Angling Report – 6 June 2014

The improved weather made for some good sea conditions last week, leading to more anglers spending time on the beach and on the water. There was quite a big backline and shoredump at times though, but this is quite normal for this time of the year.

News from the Shark’s Board is that there has been no sightings of sardine activity yet with water temperatures still too high. These fish prefer temperatures of 19 degrees or below and the water is still above 20 degrees at the moment. In the days when the sardine run was at the same time of the year on a regular basis, anglers used to say June 16 was the time that the first shoals would be seen off the lighthouse at Port St Johns. Anglers will remember there was no run at all last year. After showing some promise the shoals just milled around the Port Elizabeth area as the water remained to warm.

The sardine run plays a big part on how the winter fishing season plays out which made last year a bit of a disaster. Shad really only started biting in August and then most of the fish were small and it was only later on that the larger fish appeared. The garrick run was also dissapointing locally alhough the South coast anglers did quite well. It was the same with the daga salmon with very few being caught from the beach. Hopefully this year will be different but at present, the surf angling is still a bit static.

Fishing seemed to remain quiet on all the local beaches last week from the Tongaat river mouth, La Mercy, Umdloti to Ballito and Salt Rock. I heard that there are some nice copper bream to be found if you know where to look though, with the preferred spots the rocky areas in Ballito and Salt Rock. Watch where the locals are fishing if you want to have any chance of catching a nice copper bream. Anglers are still targeting the stumpies with mixed fortunes. Nobody has reported catching any decent shad yet and some of the anglers that have been trying confirmed that sharks have been taking their baits.

Durban deep sea anglers tell me a couple of big couta have been caught mainly on the bottom in the deeper water. Unfortunately sharks have eaten a few of these fish just after they have been hooked. Anglers have also caught a few nice geelbek salmon and some nice rockcod, but currents have made botom fishing difficult at times. Guys targeting the daga salmon have managed to boat a couple of daga salmon but apparently,the dagas are not thick as yet and are difficult to find.

It seems as though the rock and surf anglers targeting edible fish will have more chance of catching something if they travel south where the locals have been catching some small shad, a few grunter and the odd garrick. Local anglers not willing to travel should just carry on trying their favorite spots because one never knows, the fishing could turn on at any time.

Sealice