Carp Fishing in South Africa

Leon needs help with boilies, tackle and all kinds of things.

In answer to one of his questions I'd say that he has as much, if not more, chance of catching with sweetcorn and luncheon meat than he has with boilies.

At least in the short term.

Thanks Graham, I have had the honour to recently test some of Hutchies Boilies, popups and pellets. I have had limited success on them but would rather put it down to the carp's suspicious nature as I am sure that I was the first to use these flavours on that particular stretch of water as well as conditions not best suited for fishing.

I must alos thank David Watts from Sharnbrook tackle for calling me to inform me of a locally produced rod that they have found very good. I have looked into the matter and have tracked down a local stockist of the Purglass executive rod range and must admit that I am impressed. They will definitely be part of my new purchase list.

I am busy setting up a test between our local method of angling with our brand of baits as well as the imported stuff such as Hutchinson and our local boilie manufacturer BFA. The results will be given. Admitedly it won't be a very fair contest as our methods have been adapted and suited for our conditions whereas the boilie method is new to this country and fish are very sceptical of strange food sources as we know.

I just want to see if it is in any way viable for the average pleasure angler in SA to even consider this type of fishing seeing that it is by far the most expensive as well. Ill let you know the results as soon as I have confirmed the anglers, venue and dates as well as any of the rules of engagement. Sweetcorn has always been the tried and trusted bait to use. Luncheon meat is however not a regular and dont think our conditions suit the use thereof, but I will test that theory. Thanks again and any information about the type of groundbait to use in conjunction with boilies as well as any other tips on flavours and methods would be usefull.

Leon, although I think that the fish will take Bolies eventually if you can put enough in I cannot see the average S.A angler paying out for them when he could still catch loads of fish on much cheaper alternatives.

You mention sweetcorn but have you thought about looking at some of the other particles ? Give maple peas or Tiger nuts for example a go if you can find them.

You also ask about flavours for bolie fishing. Well I would say that if you are hell bent on using them then stick to well known flavours..if I had to pick one I would say you wont go too far wrong with Tutti Fruti.

You also ask about groundbaits for bolie fishing which really is a very big question as there are loads of commercial groundbaits available....from simple flour type ones that you add water to, to more recent "pellet" type groundbaits that are basically compressed nuggets of groundbait that break down once they are immersed. I would not really bother with these in your situation and again I would stick to something nice and simple like bread crumb, biscuit meal, rusk etc mixed together with water and with lots of your chosen hookbait added to it.

Philip, thanks for the advice, I have tracked down most of the particles but have had trouble obtaining hemp due to them being stuck in customs. Would have been easier to get the real stuff. But I had recieved some before my trip. Most of the seeds were available such as peanuts and chickpeas but the tiger nuts were imported I have been informed. I do not not know where they originate from and how expensive they actually are to grow and gather but from what I have seen it seems to be a type of wildberrie of sorts. Though most of the particles can be classifeid as a cheaper alternative i have found some quite expensive with tiger nuts going at almost 12 British pounds for a Kilogram. Alltough they are used sparingly they are still amazingly expensive. They do however work that I must admit. I have soaked and cooked them accordingly and have aded a small quantity of Tigers and pellets to the mixture. This i have mixed with crushed maize and corn. Added a couple of boilies and that was used as groundfeed.

s hookbait I have used single and double tiger nuts as well as boiies. The boilies didnt get much reaction but the tiger nuts did. Due to their size they were gobbled up quickly by smaller fish however. I have treid one tiger nut with the ground mixture on a method on one of my distance lines and had the first run about 6 hours after it was dropped off the bait boat at 200 meters. Unfortunatly my time run out before I could further pursue the avenue. I will however keep on testing these baits on our waters.The problem is not actually catching fish but catching good size fish.

The spawning season is over and the fish are slowly starting to bite again. With december up to april being good months I am looking foward to do some testing. Thanks once again.

Hi, I am looking for some advice on shimano reels. I am looking to purchase two reels. I have been reading and sense that there is a diverse range of sugested shimano reels in use by Carp Anglers. I need a reel that can hold at least 300 meters of line of about 25 - 30 pounds breaking strain. Baitrunner function and all other goodies included. I would like to know what line to be used in conjunction that will give me a smooth cast as well as being durable. Any other reels that you have found usefull and trustworthy would also help. These reels will be used exclusively for casting with sepcimen and match angling in mind. Any help and sugestions please. My first choice is Shimano but this is not written in stone. Thanks Leon

300 yds of 30lb, yikes......
I'd choose either the
Abu Ambassadeur 6500 CT Mag Elite or the
Penn 535 GS.

Yikes Indeed Rik, the problem we have I have is that I mainly Fish the Vaal river up from the that Vaal Dam. This part of the river is renowed for its featureless bottom. Best changes you have of getting good quality fish is deep into the river within the main stream area. This means so much as 500 yards or more into the river itselfs. So the reels, Alltough mainly used for casting closer, will have to serve as long range reels as well. This is not the main consern tough seeing that I have two penn 49's for this job. Just curiuos if it is possible tough. Thanks for the advice, I am looking into these to check pricing and availability.

Does anyone have any experiance with the Shimano 8010 bairunner reel, any comparison to what you might be using now would be usefull. Thanks

Hi Leon,
Are there still any large mouth and Small Mouth Yellowfish left in this section of the Vaal. I caught The large mouths up to 14 kg on crabs in the seventies, in the middle of the winter at night.

