THE EBASS TRAIL – Rust De Winter Dam 2016
Report by Ben Alborough. Visuals Dirk Briel
With very low water levels, an incredibly hot summer, and a drastic change from the “normal” grassy salad bowl, Rust De Winter was going to be a tough venue to fish.
The well organized start saw teams racing to their favourite spots, and with Rust de Winter being a relatively small dam, some teams had to settle for their secondary spots.
This dam has been on the circuit for many years, and with an extended break from competitions a few years ago, it is very slowly starting to recover. Bags were very small on the day, but it was promising to see some good size kicker fish being caught too.
The small fish kept all the teams busy for the day, and some teams just couldn’t find many fish meeting the 300 mm minimum size. Water temperatures were in the early 30’s in some spots, and the cloudless and windless conditions made for some really challenging fishing, especially around midday.
The low water levels caused the “salad bowl” section of the dam to be almost clear of any grass and weed. Normally at a depth of between 11 and 14ft , the edge of the grass is now at 5ft. Catching fish in such shallow areas is challenging, and many teams battled.
This great event ended with competing teams separated by mere grams at weigh in, and all teams with kicker fish over a kilo were in the prizes.
The results were :
1st Team Mercury Quantum – Shandon Hawman and Izak de Beer 4.71 kg
2nd Team Battlemax – Jaco Buitendag and Alex Turpin 4.65 kg
3rd Team Venom Lures – Derrick Peterson and Justin Pontus 4.05 kg
4th Team X Factor Fishing – Janrich Venter and Tobie Uys 3.93 kg
5th Team Afri Storage/Strike King – Michael Matthee and Glen Naude 3.11 kg
See the website www.ebass.co.za for the complete logs and our facebook page as well.
BEN’S TIPS FOR RUST DE WINTER
Topwater action can be hectic at Rust De Winter. Unpack those horny toads and be ready for even the smallest of bass to strike.
Fish over a kilo are few and are difficult to find. You will more than likely find them in the river or main dam section.
The water varies between clear in the main dam and murky in the river. Use natural colour lures for the cleaner water and darker colours for the dirtier water.
Fish the weed lines thoroughly with plastics and spinnerbaits.
Be aware that there are crocodiles and hippos in this dam.