Plenty of offshore gamefish action
THE offshore scene has been productive. There have been some brute bottom fish and plenty of gamefish action.
Fantastic bottom fishing has been had off Durban, with the bulk of the catches being geelbek and daga. These have mainly been caught at night, but late afternoon has seen some good fishing on the deeper reefs.
The rest of the bottoms have been a mix of reds (soldiers, slinger, and so on) and rockcod. The bigger fish have preferred live bait, with mackerel outperforming the rest of the bait. The shallows have mainly seen snoek action.
The area from the Bluff south has seen much the same action as Durban, with plenty of dorado and tuna for the gamefish anglers, while the guys looking on the bottom also managed good hauls.
Bottom fishing has been consistent down south, with plenty of good fish coming up. If you are new to the game, please make yourself familiar with the species which you are allowed to catch.
The summer heat has made rock and surf fishing up north uncomfortable, but this is where most of the better fish have come from.
The North Coast has seen some good summer action already. Blackfins have been around most of the North Coast river mouths, and mackerel and live bait have worked best.
The flatfish have been on the radar, with honeycombs, brown rays and sandies all making up the catches. Mackerel has been the most successful bait.
Durban’s beachfront has seen some decent fishing. It is one of the few areas that can be fished in the rough seas.
Sardine and red-eye sardine have been the most successful baits for the smaller flatfish, with brown skates and blue rays making up most of the catches.
Edibles, other than the shad, have been scarce, while stumpies have been around, and a bunch of cracker shrimp, or a cracker and pink prawn combo bait, has been the best bet for catching them.
The coast south of the Bluff has been very productive for the shore anglers. Bronze bream have been feeding well around the rockier areas. A nice juicy prawn bait on a 20lb hook snoot will generally get their attention.
Tight lines and screaming reels!
For the best in tackle and advice, pop into any of the seven Kingfisher stores. They are open 8am-5pm from Monday to Friday, and 8am-1pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
The Kingfisher has opened their new store in the Tiffany’s Shopping Centre in Salt Rock. Call them at 032 307 0041.
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Send info about fishing to mike. pereira@kingfisher.co.za.