Full Directions
& GPS
Each beat lists the owner, the access What3Words reference, GPS coordinates for parking and boundary pegs, and a description of how to find and fish the water. Expand any beat below for the full directions.
Bell River Catchment — Upstream from Rhodes
Chrissie Barnard
Downstream:
Travel out of Rhodes on the Naudesnek road. Approximately 1km from the village, turn left onto the Carlisleshoek/Tiffindell road. Approximately 500m from the turnoff, cross the bridge over the Bell River. Immediately after the bridge there is a gate on the left. Turn in, close the gate, and proceed downstream only to approximately 250m below the confluence of the Bell River and Carlisleshoekspruit.
Entrance:
Travel out of Rhodes on the Naudesnek road. Approximately 4km from the village, slightly before the entrance to Lovedale homestead, a gate marked “Lovedale” will be found on the left. Turn in and drive down the track through several gates. Park just inside the last gate and fish up or downstream for approximately 1km each way. Bottom boundary is at a bend turning upstream, away from the road. The topmost boundary is at a pool next to a poplar wood on the right bank.
From Rhodes, take the R396 to the Naudesnek Pass, go past the Carlisleshoek turn-off and continue for another 2.6km to the Alpine Swift complex
From Rhodes, travel on the R396 on the Naudesnek Pass road. Immediately before the descent begins, take the signposted road on the left. Continue until crossing a cattle grid where a fence down to the Bell River marks the downstream boundary. Drive on and park at the lodge. Either walk back along the road to the downstream boundary and fish back upstream to the lodge or fish from the lodge upstream until the track crosses the Bell River that is the upstream boundary.
Bell River Catchment — Rhodes downstream
Senqu Municipality
Downstream boundary:
This beat is free to fish.
In Main Street, almost opposite the intersection with Church Street, a pedestrian gate next to a lone willow tree will be found, This is an entrance to the newly established River Park. Head for the Bell River and from where a mat can be seen across the river that demarcates the upstream boundary. From this point, fish downstream past the bridge to Tuschielaw and the village pump station to a mat adjacent to the cemetery, being the bottom boundary.From Rhodes on the R396, head towards Barkly East. +-2km from Rhodes, the entrance to Earlstown is on the right. Park in the farmyard and walk to the Bell River, around a lucerne land. Fish upstream or downstream to where the boundaries are marked.
///transaction.tycoons.feathering
From Rhodes on the R396, head towards Barkly East. +-6km from Rhodes turnoff to Buttermead on the right. Continue down to a crossing over the the Bell River. Park and fish up or downstream until reaching the “Stop” signs, upstream <1km, downstream +-5.5km.
Rassie & Loekie Smith
From Rhodes, continue past Monard, Buttermead & Killiney until reaching the Maartenshoek turnoff. Continue down the slope for +-500m until reaching a gate on the right. Park here and fish upstream for +-1km until the Buttermead/Killiney boundary and downstream for +-3km until the reaching the boundary with Glass Nevin. Here, a landmark is a sandstone outcrop next to the road and a boundary fence through lands between the road and the river.
Travel +-8km on the R396 to Barkly East until reaching the first turnoff. Turn off onto the Maartenshoek road and continue +-4km until reaching the new bridge across the Bell River. Park at the bridge and fish upstream or downstream from the bridge. Upstream: fish until the upper boundary “mat” is found where a permanent pasture adjoins a ploughed land. A farm diesel tank can be seen from the Bell River located in this land next to the Maartenshoek road that you travelled to reach the bridge. Downstream: fish from the bridge down for approximately 2km until you reach the end of the old willow trees. Facing downstream, there’s a rock jutting into the river below some tall cliffs. The rock has a stub of an iron standard drilled into it.
30º 51´ 29.61” S 27º 51´ 12.55” E
From Rhodes, as for upper Glass Nevin but do not turnoff into Maartenshoek. Continue on the R396 to Barkly East passing the Bokspruit turnoff on the left. Continue between the Donkerhoek Telkom Tower on the left and sale pens on the right. Pass a borrow pit on the left and the entrance to Lower Glass Nevin will be found on the right on a sharp corner. The entrance is +-500m from the tower. Enter the farm and continue down the hill until reaching the farmstead from where directions will be given to the water.
+- 4km from Moshe’s Ford on the R396 to Rhodes, continue until reaching a sign mounted in a sandstone pedestal indicating the entrance to Steepside. Continue down the farm track, cross the bridge over the Bell River until reaching the homestead from where directions to the river will be given. Alternatively, +-24km on the R396 from Rhodes, the turnoff will be found shortly after the farm Bellmore located on the left of a sharp corner to the right.
