With all the dirt and debris plaguing our waters for the last few weeks, the fishing has not been fantastic. That being said, there have been a few great catches all round.
Top tip: Water colour and lures.
Firstly, lure action and profile is more important than colour. If the water is coloured you need to fish with something with a solid silhouette. Colours for this include purple and black. These stronger colours provide a fantastic silhouette for the gamefish to zone in on.
Other great choices for lures include noise and vibration. These are key when the water gets very dirty. Look for lures that vibrate on their retrieve and/or have rattles inside.
Offshore:
The offshore fishing has been slow but those putting the time in have managed to get fish to the boat. The baitfish are still scarce so don’t put too much time into it.
North:
The north coast has seen most of the bigger couta action. Specifically the areas around Mtunzini, Tinley and Umdloti. Most of these bigger fish have been caught on bait but some have found the allure of a wiggling lure too exciting to pass up. These bigger fish have gotten to their size mostly by being clever so take your time in presenting your bait properly and ensuring it swims straight.
The snoek have been around the Umdloti area with some days seeing them throw all caution to the wind. Small spoons and fillet baits are the way to go.
Central:
The Durban coast has seen a bit of bottom fishing and gamefish action this past week. The water has been quite cold so the fishing has not been easy.
The geelbek have been patchy and often sitting off the structure, either up or down current. Make sure you scan the area properly before moving it on. Sardines have been the most successful bait reported.
The snoek have been feeding at the Umgeni mouth. Guys have reported fillet baits trolled behind the backline to be the best method this past week. The bigger swells have been around so please be careful while fishing on the backline and have someone on a constant lookout for these bigger waves.
South:
The south coast has been fairly quiet in terms of reports. There have been both snoek and couta in the shallower waters while the deep has seen some good tuna and a few late season Dorado. Trolling lures has been the most successful method in the deep. Colour of lure has been done to personal choice as no distinct pattern has emerged. Darker colours generally put out a good silhouette and draw the fish’s attention.
Rock and surf:
The rock and surf fishing has switched from inedibles to edibles. There has been plenty of debris in the water but the clearer areas are holding some decent fish.
North:
The north still has some of the inedibles around if you are wanting to add some last fish on to your summer account. The sandies, honeys and diamonds have been the main targets with the odd grey shark thrown in the mix.
The stumpies and kob have been around on most of the beaches open enough to fish. Chokka is the bait of choice as we move further in to the winter months. Chokka is a versatile bait that can be adapted to fish for everything from gully fish to sharks.
Central:
The central coast has seen a lot of debris on the beaches. The colour in the water has made fishing very good for the kob. The blue lagoon area has been the pick of the venues for the central coast as the new wider mouth has made for a great fishing spot. We shall see if the mouth remains as wide as it is now and deep.
The other beaches in Durban have been quiet with not much coming out in terms of reports.
South:
The south coast has seen some very good fishing for both kob and stumpies. The beaches in the Umkomaas area have been the key spots. Prawn and Chokka have been the two best baits with sardine being the pick for the smaller fish.
The deepwater points have been rather quiet with no reports being received. All we can do is wait for the Garrick to arrive.
Freshwater:
The dams and rivers are still recovering from the devastating floods and they will take some time to fully recover but on the bright side, the fishing has picked up. At last it seems that the weather is finally moving into Autumn proper – a most splendiferous time of the year! From the reports coming in, seems like many made full use of the sunshine and outdoors this past long weekend and got a line out somewhere.
Nights are suddenly chilly up in The Midlands, and water temperatures are dropping correspondingly – reports are noting temps in the lower teens now, and fish are feeding up for the cold ahead.
Bass:
There have been a couple competitions run in the past few weeks and all have seen good bags to win. The Durban venues are still struggling with overly dirty water but Midmar and Alberts are both producing some fishing.
Most of the consistent fishing has been in the deeper water with dropshots, Carolina rigs and deep cranks but there are still some fish keen to destroy a frog in the shallows.
The weather is good and the fish are hungry so get out and catch them. Last weekend saw a Major League Fishing (MLF) event take place on Albert Falls Dam –biggest bag of 6.45kg went to local angler Zeyn Habib – while the biggest fish came in at 2.4kg by Ronnie Thompson.
Carp:
There is not much to speak of on the carp front. There have been no reports in from anglers but the KZN dams have been very tricky.
Those looking for fish will be best set to go further inland to Midmar or Albert falls.
This time of year sees cooler temps and slower fishing so put the effort in to get your feeding area sorted and make the most of the mild weather.
Trout:
The river season is all but over. The water temps are out of favour and the flow rates are very high. It is Stillwater time now!
This is a fantastic time of year to take that berg holiday you have been talking about. The weather is still mild enough to be pleasant but cold enough to fish. The dams and lakes are all fishing well and are looking good for the spawn. Remember to add some orange flies to the mix and you will be in the mix. Remember as well that the fish can be very spooky in the shallows so approach with stealth and be as quiet as possible.
Judging by the stillwater reports received from the Natal Fly Fishers Club (NFFC), the fish are definitely on the prod, and there have been some excellent fish reported … a couple in the 60+cm / 23+inches bracket! Most anglers are rather shy about their weapons of choice, but from the flies being bandied about, we can safely say that larger items are on the menu … e.g. woolly buggers, dragonfly patterns, and minnow patterns in particular. There have also been some hatches reported, and fish being taken on the dry fly … interesting times!
As previously reported, June is the month when the stillwater trout season goes into high gear … the 1st weekend kicks off the events with the Kamberg Trout Festival, the 2nd weekend sees Leg 1 of the TOPS Corporate Challenge, and the 3rd weekend sees the Boston Fly Fishing Festival … best to start getting the stillwater fly boxes in order!
After a more than “generous” helping of The Drippy Stuff, the river anglers have had a hard time this season to date, with those making it out having to resort to some serious tungsten bombs and make do with dirty waters. Kudos to those that did, and have fish to show for it. That being said, there are still some 3 weeks before the official closure of the trout river on the last day of this month (31 May) – ONLY 3 weeks! – so the time is now for those still wanting to get a couple of sessions in. We haven’t had any input (rain) of late, so plying a dry fly is possible now, as reports indicate that the rivers have dropped significantly. Some of the lower reaches might still bear some colour, but upper beats are running crystal clear.
A late season note from Sterkfontein guide Mark Yelland reported some good fish still on the bite a wee while back now, but as reported previously, the Sterkies season is effectively done.
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