Author: Sean Lange

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How to Catch your Own Sardines

Catch your own Sardines

How to Catch your Own Sardines

How to Catch your Own Sardines: the annual sardine run is ON and when sardine fever hits, anything and everything goes. This tongue-in-cheek article takes a look at three absolutely marvellous weapons of sardine hunters.

And also touches on where and when to set your ambush relating to tides and choice of beach.

Enjoy the video…

Cast Net

This is how you get the girls! Lethal. Efficient. Effective. Be careful not to net too many sardines and strain the net to breaking point. Repairing cast nets is not a happy career choice.

You need a license and lotsa practise/experience. And a bakkie to haul your catch (and the girls) home with.

Washing Basket

These things are incredibly destructive to sardines in the shallows and the shore break. BUT, do not venture out further than your knees! Either a shark will bite you by mistake. Or on purpose. Or you will be dragged into the waves and the currents.

Pool Net

The best of both worlds. Easy. And effective. You can catch sardines all day long with a decent pool net. And it keeps you well out of reach of the marauding sharks!

Safety First!

A comic-style scene of people catching sardines on the beach
An AI style scene of people catching sardines on the beach

There are many things to watch out for during the sardine run – the sharks are just one of them.

At high tides – there can be waves breaking that can suck you back down and into the sea. Where currents can hitch you up and take you on a free thrill ride to hell.

There are also sharp, slippery rocks to negotiate. Sometimes just buried in the sand where you can’t see them.

And don’t forget the sharks in the car park – these ones will steal your rods and reels. And your sandy wet underpants. Whilst you are totally distracted and running down the beach like a maniac – shad stick at hand.

Traffic is also a nightmare as a thousand cars descend onto any one beach. Traffic rules seem also to get sardine fever during the sardine run – and disappear. Officials try to control the melee but that sardine fever – well, you got to see it to believe it!

Sardines and Sighting Maps

We have started the 2025  Sardine Run Map! Download our app to your phone or device, accept notifications, and you will never miss a single sardine.

2024 was a thrilling year for sardines. All the action has been logged right here on The Sardine News. The 2024 map has been viewed 200 000 times and just keeps going.

Which led us to decide to keep the map live. And keep adding unique marine animal sightings and events. That occurs non-stop all year round. Last year we started to log more whale and dolphin sightings. And we even had a shipwreck! This year we have had two sailboat incidents already. PLUS, we have already logged some sardines!

Here are the links to existing and past Sardine Sighting Maps…

2025 Sardine Map

2024 Sardine Map

2023 Sardine Map

2022 Sardine Map

2021 Sardine Map

Channels

Brucifire Surf Retorts – highly entertaining  surf reporting

Master Watermen – news from way down deep

The Sardine News – neva miss a single  sardine

FishBazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

MYDO Tackle Talk – highly technical  sport fishing

Surf Launching Southern Africa – getting out there safely

Water Woes – complain about your municipality here

Websites

umzimkulu.co.za – self-catering right on the Umzimkulu River
umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za –  will get you right out and onto the edge
thesardine.co.za – never miss a single sardine
masterwatermen.co.za – news from under water
fishbazaruto.com – dreams
brucifire.co.za – surf retorts

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Where are the sardines today?

Where Are The Sardines Today -

Where are the sardines today?

