Have you heard it yet? The KZN Angler News audio fishing report is South Africa’s first fishing podcast series that focuses on the latest fishing reports of the East Coast, whether they’re hot or not! It delivers true and accurate content from the provinces most prominent anglers on a weekly basis on various facets of angling. This report is free and available on all major Podcast platforms including Apple Pods, Google Pods, Spotify and Deezer as well as SA’s most popular Facebook Pages.
This show is proudly sponsored by The Kingfisher to ensure you get into the right feeding zones with bending rods for the upcoming weekend!
https://ansapodcast.buzzsprout.com
The weather has been a bit blustery, but the fishing has been great! Kob, garrick, shad and a host of others have been on the list.
Top tip: One of the biggest issues with reel and rod maintenance is waiting until the last minute to get your tackle serviced. This is most important if you are going on a trip.
Regular maintenance and cleaning of your tackle will make it last much longer and will keep you fishing. There are a lot of sprays and salt melting detergents on the market. Pop in and ask one of the friendly sales staff about what will work best for you.
Offshore:
The offshore fishing has been fantastic along the entire coast. There have been gamefish, bottom fish and backline beauties.
North – The north coast has seen a lot of snoek action with both lures and fillets producing results. Fishing along the backline is the place to go for these snoek. Much of the north coast has been fishing well but Umdloti has been the pick of the venues.
There have been couta and tuna at most of the north coast spots with live bait producing the best results.
Central – The Durban coast has seen the much the same as the north with some garrick thrown in the mix. Slow trolling a live bait along the backline has been the best way to target these lovely gamefish.
The wrecks and reefs have been producing a lot of bottom fish, kob and geelbek being the main contributors. The geelbek have been on the big size with fish being between 7-10kgs!
South – The south coast has still got sardine shoals around with some gamefish among the pockets. Tuna have been the main gamefish around the deeper pockets with snoek, garrick and kingfish around the shoals in the shallows.
Trolling lures at Aliwal has also seen some good fish with the odd tuna pipping the 40kg mark. Purples and pinks have been the most successful colours.
Rock and surf:
The rock and surf fishing has seen some amazing fishing with big kob, garrick and shad making up the catches.
North – The north coast has seen some good fishing along the sandbanks of most beaches. The edges of these banks have produced stumpies and kob. Chokka and sardine combination baits fished on these banks is a great way to target these fish. Afternoons and evenings have been the most productive.
Spinning along the north coast has seen fantastic snoek action as well as some good kingfish.
Central – The central coast has seen spinning action as well with snoek, kingfish and garrick making up the bulk of catches. Needle nose plugs and spoons were reported as the most successful.
The central coast has also seen good fish on bait with garrick on live bait, big sharks, loads of shad and a giant kob at Blue Lagoon. Fishing has been productive all day, but the evenings have been the best option.
South – The south coast has been producing fish of both the edible and inedible kind. The river mouths have seen kob on bait and paddle tails.
The reefs and ledges have seen good bronze bream catches. Pink prawn has been the bait of choice along the south coast. The points have seen some good grey shark and blue skate catches with sardine baits producing great results.
Freshwater:
The freshwater fishing has started to pick up with the warmer days helping to heat up the waters and the fishing action.
Bass – The bass action is starting to heat up with the slight rise in temperatures getting them in a more summer mood.
Inanda and Albert Falls have been fishing very well with Midmar also doing well. Unfortunately, these dams fish best from a boat as access to the better spots is only possible from offshore. Those stuck on the bank will be better suited fishing Hazlemere and parts of Inanda.
Curly tail worms and grubs in green pumpkin or Junebug have been the most consistent producers from the shore. The boat anglers have had a host of tactics working with dropshots working in the deep and jigs in the shallows.
Carp – The carp fishing has been mainly focussed on the specimen side with some quality fish being brought to the net. Fishy scents and boilies have produced great results with the odd barbel jumping on. Using bigger boilies is a good way to bypass the smaller fish. Make sure to add a mix of chopped and whole boilies to your feed.
The conventional anglers have done the best at Albert Falls with each angler reporting different flavours to be the best.
Trout – The trout fishing is still in the pinnacle of Stillwater season. The bigger dams have seen some massive fish in both the brown trout and rainbow variety. The browns have been the most prized with bigger minnow patterns being the best producer of these hard fighting fish. The rainbows have been less fussy with most streamers producing results.
