The Kingfisher trading times for the festive season is as follows:
In December 2022, all branches will be open for trading on Sundays, 8 to 1pm.
Friday the 16th of December 2022, 8 to 1pm.
Sunday the 25th of December 2022, all branches will be closed.
Monday the 26th of December 2022, 8 to 1pm
Only the Salt Rock and Ballito stores will be open on Sunday the 1st of January 2023, 8 to 1pm.
Monday the 2nd of January 2023, all branches will be open, 8 to 1pm.
The festive season is here and the summer heat has started in KZN. The fishing has been good and the living is easy…
Top tip: For all those guys who are getting ready for their holidays, make sure you check your tackle before you go away. There is nothing worse than getting to your holiday destination and having gear that is not working. Getting reels serviced and rod guides checked is vital. Also, maybe it’s time to replace that nylon/braid on your reel…
Offshore:
The offshore scene has been very productive. There have been some brute bottom fish and plenty of gamefish action.
North – The north coast has seen a lot of gamefish action in the form of dorado and couta. There have been some good sailfish and small marlin caught in the past week. These majestic fish are extremely hard fighters and require some effort to put back properly. Spend the extra few minutes reviving the fish next to your ski and they can swim off to be caught by another fortunate angler.
The further north you can go the better your chances of getting good numbers. Live bait has been king but those able to troll at faster speeds have seen very good results with the high-speed lipped lures. Purples and pinks have been the top colours.
Central – Much like the north coast, the gamefish have been the main targets along the central coast. Tuna have been the bulk of the catches with a mix of the rest making up the reports. Slow-pitch jigging has taken off and many anglers have converted to this method instead of carrying bait. The number of species caught so far is mind-boggling and it is something you really need to try if you haven’t already.
The amberjacks and yellowtail have been giving the guys a proper hiding on the pinnacles and deeper reefs. These brutes require a strong rod and an even stronger back. Be prepared for a proper wrestling session when going after these fish.
South – The south coast has not sent in much. There have been mixed reports from Aliwal of decent fishing on most days. The bigger couta have been around and have enjoyed a bigger bait down rigged near the bottom
The other gamefish have mainly been taken on lipped or skirted lures trolled along current lines and drop-offs.
Rock and surf:
The SA rock and surf teams are currently fishing against Namibia. Let us hope our boys can pull it off!
The rock and surf fishing has been very productive along the KZN coast and the opening of the shad season has helped.
North – The north coast has seen some good summer action already. There have been some proper fish caught already. The blackfins have been around most of the river mouths of the north coast. Mackerel and live baits have been the most productive.
The flatfish have been on the radar with honeycombs, brown skates and sandies all making up the catches. Mackerel has been the most successful bait.
Central – The central coast fishing has picked up with the opening of the shad season. The Blue Lagoon pier has been very busy and the fishing has been rather good for both edibles and inedibles along this stretch. The drift bait has been king for the shad but please be considerate of other anglers if you are using this method. Tangles and fishing fever do not mix well…
The grey sharks have been wild off the piers and any baits that are floated off the bottom have been taken quickly.
South – The south coast has not had much reporting sent in. There have been summer fish caught but the fishing has been slow and mainly linked to the water temperature. The warm water has put the fish off, so the fishing has been best in the cooler waters. Grey sharks and brown skates have been the most common catches with mackerel and redeye baits being the best.
Freshwater:
The freshwater facets have been much the same as last week with the bass fishing being at its peak as we move into summer.
Bass – The bass fishing has been on a high with some amazing fish being caught in the last few weeks. The methods reported have varied from place to place but the faster moving search baits have been producing some good bites recently.
With crankbait fishing, remember that the cranks need to touch the bottom, so make sure their maximum depth is deeper than the depth you are fishing.
Midmar and Nagle have been producing some fantastic bass fishing with those putting in the time on these venues bringing home full live wells. Spinnerbaits have been the best reported searching bait. In clean water, use the standard willow blades in silver with a white or chartreuse/white skirt. In the dirtier water, change the blades for Colorado blades in gold or orange with a chartreuse skirt. These little changes can make all the difference.
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 carp guys with the new water levels opening up more fishing area. 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 trout fishing has started to slow down in the dams, but this does not mean it is not worth the drive. There are still a lot of decent fish being landed. Streamers and faster moving flies have done well as searching patterns while the hotter days have required a slower approach. Midges and buzzers have come in to their own on these hot days.
The streams are fishing well in the cleaner water so look for these sections and enjoy the hours of fun these streams hold. Tight lines and screaming reels
Series 21 (can you believe it; this is Petri’s 21 series) of Hier Gaan Ons Alweer on kykNET, premieres are on Saturday evenings at 18:30 on kykNet, channel 144 and there are a number of repeats during the week. The repeats are on Sundays at 16:30, Mondays at 12:30, Tuesdays at 17:00 and Fridays at 22:00. Series 21 ends on the 24th December 2022.
As most of you know, Petri and his guests cover various angling styles (fresh and salt water) in and around Southern Africa.
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, it delivers true and accurate content from the provinces most prominent anglers on a weekly basis on various facets of angling. 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
The Kingfisher has opened their new store on the upper north coast. Situated in the Tiffany’s Shopping Centre in Salt Rock, this store is ideally positioned for our north coast anglers. For all your angling needs, (freshwater or saltwater) pop in and see them or give them a shout on 032 307 0041.
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 and Sundays
Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to mike.pereira@kingfisher.co.za
Go to www.facebook.com/thekingfisherdaiwa and “Like” us on Facebook to catch reviews, videos, fishing reports, great promotions and lots more.
As always, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date with all our new video releases and to brush up on your species knowledge, tactics and tips/tricks. https://www.youtube.com/c/TheKingfisherFishing