Where are the sardines today? Kevin answers…

alright another awesome net here at Rocky Bay guys
make your way down here at Rocky Bay
uh
moonlight Adcan Marine we did it again yeah
a nice lovely beautiful net guys
make your way down here
well done
our team is our team is happening yeah
OK
morning chaps this is Kevin at Qora Mouth
just north of Mazeppa Bay in the Southern Transkei
well we got lots of action still going on in KZN guys
um if you’re in the public
and you’re driving around looking
and you wanna go watch some netting happening
Rocky Bay is the hotspot
there’s also a net being pulled at Umkomaas and um yeah
good news for the netters
that they’re kind of sticking around in the same area
so the netters don’t have to wonder every day
where they are and what is probably happening
is that the predators have now fractured up
these bigger shoals and these sardines are caught
uh in these little bays behind headlands and um
perfect opportunity for the netters
to surround a bait ball and bring everything to shore
so if you look at the video yeah
you’ll see how big these nets are guys
these are hundreds and hundreds of crates of sardines
that are coming up coming out of the water
which is good news for the industry because obviously
a lot of these sardines end up in boxes
which is the bait for the ski boaters
and the fishermen for the next year
it’s a huge industry and um yeah
I’m sure
you’ll get a chance to go down and buy a crate or two
if you’re part of the public
um wanting to get some fresh fish
but please keep away from the netters
as we’ve discussed
it’s dangerous work and tempers get a little bit flared
um what I can tell you from the Southern Transkei
is that
I’ve got thousands of birds that are moving north
very close to shore
there’s 20 to 30 birds in a line and low on the water
which means uh
being this early in the day
they’re going towards the sardines
they’re not going home so what has
actually happened is that
that shoal that was off East London
I suspect has moved out deep
exactly the same as the last shoal did
and the reason for that is that there’s probably very
very little current out there as well
and they’re going deeper in the water column
where they’re finding the water
that’s a little bit cooler
which facilitates
them moving a lot faster up the coast
and we do know that obviously this is an anomaly
the sardine run is a fractured group
off of the main shoal
that basically lives on the Agulhas Bank
about 2 to 300 km off of Cape Town out in the deep
and they move up the west coast of Africa every year
to spawn and head back to their Agulhas Bank
um for the summer
but the sardine run is just a little fractured group
that take a wrong turn and move up the East Coast
so they they’re out deep
I’m sure that they will come in eventually
because what happens is
that they’re sitting right on the continental shelf
which is about 19 km out here
and as you get further up the coast
our continental shelf kind of pinches in a little bit
that’s why when they get towards KZN
they move in a lot closer
so we can probably expect the same thing to happen now
that this shell will make it in closer
but um not yet
they’re out deep so that’s good news for
the netters
because it means there’s a whole lot more still coming
and I don’t think it’s over yet chaps
so yeah let’s just watch and wait
but keep things real guys
and we’ll keep you
keep in touch with you as the conditions change
and we got spotters on the ground
as you probably realise all over KZN
we got guys sending us videos
sending us current updates
so yeah we’ll keep you updated as things happen cheers

Sardines and Sightings

Join the Sardine News HOTLINE for 2025 and Neva Miss a Single Sardine! We first upload to YouTube, and then progressively up to the rest of the social platforms (Facey, X, etc) as the bandwidth allows.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN as a Member on YouTube, and receive all these perks too…

Member of WhatsApp Sardine News HOTLINE, access to restricted content on thesardine.co.za, LIVE Broadcasts from the Beach during the sardine run. And direct contact with the Sardine Spy network team.

You can also get around the season in a real fun way by checking out our annual Sardine Run Maps. This is a real groovy way to follow the progress of the sardines each year.

You can even download our app to your phone or device, accept notifications, and you will never miss a single sardine.

Here are the links to existing and past  Sardine Sighting Maps…

2025 Sardine Map

2024 Sardine Map

2023 Sardine Map

2022 Sardine Map

2021 Sardine Map

Channels

Brucifire Surf Retorts – highly entertaining  surf reporting

Master Watermen – news from way down deep

The Sardine News – neva miss a single  sardine

FishBazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

MYDO Tackle Talk – highly technical  sport fishing

Surf Launching Southern Africa – getting out there safely

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No Shad Report by Alan in Port Shepstone

No Shad Report by Alan in Port Shepstone

No Shad Report by Alan in Port Shepstone

No Shad Report by Alan in Port Shepstone: Alan checks in from The Block in Port Shepstone…in the meantime sardines are being netted at Umkomaas NOW!

The shad are playing hide and seek at the moment. They come thick and fast every now and then, but mostly it has been one one one at places like Port Edward and surrounds. They have not really moved north yet at all. Theory by Kevin is that the shad and garrick lost the sardines in that weird movement by the Agulhas Current that carried the sardines out to sea and they skipped the gamefish. So the shad are down south frantically waiting for the sardines that have already gone north. Luckily for them, and us, there are very many sardines still coming to KZN.

Thank you Alan!

And even before Alan we have The Bear…

Let’s see what else the day brings along…

Sardines and Sightings

Join the Sardine News HOTLINE for 2025 and Neva Miss a Single Sardine! We first upload to YouTube, and then progressively up to the rest of the social platforms (Facey, X, etc) as the bandwidth allows.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN as a Member on YouTube, and receive all these perks too…

Member of WhatsApp Sardine News HOTLINE, access to restricted content on thesardine.co.za, LIVE Broadcasts from the Beach during the sardine run. And direct contact with the Sardine Spy network team.

You can also get around the season in a real fun way by checking out our annual Sardine Run Maps. This is a real groovy way to follow the progress of the sardines each year.

You can even download our app to your phone or device, accept notifications, and you will never miss a single sardine.

