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Ben’s first rock salmon – caught in the Umzimkulu

Bens first Rock Salmon in the Umzimkulu Estuary

Ben’s first rock salmon – caught in the Umzimkulu

Ben’s first rock salmon – caught in the Umzimkulu: man-oh-man it’s cool for me when I get good anglers on my trips. And these two, Dad Stephen and kid Ben, are top drawer.

And they are from Cape Town! And pitched up in shorts! I had layers and layers on. I was in fact just short of donning my waders to keep that icy offshore breeze from getting in at me. But ok, on time to greet the mellow incoming neap tide, we set out. On the good ship Umzimkulu, who is back in action BTW!

Lures

Trolling and flicking lures along the way, cris-crossing the channels and trying really hard. I threw a camera out the back to see what was there. Nothing as it turned out. The neaps are just not strong enough to really push that warm blue water up to where we like it. Although right at the mouth, our underwater camera trap did catch some aqua blue coming in. But again, not even a mullet swam by.

Live mullet

Were easy to catch back at the Umzimkulu Marina where they hide from the hordes down at the mouth. I have started treating my live baits a whole lot better these days. After seeing them on camera underwater taking so much strain with a hook through it’s head or body. So I got a nice little darning needle from upstairs and threaded the mullet Catalina style. Or marlin style, if you like.

The happy little pair of mullet each took a direction and we settled in for the 20-minute wait.

Ben’s first rock salmon

Bang!

The little guy took off against the slight circle-hook drag that I had set for Ben. It was real funny as he fumbled with that screaming drag trying to get it tight enough to stop his little rockie from going all the way to the mouth.

Now it was Ben’s turn to show some mettle and he pulled that first rock salmon straight back through the trees that he went right through!

Stephen got the video rolling and we captured the catch and release of Ben’s first rock salmon!

Watch it all right here…

But ok, it’s great fun making these videos so come and star in one of your very own. Join us down here in Port Sheptone as we make the most of the limited activities we are allowed to do.

Including fishing!

There are still sardines swimming by. And although the surf has gotten real big, the water out at sea off Port Shepstone yesterday was a sardine perfect 19 degrees Celsius.

The estuary itself is crystal palace clean and although a bit chilly, the water is alive. Enjoy the gallery of a few recent scenes about the place…

We have been exploring way upriver recently. Watch this apce!
The good ship Umzimkulu waiting for you...
Ben's first rock salmon was caught right there...
Self-catering accommodation at the Umzimkulu Marina
Garrick and kingfish zone in the Umzimkulu Estuary
Ben's first rock salmon was caught right there...
The surf zone at the Sandspit is always a great place to be...

If you Like and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, you won’t miss a sardine, ever!

The Sardine News and the Master Watermen are powered by TLC for your Business.

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Sardine Report 23 to 28 June 2021

Sardine Report 23 to 28 June 2021

Sardine Report 23 to 28 June 2021

Sardine Report 23 to 28 June 2021:And while the mainstream media are reporting shoals of sardines everywhere, this is definitely NOT the case. They are two weeks late with their huge revelation and just cannot be trusted anymore.

This is the actual scenario…

Sardine Report 23 to 28 June 2021

Since Friday, down south, there have been literally NO sardines since last weeks flurry. The odd shoal out dep or flying past, that’s all.

Durban is the current epi-centre!

Water temperature again

It’s too hot in this kitchen! The water has been far too warm for the sardines to be interested. They like it coooold. The colder the better in fact. 19 Degrees Celcius is about right. Luckily Durban reported water under 20 today.

The Week in Sardines

This video sums up the action since the 23 June 2021, when it was still ON!

Deep Sea

Cutest little black steenbras getting a tag in it. Brian Lange fishing on Warren’s Harding boat out off Port Shepstone. Deep-sea is very slow at the moment. All the fish we caught on this trip were FULL of sardines.

And that is the story this time each year. The fish are FULL UP!

Rock and Surf

Shad fishermen are having a ball at many of the shad hotspots up and down the KZN Coastline. Darrell Hattingh ran the gauntlet on Saturday and swam into a 20-strong shoal of big daga salmon, right in the shallows. Spearos have been getting healthy numbers of snoek too. This time of the year, the fish love the shallows and whilst waiting between shoals of sards, get a bait out there!

