Let’s dive into this week’s highlights of bending rods and screaming reels. We’re seeing a mixed bag of weather conditions this summer, with really hot days followed by heavy rain. The water is a bit murky, but when you find clearer spots, the fish are definitely there. Despite the fluctuating weather, anglers are still heading out and landing some impressive catches.
This week’s top tip is to use live bait, which is yielding the best results. If you haven’t tried the new “pelagic live bait clips” yet, now is the perfect time. Live baits are attracting fish effectively and these clips make it easier to rig them while keeping them alive for longer. This method is working particularly well for Garrick and non-edibles, and you can cast quite a distance—up to a mile and a half in fishing terms.
Offshore:
On the offshore front, the North Coast has seen a significant abundance of Tuna, with Dorado also making an appearance, indicating that summer fish are arriving. Again, live baits are proving to be the top choice for targeting Garrick and Dorado, whilst the preferred weapon of choice for Tuna has been pink and purple trolling lures. Ensure you stock up on live bait before heading out!
In central Durban, there has been considerable action this week, especially with bottom fishing. Reports indicate that many Tuna are being caught averaging 10kgs off Durban, trolling with skirted lures has been deadly for tuna; while color preferences vary, many anglers favor pink, particularly along the color line. With the prevailing weather conditions causing rivers to flush into the ocean, the color line is quite distinct, and that’s the area to fish. Bottom fishing has also been productive, with many anglers catching slingers. Please consider releasing smaller fish to help sustain future stocks.
Moving south, reports indicate four-kilogram Tuna and good bottom fishing. The Transkei region has proven to be a hotspot for bigger catches especially for Copper Bream and Black Mussel Cracker.
Rock & Surf:
Shifting to rock and surf fishing, the weather has been challenging. Despite the conditions, when the weather is decent, shad has been the leading catch of the week. Remember to respect closed season as well as bag and size limits; they are in place for a reason, so please release any fish that do not meet the criteria.
Shore-based fishing yields a mixed bag of non-edible and edible species, but you should choose your fishing spots wisely. The North Coast has been unpredictable, with shad being the primary catch. Anglers are bringing in some impressive specimens, so it’s great to see that they are being released back into the water. There’s been a variety of non-edible action, including blues and sand sharks, as well as diamonds and grey sharks. The warmer weather is clearly attracting these species. The gullies are fishing well, with various species being caught, and prawn and chokka baits are seeing the most success.
On the central coast, Pompano and Stumpies have remained active over the past few weeks, while there’s also been a fair number of grey sharks caught using mackerel and red-eye baits. There have been the occasional grunter and shad as well, though fishing has been relatively quiet overall.
For those putting in the effort, the harbor is offering decent fishing conditions. Many Snapper Salmon are being caught, and while grunter are biting, they aren’t particularly large. Additionally, the water is slightly discolored, which could impact catches for now however as history has proven many times before, the fishing is always great after a storm some be prepared to wet a line shortly.
Freshwater:
News from Jan,
Weather still on a rollercoaster ride, and fishing remains a tad off…
It would appear that the summer rain cycle is finally starting to kick into gear … the system of earlier this week dropped between 20 and 40mm, so our water systems will have had a bit of a recharge. The uMngeni System is reported to be sitting at 80% capacity, with Midmar and Albert Falls at 85% and 79% respectively … great news as we head into the heat of summer. While the weather has been good on the outside, the internals however, remain another story – the main ingredient being that of pressure, which is still very much on a rollercoaster ride with the “mock charge” of an afternoon thunderstorm and a drop in pressure.
Concerns for rivers systems being “blown out” seem to have been mitigated by the lengthy, soft and soaking overnight rainfall, and there have been no reports of flooding locally as seen in other parts of the country. Prior to the storm, a pair of Natal Fly Fishers Club anglers hit a purple patch on one of the NFFC Bushman’s River beats, reporting around 20 fish each, ranging between 10-15 inches / 25-38cm – a Red Letter Day out indeed! Water was reported was “low and clear”, but the rains will have helped, as some 45mm was reported from Mooi River.
The NFFC stillwaters have also given up some good fish this week … inbetween those anglers that managed to draw a blank, no doubt on the downswing of the pressure rollercoaster. “Pick of The Litter” goes to a fish that stretched the tape measure to 23-25 inches / 58-63cm – a cracker fish! The recent heat spell has raised water temperatures, and the surface temperature was reported at 20degC. Top Tip for summer trouting is to “tippet up”, especially for the Catch & Release anglers, in order to bring to the net as quickly as possible for the hero shot, and send it back to the depths and cooler water.
As with their salmonid brethren, the bass have also been acting up. Even with the recent spell of warm weather, the socials are devoid of any news. Micheal of Kingfisher reports that while targeting bass and Red-breast Tilapia this week, the bass were completely disinterested in any of the offerings they threw at them, while they managed to get a few Red-Breast Tilapia … “very strange”!
The spell of warm weather did produce some yellowfish action. Locally, scaly anglers on the Mooi River got some good fish in the low, brown water conditions … with the fish “behaving very unusual”, not sitting on the faster rapid water. Weighted nymphs, fished deep and slow in the middle to tail sections of the deeper pools, produced the fish. Further afield however, Jeremy Rochester of Escape Fly Fishing reports a cracking couple of days on Sterkfontein Dam last week … until the weather turned at the end of the week and the fish zipped their lips.
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