Angling Report

Fishing conditions were quite good last week before the barometer dropped and a screaming south wester came through on Friday evening and blew for most of the day on Saturday. Surprisingly the conditions calmed down and Sunday was a pretty good day for fishing again.
Quite a few pompano weighing between one and two kilos were caught during the week from some of the popular fishing spots. Sealice proved to be the most productive bait but the fish were also eating prawn and most anglers caught one or two fish on light tackle. Apparently the fish were mainly biting during the half tide period.
There were a few shad caught at times but most anglers were concentrating on catching the pompano. I believe that anglers fishing the Bluff beaches are catching some nice sized shad and there seems to be plenty of them. I have noticed for a few years now that anglers catch limit bags of shad from the Bluff and upper South Coast. Along the local beaches from Durban North up until past Tinley there are just a few fish at times and then again from the Tugela mouth northwards, anglers cane the shad at this time of the year. It seems as if when the shoals of shad round the Bluff, they remain beyond the surf with just a few breakaway shoals moving inshore. The bulk of the fish only come close to the beach again once they reach the Zululand beaches. During the latter part of July and into August, the shad angling picks up dramatically along the local beaches.
It is really going to be interesting to watch what happens at the end of July when the government takes over policing the beaches. Many anglers that I have spoken to don’t seem to know what methods or change in legislation will be implemented come the beginning of August.
Anglers fishing the Tugela area have done well with garrick so far this year and there have been a few nice salmon as well at night. This area has been pretty consistent these past couple of weeks so anglers should climb in whilst the going is good. I believe that there are still some nice grunter being caught up that way as well and the “grunter run” should even get better from now until November when the fish travel north to spawn.
Ski boat and surf ski anglers caught a few garrick again last week along the backline from Umhlanga to Virginia beach. Unfortunately, small sharks have been taking the live baits as well so anglers have lost a fair amount of tackle. Live bait has proved to be a little difficult to find.
It is really cold on the beach during the early morning periods at present and the warmest part of the beach is right at the water’s edge. At this time of the year one has to be on the beach before first light because often this is when the fish feed and they disappear when the sun rises.
Sealice
Basil Manning is sponsoring a weekly prize of a R200 voucher for the “Catch of the week”. With a specific focus on sustainable use of our ocean resources, preference will be given to fish that has been released – although fish caught and kept will not be disqualified.
Send a good quality photo of your catch to sport@nothcoastcourier.co.za. Include the angler’s name and surname, species, weight (estimated or actual), where and when it was caught and what bait was used.