KZN December shore fishing update

There have been reports up north in the Kosi Bay region and towards Sodwana of Kingfish being caught on live baits as well as plugs. while some excellent Blue Fin Kingies have been landed on plug as well as dropshot in the shallows. 

The outfit of choice here has been the Latest Exceler Saltwater series 10'6", three piece paired with a Daiwa Exceler 4000HA reel.

There have also been plenty of Bonefish throughout the week, which have taken smaller baits in the shallows and off the sand banks. A few Lucky anglers have managed to land these on spoons while targeting Kingfish or Wave Garrick. 

Anglers who have used these as bait have managed to catch the odd GT or Shark. Some lovely Sharks have been taken on the larger baits in the Maphelane area, particularly around the river mouth. 

At Cape Vidal off the ledges, anglers have caught some nice Raggies at night on big bloody baits. Whole Mackerel slide baits have also been effective, as well as Yellowtail cutlets or heads. 

Spinning enthusiasts have reaped the benefits of long hours in the sun, catching a good few Snoek and Kingfish on spoons, which have been fished fast on the surface along colour lines, rips or drop offs. With the rains coming down in most areas, the fresh water has brought the Snoek in and has turned them on the bite for the first time in a few months. 

The north side of Richards Bay produced a good number of flatfish, with Honeycombs being the main target species.  Along with the Honeycombs, a few Sand Sharks and Blackfin Sharks were landed too. On the south side of Richards Bay, anglers saw a few Diamonds, Browns and Sandies. 

Further down at Zinkwazi and Blythedale, the fish were not as abundant as the weeks before and due to holiday time restrictions, fewer anglers had lines in the water. For those who managed to fish during the evenings, the larger Honeycombs and Sharks were caught, proving to be excellent fun on the grinder outfits in the 12'6" range. 

At Ballito, Sand Sharks were on the bite and anglers also saw some Honeycombs and Diamonds in the evenings. A few small Stumpies were landed during the night with smaller throw baits. The usual spots at Ballito and Sheffield produced a few Snoek over the last week, thanks to a few new spoons released on the market. These being the Anchovy spoon, The Kingfisher Bonnie Spoon and the new Chase Mackerel imitation spoon.

It is nice to see a high volume of anglers spinning from the Blue Lagoon north banks in the mornings, catching Shad and Kingfish of decent size. For anglers getting into spinning and looking for a cost effective outfit, be sure to take a look at the range of Poseidon Power Angler rods, which are available in a 3pce option for easy storage in any vehicle. These rods matched with a Daiwa Laguna in a size 4000 will have enough power to stop even the most stubborn fish. 

There were good reports of huge flatfish sighted off the piers, which are have recently been caught by a few anglers using the Saltiga Dogfight.  Anglers who have targeted them have managed to land some beautiful Honeycombs up to 100kgs. Of course, bigger bloody baits are the way forward when targeting these fish, with care taken to use the freshest bait possible. If it is edible fish that you are after, then be sure to make your way down to Ushaka to target some of the many Stumpies and Grunter which have been in the area. Red Eye and Chokka baits or Sea Lice have been deadly. 

Closer to the North Pier, on the extreme low tide the Stumpies have had a good run on Sea Lice and heavier tackle.  Mustad Kendal round 3/0 has been doing the damage, with the Mustad Tarpon 4/0 used for the larger, more aggressive fish which may open a smaller hook.  On the Bluff, the water has been a few degrees warmer than around Durban and the fish seem to be more active. Plenty of smaller Black Tip Kingies around, as well as Bonefish and Stumpnose. Anglers fishing around the South Pier have had a huge increase in catches of Kingfish and other smaller Game fish such as Snoek and even Bonito.

Toti has produced some very nice Shad recently, mainly on the weekend when there has been more bait in the water. Many of the anglers have been targeting the many Stumpnose which have been present in these waters lately, which has led to the capture of a variety of good sized edibles such as Grunter, Stumpies, small Kob and Pompano.  

Umkomaas River is flowing strong and the amount of fish being landed in the area is impressive - Grunter, Kob, Stumpies and a variety of inedibles from Brown Rays to Zambezi Sharks.  In the moving water, bigger baits are a must. 

Scottborough Point is fishing well at the moment as well, if the tides are fished correctly. There have been good Kingies and Sea Pike off the point on smaller spoons and Kingies off the pool on spoon or McArthy dropshot. 

Umdoni Point has had some good fishing in the mornings, producing good Bonefish and smaller edibles. The Port Shepstone area has been quite apart from some smaller Kingfish which have been landed. 

Far south, Hole In The Wall is the spot to be with fish being landed left, right and center - plenty of Grunter and other edibles have been caught during the mornings and evenings.  Mpolomo is also having a good run of Sharks on Sarda Sarda baits and whole Chokka slide baits. Bonito and Yellowtail have also been impressive baits, being held responsible for a few of the larger fish being caught recently.

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