Bass still on the bite at Midmar and Mearns dams

THE colder weather is starting to affect the fishing at an alarming rate.

The handful of fisherman who know how to change their tactics for freshwater fishing in winter continue to produce fish across all facets of fresh water fishing.

The frontal system and rains that came with it on Friday evening put a spanner into many an anglers plans last weekend. Those who got in early managed some fishing on Friday afternoon, and for the most part, that’s where it ended. The cool, overcast weather of Saturday wasn’t at all accommodating for a day on the water.

The central Berg was the hardest hit, receiving hail along with the rain. The rivers came up and fish were lost in the fast, angry water.

The local Midlands rivers also received some input, but reports are that water levels subsided as fast as they came up, and some great fishing was reported on the Bushman’s River with brown trout more than 51cm range being brought to hand on the dry fly.

Winter is definitely trying to get a foot in – the last couple of mornings in the Midlands have a definite bite to them. The stillwaters remain on the warm side however, we are playing the waiting game for the fish to go into spawning mode and come into the shallows. ers and you find nothing seems to be working, try changing the size of your lure.

There have been good reports from Jozini, with a decent amount of tigerfish coming out mostly on bait. Braid is mostly used when targeting these fish because of the directness and the fact that there is no stretch when setting the hook. These fish have incredibly hard plates in their mouths and catching them can prove difficult without the correct tackle. A fast action stiff rod would need to be used with a minimum of a 15lb braid.

The key is to use a hook that is thin as possible but still very strong. A thin hook is needed in order to penetrate the rock-hard jaws of the tigerfish and the fight they put up, which puts a lot of strain on all your tackle. Conventional shad and snoek traces are often used for tigerfish.

Trout anglers who have been braving the colder weather, have been getting some nice fish on the smaller flies such as your small nymphs in shallower water. There have also been reports of some decent browns and rainbows coming out in the streams around the Underberg area.

In the early morning most reports say fish is taking on most dry flies. For those lucky enough to have a float tube or kick boat, getting to the secluded parts of the dams and fishing a big wet fly will yield the best results for catching trophy fish. You can often also find them hiding in the reeds and water grass. These fish are more alert and if you are fishing in a popular dam, these bigger fish have most likely been caught before, making them so much more of a challenge to catch.

Don’t forget the famous Durban Ski Boat Festival is from April 19 to 30. There are R1.5 million worth of sponsorship and other prizes. Visit www. durbanskiboatclub.co.za or contact 031 337 9506, for more info and entry forms. Early bird registration before March 31 is R540 an angler, thereafter R675. wZZ NLQJILVKHU FR ]D