The taxman is busy at this time of year

‘The taxman’ is the angling term given to sharks that occasionally steal fish off our hooks.

While this is fairly common among the ski-boating fraternity, it is quite unusual to see it happening on the rock-and-surf front.

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Angler Sean Dafel, fishing north of Richards Bay, recently experienced this first-hand when a shark took a sizeable bite out of a giant guitarfish he was fighting.

Judging by the size of the bite, this was most likely a large Zambezi shark.

Competition angling

The Zululand Shore Angling Association hosted its second Postal Round last weekend.
Conditions were less than ideal, but teams that chose to fish the Cape Vidal area came out on top.

Team Results

1. Tugela A – 115.78
2. KwaMbonambi A – 78.97
3. Inkwazi A – 77.92
4. uMfolozi A – 71.09
5. Inkwazi B – 48.48
6. Tugela B – 41.09
7. KwaMbonambi B – 17.92
8. uMfolozi B – 14.62
9. Port Natal A – 6.48
10. Mtunzini A – 4.40
11. Port Natal B – 0.00
12. Inkwazi C – 0.00

Top 10 Anglers

1. B Pillay – 51.65
2. C Visagie – 33.56
3. K Govinder – 22.21
4. R Prinsloo – 21.78
5. A Claasen – 19.11
6. B Tedder – 15.52
7. I Siriram – 15.04
8. A Boshoff – 14.62
9. S Dafel – 14.50
10. G Minnie – 14.44

This week, the South African Shore Angling Association is hosting the Masters Nationals at Jeffreys Bay. Best of luck to the Zulus competing – let’s hope for a medal!

On the local front

When conditions are favourable, anglers continue to land guitarfish, butterfly rays, and various sharks and rays.
Snapper cob are feeding well in discoloured water, with sardine and squid proving to be the most effective baits.

Get involved

Anglers, residents and visitors are encouraged to share information, sightings or comments with the writer at: zulufish@proton.me

Whether you’re looking to improve your skills, discover new fishing spots, or become part of a passionate angling community, now is a great time to get involved.

To learn more about the Zululand Shore Angling Association and its affiliated clubs, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ZululandShoreAnglingAssociation

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here:

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