After years of very bad luck we finally made it to Bloemhof. We had booked there a few times before, but every time we were about to go, there was devastating flooding of the Vaal River. Many of the venues along the river were badly damaged by the relentless water, but things have settled down and most are operational again. So we took our chance and excitedly made the trip down the N12.
Fishing
Bloemhof Dam is considered by many as the best carp fishing location in the country. You can stay at the Sandveld Nature Reserve on the Free State side, or Bloemhof Nature Reserve on the North West side. We were however staying just below the dam wall on the North West side where there are more than a dozen fishing venues right on the Vaal River.
Umgede River Lodge was our venue of choice, and it turned out to be everything we had hoped for. There is a large open bank with lots of space for fishing, grass right up to the river, and steps down into the water if necessary. There is shaded seating, lights, and braai facilities which makes night fishing an absolute joy.
After arriving and seeing the perfect location, we immediately set up, and got some bait in the water as fast as possible. Unfortunately though fishing was a bit slow initially. We were getting bites, but no runs, no commitment. But eventually things started to change and we caught a few nice grass carp.
After dark the temperature dropped dramatically, but the fishing became really good, and we caught multiple species all throughout the night.
Martin also caught his new barbel pb of 14kgs! As usual he had to make the fight overly dramatic, and it took him over 15mins to land the monster. It was a struggle getting it out of the water, and picking it up the net snapped as well. But it was a great catch and after taking quite a few photos we released the beast safely to be someone else’s pb soon.
As usual at this time of year, in the colder weather, what really worked was the usual stronger flavours like garlic, bunspice, gumtree and TCP. Both floaties and mielies were equally popular.
Accommodation
At Umgede we stayed in the chalet which is attached to the main lodge at the top of the premises. It has a main bedroom with a large bed, and more beds in the living area as you walk in. The fully equipped kitchen is below the lounge with the large bathroom just next to it. There is wifi and a smart TV with lots of entertainment. It suited us perfectly and the water is conveniently just down the embankment.
The lodge is just next door and contains quite a few bedrooms which can easily accommodate around 10 people. Outside there is a splash pool, and a large deck with loungers where you can lazily watch the river go by. The lodge itself also has it’s own dedicated, spacious fishing area, complete with shaded seating and boma braai. There’s even a few kayaks that can be used to paddle up the river to the dam wall.
Out & About
As usual, while at Umgede, we also explored the area. We obviously had to visit the impressive Bloemhof Dam, and we decided to go to Sandveld on the Free State side. Driving over the bridge towards Sandveld you suddenly realise how big this dam is. We were there on a calm, sunny day, and looking from above it’s a spectacular sight, and you can see fish surfacing everywhere.
Sandveld itself was also beautiful on such a perfect day. We half-heartedly tried our luck at fishing there, and got a few bites, but didn’t catch anything. But that was ok, we were just enjoying the sandy beach and awesome view.
We also visited a few of the establishments in the town of Bloemhof. These included places like WhyNot and Buffalo Grill for lunch. One night for dinner we went to Plek Vannie Visarend which also offers fishing accommodation, but more importantly has a cozy restaurant and pub overlooking the river.
We also visited Die Viskas to stock up on our fishing supplies, and buy a new landing net which the monster barbel managed to break.
Summary
In summary we had a fantastic first visit to Bloemhof. The fishing was great, and we even left with a new pb. Umgede River Lodge was the perfect venue for us and the area has quite a few attractions that would excite any angler. Next time we’ll visit when the weather is a bit warmer, and hopefully spent a lot more time at the dam popping for barbel, which we didn’t have time for on this occasion.
What worked
The usual winter flavours like garlic, bunspice, gumtree and TCP were very popular. The barbel was caught on garlic floatie.
(3 days)
barbel x1 (monster)
barbel x5 (small\medium)
carp x8 (small)
grass carp x4 (medium)
mudfish x6 (small\medium)
