Alright, anglers – we know the weather’s been challenging lately out at sea with those stormy skies and heavy winds making it tough to get a good cast in. The seas are a bit wild right now, and the bite will be a little slow as the fish are hunkering down in those deeper, quieter waters, waiting for the storm to pass. But, DON’T WORRY! The weather is about to turn around, and the better days are just around the corner. The winds will start to die down, and the seas will calm, bringing the perfect conditions after this weekend.

Meanwhile, this is what has been going over this past week…
The northeast winds combined with the summer heat have really turned the fishing on. Whether you’re fishing from shore or out on a boat, the fish are biting!

Angling has many different aspects, but there are a few essentials you should always have with you. A good set of pliers is incredibly useful, whether you’re fly fishing or trolling for big game. Quality sun protection clothing is key to staying comfortable even in the hottest summer weather. A reliable headlamp can make a big difference for fishing in low light. And with our need for tech and our sport involving water, a waterproof pouch is a must. These are just a few must-haves for your fishing kit.

The summer fish are in, and the fishing has been solid when the weather allows. From edible species to drag-peeling inedibles, there’s plenty to reel in.

Rock & Surf:

North Coast – has seen good catches, even though the fish have been a bit patchy. It’s worth trying different spots to find where the fish are biting. Bloody and fleshy baits seem to be the way to go. The banks have produced some nice diamonds recently, but you’ll need to do some searching to find them. Overall, the north coast has been producing solid fishing off the points, with sandies and honeycombs as the main larger catches. There’s also been a good number of grey sharks on lighter tackle. This past weekend, the north coast also saw a decent amount of Ragged Tooth sharks.

Central Coast – has seen some good action across different fishing styles, with a variety of species around. The shad are still plentiful, and there have been a few kob mixed in. For better success, try making your hook snood a little longer to increase your chances of a bite. The beachfront has been producing plenty of grey sharks, along with some decent-sized diamonds. If you’re targeting greys, float your bait, and for diamonds, try using a larger bait without foam.

South Coast – has been productive, with non-edible species stealing the spotlight. Rock species like rockcod, stone bream, and elltail barbel have been abundant, along with the occasional kob.
Before you hit the water, remember to leave the fishing spots BETTER than you found them! Take a few extra moments to pick up some litter and dispose of it properly. Let’s keep our waters clean so we can keep fishing for YEARS to come.

Offshore:

The northeast winds and that summer heat have seriously turned the fishing on.
Offshore anglers, get ready to stay busy – the couta and tuna are here, and they’re bringing the heat! The

North Coast – is the hot spot for couta right now, with Cape Vidal coming alive with action. While most fish are a bit smaller, there’s NO DOUBT the BIG ONES are lurking, so if you’re after the giants, head deeper! Patience pays off, my friends. Bait? It’s all about dead baits and live baits, with mackerel and sardines being the top picks! If you can get your hands on those, you’re golden.

Central Coast – is also on fire, especially at the river mouths for those snoek anglers. These fish can be tricky, but with light tackle and straight swimming lures/baits, you’ll reel in a few! Go a bit deeper to the wrecks and reefs for some couta action. Purple flashers and chartreuse lures are the colors you need to be rocking. For the tuna fans – hit the deeper drop-offs for some seriously BIG fish trolling skirted lures and high-speed lipped lures!  If you see any floating structure in the water, don’t just cruise past – stop, fish around it, and you might just hook a dorado, yes the are still around!

South Coast – has been ON FIRE with kingfish from Toti down to Aliwal Shoal. Use live bait and slow troll around bait marks – this has been the most effective method to reel these bad boys in. A 6/0 circle hook will get you that solid hookup for kingfish AND dorado. Wahoo fans, don’t sleep on the Aliwal Shoal – there’s been a solid bite with these speedsters! They LOVE fast-trolled lures.  Find the feeding area, troll through from different angles, and you’re in the MONEY ZONE!
So what are you waiting for? The weekend’s here, get those fingers busy and start tying traces, you are going need be ready!

Freshwater:

News in from Jan Korrubel, The Kingfisher in PMB – Last week’s deluge put plenty more of the wet stuff into an already loaded system, which had the knock-on effect of pushing Albert Falls Dam level up by some 6% in a week, and then over the top.  By all reports, this is excellent news for Alberts, which has been suffering from a “no fish’ malaise for a good while now; even to the extent that anglers are reporting no sign of midge hatches and the carp that love eating them off the surface.  Fingers crossed that the injection of water will inject some life back into this well-respected body of water.
 
But … Can I? … Dare I? … now legitimately say that the rain seems to be abating after the weekend’s cracker weather (or not so cracker if you trying to get the lawn mowed in the blistering heat while dodging loadshedding sessions), and not a drop reported since last week?  That being said – no further complaints and we’ll take whatever respite gets handed out and politely ask for more, Please Sir, so that we can at least get to see the last of the river season out without having to wear water wings…
 
The rains of last week did, however, keep almost all of the Natal Fly Fishers Club anglers off the water bar for 2 intrepid souls, one each of which ventured onto river and stillwater respectively.  Rain the night before put paid to their efforts unfortunately, so there were blank score cards from both. 
 
We are encouraged by the single figure precipitation figures in the current forecasts, and holding thumbs that these will decrease even more sooner than later.  Nighttime temperatures are also cooling, which will help the waters and hopefully get the fish sensing that winter is near(ing) and that feeding needs to start in earnest.  The outlook remains positive for a late autumn upswing in activity.
 
The bass have also remained elusive, but seem to making a reappearance.  The recent PMB Bassmasters Triple Skins event held at Albert Falls had a single boat recording 3 fish for a total bag of 7.8kg … congrats to the Fouche brothers for taking the win.   Last weekend saw the popular annual New Hanover Prep Bass competition tackling a number of local waters, fare much better.  The event hosted some 1219 anglers across all ages, with the winning (senior) fish taping in at 59.7cm.  Congrats to all anglers for what looked like a fun day out on the waters.
 
After a little quiet dip, Sterkfontein turned the heat back up again.  Some excellent fish were reported over the weekend’s spell of fine weather reports Jeremy Rochester of Escape Fly Fishing.  The season isn’t over yet, so as mentioned last week, if a ‘Sterkies Gold Bar’, keep an eye on the weather forecast for a spell of 2-3 days clear, HOT weather, and the fish will be back on.
Do stop in at The Kingfisher-PMB for the best in tackle and advice.  Opening hours are 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, and 8am-1pm on weekends and Public Holidays.
 
Please follow this link for the full fishing report https://www.kingfisher.co.za/reports/ or alternatively any of the channels below…
 
Series 23 (can you believe it; this is Petri’s 23 series) of Hier Gaan Ons Alweer on kykNET, premieres are on from the 6^th of January 2025 on Monday evenings at 17:30 on kykNet, channel 144 and there are a number of repeats during the week. The repeats are on Tuesday’s at 11:00, Wednesday’s at 10:00, Thursday’s at 11:30 & Friday’s at 14:30. Series 23 ends on the 31^st of March 2025.
As most of you know, Petri and his guests cover various angling styles (fresh and salt water) in and around Southern Africa.

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. 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.
Angler News SA – https://www.ecr.co.za/podcasts/ansa/
 
Go to The Kingfisher Daiwa –  www.facebook.com/thekingfisherdaiwa and “Like” us on Facebook to catch reviews, videos, fishing reports, great promotions and lots more.
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.
The KingfisherFishing – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheKingfisherFishing
 
Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to Vinesh Soogreem – vineshs@kingfisher.co.za