#FishEagle: Hopes still up for bumper sardine run

The arrival of winter southerly winds might just possibly have been in time for the upcoming sardine run, with rough seas hopefully pushing the shoals of fish up the coast.

Hopes remain for a bumper sardine season, with a small shoal seen passing the Wild Coast Sun at Port Edward last week.

Shoals of red eye sardine and mackerel are also moving up the coast and anglers should stock up on these.

Rough seas and rising swell levels, however, left anglers at a disadvantage, but currents formed by the southerly winds will help clean up the sea water.

Durban’s beach remains closed owing to the presence of E.coli.

Expect to see the breakup of sandbanks formed during the summer months. Channels will also be formed for anglers to exploit for salmon and garrick.

Shad, when these arrive in their numbers, will be heavily targeted and high bag limits are sure to be ignored.

There will be high expectations of decent edible fish once the surf moderates and anglers are able to fish rocky gullies.

Fish to keep an eye out for include copper, lantern and stone breams.

South Coast anglers have been catching some nice copper bream and shoal salmon, but heavy seas curtailed any thought of fishing this week.

Sea temperatures remain around 22 degrees Celsius but is expected to drop soon.

Water remains warm enough for game fish, and couta seem to be gathering down south in anticipation of sardine shoals arriving.

Anglers managed to pull a few croc couta down South Coast way, mostly on live baits just before the onset of the rough seas.

Bottom fishing also yielded good results, with several musselcracker, big rock cod and salmon making up most of the catches.

Closer to home, once seas settle this week, anglers should be able to return to bottom fishing.

Inshore reefs should produce lantern bream or cave bass, moff grunter and the usual rock cod and reds.

Storm surf has probably cleaned out the crayfish holes which were filled with sand during summer, but it will be a while before divers are able to check their favourite crayfish spots.

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