Plenty of shad on the KZN coast line
Some bigger fish came out in the Transkei whilst local waters also had a mixed bag both north and south. Remember that The Kingfisher is now open on Sundays from 8am through until 1pm and also on the 16th of December.
Rock and Surf
Kosi Bay – It seems that Kosi Bay is inundated with what can only be seen as small edibles. The Wave Garrick are still plentiful and now it seems that there also seems to be small Kingfish species on the bite. Non-edible Anglers seems to be faring better as there have been some bigger Sharks quiet happy to take a dead or alive slide-bait. Grunter in the lakes are still going well although not as plentiful as the past weeks.
St Lucia/Cape Vidal – Reports are still being received of good Shad catches, especially on Kingfisher spoons. These fish are feeding early in the morning until around 9am depending on the tide. The odd smaller Kob is also coming out at night and there have been some Wave Garrick for Drop shot enthusiasts, especially with the Mcarthy plastics.
Tugela River – Only the odd bigger Kob has come out. The water here is definitely off colour and Anglers have started targeting the non-edibles on slide-baits and the odd swim bait.
Richards Bay – The beach area is a bit quiet with only some small Shad coming out. Anglers that have access to the Piers have also got a few Grunter, Kingfish and the odd Stumpy. The harbour is fishing quite well, with small Kingfish and the odd Garrick coming out on top water StrikePro Taistick lures and the traditional Grunter Hunters still doing their thing with live Cracker Shrimp.
Zinkwazi – Is still not firing on all cylinders, as there have been some catches of Skates and Grey Sharks yet not consistently. Cutlet baits for the non-edible fish are still working and if there are peckers around, why not wrap some Chokka that has been beaten to add some protection.
Umdloti/Ballito – Pretty much the same as last week, possibly due to the weather conditions - some small Brown Skates and the odd Grey Shark only. Hopefully with better weather coming the fish will come on the bite again and more action will come out of this area.
Umhlanga – Early morning Spinning enthusiasts have put the shiny S-bend spoon to good use. The Shad are generally making size although there are some bigger fish also amongst them. First light is always best as the spoon cannot be perfectly identified as it mimics and injured bait fish in the water. Why not give it a bash and surprise a special someone with Shad supper.
Durban Piers – It seems the bigger Shad have chased the smaller Shad away. Although these fish are not plentiful specimens of 5 to 6 kilos have been caught especially in the late evening. Redeye belly or a whole Redeye Sardine has proven very effective. There are still some Grunter around and these have fallen prey to Redeye head as well as Japanese Mackerel fillets.
Durban Beachfront – Although a bit hit and miss, Anglers along the beachfront have been surprised at the size Shad coming out. Some of these fish are up to the 6 kilo mark and although as in most cases they are not plentiful they seem to come and go within a short time period, leaving Anglers scratching their heads as to what went wrong. There have also been a few Pompano still, whilst the Stumpnose are few and far between.
Bluff – Although there are plenty of Shad still about, this weeks’ news is of a lovely Brusher of just under 7 kilos that was caught by an Angler targeting non-other than Shad. A Daiwa SL30 reel and Kingfisher Poseidon 13’ 6” rod were used to fight this fish and took just over ten minutes to land. Well done to the lucky Angler.
Toti/Winkelspruit – How fickle the small Shad can be – last week they were at Winkel and this week at Toti. Anglers fishing off Winkel have seen some better Shad although not as big as the ones on the Beachfront. The non-edible Anglers have also got some Greys with the odd Milky also around.
Umkomaas – Small shoal Kob have been coming out near the mouth and the majority of these fish are still under the legal size limit. There have also been a few Grunter which have just made size. The ledges have also produced some fish although mainly flat fish such as Brown Skates and one or two Grey Sharks during the week.
Scottburgh – There are still some Shad about, although not as plentiful as last week. Early risers reported some good sightings of bait balls and watched in envy as the Paddle-skiers got into some fish just out of casting range. Late evenings have seen a few non-edibles being a mix of Skates and smaller Grey Sharks.
Port Shepstone – Bronze Bream are still coming out although their season seems to be coming to an end. Early risers saw some good Shad action early in the week with a tapering off towards the weekend. Some good catches were made on Sunday morning on the traditional Saltwater Sport Shad trace using a whole Sardine as bait.
Transkei – The non-edible Anglers are gearing up as there are still some good sized Hammers and big Grey Sharks coming out. Poenskop a very well-known spot is fishing very well at the moment. The Port St Johns area is still seeing good activity with Garrick and Shad, especially as the sun comes up. With December holidays now open, why not book a few days in this paradise that is the Eastern Cape.
(File photo:Gallo Images)
- KIngfisher