green grass and large shade trees!
Another of the smaller dams have been converted to a kurper dam. This dam is exclusively used as a feeder dam to the larger dams.
The dams are well stocked and well managed. Its a safe place to fish and very family orientated. I can only see Rustfontein going from strength to strength.
It was during one of these "bass relocations" that i saw some of the monsters that called these waters home... Several bass in the 3.5kg range were moved between the dams. I could not believe that such big fish flourished in these relatively small dams!
So it was with great sadness that after 3-4 years of great fishing, I heard that Rustfontein was being sold and that the new owners would not allow members from the public to fish the dams anymore. Not being a boat owner, it does limit the amount of places you can effectively and safely fish from the bank. Yes, there are other dedicated bass resorts in and around the Gauteng area, but most of these are overcrowded and over fished.
Over the next couple of years I would on occasion drive past Rustfontein, stop at the gates and plead with the security guards to let me fish, but to no avail... That was 'till January 2012!
For a while now I have been hearing rumors that Rustfontein would once again be opening its gates to the public. After a couple of frantic calls, I managed to get hold of Johan, the new resort manager and he confirmed that Rustfontein would in fact be reopening in January 2012.
I contacted Emile Weitz, the person who got me in to fishing in the first place about 15 years ago. We still fish together on a regular basis (or as often as our schedules allow us to!). He a AFSN ambassador down in Cape Town and as luck would have it, he was on his way to Pretoria.
So it was with great expectations (and memories) that we set off to Rustfontein over the past weekend. Even though the remnants of a couple of sub-tropical depressions were still affecting the weather patterns, we figured it would still be worth it!
Due to a couple of "technical difficulties" we only arrived at Rustfontein at about 11. After meeting with Johan and Jason (the managers) they took us through the resort and explained to us the vision that the owners have for Rustfontein. All gate fees as well as money generated by the conference facilities are being used in the building of an orphanage/children’s home on the farm! Truly, a great cause!
But, back to the fishing! We only fished for about 4 hours before we were chased from the dams by a thunderstorm. But in those 4 hours, we managed 18 fish between us with the biggest being 1.2kgs. The fish are wild! No matter the lure or technique we used, inevitably we would go on! We used flukes, toads, senkos, crank baits, spinner baits and even top water lures(in the mid-day sun!) and the all produced fish.
I am convinced that if it was not for the topsy-turvey weather we had over the past couple of weeks, the size of the fish would have greatly increased. And to prove my point, Johan showed me a photo of a monster that was caught a couple of days after they opened their gates...
A 67cm beast! You just need to look at the size of the head and gill plates to realise that this fish is in the 5kg mark!
Rustfontein is a true gem. The 2 large dams are easily accessible to bank anglers and waders. Small craft with trolling motors as well as kick boats/float tubes are also allowed. The 2 smaller dams are well stocked and are ideal for kids (although I caught my fair share here as well!) They are also situated close to the pool and surrounded by lovely green grass and large shade trees!
Another of the smaller dams have been converted to a kurper dam. This dam is exclusively used as a feeder dam to the larger dams.
The dams are well stocked and well managed. Its a safe place to fish and very family orientated. I can only see Rustfontein going from strength to strength.
