Sardine shoals have officially reached the South Coast, with netters landing massive hauls as far north as Rocky Bay on Monday, June 2.

The prized fish made swift progress up the coastline after being first spotted at the Qora Mouth in the Transkei last Wednesday.

By Friday, they had passed Mtentu near Coffee Bay and reached Port Edward by Saturday morning.

Aloes have also started blooming, a natural indicator of the traditional start of the run. With huge shoals seen off the Transkei coast, strong numbers are anticipated this year.

Despite rough sea conditions over the weekend, netters were active, hauling in impressive sardine catches alongside a notable influx of grey sharks, which appear to have surged in numbers.

Surf anglers encountered the same issue, battling numerous grey sharks and the occasional sand shark and ray, although these are becoming rarer in colder waters.

Shad have also been scarce, although a catch weighing over 1kg was reported at Port Edward – possibly signalling the start of the annual shad run. Garrick have remained quiet but are expected to become more plentiful as sardines and shad offer ideal feeding conditions.

Salmon (kob) are being caught regularly before dawn along the coast, with a few stumpnose also landed. Anglers have found that squid, octopus leg or a mix of sardine fillet and baby squid make excellent bait.

Offshore, as sea temperatures drop, couta have become more elusive. However, this is typically the time of year when the larger, crocodile-sized specimens are caught. A shortage of live bait has made couta fishing a waiting game, prompting some anglers to turn to snoek instead. That said, couta often follow sardine shoals, so the season is far from over.

Bottom reefs remain productive, with good catches of Englishman, half-kob and rockcod reported last week. Amberjack numbers also appear to be on the rise, while the shallower reefs are yielding rubber lips and lantern bream.

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