The beginning of 2021 saw another disrupted start but thankfully things returned back to normal relatively quickly and we were able to welcome guests back to the Makhangoa Community Camp.
After two days of travel, our guests couldn’t resist a quick afternoon fish upon arrival which proved to be productive despite the cold water temperatures. The guests immediately hooked into a couple fish on dryfly with Fritz Vorster opening his account with a fantastic yellowfish.
The first full day saw guests managing to repeat their first afternoon session with a bunch of good fish landed on dries. However, unexpectedly, a short yet heavy downfall disrupted the afternoon session of fishing. The guys settled into camp that afternoon with many a campfire story and flies being tied in preparation for the following two days of fishing that remained.
As a result of the heavy rain the day before, the guys moved down to the dam in search of smallmouth yellowfish that had moved out of the cold water of the river into the warm water of the estuary. It wasn’t long before the indicators went down and the guys got stuck into good numbers of fish. (The last two weeks has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of beetles that are being washed out of the dam side vegetation as a result of the rising water levels of Katse Dam.) – This has made predicting where the bite would happen a lot easier.
The final day saw the guys back on the river as the water warmed again resulting in fish sitting higher in the water column. Although the fishing was tricky at times, the anglers were duly rewarded for their hard work on the river and returned into camp with smiles of their faces.
It was a wonderful week with a fantastic group of guys and one that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
With warmer weather on the horizon and easing lockdown regulations, we are looking forward to welcoming the next group of guests to the Makhangoa Community Camp.