Most of the venues have been fishing well so focus more on getting to the midlands than on the exact venue.
News from our Jan, The Kingfisher in PMB – “The weather has been a little converse recently to what it’s supposed to be at this time of year – winter, what winter? – and while last week’s Super Moon is said to have negatively affected some of the fishing, there have been some great reports inbetween where the fish have been playing ball … so let’s get stuck in!
Last weekend saw Albert Falls Dam playing host to the 1st SA Bass Anglers Association (SABAA) Junior National Championship, and unfortunately it seems that these anglers weren’t so lucky, with only 6 fish being caught by 7 anglers over the 2 days. Sorry to hear that guys, biting fish keeps the moral up … better luck next time!
No other news coming off Alberts, but word from Midmar is that it has been fishing well again. Anglers using a variety of soft plastics have been getting some numbers of fish up to a kilo or so, nothing BIG as yet.
It is anticipated that if the weather stays stable for next while, that the bass fishing will improve much. Fingers crossed!
After the malaise that affected the 3rd Leg of the TOPS Corporate Challenge up in Nottingham Road two weeks ago, it seems that the trout are back in the game. With the decent weather, the stillwaters have settled and anglers are reporting crystal clear and glass-like conditions … along with numerous siting’s of good fish cruising the shallows in their nuptial pursuits. Trout close to the bank usually spook on approach, but with their minds fixated elsewhere, false-casting and rod flash don’t seem to deter them at present. So while wind is considered to the nemesis of fly fishing, lining fish in the current flat water conditions has been likened to dropping a grenade in the water … the result being fish hurtling off in all directions! One solution may be found in super long leaders (as long as you can handle … some going 20-24ft!) and using ultra-fine tippet in combination with small, natural patterns like nymphs (e.g. PTN, Zak, GRHE in size16 or smaller), midge and bloodworm … fished in combination and almost static. This is often referred to as a “washing line”. Some great advice received recently from a well-known guide for fishing this time of year : moving flies will attract small fish (aka stockies … who are like magpies), but if you want to catch big fish, don’t move your fly. Patience is the word coming off the water at present : as mentioned last week, it might be like watching paint dry, but it is a very effective technique when fish are being otherwise in the crystal cold conditions.
Reports from anglers of the Natal Fly Fishers Club (NFFC) show a wide range of fish being caught – from the smaller stockies (moving flies?), through the mid-range, to some excellent fish in the 58-63cm / 23-25inch bracket! Well done to those anglers … will see if some can be pressed into revealing a secret or two … watch this space!
This week’s meeting of the Natal Fly Dressers Society (NFDS) had Jan Korrubel demonstrating a pattern from days gone by : the ‘Casual Dress’ which was popular in the 70’s and 80’s. It’s shown to be a proven fish-taker, and a highly adaptable pattern open to any number of variations. As mentioned previously, anyone interested in fly tying (new or experienced), pop into the Kingfisher-PMB and chat to Jan for more info on the Society and schedule of meetings which are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month.
The scaly (Natal Yellowfish) anglers are getting busy, with reports of fish from the Umkomaas Valley. Early days still, with some days quiet and other days fireworks. It is expected the scaly fishing will pick up very shortly, with the Umkomaas and Tugela Rivers offering some excellent fishing”. Thanks so much Jan.
Tight lines and screaming reels
Go to www.facebook.com/thekingfisherdaiwa and “Like” us on Facebook to catch reviews, videos, fishing reports, great promotions and lots more.
Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to mike.pereira@kingfisher.co.za
As always, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date with all our new video releases and to brush up on your species knowledge, tactics and tips/tricks.
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheKingfisherFishinge you heard it yet? The KZN Angler News audio fishing report is South Africa’s first fishing podcast series that focuses on the latest fishing reports of the East Coast, whether they’re hot or not! It delivers true and accurate content from the provinces most prominent anglers on a weekly basis on various facets of angling. This report is free and available on all major Podcast platforms including Apple Pods, Google Pods, Spotify and Deezer as well as SA’s most popular Facebook Pages.
