Tzaneen Dam - information wanted
- Thread starter Ryan
- Start date
Ryan
One of my favorite venues, there is lots to know about Tzaneen. One basic thing you must remember is that Tzaneen is a points dam. What do I mean by that, the article on river channels is mostly based on information gathered on Tzaneen dam!
Firstly your morning fishing is ussually good using topwaters and spinner baits in the shallows. Also you should find the fish on either the points or in the back of the bays. Also keep a Super Fluke handy if you miss the strike on the top water. Keep an eye out for bait fish you normally see them scatter in the morning when the bass is feeding. Also throw top water when there is cloud cover.
When the sun is up the fish move a bit deeper, depending on wheather conditions this might vary from 6ft to 25ft. This is where the channels become important, most of the channels running into the main river channel have structure on them, this is stump fields, brush piles and trees. Here you can fish plastics, flukes, lizards, brushogs and jigs.
Flukes - Watermelon & watermelon candy slightly spiked tail
Spinner bait - Plain White or White & Chartruese
Brushog/Lizards - watermelon candy & green pumpkin spiked tail
Jig - black and blue
Trick worm - junebug, green pumpkin or pink
Unfortunetly do not have any maps with me but will try and explain areas I would consider. At the launch if you go right towards the dam wall the dam makes a turn to the left, as you come around the corner you will see brushes running far into the water, if you stop here you will also see a little island to your right. These brushes is on a drop off in the water. If you start fishing the brushes from the point right to the back you must find fish you will notice that the onse side is much deeper than the other side fish the deeper side of the brushes, I ussually throw a fluke on a number 0 mojo weight or spinner bait here. This is a migration point and these bushes keeps on re-loading. Also very good morning spot.
From here you will notice three legs splitting out of the main dam, you can try any three of these legs and look for secondary points and channels I believe most hold fish.
If you go to the left at the launch, the bau just before the bridge and the bay just after the bridge on the left bank usssually hold fish. There is a lot of trees in the water here, in the morning I will cas as shallow as I can and work lure towards boat. In the afternoon will fish the channel in about 10 - 15ft of water. Like to use the gp lizard here on a texas weight and be sure to stay in contact with the structure. In the morning also throw top water in the back of the bay. Go check out the back of this bay you will find it interesting.
The bay right across from the launch, the point on the left is also ussually good. There is a stumpfield here and I like to either throw a carolina 1/4 ounce or a mojo here with a trick worm. If the fishing is very slow I like to throw a pink trick worm in deeper water as this attracks a reaction strike.
Hope this helps!
Let me know.
One of my favorite venues, there is lots to know about Tzaneen. One basic thing you must remember is that Tzaneen is a points dam. What do I mean by that, the article on river channels is mostly based on information gathered on Tzaneen dam!
Firstly your morning fishing is ussually good using topwaters and spinner baits in the shallows. Also you should find the fish on either the points or in the back of the bays. Also keep a Super Fluke handy if you miss the strike on the top water. Keep an eye out for bait fish you normally see them scatter in the morning when the bass is feeding. Also throw top water when there is cloud cover.
When the sun is up the fish move a bit deeper, depending on wheather conditions this might vary from 6ft to 25ft. This is where the channels become important, most of the channels running into the main river channel have structure on them, this is stump fields, brush piles and trees. Here you can fish plastics, flukes, lizards, brushogs and jigs.
Flukes - Watermelon & watermelon candy slightly spiked tail
Spinner bait - Plain White or White & Chartruese
Brushog/Lizards - watermelon candy & green pumpkin spiked tail
Jig - black and blue
Trick worm - junebug, green pumpkin or pink
Unfortunetly do not have any maps with me but will try and explain areas I would consider. At the launch if you go right towards the dam wall the dam makes a turn to the left, as you come around the corner you will see brushes running far into the water, if you stop here you will also see a little island to your right. These brushes is on a drop off in the water. If you start fishing the brushes from the point right to the back you must find fish you will notice that the onse side is much deeper than the other side fish the deeper side of the brushes, I ussually throw a fluke on a number 0 mojo weight or spinner bait here. This is a migration point and these bushes keeps on re-loading. Also very good morning spot.
From here you will notice three legs splitting out of the main dam, you can try any three of these legs and look for secondary points and channels I believe most hold fish.
If you go to the left at the launch, the bau just before the bridge and the bay just after the bridge on the left bank usssually hold fish. There is a lot of trees in the water here, in the morning I will cas as shallow as I can and work lure towards boat. In the afternoon will fish the channel in about 10 - 15ft of water. Like to use the gp lizard here on a texas weight and be sure to stay in contact with the structure. In the morning also throw top water in the back of the bay. Go check out the back of this bay you will find it interesting.
The bay right across from the launch, the point on the left is also ussually good. There is a stumpfield here and I like to either throw a carolina 1/4 ounce or a mojo here with a trick worm. If the fishing is very slow I like to throw a pink trick worm in deeper water as this attracks a reaction strike.
Hope this helps!
Let me know.
Ryan
To be honest with you I have never seen a snorre in that dam! Carp I have seen mostly in the back of the bays amongst the snot rebelle ussually in the smaller bays, the kurper you will definetly find in the mornings in the shallows when the bait fish is around. They have a bait fish, not sure what they call it apparently some sardine of sorts, it is a little bit bigger than a mosquito fish also dont know how the hell you going to catch them but there is millions around! Most of your dwarf species is right in the back of the bays in the mornings, if you can find a bay with a water stream comming in even better. There is a lot of them
Smallies the slipway where you launch, depending on the water level, is ussually good for a smallie. Also the bushes I spoke about if you face the point of the bushes just to the right of them is a point that point is a gravel bed. When you at the point to the right of the point is and old kraal under the water all good from smallies, they scares but they there.
