An Exotic Venue in the Northern Cape: Catfish In the Mighty Orange River

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An Exotic Venue in the Northern Cape: Catfish In the Mighty Orange River

WORDS: Jurie du Toit IMAGES & VIDEO: Jacques Schoeman, Bo Karoo Fishing Safaris

A majestic, turquoise coloured river, snaking its way through an alien barren landscape, a pale blue ribbon of white-water rapids and deep pools in a semi-desert. Unspoiled, unpolluted and pristine. The clear water is sweet to drink, and the fish are truly wild!

In October I fished it with cousin Benito van Leeuwen, and in reverence to the unspoiled, ‘uncivilised’ location far from modern anything , I used ‘oldschool’ Nite Hawk centrepin, forward-casting reels, sans any drag system, sans gears and a one-on-one retrieve. Spooled with 9kg test mono in the harsh conditions against hard-fighting, river-run catfish, they were certainly up to the task!

Otters and a stunning variety of bird life constantly work the shallows for crabs and other small crustaceans. Behind every rock, big predator fish lie waiting in ambush, ravenously eating anything resembling food that comes their way. Mudfish work tirelessly to strip the rocky banks of algae and moss. At sunrise and sunset, yellowfish frantically gulp the millions of insects that appear as misty clouds just above the water. In deeper water, largemouth yellowfish wait for minnows, muddies and smallies to make a mistake. They are swallowed alive. In the deepest pools, sharptooth catfish (also known as ‘barbel’), the true monsters of the river, wait patiently for an easy meal. Whatever bait is presented, gets smashed!

In Orange River terms, this ‘small’ catfish started off the adventure for Benito van Leeuwen and Jurie du Toit.

All the catfish were released safely under the watchful eyes of guide Jacques Schoeman

This river is an exotic venue, a premier location for trophy muddies, yellowfish and barbel. It is the only venue where an angler can fish tight lines with natural bait, fly fish or crank an artlure. All three fishing disciplines come into their own right along this stretch of river! The experience is mind blowing!
 
Benito with his PB catfish – it was not weighed but estimated by the guide as way above 20kg!
 
On the Orange small baits are useless for targeting big catfish – this is what is needed, a whole smallmouth yellowfish, which are plentiful, as shown here by Benito van Leeuwen
 
From Pretoria to Kimberly, 600km. Connect with Jacques Schoeman who owns Bo Karoo Fishing Safaris. He is a highly professional fishing guide and knows the river like the back of his hand, having plotted the main river flow and deep holes on a fishfinder. He has various fishing options available, kayaks, small inflatables, rapids and bank angling. The stretch of water he manages is a world class destination for fly fishermen, artlure and tight line anglers. A YouTube video of fish being played is part of the package.
 
Reasonable accommodation and meals can also be arranged. A fishing guide on these waters is essential. Access to the river is on private property and due to the remoteness and hidden dangers along the river, a guide is absolutely necessary. This is the real deal! This is real wilderness fishing, at its magnificent best!
 
Jurie du Toit in action using his beloved Nite Hawk reel.
 

Guide Jacques Schoeman preparing to unhook Jurie du Toit’s big catfish.

Fish you can expect to catch are muddies (4kg), smallmouth yellows (5kg) largemouth yellows (12kg) and catfish (20kg-plus). Bigger fish are also up for grabs! Avoid disappointment and book well in advance. The fishing is excellent, summer and winter. For visual impressions, see You Tube clips of Bo Karoo Fishing. During my 70 years I have fished most of the dams and rivers in South Africa, and this location, on the Orange River, 80km below the Van der Kloof dam, in my opinion offers the best fresh water fishing in the world!

Jurie and Benito taking a ‘shade break’ from the harsh Northern Cape sun.

 
. . . but this one wasn’t! Jurie’s biggest of the trip, also 20kg plus.
 
Jurie du Toit with a catfish small enough to hold for a photo!
 
*Readers who would like to join Jurie du Toit on his next Orange River trip to target a PB Barbel or a PB Largemouth Yellowfish can contact him on WA 060 384 6817, or email: [email protected]. – Ed.