Garrick Blitz Across KZN
 
The coastline is alive with Garrick from the far North Coast right down to the South Coast, but one question remains… where have those elusive silver sardine shoals disappeared to? Even though the Sardine Run hasn’t delivered the massive bait balls everyone has been waiting for, the incredible fishing has more than made up for it, with screaming reels and nonstop action keeping anglers on their toes.

Rock & Surf:
 
North Coast
 
The North Coast is absolutely thriving. Scattered bait activity has triggered intense feeding action close to shore, with anglers enjoying excellent catches of kob, Garrick, stumpnose, rockcod, and a host of other predators taking advantage of the baitfish.
 
Every outing carries the promise of something memorable. If you’re making your way to the North Coast, stay alert because the action can ignite without warning.
 
Central Coast
 
The Central Coast has been producing consistently from Glen Ashley through to uShaka. Garrick continue to dominate catches, while kob, shad, and grey sharks are also keeping anglers busy with steady action and plenty of bent rods.
 
South Coast
 
Further south, the fishing remains just as exciting. Garrick are still leading the charge, with kingfish, shad, and the occasional shark adding plenty of variety as the influence of the Sardine Run continues to spread along the coastline.
 
With conditions changing rapidly during the run, being prepared to move and following the latest local reports can make all the difference. A stretch of beach that seems lifeless one moment can explode into a feeding frenzy the next.
 
Time to Hit the Water!
 
As the school holidays draw to a close, there’s still time to make the most of the incredible fishing on offer. While the 2026 Sardine Run continues to keep the KwaZulu-Natal coastline buzzing, families, holidaymakers, seasoned anglers, and first-timers still have the opportunity to experience the unforgettable atmosphere and world-class fishing before the holidays come to an end.
 
Offshore:
 
The North Coast continues to deliver consistent action, with Garrick, couta, and snoek featuring prominently in catches. Live bait remains the top-performing method, and a healthy, naturally presented baitfish is still proving irresistible to these hard-hitting predators. Reports suggest that the further north you travel, the more productive the fishing has been.
 
Along the Central Coast, Garrick and snoek have also kept anglers entertained. Fast-trolled lures have produced regular strikes, while those targeting bigger fish have enjoyed success by adopting a slower approach, drifting over bait marks with live bait. Patience has certainly paid off with some impressive catches. The biggest obstacle at the moment is not the sea state, but the massive numbers of garfish throughout Durban’s waters. Numerous reports describe them in their millions, making it extremely difficult for baits to reach their intended target. Bottom fishing has remained worthwhile, with kob and geelbek appearing regularly. Chokka and sardine continue to be reliable baits over the reefs, provided they can make it past the persistent garfish.
 
Further south, the deeper reefs and Aliwal Shoal have remained the main areas of interest. Garrick has certainly been the species of the week, while tuna have continued to provide exciting action offshore. Fast-diving trolling lures have accounted for the majority of these catches and have also attracted a variety of other gamefish, making them an essential part of any offshore trolling spread.
 
With the school holidays drawing to a close and a few promising weather windows on the horizon, there should be some excellent opportunities to get out on the water. As always, keep a close eye on the weather forecast, as winter conditions can change rapidly, and never compromise on safety.
 
Freshwater:
 
News from Jan : With the current spell of back-to-balmy weather, we really seem to be on a weather Merry-Go-Round!  Even the pressure is pretty stable, so one would hope that the fish are also enjoying the calm before (the possibility of) the next storm.  Early morning temperatures are back up a couple of degrees, out of the frost zone (caveat : location dependent) into the low single figures, with clear blue skies and midday temperatures in the mid- to high teens for the foreseeable forecast … time to make hay while the sun shines … this is winter in The Midlands.
 
The rivers, while currently closed for trout, are still open for other species, the most notable one being yellowfish aka scaly.  There has been some excellent fish reported from the Natal Fly Fishers Club beat(s) on the Umkomaas River, as well as further afield from the Tugela system.  Weighted nymphs being the order of the day, in the form of Pheasant Tail Nymph (PTN) in standard and Hot Spot livery, as well as the Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear (GRHE) nymph.  Pink bead nymphs are also proving to be popular with the scalies.
 
The Natal Fly Fishers Club is currently experiencing an outage on their website, so the process of online bookings and returns has been impacted … please contact the Secretary or Chairman directly to assist with logging a booking manually in the meantime.
 
From returns prior to the outage, there have been some lively fish coming to hand in the 13-15 inch / 33-38cm bracket … lively no doubt due to the water being described as “whiskey cold”!  A bloodworm suspended under a dry fly, presented to fish cruising the banks is doing the business.
 
This weekend sees Leg3 of the TOPS Corporate Challenge taking place on the waters in and around Nottingham Road – we look forward to reporting on what the anglers brought to the net next week.
 
Biosecurity protocol remains a CRITICAL component for the control of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).  All anglers (and visitors) traversing The Greater Midlands are advised to take heed of biosecurity measures, and to heed all biosecurity notices / signage around The Midlands, and to please comply with any movement regulations, and assist where possible with hygiene and risk-reduction measures to safeguard local livestock. 
 
The 24hr biosecurity spray stations on the Kamberg Road at the Connington Road junction, and at the beginning of the amaHlubi Tribal area on the way up to Giant’s Castle are required stops for all travelers going up and down the valley.
 
While water quality issues at Albert Falls Dam continues to fall under the spotlight with a “Saving Albert Falls” campaign, the bass fishing remains on the low down in The Midlands, with very little news coming from both Midmar and Albert Falls.  Inanda Dam continues to provide some solid fish. 
 
For the best in tackle and advice, pop into any of the eight Kingfisher stores, they are open 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm on public holidays, Saturdays and Sundays. 
 
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/
 
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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.
 
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Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to Vinesh Soogreem – vineshs@kingfisher.co.za