Overview
Swopping the mountains for the bush
After Stanford Lake Lodge we travelled down the N1 past Mokopane (and Doorndraai Dam) to Aloe Rock Lodge. Within a few hours we basically swopped misty mountains and rainy forests for the bush. The lodge borders the Sterk River, and this was going to be the first time we would fish in a river on a game farm — a unique experience we thoroughly enjoyed.
Fishing
Handsomely rewarded
The lodge is located right on the banks of the river, and there is a manicured lawn right up to the edge of the water. It's not very wide, but it's a reasonable stretch of river and surprisingly teeming with fish.
We firstly noticed lots of kurper swimming near the bank in schools. We tried to entice them, but they were very shy and difficult to catch. So we decided, without much hope, to try for bass among the reeds on the far side, and amazingly we were immediately handsomely rewarded.
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03Handsomely rewarded among the reeds on the far bank.
In the muddy water dark flukes once again proved to be irresistible, and we continued to catch bass that way the whole time we were there.
Later on the carp rods also started showing activity, and after losing a few we caught another new species for us, the largescale yellowfish. These special fish give an awesome fight, and we had to be really careful to keep them out of the underwater branches.
This was quite an unexpected bonus, and made our stay even more memorable.
The barbel also decided to join the party eventually — they couldn't resist the chicken livers any longer. No monster barbel, but lots of smallish ones which provided some fun at least.
Only when it was time to leave did we discover there are lots of other open sections of the river we could have visited, especially for bass. Considering what we experienced right in front of the lodge, we definitely want to return to explore those areas as well.
Accommodation
A boma right on the river
The accommodation is a house with a lounge and 3 large bedrooms. There is also a small kitchen, shower and toilet in between the rooms, with a loft offering more sleeping options. Outside is a larger kitchen section where the fridge and cooking options are located.
Looking out from there is the beautiful lawn which ends on the river bank. Closer to the water there is also a big boma/entertainment area complete with firepit, seating and a lapa/bar section. There is even a deck with a lounger, perfect for watching the wildlife in and around the river.
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04The lounge, bedrooms and riverside boma.
Out and about
A shop, a pub, and a dam for next time
There is a shop not too far from the lodge called De Buite Post, which has anything you might need, including some fishing supplies. Not too far down the road from that is the local bushveld pub called Koelemansrus, which also doubles as a bottle store.
And just a little further on the same road you'll find Doorndraai Dam, renowned for excellent carp and bass fishing. It's still on our bucket list — we just didn't have enough time on this trip to go there as well.