Inshore anglers reel in grey sharks and diamond rays as season heats up

Last week’s fishing conditions along the coast were challenging due to harsh weather, with strong southerly winds, rain, and floodwaters in the rivers impacting anglers’ success.
A combination of discolored sea water, high swells, and wave heights reaching two meters made it a rough experience for most. Swell readings peaked at five meters, while murky water extended over a wide area, adding to the challenges.

There were brief windows of opportunity on Saturday and Sunday mornings when the weather calmed slightly before rain and wind resumed. Unfortunately, the outlook for this week doesn’t appear much better, as forecasts suggest more southerly winds and rain, indicating that tough times are likely to continue.

On the positive side, water temperatures are slowly rising, hovering around 23 degrees last week, which brings hope for better summer fishing prospects. Despite the difficult seas, the OET Billfish Tournament at Sodwana Bay brought some excitement, with the winning team releasing five marlins, including black, blue, and striped species. Sailfish catches also contributed to the action, hinting at a promising summer season for billfish.

Further south, Cape Vidal, St Lucia, and Mapelane saw anglers landing yellowfin tuna and dorado, as well as a few barracouta. Bottom reef fishing in these areas was productive, with catches including musselcracker, rock cod, soldiers, and slinger.

The inshore area near Umgeni saw sporadic garrick catches as well, though the season for this species is winding down. Divers along the South Coast have reported large shoals of garrick migrating southward, indicating that they may soon be scarce.

Grey sharks and diamond rays have moved inshore with the warming water, and the murky conditions have been ideal for them. Anglers along popular spots have also seen increasing numbers of diamond rays and small sand sharks. Additionally, a few notable catches have included daga salmon and half-kob, and the occasional garrick still turns up inshore. The upper South Coast saw slower action, with few garrick catches.

In areas with cleaner water, anglers found some rockcod, bronzies, and a few stubborn big blacktail. Copper bream were less active in murkier spots, and stone bream were scarce and small. However, as summer approaches, the season looks to be heating up, and local anglers can anticipate testing their tackle against large honeycombs and blue rays.

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