ROCK AND SURF
Weather conditions over the past week have not been too favorable as heavy seas caused by persistent Westerly winds and rain has somewhat spoilt angling along the coastline. However things look a little brighter for this week-end with low swell being predicted. The only reports of any fish action came from some of the deepwater points on the South Coast where some grey sharks and a few smaller sand sharks were caught at Umdoni and Scottburgh points. Very muddy conditions are being experienced around all major rivers due to all the rain on the coastal belt and interior but this should begin to clear up quickly with easterly winds and hopefully some good angling will once again prevail.
This week in the Port Edward area it has been a good one for the fishermen from the side and the dorado were plentiful for the offshore anglers. Although still being caught, the dorado has now moved a little north.  Rock and surf fish landed have included an 18,5kg ignobilus kingfish, a 4,5kg yellowtail (both fish caught on spoon) some hammerhead sharks and a diamond ray. Shad have also been on the bite and during the weekend some sizeable bronze bream were also taken. On Sunday, Terry landed a nice spotted grunter of over 2kg trolling a Strike Pro Arc Minnow on the Umtamvuna estuary. Terry can be contacted at his shop Tacklenet in Port Edward for any info as to what’s happening in the Port Edward area. Tel no 039 311 3013. Talking about Port Edward,

SKI BOAT
Ski boats however have found a lot of game fish action on the contact lines caused by the dirty rivers. Dorado in particular are being reported all along the coastline with the lower south performing exceptionally well, the Shelly Beach and Port Edward areas have over the past two weeks had hectic action as dorado and tunny have kept anglers busy. The Aliwal Shoal and Scottburgh area has also produced numerous game fish. Couta along with dorado and smaller tunny have been reported. The Durban area is also fishing well but the North Coast is still a little quiet at this time. Reports from Cape Vidal suggest that there is also very little game fish action there with only a few couta and the odd wahoo being caught. A rare catch in the form of a short nose spearfish weighing 14 kg was caught by junior angler Tyrone Waller at this venue last week.

PADDLE SKI
Fishing ski’s had to take a break last week end as dirty sea and big swell kept most anglers shore bound. This week end looks favorable and with most of the fish action taking place on the South Coast anglers should look at places like Toti, Scottburgh and the Mtwalumi areas as some very good fish in the form of couta, dorado and tunny have been coming out at these

LETTERS
Letter received from an angler from the South Coast on his recent trip to Mozambique. “My name is Des Godwin and I am a member of the South Port Angling Club near Port Shepstone. During a recent trip to Southern Mozambique I landed this Kingfish on the 11th of December 2008 at approx. 12:30 am. I was using an Assassin Beach Light rod and a Diawa SL30 with 300m of 45 lb Kingfisher Pro Braid (backing) and approx 200m of 30 lb Kingfisher Giant Abrasion fishing line. My leader was 0.70 mm (9m) and the trace 1.0 mm (40 cm). The hook was a 5 (O) Bandit (thin shank) and the bait a small piece of chokka and sardine as seen in the photo with a small piece of floatation to keep the hook off of the rocks.
I was targeting small reef fish when I was picked up by this giant kingfish, thinking at the time it was a large honey comb and with an incoming spring tide I decided to tighten my drag from the onset. The fish still took 400 m of line dragging me to the end of the reef similar to the reef at Cape Vidal. I then managed to turn it and as luck would have it headed south. After a titanic battle approximately one hour later I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the beast for the first time .The measurements were fork length (140cm) and girth (114cm) the weight according to the ORI Weight Tables is 53.3 kg however due to the fact that it was incredibly fat and almost bloated I reckon it would have weighed in at 58 to 60 kg’s. Anyway perhaps if you could assist me it may be some kind of record on line weight (30 lb). Are there any weight tables using fork length and girth and does anyone have measurements of a fish close to this size which I could compare to. This kingfish was revived and released. I was overcome by an incredible feeling when this beauty swam away to live another day and I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else would ever have the privilege of catching and releasing this fish again , it truly was the catch of a life time.
Regards
Des Godwin”

TRADING HOURS
The trading hours of The Kingfisher over the festive season are as follows: Mon - Fri. 8:00am - 5:00pm Sat. 8:00 - 1:00pm.

KINGFISHER CLINIC
The Kingfisher hosts a free Fishing Ski Clinic on their premises once a month by Markham Pollard. These monthly clinics are there to help beginners and experienced anglers to see what the sport is all about and how to target certain species of fish. It also shows anglers what equipment to use and also elaborates on safety. Over and above this they also hold Rock and Surf clinics run by Ivan Stopforth and a Drop Shot clinic by Lloyd Pereira. These Clinics are very informative and covers all the basics, including equipment, knots, bait presentation, and tactics. To book for one of these free clinics (except for the month of December) phone the Kingfisher on 031- 368 3903.

Any info about fishing, fish caught or competitions in your area e-mail Mike at kingfish@iafrica.com or fax 031- 368 4137. For the latest KZN fishing news presented by O.J., tune into East Coast Radio at 5.40am Monday - Friday.

Competitions
The Durban Ski- Boat Club Festival is being held on the 25th & 26th April   2009. The main prize for the biggest cuda is a Seacat 565 with 2 x Yamaha 70hp motors, trailer, complete with electronics, safety equipment plus fishing rods and reels worth over R352, 000.00, plus other prizes worth over R550, 000.00. Early bird registration before 31st March 2009 – R225.00, thereafter R295.00. This promises to be, as the last few years, a magnificent competition. Visit www.durbanskiboatclub.co.za for an entry form, or for pre – entries contact Durban Ski – Boat Club Tel: 031 337 9506.
The Marlin Ski Boat Club is hosting The Port Edward Ski Boat Festival on the 1st & 2nd May 2009. 1st Prize for the heaviest cuta is the Explorer 465 MPB with 2 x Yamaha o/b motors and all the extras – ready to go to sea. Worth over R200, 000.00. This competition is open to Ski – Boats only. Early bird entry fee (by 28th Feb 2009) is R190.00 per angler. For more info and entry forms go to www.marlinskiboatclub.co.za.

2009 ESA Saltwater season 4
ESA Saltwater: Episode 3. The LBSA team Ray, Dean and Lloyd show us how to target reef dwellers in the Seychelles while the OSSA team show us some notable catches on their epic adventure travelling on a brand new Riviera Sport Fisher from Cape Town to Dar Es Salam.
Broadcasting Dates 3rd week January.

ESA Bass. Episode 44
ESA heads to Goedetrouw Dam for the second leg of the Bass Pro Series Final 2008. Broadcasting dates 3rd week January 2009.