Tzaneen dam

During the last two months I had the opportunity to fish Tzaneen dam on three different occasions. The purpose of the first two visits was to prepare for the Northern Region fish-offs held on 21 and 22 February 2009, the last was the actual competition. On each of the occasions I spent two days on the dam, giving me the opportunity to experience different weather, barometric pressure and water level conditions. In this article I hope to give you a few pointers on tournament preparation as well as a where, what and how on Tzaneen dam. Considering that I'm more of a generalist rather than specialising in any aspect of bass fishing, I have always relied heavily on preparation to help me succeed. My approach to preparation is three fold. Research, Feedback reports and Time spent on the water. This approach has enabled me to enter competitions with much more confidence.

Research

Anglers underestimate the amount of preparation that can be done at home, long before you even get to the dam in question. These days there are a number of aids available to bass fishermen that could assist when researching a particular body of water. These include Garmin map products, topographic maps, weather reports, rainfall reports and Google Earth.

Diving and floating cranks:

Google Earth image of Tzaneen dam

GE image overlaid with scanned topo map

During my research phase I concentrate on things like map study, printed media (magazine articles), and results of previous competitions. Articles and results will usually identify a specific lure or method that produced fish. Note these, you'll be able to integrate it with your approach later. Map study is probably the most important aspect of research. By doing a proper assessment of a map one can easily eliminate more than half of any given dam and identify key areas that will hold fish. I'm referring to main and secondary lake points, inlets and possible spawn/migration routes and areas. The combination of electronic topographic maps and Google Earth is a great tool to identify likely spots. This technique is explained in detail by John Easton in his article "Topo Maps and Google earth" see link: Topo Maps

Feedback Reports

Feedback reports are available in various forms: internet chat rooms (Bassing.co.za), local anglers, local tackle shops and reliable sources you have built up over time. When asking for feedback from fellow anglers it is important to ask for general information. This way you can form your own opinion about the dam and its behaviour. Important aspects to determine are the current water level, temperature and clarity. It is also useful to know how much rain has fallen in the catchment area recently, and how it is affecting the water level. There is a distinct difference in approach to rising and falling water levels. Keep a notebook and write down critical pieces of information. The pieces of the puzzle can be put together later.

On the water

This is where you start pre-fishing for the tournament and checking out the areas you have identified on your maps. This is especially important when visiting dams you have not fished before. While pre-fishing a dam it is important to use your sonar and search baits to find productive areas or so-called "sweet spots". Start by doing a fast idle in a zig-zag pattern around the areas you have identified on your maps. You should look for things like points, humps, depressions, drop offs, and the presence of baitfish. Once you have located structure or cover that has the potential to hold fish, drop a marker buoy on the spot. Now is the time to take that rod and reel and start exploring your area. I recommend that you use Carolina rigs, Crank baits and Jigs to determine what the bottom is composed of. While staying close to the marker buoy, use the fan casting technique to located structure you identified on your sonar. Normally you will catch a few fish in the process. I normally remove treble and trailer hooks to avoid pinning the fish.

Tzaneen dam

Using the preparation technique described above, I have identified 8 key areas in Tzaneen dam that I would target during any competition. See map below:

Overview of Tzaneen dam

1. Letaba river inlet: There is relatively little structure in the area. The reason I identified it as a likely spot is the fact that the river was flowing during this period. The fresh and slightly stained water meant that the bass was a little more active in this area.
2. Brush point near dam wall: This area comprises of submerged Acacia thorn brush forming a point into the main lake. It holds a lot of baitfish which inevitably means that large numbers of bass are found around these brushes.
3. Main lake point A: There are a few brush piles in this area as well as an old railway line and some nice drop-offs. It is an area that is ideally suited to the drop-shot technique.
4. Addingdale bank: This is also a main lake point with two distinct rock piles nearby. The bank is also lined with submerged brush and the occasional dead tree in the water.
5. Main lake point B: This area comprises mostly of submerged acacia brush. If the level goes down, it forms a peninsula with a steep drop into the main lake basin.
6. In this area there is a old road that runs through the dam. The area where the road was slightly elevated now forms a nice plateau with drop-offs on either side. There is also an old road bridge that was demolished. The concrete rubble creates perfect structure for bass.
7. Merensky bay: This area has many big boulders and a lot of standing timbers. It is also one of the inlets of the dam. The abundance of structure and fresh water makes this one of the most popular areas of the dam.
8. Modjadji inlet and waterfall: This inlet is characterised by a waterfall with scattered boulders. This area holds a lot of fish considering that this stream runs nearly throughout the year. The areas around the pylons of the road bridge is also well know for it's bass population.

I hope this breakdown of my preparation strategy and brief pointers on Tzaneen dam will be useful to other competition anglers and those that plan to visit Tzaneen!

Ruffneck
Bassing.co.za Pro Staff Member

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