Renosterkop Dam 2010-01-25 Report

 

Ryan took me to Rensoterkopdam on the weekend for some Art lure fishing. I wanted to catch a decent Barbel and maybe follow it up with a couple of other species. So Ryan took us to the island and we stared buddy casting all the trees with birds on in about 1.5m of water.

On the second tree Ryan slapped his lure down a bit short (his reel engaged in the middle of the cast) but he provoked another barbel that also ate the silicon bird poop at the end of my line. This fish was little smaller but made a good account of himself. Two barbel two casts.   

 
At days end we landed 4 barbel and a valuable the lesson learned from Ryan is that casting accuracy is everything. I think the man can chuck a lure and land it on a pin head.

 



 

The adventure with the barbel ended and we started focusing on Bass. Even with Ryan’s constant education I still could not buy a bite and Ryan ended up with 4 whilst teaching and guiding me through every step. I know guides normally do not fish with the client but fishing on your own is no fun. Plus I did at the end miss at least three bass and got one hell of an education on bass!

 

Ryan suggested we concentrate on some dwarf species after a lazy mid dam lunch.  Dwarf kurper, Vlei kurper and blue kurper came out.  

 

At the end we landed 5 species and I had an absolute blast. I was under the impression that a day on the water with a professional guide would cost me at least my first born but after I calculated the cost for a day. It’s obvious that Ryan is almost guiding more for fun and the love of teaching people than to line is bank account. His cost included

• Driving me to Renosterkop with a boat in tow just a little more than 200km
• 50l of boat petrol which we drained.
• The use of his boat
• The use of his equipment( he is kitted to the teeth)
• His constant education on species techniques coming from a knowledge base that makes you wonder if he was born a fish and matured into  Ryan.