Angling Report – 16 May 2014

The bad weather and strong westerly wind chopped up the sea and surf on Monday morning last week and it took a bit of time before things moderated, although it never completely seem to settle for the rest of the week.
The surf was pounding for a few days churning up the sand on the sandbanks. I believe the fish are reluctant to swim over these banks (except maybe at the high tide) and this might be the reason why they have been off the bite a bit this past week. Anglers seem to have generally kept away from the beach, waiting for news that the fish were back on the bite.
I was in touch with some friends up and down the coast but there was not really much news apart from the odd fish being caught from the local popular fishing spots. Most of the guys that I had a word with are now doing exactly what I am and that is to look south and prepare for the approaching winter season.
There have been reports of plenty of small, undersized shad in some areas down south as well as some small salmon with the odd larger fish in between. Apparently some of the upper South Coast fishing spots are already crowded in the early mornings. A few anglers have had live shad out, hoping for garrick, but so far none of these fish have made an appearance . I suppose that it is just a matter of time before these gamefish arrive, but maybe the water is still a little warm. These days most anglers looking for garrick use slide baits, but there are a number of the veteran anglers that swear by plugs and spoon when they go fishing. Some even fish for the daga at night with spoon with good results. This is an old method of catching dagas and the trick is to retrieve the spoon slowly on the bottom where the salmon would pick it up.
I hear that quite a few shad are being caught from the Durban piers at present but the fish are small and, as usual, none of these undersized fish are being returned to the water. Anglers are apparently fishing to order so the fish are quickly moved off the piers by runners and a few of these regular pier anglers are making a good living with these illegal shad.
There have also been reports of a few small pompano on the bite in these areas but they have been few and far between.
A good friend of mine who fishes religiously in the Umhlanga area said that there has been little happening except for the odd small snoek caught on spoon from the rocks near the lighthouse when conditions allow. A few grey sharks have also been landed from the sandy beaches south of the lighthouse in the late afternoons. My friend also mentioned that he is waiting for the garrick as there are plenty of live bait available in the area at present.
A couple of nice stumpies must have been caught in the rough surf last week but I have not heard anything. I have observed that many anglers are not too keen to arrive at the beach in the dark during the early mornings and I am not sure whether the cold or the prevalence of thieves and muggers are the reason. I myself am wary because I normally fish alone and one just gets the feeling that it is not safe to be alone on the beach.
Sealice