Another month under our belts and we are officially on the downslope of 2024! The fishing has been great this week, even with the colder weather.
Top tip. Time and effort. Spinning or lure fishing can be one of the most exciting facets of angling. Unfortunately, many give up because they have not seen the social media success that others flaunt. Time and effort are the two things to keep in mind. You need to put in both to see success. When your arms are too tired to cast anymore, have one more throw.
Offshore:
The bigger seas and heavy winds have made fishing on the boats a little unpleasant, but the bumpy trips have been worth it.
North – The north coast has seen some good snoek and couta for the smaller boats and skis. The deeper reefs and wrecks have seen some very good bottom fishing with big trawl soldiers and a host of other species being caught. Squid and sardines have been the baits of choice for the deeper fishing.
The tuna has been full up with some giants being hooked and breaking tackle. These are very powerful fish so allow them to fire themselves out before you try horse them to the boat.
Central – The central coast has seen a great flush of geelbek and daga in the last two weeks. The charters have been fully booked and the recreational anglers have been launching at every opportunity. 8-9ft rods, 80lb+ braid and a 9inch KP are the weapons of choice for this type of fishing.
There has been snoek around in the early mornings. Most of the fish have been taken while trolling fillets around south pier and Blue Lagoon. There have been plenty of wolf herring and shad around so check your fillets regularly.
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:
The rock and surf anglers have been battling the cold and have seen plenty for their effort.
North – The rain has made for some colour lines around the river mouths. These conditions are brilliant for catching snapper salmon and kob. Paddletails and chokka baits are the way to go for both of these species.
There have been some early summer fish around so be prepared for some drag screaming!
Central – Stumpies, shad and snoek have been on the menu for the past week. The fishing along the beachfront and off the piers has been good. Cracker shrimp and prawn have been the best baits with chokka falling slightly behind. Remember you can fish these baits directly on to your circle hook as they are soft and will not hinder the function of the circle.
The shad have been active in the early mornings with some good specimens being taken on live bait intended for the garrick.
South – Much like the central coast, there have been garrick at all the major spots along the south coast. This is great news! Remember that these fish get hammered every year by guys keeping too many fish, so please release as much as possible. Garrick are best targeted with a live bait fished close to the shore.
Live bait type is not the most important part, but location is. Use a circle hook through the top lip of the baitfish or bridled through the eyes and you will quickly see more solid hookups. 6/0 Mustad Tuna Circle is the hook of choice.
This with the presence of the sardines means the south coast is about to get very busy!
Freshwater:
The bass are biting, and some giants have been landed. The carp and trout are playing second fiddle but are still keeping their anglers happy.
Bass – The bass fishing has been wild in most of the KZN venues. From the smaller private dams to Inanda, the bass have been eager and aggressive so get out there and get some bass.
Weightless soft plastics have been the most successful target method for the smaller dams. With the shallower water and general weedy nature of these dams, the weightless plastics excel. Those looking for the bigger fish will do well to use a hollow body frog.
Inanda and Albert Falls have been the pick of the bigger venues. Both dams have fished well for the shore and boat anglers, but the boat guys have done better. A mix of techniques have been reported but spinnerbaits and cranks have been the two most popular.
Carp – The carp fishing has been consistent for the past few weeks. The smaller fish have kept most of the anglers busy in the dams. Albert Falls has been fishing well for the conventional carp guys. The flooded grass is a honey hole for the carp to feed in so placing your bait near these areas is always a good idea.
The specimen anglers have been fishing a lot of private waters with good success. Those fishing the public waters have reported success from both Nagle and Inanda. Boilies have been the bait of choice for the bigger fish with a bed of mixed particles proving to be a great attraction.
Trout – The Stillwaters have been fishing well even though the fishing has slowed down from previous weeks. Stripping streamers on sinking lines around drop-offs has been a great way to target the bigger fish. Make sure to use a decent leader and not to go too light as the fish hit the fly hard!
The fly anglers have also had a lot of fun with the scalies in the rivers. If you have not tried this yet, give it a go. Pop in to one of our stores to get the right tackle to get you started.
News in from Jan Korrubel, The Kingfisher in PMB – “With the weather in fluctuation mode over the past week, the fishing is following suit, and is also up and down … one day the fish are there, the next, they goooone. However, now … more than ever, is when the reminder needs to be issued : if you don’t throw, you won’t know – and of course the one that no one needs to be reminded about : any time spent fishing is better than working! A mate and I headed out this past weekend – while I had a few bumps and couldn’t connect, he caught … so the fish are there … they just weren’t on the end of my line this time!
With less than a month to go to 1 September, the trout river season approaches … but who’s counting? … well, me and a good few others it seems. The river anglers are getting antsy on all fronts, and this includes the scaly anglers who are waiting for warmer water. Fly boxes are being filled in readiness, and gear is already be dusted off and polished…
It was a mixed bag for the stillwater anglers of the Natal Fly Fishers Club over the past week – returns indicate a 50:50 splits of fish in the returns vs the dreaded blank. Those that got fish, it was literally a case of 1 or 2 here and there … the fish are still very much in “iffy” mode and not keen to play it seems. The fish that were reported fell into the 11-13 inch / 28-33cm and 15-17 inch / 38-43 cm classes … the big ‘uns escaping the current offerings.
Word from the water is that something bright as an attractor pattern (e.g. egg / blob), with a small trailer pattern (e.g. PTN / GRHE / bloodworm) is pretty much all that’s working at present. TOP Tip : go bright and small … and go SLOW … almost static. Yes, it’s like watching paint dry, but if it gets you the bite, that’s the ticket.
As quickly as it started, the Finals of the TOPS Corporate Challenge is already here, and see’s the Women in Waders ladies team take on their “other half’s” men’s team … both had practise outing’s and neither are talking about what’s working … or not! Yours truly is being pressed by both teams for what’s happening on the water(s), while simultaneously being told to say not a word! We look forward to reporting on the outcome, so stay tuned next week.
Word is that there is some activity happening at both Midmar and Albert Falls Dams – Midmar is giving up some bass, while on Alberts, the bass fishing is slow, but there are some great barbel coming out in the 10-15kg range … so if the “Whiskered Mermaid” is your game, head on out.
The event front, registration is open for the Albert Falls Bass Tournament that takes place this month on 29-31 August”. Thanks Jan.
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.
For the best in tackle and advice, pop into any of the seven Kingfisher stores, they are open 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
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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/
Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to mike.pereira@kingfisher.co.za