Hold onto your rods, anglers—this week’s fishing is nothing short of CHAOS! Word’s flying through bait shops and shoreline banter: “Throw a stone and you’ll hit a fish!” Whether you’re scratching the surf or hunting trophy beasts offshore, the coast is absolutely lit right now. If you’re not in the action, you’re missing the bite of the season.
Rock & Surf:
The entire east coast is blazing hot with rod-bending action from sunrise to sunset. Rock and surf scratchers are pulling in dream hauls with back-to-back sessions that feel like a fishing festival. Transkei’s rugged edges are producing, and Kosi Bay? Let’s just say the locals are SMILING.
Epic conditions, perfect tides, and a wild mix of species have turned the coastline into a battleground of bent rods and screaming drags. This isn’t just a good week—it’s one for the history books.
North Coast – It’s an all-out feeding frenzy up north! Reef zones and rocky ledges are lit with fish smashing bait like they haven’t eaten in weeks. Reels are melting, snoods are snapping, and anglers are scrambling to keep up. These fish fight dirty—if your tackle isn’t up to scratch, you’ll be reefed and regretting it.
What’s Hot:
Combo baits like chokka and sardine are producing fireworks.
Heavy terminal gear is a must.
Strong snoods and braided mainlines are saving dreams from disaster.
Don’t underestimate this coast—it’s a test of tackle and tenacity.
Central Coast – is keeping anglers on their toes with some epic highs. Glen Ashley and uShaka have turned into fishing hot zones, producing a buffet of brag-worthy species such as kingfish, Garrick, massive pompano, wave garrick, shad and kob.
The grey sharks are thick and rowdy, peeling drag and testing knots all day. For the kob crew, chokka is the reigning champ, but live bait is slamming true slabs if you can find it. This zone is unpredictable, but when it goes off—it goes OFF.
South Coast – it’s mayhem in the best way possible. Scratchers and big bait hunters alike are stacking quality fish like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of tight lines.
Rolling in Heavy are stumpies the size of dinner plates, bream and rockcod thick in the mix, monster shad causing chaos, grey and hound sharks smashing baits deep GARRICK off Margate Pier — no joke, it’s game on!
Local intel is key—chat to the regulars and dial in those bait choices. The difference between a good day and a record-breaking one? The right bait at the right moment.
If you’ve been waiting for a sign—THIS IS YOUR NEON FLASHING BILLBOARD. The ocean is alive, the fish are chewing, and the bite window is wide open. This is the week you’ll be talking about for years. Don’t sleep on it.
Grab your gear. Bring the fire. And get to the water. Because this week?
Offshore:
If bent rods, drag-peeling runs, and salty air in your face get your heart racing — strap in. The offshore scene is lit right now. It’s a full-throttle frenzy out there: gamefish are smashing bait, bottom dwellers are stacked, and every drop feels like a ticking time bomb.
The bite is savage. The stoke is real. The ocean’s in beast mode.
Don’t let the chilly starts fool you — the summer fish haven’t checked out. They’re still on the chew, and the action’s too hot to miss. The cooler temps might tempt you to stay tucked in, but trust us — this bite’s worth every early alarm and frosty breath. Shake off the duvet, grab your gear, and chase the thrill while it’s firing!
This past weekend saw over 190 anglers clash in the UKFC Festival — and they did not hold back. We’re talking heaps of couta stacked high and reels burning non-stop. Massive congrats to Joss Morgan, who won the comp on just his third-ever launch. That’s not luck — that’s pure, unfiltered chaos turned skill.
Umdloti is a war zone of couta. Fishing ski missions at first light are producing straight-up carnage. Small-lipped lures are murdering it, and the backline bite? It’s like tossing dynamite in the drink. Drop a spoon right after launch and hold on — you’re in for a heart-pounding brawl before the sun even breaks the horizon.
Durban is on fire. Charter boats? Fully booked for good reason. Couta are slamming baits, and the geelbek are hitting like freight trains. Big ones are wrecking live bait, and the smaller kob? An absolute party on light gear. It’s fast. It’s violent. It’s everything you dream about when the itch to fish hits hard. Bottom fishing? Don’t even ask — it’s been nonstop bend andstretch all day long.
Over at Umgeni, the snoek are on a rampage at dawn. These bruisers are exploding on fillet baits — no mercy, no warning. Cast. Strip. SMASH. It’s lightning-fast action that’ll have your heart racing before your second cast. If you’re not locked and loaded by first light, you’re late to the party.
