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.
2024 is starting to pick up speed and we are almost a quarter of a way through already… Scary facts aside, the fishing continues on a high note all around.
Top tip: Summer is still here and so is the sun. The importance of sun protection can not be overlooked. Whether you prefer to cover up or use lotions, you have to protect your skin somehow. If you prefer covering up, then a day in the summer sun will involve a long sleeve UV-resistant shirt, long pants, a buff, a hat and possibly sun gloves. Sun screen on the other hand will need to be re-applied a few times during the day if you prefer to fish in your shorts and t-shirt.
The choice is yours… choose one of the two but please protect your birthday suit, you only get one!
Offshore:
There have been couta, tuna, dorado and a few snoek around. Pick your day and go out and enjoy!
North – The north coast has seen plenty of action. The snoek have been feeding well in the early mornings with the bigger fish being slightly deeper and the smaller ones close in. Trolling fillet baits has been very productive for these fish. The choice of hook is often a personal one but a decent thin gauge hook with a very sharp point will do. As long as it is not offset. Alternately, you could use a bass worm hook. These hooks are surprisingly sharp, very thin yet strong and with their shape makes putting the fillet on a breeze. Those that prefer the lipped lures will struggle to beat the Strike Pro Magic Minnow or the Kingfisher Rattler.
Central – The Durban coast has seen plenty of happy fishermen. The bait has been around. Although the shoals have been small, beggars can’t be choosers. The tuna have been testing the tackle off Durban with some beasts being lost and some beauties landed. Live bait has continued to be the best choice for targeting these fish but the most exciting has to be throwing poppers. The explosion of a 20kg+ tuna smashing a popper will get anyone excited!
The bottom fishing guys have been doing okay. No real reports of massive catches have come in but consistent hauls of reds, rockcod and occasional geelbek.
South – The south has seen a very good dorado season. Trolling skirted lures along the depth change lines has produced the most consistent fishing. Colour of the skirted lures has come done to personal choice but black/red, fruit salad and pink/white have been the pick of the colours.
The couta have been scarce and only a few have been reported. The most successful method has been live mackerel down rigged. Fish deeper as the day progresses.
Rock and surf:
The northeast wind and the settled seas have led to some amazing catches over this past week.
North – The north coast has seen the most variety in terms of inedible action. The banks that are shallow enough to wade on to are the first choice when looking for spots to fish. The species coming out have varied depending on the area, but the main culprits have been diamond rays, brown skates, sandies, thorntails and grey sharks. Mackerel and redeye sardine are the most successful baits when targeting all these species.
On the edible side, the reports have been few and far between, but the north coast has produced some good catches of kob and snapper salmon. Fleshy baits paired with chokka have been the most consistent producers of fish.
On a disturbing note, there is still a strong sewage smell in the Umhlanga lighthouse area. When will things be done about this?
Central – The basin area of the Durban beachfront has seen some of the most amazing catches this past week. The number of giant thorntail rays hooked and landed is quite astonishing. Our very own Ray and Jace were in amongst the action on most days, landing fish and helping others with their catches. These fish are very big and often require a few people to move them. Mackerel and bonito are the baits of choice for these giants. Rigged on a 9/0 – 12/0 circle hook will work magic. These are not fish for light tackle and fights can easily go over 4 hours, so make sure you and your tackle are ready.
The rest of Durban has seen a lot of inedible action in the form of sandies, brown skates and grey sharks.
South – The south coast has also benefited from the northeast wind. The deepwater beaches have seen some hectic action. Sandies, honeycomb rays and brown skates have been the main species making up the catches. These species do not require wire and all put up great fights. Circle hooks work fantastically for all skates and rays and are the first choice when targeting most inedible species.
The reefs and ledges that make up a lot of the south coast have seen some good brusher and bronze bream action over the past few weeks. The brusher have gone weak at the knee (fin) for a crab while the bream have greedily attacked bulky pink prawn baits.
Freshwater:
The dams and rivers have been providing some good fishing for the past couple of weeks.
Bass – The bass fishing has been the highlight of the freshwater fishing. With the summer heat comes an aggression in the bass that makes for some amazing fishing. Searchbaits such as bladed jigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits are all great options when it comes to fishing an area. This way of fishing covers a lot of water fast and quickly picks out the active feeding fish in an area. Once you have fished the area, you can come back and fish it more thoroughly with a finesse or slower tactic. In this way you target the active and reluctant fish.
