FISHING REPORT 12TH DECEMBER 2009

Anglers
After nearly two months of really awful weather it looks as though summer has eventually set in and with it the much awaited summer fish. Seasonal rain has brought nearly all rivers down and as a result anglers can look forward to fish in the off colour water produced by the rivers. There are already reports of flatfish on both North and South coasts and it should not be too long before we get some interesting results on these hard fighting fish.

Places like Tongaat Long Beach, Dave’s Rock, Blyshsdale, and the Tinley areas in the North and St Winifreds, Illovo, Umkomaas, Scottburgh and the Umdoni areas in the South produce numerous big fish throughout the season.  As far as edible fish go there are some good fish around in the form of kingfish, grunter, pompano, small kob and off course the new shad season has also begun but these fish are hard to find during December. Zululand also starts yielding many big flatfish at this time of the year and anglers should keep an eye on spots such as the Tugella North Bank, Amatikulu, Port Durnford and the Richards Bay areas where many big sand sharks and skates are landed. With all the warm weather we have had recently anglers are almost sure to find some of the annual big diamond skates.

Ryan Tippett from Shayamoya Game Lodge sent us some info about what’s happening in Jozini. The fishing on Lake Jozini through November was a bit up and down. The weather has been quite unsettled and this has reflected in the fishing. The water temperature, however, is nice and warm, but the muddy water from the river is encroaching further and further into the dam. It is likely that the whole main dam will be muddy by mid January. That is if the rains continue. The majority of the eastern shore along the mountains is still clean and clear. The entire length of the western shoreline is now muddy.

Bait is the most reliable way to get a bit if fish action especially during indifferent weather conditions. Sardines, currently, seem to be out-doing all the other baits. We boated several nice tigers ranging between 3 and 4.5kg this month. All of these fish were caught on sardines. The chicken has been much less effective, probably because it doesn’t have the smell of the sardines and needs to be kept moving. This method with the chicken is a lot more effective in the shallower waters of the river section (When it’s clean). Fishing artificial and flies along the mountains is producing good fish. The most productive spots are the rocky points off the smaller bays, especially where there is some weed cover. These spots are working because they are not too deep and tigers always like hunting around the weeds.

Ski Boats and Fishing Ski’s
Ski Boats and Fishing Ski’s have eventually started fishing after a few frustrating months and with some very good results from all along the coastline. Dorado are now being caught from the Sodwana area in the North and as far south as the Protea banks at Shelly beach. The Aliwal shoal and Scottburgh have produced some quality fish over the past week or so. Couta have made an appearance here together with some good catches of dorado and smaller yellow fin tunny. The Westbrook and Umdloti areas have also started fishing well with reports of the odd couta but Boats and Ski’s have caught quite a few decent size snoek in these areas recently. With favorable weather predicted for the week end we should hopefully get some very good reports in from anglers at various spots.

ESA magazine
The latest ESA magazine is out and on sale at The Kingfisher for R19.95. This issue (With Craig Stubbs on the cover) it is jammed packed with great features.

Action-packed ESA highlights shows airing this month.
Eight action packed ESA highlights shows, featuring both saltwater and bass fishing, are to be aired this month on Super sport 1. The ESA Saltwater show will be broadcasted weekly on Thursdays between 19h30 and 20h30, and the ESA Bass show will air weekly on Tuesdays between 19h00 and 19h30.

As the year draws to a close, the crew at ESA have been working (and playing) tirelessly to bring breathtaking angling action to our screens. The hour long ESA Saltwater show consists of three sections, namely Land Based Sports Angling (LBSA), Drop Shot Sports Angling (DSSA), and Off Shore Sports Angling (OSSA). The ESA Bass show is 30 minutes long, and consists of various anglers and guests exploring both small and largemouth bass angling.

Wave runner fishing has added a whole new element to the ESA Saltwater show, and fans can tune in on 10 December to watch Craig Stubbs as he attempts the first ever Drop Shot Sports Angling off Wave runners on ESA. Craig and ESA regular Mark De La Hey quickly master the art, and as a result pull into some amazing ambers off the coast of Mozambique.Richards Bay, is given a thorough inspection by Mark De La Hey and his guests in the show on 17 December. They have an incredible Off Shore angling experience as Mark and his guests catch a variety of fish such as tuna, dorado, and a beautiful marlin, a perfect setting for what promises to be a massive event!

The final ESA Saltwater show ends off the ESA Season with a bang on Christmas Eve! Take a journey through each of the most memorable fish of the year, this including amazing catches such as Ray's 110kg raggie in Mazeppa on LBSA, Marks 30Kg dogtooth tuna off the Wave runner on DSSA in Mozambique, and Lloyd Pereira's 200kg blue marlin in Richards Bay. Do not miss this one!

For the freshwater fisherman out there, do not worry as the four ESA Bass episodes lined up for the, 15th, 22nd and 29th of December are just as action packed as the ESA Saltwater shows. Some highlights include the ESA crew fishing at Goedetrouw Dam in the rain, and smashing some prize largemouth bass thanks to the anglers’ perseverance.

ESA Guest Angler Jason Van Der Wath bags his personal best at Goedetrouw, an impressive 5.1kg largemouth bass. Also not to be missed is the duo of Rob Fisher and Howard Johnson, who are at it again, this time at Inanda Dam. The pair can be seen catching some monster bass at Inanda Dam, while ESA cameraman Duncan Grant shows the boys that he too has a trick or two up his sleeve as he pulls into a good size bass.

The Kingfisher hosts free Fishing Clinic’s
The Kingfisher hosts free Fishing Clinic’s on their premises once a month, booking is essential. These 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. To find out more about these clinics and to book a seat please phone The Kingfishers sales staff on 031 368 3903.

The Kingfisher’s trading hours
The Kingfisher’s trading hours are Monday, Wednesday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm, Tuesday 8:30am to 5:00pm and Saturday 8:00am to 1:00pm.

The trading hours for the festive season are: Every Sunday in December, including Wednesday the 16th and Saturday the 26th, plus Sunday the 3rd January,
 from 9:00pm – 1:00pm.