Yellowfin tuna, wahoo, barracouta and dorado were reeled in during five days of exciting action at the O.E.T. game and billfish tournament last week.

Fished in Sodwana Bay from Monday to Friday, the tournament drew offshore anglers from far and wide to compete for a fully equipped boat and trailer prize.

Monday offered decent returns in overcast conditions, before high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday heavily limited fishing time. Thursday and Friday gave skippers the best chance of the week and good numbers of fish were caught, subdued and released. A few hard luck stories of large marlin being hooked but lost left anglers rueing what could have been.

The majority of action took place between Mabibi in the north and Diep Gat in the south, with anglers targeting areas of between five and seven hundred metres in depth. The Queen Pine, crewed by the Barthos from Durban North, were crowned overall winners.

Summer game fish were less frequent in local waters and offshore anglers continued to target the bottom reefs. The usual red fish and rockcod species made up the majority of catches, along with the odd daga salmon. Those fishing the backline claimed a few snoek at La Mercy, while the Garrick were a little quiet last week.

Surf anglers enjoyed some respite from grey sharks in discoloured water, but other inedible species like sand sharks and diamond rays were found. A few stumpies and the odd copper bream were hooked in the Umdloti area, while two really nice mullet were pulled in at Umhlanga.

Following a few weeks of inspections, police arrested some anglers in possession of shad last week. The fish is currently out of season and is illegal to catch. Meanwhile, a person found with a number of crayfish, some of which were carrying eggs, was also caught by the cops.

Fishing seasons are in place for a reason – to ensure the continued existence of these species into the future. It is not worth putting them at risk and earning a criminal record.

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