Category: Report

If in doubt don’t go out…cyclone swells from the east

If in doubt don’t go out…cyclone swells from the east: Surfers say the opposite. But they only have a surfboard with them. Taking a fully equipped boat through the waves, with souls on board, is another case entirely. Not comparable actually. When you make a mess in the waves with your boat, it’s a real mess.

And so this morning we backed out. It’s about one in five launches that we back out of. Here at the river mouth in Port Shepstone. It’s not a friendly launch at all. But the swell on this day, also would have made Shelley Beach – just down the coast – also very tricky.

East swells

The stupid cyclone that is bouncing around between Madagascar and Mozambique to the north of us, has spun up this east swell like this. The storm is not very far away and so the wave period, is very short. Maybe 6 or 7 seconds. Meaning the waves are stacked up one after the other. And they are moving fast having not had time to slow down as they would if the reach (distance away the storm is) was more.

South swells

The technical opposite of the east swell, which could be caled a north swell to if you wanted to, is the south swell. That comes from the west?! These are waves that were generated very far away, in the southern ocean. By the time they get here they are beautifully sculptured and clean. With huge wave period up to 18 seconds.

This makes for easy launching, at all the spots. As opposed to the east swells, which basically blocks off the launch spots, by directing waves straight at them.

In a south swell launch situation here in KZN, you get to run through the gaps between the waves as they roll in gently. In an east swell, you face it all head-on.

Video

Bulelani is here at the Umzimkulu Marina, he is on his 4th day of his Fishing Guide Course with us. Having caught his first fish – a rock salmon on his very first outing, we are now trying to put Bulelani onto all the summer gamefish which are right here at the moment.

Stay posted – we are going to to try again as soon as the waves let up!

We (https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za) are running an Advanced Surf Launching course in the new year for some guys. If you are interested in a course like this, please get in touch via that website. Obviously we also offer Fishing Guide Courses, with practical training too. Here in Port Shepstone.

Check out https://mydofishinglures.co.za for more about what to do once you get out through the waves. And where you can order internationally. Local orders available here.

Stay with us in Port Shepstone at https://umzimkulu.co.za.

We can build you a website by Tiger Lily Consulting at https://tigerlilyconsulting.co.za and help you build sales. Or a complete system.

Big baits are cool but it’s the small baits that have the most fun

Big baits are cool but it’s the small baits that have the most fun: Some of the best fish I have got for my guys have been on painstakingly prepared little fillet baits. Sometimes with a flash of colour added with a duster. Or. A MYDO #1 Baitswimmer head. Adapted to fit a fillet bait. By removing the last hook of the regular sardine-sized couta trace that you can order online or buy in a few shops. And then draping a fresh shiny juicy fillet from the front hook down over the single treble. Which can be neatly embedded in the flesh of the fillet.

This is well documented in the accompanying video. and also on the website mydofishinglures.co.za. Where you can also order for internationals. Or locally on the South African website The Sardine News…

Mydo

The couta season is well underway here in Southern Natal with the spearos already accounting for a bunch of outsized fish. None are small this year so far, they are all like 14 kgs or more.

Bait has been scarce but the water, at 29 degrees yesterday, is promising. The west came though in retaliation to the cyclone rumours that abound this time of the year. And conditions look excellent for this coming week.

Get in touch if you would like to be a part of this much fun…Sean on +27793269671 or umzimkulu@gmail.com.

More about MYDO here.

Why do coastal towns have cleaner water than big cities by Prof Tony Turton

Why do coastal towns have far cleaner water than big cities by Professor Tony Turton and Ilse van der Merwe: It’s a Catch22 for residents and businesses down here on the KZN south coast. We need the annual tourist influx to keep this whole show going. Without this revenue stream (recently stolen by batman flu pundits), it’s been really difficult.

But, the same as every other ANC-run municipality in this country, ours have failed us miserably. And raw sewage pumps into the ocean with every single load-shedding session. When the power goes, the pumps turn off, and the sewage still needs to go somewhere, and bursts out of the system. And into the sea.

This is the reason for the existence of the Water Woes Chanel on YouTube.

• To log the problems and complaints for use in the future
• To advise gullible tourists that come visit as to where it is safe to swim
• And to follow up on the results of our logs.

The channel is being run in conjunction with our local UGU Class Action Group who are using these logs for evidence in their proceedings against UGU. Or their failed attempt at governance here in South Africa.

Advice

It’s mainly just that this stuff can’t be ignored any longer. And so we advise potential visitors of the problems before they get sick. In the 2020 summer season, we had 24 guests staying in Uvongo. 23 Went to hospital. From swimming in the Uvongo Lagoon. With no warning from the lifeguards. Or UGU.

As a result, we have had concerned potential tourists contacting us and asking us where it is safe to swim anywhere in the UGU district. Here is the short answer…

Swim only where the water is crystal clear and does not smell.

