BITE MODE: ACTIVATED – SUMMER FISHING FEVER HITS THE COAST!”
The KingFisher’s Scratch & Win Event is officially up and running, and anglers across KwaZulu-Natal are already diving into the action. Running throughout October across all seven KingFisher stores and online, this month-long promotion is reeling in excitement with over R500,000 worth of discounts and giveaways up for grabs.

Adding to the buzz, seven Golden Tickets are hidden among the prizes, each giving one lucky angler the ultimate reward — their entire purchase absolutely free.
Getting involved is simple: spend R300, collect a Scratch & Win ticket, and you’re guaranteed a prize. With every ticket winning something, and Golden Tickets waiting to be discovered, October at The KingFisher is shaping up to be a month of unbeatable value and fishing fever.

THE COAST IS ALIVE — SUMMER FISHING IS ON FIRE!
It’s happening — the salt is flying, the surf’s humming, and the summer bite is absolutely lit! The fish are on the chew, the weather’s stabilizing, and those sunrise-to-sunset sessions are back in play. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to grab the rods and hit the coast — this is it. Let’s go!

NORTH COAST – CHASE, CAST, CONQUER!
The North is pumping with energy and alive with action! The fish are there — but you’ve gotta hunt them. Stay mobile, stay hungry, and work those tides. Bloody, fleshy baits are the deal right now, with diamonds rewarding the grinders putting in the effort.
Off the points? Absolute madness. Sandies and honeycombs are putting on a show while the greys are peeling line off anything that floats. Oh — and it’s time to go edible! Sealice, prawn, and chokka are turning quiet corners into chaos. Get scratching and get fed!

CENTRAL COAST – NONSTOP BEND FEST!
The Central stretch is alive and kicking! The Basin is producing some serious fun — a perfect mashup of edibles and power pulls before the last blow. Blue rays are on a tear — smaller, yes, but feisty as ever and perfect for those light-tackle battles.
Redeye sard and mackerel are the hot baits right now — load up, cast far, and hang on. This is what summer fishing’s all about: sweat, salt, and screaming drags.

SOUTH COAST – LIVIES = LEGENDS!.
Watch those edges — current lines, rocky breaks, colour changes — that’s where the monsters lurk. Drop your bait in the danger zone and brace for impact.
Rock runners, you’re not left out! Pink prawn and chokka are nailing fish right now. Stay patient, stay sharp, and the ocean will reward you big time.

WEEKEND VERDICT: FULL SEND!
The wind’s chilled, the sea’s settling, and the fish are on fire from North to South.

Offshore:

It’s been a windy week out there — plenty of swell, whitecaps, and testing conditions. But for those who pushed through, the effort has definitely paid off. The offshore bite remains solid, even with the cooler weather trying to slow things down.

North Coast: The action has been steady, with couta, dorado, tuna, and sailfish all showing up. Live bait continues to produce the best results, though well-presented lures are still turning heads when bait is hard to find. Cape Vidal has been a standout, with some great catches and happy anglers lighting up social media.

Central KZN Coast: The boat crews have been busy, landing both bottom fish and gamefish. Tuna and couta are feeding well on a mix of trolled lures, poppers, and live bait. If you haven’t tried using quick-change clips, they’re a great way to stay efficient — allowing you to switch between traces, lures, and bait quickly when the bite is on.

Down South: The shallows have been productive, with couta and snoek taking fresh fillet baits. Bigger live baits are doing well on the couta, and there have been some quality rockcod coming from deeper reefs. The geelbek and daga bite has also been consistent, keeping both commercial and charter crews busy.
It’s been a challenging week on the water, but the rewards have made it worthwhile. When the next weather window opens, make sure your gear is ready, your traces are prepped, and your bait boxes are stocked. The moment the sea settles, it’s game on again.

Freshwater:

News from Jan: With another wet spell over the course of last week and weekend, summer seems to be finding its feet in The Midlands.  The forecast for the week ahead looks all clear however, ‘till later in the weekend that is, so if a gap in the schedule presents itself, duck out and grab it while the sun is out and the going is good. 
The upside of the recent rainfall is, of course, the rain to feed the rivers … the downside is that it keeps most anglers indoors, with only the (fool)hardy and brave venturing out.  As the saying goes : “There’s always one…”, and one there was in the Natal Fly Fishers Club river anglers, who had the following to say about his venture out onto one of the Mooi River beats : “Misty conditions on arrival, water discoloured with winds of 18-20 knots … a great day of hiking with some fishing thrown in … thoroughly enjoyable!”
The uMgeni River is reportedly “full and filthy”, and while the middle and lower beats on the rivers may show the effects of the rains quickly, if it’s cleaner water you are after (and who isn’t?), head on upstream to the higher beats.  Last reports from the upper Mooi and Bushman’s Rivers were that they were running crystal in the upper reaches.

The NFFC Black Wattle clearing project, in conjunction with Upland River Conservation, is progressing well in clearing invasive stands on the banks of The Mooi River.
As with the river anglers, only a single return from the NFFC stillwater anglers, but faring somewhat better in the fish department, reporting a cracking brown trout in the 19-21 inch / 48-53cm class.  Generally considered to be more reclusive, and selective eaters, stillwater browns are considered to be a more challenging catch, with a harder, “finesse” fight, often staying deep, compared to rainbows which are considered to be easier and known for aggressive, acrobatic fights. 

Based at the Hopewell Dam Clubhouse in the Swartberg, this last weekend saw the popular annual Swartberg Stocktheft Prevention Festival taking place on a number of stillwaters in the area.  The Swartberg waters are home to some of South Africa’s biggest trout, with this year’s Festival reporting a number of fish over the 60cm / 23.5 inch mark – the biggest being 65 and 67cm / 25.5 and 26.4 inches respectively.
This past weekend also saw the South African Fly Fishing Association (SAFFA) Ladies National Championships, hosted by Western Province on the Cape streams and their premier stillwater, Lakensvlei – local lady angler Bridgette Moores-Pitt comfortably easing into a Top 10 slot, taking 7^th place against competition from around the country, on foreign waters to boot – Congrats Bridgette!

KZN remains the epicentre for infection of Foot and Mouth Disease in South Africa, with 180 outbreaks reported to date.  To assist landowners in protecting their stocks, the NFFC has closed a number of its waters at their request, while they monitor the outbreak(s).  The NFFC requests all anglers to please follow any landowner or staff requests to respect their vehicle / footwear sterilization protocols as required.
Livescope notwithstanding, bass continue to swim below the radar (pun intended).  The discussion around the “green water” of Albert Falls continues, while Midmar continues to fish well. 
There have been some sightings of carp on the surface at Albert Falls, and apart that carp and barbel are spawning at Albert Falls (Red Breast Tilapia should be about to start), no other news on the other aspects of freshwater angling.

Xplorer Fly Fishing will be hosting an “Umngeni Day” 25-26 October, on the section flowing through the Hilton College Reserve, to celebrate the launch of the KZN Yellowfish Project in partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal.  Contact Jan at Kingfisher-PMB for info on this event.
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.
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