Author: Sean Lange

Fishing Conditions Report Bluff to Port Edward #splash #rock #lucky #dip #brighton #beach #bluff

Fishing Conditions Report Bluff to Port Edward #splash #rock #lucky #dip #brighton #beach #bluff

Hi there Good Morning
peeps and welcome to another BEAR report
this time Brighton Beach Bluff Durban South Africa
ah we still got a little bit of swell this morning
there are gaps in between
sea’s like a mirror out there at the moment so
there’s already a little bit of North East puffing here
but there’s no viz here
as you can see very milky eh
looks like there might be viz down at Widenham
we’re draining quickly to the low now
looks like quite a bit of ground swell eh
yeah
hhhh…low tide is 10h30
sea temps around 21 degrees
current this morning almost slack
but south
that’s an AWEH from The BEAR
and as always
dive safe and straight spears
morning Steve from Splash Rock
the overnight rain and the northeast that’s blowing now
scared all the fisherman away
not just one guy there one guy there
looks like he’s baiting up
quite a chop on the sea
current is moving left to right there’s no question
and there’s a big swell coming through
this is Splash Rock being sanded up in the front
don’t see that often
anyway I’ll go around the corner and look at uh
Lucky Dip
I’m sure we won’t find anybody there
maybe the weather is scaring people away
let’s see what happens
we had Lucky Dip
probably hear it through the microphone
the east is picked up big time now not really fishable
so those are the conditions from Port Edward
Splash Rock and from Lucky Dip
Over and Out have a GOOD Day!

Thank you to The Bear and to Steven!

Gallery

And a couple nice fish caught recently…

Sardines and Sighting Maps

Here are the links to existing and past Sardine Sighting Maps. With instructions on how to install The Sardine News right on your phone, tablet, or even desktop.

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 – everything Umzimkulu
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

Hammerhead Shark Attacks My Shad Bait #mydo #baitswimmers #baitswimming

Hammerhead Shark Attacks My Shad Bait #mydo #baitswimmers #baitswimming

yeah I’d much rather be showing you a couta or a tuna
or a prodigal son or a snoek or anything
except a damn hammerhead shark
that come and took my beautiful shad
it’s hard to catch shad these days anyway
that was quite a cool display eh
the acceleration and all that quite
quite pretty to look at but um
luckily we can still glean something from this clip
because fish and sharks especially
employ different ways of getting away
you know yeah
this guy’s sneaky this shark here
we’ll see
he’s gonna try four different tricks to get away
first thing he’s gonna do though
is take as much line as he can obviously
and he heads straight to the bottom
when he gets to the bottom
you’ll see he very clearly tries to scrape
the trace out of his mouth
he’s going down there now I know the clip’s upside down
I don’t know how that happened
but it turns itself upside down
every now and then’cause
it’s just an underwater camera
that’s on the line
but you can see that he’s scraping his head
on the ceiling I mean on the floor
you can actually hear it hey in the clip there
alright next trick that he’s gonna try and pull off is
he’s going to violent head shake yeah
you know that when you fighting
the next thing is
and he’s trying to break a trace really
and uh
I’ve got some other clips to back this up but okay
then his next trick is to swim straight at you
you know that story now
you fighting it like a like a next thing hey
the lines long gone slack meanwhile he’s coming this way
he’s trying to create or
or go for the least resistance direction
so if the least resistance comes from the front there
then he’s gonna slowly work out to go that way
and try shake the hooks out
then finally he’s gonna lunge at the trace however
this guy didn’t do a very good job
at lunging at the trace
but this shark did do a very good job
yeah that’s bazaruto
and that shark bit that 400 pound nylon trace
one shot
Whoo big big jaws those things
that’s a Bazaruto shark I told you but okay
so yeah thanks
Mister Hammerhead
for visiting and teaching us your tricks
and letting us film them on camera
don’t forget to like and subscribe job

Sardines and Sighting Maps

Here are the links to existing and past Sardine Sighting Maps. With instructions on how to install The Sardine News right on your phone, tablet, or even desktop.

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 – everything Umzimkulu
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

Sardine News Update

Welcome back to another edition of the Sardine News! It’s a slow Friday, but we’ve received a fresh set of angling reports from along the coast.

