Fishermen reported some good catches of shad as the season officially opened last Sunday. A few good sized fish were caught between Southport and Port Shepstone and at Margate Pier last Sunday.
Shad season opens on December 1 and closes on October 1.
Fishermen also had bronze bream on the bite. Eckhardt Potgieter, who is currently on holiday in New Zealand, bagged a bronze bream recently. He also had luck with silver steenbras, pignose and spotted rockcod.
“I have been actively targeting bream for the past few months, and it just keeps getting better and better. My favourite bait of choice is crayfish and rotten redbait, but with crayfish being out of season, I opted for langoustine prawns.”
Ideally, use fairly large prawns as bait, as bulkier baits produce a quicker and harder bite.
For bream fishing, one’s trace needs to be a bit longer than usual to provide movement, and a round orange float is needed. This float attracts the bream and allows them to hone in on the bait from far away.
Adult bronze bream are omnivorous browsers, feeding on algae and small invertebrates. They have an extended gut, which assists in digestion. Juveniles are similar to adults, but small crustaceans such as amphipods are more important in their diet.
There were also catches of blacktail and stone bream at Sea Park, while kob and garrick were caught with live bait at Sandspit in Port Shepstone. Some brushers were also landed at various beaches.
Remember, responsible fishing is keeping the shoreline as clean as possible and abiding by the bag limits.
TIDE TIMES
Saturday, December 7: High 07:35; Low 13:46; High 19:45; Low 02:00; Best fishing time 12:12 to 13:14.
Sunday, December 8: Low 02:06; High 08:45; Low 15:06; High 21:03; Best fishing time 13:32 to 14:34.
Monday, December 9: Low 03:24; High 10:08; Low 16:36; High 22:35; Best fishing time 15:02 to 16:04.
Tuesday, December 10: Low 04:49; High 11:27; Low 17:55; High 23:56; Best Fishing time 16:21 to 17:23.
Wednesday, December 11: Low 06:03; High 12:32; Low 18:57; High 01:00; Best Fishing time 01:32 to 02:34.
Send news or photos to sugann@dbn.caxton.co.za.
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