LONG WEEKEND MODE: LINES IN, GAME ON
 
Rock & Surf:
 
The coastline has been buzzing all week, and if you’ve been watching closely, you already know… this long weekend is shaping up to be something special.
 
Rock and surf anglers have been putting in the work — reading the water, timing the tides, and getting rewarded properly. The fish haven’t been shy either. Rockcod are feeding confidently, shad are active, kob are moving through, and bronze bream are holding strong in the white water. When the banks line up and the surf has that perfect churn, it’s been go-time.
 
There’s a real shift in the season now — not subtle, not slow. You can feel it in the conditions and in the way the fish are feeding. Everything is a bit more deliberate, a bit more aggressive. The opportunities are there for anglers who are prepared.
 
Up north has been lively, with a mix of species showing — from kingfish to the occasional surprise visitor — but success has come down to preparation. The anglers scouting at low tide and waiting for those cleaner windows have been the ones connecting.
 
The central coast has had patches of dirty water, but it hasn’t shut things down completely Stumpies and shad are still moving through, grunter are around, and the odd grey shark is keeping things interesting.
 
Down south has eased slightly, but there’s still enough happening to keep rods bending. Bream are feeding, and the bait game remains solid — prawn and chokka doing the job, with red prawn continuing to stand out as a top performer.
 
Now for the good part…
 
This long weekend is lining up beautifully.
Cleaner weather, decent conditions, and fish that are already switched on.
 
If this pattern holds — and all signs point that way — we’re heading into a seriously productive stretch along the coast.
 
So, get your tackle sorted, check your spots, and make it count.
This isn’t just another session… it’s a weekend worth showing up for.
 
Offshore:
 
Everything aligned perfectly along the coastline this past weekend, with anglers reaping the rewards of consistent conditions, strong planning, and a fishery that is very much alive. What began as a week of steady action built seamlessly into a highly successful competitive weekend, proving that those who put in the preparation were met with exactly the results they hoped for.
 
Pelagic species dominated proceedings, with snoek, couta, dorado and tuna filling hatches across multiple regions. Success was no accident — anglers who paid close attention to trolling speeds, lure placement and clean presentation consistently outperformed the rest. While lure colour remained a familiar debate at the slipway, discipline and execution were the real difference-makers.
 
The Durban Ski Boat Festival took place this past weekend and was an outstanding success, drawing strong participation and showcasing the quality of fishing on offer. Congratulations go to Wesley Smith, who claimed top honours with an exceptional 23.86kg couta, a catch worthy of the occasion and a highlight of the event.
 
The North Coast continued to fire, producing abundant snoek, with larger fish coming from slightly deeper water for crews prepared to push further offshore. Couta and tuna added variety, while dorado along the colour lines kept anglers guessing. Durban itself delivered reliably, with snoek remaining a mainstay and patient anglers still managing quality results on the bottom despite smaller fish being more prevalent.
 
Further south, conditions demanded respect, living up to the area’s reputation. Strong tackle, solid knots, and a measured approach were essential, but those who came prepared were rewarded accordingly.
 
All signs point to momentum carrying forward. The seasonal shift is clearly underway, the coast is buzzing, and the past weekend has confirmed what many suspected — the fishing is peaking. For anglers reading the water and putting in the time, the rewards are already here, with even more promise ahead.
 
Freshwater:
 
News From Jan – The weather is indeed cooling – finally! – and with very little recent rainfall (just some single figures over the greater Midlands area over the past week), the rivers are dropping … fast.  After all the rain we had this season, never ceases to surprise just how fast this happens as soon as the summer rains come to end.  There is still some atmospheric moisture around though, and with the fast-cooling temperatures, the next expectation is snow of course … always a welcome injection of runoff for the dry winter streams.  It seems as if The Weatherman has heard the repeated requests, and with just a  month of river season left, it’s getting late, and depending on how fast the rivers cool, the fish will be done with their nuptials and disappear … so if moving water is your game, time to get out there.  Stillwater event season kicks off in a little over two weeks, so also time to start dusting off the heavier gear, float tubes and waders…
 
It appears that the river fish are indeed “busy” with their nuptials, as there have been some excellent fish reported from the Natal Fly Fishing Club waters.  Both the Mooi and Bushman’s River beats have been showing off in spectacular form, with good numbers of quality fish.  The Bushman’s River in particular, where almost every fish in the returns topped the double-figure 10 inch / 25cm mark, mostly in the 13-17 inch / 33-43 cm bracket, and even a couple of fish in the 17-21 inch / 43-53 cm class.  Water temperature has dropped to mid-teens … making conditions near-perfect as we approach the end-of-season month.  Definitely time to pull that sick card and get out there…
 
It is interesting in that there have been no recent local reports from the yellow-fisher-folk, as the Umkomaas River was looking in tip-top condition from the Boston-Bulwer Road bridge.  The nearest scaly report comes from The Mooi River in the Muden Valley, Greytown, where some good fish have been reported in the last week..
 
With a recent return noting a chilly 12deg.C surface water temperature, the NFFC stillwaters are cooling … the cooler water getting the fish into gear, as the return listed a good number of fish in the 11-13 inch / 28-33 cm class.  No big ‘un’s this week, but it’s early bells yet, and as the season gets into swing, the ‘submarines’ and ‘whales’ will surely make an appearance.
 
As mentioned previously, a little over 2 weeks will see the trout stillwater event season kicking off with Leg1 of the TOPS Corporate Challenge (which runs 14-17 May to 6-9 August over 3 legs and Finals), followed by the Kamberg Trout Festival (4-6 June), and the Boston Fly Fishing Festival (19-20 June).  Looking forward to arm-wrestling with the denizens of Kamberg and Boston.
 
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) continues to be a cause for alarm in The Midlands KZN … biosecurity remains a critical component of FMD control.  With the upcoming stillwater fishing events confirmed, all anglers are advised to take heed of biosecurity measures which will be in place at the events, to heed the 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. 
 
By all accounts, the local bass fishing remains “challenging” currently.  Recommendations for anglers looking for bass waters are to look further than Albert Falls and Midmar.  Nearest waters are Glenshieling Caravan Park and the bass dams at Troutbagger and Kildare (all close to Nottingham Road).  Further afield are Mearns Dam (towards Mooi River), Baynesfield Estate (towards Thornville/Richmond), as well as Nagel and Inanda Dams (Valley of a Thousand Hills).  
 
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