Sterkfontein yellowfish action
We have been told of yellowfish success at Sterkfontein Dam.
Carp
Sterkfontein Dam has always produces good fish, not necessarily big fish, but a lot of fish. Yellowfish seem to be coming out on almost any bait, whereas the carp tend to lean towards fruity flavoured mielies with a dough backing. The specimen guys are getting some nice carp here and there in between the barbel. Casting further isn’t always better, but in this case it seems to be the winning option. The bites at Erfenis Dam have been consistent for the conventional guys throughout the winter, but have not produced any big fish. Erfenis is not an easy dam to fish for the specimen guys, but does occasionally produce a few big carp. Strong big baits are usually the choice for the conventional anglers in order to avoid the large amounts of yellowfish. Plain kaboem mielies and plain tiger nuts have been doing the job for quite some time now for the specimen guys.
Trout
There are a few strategies to consider this time of year when there is an abundance of food in the form of minnows and frogs. Trout will be feeding on minnows and you will be amazed how many they will feed on. If you hook a fish you will see the minnows floating on the surface when the trout spits them out and some can be as large as 85mm. The frogs are also on the large side, so it makes sense to try imitating what the fish are feeding on, so use minnow patterns, woolly buggers etc. and if you can find a good frog pattern all these will be eaten by the trout. However, with the abundance of these around sometimes it’s worthwhile presenting something much smaller and more finesse like using small nymph patterns, the GRHE flashback and a bloodworm pattern fished on a static neutral density line will produce more bites then the larger flies. Like all of us, fish also want a variety in their diet and if something else is presented it will be eaten in no time.
Bass
During this time of the year a lot of bass are being caught on soft plastics and jerk baits. Fishing a soft plastic is relatively easy, as you can fish it straight as is, or you can fish it with a weight. The new Mustad fast catch worm weight works incredibly well on worms and flukes as it uses the fast catch systems. This system gives the plastic the ability to move around in a natural motion. This will be ideal when targeting the big bass that are hanging around on the floor protecting their nests. The use of the fast catch system also helps with the turnaround time of changing over baits. All you do is unclip the hook. This means you can get your bait back in the water a lot faster.
(File Photo: Gallo Images)
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre @kingfisherdaiwa
Facebook - ECRSportswave
Sterkfontein Dam has always produces good fish, not necessarily big fish, but a lot of fish. Yellowfish seem to be coming out on almost any bait, whereas the carp tend to lean towards fruity flavoured mielies with a dough backing. The specimen guys are getting some nice carp here and there in between the barbel. Casting further isn’t always better, but in this case it seems to be the winning option. The bites at Erfenis Dam have been consistent for the conventional guys throughout the winter, but have not produced any big fish. Erfenis is not an easy dam to fish for the specimen guys, but does occasionally produce a few big carp. Strong big baits are usually the choice for the conventional anglers in order to avoid the large amounts of yellowfish. Plain kaboem mielies and plain tiger nuts have been doing the job for quite some time now for the specimen guys.
Trout
There are a few strategies to consider this time of year when there is an abundance of food in the form of minnows and frogs. Trout will be feeding on minnows and you will be amazed how many they will feed on. If you hook a fish you will see the minnows floating on the surface when the trout spits them out and some can be as large as 85mm. The frogs are also on the large side, so it makes sense to try imitating what the fish are feeding on, so use minnow patterns, woolly buggers etc. and if you can find a good frog pattern all these will be eaten by the trout. However, with the abundance of these around sometimes it’s worthwhile presenting something much smaller and more finesse like using small nymph patterns, the GRHE flashback and a bloodworm pattern fished on a static neutral density line will produce more bites then the larger flies. Like all of us, fish also want a variety in their diet and if something else is presented it will be eaten in no time.
Bass
During this time of the year a lot of bass are being caught on soft plastics and jerk baits. Fishing a soft plastic is relatively easy, as you can fish it straight as is, or you can fish it with a weight. The new Mustad fast catch worm weight works incredibly well on worms and flukes as it uses the fast catch systems. This system gives the plastic the ability to move around in a natural motion. This will be ideal when targeting the big bass that are hanging around on the floor protecting their nests. The use of the fast catch system also helps with the turnaround time of changing over baits. All you do is unclip the hook. This means you can get your bait back in the water a lot faster.
(File Photo: Gallo Images)
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre @kingfisherdaiwa
Facebook - ECRSportswave