Sharks robbing Durban anglers

North -  There have been good catches of decent size Couta, most of these fish have been caught on big dead baits like Walla Walla. Richards Bay has seen half a dozen or more Couta over 30kg being landed in the last week alone. These fish have been caught throughout the water spectrum, so it is advisable to keep one bait down rigged and one on the surface at all times. When targeting bigger Couta, as a rule of thumb, fish deeper water or shallower water than one usually would. Most old sea dogs will recommend 10-15m of water or 40-50m of water. When fishing deep, try vary the colour of your skirts, try glow skirts and bright pinks such as Yamashita squids. The wind seems to be picking up over the week, but the weekend seems to be in order for a gap to fish. Keep an eye on your favorite weather site to keep up to date on what is happening with the wind.
Sodwana has produced many Couta and Billfish recently on Rattlers and live bait. Yellowfin Tuna have been on the loose throughout the Zululand stretch, with many fish tipping the scales at way over 20kg.  

Central - Durban has seen excellent catches of bottom fish on many of our reefs and drop-offs, which is exciting news that indicates the arrival of our winter fish. The water has cooled down substantially and has been recorded as low as 19 degrees Celsius. Fish such as Geelbek and bigger Rock Cod have been landed more regularly on live baits and fresh Mackerel. Mackerel flapper baits have also worked very well. There are still many Yellowfin Tuna around Durban. These have been followed closely by Sharks and heavier tackle has come in handy in these situations. You need to put the heat on the fish in order to land it before the Sharks steal it from you. Snoek have been caught on our rips north of Blue Lagoon, mainly on Pro Jet spoons and smaller diving baits. These fish are taking fast moving baits, so don't be scared to wind your spoon as fast as you can. A few small Snoek being are being caught at Blue Lagoon itself, but not as many or as big as Hyper By the Sea and Virginia.

South - Queenfish have been coming out on Aliwal Shoal on live bait, but a good way to target these fish when they are active is on artificial lures. Smaller trawling lures or McArthy drop shots work well fished deep. The odd Dorado and Wahoo are still being landed on faster moving artificials. Most of these fish have been landed in the warmer, cleaner water.

With the three main ski boat competitions coming up over the next three months, it is time to wipe the dust off your tackle and wet a line. Many boats have been on the water practicing for the upcoming events, the first of which being the much anticipated Durban Ski Boat Festival which is held at the Durban Ski Boat base on the 26th and 27th of April.  First prize for this event is the all new Seacat 520 with 2x60hp Yamaha Motors and trailer valued at R350 000. All it takes is the biggest Couta of the weekend. Time to Stock up on Walla Walla and Mackerel.

East Coast Radio Sportswave anchor, Alain Tardin, caught three kingfish and a queenfish on a spoon off Umdloti during the past week. Alain was fishing from a kayak.

(File Photo:Gallo Images)

Twitter - @SportswaveAndre