Angling Report – November 8, 2013

It was another  grim week for rock and surf  anglers due to inclement weather and sea conditions. The rough seas, rain, dirty water and mostly easterly winds kept all but the most hardened fisherman off the beach. The west did begin to blow on Thursday however, helping to straighten the sea out by Friday morning. The improved conditions were not to last as Saturday was blown out again.
With the rivers flowing  quite strongly, the estuary anglers must have struggled just like their surf counterparts. Judging from the lack of news from my contacts up North, I can only assume that this must have been the case. It is a pity since the estuary fishing was picking up very nicely. It will probably be a while before these guys see some action again, because when the rivers are full and flowing fast, all the rubbish is washed down to the mouths.
Unfortunately the garrick season is all but over and although the odd fish may still be caught at the popular fishing spots, most anglers will probably wait in vain for a pull – especially if the water remains dirty. All is not lost however, because if the shoals of shad move into the local beaches, which is normal for the month of November, the garrick anglers could catch some nice sized fish. By this  time of the year, most of the garrick have already moved South but there are always the stragglers and these are normally good sized fish.
November is the last month of Spring and then comes Summer, bringing with it the big skates that move inshore along the local sandy beaches. Unfortunately, some of these excellent sporting fish are either killed or left on the beaches to rot by some anglers. Please return these fish alive and unharmed to the water so that they can live and give excellent sport for some time to come. This is also the same for the sand sharks or guitar fish. These creatures are harmless but provide excellent sport at this time of the year.
As expected, there was no fishing news from the offshore guys this week. Skippers are probably also currently busy replenishing their safety equipment and readying their craft for the annual safety and seaworthy inspections.
Before the onset of the bad weather and seas, offshore anglers were starting to catch a few decent yellowfin tuna down South and word was that bonnies were seen as well. It could be another good tunny run this year and maybe the wahoo and couta will come thick for a change.
I hope that this week will be a better one and that we can actually wet a line for a change.
Sealice