Parks board clamps down on fishermen
With the way the shad are biting, the competition should be hugely successful.
MOST of us did not venture out into the cold front that hit us this past weekend. Fortunately, the wind and weather went out to sea, as so often happens at this time of the year.
The few who did brave the polar bears were rewarded with some great catches all along the coastline, and really good-size shad were bagged, plus there was some great game fish action.
There were numerous reports of garrick, kingies and kob along the coast, all on live bait.
The most productive area was Orange Rocks, which witnessed a lot of chases.
The beaches have been extremely productive as well with the guys catching garrick on artificial lures, with even more expected as we close in on August.
Nothing will beat that feeling of getting a bite on artificial – so get equipped for a great garrick season, which is already well on its way!
Shad have been all over and I have personally seen some well over the 1kg mark.
Even in the westerly winds they have been pretty wild.
However, the authorities are on form and I have witnessed several guys’ tackle being taken away and the angler slapped with a hefty fine.
Our local spearo Freddie ‘No Hero’ Buys shot some nice garrick and a brusher – yes, we were right, they have started making an appearance.
This past week saw the Junior Gamefish Nationals take place on the coast from July 20 to 24.
The U16 winners were Border’s Nicholas Clarke, Ross Lindhorst and Keagan Brunsden, while the U19 winners were SADSAA’s Jodene van Wyk, Juandré Geldenhuys and Jan Hendriksz.
The KwaZulu-Natal team managed a silver medal in the U19 section.
Heaviest fish was a 29.3kg tuna caught by Nicholas Clarke.
When buying tackle (rods and reels) make sure the back-up service is top-notch.
It’s all good and well having a product but with no back-up service, the product is worthless in the end.
The parkies are out in full force at the moment, they have a very tech stick which they use to prod and find any burrowing shad or bush bream.
Fish for the future. Promote catch and release.
By Ginger Shrimp
In Port Edward…
Conditions have not discouraged the keen and eager fishermen and even through bad wind and rain the waterfront is still busy and shad are on the bite.
Plenty shad are being caught, a number not making size, many are kept, disturbing onlookers, especially as the numbers are far exceeding the legal limit of four a day.
Shad used as live baits are paying good dividends as a number of garrick caught on them come to the gaff.
Surprise catches of yellowfin tuna are now more common, proving that these fish are feeding close to the shore and many anglers have been stripped of their line being ‘taken to the cleaners by these gas bottles’.
By Terry Nel
To receive news links via BBM, add us using the pin 2BABF7D1.
The South Coast Herald is also on Facebook and Twitter – why not join us there?
