Good bass fishing at Inanda Dam
Carp- It is without doubt that the level if our dams is raising a fair amount of concern amongst anglers and holiday makers in Natal. With some main waters as low as 20% full at this point in time, it is no doubt many anglers are worried. Shongweni is the recommended dam to fish in these times as the level is healthy and has no issues thus far, unlike Inanda, Albert falls, Goedetrou and Hazelmere. If you find yourself in the situation where you are forced to fish a dam which is low, there are techniques which will benefit the angler. If the water is low, chances are good it is clean too, due to the fact that the rivers do not pump in dirty water and the sediment has time to settle. This allows anglers to sight fish, and to use a wider variety of rigs, such as the chod rig. Smaller baits can be used with the same effect as bigger baits, but will entice a larger more skittish fish to feed. Fluorescence is more visible and will work better in the clean water. And the main advantage of lower water is that the water temperature heats up during the day and remains warmer at night, causing fish to feed more readily.
Bass- Inanda came out on top this week with dozens of good reports with the parents and the children getting involved. With the water temperature up and baitfish in the water, shallow water fishing has been explosive and has produced hundreds of keeper sized Bass on flukes, Spinner baits and Strike Pro crank baits in the white/ shad colours. Albert Falls has been equally as productive but in the deeper water away from activity. Most anglers fishing with heavily weighted Carolina rigs have had excellent catches. When fishing deeper Carolina rigs, braid is a must, and the Sunline super PE 40-80lb is ideal for this application. The most versatile test would be around 50lb, which leaves your outfit available for Frogging and Pitching too. When using braid, make sure to use stronger hooks in the deep to avoid straightening of fine wire hooks. Mustad had an excellent range of hooks such as the Ultra Lock and the Big Mouth which will not fail under heavy pressure.
(File photo: Gallo Images)