This show is proudly sponsored by The Kingfisher to ensure you get into the right feeding zones with bending rods for the upcoming weekend!
https://ansapodcast.buzzsprout.com
The weather has been a bit blustery, but the fishing has been great! Kob, garrick, shad and a host of others have been on the list.
Top tip: One of the biggest issues with reel and rod maintenance is waiting until the last minute to get your tackle serviced. This is most important if you are going on a trip.
Regular maintenance and cleaning of your tackle will make it last much longer and will keep you fishing. There are a lot of sprays and salt melting detergents on the market. Pop in and ask one of the friendly sales staff about what will work best for you.
Offshore:
The offshore fishing has been fantastic along the entire coast. There have been gamefish, bottom fish and backline beauties.
North – The north coast has seen a lot of snoek action with both lures and fillets producing results. Fishing along the backline is the place to go for these snoek. Much of the north coast has been fishing well but Umdloti has been the pick of the venues.
There have been couta and tuna at most of the north coast spots with live bait producing the best results.
Central – The Durban coast has seen the much the same as the north with some garrick thrown in the mix. Slow trolling a live bait along the backline has been the best way to target these lovely gamefish.
The wrecks and reefs have been producing a lot of bottom fish, kob and geelbek being the main contributors. The geelbek have been on the big size with fish being between 7-10kgs!
South – The south coast has still got sardine shoals around with some gamefish among the pockets. Tuna have been the main gamefish around the deeper pockets with snoek, garrick and kingfish around the shoals in the shallows.
Trolling lures at Aliwal has also seen some good fish with the odd tuna pipping the 40kg mark. Purples and pinks have been the most successful colours.
Rock and surf:
The rock and surf fishing has seen some amazing fishing with big kob, garrick and shad making up the catches.
North – The north coast has seen some good fishing along the sandbanks of most beaches. The edges of these banks have produced stumpies and kob. Chokka and sardine combination baits fished on these banks is a great way to target these fish. Afternoons and evenings have been the most productive.
Spinning along the north coast has seen fantastic snoek action as well as some good kingfish.
Central – The central coast has seen spinning action as well with snoek, kingfish and garrick making up the bulk of catches. Needle nose plugs and spoons were reported as the most successful.
The central coast has also seen good fish on bait with garrick on live bait, big sharks, loads of shad and a giant kob at Blue Lagoon. Fishing has been productive all day, but the evenings have been the best option.
South – The south coast has been producing fish of both the edible and inedible kind. The river mouths have seen kob on bait and paddle tails.
The reefs and ledges have seen good bronze bream catches. Pink prawn has been the bait of choice along the south coast. The points have seen some good grey shark and blue skate catches with sardine baits producing great results.
Freshwater:
The freshwater fishing has started to pick up with the warmer days helping to heat up the waters and the fishing action.
Bass – The bass action is starting to heat up with the slight rise in temperatures getting them in a more summer mood.
Inanda and Albert Falls have been fishing very well with Midmar also doing well. Unfortunately, these dams fish best from a boat as access to the better spots is only possible from offshore. Those stuck on the bank will be better suited fishing Hazlemere and parts of Inanda.
Curly tail worms and grubs in green pumpkin or Junebug have been the most consistent producers from the shore. The boat anglers have had a host of tactics working with dropshots working in the deep and jigs in the shallows.
Carp – The carp fishing has been mainly focussed on the specimen side with some quality fish being brought to the net. Fishy scents and boilies have produced great results with the odd barbel jumping on. Using bigger boilies is a good way to bypass the smaller fish. Make sure to add a mix of chopped and whole boilies to your feed.
The conventional anglers have done the best at Albert Falls with each angler reporting different flavours to be the best.
Trout – The trout fishing is still in the pinnacle of Stillwater season. The bigger dams have seen some massive fish in both the brown trout and rainbow variety. The browns have been the most prized with bigger minnow patterns being the best producer of these hard fighting fish. The rainbows have been less fussy with most streamers producing results.
Most of the venues have been fishing well so focus more on getting to the midlands than on the exact venue.
Tight lines and screaming reels
Go to www.facebook.com/thekingfisherdaiwa and “Like” us on Facebook to catch reviews, videos, fishing reports, great promotions and lots more.
Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to mike.pereira@kingfisher.co.za
As always, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date with all our new video releases and to brush up on your species knowledge, tactics and tips/tricks.