Vaal Dam / Loskop Dam / Bloemhof Dam

[Catch-On]

Hi All

Just wondered if any anglers out there would like to share their fishing adventures and there catches when it comes to these three dams.

I personally haven't been to Loskop Dam or Bloemhof but would really like to go sometime in the near future.

But I do however really like fishing the Vaal...

 

[Fishpaste]

I think it all depends on a few factors...

1) How far you want to drive...
2) Safety...
3) Facilities...
3) Am I after size or qty...
4) Do I need a boat...

 

[aquadementia]

I've fished all 3 (artlure only), but Bloemhof has RIDICULOUS numbers of both normal and grass carp. We literally saw black patches of water where the schools were swimming past. MILLIONS!!! Im sure you cant go there in summer without catching... It's where I got my first carp on lure. Barbel might be a problem if you are fishing too light though. In Loskop the carp were only accessible to us artlure guys when it was flooding or when they were spawning. Vaal dam seemed to have lots of small carp

 

[steelpulse007]

Bloemhof used to be my first choice, but after a few disappointing visits, I've settled for the Vaal. Im not sure if there is still a problem with snags, but after Bloemhof dam levels dropped to those low levels two years ago, it was a nightmare fishing there, lost many traces and fish. Twice already I've been to Sandveld, driving all the way from Gauteng, just to be told that the best stretch of water along the bank has been reserved for some comp, even though they did not occupy half of it, that sucked bigtime! The Vaal is close, there are plenty venues and I can always find a good spot, even if it means going to another venue.....the fishing has been good to me as well.

Any updates on the situation at Bloemhof, is the bottom still full of snags from all the grass?

Don't get me wrong, fishing at Bloemhof can be awesome, but things can also become pear shaped very quickly, what with the occasional crazy weather, reservations, etc....in my experience of course.

 

[steelpulse007]

Catch-on I think me previous post cast a bit of negative impression on Bloemhof, but I should mention that I've found it best to go see for myself. Making the trip down to Bloemhof is a must at some point for anyone who is curious, or you'll never know, and another thing that I did not mention is that I've had some of my best fishing experiences there....it is definitely worth a shot....you might be pleasantly surprised, but either way, you cant really lose, you either win or learn.

 

[Catch-On]

Thanks Steelpulse

No problem, that's why I started this thread so that everyone can share their experiences and their opinion about the three locations.

I also say, the only way to know for sure is to go and fish all three of them and decide which one is best.

At the end of the day all three these dams are huge attractions and do deliver fish I think.

I Think everyone can take a lot out of threads like these and gather huge amounts of info regarding each dam and not only share but broaden there knowledge and experience.

I will def go and try Bloemhof and Loskop in future

 

[TimJan]

Bloemhof is a special place for me.

I have caught carp , grass carp and barbel not even 5m from the side when the dam is full.
If you can go deeper than normal casting the size increases.

On the worst days I have caught 5 or 6 fish and on the best day's its impossible to catch with 2 rods and you also don't need a rod stand just catch them with rod in hand.

There are ALLOT more good days than bad days and even the average days you are too busy to eat/drink something.

There are a few spots that you do get stuck and it is because of bushes that grew when the dam was low and nobody thought to pull them out.

So if you have a long weekend or a week to fish bloemhof is my first choice.

For a normal weekend it will be one of the other 2.

 

[frikkiebotes]

we are from rustneburg and for me and my wife bloemhof is tops! we rather drive the 300km to bloemhof and know we are going to catch lots of fish than visiting any of the local dams around rustenburg. never had any issues with theft at bloemhof as with the case at harties and roodekoppies lately. i bought a boat a month ago so our next time to bloemhof (25-27 sept) will be the first time for us trying catching fish from the boat. on our last trip to sandveld 29 dec 2014-02jan 2015) between 4 anglers we averaged about 50 fish per day.