Anglers and holidaymakers alike cannot really complain about the weather last week because although it was a bit cold at first light, it was nice and warm during the day and the winds were mainly light to moderate.
The weekend weather was absolutely beautiful with hardly any wind at all which is an angler’s dream. The surf and sea conditions were also pretty good with the sea looking a bit unsettled on just a few occasions. Unfortunately there is a prediction of some bad weather this week but hopefully the front passing through will be quite mild.
Sardine news was mostly sketchy last week but there were reports of sardine activity nearer the South Coast.
Apparently there were large patches of birds seen just sitting on the water and plenty of dolphin activity was reported as well.
The problem is that the sardines are so elusive and can appear almost out of the blue at times. The south westerly winds will definitely help to move the shoals up the coast but the water temperature will play a big part in whether there will be a good sardine run.
I believe that the pilot shoals are not far away from the South Coast waters but there is also an abundance of bait fish in local waters at present and anglers should try and acquire a stock of red eye sardines that are plentiful at present.
The red eye sardine is a brilliant bait to use especially now that the shad are expected at anytime.
Anglers fishing the Snake Park area last week were pleasantly surprised when a shoal of small shad moved inshore and the few anglers on the beach experienced some hectic fishing.
The fish were mostly on the small side which is expected for this time of the year but not many undersized fish were returned alive to the water.
The shad moving into the area could only mean that the surf angling is about to become more productive and no doubt there will be many a fishing rod being dusted off at present.
Unfortunately there was no news of any garrick being caught but these fish cannot be too far away as they tend to follow the shad.
Quite a few surf anglers were operating in Umhlanga last week but unfortunately catches remain few and far between.
Popular fishing spots such as Eastmore and Durban View remain quiet but these areas could see some action during the next few days.
It is still a bit early for the shad yet but there should be every chance of an angler pulling a garrick in the next few days.
It will still require a lot of patience but anglers are known for their patience.
Most of the local anglers are fishing the rocky areas with mixed results and although the majority of fish being caught have been on the small side there have been a couple of reasonably sized fish caught as well.
A couple of nice copper bream have been caught in the rocky La Mercy areas plus a few decent sized blacktail as well.
Anglers were helped by the favourable surf conditions but even then it is not easy to fish among the rocks especially if one is not familiar with the area.
There were a few anglers fishing the popular Tongaat river mouth but the area was pretty deserted at the weekend which implies that not much was happening.
From time to time I have seen offshore fishing craft patrolling the backline in the area searching for garrick but there were no craft on the backline at the weekend.
Anglers are still experiencing some good fishing with rewarding results up north. Edible and inedible fish have been caught and I believe that the popular Mtunzini area has been fishing quite well.
At present anglers looking for some productive fishing should cast their eyes north because there has been more of a variety of fish caught recently and during the recent past. North Coast beaches have also previously produced some sizeable shad and numerous big garrick and the same could happen this year.
Quite a number of kob have been caught again from the South Coast beaches again this past week and it should only be a matter of time before a few decent salmon are on the bite.
Which is why I suggest stocking up with fresh red eye sardines. Keep eyes and ears open for sardines this week.
Sealice
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