Bell River Catchment – Kloppershoekspruit & Carlisleshoekspruit
Depart from Rhodes on the R396 to Naudesnek Pass. ±1km from Rhodes, turn left at CARLISLESHOEK sign. Continue past Newstead and Elibank, ±5km. Cross the ford and continue to Den Hagen farmstead and parking. Walk back down the road and fish upstream, from 60m above the ford. Top boundary is opposite shepherds huts shortly after the Den Hagen farmstead.
Downstream Boundary:
Bokspruit
Collect gate key from the RIC office and from Rhodes travel on theR396 towards Barkly East, past the Maartenshoek turnoff. Continue towards the Donkerhoek Tower but take the Bokspruit turnoff to the left before reaching the tower. Continue down the pass, past Clefthilland over the Bokspruit. At the fork at the Eliasdale homestead ’keep to the right on the Elliot road. Travel +/-1km until finding the Clontarf gate on the right. Enter through the gate and proceed to the bridge over the river and park in the shade. The downstream boundary is +/- 2km below the bridge and the upstream boundary +/-1km above the bride at the large rock and 90 degree bend which is the boundary with Clefthill/Eliasdale.
Take the Bokspruit turnoff from the R396 between Mosheshsford and Rhodes. Continue down the pass past the entrance to the Clefthill farmstead and on around the corner to the bridge over the Bokspruit. There are gates into fields on either side of the bridge where one can park off the road. Clefthill water is upstream of the Bokspruit bridge and Eliasdale is downstream of the same bridge.
Clefthill is upstream of the Bokspruit Bridge, to a boundary mat after along flat section, past the sheer rock overhangs
Continue past Clefthill and over the Bokspruit. At the fork at Eliasdale homestead to Elliot, keep left to the Bokspruit. At the next fork to the Riflespruit, keep left and head down the road marked to “Riflespruit”. Hillbury is divided into three beats, lower, middle and upper, each with separate accesses, clearly marked. The Lower and Middle are accessed on the left and the Upper to the right on the road heading down towards the Bokspruit.
Take the clearly marked entrance at the gate adjacent to the farmworkers accommodation. Follow the road around the fields, through a number of gates. Park under the trees at the camping area under a sandstone cave. The beat extends down to a mat at Clefthill and up to the large rock adjacent to a sandstone cliff.
Continue past Clefthill and over the Bokspruit. At the fork at Eliasdale homestead to Elliot, keep left to the Bokspruit. At the next fork to the Riflespruit, keep left and head down the road marked to “Riflespruit”. Hillbury is divided into three beats, lower, middle and upper, each with separate accesses, clearly marked. The Lower and Middle are accessed on the left and the Upper to the right on the road heading down towards the Bokspruit.
Proceed past the farm workers accommodation and the farmstead to a clearly marked gate on the left, just before the bridge over the Bokspruit. Proceed along the track towards the river until reaching a poplar plantation. Walk downstream to the large rock adjacent to a sandstone cliff and fish upstream past the parking until the bridge across the Bokspruit.
Continue past Clefthill and over the Bokspruit. At the fork at Eliasdale homestead to Elliot, keep left to the Bokspruit. At the next fork to the Riflespruit, keep left and head down the road marked to “Riflespruit”. Hillbury is divided into three beats, lower, middle and upper, each with separate accesses, clearly marked. The Lower and Middle are accessed on the left and the Upper to the right on the road heading down towards the Bokspruit.
Enter the clearly marked gate to the right, adjacent to the farmstead, proceed through a few gates, past the milking shed and park underneath the willow trees. The upper section is from the bridge just below the confluence of the Rifle- and Bokspruits and extends to just before a sharp right-hand bend back towards the road and below a sandstone krantz. There is a sign against a fence clearly marking the neighbouring property, beyond which there is no fishing. The Riflespruit can also be fished until reaching a fence, ± 300m from the confluence with the Bokspruit.
As for Clefthill and continue over bridge to a fork at the Eliasdale farmstead. Take the road to the left marked “Bokspruit”. Continue to the next fork and take the road to the right to the Bokspruit. Continue, crossing another bridge over the Bokspruit at Welgemoed, passing lands on the right to where a row of poplar trees extends from the road to the Bokspruit on the right. This is the downstream boundary. Park inside a gate where a sign on the right reads “Buckstone”. Walk a short distance from there to the Bokspruit and fish upstream of the row of poplars. Fish the northern bank only until reaching a concrete ford across the Bokspruit from where both banks may be used until the end of the beat beyond the Birnam and Killmore structures. From the upstream boundary of Knockwarren one may continue to fish from the bridge upstream and from the northern bank only until reaching the Birnam/Killmore boundary +-800m upstream from the bridge.
