Dams and Rivers in the Western Cape

Please feel free to send us your information on fishing waters in your area.

Here are the listings for this area so far:

Clanwilliam Dam
Clanwilliam is situated 220km from Cape Town on the West Coast. It is a lovely little town with many friendly locals. The fishing is mainly for Large or Small Mouth Black Bass although there is also the indigenous Clanwilliam Yellow fish. It has a excellent dam for bass as it is full of structures which range from rock caves to trees and other various structures. I have had lots of luck at this dam from the bank so a boat is not a necessity, but will help you land the lunker. The dam is large and water levels vary quite drastically from summer to winter. If you take the road out towards Klawer you can also do some fishing in the river, which believe me has some huge bass in it. Hint: Night fishing at this dam can be productive.

Rietvlei Dam
Rietvlei Dam is situated just before Tableview 20km from Cape Town. Unfortunately it does not contain any Bass but does have a huge population of Carp and good size Mullet. The Carp in the dam are feisty and abundant, average about 1kg in size due to the population, there have however been a few 7kg+ Carp caught in the dam. You need to produce your fresh water fishing license and there are a few rules to adhere to. If you want a fun filled day just relaxing and catching Carp by the dozens, try it out. Hint: Use a paste bait.

Theewaterskloof Dam
Also known for its Large and Small Mouth Black Bass, Theewaterskloof also has some Trout and Carp to offer. The dam is also quite big and I would suggest a boat. This dam has unfortunately not done so well in the past few months but they are trying to rehabilitate the Bass population. Hint: Take a boat and be patient.

Wemmershoek Dam
Wemmershoek Dam is in the Franschhoek area and holds Large and Small Mouth Bass.

Misverstand
Just before Piketberg off the N7 is Misverstand which holds Black Bass and is also good for Carp fishing. There are Caravan and camping facilities.

Voelvlei
Voelvlei is situated about an hours drive from Cape Town along the R44 and is stocked with Large and Small Mouth Bass, Carp and Trout. It is quite a large dam with not too much structure to offer. Although, if you have a float tube its a different story all together. There are some excellent drops that you can fish with ease. You must get a permit to fish here, they are available from either Silwerfontein Guest Farm or the Western Province Artificial Lure Angling Society.

Velorenvlei
260km From Cape Town is a small small town of Elands Bay. The dam there namely Velorenvlei is a recognized Carp Dam. Take all you supplies with you as the shops in Elands do not have everything you might need.

