Getting HOOKED

OFFSHORE reports were scarce from the past weekend with quite a few boats deciding not to launch because of the big seas. The brave (or foolhardy) skippers who did go out managed some snoek and other game fish for their efforts.

Go catch a snoek! You can do this either from the shore or from any boat. Shorebased targeting comprises a 10’6” or longer spinning rod and a fast ratio spinning reel with some thin braid to throw the smallest spoons as far as possible.

I’d suggest the new Daiwa Saltist 11’6” Power Spin threepiece rod paired with a 4000 size Daiwa Saltist reel loaded with 15lb Daiwa J-Braid.

This will allow you to throw the small spoons far enough to reach the snoek while the reel lets you wind the spoons in fast enough to attract the snoek’s attention.

From the boat I would use the small reel but substitute a shorter rod of around 7ft, my choice being a rod with a nice soft tip to prevent hook pulls – a rod like the Daiwa Saltist 702MHS 60 – 110g would be great.

Snoek love feeding in rips and current lines right behind the backline. Throw your lures or troll your fillet baits in this area in the early hours of the morning. Focus your attention around river mouths and you are guaranteed to up your

Ray’s tip:

chances of hooking one of these strong game fish.

“The north” has been the answer from all of the guys asked about the location of their snoek catches. Reports from the past two weeks were of record numbers and sizes of Natal snoek coming out.

Numbers have been upward of 20 fish caught in a single morning, while some lucky or skilled (or both) anglers have managed doubledigit monsters. The biggest fish reported was 10.5kgs.

The tuna have still been feeding well along the North Coast and up to Sodwana. Trolled, lipped lures pulled at speed have triggered the most bites but the bigger tuna have definitely favoured a frisky live bait. Pinning a mackerel or mozzie with a 6/0 tuna circle (either through the top lip or using a cable tie bridle) will guarantee a solid hook-up.

Use a short leader of fluorocarbon to add invisibility and abrasion resistance and make sure to use a rod with enough backbone to pull that tuna in before the grey-suit tax collector claims his share.

Before the big seas arrived, the central zone of KZN saw its fair share of the snoek action. Fillet baits trolled behind the backline near Blue Lagoon have been gobbled up. Adding a small lipped lure such as the little pink and white rattler or the ice cream coloured Strike Pro Magic Minnow in between the fillets can result in more fish being hooked.

Also make sure to keep your light spinning outfit and small spoons close at hand to fire off a cast at any action that you might see.

The Kingfisher anchovy spoon and the small sprat spoon have been the best choice to throw at the busting snoek, while a fresh redeye fillet has been the best fillet bait.

Make sure to test the fillet next to the boat to see that it is “swimming” correctly and not spinning. Adding a sparse skirt in front of the fillet will also bring the fish in quicker.

The south has been quiet. Much like the north and central regions, the tuna are making up the bulk of the catches. These have been on the smaller side, but some lucky anglers have wrestled in some bigger fish.

Once again the all-black Rattler has proved its worth on the South Coast and has sold out in our Warnadoone store. This colour works extremely well in the early hours of the day as it throws a solid silhouette for the predators to home in on.

The bait has not been as wild as the cold water would suggest and the bonnies are still scarcer than hen’s teeth.