Trichardtsfontein Dam
This absolute gem of a venue is located near the town of Trichardt which is right next to Secunda and only 135km from JHB. The venue is very accessible, safe, well maintained and perfect for a fishing and camping breakaway. The dam holds carp, mudfish, catfish, yellowfish, squeaker and bass and the fishing is very prolific.
The banks of Trichardt are very accessible, vehicle and kid-friendly making it super comfortable for the whole family.
How to get there
Take the N17 freeway from JHB and travel East towards Secunda. The dam is very close to the N17 so you continue straight past the Secunda/Delmas off ramp towards the small town of Trichardt and after passing the turn off to go into Trichardt continue on the N17 for 1,9km where you will find a turn off to your right stating “Charl Cilliers”, turn right and continue straight onto the gravel road. This well maintained gravel road will take you past the dam wall towards the Trichardt silos. Just before reaching the silos after 1,9km from the freeway you will find the entrance to the “Trichardtsfonteindam Ontspanningsoord”. (Google Maps link at the bottom of the page).
Entry and Info
Entry is very controlled as you pass through two safety gates where you need to pay your fees and check in. The resort is fully fenced around its perimeters, very well maintained and looked after and you have to abide by the rules as set out on the sign boards at the gate. After paying your fees and passing through the gates you simply follow the road down to the water.
The bank is 1,5km long with more than enough space to camp and fish comfortably. You can also book one of the wooden chalets if you do not want to pitch a tent. There are neat and clean ablution facilities spread out along the bank making for a great family experience. The camping sites are very neat with short kikuyu grass right to the waters edge. There are no electricity points so make sure to take your gas appliances with you.
Strict entry ensures safety and control, making it safer and more enjoyable to all visitors.
Entrance Tariffs are as follows
R40 per person per day
R15 per vehicle per day
R45 per caravan/tent per day
Contact numbers:
*Please note these times, numbers and tariffs can change at any time without notice.
Spots to Fish
Trichardtsfontein dam is one of those places where you can sit anywhere and enjoy yourself. The fish are everywhere and you’ll catch no matter where you decide to sit. It’s a lovely venue to take the kids fishing as there are a lot of fish close to the bank. The bigger fish are usually a bit further out but you never really need to cast further than 95m to get the bigger ones, except in the winter.
Some spots offer lush green shady areas…
…and other spots are more open with an embankment.
What to use / How to fish
It’s important to cast accurate to keep the bait concentrated as the fish will congregate in this area and you will get more bites as a result. Good distances to try are 35m, 55m, 70m and 95m. There are a lot of small fish that will keep you busy on the shorter distances so make sure to take enough ground bait and hook baits.
You can use floaties, sweet white dough, worms, maggots and mielies on the hook. A great hook bait for trichardt has always been sweet white dough as it lays flat on the bottom and usually gets eaten by slightly bigger fish. If you fish with floaties you will catch a lot of small fish. Maggots and worms are very good hook baits for the mudfish.
Once you get the fish feeding on your spots you will be very busy and have a lot of fun. Play around with the hook baits to see which ones will give you the bigger fish in between all the small fish.
A short "Muddie" trace with yellow cheese floats with some cheese and berry flavours on the bomb are great for catching muddies and carp.
Dips for Trichardtsfontein Dam
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Stuttafords (Wintergreen)
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Lootie/Oxblood (Berry Molasses)
- Stinkvoete (Cheese)
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FX (Green Caramel)
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TAC (TCP/Almond/Caramel)
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Devils Fork (Garlic/Almond)
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Sniper/Bass (Garlic/TCP)
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Perdeby/Scorpion (Bunspice/Cinnamon)
