#FishEagle: Only the most hardened anglers need apply

Excellent sea and surf conditions greeted anglers last week Monday however, a buster south westerly arrived that night and gone were hopes of fishing.

Another front was on its way from the Cape, bringing with it wet conditions which remained all week.

This ruined well-laid plans to catch shad before the season closed.

There is still no news on when northern beaches will reopen, again.

The main Durban bathing beaches were closed because of an E. coli scare but they have since been rapidly reopened again.

ALSO READ: DFFE refuses to reopen beaches without chemical spill findings peer review

Shad season is now closed and local anglers did not have a shad season at all this year because of the beach closures.

Some anglers continue to fish the rocky gullies but the adverse fishing conditions of last week saw very little of note being caught.

There were a few copper bream caught by hardy anglers that fish in any type of weather and sea conditions but it was hard work all round.

The rivers have also flooded into the sea, depositing the usual human contamination found in local rivers these days.

The dirty water has not helped rock and surf anglers at all.

Strange times seem to continue but October being salmon month, maybe anglers’ luck will change.

Changes to the Covid-19 lockdown regulations will now allow more time for night fishermen to pursue their sport with a bit of planning.

Anglers will be able to pull themselves a couple of daga or shoal salmon.

These fish enjoy the off-color water and anglers should not become too prone to set the hook when feeling a bite from what is thought to be a salmon.

Daga salmon tend to gently ingest bait and mostly keep it in their mouths before setting off in a run.

Anglers should let the fish run and take line before attempting to set the hook. Timing is everything.

Offshore anglers have also found the going really tough.

Launch conditions to start have not been for the faint of heart.

I believe that the guys who have persevered and fished the backline area between Tongaat River Mouth and Zimbali managed to land a few decent sized garrick on live bait.

The backline in this area is notoriously unpredictable and throughout the years some really experiences skippers have come to grief.

Still this stretch remains to be one of the best garrick fishing areas along the entire local coastline.

Although most offshore anglers are now concentrating on fishing the bottom reefs when conditions allow, slowly but surely the switch is now beginning for the forthcoming summer game fish season.

The reason for this is the early arrival of dorado, and extended dorado angling season.

When dorado begin to be caught it means that water is warming up, and the Mozambican current is nearby.

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