Thatcher’s Rest – Nov 2018

thatcher's rest walkway to house
Walkway to the house

This was another place we’ve been hoping to visit for a while now since we noticed their ad in the SA Bass magazine. We finally had the opportunity and it was everything we had hoped for. Leaving from Beacon Vlei it was a fairly short drive to Thatcher’s Rest. The moment we got there we jumped on the supplied boat and headed out.


Fishing

Thatcher’s Rest boasts lots of bass and even some trout. We immediately got stuck into the bass which was pretty easy. They were feisty and we soon found out that baby bass was the color of choice, in the clear water they really loved flukes with that pattern. Here are some of the initial trophies.

thatcher's rest bass linky
Little bit better
thatcher's rest martin bass
Martin also caught some small bass
thatcher's rest small bass from boat
Just another small bass

The bass were all along the banks but especially in the eastern corner near the road, it’s rockier there and the bass seem to love that. On the second afternoon, the wind was too strong for us to take the boat so we did the short hike to that area and still caught quite a few from the side.

thatcher's rest small bass from bank
Not the biggest bass
thatcher's rest another bass from bank
Another little bass

The only trout we caught was also on a small baby bass fluke. Of course, Martin was the lucky one on this occasion, a nice rainbow trout which also turned out to be his pb!

thatchers rest only trout

We also realized pretty quickly there were barbel around but we didn’t try to catch them, it would have been way too easy.


Accommodation

So let’s be honest, Thatcher’s Rest is not the cheapest accommodation we’ve ever stayed at. But as in most cases, you get what you pay for. We saved up for this and it was worth every penny. This is truly a beautiful and unique place. We found the scenery spectacular and the solitude priceless.

thatcher's rest view of house from boat
View of the house from the water
thatcher's rest house front view
Watching the sunset
thatcher's rest walkway to house
Walkway to the house

The house itself has everything you could possibly need. The lounge \ dining area overlooking the dam is a nice touch. The bedrooms are comfortable and each one of them has its own bathroom. The kitchen was well-equipped and it all ran off a silent, remote-controlled generator situated in a separate enclosure on land.

thatcher's rest view from lounge chair
Sitting in the lounge and enjoying the view
thatchers rest lounge view
View of the lounge from the kitchen

The boma is fantastic, complete with loungers, a firepit, Weber, and gas braai. But the fact that it’s all located on the water makes this even more special. Every night the barbel started playing around the lights shining off the boma and we had a lot of fun teasing them. We even saw an eel which was a first for both of us.

thatcher's rest boma from house
View of the boma from the front door of the house
thatchers rest fire pit
The fire pit in the boma
thatcher's rest boma fishing
The boma

Summary

Fantastic accommodation, really spectacular, the perfect couples getaway. The fishing was fun, no huge bass but lots of smaller ones. And the trout added some extra excitement.

 

We found bass all around the dam along the banks, and baby bass flukes worked the best by far. The only trout we caught was in the middle of the dam near the house, also on a baby bass fluke!

(2 days)

bass x16 (small)
rainbow trout x1 (medium)

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