FISHING REPORT 17TH APRIL 2010

Angling
With continuing good weather, anglers seem to be getting some good results as far as the edible and inedible species are concerned. Shad have been coming out at most known spots and the average size also seems to be getting better, these fish seem to be feeding well during the mornings with anglers getting their quotas fairly quickly at places like Toti and Winkle. Some very nice stumpie have been reported from the Isipingo, Doonside and Greenpoint areas. A good specimen of 6 kg was landed in the Park Rynie area recently. There are also reports of some good grunter fishing in the Umkomaas north bank and river mouth areas. Although generally on the small side a few very good fish in the 4 kg range have been landed recently.

Among the grunter a number of shoal kob have been landed. The inedible species however are keeping anglers busy as there are good reports of fish on both north and south coasts. A few nice size sand sharks have been caught in the Tinley, Ballito and Tongaat areas recently together with some brown rays. A few above average size honeycombe rays have been reported in the Illovo and Green point areas. Good catches of both sand sharks and skates have been reported from the Umdoni area.

The Transkei is also fishing well with favourable reports coming in from the Port St Johns and Hole in The Wall areas. Mostly hammerhead sharks are coming out but there have been some good size grey and spinner shark activity as well. Shad angling down here is as good as it can get with some very good reports of some nice size fish coming out in the Brazen Head and Poenskop areas. Zululand is still producing some good catches of flatfish and sharks particularly in the Tugella North bank and Mtinzini areas. There is some encouraging news from the Tugella area in that quite a few lobotes have come out here recently together with grunter and smaller kob. Small spinner sharks have also become a menace here for anglers targeting edible fish.

Finally, some good news for us anglers about the proposed fishing fee hikes. According to a report by The Mercury’s Melanie Gosling the proposed price hikes on recreational fishing permits were “way too high” and would be reduced to a more realistic amount, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Petterssen announced yesterday. She also said that Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) would be transferred in its entirety to her department, ending speculation that some sections would remain under the control of the Department of Water and Environment Affairs.

In a pre-budget briefing yesterday, Joemat-Petterssen said new “more realistic” levies for recreational fishing permits than those currently proposed would be announced soon, and would be based on the consumer price index. “The proposed schedule of levies is way too high and needs to be capped” she said. Some of the proposed price hikes were up to 500 percent higher, and caused an outcry among recreational fishermen. A crayfish permit had been set to increase from R85 to R500 and an angling licence from R60 to R200.

Ski Boats  
Ski Boats at the moment are having the best of both worlds as there are plenty of game fish and some good bottom fish around. Boats off Durban are still getting the odd dorado but there has been increased activity of couta and yellow fin tunny closer inshore particularly in the Bluff area. Apart from the Durban area couta seem to have suddenly appeared and are now being caught almost all along the KZN coastline.

The average size of these fish has been rather on the bigger size and numerous fish over the 20 kg mark have been reported. A good sign that we are going to probably have a better couta season than last year is that there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of shoal couta that have been caught on both north and south coasts recently.

The Aliwal shoal and Protea banks have really lived up to their reputations recently as a large variety of fish have been caught at these venues for the past few weeks. Mostly average size yellow fin keep anglers busy but dorado, wahoo, couta and even a few rainbow runner have made up bags here.

Fishing ski’s
Fishing ski’s are also in on the action and reports coming from the Toti and Scottburgh areas suggest that fishing has definitively picked up over the past two weeks. Dorado and snoek make up most of the catches but a few good size couta have also come out.