Stumpnose action at Ballito

Kosi Bay -  Kosi has fished very well over the last week for smaller edible fish, but with the northeast winds predicted to blow the whole week, anglers can expect some explosive fun with a variety of sharks and flatfish. Last weekend there were reports of sandsharks, blackfin sharks and brown skates, which is a good start for the week already.

Cape Vidal – This area has seen some very big Zambezi sharks being landed throughout the course of last week, most of which have been landed near the river mouth. With the reopening of the shad season, anglers have become more versatile and have been able to target a wider variety of inedibles on live shad, shad head and also shad cutlet baits.  

Richards Bay - The north has produced some very nice sandsharks and honeycomb rays, as well as a few diamond rays, all of the above have ranged between 20kg and 50kg. The south has seen good numbers of spinner sharks, milkies, brown skates and shad.

Zinkwazi and Blythedale - This stretch seems to be doing better than most spots, with many good reports of edibles and non edibles. The top species have been sandsharks, grey sharks, diamond rays and brown skates. There have been plenty of shad around too, which have been well utilised as bait. There have also been good reports of kingfish from the area, also taken on live shad.

Ballito - This area produced some grey sharks and sandsharks in the evening sessions, along with some excellent stumpnose. The number of diamond rays in the area has increased as well, providing good fun for anglers on light tackle.

Umdloti - Here there has been no shortage of action for anglers using heavier tackle and swim bait outfits. Zambezi sharks up to 200kg have been hooked, some landed and some lost. Make sure to use only the best equipment when targeting larger species. Mustad Hoodlum 10/0 and up, heavy gauge steel trace, a decent leader and a minimum or Giant Abrasion 0.55mm main line. Also make an attempt to head down to your local tackle store and ask for a demo on knot tying, which will not only help with your heavy tackle, but throughout your fishing styles.

Umhlanga - Lighthouse saw good catches of shad and grey sharks over the weekend, but did not fish as well as Beachwood and Virginia which produced the goods throughout the week and weekend. Grunter have become more prolific in these areas as well, but have been selective with their bait of choice. Most anglers using sea lice or sardine fillet have been successful.

Durban - The beachfront will be heating up during the course of this week with the NE winds predicted. We have already seen catches of pompano, grunter and stumpnose from Addington and uShaka beaches on light spinning outfits. The beauty of this area is that the angler never knows what they will be catching; the amount of fish in these areas which feed on sea lice is phenomenal. The possibilities range from grunter, pompano, stumpnose, a variety of flatfish and also other edibles such as large blacktail and wave garrick. When targeting these species which have relatively delicate mouths, the angler needs to make a decision whether he/she fishes with nylon or braided line. There advantages in both and disadvantages in both. Firstly, braid has zero stretch,  which means that a lot more pressure will be out on the hook at all times, resulting in hook pulls when the fish shakes it's head hard etc. Nylon on the other hand will stretch and absorb the shock, and be more forgiving than the braid. Braid will also require the angler to learn new knots in order to tie leaders on etc. Braid, however, casts like a dream and will out cast any nylon in an equivalent breaking strain. It also has less drag in the water due to its lower diameter, more braid will fit onto the spool making for a larger line capacity, and it also will allow for the angler to detect a bite easily. Triple Fish Gatorbraid is available in a 4 and 8 weave and is perfectly suited for the angler on a budget who does not want to settle for substandard product.

(File Photo: Gallo Images)

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