Travel to the beaches that you know are safe. The further south you go the better really as the rivers down that way are all destroyed by agriculture. And just don’t quite make it all the way to the sea. Do not go in dirty discoloured water ever.

Call me on +27 79 326 9671 when you need some advice on staying alive and healthy whilst trying to take a dip in UGU waters.

Numbers

However, as Professor Tony Turton explains in this video, is that coastal cities have no centralised sewage plants at the scale of anything near a big city. Like Durban. Or Maputo. And most of us down here on the slow coast, have septic tanks which we manage ourselves. No government required and therefore no failures.

It is simply a numbers equation wherein So the amount of sewage available down south is a tiny percentage of that which Durban dumps daily.

It is simply a numbers equation wherein Durban hosts over 3 million bums and the entire UGU south coast district only 700 000. So the amount of sewage available down south is a tiny percentage of that which Durban dumps daily.

That is not to say that all beaches here are safe. Some of our most beautiful secrets, like Ski-Boat Bay in Ramsgate, have a sewage problem right now. Uvongo estuary is also a hotbed for disease and sickness. Many people get sick on holiday here.

What can we do?

Please look out for Professor Tony Turton’s next video – a real cool interview of Tony done by Ilse van der Merwe of the Green Net. Explaining the concept of Vulindlela – that Tony uses to encourage critical thinking for change in South Africa.

This is what we can do.

Thank you Professor Anthony Turton and Ilse van der Merwe for taking the time to put this together. You can check out The Green Net right HERE.

By The Sardine News.

Win with MYDO – reward for first SKZN couta of the season

Win with MYDO – reward for first SKZN couta of the season: catch or shoot the first couta of the 2022/23 season, starting today the 20th November 2022, and win MYDO Couta Pack.

Worth R1000!

Inside the pack is all you need to entice a bait, and then your trophy couta with.

I dunno what the spearos are gonna do with it though? So they can have a weekend for two at the Umzimkulu Marina to join in the hunt.

Last year, the spearos got it. Gavin Nell somewhere around Scotties. The year before it was Jono Gouws and Justin Campbell – kayakers. They each got one that crazy windy day off Winkelspruit. 27 November that was. The year before was the ski-boaters and that story is what this video is all about…

Back to win with MYDO…

Rules

1. south of Durban’s south pier
2. photo or video to umzimkulu@gmail.com or WhatsApp +27793269671
3. judges decision is final

New MYDO Tackle Talk YouTube Channel

MYDO Tackle Talk is moving to its very own YouTube channel. There are already 4 videos up there and a whole lot more on the production line. There will be many Win with MYDO promotions. But mainly it is where we will discuss fishing for all sorts of species, all over the planet, with MYDOs. And the tackle used to target them.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX3vlnf0ZVEHGrnCriVpDRg

Is where you can click on over to the new channel. Enjoy the informative and fun videos. Like and Subscribe! So that you stay in touch and up-to-date with the goings and developments at MYDO Fishing Lures.

Check out the all-new MYDO Silver Bullet Baitswimmers as they make it into the online catalogue. Where you can actually buy them online. Internationals please contact me directly on umzimkulu@gmail.com or +_27793269671. There is also a big green WhatsApp button floating around on this website somewhere for you to click into a chat.

All-new glass composite MYDO Baitswimmers

All-new glass composite MYDO Baitswimmers: fine-tuning the already successful range of MYDO Baitswimmmers has resulted in this…

The MYDO Silver Bullet Series

With flashes of silver built into the prismatic light-show effect, these baitswimmers shine with enthusiasm. They also swim much better after trimming some grams. The down-planing effect has been maximised with built-in bill plates.

Through rigged and easy to use or tie into a trace, we have a baitswimmer for every bait now.

#1 – anchovies, red-eye sardines and fillet baits
#2 – sardines, small shad and mackerel
#3 – shad, mackerel, jube-jube bonito
#4 – large mackerel, shad and bonito up to 2kgs or so

Traditional MYDO Baitswimmers

For bigger baits than the 2kg bonito, we move back into the traditional range of lead-based alloy MYDOs which really dominate the swimming action. And get down really deep.

Fine-tuning the Silver Bullet Series

The new MYDO Baitswimmmers are designed for fine-tuning the swimming action of each bait. The heads have three holes to work with. Each configuration yielding a different result.

Tie up using the front hole for high-speed work. Use the hole positioned in the middle of the blade to work slower and get more swimming action going. This also down-planes the lure more and off you go to the depths if that is where the fish are.

Buy right here…

We have secure shopping here online with many ways to make payments. Including and preferably good old EFTs. Spend over R500 for FREE deliver in South Africa.

Learn more about MYDO at https://thesardine.co.za/mydo. Come fishing this season on the KZN South Coast with Umzimkulu Adrenalin.