A smallmouth bass paradise in the valley of baboons.
Baviaanskloof translates from Afrikaans into the valley of baboons. You can find it in the Eastern Cape of South Africa and it ranges roughly from Port Elizabeth to Kougaberge, a mountain range some 95 km northwest from the coastal city. You can find the Baviaanskloofrivier and Rietrivier rivers in Baviaanskloof.
This valley was the destination for me and some compagnons, to catch a dream fish of mine: the smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). A fish with a reputation for lively and fierce fights.
They normally do not grow large in South Africa, but we had heard of a place where large specimens could be found. So, we headed to Baviaanskloof. A 6-hour trip through some of the most beautiful countryside in all of South Africa. It was a rough road that required a 4x4 vehicle to traverse.
Our trip was planned for 4 days and I started fishing before we even had fully unpacked. Though I only caught 1 fish at the end of twilight hours, the fish was feisty and was a great fight. The next day I started traveling upriver to look for pockets of fish. There had been a major drought in the Baviaanskloof area. It concentrated the fish in these pockets, making them easier to fish. I wormed myself up the river to a small inlet where I knew that the smallmouth bass would be waiting to ambush its prey. There I cast a Texas rigged chartreuse grub. After a few casts I was rewarded with a wonderful trophy bass, approximately 40cm in length.
The morning started a bit slow and the normal inlets did not produce the smallmouths like the day previously. So, I continued upriver, until I came to a small waterfall. This was a perfect place to look for bass and I started with a brown worm.
My second cast produced fish and I could see them chopping at the water to get to my lure. Though the fish were small compared to yesterdays monster they were rather abundant. After catching my 10th fish in a short period of time, I felt bad, so I broke for lunch early.
On my way back I learned why this place is called the valley of the baboons, as they are everywhere. They are aggressive, and would stand on top of the cliffs showering those below with rocks. I would also recommend that you bring something that you can use to secure your food and valuables. If you don’t, the baboons will raid them often, destroying your valuables in the process.
I would also recommend that - when you are camping - to keep your tent open, as the baboons will rip your tent open to get to what is inside (even if there is nothing of value in the tent).
The afternoon I changed to top water and was surprised when I was skunked after such a fruitful morning.
I started much earlier the next day, as I wanted to catch the morning top water.
A slight mist had descended, cooling down the river after what had been a hot few days. The fish were blowing up every were and I thought I would have a great few hours.
What I didn’t not realize was that it was not smallmouth that was exploding, but instead barbel (catfish). I only found this out after accidentally hooking one, nearly breaking my light tackle apart.
The evening was better as I returned to the inlet, a spot that was proving to continuously produce fish. I was rewarded, catching no less then 5 healthy fish before breaking for lunch.
The last day of the trip and we were short on time to fish Baviaanskloof.
Clouds had set in and I took the opportunity to fish top water poppers in the morning.
At first, I thought I was about to be skunked, as after 3 hours I caught nothing. My time was nearly up, but on my last cast I caught my person best bass of the trip: a 42 cm beast.
Feeling proud of myself I returned to camp. Filled with great fishing stories from the past day and (almost) every one had caught an abundance of large and smaller fish alike.
It was then we all made promises to return to catch this amazing and hard fighting fish.
If you want to fish this beautiful waterway I recommend the following gear:
