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.
Just like that we have tinsel being hung up and jingles being played in the shops. It might still be a few weeks away, but the festive presents have started coming in already.
Top tip. Using the Dingle Dangle. The dingle dangle is used for two main reasons. The first being our need for more distance. The dingle helps make the sinker and bait package more aerodynamic. This translates to less resistance and therefore a further throw. The second is for better bait and hook separation when using circle hooks. This leads to better hookups as the circle hook has more movement and is not hindered by the bait. For these two reasons the dingle dangle has made a giant contribution towards shore-based angling and is a vital part of any serious angler’s kit.
Offshore:
The weather and sea conditions have been patchy but there have been plenty of fish to catch when the sea allows it. The couta have been scarce but we will keep trying to get that reel to sing!
North – North of Umhlanga the fishing skis have been doing some damage. Snoek, tuna and kob have been the main hatch-fillers, (weather permitting). The snoek have been feeding very well after the recent rains. The flush of dirty water not only creates a brilliant hunting area for these predators, but it also flushes the smaller estuarine baitfish into the sea. The snoek love feeding on the glassies that inhabit all of the KZN estuaries. Fillet baits have been the ticket for most of the snoek action but spinning with small spoons on the backline has been the most fun.
Central – The Durban coast has produced some good catches of tuna at most of the bait spots and a host of bottom fish at secret locations.
The tuna have favoured a live bait over all the other methods. Drifting over the bait marks with a live bait slowly kicking along is a great way to target these speedsters. A circle hook is a great way of rigging a live bait and allows the bait to stay alive longer if you bridle it. While drifting, you can either catch more bait or you can throw lures like poppers, jigs or stick baits. Look around the big container ships or any floating debris when trying to find a summer dorado. Toss a live bait or lure in the vicinity and hold tight.
South – The south coast has also seen a few dorado out in the deeper water. Most of these have been caught trolling higher speed lipped lures and skirted lures. This generally requires heavier tackle, so the fight is not as much fun.
The shallower areas have produced a couple of couta but overall, they have been very scarce this season.
The bottom fishing continues to produce really good quality catches with some bomber rockcod being brought up from the depths. The geelbek and daga are still keeping the commercial guys busy while the charters target the closer reefs. Please stick to your limits no matter how wild the fishing is.
Rock and surf:
The big edibles have been showing off, with some beautiful fish being landed in the last few weeks. Not to be outdone, the inedibles are trying to get their time in the spotlight.
North – The upper section of KZN has been the place to go if you are looking for the opening to your summer account. The summer inedibles have been feeding well after any period of NE wind. So, if you are looking to test your knots, wait for a few days of NE wind and head to any of the regular spots on the north coast. The most successful baits have been the freshest mackerel that you can find. Strap a head bait with some cutlets and you are putting yourself in with the best chance of attracting any shark or ray nearby.
For those after the edibles, Tugela has been the most consistent of the spots along the north coast. Chokka and sardine baits have been the most productive for the kob up there. If there is no water movement, try adding floatation to your bait to give it a bit of life.
Central – The beachfront has also produced some good stumpies in the evenings. Redeye sardine heads and sealice have been the top two baits for these brutes.
Those looking for inedibles along the beachfront have had a decent week consisting of mainly grey sharks and blue rays. The basin has however thrown a few diamonds, small sandies and a few decent flatfish. Mackerel and redeye baits have been the best choice for all these species.
South – The south coast has been edible heaven this past week. With the bigger seas and wind, fishing big has been challenging. This has forced many anglers to scratch in the protected bays and gullies with great results. The bronze bream have been feeding well in the rougher conditions as well as the brusher and cave bass. All these fish love any prawn type bait. If you are specifically targeting the bream, then pink prawn will be the best bet. If you are after the cave bass, chokka and prawn is the ideal mix. If you are targeting the brusher, a whole crab is the best bet.
Harbour:
The harbour has been producing some amazing catches over the past two weeks. The artificial lure anglers have been having a fantastic time with the oxeye tarpon, springer, baby kob, flathead and various kingfish species. Poppers and paddle tails have been the lures of choice.
The bait anglers have managed some decent grunter. The centre bank has produced some good specimens with a couple fish going over 4kg!
Freshwater:
The rains have put some much-needed water into the dams and rivers. The fishing has been good on all fronts with the bass being the stars this past week.
Bass – The bass fishing continues on the high that the season started on. The number of personal bests posted on social media is extremely impressive.
Albert Falls has been the most productive of the KZN waters for bank and boat anglers. The bank anglers have been the most successful using weightless software plastics. Of these the Senko and fluke have gotten the most bites. Green pumpkin and watermelon red have been the pick of the colours. For the boat fishermen, the most successful lure is a much longer list. Success has been had using soft plastics, jerk baits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
Of the other venues, Midmar and Hazlemere have been the runners up. Both have produced big fish for multiple anglers.
Carp – The carp fishermen have been very quiet of late. The local anglers have been doing very well at most of the dams, but Inanda has been the most talked about. The sweet flavours are producing the results.
Adding a Fluro powder to your mielie bomb mix has given some anglers the edge in the crowd. Fruity flavours have been particularly successful with banana being a personal favourite.
Trout – The trout fishing has still been worth it in most of the midlands. The fish are still feeding well even in the warmer conditions. With the winds blowing more consistently, the best place to fish has been either at the head or tail of the dam. Fishing a terrestrial pattern at the tail (where the wind is blowing to) of the dam can provide some very good surface action. Fishing smaller buzzers and nymphs on longer leaders at the head (where the wind is coming from) of the dam can save a day when more aggressive methods are not producing.
Those who prefer a little more action while fishing will be best suited targeting the deeper water with a streamer and a type 3 sinking line. Dredging the deeper channels can often produce the biggest fish in the dam. Remember to keep your eyes open for insect activity and match the hatch if possible.
News in from Jan Korrubel, The Kingfisher in PMB – “It would appear that the anglers are waiting for the REAL summer to make its appearance, as the recent wet and mizzly weather system seems to have kept anglers indoors. Overall, The Midlands reports having received between 50-60mm of rain over the past week, which would have put some chocolate to the running waters, so not surprising that the returns from the Natal Fly Fishers Club are few! November is right around the corner, and summer hasn’t quite set in yet … while there has been some hot upper-20degC days over the last week, the weather in general almost has that autumn feeling if truth be told.
The ~50mm rainfall of early last week put the spanner into the river fishing, and the rivers took a while to clear … and those who waited for the weekend to head on out, were greeted with cold and mizzle; about right according to the Weekend Weather Proverb : “twill rain, you’re sure to see…”. The corresponding quote goes “Who dares, wins…” and there was a single winning return from the central Mooi River that noted “Drizzle and cloud ; clean water and good cheer ; elusive wild Browns”, only logging a solid 16 incher / 41cm taken on a nymph suspended below an indicator. As summer settles, we can expect more chocolate input resulting from the rains, and hopefully the clean water will coincide with the weekends.
To match the singular river return, there was a corresponding single return from the NFFC stillwater brigade … which unfortunately drew a blank on the trout count. To be fair, the outing was right before the weather turned nasty, so no doubt the fish were already going off the bite and engaging lockjaw with the incoming weather. Water temperature was reported at 17degC.
With reports of some good numbers of fish in the 1-2kg range, the bass anglers have had it somewhat better this week at both Albert Falls and Midmar. There is always a lunker hiding somewhere in between, and local PMB angler Timiren Moodley found the spot with a 67cm bucket mouth (estimated at 10 pounds / 4.5kg).
The weekends inclement weather didn’t appear to the affect the bass too much with Mearns Dam producing an estimated 3kg fish for Midlands local Bruce Nel … and at the Golf 911 Fishing Competition, Greytown local Chris Robson walked away with the Top Honours for his fish of 56cm, weighing in at 3.21kg. Congratulations to all anglers for their “top ‘dawgs”.
Notice has been received for the St John’s D.S.G Annual Fishing Competition will be held on “The Big Dam” at Baynesfield Estate on the week of 30 November and 1 December. Contact the school for entries.
Word from the waters is that there has also been some good carp action of late.
With the “official” season kicking off very shortly in November, there has been no further word of any yellowfish action from Sterkfontein Dam.
Do stop in at the Kingfisher-PMB for the BEST in tackle and advice.” 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://www.ecr.co.za/podcasts/ansa/
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