From an estimated 9kg shad lost at the water’s edge to plentiful garrick along the coast, anglers found plenty to talk about once last week’s rough seas finally subsided.

The huge swell and strong surf, generated by probably the most intense cold front of the winter, halted most fishing activities along the coastline last week.

The seas began settling after midweek and light north-easterly winds were welcomed by anglers.

Conditions remained favourable towards the weekend, allowing offshore anglers back onto the water and shore anglers to return to the rocks and beaches.

Shad remained the main target for early-morning surf anglers along the South and North Coasts.

Decent-sized fish of between 1kg and 2kg were caught, while reports from the Tugela Mouth included several large shad. One exceptional fish, estimated at around 9kg, was reportedly lost in a battle at the water’s edge.

The prime time for shad remains around first light, although fish are also being caught during the day at selected venues.

Garrick are plentiful along much of the coastline, with catches reported from Margate to Richards Bay. The fish appear to be shoaling between Umhlanga Rocks and Blue Lagoon, while large specimens have also been caught at local venues and by offshore kayak anglers.

Patience is essential when targeting garrick from the shore. Low water is generally considered prime fishing time, although catches are possible around full tide too.

Before the cold front arrived, the ladies’ offshore fishing tournament, Queens of the Ocean, was held at St Lucia. The well-organised competition produced an impressive variety of catches, including sailfish, tuna, wahoo, couta and snoek.

Once the surf settled, anglers fishing after dark returned to the beaches. A few solid salmon, one or two daga salmon and two good stumpies were reported locally. Shad anglers could consider arriving an hour or two before dawn to target salmon and stumpies before switching their attention to shad.

Fishing in the rocky gullies has been slower, with occasional copper and stone bream caught. Copper bream remain less plentiful than in previous winters, while low water has produced karanteen and blacktail.

Offshore anglers also returned towards the end of the working week. Reef fishing was inconsistent, with strong currents encountered in some areas. Catches included the usual red fish and rockcod species, along with daga salmon. Inshore reefs produced reds, rockcod, rubber lips and some lantern bream.

Snoek are still being found in places, but anglers targeting gamefish will increasingly need to look north as local seawater temperatures cool.

Meanwhile, reports of large sharks being caught in northern areas have raised hopes of another early start to the summer shore-angling season. Last year, big sandies and rays began appearing early in spring.period.