Big Fish and Two Bays at Overberg Boat Club

Straight from the locals: Where to catch monster red species and bottom fish, the best fishing spots in Gansbaai and Kleinbaai and all the Overberg Boat Club contacts, facilities and membership info

Known for producing some of the best bottom fishing on SA’s coast. With rich waters and the ability to launch at either Kleinbaai or Gansbaai harbours. Overberg Boat Club is a very welcoming and child-friendly ski-boat club with loads of facilities, including boat sheds for members, great food and the cheapest drinks in town. Not to mention the wide variety of fish species you can catch here.

There’s so much to discover at Overberg Boat Club in Kleinbaai/Gansbaai.

IT’S ABOUT FISHING AS A FAMILY

“Fishing is most probably the best reward sport there is,” says Overberg Boat Club vice-chairman Riaan van Staden. “To go out and search for that catch that fish and then land it – there’s nothing like it.

“And to be able to let the whole family participate is just awesome,” he adds, noting that Overberg Boat Club is not the only ski-boat club in town. The Birkenhead club is just down the road. “But, the big difference is that Overberg is child-friendly, and we openly invite everyone, members and non-members alike, to bring the whole family down to our clubhouse in Danger Point Road in Kleinbaai to socialise and get into this wonderful sport of ours.”

ABOUT OVERBERG BOAT CLUB

About 35 years old, Overberg Boat Club has grown consistently since the 1980s. Now with over 62 members that meet twice a month and take part in at least one competition on the Western Province Deep Sea Angling Association (WPDSAA, whom the club falls under) calendar every month.

What makes Overberg so unique is that they launch from both Gansbaai and Kleinbaai harbours, so it very much depends on space and where you’re heading off to. Club members seem to favour the fishing to the south of Kleinbaai harbour, while Gansbaai is one of SA’s most beautiful and marine diverse areas.

EAT, DRINK AND SOCIALISE

Proudly a family-friendly club, Overberg prides themselves on their hospitality and good food – you’ll just have to come and taste for yourself. There are a  full kitchen and bar – where the prices are much lower than anything you’ll find the surrounding Gansbaai town area.

They also have an inside braai facility, as well as toilets and ample inside parking. And you’re welcome to pop in and enjoy the facilities: Overberg welcome all members, non-members and their families alike to come and socialise – phone 082 929 8688 to check when the clubhouse kitchen’s open.

The club also hosts functions such as birthdays, events and even weddings.

FACILITIES FOR BOATS

Overberg Boat Club has some 23 boat sheds where members can safely store their boats. They also have a security partner, so everything’s kept safe. And, during competitions, they organise extra storage and security, whether you’re a member or not.

SPECIAL SERVICES: BOAT SURVEYS IN GANSBAAI

Apart from providing storage and security at the clubhouse, Overberg also has a member who provides condition and valuation surveys on boats at the club as well as in the surrounding towns and areas.

The club also has an annual junior development weekend, where the experienced members take time out to show young anglers to ropes around safety, fishing rules, the various species you can catch and boat fishing in general.

THE HISTORY OF OVERBERG BOAT CLUB

The club was founded in 1984 by a group of local anglers who came together and wanted to formalise fishing in the area. The municipality soon awarded them the property on Danger Point Road, and construction on the clubhouse started, with boat sheds being added later on.

THE KLEINBAAI INTERPROVINCIAL AND IMPORTANT FISHING EVENTS

Overberg Boat Club is affiliated to the WPDSAA, fishing under WPDSAA rules, and the club aims to participate in at least one WPDSAA competition every month, from Struisbaai and Gordon’s Bay to the Yzerfontein areas. This also brings a lot of anglers from other Western Province clubs round to Overberg. But the one competition Overberg Boat Club is perhaps best known for is hosting the Kleinbaai BottomFish Interprovincial.

One of the highlights on the SA provincial-level amateur fishing scene, the Kleinbaai competition is known for delivering some impressive fish – the area is very rich in bottom fish species. Overberg was given the opportunity to host the event for the first time around 2011/2012, and it was so successful that they hosted it for the following seven years. The recent 2018 edition was the biggest and best attended Kleinbaai interprovincial contest yet.

Speaking of good fishing, did we mention how rich the waters off the Gansbaai and Kleinbaai bays are?

FISH SPECIES YOU’LL FIND IN THE AREA

Decidedly better suited to bottom fishing, the Gansbaai area is very rich in marine life. And Overberg Boat Club members and visitors know that you’ll find everything from an impressive selection of red species: red roman, red stump and red steenbras to yellowtail, geelbek and snoek in very decent sizes along this coast.

You can also expect to fish good specimens of kob, gurnard, carpenter, white steenbras and galjoen. And the club is environmentally minded, so you’ll find plenty of useful information about fish species, quotas and fishing permits for Gansbaai and Kleinbaai at Overberg.

“We always say that it’s really special to be able to share the fishing experience as a family,” says Van Staden. “And that immediately reminds you to fish responsibly, fishing for the future, so that your children can one day share it with their children, too.”

THE BEST FISHING SPOTS AROUND GANSBAAI AND KLEINBAAI

Most anglers already know that there’s plenty of good fishing spots around Gansbaai, Birkenhead and even around Pearly Beach and Uilkraal. In fact, the whole Gansbaai area, all the way down to the Die Dam is very rich in marine life and rife with fishing spots.

But when it comes to offshore fishing, Overberg club members have some real insights. The Moddergate is a point about 4–6km near-directly south from Kleinbaai harbour, where there’s no reef, just flat ocean floor. And, yet, at the right time, you’ll find kob and a variety of species running here.

Then there’s the Vlagpale, a little further south-east from Kleinbaai in the direction of another very rich fishing area about 8.5km from Kleinbaai harbour, Dyer Island itself – a 20-hectare nature reserve that’s home to seals, sharks and plenty of fish.

Ask the Overberg Boat Club locals, they’ll know.

CONTACT OVERBERG BOAT CLUB

Danger Point Road, Kleinbaai, Gansbaai
Phone: 082 929 8688
Extra: 076 316 7825
Also on Facebook

OVERBERG MEMBERSHIP FEES

R610 per year

OVERBERG FACILITIES

Kitchen, bar, inside braai, toilets, inside parking, security, 23 boat sheds on the property and offers boat surveys.

Thank you to Vice Chair Riaan Van Staden and team for contributing to this post!

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Time to go after some yellowtail? Discover the nearby  Suidpunt Deep Sea Angling Club and Yzerfontein Boat Angling Club.

And, nearby, discover all the ski-boat clubs of Eastern Province.

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