Bent Rods, Big Runs

Thirty years in and the Kingfishers are still flying full throttle
This is not just a birthday, it’s three decades of bent rods, salty smiles, sunrise launches, and stories that grow a little bigger every year.
From first casts to legendary sessions, the 30 Year Birthday Celebration is here and it’s LOUD, PROUD, and soaked in saltwater.
Here’s to the crew, the memories, and the next chapter of absolute fishing chaos.
Happy 30th, Kingfishers. Long may the lines stay tight and the legends keep growing.

Rock & Surf:

Up north, the New Year has kicked the door clean off its hinges. Grey sharks are cruising like they’ve got title deeds to the coastline, honeycomb rays are sliding through with tank-like confidence, and every skate imaginable is prowling the shallows looking for a scrap. This is full-contact fishing and the ocean has zero interest in warming up gently for 2026.

Rocky gullies are alive with bronze bream pushing hard. Prawn baits are taking punishment, the wind has finally eased off, and every cast feels locked in. Clean takes. Heavy pulls. No soft openings to the year here.
Durban anglers who rode out the earlier chaos are now being rewarded. With conditions settling, the bite has gone full tilt. The harbour remains a gold mine if you can navigate the Wala Wala circus, and that size 14 light-gauge circle hook is bordering on unfair. Fish barely touch the bait and they’re already connected.
Down south, Margate Pier is a straight-up New Year battleground. Shad on the charge, bream digging in, hammerheads patrolling. Everything is feeding. Everything is fired up. Everything is on.

With calmer seas lining up, 2026 is opening with crisp casts, smoother water, and fish that are completely switched on and ready to play rough.

Offshore:

Along the north coast, smaller boats and skis have been right in the thick of the action, producing consistent dorado and couta and keeping rods bent from launch to return. Deeper reefs and wrecks continue to deliver strong bottom fishing, with quality trawl soldiers and a wide mix of species coming to hand. Squid and sardines remain the top bait choices in deeper water, while dorado have been particularly aggressive, with several larger fish testing both anglers and tackle to the limit.

In the central Durban zone, dorado continue to steal the spotlight, showing impressive consistency week after week. While couta are still popping up, dorado dominate the catch reports with no signs of slowing down. Bait availability is steadily improving, with fresh supplies reaching tackle shops. Tuna are responding well to a variety of lures, but anglers targeting bigger fish are seeing the best results on live bait, including mozzies, mackerel, shad and redeye sardines. With tuna lacking cutting teeth, wire traces are unnecessary, though quality fluorocarbon leaders such as Maxima or Siglon remain essential for handling long, powerful runs.

The south coast is matching this momentum, with tuna and couta feeding actively and providing consistent opportunities. For anglers looking to fine-tune their approach, snoek have been offering exciting sport, particularly around river mouths. Trolling baits on the backline with lipped lures like the Strike Pro Magic Minnow, or casting spoons into the backline surf zone, has resulted in explosive strikes and memorable sessions.

Before heading back out, a quick reminder on gear care. A simple freshwater rinse of rods, reels and tackle after each trip plays a major role in preventing corrosion and extending the life of your equipment. A few minutes of maintenance now ensures your gear stays reliable and ready for the next bite.
With conditions lining up and fish actively feeding along the coast, 2026 is shaping up to be a year well worth chasing. Gear up, get offshore, and make the most of a season already delivering bent rods and standout moments on the water.

Freshwater:

News from Jan: Apart from the almost daily fluctuations in temperature (The Weatherman idly flicking switches up and down again), it seems that the still somewhat “damp” Midlands (to put it mildly), is being spared from the extremes of weather seen elsewhere in the country currently : the hot, dry and fiery state of the Western Cape in the south vs the flooding in the far north.  We might complain about the impact on the fishing, but it’s worth repeating that KZN is in the enviable position of having full dams and the luxury of water on tap, while other parts of the country are making plans for water restrictions.  We are fast approaching the Summer ‘Shoulder Season’ (pre-winter) where we see lower rainfall and milder temperatures, better suited to outdoor activities … so keep an eye on the forecasts, tackle close at hand, and head on out as the occasion arises. \
With the upstream water still making their way down off The ‘Berg, there have been no returns / reports from the local trout streams, this side of The Dragoon’s Back that is.  As we wait in anticipation for waters to subside enough to venture back out and flick a dry fly, indications / reports from the other side are more encouraging, with images of the rivers looking rather enticing … a mere hop and skip for the adventuring angler.

The stillwaters have fared somewhat better … only two returns from the Natal Fly Fishers Club stillwater anglers over the last week, but fish were reported in the 13-17 inch / 33-43 cm bracket.  Waters are noted to be still somewhat off-colour, so larger ‘noisy’ patterns that push water should do the trick (e.g. collared Woolly Buggers and Minky’s, along with larger Minnow and Dragonfly patterns).  With a surface water temperature of 20deg reported, intermediate or full sink line required to get down to the cooler water … and  best to get out early before it gets too warm, and a thunderstorm rolls through.

The water quality debate at Albert Falls Dam carries on, with no news of any fish coming out. With Midmar Dam at FSL and overflowing nicely, new water is being sent down the line which will hopefully have a positive effect on Alberts.  Midmar continues to fish better, with good numbers of smaller size fish coming to hand.  Carp at Midmar haven’t been too forthcoming.

The private waters are however fishing well – visiting all the way from Australia, Damon Mathfield got some fish on fly … and local angler Bradley van Zyl racked up a new PB of 4.65kg – Congrats that man.

To modify a popular turn of phrase : “There’s gold in them waters…” … the yellowfish fishing has been wild.  All over it seems.  Sterkfontein continues to consistently produce trophy small and largemouth yellowfish, reports Jeremy Rochester from Escape Fly Fishing.  Excellent Natal yellowfish (aka scaly) have been reported from the upper uMngeni system.  And for the truly adventuring angler, Lesotho should be on your calling card … local lady angler, Roxanne Stegen, celebrated her birthday this week (number withheld in fear…) with a MOOSE of a smallmouth yellowfish that pulled the tape to 67cm / 26 inches – HBD2U Rox, and a HUGE Congrats on that slab yellow!

For the best in tackle and advice, pop into any of the seven Kingfisher stores, they are open 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
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.
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Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to Vinesh Soogreem – vineshs@kingfisher.co.za