It was an almost perfect start to last week when dawn broke with calm and warm weather and sea conditions were very favourable to both offshore and rock and surf angling.
I watched two ski boats launch through the surf at first light on Monday morning but at the same time I did not see any anglers fishing from the beach that early.
During the morning I saw several ski boats travelling across the water but when I went to have a look at the popular Tongaat river mouth, I saw the area was deserted and this surprised me because there were reports of nice sized kingfish feeding in the area and I thought there would be a few anglers trying for these hard fighting fish.
There were beautiful fishing conditions at first light on Tuesday morning as well.
It was overcast and calm but the clouds soon cleared and there was bright sunshine.
Unfortunately the north easterly wind began pushing by 7am and this spoiled the near perfect fishing conditions. Most anglers look to the “wind guru” these days because it is accurate and this was probably why there were no anglers on the beach at first light.
By 9am the sea was looking pretty rough from the fresh to strong wind and by last light the wind was still strong.
The barometer had dropped by Wednesday morning and a light southerly wind was blowing at dawn that meant another weather front was not far away and this was the last thing that anglers wanted.
By lunchtime the wind was quite strong and the sky was becoming cloudy, the front was arriving and conditions were deteriorating. The cold front had arrived and with it the rain. Anglers awoke to miserable weather on Thursday morning. It was overcast with light rain and a moderate southerly wind was blowing not ideal for the anglers that enjoy fishing at first light.
The sea was unsettled because of the winds and the water had a grayish look about it.
The rainy conditions lasted all day on Thursday and into Friday morning but began to clear as the day progressed. Sea conditions were not ideal and the surf had a mushy look.
On Saturday morning the weather was perfect at first light with just a little cloud around but no wind and the sun was shining just after first light. Perfect fishing conditions for the weekend anglers.
Before first light on Saturday morning I saw a lot of traffic on the road to the beach and I believe that some of the anglers were on their way to target the shad that are now more plentiful in local waters and the closed season does not seem to be a problem for some. Unfortunately a fresh north easterly wind was blowing by mid-morning and conditions on the beach were not pleasant.
During the week it was not surprising to see very few anglers on the beaches because of the changing weather and sea conditions but the daily changes of the weather are basically what anglers have had to endure recently.
Week by week it has been much of the same and it has only been on a few occasions that the sea has looked inviting.
Normally the weekends are the time that many anglers are able to wet their lines but most have been blown out or there have been bad seas to contend with in the recent past but the hardy anglers that have taken on the elements can show results because some nice stumpies have been caught in some areas on sealice and chokka baits but it has been hard work fishing especially in the dark.
From now onwards we can expect some hot days and this will bring the summer fish on the bite.
On the edible side this will mean that species such as wave garrick or three spot pompano, kingfish as already mentioned, grunter in some areas and of course the inedible fish such as rays and sandsharks will start becoming more plentiful. Anglers could expect more shark activity as well so there is still a lot that will keep anglers interested.
I have spoken to many surf anglers recently and most are saying that they organise their fishing trips in groups of anglers especially when fishing in the dark.
At least one angler in the group is carrying a firearm so I would say that approaching a group of anglers fishing in the dark could be dangerous especially if they are nervous.
I am sure that sometime in the future there will be an accident on the beach where an innocent person will be shot by accident.
Sealice
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This week’s catch of the week goes to Julian Dalton, who caught this 102cm, 20.6kg giant trevally at Ponta Techobanine on a handmade sox popper.
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