Benita Steenekamp
Continue past Welgemoed for +-2,5km until the road splits and the farm sign is found. Continue down the road on the right across the Bokspruit and on until reaching the farmstead. The road continues behind the farmhouse and through two gates down to a point next to the Bokspruit. Park here and fish upstream to a point below the road bridge where the trees behind the sign and next to a land in the image below form the upstream boundary of Knockwarren.
Continue past Knockwarren until reaching a sign on the left denoting the downstream boundary of the beat. Park where convenient, negotiate the fences and fish upstream from both banks. Alternatively, continue until reaching a farm cemetery, park and walk back to the boundary. Or another option is to continue to a sharp turn to the left, situated between a farmhouse on the left and farm sheds on the right. Find a shady spot in the yard, park and fish upstream.
Downstream Boundary:
Downstream Boundary:
Continue past Knockwarren until an avenue of conifers is found on the right-hand side of the road. The farmstead is on the right towards the end of the avenue of trees. Turn in, park and walk back down the road for +-2km until the “mat” adjacent to a lucerne land on the southern bank is found close to where the Eskom power line crosses the Bokspruit. Fish upstream until reaching a poplar wood that demarcates the end of the beat. Alternatively park near a long pool a short distance before the avenue of trees, walk back and enjoy the fishing.
Ronnie & Tinnie Small
Entrance:
Just a short distance after Bothwell, one drives over the Glen Nesbit stream, a Lilliputian tributary of the Bokspruit. Park near the entrance to the farmstead. There is a short (+/-300m section of the Bokspruit to be fished. Start at the confluence of the Bok & Glen Nesbit and fish up, past the bridge to the Brucedell boundary. Alternatively, if there is water flowing in Glen Nesbit start fishing from the Bokspruit upstream for at least 5 km. There is a trek path which bypasses some prolific pools but enables access to the smaller challenging pools higher upstream. Best not fished alone!
Drive up the Bokspruit passing Buckstone, Birnam/Killmore and Bothwell. At Glen Nesbitt, cross two bridges and after the second one, turn right and travel back parallel to the Bokspruit passing the Tipperary farmstead. Then ±150m further, arrive at the entrance to Willow Leigh. Park and fish downstream for 1.4km.
Entrance:
Continue past Bothwell, cross a concrete bridge at Glen Nesbitt and take the left hand track passing the farmhouse situated on the right. Continue until passing stripped sheds and fish upstream from the ford. Beware of high water on the fords from this point onwards. During inclement weather both Gateshead and Brucedell should only be attempted in 4×4 vehicles beyond this point. A condition of fishing Brucedell is that fish < 200mm should be culled and fed to the crabs. A plunge pool below a spectacular waterfall when in spate can provide good sport. See further on for “high and dry” images.
Entrance:
Continue past Knockwarren, Bothwell, Glen Nesbitt and Brucedell until the end of the road is reached where the farm cottage will be found. Park here and fish upstream for +-5km or +-1km downstream to the Brucedell boundary “mat”. The terrain becomes increasingly rough upstream and is not recommended for the unfit or being on your own.
Riflespruit
From Rhodestravel on the R396 towards Barkly East, past the Maartenshoek turnoff, towards the Donkerhoek Tower. Take the Bokspruit turnoff to the left and continue down the pass, past the entrance to the Clefthill farmstead and on around the corner to the bridge over the Bokspruit. Continue over the Bokspruit, at the fork at Elisasdale homestead to Elliot, keep left to the Bokspruit. At the next fork to the Riflespruit, keep left and head down the road marked to “Riflespruit”. Travel past Hillbury, over the Bokspruit again and into the Riflespruit valley. Continue over the Riflespruit and +/-3km Bemerside is on the left handside with sheds on the left and kraals on the right. Park inside the gate at the shed and walk back to the downstream boundary after the field and enter through a get next to a tributary stream. Fish upstream to the farmstead. Alternatively, access the river from the gate at the end of the sheds and fish upstream until a second homestead is reached.
Owner:
Continue past Bemerside until reaching a “holkrans skuur” on the right. Park adjacent to the nearby farmhouse, walk downstream and enter a field through a farm gate. Walk around the land and access the river alongside a small tributary. Fish upstream, past the farmhouse for +/-1km.
