Overview
Two things were different this time
After yet another very enjoyable stay at Beacon Vlei, we headed down the road and once again found ourselves at Mearns Dam. But two things were different this time: we were staying at Fountain Hall Guest Farm, and we had a proper boat.
Fishing
Finally, the whole dam to explore
In the past we had a very limited area we could fish, because we were on a small boat using a sneaker motor with one battery. We could never reach the river to the south or around the corner to the north. With our bass boat, this was finally possible.
So we firstly headed to the left (south), around the bend where the river becomes Mearns Dam. We encountered large areas of matted grass and even more submerged trees than in other parts of the dam. This made fishing a little bit difficult, but we still managed a few small bass.
We then made our way back to the bend, and here the fishing really started to pick up. This area was very active, and we caught lots of small bass with a few decent ones in between. They were smashing small dark flukes and grubs, and we even caught one or two on spinner baits. We returned to this area the next day as well, and we were again rewarded.
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03A few of our catches from the bend, over the two days.
On day two we headed to the right (north), past the dam wall, around that bend, and into more uncharted territory for us. Here we fished along the sides where the grass wasn't too dense, with limited success — we did catch a few bass, but it wasn't as lucrative as we were hoping.
So we made our way back to the main dam, where we always seem to find fish. Here the fishing was as good as always, on either side of the dam and even in the middle, in between the trees.
As always we tried fishing at night too, and were often rewarded for our efforts.
And that's a brief summary of our weekend's fishing. In between we also had a big storm roll by, which forced us to load the boat again just to be safe.
Accommodation
A launch changes everything
In the past we always stayed at Station House Waterside Getaway, but since we needed a launch for the boat, we opted for Fountain Hall Guest Farm this time. They have a few cottages on offer as well as camping, and they have two launches: one in front of our cottage, and one closer to the camping area. These are also the only launches we know of at Mearns.
The dam cottage itself is really spacious, with two bedrooms and a bathroom in between. The kitchen has everything you need, and the lounge area has a fireplace for those famous Midlands colder nights. Outside is a big covered porch with a built-in braai, and a great view of the dam.
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04Spacious, comfortable, and fireplace-ready for the Midlands cold.
We found the cottage to be perfect for us — nice and secluded, and very comfortable. The private launch was a massive bonus too, as we launched 4 times during our stay due to the weather. And just like Station House, you can catch fish right in front of the cottage.
