Cradle Moon - Lakeside Game Lodge

So you’ve been yearning to throw a line but can’t get away for longer than a day? TCFF’s DYLAN ISAACS discovers a venue close enough for Gauteng residents to visit after work.

- Dylan Isaacs

Gauteng fly fishermen are often stuck with the dilemma of where to go to satisfy their fly fishing itch, as most of the water we normally fish is either too far, or conditions are not suitable to throw the long rod. The good news is that we were recently invited to review a venue situated a mere 20 minutes north of Johannesburg: Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge, previously known as heia Safari Lodge (founded in the 1970s). The new owners are Andy Dott and Kelvin van Niekerk, who have undertaken major renovations to get the venue back up and running again. I met up with the charismatic Andy, who has a very interesting background, including having started the well-known Drifters travel company at the tender age of 23. Thirty-seven years later, Andy is still in touch with over 500 of the company’s guides all over the world. Besides being a helicopter pilot, owning the biggest lime orchard in the country and bottling his own water from his farm in the Drakensberg, he also knows more about flora than most respectable arborists and can tell you endless stories and keep you entertained for days.