We have less than 90 days until Christmas… This year is running away like an angry blackfin shark. The cold weather of the past week has made for less fishing but still some good reports have come in.
Top tip: Clothes: Layering. With the cold mornings we have seen in the last week, this is something you have to seriously take into consideration. Speak to your significant other if you want more specific details, but the key to being ready for a long fishing day in winter is a good number of layers. This means you will be comfortable all day long. The warmer jackets and longs can be taken off if the sun gets too hot and can be put back on later when the evening draws near.
Offshore:
The bigger seas and heavy winds have made fishing on the boats a little unpleasant, but the bumpy trips have been worth it.
North – The north coast has seen some good snoek and couta for the smaller boats and skis. The deeper reefs and wrecks have seen some very good bottom fishing with big trawl soldiers and a host of other species being caught. Squid and sardines have been the baits of choice for the deeper fishing.
The tuna have been full up with some giants being hooked and breaking tackle. These are very powerful fish so allow them to fire themselves out before you try horse them to the boat. The dorado have also been making their presence known. The sizes have been a bit small, but the big boys are mixed in with the hordes.
Central – The central coast has seen a great flush of geelbek and daga in the last two weeks. The charters have been fully booked and the recreational anglers have been launching at every opportunity. 8-9ft rods, 80lb+ braid and a 9inch KP are the weapons of choice for this type of fishing.
There have been snoek around in the early mornings. Most of the fish have been taken while trolling fillets around South Pier and Blue Lagoon. There have been plenty of wolf herring and shad around so check your fillets regularly. The dorries are also in good numbers along the central coast. For those looking for the billfish, remember that a small dorrie is a deadly bait to troll live or as a skip bait.
South – The south coast catches have been focussed around the deeper marks along with Aliwal Shoal. There have been some big wahoo around that few have managed to land. The tuna have been great fun on the faster lipped lures and these have been working for the other species too.
This time of year, is fantastic on the boat if you get the weather right, so keep your eye on the weather apps and plan accordingly.
Rock and Surf:
The rock and surf anglers have been battling the cold in the early mornings. The rewards of fighting the cold have been some decent inedibles and edibles.
North – The rain has made for some colour lines around the river mouths. These conditions are brilliant for catching snapper salmon and kob.
Paddletails and chokka baits are the way to go for both of these species. The Umkomaas river mouth is looking particularly deadly after the recent rains.
There have been some early summer fish around so be prepared for some drag screaming! Bloody baits produce enough scent to get the fish’s attention. There have been raggies, blackfin and plenty of flatfish to be caught.
Central – The beaches in and around Durban have seen some decent fishing this past week. The basin area is still producing good numbers of inedibles. The cape stumpies (silvers) have been keeping the light tackle guys very happy with hours of fun to be had. There have been some beautiful edibles taken on live bait this past week and a scroll of social media will get you drooling very fast. Most of these fish caught have been a result of hours of perseverance, so stick it out.
South – Much like the central coast, there have been garrick at all the major spots along the south coast. This is great news! Remember that these fish get hammered every year by guys keeping too many fish, so please release as much as possible.
Garrick are best targeted with a live bait fished close to the shore.
Live bait type is not the most important part, but location is. Try the new Pelagic Live Bait Clip that everyone is talking about or use a circle hook through the top lip of the baitfish or bridled through the eyes and you will quickly see more solid hookups. 6/0 Mustad tuna circle is the hook of choice.
Freshwater:
The bass have been making their presence well known with some absolute beasts making their debut on social media sites, albeit looking a bit sheepish.
The recent snows are going to make conditions a bit tricky in the higher altitude areas.
Bass – The bass fishing has been great in all the dams and smaller venues around KZN.
Midmar and Nagle have been producing some fantastic bass fishing with those putting in the time on these venues bringing home full live wells. Spinnerbaits have been the best reported searching bait. In clean water, use the standard willow blades in silver with a white or chartreuse/white skirt. In the dirtier water, change the blades for Colorado blades in gold or orange with a chartreuse skirt. These little changes can make all the difference.
The guys fishing slower have done very well with frogs in the shallow back pockets. These are cast into the thickest structure using heavy braid. Otherwise, pitching jigs through the heavy cover has seen some big bites this past week.
Carp – The carp fishing has been steady in the past few weeks. The specimen angling is starting to pick up with more fish being landed this past week. The fronts have helped to drop the water temps and make the carp a bit more aggressive. Particles have done very well this past week with some quality fish coming to the net.
The conventional anglers have done well with smaller fish. Plenty of fish have been caught with very few going over the 5kg mark. The best reported baits have been strong, fruity mielie pips. Almond and banana have been the most productive of the flavours.
Trout – The snowmelt is going to blow the rivers out. The influx of the cold water and the increase in the water level is going to slow the fishing for the next few weeks. Hopefully it does not last too long, and we can get back to catching some beautiful trout or some local scalies.
The Stillwater fishing has been fairly good over the past week. The snow and rapid drop in temperature did slow down the bite in most waters but some decent fish were caught.
Please remember to leave the areas that you fish in a better condition than when you got there. Take a few moments to pick up some litter and take it to the nearest bin. Tight lines and screaming reels.
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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. https://www.ecr.co.za/podcasts/ansa/
Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to mike.pereira@kingfisher.co.za