Here are the links to existing and past  Sardine Sighting Maps…

2025 Sardine Map

2024 Sardine Map

2023 Sardine Map

2022 Sardine Map

2021 Sardine Map

Channels

Brucifire Surf Retorts – highly entertaining  surf reporting

Master Watermen – news from way down deep

The Sardine News – neva miss a single  sardine

FishBazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

MYDO Tackle Talk – highly technical  sport fishing

Surf Launching Southern Africa – getting out there safely

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Do you need a fishing license to catch sardines?

Sardine License Please

Do you need a fishing license to catch sardines?

Do you need a fishing license to catch sardines? Very interesting question this one. Came to me. So Lets read the rules together…

The Rules

You can download the rules in PDF form to your phone or computer and have them with you at all times. Its a very nicely put-together document and we should all be familiar with it.

DOWNLOAD

But here listed below, are the juicy bits, that might answer the big question…do you need a fishing license to catch yourself a few sardines in the shore break? With your bare hands. Or a bucket. A skirt. A t-shirt. Washing baskets work wonders…here goes…

General Regulations

Every recreational angler must pay for the right to fish
in marine waters by buying an annual (or temporary)
recreational fishing permit. Different types of fishing
permits are available including angling, spearfishing, boat
skipper, etc. These permits are available from the Post
Office.

  • A recreational fishing permit entitles the holder to catch
    fish for own use only and not to sell or trade.
  • The holder of a recreational angling permit is entitled to
    catch fish of the Class Pisces (i.e. bony fish, sharks, rays,
    skates and chimaeras) only with a rod, reel and line, to
    which no more than 10 hooks are attached.
  • The holder of a recreational spearfishing permit is entitled
    to catch fish of the Class Pisces (i.e. bony fish, sharks, rays,
    skates and chimaeras) only with a speargun.
  • The skipper of a vessel used for recreational fishing shall
    be in possession of a permit endorsed for recreational
    fishing from a vessel.
  • The holder of a spearfishing permit shall not use any
    artificial respiratory equipment, except for a snorkel.
  • The holder of a recreational fishing permit authorised to
    fish within a Marine Protected Area (MPA) must adhere
    to the conditions specific to that MPA.
  • The holder of a recreational angling and/or spearfishing
    permit shall not catch or be in possession of:
    a) Any fish listed as a Prohibited Species.
    b) More than the daily bag limit listed for that species
    during any one day. Furthermore, there is an overall
    cumulative bag limit of ten (10) fish per person per day
    irrespective of the species caught, except that this
    does not apply to baitfish species where there is no
    bag limit or to species where the bag limit is greater
    than 10.
    MARINE RECREATIONAL
    FISHING REGULATIONS
    in South Africa
    c) Any fish smaller than, or of a mass less than, the size
    limit listed for that species.
    d) Any fish during the closed season listed for that species.
  • The holder of a recreational spearfishing permit shall not
    catch or attempt to catch fish in an estuary.
  • All fish that are landed, except sharks, skates, rays and
    chimaeras, must have head and tail intact so that it can be
    established whether the fish conforms to the minimum
    size and/or mass, provided that it may be gutted.
  • Any fish caught in contravention of the provisions of
    the Act or the permit conditions must immediately be
    returned to the sea with as little injury as possible.

Comment

Well, to me this certainly looks like it reads that everyone who collects anything from the ocean, in any way, needs a form of fishing license! Luckily I managed to get my license at the Port Shepstone Post Office since the South African Post Office stopped paying rent to all its cute little satellite and handy branches that were dotted all over the country. Little towns and villages. They all had these quaint versions of a cultural icon that we have ALL relied on for our lives until recently. Pen pals. Mail order. Postcards…so much fun!

But they were mercilessly culled off. Another ANC achievement. Shut down. Jobs and livelihoods gone. So now you got to hike to the bigger centres to find a working post office.

And get a fishing license!

And then when the officials come raiding your beach like stormtroopers, in their decked-out new bakkies, you can show them, the difference between a shad and a santer. With the PDF download on your phone.

Sardines and Sighting Maps

We have started the 2025  Sardine Run Map! Download our app to your phone or device, accept notifications, and you will never miss a single sardine.

2024 was a thrilling year for sardines. All the action has been logged right here on The Sardine News. The 2024 map has been viewed 200 000 times and just keeps going.

Which led us to decide to keep the map live. And keep adding unique marine animal sightings and events. That occurs non-stop all year round. Last year we started to log more whale and dolphin sightings. And we even had a shipwreck! This year we have had two sailboat incidents already. PLUS, we have already logged some sardines!

