River View Lodge (Renovaal, Vaal River)

Situated on the banks of the Vaal River about 30 minutes away from Potchefstroom, River View Lodge is a freshwater fisherman’s Mecca! With a variety of fish species to target from carp, catfish, yellowfish and mudfish ranging in sizes from 500g to over 15kg and everything in between! This venue is nothing short of spectacular in all aspects; beautiful scenery, super safe, fantastic accommodation, friendly people and best of all, great fishing! 

How to get there

River View Lodge is situated in Renovaal between Potchefstroom and Viljoenskroon on the Free State side of the Vaal River. You’ll need to get onto the R501 in the direction of Scandinavia Drift. The turnoff towards the venue is just before the Renosterrivier if you come from the Potchefstroom side and just after it when coming from Viljoenskroon/Parys side, the gravel road is called “S641” and runs parallel to the Renosterrivier. From the turnoff at the tar road you drive 9,2km and turn left towards “Renovaal”. From here follow the road for 1,1km until you reach the fork, keep right and continue for another 1,4km where the road will make a bend and you’ll find the entrance on your right, clearly marked “River View Lodge”. (Google Maps link at the bottom of the page).

Entry and Info

You need to book your chalet in advance as no day visitors or campers are allowed. Entry to the Lodge is very controlled and well managed by the owners Whitey Landman and Stella Botes. Make sure to book well in advance as the bookings fill up quick and available space can be months from now.

The Lodge is in a class of its own with safety, comfort and good fishing the main priorities. The property is properly fenced off and with it being situated in a secluded area you can relax once you get there as its very safe, quiet and tranquil. There are 6 four-sleeper self catering chalets fully equipped with gas stove, microwave, fridge, modern kitchen with all the utilities you’ll ever need, two single beds and a double bed in its own room, clean bathroom with shower, toilet and sink. 

Each chalet has its own patio and face brick outside braai with lots of shade trees and a proper view over the river… hence the name “River View Lodge”. 

The lodge is well maintained and kid-friendly. In the summer months the pool really comes into its own as the hot sweaty afternoons can be made cooler with a dip in the crystal clear pool.

Contact Details:

riverviewlodge6@gmail.com

Whitey Landman – 071 081 0170

Stella Botes – 078 006 1660

Gates are open from 06:00 – 18:00.

*Please note these times, numbers and tariffs can change at any time without notice.

What to use / How to fish

Fishing from the man-made terrace means that the bank is straight as an arrow with no hotspots among others – the whole bank is equal and you can literally have a blast from fishing in front of your chalet. The river is not particularly deep and ranges between 1,5m – 4m in depth with a hard sand/gravel bottom. You can target the mudfish and yellowfish very close to the bank between 10m-30m with soft ground bait and worms or maggots as hook baits. Plain hard yellow/white floaties also work well and don’t be surprised when a carp also makes an appearance when fishing close-in. 

For the bigger carp its advisable to target the middle of the river at about 75m-85m and of course the far margin roughly 110m-125m from the bank. Here you will need a heavier lead to make sure your baits stay in place as the current of the river pushes the line and it can move your rig off the spot. Whole kernel corn pips are great hook baits and you can even add some sweet white or yellow dough as a backing behind it. Floaties with sweet white dough also work well but you’ll catch more small fish. 

Specimen anglers do particularly well by placing their baits from a boat near the opposite margin in shallow water and mouse-trapping with a hand full of cooked particles containing maize, hempseed, tiger nuts and maple peas over the top with a balanced tigernut hook bait. Carp of up to 16kg has been caught using this method and carp of between 8-13kg is a regular sight among specimen anglers at River View Lodge so its definitely something to try!

Dips for River View Lodge

• Has Been (Passion Fruit)

• Tjop-Tjop (Pineapple)

• Coconut

• Gumtree (Eucalyptus)

• Banjo (Banana)

• Sweetcorn (Maize)

• FX (Caramel)

Map