Ifafa

Yesterday’s scene at Ifafa was nothing short of spectacular—sardines galore! The sheer volume of fish was impressive, and while some might speculate about red eyes or other species, this was unmistakably a large population of sardines.

Umtentweni

This morning in Tweni, gannets were seen diving with precision into the water column, a sure sign that sardines are present. A beautiful sight and promising conditions for anglers.

Port Edward

Steven reports from Splash Rock in Port Edward that the usual crowd of fishermen is out early, hoping to catch shad. The key is to arrive before dawn—otherwise, your chances are slim. Perhaps Mydos and Squidgits from Ian and Sean could improve the odds. Further down at Lucky Dip, only one solitary fisherman was spotted. The sea is flat with plenty of white foamies working the water—ideal conditions for fishing.

Port St Johns

From the Hilltop in Port St Johns, the view is breathtaking. Despite some background noise from local kids, the scene stretches endlessly and offers a tranquil backdrop for anglers.

Coffee Bay

Mannie Jorreiro checks in from the Nenga River mouth in Coffee Bay. After a morning walk with the pooches, he was greeted by birds flying from south to north and diving across the ocean. Whale activity was also spotted offshore, with breaching captured by foreign tourists. Later in the day, Mannie fished in pleasant conditions—18°C sea temperature and a light southwest breeze. Shad were scarce, but the experience was rewarding.

Final Notes

Fishing conditions are excellent across the region, though catches remain elusive. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to Sardine News to stay updated.

Join the Sardine Hotline for real-time updates from Port Edward to the north. It’s especially useful for those competing in the shad competition.

Also, check out the Mydo store and the Sardine News tackle shop for gear that could help you land that big shad.

Tight lines and see you next time!

Sardines and Sighting Maps

Here are the links to existing and past Sardine Sighting Maps. With instructions on how to install The Sardine News right on your phone, tablet, or even desktop.

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

Howzit and welcome to another gear spotlight from The Sardine News! Today we’re diving into the MYDO Shad Pack—a versatile and lekker set of traces designed to help you fish smart, no matter the sea conditions.

And they don’t just catch shad! “Anything that Moves” is more like it. Kob, blacktail, perch and snapper all readily take a well-presented and fished, moving bait. Especially a small bait fished in the gulleys and bays. All the way up and down the water column.

What’s in the Pack?

The MYDO Shad Pack includes four traces, each tailored for different fishing scenarios:

• 2 Ounce Bomber: Perfect for casting over the riff raff, especially when the wind is howling onshore or the sea is wild. This rig takes a whole sardine but can be adjusted to fit a half or fillet thanks to its telescopic hook design.
• 1 Ounce Rig: Ideal for normal conditions. Like its bigger brother, it can handle a whole sardine or a half/fillet.
• Two Light Tackle Rigs: These are for tiny pencil or finger baits. They follow the same principle as the big rigs but are designed for ultra-light setups. Wrap a sardine fillet in squid or similar bait and cotton it on well.

Fishing Tips

All rigs can be fished with a top bung—highly recommended when fishing over rocks. Without a bung, simply rig up, cast out, let it sink to mid-water, and start retrieving. Fish usually strike from behind, and that sneaky little treble in the tail rarely misses.

You don’t need to strike hard—just maintain a steady retrieve. Cast again and again to locate the shoal. Walk long beaches, explore bays and pools. With ultra-light tackle, finding fish becomes a jol. Once you’ve located them, switch to your heavier rig.

Easy Rigging

Mydos are super easy to rig thanks to their through-wire design, which cuts down on knots and complications. Once you’ve found the fish, consider switching to single hooks—it’s a breeze to change out terminal tackle.

Bonus!

We’re throwing in an unrigged trace for you to experiment with—gratis!

Sean Lange ABSA ca 4066356647 R349 (includes Pudo delivery)

We’ve just hatched a batch of emerald-coloured heads, and you’ll be the first to get your hands on them.

You can buy the MYDOs in the shop on The Sardine News website. Or you can simply use the green WhatsApp button floating about on this site somewhere for a direct line to the factory. Please send your name and email for the Pudo. Tight lines and have a lekker day!

Quick video we made last week, about fishing the MYDO Shad Pack…

Sardines and Sighting Maps

Check out our annual Sardine Run Map! It also features good catches, marine sightings and boating incidents.

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

Water Woes – complain about your municipality

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