Bontebok Park - Swellendam

[Cannonball84]

Good morning everyone,

My family and I are breaking away to Witsand next week. I am planning mostly estaury fishing, but saw the above park where you can braai next to the river.

Planning maybe a day to just see how it is.

Does anyone know from recent experience whether it would be worth taking a rod with and seeing if there is anything? Hopefully some SM/LM Bass?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

[breedesmallie]

Hi CB 84. It is a nice stretch on the breede with lm and sm. The breede lm in the Swellendam area are normally bigger because of a lot of different species baitfish you find there and only there ( moonies) and not to the rest of the breede. You will find blue gill, vlei kurper, blue kurper, moonies, gill christella and a small fish I don't the name of in that area.

[Cannonball84]

Thanks for the info Breedesmallie,

This is maybe a bit of a stretch, but is the structure in the river of such a nature that you could fish spinnerbaits? Considering all the baitfish you mentioned thought this might work.

My one friend suggested casting senkos towards trees on a carolina rig?

Thanks for all the help.

[breedesmallie]

Zoom speed craws on a texas, spinner baits and a ring worm on a Carolina works well. Early morning a top water popper ( those white ones with red head ). In that area the bass just cant leave them alone. plastics you will find that june bug is the way to go. A 1/4 oz ball jig with a smoke white grub is a killer for those smallies. The moonies are almost silver in colour and you will find them in the rapids, the smallies just loves them. One negative side to that area is that mister whiskers are a pest there.
Good luck and enjoy your trip.

[Mick]

@Breedesmallie, do you know the area around Rivierzicht, near Robertson at all?

[Riprap]

"The number of alien and translocated species
relative to indigenous species in national parks in
the Cape region is substantially higher than in
other regions of South Africa. The most heavily
invaded system is the Breede River in Bontebok
NP where six alien and two translocated southern
African species have established populations. Four
alien and two translocated fishes occur in the Garden
Route NP, and four alien fishes occur in
aquatic systems in Agulhas NP."

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[Cannonball84]

Thanks for all the information guys. Much appreciated.

Cheers

[Marmaduke]

@Breedesmallie, do you know the area around Rivierzicht, near Robertson at all?

Hey Mick. Breedesmallie has a campsite just down river of Rivierzicht. In the next stretch after the rapids. He KNOWS the Breede and is crazzzzzzy about his Smallies. He often tags fish and I believe his Smallie PB was a fish he tagged as a dink years before he caught it again +2kgs heavier.

Do a forum search for some of the posts he has done giving advice.