Fish Eagle

The elements really took over last week with big swells and rough surf throughout the week and at the weekend there was a big backline with lots of broken white water rolling ashore.

I heard unconfirmed rumours last weekend that sardines were seen off Port St Johns. I also saw flocks of birds flying south every day last week, which of course might or might not mean something in terms of the sardines. The rough seas moving up the coast may not be what the anglers want, but could just be just what the doctor ordered in terms of these small fish.

I would not be all that surprised to hear that sardines moved into KZN waters, which in turn should liven up the fishing. I braved the cold on a couple of mornings last week and found some nice – sized blacktail on the bite in the dark before first light.

I managed to catch several of these fish using light tackle and it was great fun. As soon as it became light however the fish seemed to disappear. I also tried for shad but there ware none about locally, probably a result of the rough surf. Even the Umhlanga area that had been working quite nicely of late only produced a couple of fish.

Even though the surf has been bad, I have heard of several species of fish being caught locally. Among them were blacktail, a couple of mullet, some karranteen, the odd copper bream and stone bream. None of these were caught in great numbers, but it does show that there are some fish around if you are prepared to persevere.

I will also be trying again this week – specifically being on the lookout for garrick and salmon. A few small salmon have indeed already been caught recently just south of Westbrook beach.

Although all the regular anglers who I fish with use well balanced outfits, I have seen many anglers using equipment that is hopelessly ‘unbalanced’.

By this I mean rods, reels and line that are not compatible or not made to withstand the harsh conditions present in rock and surf fishing. As getting rigged up is an expensive business these days I recommend obtaining advice from an experienced angler to make sure you spend your hard earned cash well.

Fresh bait is a must because if one uses sardines that have been in the freezer for a long time, bites will be few and far between. Bait presentation is key – it is not enough to just tie a sardine or a fillet bait to the hook and hope for the best.

The size of the hook or the trace will depend on what species you are targeting. If you are fishing for shad then a wire trace is a must, but if fishing amongst the rocks for other species then an all nylon trace is usually the way to go.

A thick line will cause a heavy drag in the water so I prefer lighter line of around 10kg on my normal stick and 7kg on my light rod.

Here again, there are many different types of line on the market these days so expert advice is recommended.

Sealice