Ons Pan
This dam/pan is as round as a barrel and a fantastic place for a fishing break away with family and friends. It’s often used for competition fishing but the owners cater for social anglers and campers too because the dam lends itself to having lots of angling/camping space, vast open banks and good fishing! Carp, catfish and the odd kurper are the target species, with massive schools of fish present you must make sure to take your energy drinks as you will be busy!
Round as a barrel, this lake holds a LOT of fish!
How to get there
The venue is nestled in the rolling hills of eastern Mpumalanga not too far from the N11 between the towns of Amersfoort and Ermelo. Travelling from Amersfoort after 11km from leaving the town you need to turn right onto the “Klipplaatdrift” gravel road, continue on this road for 10km and turn left at the T-junction, travel for another 2,9km and the entrance to the venue will be on your right. From Ermelo you drive on the N11 in the direction of Amersfoort for roughly 30km before turning left onto the “Kromhoek” gravel road. Travel for 6,5km and you’ll find the entrance to the venue on your left. (Google Maps link at the bottom of the page).
Entry and Info
No unauthorised entry is allowed on this private property so make sure to phone and book in advance. There are 4 self catering beautiful rustic chalets overlooking the dam complete with everything you need from beds, cutlery, fridge, toaster, 2-plate stove with oven to outside braai areas. You need to take your own linen, towels and gazebo’s. No dogs are allowed as they have wild game animals roaming free between the chalets.
With lovely lush well maintained lawns kids can play to their peril and rid themselves of energy while riding their bicycles or catching bags full of fish! You can also bring your caravan or tent and camp next to the water roughing it out in nature with or without electricity. There is an on site shop selling necessities like ice, wood, charcoal, fire lighters, cool drinks, sweets and bait.
Clubs are welcome to book the water for competition fishing.
Entrance Tariffs are as follows
Day entrance:
R50 per person per day
Camping with electricity: R120 per tent or caravan + R50 per person per night
Camping without electricity: R50 per tent or caravan + R50 per person per night
Kids under 12 years old are free
Chalets
6 Sleeper Deluxe open plan:
R950/night for 1 night
R850/night for 2 or more nights
R50 extra per person if more than 6 and over 12 years of age
4 Sleeper Self Catering open plan:
R580/night for 1 night
R450 for 2 or more nights
R50 extra per person if more than 4 and over 12 years of age
Contact numbers:
Sarita Uys Bosman – 082 496 5452
*Please note these times, numbers and tariffs can change at any time without notice.
Spots to Fish
With it being this round it cannot be more fair! Some anglers recon the best fishing spot is on the opposite side from the chalets but experience has shown that the fishing is equally as good no matter where you decide to pitch your gear. Rather focus on getting the basics right and this venue will reward you… big time!
What to use / How to fish
Its very straight forward fishing with plain baits doing the trick time and time again – you don’t need anything fancy here. Some soft popcorn ground bait is important to get the fish feeding in your area. Floaties, sweet white dough, worms, mielies and maggots all work well. The most important factor is to keep you casting accurate to build up your fishing spot and create a feeding frenzy. The fish will quickly be on your spot once you’ve made a couple of accurate casts and start taking your baits frequently.
Good distances to try include 25m, 30m and 65m. You can also cast one rod to 90m+ for the bigger fish. There are some big catfish as well so make sure to target them on one rod with meaty baits like worms, flying ants and fish heads/fillets.
Dips for "Ons Pan"
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Paint (Spirits)
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Kiana (Pink Sweets)
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Sniper/Bass (Garlic/TCP)
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Lotie/Oxblood (Berry Molasses)
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FX (Caramel)
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Perdeby/Scorpion (Bunspice/Cinnamon)
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Banjo (Banana)
