Grey sharks did their best to spoil the angling party last week, but decent-sized garrick and shad were hooked along most of the coastline.

Solid swell early in the week and a south-westerly on Thursday and Friday also threatened poor conditions, but overall fishing was good.

The garrick that have been hauled in on the South Coast for the past few weeks finally reached Durban North and are expected to arrive on local shores soon, with live bait so far proving most effective. Local areas to persevere at include the river mouths at La Mercy, Tongaat and Blythedale, plus popular spots at Chaka’s High Rock and Tinley Manor.

Shad are slowly increasing in numbers too, and there were good catches at Umdloti, Tongaat, Ballito and Tinley Manor, while fishing remained strong further south. Anglers have until the end of September to catch their quota before the season closes.

One thing standing in the way of anglers is the return of inedible species like grey sharks, sandies and the odd ray, which were out in full force last week. The calm surf later in the week was ideal for the grey sharks to move inshore, and fillet baits intended for edible species were quickly chomped. A few early summer flatfish catches should bode well for a good season as the year progresses.

Likewise, a few solid brusher of over six kilogrammes were caught at the Bluff last week and these hard-fighting fish should grow in numbers locally. An excellent bait is live ghost crab and the rocky gullies should soon produce good sport. Other species to target among the rocks are the popular copper bream, which have been a bit scarce recently, and blacktail.

Offshore anglers continue to enjoy good fishing on the bottom reefs, where plenty of mackerel can be found for bait, leading to a few nice daga salmon and musselcracker. The redfish and rockcod species are still plentiful, while geelbek salmon have recently been found at night.

The weather report for this week is favourable for offshore anglers, with mainly light winds forecast and a moderate southerly on Saturday and Sunday. Tight lines.

Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.

Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.