Bonefish, bluebottles and easterlies in summertime Tofo

Bonefish, bluebottles and easterlies in summertime Tofo

Surfing Tofinho in the predominant easterly winds of summertime can still be a blast. The sand on the point still sends little wind swells reeling along just fine.

The clean warm water has also enticed shoals of bonefish and blue-tailed mullet. They were swimming right into us as they porpoised down the face of the very waves we were catching. Chasing hapless little anchovy looking fishies all over the place. The boneys use the free power of the wave to ambush with. Spectacular.

Bonefish are a staple in this place. Using handlines and small hooks baited with prawn or squid, local anglers know exactly when and where to get a bag full of footlong boneys. They get really big here. World record size. See featured pic of Jimmy the local angler from Tofinho with a bus. Sometimes they vie for attention with the magnificent milkfish. Chanos chanos. A slab of muscle adorned with a huge tail. Which can be seen as they hunt right on the surface. They seem to enjoy the same feeding conditions as the bonefish. Small creatures right on the surface.

Both species will chase your spoon or dropshot. But they always turn away at the last minute. But they will gorge your tiny white fly.

Best have at least a 9 weight for this battle…

Rounding off…this is officially the details of the largest ever bonefish caught…just down the way in Zululand…