Ronnie & Tinnie Small
Continue past Borestone, to a turn off to the right. The Thirlstane boundary is clearly marked with a Wildtrout sign. Park under the poplar trees and fish upstream, past a bridge over the river and up to the Mount Mourne boundary, where the road is high up on the riverbank. Alternatively, continue to a turnoff to the left to the bridge over the river, park to the side and walk back downstream. As a matter of interest and before long or short-winded correspondence ensues, although spelt with an “o”, the arbiter of location in RSA, the Surveyor General, spells the property with an “a” as determined by the surveyors who mapped the area and named the farms. The name isa combination of two Scottish words, thirl and stane. A stane is simply a stone. Thirl is both a verb and a noun and means a hole or to make a hole. A thirlstane is therefore a stone with a hole in it. Whether there is such a feature, is left for anglers to discover.
Continue past Thirlstane until you reach the steel gate at the entrance to the farm. Park on the right-hand side of the road and access the river through a farm gate. Depending on the flow of the river, it may be preferable to avoid the first, fast flowing section, walking on the path to Francisdale and start fishing from the point that the farm draws water. Fish upstream +/-2km to the Francisdale boundary just below “Aasvoelkrans”.For both Mount Mourne and Francisdale, the terrain becomes increasingly rough upstream and is not recommended for the unfit and should not be tackled on your own.
Park as for Mount Mourne and follow the stock path for +/-40 minutes to the Mount Mourne boundary. Fish upstream for +/-5km.
Reminder: Not recommended for the unfit and should not be tackled on your own.
Sterkspruit – from Moshesh upstream
At the bridge over the Kraai River near Moshesh’s Ford, take the R393to Elliot. Travel for +-3km passing a farmhouse on the left with huts on the right adjacent to a poplar plantation. Continue for +-300m until reaching a gate on the left. Enter the beat through this gate and park off the road. From this point walk to the Sterkspruit and fish up or downstream from the western bank only. The topmost boundary is below the Birkhall pump station where the Sterkspruit flows +-50m from the R393. The bottom boundary is upstream of a farm road bridge across the Sterkspruit to a farm known as Black Rock that is not part oft he WTA and therefore, although tempting, it may not be fished!
Owner:
Continue past Jennerville until the Birkhall homestead can be seen on a promontory on the right, +-7km from Moshesford. Opposite the entrance to Birkhall is a silver painted gate. This is the entry point to both dam and river fishing on Birkhall. For the latter, continue past the dam until reaching the Sterkspruit. Fish upstream from this point until reaching a “mat” +-500m below a bridge across the Sterkspruit.
Entrance gate:
Continue past Birkhall passing the “Aartappelhoogte” turnoff back to Rhodes. Continue down the pass and as the road levels, the entrance to this beat is a gate on the left. This point is at the middle of the beat from where one can fish both up and downstream for +-1km each way. The upstream marker is +-300m downstream of a bridge to the farm Caerlaverock across the Sterkspruit whilst the downstream marker is adjacent to a land +-400m upstream of a bridge across the Sterkspruit. A landmark at this point is a diesel tank beside the land easily seen from the river.
S 30° 56’ 25.37” E 27° 47’ 46.26”
Upstream boundary:
Travel past Branksome passing the turnoff to Caerlaverock until reaching a shop at a corner on the right and from where one can see an unwalled shed on the left. A gate on the left between these two landmarks is the entry point to the Broadford beat. Follow the track to the river’s edge adjacent to a weir. Park and fish upstream to the first point where the Sterkspruit runs next to the R393 to Elliot. Fish from the right hand (western) bank only.
S 31º 02’ 10.67” E27º 48’ 47.54”
+- 26km from Moshesford on the R393 to Elliot cross a bridge over the Sterkspruit immediately before Moorcourt & continue for 3km until reaching the turnoff on the left to Farnham. Continue +-300m to the farmstead from where the owner will provide directions to the water.
Charl Tauber
Approximately 4km after the Farnham turn off, on the crest of a ridge take the sign posted turn to the left, marked Knighton. At the bottom of the hill, the first turn to the left leads to the farmstead. Turn off and continue until reaching the farmstead +-1km along the road where the owner will direct you to the water. Alternatively, continue past the turn to the homestead, cross the Sterkspruit and park in the camp on the right hand side just after crossing the river. The Coldbrook joins the Sterkspruit to the left of the bridge.
