The promising start to this year’s sardine run has stalled, with the shoals seemingly disappearing from local waters.

Netters have continued monitoring the South Coast in the hope that the fish will move back into range, but warm water is believed to be slowing the migration north.

Reports from Mbotyi in the Eastern Cape initially suggested significant bird activity, although there was little sign of sardines moving further north. Last week, seabirds were spotted well offshore of Ballito, indicating that sardines were still in the area.

By Thursday, reports emerged of a massive sardine shoal, estimated to be 3km to 4km long, off Mazeppa Bay, followed by scenes of feeding frenzy off Coffee Bay on Friday morning. These are believed to be the main shoals, and cooler conditions along the coast may encourage their continued migration north.

Surf fishing has improved noticeably along the North Coast and around Durban. Early morning shad catches have increased, although the fish tend to disappear soon after first light.

Garrick fishing has been particularly productive, with several fish of around 15kg landed at Ballito, Umdloti and Umhlanga Rocks. The best results have come before sunrise and again in the late afternoon using live bait.

Anglers have also reported several impressive daga salmon, including a trophy fish at Blue Lagoon, while fish exceeding 20kg have been landed off Durban North. Good catches of stumpnose have also been reported, mostly after dark.

With karanteen and pinkies becoming more abundant, shore anglers should have no shortage of live bait. Combined with the latest range of lures and spoons available in tackle shops, prospects for the remainder of the winter garrick season look excellent. Popular spots such as Shaka’s High Rock and the Tongaat River mouth are expected to attract plenty of anglers.

A large swell moved up the coast over the weekend, producing challenging launch conditions for ski boats. Wave heights reached 3.7m at Westbrook on Saturday before easing to around 2m on Sunday.

Offshore, barracouta catches have become less frequent, suggesting the summer season is drawing to a close. However, reef fishing continues to produce excellent results.

Red fish species remain plentiful, with soldiers, Englishman, rockcod, daga salmon and half-kob featuring regularly in catches. Further offshore, geelbek are abundant when sea conditions allow, while musselcracker are becoming an increasingly common catch. Inshore bait reefs continue to hold plenty of baitfish, along with several quality fish.