The Final Countdown: Shad Championship Race Heats Up.
Rock and Surf:
There are some weeks when Mother Nature reminds us that she calls the shots, and this past week was certainly one of them. Massive winds kept angler contemplating whether to hit the rocks and beaches or not along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline. AS always along the east coast, perseverience has once again paid off and with some mammoth catches from most pelagic species.
The final countdown is on! With less than a week to go in the 2026 Foton & KingFisher Shad Fishing Competition, the big question is: who will be crowned this year’s Shad Champion? With an incredible R85,000 prize pool up for grabs, including R60,000 for first place, R15,000 for second and R10,000 for third, the competition is heating up and every catch counts. The finish line is almost here, so get ready to see who takes home the title and the R60,000 first prize!
Don’t forget, the prizegiving takes place at the Kingfisher Durban Branch on Friday 4th September at 3pm!
North Coast
The North Coast remains one of the most exciting stretches of coastline during this time of year. Baitfish movements continue to attract a variety of predators, and once conditions improve, anglers should be ready for fast-paced action. Kob, garrick, shad and rockcod are all expected to feature prominently, while a host of other game fish could make surprise appearances. Keep a close eye on changing conditions because when the water switches on, the action can happen quickly.
Central Coast
The Central Coast has been producing consistently this season, particularly from Glen Ashley through to uShaka. Shad continue to dominate catches and provide plenty of excitement, with kob and garrick waiting in the wings whenever conditions line up. Grey sharks have also been keeping anglers on their toes, adding another dimension to an already productive fishery. If the forecast delivers cleaner water this week, expect anglers to return in numbers.
South Coast
The South Coast continues to live up to its reputation as one of KwaZulu-Natal’s premier fishing destinations. Garrick remain a major attraction during the current season, while kingfish and shad offer outstanding sport along the beaches and rocky points. With the lingering effects of the Sardine Run still influencing fish movements, anglers have every reason to be optimistic that a wide variety of species will be on the bite once the sea settles. The occasional shark encounter is also never far away, adding plenty of excitement for those targeting bigger fish.
Looking Ahead
Every angler knows that patience is rewarded. This past week may have been frustrating, but it also builds anticipation for what could be an outstanding weekend ahead. Keep your tackle serviced, replace worn traces, sharpen your hooks and make sure the bait freezer is stocked. Good preparation often makes the difference when that feeding window finally opens.
Fishing isn’t measured only by the fish we land. It’s about time spent outdoors, watching the sunrise over the Indian Ocean, sharing stories with friends, and always believing that the very next cast could be the one we remember for years to come.
Let’s hope the seas settle, the water clears and the KZN coastline once again reminds us why it’s one of South Africa’s greatest saltwater fishing destinations.
Offshore:
The North Coast has continued to turn out some quality fish, despite the weather putting a few brakes on the action. Garrick and kob remain the big names, while geelbek and snoek have also made appearances whenever boats have managed to get offshore. Once again, live bait has been the weapon of choice, with healthy baitfish producing explosive strikes from hungry winter predators. The further north anglers have travelled, the more consistent the fishing appears to be, with some excellent opportunities still on the cards.
The Central Coast has had to battle its way through some seriously mixed conditions thanks to the cold front, but that hasn’t stopped anglers from putting fish on the deck. Garrick and snoek have kept the ski-boat crews busy, with both trolled lures and live bait producing results. The ever-present garfish shoals off Durban remain a serious headache, often destroying a bait before it even gets a chance to reach the intended target. But persistence pays, and the deeper reefs have continued to produce kob and geelbek, with chokka and sardine still proving their worth when anglers can get them past the garfish gauntlet.
Further south, the South Coast and Aliwal Shoal have also been dealing with the cold front, but anglers have been making the most of every weather window. Garrick remain a standout target, while tuna have been providing some seriously exciting offshore action. Deep-diving trolling lures have once again been doing the damage on tuna and have also produced a mixed bag of other gamefish, making them a must-have in any serious offshore trolling spread.
Freshwater:
News From Jan: The spell of classic KZN winter weather continues … bright blue warm days, with cool mornings and evenings. Again, the extended forecast is looking good through this week and the weekend, with a dip next week from another approaching frontal system, and perhaps even a light sprinkling to keep the dust levels down. This while the international murmurings about a forthcoming ‘Super El Nino’ heats up (pun intended), with scientists having recently recorded the highest global average sea surface temperature ever measured since daily tracking began in 1979. Higher ocean temperatures increase the chance of extreme weather events (as witnessed by the recent floods in Argentina). During El Nino, Southern Africa typically receives below-average rainfall, and in extreme cases, harsh drought. The El Nino event comes after two consecutive seasons of La Nina, and above average rainfall. As a result, South Africa could be heading towards an unusually hot and dry summer as the El Nino temperature signal continues to strengthen over the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps not good news for crop farmers, but after the heavy rains of the last two seasons that blew out many of the local rivers, an extended fishing period would be welcome.
With Opening Day on 1 September, the trout river season kicks off early next week. The recent snow and rain will have given the rivers a good flush, and here’s hoping for a great start, and opening the river brown trout account.
With the increased flows, the yellowfish have been making a showing, and some excellent fish have been reported from the Tugela system, as well the Umkomaas River. As the water warms up, the expectations are for a cracker scaly season.
With the weather settling, there has been some good fishing reported by the anglers of the Natal Fly Fishers Club. Good numbers of fish in the 11-15 inch / 28-38cm bracket, as well in the 15-19 inch / 38-48cm bracket. The fish are back on the feed, with larger patterns like Wooly Bugger and leech patterns in black and olive livery doing the business.
There have also been some good fish reported from private waters.
KZN remains an active containment zone for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), and biosecurity protocol remains a CRITICAL component for the control of the disease. A notice by ‘FMD Response South Africa’ states that “South Africa is not controlling FMD”, and that in order to control the spread of the disease, the national herd (estimated at some 14 million head) needs to be vaccinated twice a year – FMD is not controlled by vaccinating some animals some of the time, it is controlled by vaccinating enough animals, fast enough and at the same time, within tight 8-week windows, that build collective immunity before the virus has room to move.
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.
With the current cold water conditions, the bass and carp fishing continues to be on the slow, with some small fish coming to hand at both Midmar and Albert Falls Dams, while the anglers wait to the water to warm up and the spawn to kick into gear. Anglers are being warned about pollution effects at Albert Falls Dam, and not to take 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.
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Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to Vinesh Soogreem – vineshs@kingfisher.co.za
