Global active spin bass fishing rods
I got an email from a guy wanting to know about 'Global Active Spin' bass fishing rods. I've never heard of anything like it before. In fact, to be honest, it sounds more like an exercise tool than a fishing rod. If anyone knows anything about this brand, please contact me with information.
Bass network
Let me take this opportunity to once more invite one and all bass fishermen to register at africanbass.co.za, a web site we hope grows into a free bass fishing community. Wouldn't this be the perfect place, if people partook, to ask about things like this? Please get over there, and register. It doesn't cost a thing. There are no hidden costs either. And while you're there, invite your friends over to join you as well.
Here's the link (opens in new window): African bass
Comments (0) 01.04.2009. 17:41
African Bass bass fishing community
We recently re-launched the African Bass bass fishing community site. I say re-launched, since the site was previously launched, even though we never really made any effort to promote it.
Why was it re-launched?
Well, er, good question. Ok, a small little gremlin found its way into our website's back office, and deleted everything off the old one. We lost all of our subscribers (both of them), along with all the contact details.
So we took the African route, re-launched the site and hoped no one noticed anything different.
Please create an account there and start sharing knowledge and pics. The idea with African Bass is that it becomes a free online bass fishing community.
Here's the link: African Bass.
Comments (0) 10.03.2009. 20:44
BassBoys Bass Angling Blog
Got a mail from one of the boys over at BassBoys Bass Angling Blog, so I checked out what they have to offer. Nice blog! Check it out. They run some competitions and share bass fishing knowledge with all who care to take the time to learn.
In short, they're doing everything we should be doing, but do not find time for :-(
Tight lines, Bass Boys!
Comments (0) 29.10.2008. 09:15
Coolin trout lodge Hogsback
If you fancy yourself a bit of a trout fisherman, or would simply like to get away with the missus for a romantic weekend like something out of a story book, why not give Coolin Trout Lodge a call?
Coolin Trout Lodge is situated roughly 14 km's from Hogsback, and features beautiful scenery, as well as a trout dam almost right on your stoep.
From the Lodge's business card:
- Bed and breakfast - dinner on request
- Private trout fishing - dam and river
- Walks, hikes and biking
- Bird watching
- Horse riding by arrangement
- 4X4 trail nearby
- Private airstrip: 900m. Alt: 4500ft
Contact details
You can give the owners, Ron and Elizabeth Kidson, a call on +27 45 962 1040, or email them at coolinlodge@lantic.net. Alternatively, give them a call on their cellphone, 082 476 9886.
You can also visit their web site at Coolin Estates.
Comments (0) 04.08.2008. 23:18
Fishing Hogsback
I went to Hogsback over the weekend to visit a friend of mine, Anton Pretorius, and his wonderful family. Anton is a magistrate in Middeldrift, and lives in a beautiful little home in Hogsback.
Now, I didn't particularly pay attention to what I packed, so I left the fishing gear at home. HOW STUPID COULD I BE!!! I could not believe what I missed out on! Who knew Hogsback offers at least two dams with abundant fish stocks? Certainly not I. So, there I was, fishing gear-less and hungry for bass fishing. What to do, what to do! Not much you can do if you don't remember your fishing gear.
Improvise
I did what any good boertjie would do under the circumstances. I made my own lure. I used an old Castle bottle cap that I found in the grass (I prefer Miller though), and knocked together something remotely resembling a spinner. It worked OK when I tested it.
Where's the fish then?
Unfortunately, even though I had this hi-tech spinner at my disposal, I could not manage to get even a single bass interested in it. We tried good ol' erdwurm as well, but we had no fish to show at the end of the day. I know, it's pathetic. Next time I'll be prepared though.
Some pics of the dams
Disclaimer: Apologies for the terrible quality of the images. I'm still getting to grips with my new camera.
We visited two dams in the Hogsback vicinity. The one, Sandile dam, is approximately 30km's from Hogsback, while the other, Binfield, is probably about 10km's from this magical little place.
