100lb kob tagged and released by Gerrard Powell in Port Edward
100lb kob tagged and released by Gerrard Powell in Port Edward this very morning (6 November 2021): Imagine this. You wake up nice and early. Get your two little daughters in the car with you. Down to the rocks in the idyllic Port Edward, KZN, South Africa – to meet Mr. Ant Nel, fellow angler. And who was your teacher at the very school you went to, just a minute walk down the beach.
You set out to get a few casts in between watching out for the girls, and next thing, after a HUGE episode, you are in the water, disbelievingly setting free your kob of a lifetime.
All 100lbs of it!
With a tag in it! Stuck in by no other than Mr. Ant Nel.
Now that’s teachin’!
Chances of Survival
As we all know very well, these fish are our breeding stock. And this guy or gal had a great chance of surviving. He or she was well-rested. Well handled mostly (hand in gills can be debatable but in this case looks ok – horizontal dragging, no real gravity pulling, slippery rocks).
And one thing is for sure, it sure has far more chance of survival in the water, than out.
Plus…
I don’t think any self-respecting sport angler would be seen dead in a photo – with a fish like this – dead.
The chances for survival for this fish are real. I am sure hoping that it’s swimming around with its mates right again. Telling them not to go near anything that looks like a paddletail!
Tagging
The tag might tell…
And that’s the point. If you (un)luck into one of these breeding fish, you just need to treat it so well and get it back in the water asap, as these guys did. Luckily Ant Nel was there and he keeps his tagging kit in his back pocket. Which really saved the day. Letting a fish go without a tag in it, doesn’t make too much sense to most. The tag really validates the release.
Kudos Mr. Nel! Still teachin’!
Rightio, this post has a sponsor…
Fish on the River – Web App (PWA)
This post was sponsored by the fabulous Fish on the River seafood restaurant, in Port Shepstone – you can try their really cool brand-new PWA (Progressive Web App) that installs on your phone but is actually only a website. So, hardly any space is required at all!
Click right here – > here and allow the install and notifications to go ahead. If you are not prompted, just use the browser menu and ‘Add to Homescreen’. It even has limited offline functionality so you can read the news whilst in the queues.
And when you connect again, the app will check for latest events, specials or menu items – and let you know with notification to your phone!
If you would like your own PWA. For your own business, get in touch with Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com and let’s get you installed.
The Sardine News is powered by TLC for your Business, PWA specialists.
