Head far south for bottom fishing
FOR the offshore guys, the big seas and strong winds have made the pleasant days much more enjoyable. The bottom fishing has been wild!
The north coast has seen a lot of snoek activity over the last while with plenty of epic morning sessions.
The smaller lipped lures like the Strike Pro Magic Minnow and the likes have made short work of these backline beauties.
These little lures allow for clean and fast pre-work paddles without the worry (and smell) of sardine fillets.
Umdloti, Tinley Manor and the many spots around Richards Bay up north have been successful.
The early mornings have undoubtedly been the best, so wake up an hour earlier and get out there. Closer to Durban the wrecks and barges have been producing some quality tuna with the odd couta around. The sharks remain a problem.
The Durban coast has started to free up more with the move to level 2. That post trip beer has really been missed.
The bottom fish have been feeding well since the end of lockdown and some amazing fish have been caught (and released). The soldiers and slinger have made up the most consistent catches in the deep but the coppers and cracker have been the real prizes.
These fish are slow-growing and hard-fighting so they deserve respect and a safe release. The couta have been a bit quiet lately with only a handful of specimens being landed in the past week. The deeper reefs have been the place to target these fish, with a live mackerel producing the better bites.
The shad have been a pest on the backline with bait jigs getting demolished very fast. Using the heavier duty Mustad jigs with the thicker fluorocarbon snoots will prevent this.
The bottom fishing has been great with the far south producing some amazing fish including big black musselcracker, giant copper steenbras and KP-breaking yellowtail.
These fish will all eat a live bait on the bottom and require a determined angler to be landed. Also the hotspots are a secret kept close to those who know them. Don’t bother asking.
The shallower reefs have produced some couta with a shiny walla walla producing the most bites.
The rock and surf fishing has been hampered by the wind and big seas. The smaller sheltered bays have been fishable and often produce good catches in the rough conditions.
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.
Remember that the annual Kingfisher Big Shad Competition is under way and there are some big shad already on the board. The top place is currently held by a fish over 4.5kgs! Let us see what the rest of the month holds. To qualify the fish must be fresh (unfrozen) and be weighed in at one of the Kingfisher branches.
Tight lines and screaming reels. Please note: We will be closing every Wednesday at 4pm at our Hunter Street branch for deep sanitisation. All Kingfisher retail branches will be undergoing deep sanitisation every week for your safety and ours. Stay safe!
The Kingfisher’s trading hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturdays 8am to 1pm.
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Please send any info about fishing or fish caught in your area to mike.pereira@kingfisher.co.za.