Big grey sharks caught in Transkei

Guys are still getting the typical summer species with lots of big Sharks, Skates and edible fish up and down the coast. It seems like summer has really got off to a good start for a lot of Anglers, especially now that Shad season is once again open.

Rock and Surf

Kosi Bay

Anglers are still getting lots of small edibles, such as Kingfish and 3-spot Pompano. The non-edible Anglers have also had a few Blackfin Sharks caught on Saltwater Slide traces. For those not interested in the beach scene, the lakes at Kosi Bay have also produced some better sized Grunter.

St Lucia/Cape Vidal

The sneaky Shad have now become fair game, as there seems to be a lot of these in the bay areas. Skates and Rays have also been caught to the north – closer to where the dunes are.

Tugela River

There have been good catches here of Kob of up to 10 kilos. These fish have been caught on Saltwater Kob traces on live Mullet as a throw bait.

Richards Bay

Also suffered the same fate as the Vidal area with lots of Shad in the closed season. The spinning enthusiasts can now make Shad for supper a reality especially when using Kingfisher V-back Spoons as well as the Pro Jet Spoons for the smaller Kingfish. There have also been some small Kob in the area and the odd Brown Skate.

Zinkwazi

The early mornings have produced a few Shad – just making size. Some Brown Skates have also come out as well as a few Greys. The Grey Sharks seem to be feeding on cutlet baits of either Redeye or Mackerel in the late afternoon.

Umdloti/Ballito

Both areas have been a bit quiet. The odd Grey Shark, Sandy and Brown Skate being the only fish reported from this area.

Umhlanga

Sunday proved to be very productive for local Angler Frikkie - who landed a male Blacktip Shark of about 100 kilos. This fish was landed after a good fight and released to fight another day. There were also a few Stumpnose and some Shad caught in the early morning.

Durban Piers

Anglers on the Piers have reported that the Shad are just making size and the smaller Red fish are rampant. They too have also caught a few smaller Brown Skates and a Sand Shark of approximately 10 kilos.

Durban Beachfront

Blue Lagoon north bank has seen some big Grunter and big Shad, these fish preferring Redeye Sardine especially the Grunter which have liked the Redeye’s Belly. The Addington area also saw the odd Pompano of up to 2 kilos.

Bluff

This is another area that has reported small Shad in the early mornings; this is a good sign as the bigger Kingfish should start chasing them into shallower water, enabling Anglers to use Shad as a live bait.

Toti/Winkelspruit

Toti seems to be a lot more active for this time of year than Winkelspruit. Reports of good Shad catches in the bay with some Grey Sharks in the late evening. Winkel produced under sized Shad and what can be deemed as a good sized Garrick which was lost during the week.

Umkomaas

Here Anglers have reported a few small Kob as well as Grunter which are just making size. The Brown Skates are still near the ledges and Anglers fishing off of the pier caught some nice Stone Bream and the odd bigger Blacktail.

Scottburgh 

This point does not disappoint and the weekend saw some good catches of Blue Rays and some Brown Skates as well. Although there were not many Sharks Anglers using light tackle had great fun with Shad in the early morning and evening.

Port Shepstone

Fishing is still good down south with Blue Rays, better sized Bronze Bream and Shad all being caught during the week. With holiday season coming up maybe this is an ideal spot for a day trip for the whole family to spend on the beach.

Transkei

The northern Transkei has had good fishing with some big Grey Sharks up to 40 kilos being caught on most of the deep water points. The PSJ area is still having fantastic catches of Garrick, Kob and Shad. Most of these fish coming out on artificial lures such as Plug, Spoon and McArthy Paddle tails. The Hole-in-the-Wall area is producing some better sized Hammerhead Sharks on slide baits and here too Shad are abundant.

Ski-boat and Paddle-Ski

Both Paddle power and Horse power were able to get onto the water last week with some good catches up and down the coast. Dorado, Wahoo, Snoek and big Shad have all been coming out. It seems that the South Coast has a lot more bait fish, while Central and North are still battling. Hopefully the better weather will bring more bait fish and even more Game fish.

North

There have been some good catches of Marlin further North as well as some Sailies. The Yellowfin Tuna are somewhat scarce up North and are only being found in much deeper water. Zinkwazi and Westbrooke also saw a few Snoek with some shoal sized Couta also in the mix. The Rattler lure in L25 and L17 in the 150 size have definitely proven deadly.

