Good North Coast fishing action

And with this increased figure, have come an increase of catches from these areas too. 

There have been many smaller edibles around the shallows, from the rocks and also in most bays. Pompano have become a more popular quarry over the holiday season, and should continue to be a popular species in the months to come. Most of these fish have been landed on Sea lice and small Ghost Crabs. Fishing for these fish with fine wire hooks has been more productive and probably one of the most effective hooks has been the Mustad Chinu size 2/0-5/0 for its needle point and good strength. 

The high number of Grunter in the St Lucia area has also been amazing, but thankfully anglers have stuck to their limits and have released the majority of fish being landed. Apart from the variety and abundance of edibles in these areas, there have also been good numbers of Honeycombs Rays, Sand Sharks and Brown Skates coming out. 

Do not be afraid to throw bigger baits at this time of year as there is always bigger specimen roaming the shallows willing to munch anything bloody enough to get them excited. Along with the bigger baits, bigger tackle is also necessary, so be sure to be correctly kited out for these larger fish too. 

Richards Bay

Richards Bay has produced more Sand Sharks than most anglers could have anticipated over the last week, as well as Diamond Rays and Brown Skates.  The most effective bait used this year for the Diamond Rays has got to be fresh Shad. Shad head rigged on a double hook Big Gun size 6/0 trace with a lower gauge steel bite trace has been extremely effective and hard to beat. Many anglers have used spinning outfits as most of these Diamonds feed relatively close in, and bigger baits can be cast with relative ease. Mackerel head will get a bite if anglers have no access to fresh Shad for bait. 

Zinkwazi: Has not produced the same quality of fish which it has been in the last few weeks, however the fish are still there and in good numbers too. The normal summer fish have been consistent in the Zinkwazi area, with the most common of all being the Sandies. 

Ballito: Along the Ballito stretch, the main species being landed seems to be Grey Sharks and Sand Sharks, with quite a few Diamonds coming out in the evenings, mainly on the incoming tide. 

Umhlanga: Anglers who fished the Umhlanga area reported good Honeycomb Rays and Sand Sharks in excess of 60kgs.

Blue Lagoon: This area has been fishing well lately, with many anglers heading down early in the mornings to catch a few Shad for the table. There have also been reports of some decent Grunter being landed in the area too, on Sardine fillet baits. For anglers targeting inedibles, the Sand Sharks and Grey Sharks have been around too. 

Durban: Durban Piers have kept the Shad anglers happy and when the conditions are right, a few Stumpnose and Grunter as well. Ushaka and surroundings saw dozens of anglers bending with a variety of inedibles and the occasional Grunter or Stumpnose. 

Bluff: The Bluff is quiet at the moment besides the odd Kingie on live bait or spoon. There have been small pockets of bait just off backline which may hold fish too.

Toti: Toti and Warner Beach has had a good run of Grey Sharks and a few Skates for the last week and with the wind still playing its part this week, we should expect even more action. 

Umkomaas

Umkomaas saw some better sized Grunter for anglers who had the patience to sit through smaller fish pecking at their baits. Cracker has been the preferred bait in this area but Sardine baits have got the bigger fish. When targeting these fish specifically be sure to use a softer, more forgiving rod, as well as a longer nylon leader if using braid. The Poseidon Coastline 12'6" light and medium action rods matched with a Daiwa Grandwave 40 reel will be first class for a variety of these edibles. 

Scottborough  

Bigger Sharks seem to have moved further up the coast and areas such as Scottborough and Umdoni Point have been reporting large Blackfin Sharks and also some large flat fish. 
Lower South Coast - Towards Trafalgar and surrounding areas anglers have reported very few fish over the last week, probably due to the lack of Shad in these areas. 

Transkei 

Port St John's has had no shortage of anglers in the rivers and on its beaches. There have been good catches of Kob and Garrick in the rivers, which are still being caught on the popular Strike Pro Thai Stick and Kingfisher Bucktail jigs. In the surf and off the rocks has also been producing some lovely fish, including some excellent catches of Zambezi Sharks on light tackle.  

There have been hundreds of Lesser Sand Sharks around too, which again has been great fun for the youngsters on holiday. The odd Garrick has been landed on live bait in the Poenskop area as well as some good Kob. As usual for this time of the year, anglers have flocked to Hole In The Wall to rack up some trophy catches of Raggies, Hammer Head Sharks and big Grey Sharks.  

(File photo: Gallo Images)