On the farm
Largemouth bass fishing in the farm dam
Where can you go bass fishing near Stilbaai?
Stonehouse Lodge has a large private freshwater dam with largemouth bass, a few minutes' walk from the houses. Guests fish it catch-and-release, and no licence is needed on a private farm dam.
Fishing the dam
The dam sits below the houses with reeds along one bank and open water off the other. When the farm was bought in 2005 the dam was enlarged and its drainage improved, and it has been the bass dam ever since. Evenings are the time: the wind drops, the water goes still and the bass come up to feed.
Bring a light spinning rod and a few soft plastics, and fish the reed edges and the drop-offs. Bass are active all year and most active in the warmer months, so a summer evening is the classic session.
Catch and release
Every bass goes back. Use barbless hooks if you have them, wet your hands before you touch the fish, keep it in the water while you unhook it and let it swim off on its own. This is in line with CapeNature’s appeal to anglers to release fish quickly and carefully.
Never move live fish between waters. It is illegal without a permit, and moving fish is how bass first reached many Cape rivers.
Do you need a licence?
Not on the farm. A Western Cape freshwater angling licence is only required on public inland waters; privately owned farm dams are exempt under the Nature Conservation Ordinance. If you plan to fish public dams on the way, CapeNature issues a 12-month licence for anglers over six.
Fishing the river and the sea
Most of the Goukou estuary, including long stretches above the town, is a no-take zone in the Stilbaai Marine Protected Area, which was declared in 2008 and covers 15.7 km of the estuary and 13.5 km of coast. Fishing is allowed only in the controlled lower zone near the mouth, with a DFFE recreational angling permit, which locals buy at the Post Office.
The estuary is known for spotted grunter, steenbras, kob, white stumpnose and garrick, and the coast at Stilbaai for kob and garrick from the rocks and the beaches. Bag and size limits change, so check the current DFFE rules before you fish.
Gavin Bryant, Alison’s husband, is a fisherman of note in Stilbaai, and his ski-boat Incognito seldom comes home without kabeljou, yellowtail or yellowfin tuna. Ask about deep-sea fishing when you book.
Good to know
Questions
Is there bass fishing at Stonehouse Lodge?
Yes. The farm has a large private freshwater dam with largemouth bass. Guests fish it catch-and-release.
Do I need a fishing licence for the dam?
No. Private farm dams in the Western Cape do not need a freshwater angling licence.
What is the best time to fish for bass?
Early morning and evening, when the water is still. Bass are most active in the warmer months.
Can I fish in the Goukou River from the farm?
Most of the Goukou estuary is a no-take zone in the Stilbaai Marine Protected Area. Fish the farm dam, or the controlled lower zone of the estuary with a DFFE permit.
Can I keep the bass I catch?
No. Fishing in the farm dam is catch-and-release only.
More to do
- Things to doBird watching on the GoukouYes. BirdLife South Africa records at least 230 species around Stilbaai, and a single summer day usually turns up about 90. On the farm, fish eagles circle the dam and the river, and the three indigenous canyons hold forest and fynbos birds.
- Things to doHiking trailsStart on the farm: a trail climbs from the river up towards Riethuiskraal through fynbos and canyon. Around Stilbaai there are easy coastal walks to the Preekstoel rock and the tidal fish traps, and longer routes like the 11 km Noordkapper whale trail.
- Things to doMountain bikingYes. Ride the farm tracks through the olive orchard and out onto the gravel roads through the farmlands. Singletrack in the Geelkrans and Pauline Bohnen reserves is a short drive away.
- Things to doPaddling and boating on the GoukouFrom the farm's private slipway and floating jetty you can swim, take out one of the farm's two kayaks, water-ski, join a river cruise or hire the speed boat with a skipper. The Goukou is tidal and navigable for about 15 km inland, down to the estuary and the sea at Stilbaai.
- StayStonehouse LodgeThe stone and thatch main house on the hillside, with a wrap-around veranda over the Goukou River, a bar, a pool table, a swimming pool and the slipway below.
- GuideStilbaai guideGetting here, distances and the town.