We need a new size law to save dwindling kob
THE beach driving ban has been widely debated and, although many oppose this piece of legislation, it must be respected.
Respect for the law in this country is now at an all-time low. Karma on the other hand is very real, just as one driver found out when he decided to take his vehicle onto the St George’s Strand beach.
It is not clear whether he was an angler (I certainly hope not and the photograph suggests not) or just a hooligan.
He managed to get a R2 000 fine after overturning his vehicle and severely damaging it.
On to another matter. Algoa Bay is full of sardines now and this breathes life into our precious waters. Generally fish are being caught in all the popular locations around the bay.
Shad and kob are widely spread at the moment and concerns have been raised about the vast volumes of kob being removed as research indicates numbers are down.
I urge anglers to release the larger kob – that are not good eating anyway. The species– in my opinion – should be regulated by a slot size, and fish between 60cm and 100cm should be the only ones kept. I believe that in this way we might be able to resuscitate the species which is under pressure of collapse.
This approach has been implemented in Australia and the US and numbers have been on the increase as a result. The red fish caught in the US, similar to our kob, is a perfect example.
They have a maximum size of 71cm on this species when caught in competitions. It appears that the competitive angling fraternity regulate themselves well for the sustainability of the sport.
Some of our facets of competitive angling in this country have made great positive steps. However, more thought is still needed. It would be great to hear what readers think about the matter.
There is a rumour going around that the harbour wall has been opened to anglers. This is simply not true and angling there will result in arrests as these it is a national key point security is always tight.
It is also considered to be too dangerous an area for angling.
Having just had our winter solstice along with a full moon spring tide, there is great promise this weekend (three days after spring tide is considered the best angling time by many).
The winds should be moderate westerly tomorrow with a high tide at sunrise. Generally the wind should be angling-friendly for the duration of the weekend and ambient temperatures reasonable for Saturday, with Sunday relatively warm considering the time of the year.
Winter usually means day time angling which requires good bait presentations as water temperature is down and clarity increases as a result.