ROCK & SURF
Summer has finally set in along the coast and with it has come all the fish one would expect.
For shore anglers most or almost all rivers have come down and left a ginger beer coloured water which most fish thrive in. The Zululand beaches are now working particularly well with anglers getting stuck into some very big summer fish.
Some huge sand sharks in the 80 kg range have been reported from the Amatikulu and Port Durnford areas.
As expected the first of the annual diamond skates have been caught along these beaches. These fish stay on this stretch well into March next year and anglers who pursue these big fish can look forward to some good angling.
Closer to home the North and South Coasts are fishing just as well with a lot of sand shark and skate activity taking place at well known spots.
The Tinley Manor area has over the past week produced some fine angling as reports from here suggest that a few very big sand sharks have been landed.
On the South Coast all the major deep water points are working well for anglers that target these big fish, Errol Hays and Green point near Umkomaas have regularly produced some big fish when conditions are favorable.
On Saturday morning two good fish were landed from Scottborough Point, one was a 41kg ignoblis kingfish with a live shad as bait and a Daiwa SL50SHK reel and the other a grey shark of about 60 kg’s. And at Warners, Alan Botha landed a sandie of 2.27m (65kg’s) after a battle that lasted over one hour. Alan was using his Daiwa Saltiga SA 50HK reel and Kingfisher Giant Abrasion .50mm nylon and a mackeral as a slide bait.
Those anglers targeting edible fish are also in the game as there are still reports of some big brusher coming out along the Twini ledge and at Isipingo.
Pompano and yellow tail kingfish have been caught on a regular basis along the Umkomaas stretch.
Shad unfortunately have gone off the boil a little as reports suggest that only a few of these fish are being caught during the morning sessions.
Traditional places like Winkle High Rocks which regularly produces good catches of shad have had almost no reports catches. Further South, Terry Nel from Port Edward reports that heavy rains has hampered fishing with the rivers coming down in flood and the sea has become dirty.
Some large skates are there and most are being lost from the points.
A few baitfish are being found in cleaner patches of water and catches of fair sized bronze bream have also been reported.
Anglers fishing in Durban Harbor have caught numerous big grunter recently.
A fish of 7, 8 kg was reported to have been landed by an unknown angler and quite a few fish in the 5 kg to 6 kg have also been accounted for over the past few weeks.
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SKI BOATS & FISHING SKI'S
Ski Boat and Fishing ski’s have finally settled into the start of the game fish season as there are reports from both north and south coasts that couta and dorado are being caught. The Umdloti and Westbrook areas have had some good catches from both Ski boats and Fishing Ski’s but sharks have become a nuisance in these areas.
On the South Coast things are much the same with fair catches of dorado and couta being made in the Toti and Scottburgh areas.
Ged Bowker, fishing in the Toti area landed a fine sailfish of 34 kg last weekend off his fishing ski.
A couta of 18 kg was also landed by ski boat angler Peter Hamilton Hoskins in the same area. The Aliwal shoal is still a steady performer when conditions are favorable with a variety of game fish being reported.
TRADING HOURS
The trading hours of The Kingfisher over the festive season are as follows:
Mon – Fri. 8:00am – 5:00pm
Sat. 8:00 – 1:00pm
Plus:
Every Sunday in December from 9:00 –1:00pm.
FISHING COMPETITIONS
Zululand Shore Angling Association are holding their Diamond Classic competition on Sunday 21 December 2008. Venue: Mtunizini Start time 7h30 to 13h30 Boundaries: Siyaya River (Main Beach) to Umlalazi (Mtunzini) River Mouth Registration: From 5h30am to 7h00 Mtunizini Ski Boat Club Costs: Pre-Registration R150.00, OR Registration at event R180.00. Prize Categories – Diamonds only – Biggest Wins the day!!!!!!!!!!!
1st Prize – R10, 000.00. 2nd Prize – Holiday worth R8000 to Paradise Beach Lodge, Pomene Mozambique for 5 days – any time besides school holidays.
3rd Prize - R3, 000.00. Enquiries: Willie Prinsloo: 083 469 1150.
KINGFISHER FISHING CLINICS
The Kingfisher hosts a free Fishing Ski Clinic on their premises once a month by Markham Pollard.
These monthly clinics are there to help beginners and experienced anglers to see what the sport is all about and how to target certain species of fish.
It also shows anglers what equipment to use and also elaborates on safety.
Over and above this they also hold Rock and Surf clinics run by Ivan Stopforth and a Drop Shot clinic by Lloyd Pereira.
These Clinics are very informative and covers all the basics, including equipment, knots, bait presentation, and tactics. To book for one of these free clinics (except for the month of December) phone the Kingfisher on 031- 368 3903.
ESA
ESA Saltwater: Throughout the next couple of weeks leading up to Christmas we will be taking a look at some of the highlights for the ESA team during 2008, be sure not to miss it.
The ESA Boys, Xavier (Bass), Mark (Ski Boat) and Raymond (Rock and Surf) are offering fishing clinics at The Kingfisher, 53 Hunter Street Durban.
Bookings essential. Maximum 30 per session. Added discounts on The Kingfisher products on the day for those that attend. The clinics are as follows:
Mark
Vertical jigging & plugging clinic.
Saturday 20th December (9am till11am)
Cost: R250.00 per person for non ESA member and R200.00 per person for ESA members.
Clinic will be between 1.5 and 2 hours long.
Contact: Mark - fishsmart@live.com
Raymond de Bruyn
Will be hosting bait presentation clinics.
Dates are 22nd (11 till 12.30).
Cost: R300 per person for non ESA members and R 200 per person for ESA members. The clinics will run for approximately an hour and a half, and cover a variety of shore angling baits.
Contact Ray: raymond@charadon.com
Cell: 082 325 8282
Xavier
Saturday 20th (8 till 10) – 1st Session, Techniques and tactics, rigs and tricks!
Saturday 20th (10:30 till 12:30) – 2nd Session, repeat of the above with added features as casting and troubleshooting including dealing with tournaments and variable conditions.
Tuesday 23rd (9 till 11) choosing the right tackle for summer basing.
Cost: R250 per person for non ESA members and R200 per person for ESA Members.
Contact: Xavier: xavier@pcib.co.za
Any info about fishing, fish caught or competitions in your area e-mail Mike at kingfish@iafrica.com or fax 031- 368 4137.
For the latest KZN fishing news presented by O.J., tune into East
Coast Radio at 5.40am Monday - Friday. |