Here are the links to existing and past Sardine Sighting Maps…

2025 Sardine Map

2024 Sardine Map

2023 Sardine Map

2022 Sardine Map

2021 Sardine Map

Channels

Brucifire Surf Retorts – highly entertaining  surf reporting

Master Watermen – news from way down deep

The Sardine News – neva miss a single  sardine

FishBazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

MYDO Tackle Talk – highly technical  sport fishing

Surf Launching Southern Africa – getting out there safely

Water Woes – complain about your municipality

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No End To The Sardines By Kevin in The Transkei

No End To Sardines by Kevin in Qora

No End To The Sardines By Kevin in The Transkei

No End To The Sardines By Kevin in The Transkei: Kevin checks in!

Howzit chaps this is Kevin at Qora Mouth
just north of Mazeppa Bay in the Southern Transkei
well the netting is going on fast and furious in KZN
um you’ll see
by the stills that are on the screen right now
how big these nets are guys
this is like major haul of sardines
and it’s probably due to the predator activity
uh
we’ve seen some vids of just bronze whales everywhere
gorging themselves on these sardines
so what happens is that
if there’s a bigger shoal moving through
these predators
just start fracturing it into little bays
and then um
they get very close to the shore
and when these kind of bait balls happen
close to the shore
those netters have the perfect opportunity
just to surround that whole bait ball and grab it all
so yeah wonderful news for the netters
and wonderful news for the public
because you can bet that the price per crate
is gonna come down drastically
over the next week or so if this goes on
and we can move a little bit uh
south now uh
into the Eastern Cape um
yesterday huge shoals around the Cintsa area again
so they’ve moved away from PE
they’ve moved through East London
they’re at Cintsa right now um
you can see the video with the dolphins
and the birds diving uh
that’s a big shoal chaps
and this is shoals that are coming behind
what’s already in case
it in so yeah
and I can also say that where I’m sitting here
in the Southern Transkei
about an hour ago
a shoal moved past um about 5 kilometers out
it looks like it’s about a kilometer long shoal
which is big shoal uh
thousands of birds diving on it
and it’s already out of sight
I mean it’s literally gone around the corner
within about an hour
hour and a half so they are moving extremely fast um
probably due to 0 current um
we very seldom get these kind of favourable conditions
in in the southern Transkei
normally the current screaming but um yeah
it’s died right down um
there’s a slight south Westerly blowing uh
which means the surface of the water
is also moving against the current
so those sards are right on the surface
and they’re booking it north
so yeah I’d say
Port St Johns could probably
expect sardines over the next uh
24 hours to 48 hours probably
this shoal that’s by me is gonna stick to the coast now
um because the water is sitting out about 18 degrees
which is fine for them
remember the last shoal moved out deep after uh port um
after East London because the water was too warm
but this shoal has found cooler water
so they’re staying in close
that’s good news for the guys that are with sitting um
in Port Saint Johns
waiting to dive with their clients on these bait balls
so it should reach there and yeah
it’s game on guys
I think the mother lode is still to come to KZN
I don’t think it’s over until the lady sings
and she hasn’t sung yet so yeah
good things coming it’s a bumper year about to happen
so yeah keep it real guys and remember
keep give those netters a lot of space
if you’re down there watching them
um it’s not easy work and it’s actually dangerous work
so give them space look for a distance and um
we’ll keep you updated as things change cheers

Sardines and Sightings

Join the Sardine News HOTLINE for 2025 and Neva Miss a Single Sardine! We first upload to YouTube, and then progressively up to the rest of the social platforms (Facey, X, etc) as the bandwidth allows.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN as a Member on YouTube, and receive all these perks too…

Member of WhatsApp Sardine News HOTLINE, access to restricted content on thesardine.co.za, LIVE Broadcasts from the Beach during the sardine run. And direct contact with the Sardine Spy network team.

You can also get around the season in a real fun way by checking out our annual Sardine Run Maps. This is a real groovy way to follow the progress of the sardines each year.

You can even download our app to your phone or device, accept notifications, and you will never miss a single sardine.

Here are the links to existing and past  Sardine Sighting Maps…

2025 Sardine Map

2024 Sardine Map

2023 Sardine Map

2022 Sardine Map

2021 Sardine Map

Channels

Brucifire Surf Retorts – highly entertaining  surf reporting

Master Watermen – news from way down deep

The Sardine News – neva miss a single  sardine

FishBazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

MYDO Tackle Talk – highly technical  sport fishing

Surf Launching Southern Africa – getting out there safely

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