FISHING REPORT 22ND AUGUST 2009

Angling
Gale force North Easterly winds and high seas have made angling anything but possible for the past week or so. The only reports of any fish being caught come from die hard shad anglers who have caught some fish in protected bays along the south coast. Conditions for the week end however look a little more favorable and anglers should start getting fish again.

On the North Coast over the past few weeks you really haven’t missed much in terms of news unfortunately. The weather has not been so great with the cold front that pulled in last week and the massive North Easter wind that pumped most of this week that left the sea upside down. Rock and surf anglers have seen a few garrick come out in the Tuglea Mouth areas and there have been reports of snoek on spoon in the Ballito / Westbrook area.

On the South Coast, for estuary and scratching anglers things have been fairly productive in between weather spells. There have been some really nice edibles coming out all over in the various popular spots from Port Shepstone to Port Edward. There have been reports of buss size bronze bream coming out on prawn and chokka baits and Dean from ESA went fishing recently and got himself a nice cave bass. There have also been reports of kob, blue ray and a couple shad.  Port Edward’s Terry Nel reports that, the story is all about plenty of shad and the odd garrick  coming out when the bad weather has allowed it and hopes are that they will experience other fishing in that area when the summer creeps in.

In the Transkei according to our contact Owen Richter of Wild Coast Angling Tours a few weeks ago when the weather was fair the guys were catching some huge raggies and in between targeting edibles reports of 2 – 3kg shad and some decent sized kob but this week the weather has go t the better of everyone and those who were daring enough to try and catch something unfortunately didn’t.

Reports coming from the Transkei before the bad weather set in suggest that fishing there is as good as it can get. Big Shad have been caught in good numbers all along this coastline but the Port St Johns and Hole In The Wall areas is where most of the action has taken place. Mainly garrick and kob are being targeted here and some good results have come from both venues. The river at Port St Johns has for the past few weeks fished very well as far as grunter are concerned and just recently reports from anglers returning from this venue suggest that a few fish in the 8 kg mark were landed. A few fair size kob have also been caught in the vicinity of the bridge.Thanks Brenna from ESA for the update.

Brusher seem to have entrenched themselves along the South Coast with some areas producing numerous good size fish. When targeting these fish your tackle should be stepped up a grade or two to that of shad angling. These fish are found amongst rocky ledges and points and for this reason your tackle should ideally be that of a heavy nature. Your nylon should be around the 35lb range, Kingfisher Giant Abrasion is a good line and a heavy action rod like the Poseidon Heavy is advised.
Hooks should range from a 6/0 to a 8/0 Mustard Kendall Round and your trace line should be no less than 30lb, Siglon fluorocarbon 33lb and 40lb does the trick. Reels are also very important and should be in good condition. Machine reels, the Daiwa SL50 and the Daiwa Grandwave 50 are ideal as they have the pulling power to get big specimens out and away from rocks. Baits can vary, as these fish are not fussy eaters. The main bait however is a live crab but sea lice, crayfish, whole mussels, chokka and even sardine heads work very well.

Biggest Shad Competition
The Kingfisher has started their “Biggest Shad Competition”. This year it will be   run over a two month period, August and September, with three prizes each month. The heaviest shad  for each month will receive a 14’ Kingfisher Poseidon 5pc Graphite Rod, valued at R1, 925.00, the second heaviest shad will receive a Daiwa SL 50SHK Reel, valued at R1,189.00 and third heaviest shad will receive a Daiwa Opus Plus 6000 Reel valued a t R567.00. Please note that all shad (fresh) must be weighed at The Kingfisher, 53 Hunter Street, Durban during trading hours and please remember there is a bag limit of four and the minimum size is 30cm. So far the winning shad for the month of August is a fish of 3.1kg’s caught by Silvalinjn Pillay while fishing at Green Point. There has been no fished weighed in for the second or third prizes, so guys make sure you bring your fish in to be weighed at The Kingfisher, you could be missing out on a very nice prize.

ESA Saltwater
Catch the ESA team doing battle on ESA Saltwater at 7:30pm on Thursday and don’t miss the bass show at 7:00pm every Tuesday on Super sport 1 (unless mentioned otherwise – check your DSTV guide for details). This week on ESA Bass we join Xavier and Michelle Lidston from E.W.M.S (Environmental Waste Management Services) as they discuss conservation, at Wooloomoloo. We then cross over to see what happened at the Zululand Inter-Schools Bass Challenge at Redingers Dam. In LBSA we join Ray and the team at Pumula on the South Coast looking for some more Pre Sardine Run fish. For DSSA we head of to Riy banks in P.E with Able and in OSSA we are back for the last of the Seychelles adventures, it certainly ends with a BANG!
The latest ESA magazine is out and on sale at The Kingfisher for R 19.95. This issue it is jammed packed with great features.

Ski Boaters and fishing ski’s
Ski Boaters and fishing ski’s have also been affected by the adverse weather and  angling has been made impossible for the last week, but In between when the weather has permitted there have been reports of daga off the deeper reefs off Durbs and snoek coming out in ones and two for paddle ski anglers. With the weather man predicting more favorable weather this week end ski boaters should have a chance to get out and target some of the big fish, namely copper steenbras and muscle cracker that have been around lately.

Johnny Harel Billfish International!
If you’re keen on an angling competition, deep-sea style with a bunch of great Zimbo’s gathered in Northern Mozambique its almost time for the Johnny Harel Billfish International! CADSA is organizing this event and entry is open to all. There are only a few spaces left so if you’re interested waste not another minuet. It’s to be Held in Inhassoro from the 8th to the 14th of November 2009. For more info and entry forms get in touch with the organizers via email: CADSAS@mweb.co.za

The Kingfisher’s trading hours
The Kingfisher’s trading hours are Monday, Wednesday to Friday 8:00 to 17:00, Tuesday 8:30 to 17:00 and Saturday 8:00 to 13:00.

Free Rock and Surf clinic
The Kingfisher at 53, Hunter Street, Durban hosts a free Rock and Surf clinic run by Ivan Stopforth on their premises once a month. 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 Fishing Ski Clinic by Markham Pollard 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.