Rock & Surf:

IT’S ON! This week’s fishing is nothing short of electric!
 
The rock and surf scratchers are on fire up and down the coast, with some epic sessions and sizzling rods bending all day long! The scratching game is delivering the goods big time — and while a few toothy nasties are still lurking, most of the bites have been pure edible gold!
 
North Coast – The north coast has been lit up with non-stop scratching action! Ledges and reef zones are pumping out a wild variety of fish — with plenty of screaming reels and heavy beatdowns. Be warned though: these fish know their turf and will shred your line in a flash if you’re not geared right. Load up on strong snoods, beefy terminal tackle, and bring your A-game. Pro tip: combo baits like chokka and sardine are doing serious damage — don’t leave home without them!
 
Central Coast – The central stretch has been a bit patchy, but when it’s firing, it’s a show! Hotspots like Glen Ashley and Ushaka have been consistently cooking with shad, kob, and stumpies in the mix. Garrick are teasing lines down south of Durban, and the grey sharks are providing proper drag-peeling fun. For the kob hunters — chokka is king, but live bait is landing the slabs.
 
South Coast – The south coast scratchers have been smashing it! Quality catches of stumpies, bream, and rockcod are coming in thick, with massive shad shaking things up too. Chat to the locals and lock in the latest hot bait tips — it’s making all the difference. Down deep, the inedibles are still holding, and grey and hound sharks are making solid appearances, especially around Margate Pier. And get this — Uvongo Pier went off this weekend with the first proper Shad smash of the season!
 
Get your gear, get hyped, and get to the water — this week is gonna be WILD!

Offshore:

If you’ve been dreaming of bent rods, screaming reels, and salt spray stinging your cheeks, now’s the time to make it happen. Offshore conditions are electric – a wild cocktail of gamefish and bottom dwellers lighting up every drift. The bite is hot, the energy’s high, and the ocean is alive.
Mornings may be getting crisp, but don’t let that fool you – the summer fish are still partying. The cooler weather hasn’t slowed the bite, and it shouldn’t slow you either. With action like this, it’s worth shaking off the duvet and chasing the thrill.

North Coast – Up north, it’s pure couta chaos. Umdloti is ground zero, with early-morning fishing ski missions producing solid fish. Small-lipped lures have been deadly, and the backline bite is all gas – especially if you’re spinning spoons right after launch. It’s an instant hit of adrenaline and the kind of action that gets the blood pumping before sunrise.

Central Coast – Durban’s been on a tear, and it’s easy to see why the charters are fully booked. The kob and geelbek bite is off the charts. Big geelbek are slamming live bait with force, while the smaller kob are a dream on light tackle. It’s fast, furious, and full of fight – exactly what anglers live for. Over at the Umgeni mouth, snoek are blowing up at first light. These fat, aggressive fish are making quick work of fillet baits – cast, strip, and smash. They’re sharp and sneaky, but if you’re quick on the trigger, you’ll land yourself some solid fish before most people have finished their coffee.

South Coast – Down south, the bottom fishing has gone full tilt. Reds, slingers, and soldiers are coming up thick, and the bite has been consistent. Heavy coolers, tired arms, and satisfied crews have been the norm. Gamefish may be playing hard to get right now – but don’t get too comfortable. That window’s going to blow wide open soon, and when it does, you’ll want to be first in.

Freshwater:

News in from Jan Korrubel, The Kingfisher in PMB “We have some fish! … that wee cold snap we had recently seems to have started things moving…
The recent frontal system which heralded the onset of winter across the country, also gave the fish a wake-up call, as there has been some action!  With the lack of any recent rains, it’s amazing at how fast water levels are dropping – the overflow on the Midmar Dam wall which was a frothy solid white, has now reduced to a transparent sheet.  With the front, overnight temperatures in The Midlands dipped into the single-figure range, but are now hovering around the low double-figure mark, so waters are not cooling quite a fast as expected … just yet.

While the lower stretches of the river might still be a tad high, the upper reaches are near sublime.  Time is fast running for the trout river season – a mere 2 weeks till closing day on Saturday 31 May – so if you still have a river fish on your agenda, call in sick or take leave… the time is NOW.

Both the Bushman’s and Mooi Rivers saw the attentions of the Natal Fishers Club anglers in the last week … and both waters showed off their brown trout jewellery.  Fish ranged from the 7-9 inch / 18-23cm class, through to 15-17 inch / 38-43cm bracket.  Pick the slower water and eddy’s for some dry fly action, while the deeper pools might require “dredging” with weighted patterns.  Water temperatures are starting to drop are a result of the colder water coming down from up high – last reported at 14.5deg.C.

The stillwaters are also starting to wake up, with some good fish being reported in the NFFC returns that slotted into the 17-19 inch / 43-48cm and 21-23 inch / 53-58cm classes.  While water temperature is still reportedly mostly around the mid double-figure mark at 16deg.C for “middle” Midlands waters, the higher level waters should be a couple of degrees cooler and clearing.  The cold snap could well have signalled the fish to switch to nuptial mode, where they might just become a little “picky” … as one of the returns noted “three fish sitting on the edge of the bank” that could not be tempted with any form of offering … frustrating sight fishing at it’s very best!  Those that were tempted to have a nibble were taken on a mix of zonker and minky-style patterns, with smaller patterns (e.g. damselfly and other nymphs) coming to the fore now.

The weekend of 3 May saw the third leg of the Joey’s Tournament Trail taking place on Albert Falls Dam.  Fishing was reportedly tough, with some 8 boats suffering the dreaded blank, but of course there were a couple of teams that had some rewarding fishing with 5 boats managing to put in a bag of 5 fish.  Congrats to team PK Builders, taking the win with a bag of 11.422 kg which included fish of 1.576 and 1.744 kg.

The stretch of calmer, more forgiving weather over the past week has lit up the yellowfish scene at Sterkfontein. With sunny skies and glassy conditions, the lake has delivered both in terms of atmosphere and action. Ideal weather paired with hungry fish has created what many would call a dream session – clear water, aggressive takes, and unforgettable days on the water.

No matter where you’re fishing, take a moment to give back. Pick up some trash, respect marine life, and leave your launch site cleaner than you found it. The ocean hands us unforgettable moments – let’s protect it in return.

Chase the bite. Embrace the chaos. Make the kind of memories you’ll tell around the braai for years.
Tight lines, screaming reels, and good vibes all the way.

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 public holidays, Saturdays and Sundays. 

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Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to Vinesh Soogreem – vineshs@kingfisher.co.za