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Angling - Rock & Surf
With continuing good weather, anglers seem to be getting some good results mostly as far as the inedible species is concerned. Shad for what it’s worth are nearly a non entity as anglers who actively target this specie are finding it very difficult to even locate them let along catching a few. The only areas that seem to be doing relatively well is the Durban area and during the early morning at the Umkomaas pier.
The fish that are coming out at these venues are mostly small and only a few really make the legal size limit.
The inedible species however are keeping anglers busy as there are good reports of fish on both North and South coasts. A few nice size sand sharks have been caught in the Tinley, Ballito and Tongaat areas recently together with some brown skates. Lloyd Pereira from The Kingfisher and a friend from the UK, John Anderson, had some great fun on Tuesday morning, landing a few sandies around the 35kg mark, a milky and a small hammer.A few above average size honeycombe rays have been reported in the Illovo and Green Point areas. Good catches of both sand sharks and skates have from the Umdoni area.
The Transkei is also fishing well with favorable reports coming in from the Port St Johns and Hole in The Wall areas. Mostly hammerhead sharks are coming out but there have been some good size grey and spinner shark activity as well. Anglers fishing these venues at night are getting some small kob and grunter.
Ski Boats
Ski Boats at the moment are having the best of both worlds as there are plenty of game fish and some good bottom fish around. Boats off Durban are still getting a lot of dorado and the odd yellow fin tuna off the deeper reefs. Closer inshore the couta season has not really materialized yet but a few good fish have been caught in the Umdloti and Ballito areas.
The Aliwal shoal and Protea banks have really lived up to their reputations recently as a large variety of fish have been caught at these venues for the past few weeks. Mostly average size yellow fin keep anglers busy but dorado, wahoo, couta and even a few rainbow runner have made up bags here.
Fishing ski’s
Fishing ski’s are also in on the action and reports coming from the Toti and Scottburgh areas suggest that fishing has definitively picked up over the past two weeks.Dorado and snoek make up most of the catches but a few good size couta have also come out. Jaco Franken landed a good specimen of 18 kg off the Toti area last week and a few more were also caught.
Freshwater fishing’s “Holy Grail” now has dual holders; 22 lb 4 oz bass caught by Japan’s Manabu Kurita matches IGFA record held for 77 years by Georgia’s George Perry.
DANIA BEACH, Fla. USA, (January 8, 2010)
After nearly six months of waiting, Japan’s Manabu Kurita is taking his place along side Georgia, USA angler George Perry in the International Game Fish Association’s (IGFA) World Record Games Fishes book as dual holders of the All-Tackle record for largemouth bass each weighing 22 lb 4 oz and caught 77 years apart. Today the IGFA approved Kurita’s application for the fish caught from Japan’s largest lake on July 2, 2009. The 70-year old non-profit fisheries conservation, education and record-keeping body, received Kurita’s application and documentation on Sept. 19, 2009.
The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), was caught from Lake Biwa which is an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto. Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan, was fishing Biwa that July day using a Deps Sidewinder rod and a Shimano Antares DC7LV reel loaded with 25 lb Toray line when he pitched his bait, a live bluegill, next to a bridge piling. It was Kurita’s first cast to the piling where he had seen a big bass swimming. He only twitched the bait a couple of times before he got bit. After a short, three minute fight he had the fish in the boat.
Kurita was quoted as saying “I knew it was big, but I didn’t know it was that big.” But big it was. Using certified scales, his fish weighed in at 10.12 kg or 22 lb 4 oz. When measured, the fish had a fork length of 27.2 inches and a girth of 26.7 inches. The IGFA only has line classes up to 20 lb for largemouth bass, so Kurita had no chance at a line class record as well.
Kurita’s fish ties the current record held for over 77 years by Perry who caught his bass on Georgia’s Montgomery Lake, June 2, 1932, near Jacksonville, Georgia. That 22 lb 4 oz behemoth won Field and Stream Magazine’s big fish contest and 46 years later, when the IGFA took over freshwater records from Field and Stream, it became the All-Tackle record now one of over 1,100 fresh and saltwater species the IGFA monitors. |
ESA fishing shows
Don’t forget to watch the action packed ESA fishing shows on TV. These shows feature both saltwater and bass fishing and are aired 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.
The Kingfisher`s Free Fishing Clinic
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 are Monday, Wednesday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm, Tuesday 8:30am to 5:00pm and Saturday 8:00am to 1:00pm.
latest KZN fishing news
For the latest KZN fishing news presented by OJ, tune into East Coast Radio at 5.40am Monday – Friday. If you miss that then phone the Kingfisher’s KZN Angling Hotline on 082-234 6362, this report is updated 7am daily.
Photo of Lloyd Pereira and his sandie of 35kg’s landed on the North Coast on Tuesday morning.
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. |