Central

Some Snoek and large Shad have also been caught of Blue Lagoon, using the Kingfisher Sprat spoon with a very fast retrieve. Anglers have used the Poseidon Snoek Spin Rod with a Daiwa Laguna 3000 or 4000 sized reel in order to cast these spoons and retrieve them very quickly. There have also been good catches of Dorado off Durban, especially around the Ships, using the H20 lure in a red and white pattern.

South

Aliwal Shoal is really producing some good Wahoo, Tuna, Couta as well as some small Black Marlin. This time of year smaller tube lures such as Stripy Ticklers and small Boasters are proving to be very effective. A lot of these fish have also been caught on live baits as the bait supply seems better the further South you go.

Durban Bay

This weekend sees the Durban Christmas Bay Classic and good luck to all participants. Good catches of Grunter last week as well as a few small Kingfish and the odd Springer could definitely mean those prizes are within your grasp. Anglers fishing from the banks have also had a good few Grunter and with smaller Kingfish not being out done when getting to the baits. Sunday saw perfect fishing conditions with a good number of Anglers on the bay perhaps getting in some pre-comp practice.

Freshwater

Fly-fishing

With the weather not playing its part last week, fishing stories have been few and far between. Trout are very much on the bite, with all the rain keeping the water cool. All reports of fish being caught have fallen to Black flies from Peacock Woolley Buggers to small Black Flashback Nymphs. One Angler reported catching two small Stockies on his main fly and dropper at one time. At Midmar Cascades is fishing well, and it is advisable to fish during the week if you can get the chance. The Natal Scaly’s are coming out on small black, brown and olive Flashbacks. If you want to brave the rain its worth throwing a line there.

Carp

With cooler water fish will be looking for stronger scents especially in the local waters being those of a fruity nature. Presentation is the key as well as offering different baits in your swim. Try pop-ups, dough’s and Tiganuts to find out which food the fish prefer.

Tiger-fishing

With uncertain weather patterns and water temperatures changing there is a lot of action with Tiger fishing at Jozini. A live bait is always your first option, but if not available, use Sardine or Redeye fillet for bait. When moving from spot to spot its’ advisable to troll a lure and a Kingfisher Rattler with its shallow diving lip is ideal. Also available is the Rattler surface lures which does not dive as deep. This is extremely good when fishing an area where the depth is unknown.

Bass

Watermelon red-fleck and June bug are still proving to be the most popular in the local dams. Sunday saw some good catches of Bass at both Inanda and Albert Falls. Spinner baits used in shallower waters are also taking their fair number of fish.

Fishy Fact

The Natal Scaly or Yellowfish is duller in colour than the small mouth Yellowfish. It has a more compact body and reaches a maximum weight of just under 10lbs. Fish over 5lbs are considered trophy size and like their small mouth cousins, they are extremely strong fighters with their large forked tail, attributing to this quality. The best spots to fish for these are the Duzi and Umgeni rivers. They can be caught in both rapids and pools and they move up river in summer.

Any info about fish caught or competitions in your area please email to [email protected] or fax 031- 368 4007.

There are a few great TV fishing shows on at the moment, here are a few that are certainly worth watching.

1) The latest series of Hier Gaan Ons Alweer with Petri de Wet premieres Monday evenings at 17:30 on kykNet, channel 144 and there are a number of repeats during the week. Series 12 runs for three months, ending on the 30^th December 2013. As most of you know, Petri and his guests cover various angling styles in and around southern Africa.

2) ASFN is taking a well-deserved break and will be back on the 13^th January 2014.

3) Freespool, presented by Mark de la Hay premiers Thursday nights at 19:00 on channel 208, Mark is a very talented angler and covers most facets of angling in and around southern Africa.

For the latest KZN fishing news presented by O.J., tune into East Coast Radio at 5:40am Monday - Friday.

The Kingfisher’s trading hours are: Mon, Wed, Thu & Fri – 8:00am – 5:00pm Tue – 8:30am – 5:00pm. Sat – 8:00am – 1:00pm.

Our December trading hours are 08:00 – 13:00 for the following Sundays: 8^th, 15^th 22^nd, & 29^th.   On Monday the 16^th of December we will be open from 08:00 to 13:00. Please note we will be closed on the 25^th and 26^th of December 2013, as well as on the 1^st January 2014.

(File photo:Gallo Images)

- ECRSportswave - Kingfisher