Target the deep water close to the river mouthes
THE shore angling has been an ediblefocused week. There have been fisha-plenty if you try hard enough.
The North Coast has seen a couple of garrick for the guys fishing live bait. Targeting the areas of slightly deeper water close to a river mouth is your best bet for these fantastic gamefish. The tackle does not need to be too heavy as a garrick is one of the cleanest fighters you will ever hook.
The North Coast has also seen some very good shad coming out. This bodes well for the upcoming shad competition and we look forward to seeing your giant shad getting weighed in.
On the inedible front, there have been a couple of diamonds around, but the main fish caught have been blackfins and grey sharks.
Mackerel has been the bait of choice for all of these. Targeting both of the sharks mentioned sometimes necessitates a decent cast so make sure you have the correct braid and sinker weight for your rod to maximise the distance of your bait.
The beaches in and around Durban have seen some decent fishing this past week. The cape stumpies (silvers) have been keeping the light tackle guys very happy with hours of fun to be had. This is a great species to target for newcomers or younger anglers.
They fight hard for their size and are not very fussy with baits. Make a Christmas tree trace with a size 2 or so Mustad Ringer Chinu and you are in the game. The shad have been scarce in the Durban area for some reason.
Your best bet is still the pier at Blue Lagoon. Keep an eye on the action in the early mornings and evenings. Lots of cars in the car park is generally a give-away of some action.
The upper South Coast has seen plenty of shad action around the main spots. Scotties point, Inyoni rocks and Winkelspruit are the three top produces at the moment and should be your first areas to check if you are planning a trip this weekend. The garrick have been coming out but the bites have been few and far between.
To try to be as “lucky” as possible, look at scaling down your leader and hook snoot to be as invisible as possible. Also check your live bait frequently to make sure you have a feisty offering in the water when the garrick comes past.
The lower South Coast has not been treating the fishermen well these past few weeks.
The fishing has been slow and the bites have been hard to come by. Hopefully this is a sign of the sardines making their way up the coast. It is almost that time of year ...
For the best in tackle and advice, pop into any of the seven Kingfisher stores, open 8am-5pm Monday to Friday and 8am-1pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
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