Getting HOOKED
WHAT comes after 5 days of good weather… the weekend.
Although we cannot control the weather, we can control the amount of effort we put in and the time spent next to or on the water. The guys that have managed to put in the extra effort and time have done very well recently. Rock and surf fishing on the north coast has been a very interesting area over the last few weeks.
There have been a mix of edibles and inedibles on most days, but predicting where they will be has been the hardest part of the fishing.
Umdloti has been throwing some early season summer fish and there have been some lovely flatties coming out. The edible anglers in this area have also had their share of success with some bronzies, crackers and a decent kob on the catch list from last week. Well done to all the anglers.
With the weather that is on its way, scratching is going to be the best bet for this weekend. Choose your target and stock up on traces and sinkers.
The central zone has been dominated by the catches on the piers. These have been 95% edible fish and the occasional inedible picking up a bait meant for an edible.
The stumpies and blacktail have been the main fish coming out with pompanos falling slightly behind. Crackers have been the deciding bait over the last week and have out fished any other bait 3 to 1.
For these fish, a running trace and light sinker is the best way to entice them (if conditions allow). Keep your tackle light to enjoy the fight. The south coast has seen some very good scratching and spinning last week. The garrick have finally decided to play the spinning game and have left the live baits and attacked the plugs and lures with gusto.
There have also been plenty of shad around but they continue to be a little small. A reminder that the Kingfisher Biggest Shad Competition has kicked off.
The heaviest Shad for each September will receive a Daiwa BG 5000 Reel filled with Daiwa 8 weave 30lb J Braid, valued at around R3 000, the second heaviest Shad will receive a 13’6” Kingfisher Coastline 5pce (L, M & H tip) Graphite rod, valued at R2 000, and third heaviest Shad will receive a Daiwa Laguna 5000 spinning Reel valued at around R1 000.
Please note that all Shad (fresh) must be weighed at either The Kingfisher at 53 Hunter Street, The Kingfisher in Ballito, The Fishing Tackle Shop (The Kingfisher) Warner Beach or Tackle Centre in Old Fort Road, during trading hours. Please remember there is a bag limit of four and the minimum size is 30cm and that the season closes on September 30 and re-opens on December 1.
The Kingfisher would like to congratulate the winners of our August leg of the Shad competition on their brilliant catches.
Well done Suren Rampursad (1st - 5.1kg), Kevin Naidoo (2nd - 2.8kg) and Derlin Naidoo (3rd 1.5kg). We look forward to some great catches this month.
The guys scratching have landed many species of fish, including some rare fish. A spadefish came out in this recent Common Venue League competition. Well done to the angler on this great catch. Also, the bronze bream have been feeding decidedly well and have attacked all baits with vigour.