Ron Clay

Hi Ron, first off let me say I loved your article "Bivied up in Africa" Great fun. Unfortuantly the Yellowfish is so depleated that it doesnt even feature any more in any of the match angling competions locally. I have had one report for the whole year thus far of any one catching a yellow (7kg). Incedently the Small mouth yellow was caught on a crab rigged like Phlip Joubert used to preach. The best I could do the last 5 years was a yellow of 860 Grams. According to reasearch they are still there but when I look at the actual figures of people catching them I can hardly find any mention of yellow fish. We have great youth programs running at the moment to teach young anglers about fishing the Vaal but when it comes to yellowfish we have to rely on the written word instead of actual demonstration do to the lack of yellows. We are hoping that by education and just plain nagging about C&R to get people to realize why they should practise C&R. Up to now we didnt have much success but we are getting there. I still feel that this is one of the most exciting fighting fish - bar tiger - in Southern Africa. Sorry for the long reply - My dream is to get a double yellow. I never had the opertunity and if things dont improve I probably wont.

What a shame about those yellows. in my opinion their demise is caused by three thing: 1. Anglers who kill all they catch. 2. The impounding of the Vaal River. Yellows, especially Barbus Kimberleyensis are migratory species. 3. I hate to say: Carp. Yellows generally do not like turbid water and as we all know, carp are excellent mud stirrers.

By the way I used to make boilies using Pro-Nutro, fine maize flour and eggs. Give it a try
Ron

Yes, That is exactly true Ron. Didnt want to mention your third reason for fear of being hunted and slaughtered for offending Carp anglers in SA. Unfortuantly the biggest Impact came whith the drought in the 80's. They have decided to riddle the river with smaller dams up from Vaaldam. 7 in all were build from Standerton up to Deneysville. This has not only halted the Yellow's migration but confined them in close quaters with Carp and Cats. My favorate Fishing Spot is at the AHV AC. This was the exact location for damwall #7 It actually devided the Ac's angling shore in two. This was the only time i could actually skip the Vaal with one short jump. This was in the same area that I normally would have dropped Bait 500 yards from shore without even reaching the middle of the river. Thanks for the Bait advice. I will defenatly give it a go.

Not all that far from AHV is the RPA strtch where I spent so many happy weekends in the 60s & 70s. Yes, all that time ago. I used to fish a lot with Trevor Babich. Is he still around. Really big carp were thin on the ground in those days. I only ever remember catching 1 twenty pounder from Slaughter on Vaal, although Treveo had two in two casts once on boiled maize.

All my biggest carp were taken from Hartebeespoort Dam and some private lakes in the Eastern Transvaal (Mpuhmalanga. The biggest carp I ever took in SA weighed 27kg and was caught on a fly. Fairly hooked in the mouth too. This came from a trout lake near Dullstroom and the fish had to be killed.

Unfortuantly as I mentioned in my article most places on the Vaal closed do to bad angler behavour as well as the drought that forced many a places into Bancrupcy do to 2 years of Drought.Hartebeest is alos under heavy pressure as it is overrun with Pest plants. Eco Care is a local foundation that is trying to improve local water conditions but is not well funded and makes use of donations to get the job done. They are succeeding but the process are slow.Harties is especially a big problem and seeing that it is one of the most popular areas alos one of the most important ongoing projects. Tons of waist has allready been cleared and it looks much better than it did 2 years ago. Klaserie is by far the bigest Carp waters in the country at this point in time and alos holds the current record albeit that it hasnt been approved yet. The Carp was caught by a Brittish Angler and came at almost 28Kg. It is unfortuantly syndicate water as far as I know and is owned and operated by Africa Gold. More and More "dams" are now privatising so Carp conditions are increasing but there is no public access. Most of the public access dams are in poor conditions as governing bodies dont have the "time" or "funds" to invest. Brakpan dam that use to deliver good size carp is almost dead. The Benoni lakes are also slowley falling to ruin. In Springs Aston lake have been sold and the new owners are bussy with stocking. Unfortuantly poachers have found access to the lake easy and is bussy cleaning out. Last I heard the owners might give up. As for the Vaal owners are consentrating on boating sports rather than angling as this brings in more money. As usual figting amongs the anglers and boaters are on the increase especially over the holidays. Already there has been some reports of anglers using there Bait catapults as weapons againts these so called fun loving skiers and boaters.All is not bleak tough. There are still some good catches made, one just have to work much harder now. after 29 Years of angling at the AHV i am still not convinced that the biggest carp is in some private lake. I do believe the Vaal will produce a monster shortly.

I was looking at the soft cotinues rain from my office window in JHB and was thinking that it was exelant Angling weather. Usually the fish tend to bite more and the takes are much more ferociuos in this type of weather. Small fish alos seem to be less in the biting mood so usually the catches are of good size. Well this brings me to my question. Is this the same in europe as well? What is the best months and weather for fishing in Europe? Here the consensus seem to be that during ocktober when it spwaning season here and the month of november fish seem reluctant to take bait. But I have read that in most of the european articles it is viewed as good months for fishing.

If it wasn't for all this rain we are getting in England, I would say that the months of October & November is the best time of the year to go coarse fishin as it's called in UK, especially on rivers. We have a species that is very similar to the African Yellowfishes. It's called a barbel (Barbus vulagaris) and is just one of the most sporting fish in the whole of Europe. It is not a catfish by the way. I know that in SA most anglers call catfish "barbel". Barbel fight to the last and no-one would ever dream of killing them. They have to be handled very carefully before releasing them.
Barbel can be caught on a whole variety of baits but meat, worms, sweetcorn maggots and casters are very popular,

Thanks Ron, I just finnished reading "A practical guide to coarse fishing" in whitch Graham is also shown holding a nice Carp and catfish caugt in France. Found it verry interesting, The parts that interested me most is the species and Float fishing sections. Gave me good insight to the species that is available and can now actually follow more redily the conversation strings. Float fishing isnt paracticed a lot in SA but I would love to give it a try at the lower reaches of the Vaal where the flow is stronger and more features are available.