FISHING CHAOS ERUPTS AS THE COAST COMES ALIVE!
 
The coast has gone absolutely feral over the past week.
Not “quietly improving.” Not “showing signs.” Properly exploding.
 
Rock and Surf:
 
For anglers dialled into the water, the message is screaming loud and clear: winter has kicked the front door off its hinges. The shad have arrived in force, and they are not playing games. These fish are virtually rolling onto the beaches, smashing bait, blitzing the backline, and turning quiet sessions into full-blown chaos. Rods bending, drags singing, birds diving, anglers sprinting down the sand with traces flying everywhere… it’s that kind of energy right now.
 
And while the shad are stealing headlines like silver hooligans in the surf, there’s another name starting to creep into conversations more and more… Garrick. 👀
Not thick in numbers yet, not full mayhem, but definitely becoming a factor. Here one day, there the next. A swirl behind the baitfish. A smash on a spoon. A clean pickup in the gutter. Enough to get hearts racing and anglers watching every nervous patch of water with serious focus.
 
Rock and surf anglers who’ve been putting in the homework are cashing in hard right now. Reading the water properly, understanding the banks, working tides instead of fighting them… it’s making all the difference. The fish are feeding with intent. Rockcod are climbing all over baits with aggression, kob are ghosting through the gullies after dark, bronze bream are parked deep in the white water, and the shad… the shad are everywhere you want them to be.
 
This seasonal shift hasn’t crept in quietly either. It’s hit with authority. You can feel it in the mornings, see it in the colour of the water, and most importantly, watch it in the behaviour of the fish. Everything has switched into feeding mode. Faster. Harder. More deliberate. This is the kind of window anglers wait months for.
 
Further north, the action keeps stacking up. Kingfish are charging through consistently, mixed bags are becoming common, and surprise catches are keeping anglers guessing every session. The guys finding fish aren’t lucky. They’ve walked the ledges at low tide, mapped structure properly, and waited for the right conditions to line up before striking. That groundwork is paying off in a big way.
 
The central coastline has been slightly patchy at times with some dirty water moving through, but even that hasn’t killed the vibe. There are still quality fish around for anglers willing to grind it out. Shad are still active, stumpnose and grunter are holding in good areas, and the odd grey shark is throwing absolute curveballs into sessions.
 
Down south, things have sharpened up beautifully. Uvongo Pier has been electric, producing some proper GT action on both live bait and artificials. Grey sharks are in full demolition mode, eating almost anything that lands in the strike zone. The rock fishing has also been next level, especially for anglers fishing prawn and chokka combinations, while red prawn has been an absolute cheat code under current conditions.
 
Looking ahead, this coastline feels primed. If the pattern holds, and right now all signs say it will, we’re heading into one of those special stretches where every session feels loaded with possibility. Fish are active, bait is moving, predators are hunting, and the beaches are alive with energy.
 
The shad are here. The Garrick are sniffing around. And the coast is absolutely cooking.
 
Offshore:
 
Winter fishing has picked up nicely, with geelbek and daga salmon already making a strong showing. Anglers are hitting their quotas in short sessions, with catches dominating reports and lighting up social media — backed by a solid mix of quality bottom species. Success has come down to keeping it simple: finding the right marks and fishing them properly.
 
The North Coast continues to stand out, with consistent snoek catches and bigger fish coming from deeper water for those willing to make the run. Add in couta, tuna, and the odd dorado along the colour lines, and there’s plenty to keep things exciting. Durban is still producing steady action too, with snoek remaining reliable and patient anglers being rewarded with decent bottom fish.
 
Further down the coast, conditions have been a bit tougher, requiring more preparation and careful planning. That said, those who chose their weather windows well have still managed to put together solid catches.
 
Looking ahead, things are shaping up nicely. The seasonal transition is becoming more noticeable, and while the weather may still throw a few surprises, the overall trend is positive — the fishing is steadily improving rather than peaking and fading.
 
For those willing to put in the time and adapt, there’s plenty to look forward to out there.
 
Freshwater:
 
News from Jan: The current period of wonderfully autumnal weather (finally!), along with a stable pressure, had anglers in a froth to take advantage of the conditions!  Morning temperatures are dipping into the single figure mark, and there has been some light frosts as a result, sending water temperatures plummeting from the previous mid to late ‘teens, to early double figures this past weekend.  The stillwater trout, who have been lethargic to date, suddenly find themselves in high gear, smashing anything that could be considered edible … and it seemed the bigger the better.  With some excellent fish coming to hand, the winter stillwater season is off to a running start…
 
Just a week to go to the closure of the trout river season at the end of the month.  With some returns noting a distinct lack of fish, and others chalking in just a couple of fish at the lower end of the tape measure, it seems that the river anglers of the Natal Fly Fishers Club might have left it a little late.  Water temperature was reported at a chilly 12deg.C on the Bushman’s River (no doubt from the recent snow melt), and in all probability, the fish may very well be done with their nuptials and are now in over-wintering slumber mode.  But it ain’t over till it’s over, so if your check box for a wild spawn river brownie is still empty, there is still a week…
 
At a touch warmer than The Bushman’s River, The Umkomaas River gave up a few of its yellowfish / scaly residents this past weekend.  Small, weighted nymphs (e.g. Perdigon and Frenchie) took fish ranging from 9-11 inches / 23-28cm up to 15-17 inches / 38-43cm.
 
This weekend saw The Midlands winter stillwater season kick off in fine style with the Hastings Exclusive and Leg 1 of the TOPS Corporate Challenge.  Excellent fish were reported from both events, with good numbers in the 50-60 cm / 19-23 inch bracket.  The winning fish taping in at 60cm and 61cm at the Hastings and TCC respectively.  Top flies were minnow, dragonfly and bugger patterns, with some interest in attractors starting to show as the water temperatures drops.  These will become more effective when the fish start patrolling the shallows in “spawn” mode.  The stillwater fishing has also picked up dramatically further afield, up and towards The ‘Berg.
 
June is a busy month for the trout stillwaters, with The Kamberg Trout Festival, Leg 2 of the TCC, and The Boston Fly Fishing Festival occupying the first three weekends of the month.
 
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) continues to be a cause for alarm in The Midlands KZN … biosecurity remains a critical component of FMD control.  With the upcoming stillwater fishing events confirmed, all anglers are advised to take heed of biosecurity measures which will be in place at the Festivals and events, to heed the 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. 
 
Very little news coming out from the bass fraternity, apart from the fact that this fishing has slowed considerably, but there are still some bass coming out here and there from both Albert Falls and Midmar Dams.  On the other freshwater species, there are carp being reported.
 
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. 
 
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Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to Vinesh Soogreem – vineshs@kingfisher.co.za