Big tuna caught off Durban

North - While most anglers had a bit of a tough time with the weekend winds blowing, the sea was manageable and still gave the anglers something for their efforts. Saturday was the day to fish, with small swells and light winds up until about 9am.

Maphelane - This area seems to be fishing quite well at the moment, with most pelagics. With the fluctuating currents and temperature over the majority of our coastline, targeting any specific species has been a bit of a nightmare, but the one species which has stood out amongst others is our toothy friend, the King Mackerel or Couta.  Almost every boat that targeted Couta was rewarded with fish and it has been nice to see that most of these fish are of impressive size. It has not been uncommon to boat fish of over 20kg and this can only be a good sign of what is to come. Other species which have provided action include Wahoo, Dorado and Tuna.

Cape Vidal and St Lucia - These spots have produced the goods as well, with good feedback all round with the use of Rattlers and Halco lures. More Kingfish have been landed over the last week, including some very nice Yellowspot Kingies. The odd Sailie has been landed on live bait and on smaller Konas such as Williamson Tuna and Sailfish catchers.

Zinkwazi - This venue produced dozens of quality Couta when the weather played its part, but saw a decrease in catches as the colder water moved through.

Blue Lagoon - Saturday was the day to fish for those of you who target Snoek, as Blue Lagoon and La Mercy offered Snoek to anybody on a boat. Most of these fish fed in the dirty water and took Kingfisher Pro Jet spoons and Chrome sprat spoons. Although some boats caught more than 10 fish, please remember that there is a limit of 10 fish per angler, which includes any other fish. For example, 5 Snoek and 5 Tuna, not 10 Snoek and 5 Tuna. Along with the catches of Snoek, stories of Couta and Wahoo were also plentiful. We are to expect less than desirable weather conditions late this week so make sure that you get on the water before the swells pick up.

Durban - The big city has seen yet another Tuna explosion, after a relatively quiet spell. The thing that amazes us though, is the size of these fish. The more common size 5-8kg tuna have been few and far between, allowing space for the bigger fish up to 42kg!  This 42kg Yellowfin was landed off Durban on a Daiwa Saltist 4500 and Saltist 7'6" rod using a popper.

Winklespruit - Fishing Ski Club are holding their 10th annual fishing competition on 5 and 6 April 2014. This event is unique in the sense that it is the only team competition of its kind where teams of 4 anglers compete against other Paddleski teams from all over SA. It is a two-day event and weigh-in will be held at the clubhouse (Winkle Lifesaving Club). The contest offers about R150 000 worth of prizes.  It is a non-profit organization and all prizes come from sponsors.

(File Photo:Wikipedia)

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