Being such keen fly fisherman there is simply no other way to spend the first day of the new year than on the water. And with Nick up at Sterkfontein Dam dominating the yellows I decided that my best option would be to take the family down to one of the local bass dams for a short, afternoon session.
My gut told me that Midmar and Inanda would be chaos with the new year’s rush, and so I decided on Shongweni where I thought it would be quieter due to power boats not being allowed. As it turns out I was wrong.
Shongweni was absolute chaos and we struggled to find a place to park. Eventually Sharon dropped me and my tube off and kindly got permission to sit at the paddling club. Phew! A big thank you to the members for allowing my family to relax there while I fished.
Now alone, I inflated my tube and headed out onto the water. I immediately noticed 2 things:
- I couldn’t see my fins the water was so dirty.
- The water was incredibly warm.
I made my way to some structure near an inlet and fished the surface for around an hour. During this time I managed one small bass which was lucky since most of the other fisherman had blanked.
It was tough fishing which could have been because of the dirty water, the people swimming, the paddlers who were circling the dam against the reeds, or one of the many other reasons. That said it was great to just be out there on a spectacular first day of the year.
Eventually I kicked my way across the dam (which I’m sure helped with my new year’s diet) and back to my family. First session of the year, check!