Also check to the right of the dam wall for carp and kurper, bank looks like nothing but have isolated cover.
Hope it helps!
To be honest with you I have never seen a snorre in that dam! Carp I have seen mostly in the back of the bays amongst the snot rebelle ussually in the smaller bays, the kurper you will definetly find in the mornings in the shallows when the bait fish is around. They have a bait fish, not sure what they call it apparently some sardine of sorts, it is a little bit bigger than a mosquito fish also dont know how the hell you going to catch them but there is millions around! Most of your dwarf species is right in the back of the bays in the mornings, if you can find a bay with a water stream comming in even better. There is a lot of them
Smallies the slipway where you launch, depending on the water level, is ussually good for a smallie. Also the bushes I spoke about if you face the point of the bushes just to the right of them is a point that point is a gravel bed. When you at the point to the right of the point is and old kraal under the water all good from smallies, they scares but they there.
Also check to the right of the dam wall for carp and kurper, bank looks like nothing but have isolated cover.
Hope it helps!
MarvelousMark
Senior Member
Hi Ryan..
was at Tzaneen Dam during June, July this last winter, and had some good results with green pumking brushhogs with tail dipped in chateuse dip and glo, riged texas style, every time i saw some movement near any structure and cast there it was on, but be carefull in those bays as there are some realy big water pig`s there, fish led me right to them in all my exitement and was on a rowing boat
. My son here caught this one on mardigrass 4 inch senco also texas riged. Grew up there when i was younger and always used black fury No 3 spinners also to good effect..O and don`t forget the good old horny toad, also had a couple of bites on that too..!
Check out the barbel i caught in Witbank Dam with the trusted greenpumking horny toad +- 6.8kg on shimano crucial medium action rod and citica reel, 12 lb flurocarbon.
O sorry i was fishing in the nature reserve camping site opposite Tzaneen Dam wall.
was at Tzaneen Dam during June, July this last winter, and had some good results with green pumking brushhogs with tail dipped in chateuse dip and glo, riged texas style, every time i saw some movement near any structure and cast there it was on, but be carefull in those bays as there are some realy big water pig`s there, fish led me right to them in all my exitement and was on a rowing boat
. My son here caught this one on mardigrass 4 inch senco also texas riged. Grew up there when i was younger and always used black fury No 3 spinners also to good effect..O and don`t forget the good old horny toad, also had a couple of bites on that too..!Check out the barbel i caught in Witbank Dam with the trusted greenpumking horny toad +- 6.8kg on shimano crucial medium action rod and citica reel, 12 lb flurocarbon.
O sorry i was fishing in the nature reserve camping site opposite Tzaneen Dam wall.Attachments
MarvelousMark
Senior Member
All I can say Hennie is that your info was spot on....
I don't think I have ever been so wet fishing off a boat in my whole life it literally poured the whole day from start to finish - I had to run the bilge pump every 10 mins.
I caught only one bass - but I was only looking for one size bass for the species comp.
It was caught on a Salmo Sting off the dam wall second cast.
Thanks for the info I finished 2nd off a dam I have never been on before.
All I can say is there must be some pretty huge bass in that place as it abounds with structure.
I don't think I have ever been so wet fishing off a boat in my whole life it literally poured the whole day from start to finish - I had to run the bilge pump every 10 mins.
I caught only one bass - but I was only looking for one size bass for the species comp.
It was caught on a Salmo Sting off the dam wall second cast.
Thanks for the info I finished 2nd off a dam I have never been on before.
All I can say is there must be some pretty huge bass in that place as it abounds with structure.
MarvelousMark
Senior Member
Yes you can fish from the side, a good place to try would be the nature reserve and yes there are dangerous creatures there...! croc's and hippo's.
MarvelousMark
Senior Member
When during Dec you going..? You should be okay if the bank you fishing from has a gradual slope, and don't stay in one place for too long move around..!. as far as the hippo's go be careful in the morning's when they returning to the water. ie keep your ears open for a noise in the bush behind you, and make sure there is a tree near by that you can climb..! I'm also heading up there in Dec, if you like we can hook up..?
MarvelousMark
Senior Member
There are more hippo's than croc's, so ya hippo's are plentiful, i'm in Tzaneen from the 10th to around about the 22nd. So give us a shout when you around.
Baits that work well for bass there are G P. grubs Daminki, G P. super fluke's zoom, G P. baby brush hog's zoom, G P. horny toad. Chartreuse dip and glow..
Kurper flying ants and worms.
Ebeneezer dam is another option as well, although the fishing can be allot tougher, there the water has no croc's, hippo's or bilharzia and the scenery is breathtaking with crystal clear water.
Here you would have success with water melon gold etc type flukes and senco's as their is a fair amount of trout in these waters so any thing that imitates them, as well as small mouth bass and probably the biggest red breast kurpers you could hope to encounter in South Africa.
PM sent..
Cheers Mark.
Baits that work well for bass there are G P. grubs Daminki, G P. super fluke's zoom, G P. baby brush hog's zoom, G P. horny toad. Chartreuse dip and glow..
Kurper flying ants and worms.
Ebeneezer dam is another option as well, although the fishing can be allot tougher, there the water has no croc's, hippo's or bilharzia and the scenery is breathtaking with crystal clear water.
Here you would have success with water melon gold etc type flukes and senco's as their is a fair amount of trout in these waters so any thing that imitates them, as well as small mouth bass and probably the biggest red breast kurpers you could hope to encounter in South Africa.
PM sent..
Cheers Mark.
MarvelousMark
Senior Member
Good see you then..