Fishing is a Family Affair

WORDS & IMAGES: Jonathan Adams What more do you need, the perfect sunset. 'Back to Basics' – Aston Lake, Springs Looking back over the past few months, the Adams family has paid visits to several resorts and different waters, but we never forget about where our passion started. About a year and a half ago the Adams family had grown very close to a local dam situated on the outskirts of Springs, namely Aston Lake. It is also known as Umbila Dam and has been the training ground for the Benoni/Brakpan Angling Club for a few years. It is a very well-known stretch of water amongst the papgooi community. This trip would be a big learning curve and one for the books as it’s been a while since my fiancée, Raygine van der Merwe and I spent time together along any bank. Readers, please be advised that Aston Lake does NOT allow any sort of motor or boats on the water, so we would have to go back to basics by using the 'wrap sticks and spomb' methods we had learned over the past year to get freebies out to create a proper feeding area. One of my favourite bait presentations, tigernuts. There is something special about Aston Lake. Another healthy looking carp. The lake just kept on giving and giving. Raygine and I decided to book one of the well-maintained timber cabins where we would spend the weekend from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. Arriving at the entrance we were welcomed by oom Deon and his wife who own a house on the dam. These two amazing people maintain and look after the dam daily. They also run a small convenience store where your daily needs can be met such as bread, milk, snacks, cool beverages, sweets, and most importantly fishing equipment from caps to rigs and dips, all ready to use to land one of Aston’s beautiful carp or barbel. After receiving such a warm welcome, we headed off to cabin number two and started unpacking and setting up our swim for the weekend. We managed to get everything set up and decided that for Friday night we would not put a hookbait in the water to make the fish comfortable to feed, and just spomb out some particle mix to make a feeding area of about 5m laying out at 14 wraps (70 metres). Perfect setting for a good night of fishing, the table is set. Raygine van der Merwe landed this stunner. Raygine and I enjoyed each other’s company chatting and reflecting on the past year’s achievements and what we could improve on. The sky was very clear with several stars laying so low that it felt as if we could just raise our hands and touch the stars. As the night became cooler we decided to call it a night as we would have to get lines out early in the morning. Saturday morning came and what a beautiful sight it was with the sky turning into a beautiful bright orange as the sun peeked over the plateau of the opposite farms beyond the horizon. With fish showing this was the right time to get our lines in the water. I decided to take two wrap sticks and separate them 5 metres apart where I would walk out 14 wraps and clip the reel so I could get a 70 metre distance, knowing that every time I cast I would hit the same spot. I then threw out 10 spombs of particle mix just to keep the fish in the area as I could see so much activity on the water and fish turning on my spot. An early, cold morning surprise for Raygine. The size does not matter – a fish is a fish! Raygine and I decided to use four rods, two using papgooi, and on the other two rods we would use our particle mix presented on a hair spinner rig dipped in sweetcorn bait attractor. After our first cast, we manager to land a little baby carp on Raygine’s rod and soon another one. Every time the fish would get bigger, and the fight would become stronger. It was so good to be back on home ground, now I could just wait for the two specimen rods to run, and I would be the happiest man on the bank, but they lay quiet as we kept landing 2-3 kilo carp on the papgooi rods using honey and gumtree dips. Soaking and cooking your particles in the right way is of the utmost importance. This is my papgooi presentation. Around lunchtime the day got warmer, and we decided to do something I have never done at this dam before: I decided to pipe out a handful of krill boilies over our bed of freebies, just to see if we could lock onto the bigger fish. Some anglers on the other swims just looked and laughed, but I was here to try new things – if it works it works; if it doesn’t, then I would try something different until I succeeded! Late on Saturday afternoon the fish started to slow down and Raygine and I decided to catch an afternoon nap before we started baiting for the evening’s activities. I started to do my rounds and check if all the alarms were on and connected to the receiver by slowly pulling on lines, not disturbing the hookbaits laying deep in the water. After walking back to the cabin, I had just placed the receiver on the cabin’s table and taken off my Crocs when the first specimen-baited rod screamed off, and this take was different! I ran out and grabbed the rod and slowly started reeling in the fish; this fight was very strong as I could feel the fish trying to shake the hook. The line came closer and when the fish bailed into my net I was so excited as all the effort and bait had brought this amazing 6,5kg common! Raygine and I now knew we were doing something right. And so ended our 30-minute afternoon power nap. We then continued to pipe out a handful of krill boilies making sure we kept the bigger carp looking for more food. They just kept on coming. We were spoiled with 12 runs and we landed all of them. Always make sure to handle the fish with care; a proper landing mat is very important in carp care. It must have been about 20 minutes later when the other alarm went off, and all I could hear was oom Deon in the background shouting, “welcome home, this is your home son, show them!”This fish took a little longer and Raygine helped me put on my waders so I could go in a little deeper to land it. With every twirl and pull this fish took, the higher the risk became of losing it. At 40 metres in, I could see that it was a big common with a beautiful red tail weaving through the water towards my landing net. After scooping this fish all I heard from the bank behind me was the sound of hands clapping; looking into my net I saw this beautiful golden common and experienced the warmest feeling inside, knowing that I had done it against all odds having captured one of Aston’s best! Wading back to the bank was magical as my teammate and I did what we came to do, and the wait was very rewarding. The fish weighed in at 7,2kg and was safely released to be caught by many other anglers yet to visit this venue. Big or small, handle with care. The perfect hookset and proper carp care before the carp is released. Saturday night ended with Raygine and I sitting around the fire enjoying a well-braaied steak and chop with potato salad and a loaf of toasted garlic bread on the side. The fishing became quiet during the evening and in the early hours of Sunday morning Raygine and I were once again awakened by the beauty of Mother Nature’s orange horizon. This was our cue to start getting our cabin clean and to get ready to make our way back home to tell the boys, Zade and Zunade, about our amazing trip to Aston Lake. If you haven’t been to this hidden gem just a stone’s throw from Johannesburg, I suggest you contact oom Deon on 062 173 2083, or log onto Facebook and search Aston Lake to book a weekend on a campsite or in a beautiful timber cabin for your family. Please remember to keep our dams clean and safe so that our future anglers can enjoy South African waters. TECH INFO – Aston Lake/Umbila Dam: STAND: Cabin 2 FISH CAUGHT: 12 carp RIGS USED: Hair on a spinner rig with a single tigernut topped with yellow fake maize, and a Rietvlei rig for papgooi. MAINLINE ON REEL: 0,35mm, 8kg LEADER LINE: 18,6kg casting braid, fast sinking, four strands, 10 metres. DISTANCE: 14 wraps (5 metres) = 70m clipped in for the spomb. WATER TEMPERATURE: Highest for the weekend – 18°C during the day, dropping to 1°C at night. GROUNDBAIT: Particle mix (self-boiled containing yellow mielies, kaboom mielies, hempseed, small tigernuts, pinch of coarse salt). TIGERNUTS USED: Decided to use the groundbaits as hookbaits. DIPS & GLUGS: Sweetcorn enhancer, banjo-banana, gumtree, honey. BOILIES: Krill 20mm, piped out over our bed of freebies with a short boilie stick. PAPGOOI: Mealie ball FLOATIES: Banjo-banana, gumtree, honey. FISH-CARE PRODUCTS: Mouth and body care. FISH LANDED: 12 common carp – ranging from 1,2 to 7,2kg. RUNS: 12 runs/12 landed #da_vat_hy #Fishing_is_a_family_affair The latest print edition of The Bank Angler is now available in retail and selected angling stores!

Fishing is a Family Affair

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