Shad season is closed until November 30

This seasonal ban is to protect the fish during its peak breeding season.

October 12, 2025

Sugan Naidoo 1 minute read

Shane Naidoo with a 4.5kg bass catch from Lake Eland.

Shad season has been closed since October 1, and fishermen are urged to obey the law and release any shad caught.

The season will remain closed until November 30. This seasonal ban is designed to protect the shad during its peak breeding season.

KwaZulu-Natal experienced severe winds resulting in rough sea conditions last Saturday. Despite the windy conditions, fishermen reported some good catches on Sunday, from Manaba to Margate, with bream and brushers caught. Suitable weather is ahead, so it’s the perfect time to dust off your fishing gear.

Stompie Koekemoer from KZN Fishing Guides said fishing has been good on the boats with tuna, sharks and bottom fishing. “Bream is certainly on the bite, with reports of good size blacktail caught further south. Some were lucky with brushers. A cold front is approaching, but it might miss us, and it looks like good fishing for the weekend.”

For bream fishing, one’s trace ideally needs to be a bit longer than usual to provide a bit of movement. A round orange float is needed as it attracts the bream and allows them to hone in on the bait from far away. Use fairly large prawn bait, as bulkier baits produce a quicker and harder bite.

Tide times:

Sunday, October 12: High 06:30, Low 12:34, High 18:45, Low 01:06, best fishing 17:11 to 18:13.
Monday, October 13: High 07:24, Low 13:31, High 19:43, Low 02:00, best fishing 14:03 to 15:05.
Tuesday, October 14: Low 02:23, High 09:20, Low 16:03, High 22:29, best fishing 16:35 to 17:37.
Wednesday, October 15: Low 05:18, High 12:11, Low 18:39, High 00:39, best fishing 19:11 to 20:13.

Remember, responsible fishing is keeping the shoreline as clean as possible and abiding by the bag limits.
Send news or photos to sugann@dbn.caxton.co.za.