#FishEagle: Rockcod surprise anglers in copper bream quest
Copper bream season winding down.
Local anglers targeting copper bream and other species, such as large blacktail, encountered unexpected party crashers – nice-sized rockcod popping up in the rocky fishing areas.
The week brought improved weather and fishing conditions, giving anglers more time to cast, though winds occasionally blew from the north and south. At one point, the swells reached three metres, making conditions challenging. While the northern wind created choppy surf, it was still better than its been.
South Coast anglers saw a mixed bag, with copper bream catches becoming less frequent, signaling that the season may be winding down. However, blacktail and rockcod kept activity lively. The upper South Coast produced a few brusher and small salmon, while the Umkomaas River mouth was a hot spot for small salmon and even some larger shad. A few garrick were caught on the lower South Coast, showing up more often as the waters warmed to around 22°C, as noted at Tongaat.
Warmer waters have brought more inedible species to the beaches, with grey sharks, rays, and small sandies keeping anglers busy. Some complained of “peckers,” small fish that stripped bait in seconds, often undetected.
Offshore anglers enjoyed quality fishing time, especially over the weekend. Saturday’s weather was nearly perfect, despite a slight swell. Anglers found plenty of live bait, including large mackerel, with one reaching 2kg. Catches included sizeable soldiers, slinger, and various rockcod species, including the captain fine variety. A few unusual jobfish were also caught off Durban’s reefs, along with daga salmon and the occasional half kob. Deep-sea anglers managed to reel in geelbek salmon, but summer game fish remained scarce, aside from a queenfish seen at Umhlanga Rocks and lively garrick.
Northern reports were quieter, although some billfish were landed during the OET Bill and Game Fish Tournament. Offshore anglers near St Lucia reported good catches, and surf fishing at night yielded sizeable grunter, daga salmon, and even some large sharks, making for thrilling sport. November is generally an ideal time to fish St Lucia, promising productive outings for those making the trip.
Sealice
