Overview
A first look at Warmbad and Bela-Bela
Another area we'd been hoping to visit for a while now is around Warmbad \ Bela-Bela. There are quite a number of great fishing opportunities in that region, like Warmbad Dam, Donkerpoort Dam, and many more. Since we didn't really have any other plans for October, we took the chance and made the short journey to southern Limpopo.
For accommodation we stayed at a place called Sitruskloof, just north of Warmbad Dam. The next morning we headed down to the dam itself to try our luck at Fish Eagle Bay Boat Club.
Fishing
A hive of activity among the trees
Warmbad Dam itself was a very pleasant surprise. It's clean and beautiful, and the bass fishing was very good. We entered at Fish Eagle Bay Boat Club, which is the only place on the dam that you can launch, as far as we know. The prices are reasonable and the facilities were very neat and clean — they have 2 launches, and a designated area to park boat trailers.
Unfortunately, we somehow forgot to bring our papers for the boat, and at Fish Eagle Bay they are very strict about this (and rightly so). We subsequently could not launch, but luckily we had our trusty inflatable handy and could still go fishing.
After finally getting onto the water we immediately went towards an area of submerged trees in the northwestern corner of the dam — this was recommended to us by someone we met at Klerkskraal Dam. On the way there we trolled along the eastern bank without any luck, but it was a different story once we reached the trees.
Here there was a hive of activity — lots of fish eating something among the trees and along the banks. Being on the inflatable actually worked in our favour for a change: it's smaller, so we could go deeper into the submerged forest and target the fish more effectively. It didn't take long to figure out they were after frogs, and once we switched to that we had a lot of success. They were also partial to worms, especially the green pumpkin variety. The fish weren't huge, but they were healthy and feisty — we had to be content with 8 or 9 smaller bass in a few hours.
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03Smaller bass, but healthy and feisty, among the submerged trees.
On the way back we trolled along the western bank and had a bit more success than earlier in the day, where watermelon red grubs and flukes worked well behind the boat. In general it was a very enjoyable first visit to this delightful venue — the first of many. And since it's so near, we'll even consider it for day trips in future. But next time we'll make sure our boat's documents are packed and in order.
Back at Sitruskloof we also made an hour-long attempt on the farm dam there, but had no luck — the water level had dropped recently and the fish population took a hit. That should recover soon though; some day-visiting fishermen did catch a few carp while we were there.
Accommodation
A farmhouse in the orchard
The old farmhouse where we slept at Sitruskloof was massive, with lots of rooms and a big porch/braai area. You stay right in the middle of an orange orchard, which was a unique experience. Just be aware that getting there is a bit of a rocky road, not really suitable for cars with low clearance.
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04The old farmhouse, right in the middle of an orange orchard.
The facilities are good, and it's a really nice camping option too. Fish Eagle Bay Boat Club itself is day-use only — just the two launches and boat-trailer parking, no overnight lodging — so Sitruskloof, a short drive north, made a great base for the whole trip.