Voting day has come and gone, now we just wait for the results. Fishing has been solid this week with plenty of good fish being caught.
Top tip: Floatation. Floats and foam can be the difference between catching and holding pole. Adding floatation to your bait can do many things to the presentation. Coloured floats can add that bit of attraction that the fish need to find the bait in turbulent water. Low-density foam adds body without adding too much lift which is great for flatfish baits. High-density foam adds plenty of buoyancy as well as amplification for rattles in the bait. This has made kob fishing much easier. Foam can also have a glow in the dark additive which makes it important for nighttime fishing. When the fishing is quiet or you are struggling for a bite while others are catching, add some foam and see if the added body/movement doesn’t bring you some luck.
Offshore:
The offshore fishing continues on a high in spite of the cooler weather.
North – The north coast has seen the bulk of the gamefish action. There have been some very good catches of couta, dorado, tuna and sailfish to name the top four. Live bait has been (and always will be) king. All of the species will rarely turn down a well-presented and lively baitfish trolled behind a boat or ski. When bait is scarce then lures will still produce good results.
Vidal has been the place to be with social media full of amazing catches from there.
Central – The central coast has seen much the same as the north. The tuna have been the most consistent of the target species with most trips seeing a few hooked. Trolling lures at speed has been the most productive way to cover water but slowly drifting around the bait spots with a live bait out is the best way to target the bigger fish.
The central coast has also seen a lot of bottom fishing with kob and geelbek being the main species. Chokka and sardine have been the pick of the baits.
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:
Summer may be behind us but there are still a good mix of inedibles around for those looking for a stronger pull.
North – The north coast has seen some good flatfish and edibles brought to the side. Those looking for a big edible will do well targeting the bigger kingfish around. There have been some big blacktip kingies around the rockier areas of the north coast. These have been hooked on both live bait and lures, but few have been landed. The big gts have been pushed out with the dirtier water. These fish hang around the river mouths around this time of year and can be very aggressive.
The bigger inedibles have been around most of the north coast with a couple days of northeast wind bringing them on the bite.
Central – The central coast has shown off this past week with some amazing fish. There have been plenty of inedibles. There have still been good numbers of grey sharks and sandies for those wanting some stronger fights. Red eye sardines and mackerel have been deadly baits. Remember around the river mouths that mullet is a very good choice around here. The grey sharks can very rarely say no to a floated mullet and chokka bait.
South – The south coast has seen some kingfish caught by the guys spinning. The stretch from Illovo through to Umkomaas has been the most productive. Throwing smaller spoons and jigs has worked for the smaller species while plugs and stickbaits is the way to go for the gts.
The deeper points have produced good inedibles for the guys able to get a bait in to the deeper water. Much like the north coast, mackerel and redeye are the two baits that you have to have. Making a combo with these two baits is a personal favourite and has accounted for many species along most of the coast.
Freshwater:
The trout are feeding well, keeping the midlands anglers happy. The bass are fussy but are there to be caught. The carp are waiting for you to send a mielie bomb their way.
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 anglers who prefer the specimen fishing are getting more excited as we move into the colder months. Cold weather slows down the smaller fish and gives the big boys/girls time to get to the bait. Switching to your bigger boilies as baits will help you to target those big fish. The stronger scents like garlic will allow you to keep the area you are baiting to stay attractive for much longer.
The standard/conventional anglers have been having good results in the smaller dams with good numbers of fish.
Trout – The wielders of the long rod have reported some amazing trout fishing in the last week. The spawning is in full swing in most of the venues reported. Look for fish in the shallows and remember to be stealthy as they will spook very easily. subtle presentations, egg patterns and camouflage are your friends.
News in from Jan Korrubel, The Kingfisher in PMB. “While nighttime temperatures are starting to cool nicely, the daytime weather is still unseasonably warm … not entirely a bad thing as it makes for a great day out not having to be all bundled up. There are fish to be had, so now is the time to get out and about … just in case that REAL winter cold is around the corner.
With the river trout season closing this week, the fishing is slowing down, with mainly smaller specimens being reported by the anglers of the Natal Fly Fishers Club. The Mooi River beats provided the fish, all in the 7-9 inch / 18-23cm bracket. Water was reported to be low and crystal clear, necessitating some stalking as the fish were easily spooked. A dry-dropper rig did the business.
The NFFC beats on the Bushman’s River also provided a good range of fish from 7-9 inch / 18-23cm though to 11-13 inch / 28-33cm class.
Of interest was a report received earlier in the week from the NFFC beat on the Umkomaas River – scaly’s are still about! Water conditions reported to be very clear, with a good slow flow. A good number of were reported, ranging across 5-7 inch / 13-18cm through to 9-11 inch / 23-28 cm classes. As the water cools further, the scaly will taper off, although reports from previous have indicated some excellent winter fish from the Tugela – numbers are down, but better size fish. Worth looking into if scaly are your passion.
With the “winter” stillwater season kicking into high gear, it’s not unexpected that the stillwaters have received most of the attention of the NFFC anglers of late. Water temperature was reported at 16deg.C in one of the returns – so it would appear that the cooler nights are having an effect. Fish reported in the returns fell primarily into the 13-15 inch / 33-38cm and 15-17 inch / 38-43 cm classes, with a couple fish also 17-19 inch / 43-48cm bracket. Olive patterns are still very much on the menu – most popular being dragon and damselfly nymphs, and of course the ever-popular woolly bugger (and also in black livery)
On the event front : Last weekend saw the Hastings Exclusive taking place on the stillwaters of the upper Dargle. No firm results have been seen / received as yet, but word is that the fishing was good. This weekend see’s Leg 2 of the TOPS Corporate Challenge taking place on the waters around Nottingham Road – keep an ear open, we look forward to reporting next week. The Kamberg Trout Festival and the Boston Fly Fishing Festival follows shortly, taking place over the second and third weekends in June.
There are mixed reports from the bass anglers … some say lots of little fish around, while there are also reports of good fish around. Local angler Don Murugan found himself on the good fish side of the scale, reporting a solid Albert Falls bucket mouth and citing “one of my best seasons of fishing” – congrats Don. No direct reports from Midmar, but word from the water is that fishing is steady and producing.” Thanks Jan.
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