Overall, the dams in KZN have been producing good catches of bass. Hazlemere continues to be one of the busiest venues and probably the puck of the venues for the bank anglers while Inanda and Albert Falls fight for the best boat angler venue.
Carp – The carp fishing has not changed much in the past couple of weeks. The fishing has been good on both specimen and conventional fronts with consistent catches. The sweeter flavours have been producing the best results which is the norm for the warmer months. Inanda continues to be the best dam for the specimen anglers. Fishing accurately is essential at this venue. If you are 10m out, you may as well be fishing a different dam. Create a feeding area and fish your lines next to and in front of the feeding spot. For your feed, mix the particles so the carp feed freely.
Albert Falls has been the venue for the conventional anglers. Well packed mielie bombs allow you to cast that little bit further and often produce a quicker bite. Floaties in sweet and fruity flavours will be the pick of the baits. If all else fails, add some earthworms to the mix…
Trout – The bigger Stillwater venues have continued to produce big fish even in the current hot weather. The key has been to go deep with a decent sinking line and some flies with plenty of movement built in. Streamers with marabou or zonker strips will give you the best results as they move with even the smallest twitch of the fly line. Colour has not been that critical, but olives and blacks have been the most productive. Fish the areas of deeper water such as old riverbeds or drop-offs. These deeper waters are not only cooler but they also hold more oxygen and do not fluctuate as much as the shallows in terms of temperatures.
News in from Jan Korrubel, The Kingfisher in PMB – “After the recent “doom and gloom” noting the current state of El Nino, it is pleasing to report that KZN is still in a much better position than other parts of the country. There have been some late summer thunderstorms which have dropped really good rains over the last week or so – more than 100mm in places. So, while other parts of the country are seeing a water famine, KZN is currently experiencing a water feast. Of course there will be the complainers, saying that the rivers are “shunting”, but we’ll take what we can get as it will serve well for the rest of the season before the dry spell of winter.
So, while the storms have put some of the rivers out of action for a wee while, there are others that are producing. The Bushman’s River is having its praises sung by members of the Natal Fly Fishers Club, after producing some good numbers of fish in the 11-13 inch / 28-33cm bracket, all the way through the 15-17 inch / 38-43cm class. Reports from further afield mention that the Lotheni was “sublime” this past weekend showing off its brown trout, and the Mzimkhulu was “full of life” giving up some of its rainbow trout. Trout rivers close at the end of May, so there is still a good period of fishing to be had.
The South African Fly Fishing Association (SAFFA) will be holding the Senior A Nationals in the Kamberg Valley 10-14 April.
Staying with the rivers : the recent flurry of scaly activity has slowed down again with the lower sections of the Umkomaas being blown out as a result of the rain. There was a report last week from the Umgeni River however, that mentioned some good scaly. No mention of water temperatures, but if there is no more rain, there should still be more opportunity for them before the water cools right down.
The NFFC stillwater anglers also acquitted themselves well – with reports of fish in the 15-17 inch . 38-43cm and 17-19 inch / 43-48cm classes. Night time temperatures are dropping, and along with the recent rains, have helped with water temperatures which are now down to the 20deg mark. While fish should start feeding up now – generally looking for larger prey items like minnows and dragonfly nymphs. However, those waters not affected by runoff from the rains are reportedly crystal clean, so finer tippets and smaller flies will be the order of the day.
Albert Falls is on the up once again – local anglers Tyron McGarry and Don Marugan getting some good fish in the 1.5-2kg range. Other reports indicate that there are plenty baitfish around, with smaller fish about. With water temperature still on the upside, Tyron also mentioned that there were good numbers of carp showing on the surface.
Local angler Stephen Allen reported having great fun with the bass at Midmar on fly – his olive-back pearly belly popper doping the business.
A reminder of the bass fishing events taking place this weekend : round 3 of the 2024 Joey’s Towing Tournament Trail in on Midmar Dam, and the Creighton Fishing Competition will be fishing the waters around the Creighton Sports Club. We look forward to reporting on what comes out.
After a lackluster past couple of weeks and some hard fishing, Sterkfontein is back on fire reports guide Mark Yelland. The first 3 weeks of April is usually a good time before water temperatures start to cool drastically, so if a slab of “Sterkies Gold” is still on your wish list for this season, it’s time to head on up”. Thanks Jan.
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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://ansapodcast.buzzsprout.com
Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to mike.pereira@kingfisher.co.za
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