Letsibogodam, situated near a village called Mmadinare in Botswana, is home to plenty of Florida Strain Largemouth Black Bass. The dam is supplied by 2 main river systems, Motlautse and Lotlhakane. The primary type of structure found here is tree stumps. Lots and lots of tree stumps. There are exposed branches, semi-exposed branches and some places with fully submerged trees, providing good ambush points for the apex predator in these waters, BASS. There are also areas with rocky islands or “koppies” as they are more commonly known, near the wall. These koppies also hold very decent bass who feed off lizards, insects, other reptiles and even small birds that may wander from time to time into the water as they have no other link to the main land. The dam rules clearly state that THERE ARE NO OUTBOARD or PETROL motors allowed. This means that you can either fish from the banks, wade or use an electric motor. There are no crocs or hippos in the dam. There is no limit on the number of electric motors you can have per vessel.
Enough said about the dam itself, you can google satellite imagery to see more. Here you are looking for fishing information right?
The area where the boats are parked and which has ample space to park your car (at your own risk as this is not demarcated or fenced) is a flat piece of ground, with little or no shade and surrounded by thick thorny bush, typical of this arid landscape. There are many boats parked here which are owned by different operators and some being privately owned as well. The water here is laiden thick with submerged tree stumps. This is how almost the entire perimeter of the dam looks, so for a bass this is paradise. The shallower stumps range from 1 to 3 metre depth and further in you can find tree stumps as deep as 6 or 7 metres depending on the dam level.
The dam also features many bays and smaller coves which are good places to shield you away from the wind which can be merciless at certain times of the year. The stretch up into the Motlautse mouth also features isolated grassy islands with shallower water (ranging from 1/2 to 2 metres depending on dam levels) and a good food supply. The entire river section has tree stumps even as deep as 20 metres, all holding bass under different conditions. The setup is very similar as you move into the Lothlakane river mouth as well.
The area around the koppies boasts some steep drop offs and rocky ledges, again another perfect hideout for hungry fat bass. Some koppies have soft gravel type sand surrounding them which also make for good nesting grounds. the rocks seem to heat up the water differently so it is also a good area to target under tough weather conditions when the wind is cold and fierce. Not far off from the koppies is the wall which is always a good spot to fish for monsters. There are certain areas with steep drop offs which lie quite a distance from any visible structure, these also hold bass feeding at varying depths due to thermoclines, varying visibility, currents, etc… One can find these kinds of zones in the spaces between the koppies and near the wall using a fish finder.
Trips are planned all year round except January and February when the dam closes. Get in touch to book one at your convenience.