FISHING: Exciting times ahead with new harbour plan
THE Bay has been earmarked for development of the Port Elizabeth harbour, with the emphasis on the utilisation of the ocean economy.
This all seems to roll out in 2019 with the re-location, we hope, of the ore berth and tank site to Coega.
No doubt tourism will boom and many opportunities will avail themselves. Indeed exciting times lie ahead.
Harbours are not only fishing and cargo enterprises. The annual Maritime Summit is under way in East London as I pen this week’s column and many things hinge around this indaba which will also effect change in the Bay. It would be a good way to lead into the future.
The past week has seen good catches of kob (as predicted last week in this column) taking place. One notable catch was at Sundays River of a “Hundred Pounder” by Jovan van Tonder.
These trophy fish are oncein-a-lifetime catches that many an angler never experiences.
Many are on the losing end most of the time. It is seldom one lands a big kob without that educational trail of experience (ie heartbreak!) that gets you there. It never happens the first time out on a big fish, especially with the line restrictions of competitive angling.
Many are opposed to the catching of these beasts, but the law does not prohibit it.
However the keeping of these brutes is questioned by some.
I will add that kob is not the easiest fish to release as they fight to exhaustion and need to be carefully revived. It is a process of patience and it usually becomes a wet affair.
There is growing popularity in releasing fish, but it is also great to taste your own catch!
The Sundays River, like the Gamtoos, is renowned for the giant kob that frequent the waters there.
To qualify for the “Hundred Pounder” claim the fish must weigh more than 45.46kg. Jovan’s kob weighed 47kg and was an outstanding catch. The South African record caught at the Gamtoos about 10 years ago by Deon Gerber weighed 69kg.
This is the time now for angling of non-edibles for those who seek the thrill of action on the line. Big baits attract big fish. The art of sliding is how these big baits are presented. Visit a tackle shop to get in touch with the technique.
This weekend begins with an easterly changing west tomorrow and increasing in strength through the evening. It should blow out by Sunday (change of the tide) mid-morning. Sunday offers a good prospect with a 9.14am low spring tide, assisted by the westerly which warms the water favourably. The moon phase is dark moon.
All looks good for more kob action. Any live bait should increase the odds of other predator species too.