ROCK AND SURF
FISHING REPORT 11TH APRIL 2009

Autumn weather has finally settled in and anglers can expect a change in fishing soon.

Weather for today (10th) looks as though there is going to be a moderate South West wind but for the remainder of the long week end the weatherman predicts light to moderate variable wind, Saturday and Sunday  look the better days for fishing, with the wind swinging back to a strong Westerly on Monday.

With another garrick run coming up within a month or so anglers should expect a good run as reports from the Southern Cape with places like St Frances, Plett and Port Elisabeth suggest that these fish are now feeding exceptionally well with good numbers and good size fish being reported.
This is normally a good indication that KZN should have a good run when these fish start migrating up the coast. Terry Nel from Port Edward reports that,
after 29 years experience with the sport of rock and surf fishing, he was taught that the ocean is still the boss and he now realizes that he has been given more than one chance in life and also a lesson showing his size compared to the ocean.
The Easter season has brought plenty of shad to our waters and the 'mesh' of live baits off Splash Rock has also yielded fish.

One 'couta' of 14kg landed and a few lost, hosts the game fish season again and hound sharks and grey harks are also still around. No news of bronze bream or kob though, however good weather and surf conditions over the long weekend could change this.

Locally shad are on the bite at most traditional spots but some fish are still undersize and the bigger fish seem to favor the early morning sessions.
There is still a nice variety of edible fish being caught in the Umkomaas and surrounding areas.
Queen fish, kingfish, grunter and small shoal size kob are being caught regularly at this venue.
The bigger fish brigade that target sharks, sand sharks and skates are also still in the game as good reports of inedible fish are coming from almost the entire coast.

Some of the more spectacular catches as far as honeycombe rays and giant sand sharks are coming from the far northern Zululand beaches with Black Rock and the Banga Neck areas regularly producing fish in excess of 100 kg.

The Amatikulu and Port Durnford areas are also producing some big fish and when the sea and weather conditions are right the diamond skates can provide for hours of fun. Guys, make sure you have the right tackle to handle these strong fish, a great combination that has proved itself time and again is the Poseidon Extra Heavy or the Heavy HMG rods, matched with any of the Daiwa Saltiga reel,
the new Saltiga Hyper with a 15kg drag rating does the trick even better.

The ski boat and fishing ski fraternity
The ski boat and fishing ski fraternity should also be in for a good long weekend as there is still a lot of snoek and to a lesser degree couta around. With no less than three competitions being fished
this week end on the South Coast,
namely the Pennington Easter Couta Classic,
The Umtwalumi and Hibberdene competitions all taking place at the same time.
Weigh in’s should be interesting on the first day as it will serve as a good indication as to where the elusive couta are feeding or if there are just not many of these fish around.

On the North Coast there have been continued reports of snoek off the backline and river mouths.

There are unfortunately also a lot of salad fish and scads in between which results in frustration as these tend to snack on your bait before the snoek even smell it coming! Some big couta also came out during the Mntinzi Umlazi Ski Boat Club Comp last week  and rumor has it that good shoals of couta have appeared between Cape Vidal and Richards Bay but nothing has been confirmed with regards to catches further south. It seems the swell will pick up into the Easter weekend which doesn’t bode well for ski boaters or paddle ski anglers. Thanks Brenna from ESA for the info.

KZN FLY FISHING ASSOCIATION

Invites Junior & Lady Anglers to participate in this fun and informative day.
                                   
LEARN FROM  SPECIALISTS:
Rod Set-up /Casting & Knots
Fly Selection
HANDS-ON   STILLWATER  FISHING   SESSION
Limited  Demonstration  Equipment  available on
– site
SUNDAY 
19th APRIL    9am  -  4.00pm,
CRANE FOUNDATION DAM, NOTTINGHAM RD, MIDLANDS Tea/Coffee,
Lunch Included  
Cost R70
Spaces limited, Families welcome BOOKING ESSENTIAL: Linda Gorlei (By 16th April)
031-5635691/083 631 5301/ linda@xis.co.za

The Durban Ski- Boat Club
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.
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.

Hier Gaan Ons Alweer"
We would like to let you all know that,
"Hier Gaan Ons Alweer" is starting to air on Thursday evenings on Kyknet, channel 111 at the following times:
Thursday 9th April 18:30hr.

There will be six rebroadcast as follows:

Fri 13:00,
Sat 9:00 and 0:00,
Mon 13:30,
Tue 9:00 and 1:00.

This series will run for three months. 
“Hier Gaan Ons Alweer” is in "Stywe Lyne” as well as "Fish" magazine. Both magazines are doing a series of articles on this fishing series.
HGOA are currently on the cover of the April edition of Stywe Lyne which also includes their second article. Petri and his team fish all over Southern Africa, fishing in salt and fresh water and will be fishing with The Kingfisher products, reels, rods, lines lures etc.
It’s time to set your PVR’s and go and get popcorn and beer for this weeks ESA Bass on Super Sport One.
It is the first episode of “To the Top with Howie and Rob”.

ESA BASS
–This is an educational/entertaining look at Bass fishing in South Africa...
they were a little camera shy for their first episode but they are getting used to a stinking cameraman in their faces and we will see the show develop with each show! Rob is a Team Daiwa Steez man and Howie is a Team Daiwa Zillion man, interesting to see how they do.
We need to see what Daiwa products,
Duncan (the cameraman) fishes with?
He might even out fish these two….

Trading times
The Kingfisher’s trading times for the public holidays during April / May are as follows. 10th April, open from 8:00 to 13:00, 13th April closed, 22nd April closed, 27th April closed, 1st May open from 8:00 to 13:00.

ltrading hours are
Monday,
Wednesday to Friday 8:00 to 17:00,
Tuesday 8:30 to 17:00 and Saturday 8:00 to 13:00.

The Kingfisher at 53, Hunter Street,
Durban 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 phone the Kingfisher
on 031- 368 3903.