The fishing has been good all around. Some amazing fish have been landed on the boats and on the shore.
Top tip: When the sea gets a bit on its head or you feel like a break from the waves, the Durban harbour is a fabulous place to go wet a line. With the relative safety of the harbour and the bountiful fish species. The most targeted fish in the harbour is the spotted grunter, but there are so many species you can catch if you scale down. This fishing is best done with light to ultralight tackle and can be done with bait or lures. If you haven’t tried it yet, pop in to one of our branches and get our friendly staff to help you get setup for harbour fun.
Offshore:
The offshore fishing has been great for most. The further north the better the bite but some locals have seen brilliant fish off Durban.
North – The north coast has had it all this past week. The bigger seas have made the sea a bit tricky, but the bounty has been worth the discomfort. Tuna, snoek and couta have been the main species landed and a mix of techniques have accounted for the catches. The bait seems to be making more of an appearance so now is the time to get a couple for the freezer. Take care of your bait and your bait will take care of you.
Central – Robs tuna. Everyone has seen the pictures. This shows that time and effort will give you the results. A very well done to Rob Hamburger for his amazing 56kg tuna taken on a popper just off Durban.
The central coast has been producing a good mix of species but, much like the shore angling, people have preferred to go south or north of the sewage…
South – The south coast has seen some garrick on the backline with a frisky live bait proving to be deadly for these gentlemen. Rig your live bait on a circle hook with the use of a cable tie.
The south coast has also had some very good bottom fishing and deeper water game fishing. The tuna, wahoo and sailfish have been the main targets in the deeper water. These are best targeted using faster trolling lures. The bottom fishing is very spot dependant and the right spots are a well-kept secret. Make sure to try fishing around the spots trying both up and down current of the reef/wreck.
Rock and surf:
The north coast and far south have been the places to go, especially with the current sewage situation in Durban.
North – The north coast has been producing fish for both the edible anglers and those seeking the bigger fish. There have been flatfish around in good numbers on most of the north coast with diamonds being the predominant catch. These fish, like many other flatfish, love a big juicy bait. Try using a head as a base and then cutlets wrapped around the head. This is a brilliant bait for almost all flatfish and works whether you are using mackerel, bonito or any other baitfish. In terms of edibles, there have been kob and stumpies at most spots along the north coast. Night has been the best time to target both species.
Central – The central coast is currently a no-go zone. With the astronomical E-coli numbers from the tons of raw sewage flowing into the sea via the rivers and drains, it is not a good idea to visit the Durban waters. The previous week did see some good edible fishing, but a few anglers did mention feeling a bit sick post fishing.
South – The south coast has been fishing very well. There have been a handful of blue skates on the south coast for those looking for an inedible. Mushy sardine baits are best for these flatties. The rest of the south has been the spot to go if you are looking for bronze bream, kob, other bream species and shad. Pink prawn is the scratching bait of choice and sardine is the winner for the shad and kob.
Freshwater:
The freshwater fishing is almost in a summer pattern with the temperatures starting to warm up and the fish getting more excited.
Bass – The fish are hungry and eager to eat. The weather patterns are the only thing effecting the bites. When the bigger cold fronts come through, the fishing drops off very quickly. When this does happen you just need to slow down, scale down and focus on the bites. The fish will not feel like eating so you need to convince them it’s a good idea.
Inanda has been fishing very well for the bank and boat anglers, so it is the place to go if you are planning a trip in the near future.
Carp – The carp fishing has been productive at Inanda making it a great venue for the guys wanting to do both bass and carp. So, if you want to sit patiently and wait for your carp bite, your kids can keep busy catching bass.
Inanda and Alberts have been producing good fish on the fruity flavours including banana, berries and garlic. The conventional anglers have been ticking off a good number of fish with some of the bigger fish going double digit.
The specimen anglers have been fishing in Inanda mainly and have seen some very good fish. The bites have been a bit slow, but the patience is worth it.
Trout – The trout Stillwater season is still producing good fish and there have been some bud rainbows caught in the last few weeks. Most of these have been on streamers and a faster retrieve but don’t be afraid to scale down and slow down your retrieve if you are not getting a bite.
Scalies have started stealing some of the fly-fishing limelight as angler’s nymph along the local rivers for these endemic fish. Smaller, heavy nymphs and a focussed eye are needed to detect the bites. Pop in and speak to our fly guys for tips and tricks for the natal yellowfish.
News from our Jan, The Kingfisher in PMB – “After the recent series of frontal systems that came up over the country from the deep south, the weather appears to have stabilised somewhat … however August is usually considered to be an “iffy” month weather wise, with (high) wind, and barometer bouncing around a bit as the seasons decide what they are doing : staying in winter for a bit, or finally pushing through to Spring and Summer.
As a result, the fishing on the trout stillwater front has been somewhat iffy. As mentioned by an angler after a tough outing recently : “It’s blank City out there…” That being said, it’s not all bad news out there however, and there have been a number of good catches reported from the Natal Fly Fishing Club waters. A good range of fish across the board from the 28-33cm / 11-13inch bracket all the way up to 48-53cm / 19-21inch bracket. The water continues to warm, with most waters now sitting around the 12deg.C mark, and few apparently higher as noted from the returns. Activity will be springing back to life, and that will get the fish going. Judging by the requests from anglers, prey items are currently leaning towards the larger end of the spectrum, with minnow and dragon / damselfly patterns topping the list. The ubiquitous Wolly Bugger in standard livery of black or olive remain on the favourites list.
Although only a week away, time is going at snail’s pace for the river trout anglers and season Opening Day on 1 September – but still plenty time however to get the tackle sorted, and flies tied. Pop into the KF-PMB and chat to Jan if you are wanting to get into this exciting side of trout angling.
As reported last week, it seems that the bass fishing is picking up properly. Fish are in (pre-)spawn mode and have started to move up into the shallows, and there have been a couple of fatties reported in the last week. These larger specimens will be the female fish, so as requested by the bass anglers, please treat the girls with respect. Tackle up and get them into the boat quickly. Wet hands, and don’t hold them by the mouth and hanging vertically down; support their weight and hold them horizontally under the belly towards the tail. Get your Hero Shot and release immediately … they hold the future of the bass fishing.
This weekend sees the Albert Falls Classic being held on the 25-27 August. Word is that there will be a good number of boats on the water, everyone wanting to get out there after a quiet winter. We are expecting some cracker action, and look forward to reporting next week
Another event to add to next month’s calendar is a little further north – the Ladysmith Bassmasters is set to take place on 24-25 September.
Even with the frontal system and snow on The ‘Berg, the Natal Yellowfish (aka Scaly) were out and about. While a FRESH start was called for, both the Umkomaas and Tugela Rivers provided some excellent fish. With the rivers still on the cool end of the spectrum, word from the water is that small flies have been doing the business. A range of weighted nymphs in natural colours, down to 16’s and 18’s, with or without hotspots of orange or chartreuse, should see you right. If you want to go a tad larger, then jig buggers in 14 and 12 are your ticket.
The 1st weekend of September sees the NFFC Scaly Clinic being held on the Umkomaas at Nyala Pans – looking forward to opening my yellows book at this event. Report to follow in due course”! Cheers thanks Jan.
For the best in tackle and advice, pop into The Kingfisher 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm on Saturdays and Sundays
Tight lines and screaming reels.
Great news, The Kingfisher has just opened their new store on the upper north coast. Situated in the Tiffany’s Shopping Center in Salt Rock, this store is ideally positioned for our north coast anglers. For all your angling needs, (freshwater or saltwater) pop in and see them or give them a shout on 032 307 0041.
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