Memories are made of this . . .

KZN born and bred, but now a Gautenger who appreciates every chance to visit his Ballito timeshare, Grant McLellan experienced catching a magnificent Dusky Cob on the Ballito beachfront recently. Here is his story . . .

I have had a love for nature and the coast as far back as I can remember, and have spent many of my holidays either partly or fully spent in close proximity to the sea, with many fond memories made on and around our picturesque coastline.

My dad taught me the ropes to fishing, and what started as just some childhood fun, has certainly grown to be a passion and sometimes to my wife’s regret – somewhat of an obsession at times!

But the true satisfaction of fishing (especially rock and surf) has always been the opportunity to be on the very edge of two very contrasting expressions of nature- where our land transitions and is engulfed by a seemingly never-ending mass of blue water as far as the eye can see. And then there’s that smell and intermittent crashing noise that triggers all your senses as you stand and experience the exhilaration of the strong crashing waves and the ever present reminder of how awesome the combination of this power and beauty of nature really is.

On arrival in Ballito we made a quick stop at the Post Office for fishing licenses and then at Hook, Line and Sinker angling shop, where we caught up on the local fishing news and bought a few much needed supplies from the owner, Ian (much appreciated by the way).

Fast forward a few hours and we were on the rocks between Clarke Bay beach and the Boulders, ready to wet a line and hopefully get some action. I rigged up my 11-foot spinning rod with an artificial plastic lure called a paddle tail.

The water was looking really promising for the prospect of catching cob (or salmon as some locals call them), with some foamy water and a hint of discolouration from the sand in the water. I opened my account with a cast of about 80m into the “mixing pot” and somewhere alongside the submerged rock line that disappears into the blue water. I was especially careful to retrieve the paddle tail slowly – trying to feel the bottom of the seabed through the vibration of my lure on the line while on its way back to me.

The first cast yielded nothing and so too the second. But then on the third cast, with not more than 20m left to retrieve – Boooom! – I was on and my line was being stripped off my reel at a steady pace! I quickly realised that I was into a fish of decent size, something that obviously enjoyed fighting above its weight class, and was going to give me a run for my money and test my tackle to the max!

Fortunately, I was pretty well prepared – using Penn Allegiance 2 – 11-foot Moderate Fast Action Rod with a Penn Spinfisher V6500 reel loaded with Berkley Trilene Maxx 23lb line and a Double X Dull Green 24lbs leader line and using a 4″ Paddle Tail Pink/Pearl on a 1-ounce jig head.

I was just barely keeping the fish off the rocky outcrops and from swimming into deeper water. I still had no idea what is was . . . and after about seven or more reel-runs and applying maximum pressure and exerting the full breaking strain of my line to resist its attempts – just 15 minutes later I managed to get its head turned in my direction and started gaining some line and territory. At this time, I also caught a glimpse of his broad tail that lifted out of the water and I knew that my opponent was nothing less than a beautiful specimen of a Dusky Cob.

About 10 minutes later I was starting to win the battle and with the help of the waves I managed to swim this magnificent fish in between a very tight gulley and into a position where we could eventually land him safely off the rocks. What a fight he gave and how privileged I felt when holding him in my arms.

We estimated his weight from his length, to be in the region of 13-15kgs. What an absolute blessing and honour to be holding such a special catch – especially considering that we don’t see them coming out in this size very often anymore.

After a few photos with my opponent in a tidal pool, I had the privilege of releasing him back into his domain and seeing the last few tail flaps as he found his way back into blue water. I will always remain truly grateful for the experience.

Let’s keep fighting to protect our marine life and our amazing coastline which is rich in diversity and every so often – reveals her secrets to a lucky fisherman!

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