Trout Rivers The Witte River. The Witte River flows through the highest valley of the Bain's Kloof mountains outside the town of Wellington.
It is the only dedicated brown trout stream under the control of the Cape Piscatorial Society and although no stocking has taken place on the rainbow trout streams for a good many years the Witte hasn't been stocked at all.
It is a special river, perhaps held more dearly to the hearts of true Western Cape anglers than the other streams. Not because it produces the most fish because it doesn't, nor because it is easier to fish, it is not, it is however a remote place of clear water and beautiful spotted brown trout. Something unique and special. Access: Access to the stream for fishing purposes is controlled jointly by the Cape Piscatorial Society and Cape Nature Conservation, who manage the Limietberg reserve through which the river flows. Fishing is strictly controlled and must be booked in advance with the CPS. Day permits are available to both members and non members, for members season permits provide easy booking and access. Parking. Official parking for the Witte River is at the top of the Bain's Kloof pass, at Erste Tol. There are however other off road parking spots along the pass, which can offer alternative routes to the river. The fish. The Witte River is home to some wonderful, self populating brown trout, a rarity in our waters. An experimental tagging program conducted in the 1980's proved beyond doubt that properly done, catch and release fishing produced far less fatalities than many people at the time believed possible. The regulations: The river is fished under strict guidelines, barbless hooks are mandatory, as is catch and release fishing. THERE IS A NO KILL LIMIT. The Holsloot River. The Holsloot River flows from the Stettynskloof dam to join the Molenaars/ Smalblaar system at Rawsonville and then into the greater Breede River system. The upper sections below the dam are controlled by the CPS in conjunction with the Cape Nature Conservation, some 7 kilometres of river broken into six beats. Below this section more fishable water is in private hands but access can be obtained from Dwarsberg (see alternative venues). The water is remote, but readily accessible via the service road to the dam. This river is in effect a "tailwater" fishery as a result of the the dam acting as a buffer. Therefore in the hotter summer months this stream runs a little cooler than the others and the flow is more stable, being less effected by low summer levels or by the effects of sudden rains in early and late season. Access: Access to the stream for fishing purposes is controlled jointly by the Cape Piscatorial Society and Cape Nature Conservation, who manage the Limietberg reserve through which the river flows. Fishing is strictly controlled and must be booked in advance with the CPS. Day permits are available to both members and non members, for members season permits provide easy booking and access. Parking. Designated parking areas along the service road are well marked with wooden beat markers. Please be sure not to obstruct the roadway, which is used by trucks accessing the dam higher up.Take care on the dirt road in wet conditions, it can be slippery. The fish. As with the other streams the population of trout is self sustaining and in line with CPS policy no stocking has taken place for some time. In general the fish in this stream do not attain the size of their cousins in some of the other waters although 19" fish are not unheard of. There are some brown trout in this water, but they are rarely seen. The regulations: The river is fished under strict guidelines, barbless hooks are mandatory, as is catch and release fishing. THERE IS A NO KILL LIMIT. The Elandspad River. The Elandspad River flows through the Du Toit's kloof mountains and has become renowned for some of the best and often technical fly fishing available in the country. The clear water, catch and release management policy and fishing pressure have combined to provide anglers with some very intelligent and picky trout. The average size of the fish is in the region of 14" with some fish up to 19" being taken in recent years. Access: Access to the stream for fishing purposes is controlled jointly by the Cape Piscatorial Society and Cape Nature Conservation, who manage the Limietberg reserve through which the river flows. Fishing is strictly controlled and must be booked in advance with the CPS. Day permits are available to both members and non members, for members season permits provide easy booking and access. Parking. The parking for the Elandspad River is located between the northward and southward arms of the N1 freeway, just on the Worcester side of the Huguenot tunnel. Approximately one hour from Cape Town central. This parking also serves the hikers walking the Elandspad and Krom river trails. The fish. The Elandspad is a rainbow trout stream, holding a strong self sustaining breeding population of fish. The regulations: The river is fished under strict guidelines, barbless hooks are mandatory, as is catch and release fishing. THERE IS A NO KILL LIMIT. Smalblaar River. The Smalblaar River is perhaps one of the most accessible of the waters managed by the CPS, flowing right alongside the N1, the beats can be slightly confusing as there is a substantial section of private water between beats 5 and 6. Access: Access to the stream for fishing purposes is controlled jointly by the Cape Piscatorial Society and Cape Nature Conservation, who manage the Limietberg reserve through which the river flows. Fishing is strictly controlled and must be booked in advance with the CPS. Day permits are available to both members and non members, for members season permits provide easy booking and access. Parking. Parking for the Smalblaar river varies with each beat, the parking for Beat 1 is roadside just past the Klip River junction. For Beat 2 it is best to park at the pull off parking next to the weir which also serves as the start and beat parking for beat 3. Beats 4 and 5 allow for anglers to park at the Du Toit's Kloof lodge and walk down to the water along the N1. Parking for beat 6 is the same as for the Elandspad River, just outside the Huguenot tunnel. The fish. The Smalblaar River is a rainbow trout stream, again the fish breed well and stocking has not been undertaken for a good many year. This river, and in particular the lower beats regularly produce very good fish up to 20" or more. The regulations: The river is fished under strict guidelines, barbless hooks are mandatory, as is catch and release fishing. THERE IS A NO KILL LIMIT. The Molenaars Beat The river known to anglers as the Smalblaar, has been renamed the Molenaars, and this can cause some confusion. However for the purposes of anglers, the Molenaars Beat is a section of the lower Smalblaar, which is in private hands and leased by the Cape Piscatorial Society for the purposes of providing angling to both members and non members alike. Access: Access to the stream for fishing purposes is controlled by Cape Piscatorial Society. Fishing is strictly controlled and must be booked in advance with the CPS. Day permits are available to both members and non members, for members season permits provide easy booking and access. Parking. Parking for the Molenaars beats is either at the road side of the N1 or via a gate access for which a key is obtainable from CPS offices. The off road parking lies some five kilometres past the Du Toit's Kloof lodge traveling south along the N1. The fish. The Molenaars is a rainbow trout stream, holding a strong self sustaining breeding population of fish.The the Molenaars beat provides the best opportunity of large wild fish in the Cape waters. Rainbows up to 20 inches are regularly caught on this beat. The average size is probably in the region of 15". The regulations: The river is fished under strict guidelines, barbless hooks are mandatory, as is catch and release fishing. THERE IS A NO KILL LIMIT.