Bass and trout on the up for anglers, while carp slows
THE summer season is almost here and the fish are responding to the increases in the temperatures. The storms have played around with the pressures which have been detrimental to catch rates …
The bass have been feeding best on minnow imitations. Jerkbaits have done well in most of the KZN waters. The choice is yours whether you fish the hard plastic jerks or the soft plastics. If you are fishing in open water with little structure to snag on, then the hard plastics are the way to go. If there is grass or weed in the water you are fishing, a soft plastic jerk bait will be the bait of choice.
Most of the KZN dams have seen some decent bass taken on the past week. The changes in pressures have been the most determining factor for success. High pressures generally mean poor fishing but if you switch to a more finesse approach, you can still have a great day on the water.
The trout fishing has been fantastic. The recent snows have made for easy convincing of the better halves to make a trip to the berg.
The snowmelt has filled the rivers up nicely and dropped the temperature fast. The trout in these streams and rivers are very good at adapting and will find the most productive area to lay in wait for a morsel. The stillwaters are still producing good numbers and sizes. The deeper areas have been the most successful when fishing a bigger streamer on a sinking line. Consider a zonker fished on a type 3 sinking line.
The carp fishing is slowing down in terms of sizes but the number are steadily increasing. The bigger fish do not seem to enjoy feeding in the warmer weather, possibly trying to get their summer bodies ready for bikini season …
Much like the other fish, the atmospheric pressure is often the most important factor to consider when picking when to fish. A dropping barometer is a sign of changing weather and is a good time to go wet a line.
The specimen anglers will do well keeping their feeding area baited with an assortment of particles in varying sizes. This will not only keep the carp interested in the area, it will also stop the smaller fish from cleaning up the area moments after you stock it up.
Dam levels are still looking good for this time of year: Albert Falls 49%, Midmar 93%, Spring Grove 83%, Mearns 80% and Wagondrift 92%.
The offshore fishing off the Durban coast has mainly seen bottom fishing action although some decent tuna have been landed on both poppers and live baits. The bottom fishing has seen some giant bottom fish caught in the last couple of weeks.
The coppers and poenskop have been the main targets for those looking for trophy size catches. These are very old fish that deserve their release.
Tight lines and screaming reels. ■ The Kingfisher’s trading hours are Monday to Friday 8am-5pm, Saturdays and Sundays 8am-1pm.
■ Please remember to leave the areas that you fish in a better condition than when you got there. Take a few moments to pick up some litter and take it to the nearest bin.
■ As always, remember to subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up to date with all our new video releases and to brush up on your species knowledge, tactics and tips/tricks.
https://www.youtube.com/c/ Thekingfisherfishing
Go to www.facebook.com/ thekingfisherdaiwa and “Like” us on Facebook to catch reviews, videos, fishing reports, great promotions and lots more.
■