Bottom fishing down south is off its rocker. Reds, slingers, soldiers — coming up in waves. Coolers are bursting, arms are wrecked, and smiles are permanent. The gamefish might be laying low (for now), but that silence won’t last. When that switch flips, you’ll want to be the first boat in the zone — because it’s going to erupt.
Freshwater:
News in from Jan Korrubel, The Kingfisher in PMB The “winter” fishing seems to be taking off – finally! … I can hear y’all say. I say “winter”, because it is still unseasonally warm … although in penning this, I am keeping a wary eye on the forecast because from previous experience, as soon as I put my foot out, I tend to trip over it! … so we wait with baited breath to see what the Weather Gods bring to the table over the next week. But that being said, the main thing note is that there are fish to be, and while not quite off to the races with a roaring start, the fish do appear to be on the move…
Water levels are dropping fast – the flow over the Midmar Dam wall will certainly come to a grinding halt this week, and in the same breath, (most) river levels have dropped to fishable conditions. With the warmer spell experienced over the last week or so, water temperatures haven’t dropped quite a fast as we would like … stillwater temperatures are hovering around the mid-teens, with river temperatures a couple of degrees cooler as the water comes down from on high … and if the forecast is to be believed, they will drop some more shortly as there is mention of snow for Lesotho.
Fast being labelled as “The Season that wasn’t”, but with a week to go before the official closure of the trout river season, judging by the number of returns, the Natal Fly Fishers Club anglers have certainly been out and about, so definitely time to get out there! There have been some good fish reported in the 7-11 inch / 18-28cm bracket from The Mooi and Bushman’s Rivers, and from other reports, the Umngeni River showed off some of its residents in the 16-18 inch / 40-45cm class … the combination of dry and dropper accounting for fish. Of interest is that fish were noted to be sitting in the shallow riffles … no doubt an indication that the spawn is underway.
A mixed bag (pun intended) in the returns from the NFFC stillwater anglers – some (weather-related) blank returns in among those that reported fish. As mentioned, water temperatures not quite cold enough yet to kick the fish into high gear, but hopefully that will change shortly as we dive deeper into winter.
This past weekend saw the first leg of the TOPS Corporate Challenge taking place on the waters around Nottingham Road. Some 60 anglers battled it out to be among the top 5 teams to go through to The Finals at the end of July. The fish were described as “reluctant”, with those anglers blanking sessions being prescribed a bight orange hat with “The Blob” emblazoned front and center! Over 300 fish came to the measuring tape, the top angler managing to account for an impressive 20 fish! The biggest fish of the event taped out at 58cm / 23 inches. Congrats to all the anglers. We look forward to reporting on Leg 2 shortly.With the fishing at Albert Falls Dam being described as “very tough”, the bass anglers are not having an easy time of late. However, reports indicate that fish are starting to feed up for winter now … there was mention of a 10kg bag just recently. Midmar Dam on the other hand, is still reportedly fishing well. Aside from bog-standard worm lures, suggested (pre)winter rigs include jig, drop shot, lipless and crankbaits. As water temperature drops, Top Tip is to slow the retrieve … sometimes almost static, but just barely moving over the bottom to elicit a bite.
Albert Falls plays host to a PMB Bassmasters “Tripe Skins Bass Challenge”: this weekend … Tight Lines to all anglers, we look forward to reporting next week.
On the yellowfish front, recent reports have it that the winter scaly anglers are polishing their gear – fishing might be slower, but the rewards are bigger fish!
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.
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@davidgWith the fishing at Albert Falls Dam being described as “very tough”, the bass anglers are not having an easy time of late. However, reports indicate that fish are starting to feed up for winter now … there was mention of a 10kg bag just recently. Midmar Dam on the other hand, is still reportedly fishing well. Aside from bog-standard worm lures, suggested (pre)winter rigs include jig, drop shot, lipless and crankbaits. As water temperature drops, Top Tip is to slow the retrieve … sometimes almost static, but just barely moving over the bottom to elicit a bite.
Albert Falls plays host to a PMB Bassmasters “Tripe Skins Bass Challenge”: this weekend … Tight Lines to all anglers, we look forward to reporting next week.
On the yellowfish front, recent reports have it that the winter scaly anglers are polishing their gear – fishing might be slower, but the rewards are bigger fish!
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.
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