Kraai River
Entrance gate:
Owner:
The entrance gate is locked. The key is kept at the Rhodes Info Centre. Situated on the Kraai where the R58 crosses it between BarklyEast and Lady Grey. From Barkly East on the R58, while crossing the bridge heading towards Lady Grey slow down! A few hundred meters after crossing the Kraai there is a warning sign on your left and almost immediately thereafter a gate on the right. Enter and follow the path down through the field toward the river (the track zig-zags across the field.) Park next to a small rondawel and fish upstream on the left(western) bank. One may also fish downstream below the bridge, but the exciting water is upstream.
Diepspruit – New England and Wartrail area
Previously separate beats with different owners, now owned by one family, in excess of 12km of river to fish, including the head waters of the Diepspruit. This plus comfortable accommodation at both farmsteads is an enthusiast’s paradise. On the R58 between Lady Grey and Barkly East between the Karringmelkspruit and the Kraai River passes, take the road marked “New England” and “Tiffindell Ski Resort”. Continue for +-20km passing the abandoned New England railway station and three other turnoffs to the left, marked “Kenmure”, “Ben Nevis” and “Clearwater”. At the fourth turnoff +-3km beyond Queensberry, a farm on the right, turn left at the “Avoca” & Snowdon” signs.
Continue up this road through the Avoca gate to the homestead on the left, +-4km from the turnoff. Report to the owner, who will provide directions to the headwaters of the Diepspruit. Alternatively, from the Wartrail/Moshesh side, continue past Balloch, Burnbrae and a sign indicating the entrance to Pitlochrie to the Millerd turnoff on the right. The Lilliputian waters on the Diepspruit at Millerd, location of Ed Herbst’s snake-bite episode of many, many years ago as recorded by him in the journal of the Cape Piscatorial Society, Piscator, (see page104) as well as an account of the incident in Tom Sutcliffe’s publication “Shadows on the Stream”. Struck twice by what was thought to be a Cape Cobra (Naja nivea), Ed suffered no ill-effects other than the stress of the incident. A complaint was subsequently from a certain Mr N. Nivea-Millerdiensis, head honcho of the N-Ms, to the effect that a cousin had seriously impacted fangs on account of the very bony leg he had struck and insisting that targets with thicker legs be recruited to fish on their beat!
Owner:
Entrance:
From Rhodes, head west along the R396 to Moshesh’s Ford. After the first bridge over the Bell river, turn right onto the R393 at the intersection marked Wartrail. Continue until the first turnoff to the left marked Barkly East. Continue on this road passing farm signs to Glencoe, Balloch, Burnbrae. Continue past a turnoff to the left marked Barkly East, for a further +/-2km, turn right at the entrance to Pitlochrie. From Barkly East on the R58 to Lady Grey, turn right +-3km from Barkly. Continue over a magnificent sandstone bridge known as Loch Bridge and at the next intersection, take the fork to the right. Continue until reaching the next intersection and turn left. The entrance to Pitlochrie will be +-2km from this point and found on the right.
On the R58 between Lady Grey and Barkly East between the Karringmelkspruit and the Kraai River passes, take the road marked “New England” and “Tiffindell Ski Resort”. Follow the road, past Millerd/Avoca, travel +/-3km from this turnoff to Pitlochrie on the left. Continue up the farmroad, turn down a road to the river just before reaching the farmstead. Park before the beautiful stone bridge. Walk downstream to the boundary and fish upstream to the headwaters–again more water than any angler can cover in a day, in excess of10km. There are a number of accommodation options on the farm, so taking 2 days to explore the stream is a great option
Vlooikraalspruit aka Willow Stream
From Mosheshsford, follow Wartrail road, turn left at junction onto the BarklyEast / Wartrail road, continue past Glencoe, and descend into the Vlooikraalspruit valley a bridge across this stream. A sign on the left +-150m after the bridge indicates the entrance to Burnbrae. The beat extends both up and downstream of the bridge. Upstream it ends adjacent to the 4thcattle grid flanked by tall bluegum trees. Downstream, it ends below Burnbrae farmhouse.
Owner:
From Moshesh’s Ford, continue past Glencoe, and descend into the Vlooikraalspruit valley to cross a bridge across this stream. A sign at the bridge indicates the entrance to the road to Balloch on the right. Continue for +-3km to the entrance and downstream boundary marked by an immense bluegum tree. Fishing may commence from this point, alternatively continue further upstream and depending on the vehicle, to the section above a weir reached by crossing a bridge above the defunct hatchery and ponds on the left and another bridge past the cottages. This section should not be attempted in anything other than a vehicle with high clearance.