“From Quick Bites to Bigger Fish: A Winning Day at Westvaal”

Philip Nel

Date: 7 September 2025

I arrived at Westvaal Holiday Resort on Saturday afternoon but only managed about an hour of fishing, as my wife treated me for my birthday after I had been away on work for two months.

Sunday was the main session, and I spent the whole day on the water. Fishing with a Sliding Rietvlei rig, I set one rod at 50m and the second at 80m.

For feed, I used Magic Baits Popcorn boosted with CS Liquid Carp Food Feed Booster (Hemp) and paired it with Wizard Quickset No.1 on the hooklinks.

This combination kept the action constant throughout the day, with plenty of fish landed, although I struggled to get into the real big ones.

The standout combo was Banana X and Sweetroot Bleeding Float dipped in SloLeak Banana Jamaica and SloLeak Chilli Hemp.

My bite rate was fast and consistent, easily outpacing the anglers around me — the angler on my right managed only one fish, and the one on my left caught three, while I ended the day with more than 15.

The difference was clear: the products I used gave me the edge over other brands.

I rotated through three main hook bait combos during the session:

Combo 1:

Top Hook: Sweetroot Small Bleeding Floaties

Bottom Hook: Banana X Small Soft Floatirs with Banana X Sweetdough backing

Ball Dip: SloLeak Banana Jamaica / SloLeak Chilli Hemp

Combo 2:

Top Hook: White Warrior Small Bleeding Floaties

Bottom Hook: Bloekom Heuning Slugger with Garlic Sweetdough backing

Ball Dip: SloLeak Honeycomb / Bluegum Ball Dip

Combo 3:

Top Hook: Monster Carp Small Bleeding Floaties

Bottom Hook: Gold Medal hookbait

Ball Dip: GTA Muti / Yellow Navigator Spray

While the first combo delivered the most consistent action, it was the third combo that produced the biggest fish of the day.

Overall, it was a fantastic birthday weekend, with plenty of bites, steady action, and the right product making all the difference on the bank.

Phillip Nel