Sandile dam
Binfield dam
![]()
![]()
Breathtaking scenery
I drove to Cathcart from Hogsback to see what the place has to offer, and took some pics along the way. Go ahead and drool.
Comments (0) 30.07.2008. 23:32
Spinnerbaits no more
We've decided to call it quits on the spinnerbaits. I recently took a full-time consultancy position with a London-based web development firm, which specialises in online marketing, and this is now top priority.
The site, spinnerbaits.co.za, will still exist as is, minus the products. We feel that it is too valuable a resource to just kill.
In the meantime, a sideline for us is africanbass.co.za, a site we're hoping to develop into a free South African bass fishing community, where you'll have the option of creating an account, posting pics, and meeting new people. This project is taking off slowly, due to other more important issues, but watch this space. I'll point to the new site when it's up.
The company I currently work for, DTM, is looking to extend their services to the rest of the world, and hopefully we'll have a network going in South Africa soon.
Brakkeduine bass fishing outing January
I had the privilege of taking Johan Van Veelen out on a couple of fishing trips in my area. Johan is the owner of F1 Grand Prix Tours, a travel company specialising in providing customers with international adventure tour packages. Check out their site and give them a call if you fancy going to one of the F1 Grand Prix's.
The dam
Once again, the destination of choice was Brakkeduine dam. Brakkeduine is a beautiful dam with plenty of structure. The largest recorded catch is a 4.6kg largemouth. To be honest, I've not caught anything near the 2kg mark yet, but the dam is known to have lunkers. I shall have to keep experimenting.
The fish
The largest bass of the day weighed in at 1.35kg's, and was caught on a plastic worm. The smallest catch weighed about 700grams. We caught plenty fish on spinnerbait. One thing that got my attention, was that Johan caught quite a few on a white spinnerbait, a colour that we do not yet have in our range. I shall be adding a white spinnerbait to the range in future, as it's proven to be very effective.
Our fish bite, how about yours?
I'm in Gauteng for business, and went for a fishing trip with Johan, to the Rust De Winter dam on Saturday. There was a competition on Saturday, so there were many boats zooming around on the dam, looking for the big ones. We managed to catch a disheartening seven fish between three anglers. Not one of the fish were over half a kilo in size. Apparently, the area had received quite a lot of rain lately, making the water murky, and influencing bass fishing for the worse. Although a couple of fish of over 2kg's were caught, a lot of the competition anglers managed to catch only one, two or three fish in total. I cannot wait to get back to Jeffreys Bay! Makes me realise how blessed I am down there.
Bass fishing buddies in Joburg area needed
Got a call from my new bass fishing buddy, Jacques Du Preez, all the way from Boksburg in the Johannesburg area. He's new to the sport, and would like to connect with some people up there who are into bass fishing. Jacques can be contacted at 073 383 6666.
Reel schematics
Came across a very unusual site the other day. Reel schematics is a site where you can download, in PDF format, schematics of reels and trolling motors of all makes and sizes. This is very handy if you're looking for parts for your reel or trolling motor. Give them a looksee. Might just save you some trouble.
Bass fishing social networking
The buzzword in the internet world these days, is social networking. Get your web 2.0 site ready, we're gonna socialize, baby! I got a call from a certain Johan the other day. He phoned in connection with our lures, and told me he'd be in my valley next week, and asked if it would be possible to view some samples. At first I told him that we do not keep stock, but then agreed to make some samples. He's the customer, after all. So I arranged for some samples to be made.
Next, he mentioned that he's interested in information about the fishing spots in the Kouga area, and asked which ones would be best to fish from the side. Now, this is where social networking really kicks in.
You bring the car, I'll bring the boat
I told him that it is pretty much useless to try and successfully fish any of the spots from the side, which is true. I mentioned that I have a canoe, with a trolling motor, but that I have trouble with transporting the canoe, since it is as big as a Kombi. We made a deal. He supplies the transport to the water, and I supply the transport on the water! He liked the idea! I look forward to receiving Johan as a guest in my valley, and may even make a sale from the friendship. And if I don't make a sale, I made a bass fishing friend. This is what social networking should be about. Being social.
