FAVOURABLE conditions this past weekend resulted in most boat owners putting their boats to sea.
Reports had been received from the previous weekend of the boat Tom and Gemmy having caught some really good-sized couta, the biggest tipping the scales at a whopping 38kg. This was south of Port Edward, so lots of boats chose to head down there and try their luck.
Unfortunately, the proverbial saying ‘never chase yesterday’s fish’ proved true as not one couta was hooked or boated.
With the abundance of red-eye sardines in the area, anglers reported that it was very difficult to catch mackerel for their live baits.
Apparently a couple of Natal sardines were caught among the red-eye shoals, which is not uncommon at this time of the year as these bait fish begin their winter migration.
Hopefully the sardine shoals that everyone waits for will follow suit.
On Saturday morning yours truly (Mark Bennett), fishing with the infamous Craig Treherne on his boat Happy Hooker, found some bait fish being smashed off Umtentweni. Craig quickly rigged a live bait, which was eaten within seconds and, after a good tussle, was rewarded with a nice-size queen fish of 10kg. This is not a common species along our coastline and is found more commonly along the Durban and north coast.
We then rigged another live bait and I was rewarded with a nice-sized kingfish (ignobilis) of around 14kg. This fish was duly released to fight another day.
Saturday afternoon provided some very good-sized tuna fishing on ‘The Hole’ which is about three km deeper than Protea Reef.
The reports received were that there were literally thousands of birds, including gannets, working the area where the tuna were feeding, so maybe the first shoals of sardines moved through in the deep.
With the current slacking off to around one to one-and-a-half knots, some good bottom fishing was had, with Mike Schneider reporting two good-sized musselcrackers being boated.
It should not be long before the first geelbek start arriving so let’s hope we have a good run of these fine eating fish.
Some good catches of snoek have also been made further north, from the Mfazanana area right up to Scottburgh.
With the abundance of bait fish moving close inshore, the rock and surf anglers have also been having their fair share of sport, with reports of bonito being caught off Orange Rocks on spoon, plus a couple of kingfish off Stiebel Rocks, also on spoon.
These fish have all been taken basically at first light. Anglers travelling north to Umdoni Rocks at Pennington last weekend really had their arms stretched, with reports from the anglers that some of the pulls they had were uncomtrollable and were being cut off some 700m out to sea.
They did, however, manage to land a good-sized hammerhead and diamond ray that were duly returned unharmed.
Shad are still proving to be a little more scarce but it should not be long before they make their move up our coast bringing along the winter gamefish, including garrick and kob.
(Mark Bennett, Tackle Box)
Port Edward
Offshore winds have started blowing in the evenings and early mornings and the aloes are in bud and ready to bloom. With plenty of bait fish in the water and bait birds diving around, the signs for our annual sardine are here. Now is the time to hear of the first sardine activity along the south east cape shores and as the water temperature drops. Hopefully we have a good run this year.
At the moment, fishing here is quiet, with a few houndsharks and blue skates on the bite. Shad are still small and reef fish are occupying the light tackle fishermen with no big news over them.
(Terry Nel, Tackle Net)