Please chuck the baby garrick back!

Estuary

The idyllic conditions of the last two weeks have allowed all the estuaries to flush out their dosage of cut-off low muddy water, and the clean and clear salt water is back in.

This very high tide will present our estuaries in fine form.

Sardine Forecast

Well our spies in the Coffee Bay area have still got cold water and positive reports of sardines flying past.

But KZN Natal has needed a water flush, for the sardines to come back in again.

It goes to show all over again, you need to strike while the iron is HOT!

Thank you to all contributors specially including Lotus FM and their start reporter Adam Kamdar.

If you would like to stay up-to-date with the movements of the sardines this year (and every year), consider signing up to our weekly newsletter, and to our YouTube Channel.

By The Sardine News

PS Sardines were netted on North Beach today!

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Sardine Sightings from 20 to 25 June 2021

Sardines sightings 2021: Greg Hill snapped us this photo of the action at Hibberdene this arvo

Sardine Sightings from 20 to 25 June 2021

Sardine Sightings from 20 to 25 June 2021: The following data is taken from our Sardine Run 2021 Interactive Map. Which you can click on over too right from HERE. Updated daily, we sure do miss a few. And as it gets busier, which it appears to be doing, we will miss a few more too.

But we get at least most of the sardine sightings. Which are all verified by our Sardine Spies stationed strategically up and the entire eastern seaboard of Southern Africa. And this paints a cool and pretty picture of the state of the sardine run as we go. This year anyway.

As you can see from the entries made since the 20 June 2021, we are having a cracker of a sardine run!

Sardine Sightings from 20 to 25 June 2021

20 June 2021 – 10:30amTHE MAIN SHOALS ARE HITTING PORT EDWARD NOW!
20 June 2021 – 1:00pmYip, Margate again!
A proper shoal…just off the backline and moving north fast!
20 June 2021Southbroom!
Nets went in!
21 June 2021 – 7:00amDarrell Hattingh has just now reported nets going on a few nice shoals of sardines at the beautiful Hibberdene Beach.
Pics and video coming soon at https://thesardine.co.za.
21 June 2021 – 3:00pmNets in at Oslo Beach!
More at https://thesardine.co.za and in video at https://youtube.com/umzimkulu1/
23 June 2021Amanzimtoti!
Sardine families have been checking in at ‘Toti for centuries. And this year is no different, albeit a bit late in the first wave.
Let’s see what the second and third wave brings!
A lot more on https://thesardine.co.za
23 June 2021Ballito finally!
The pilot shoals – the first wave, are steadily moving north. Although very thinned out by now as many, many sardines, have been eaten.
There are so many sharks, backed up by so many other marine wildlife team players, that us humans don’t even feature on the scoreboard!
23 June 2021Tinley Manor was visited by a big shoal today that just couldn’t make up its mind.
But for the most part stayed out deep seeking safety from the very many teeth out looking for them right now.
24 June 2021 – 9:30amWinkelspruit is wild!
Reported in by the Masterwatermen website crew at https://masterwatermen.co.za
This beach is getting most of the action this year it seems.
24 June 2021 – 9:30amScottburgh gets a visit from the sardines today. Details are coming in slowly but it looks like a good bet to get down south again today. If you are after sardines. Sharks too!
More at https://thesardine.co.za
24 June 2021 – 12:00pmA large shoal is just waiting on the backline to come in.
Clearly visible from the lookouts.
24 June 2021 – 11:00amAdam Kamdar sent in a video clip of a neat shoal taken here at Warners today.
You can see Adam’s video and many more by checking into https://thesardine.co.za. 
25 June 2021 – 8:00amAcres of sardines confirmed off Umtentweni and moving north at a rapid rate. The fish are not in the breakers yet and are being murdered by predators.
Set your ambush in the Banana Beach and Pumula areas and you are sure to have a front row seat.
More at https://thesardine.co.za and https://masterwatermen.co.za.
25 June 2021 – 8:00amSunrise sardines in the net on the beach at Pumula again.
There are medium sized shoals moving north all over the place on this fantastic winter’s day in the KZN South Coast.
More at https://thesardine.co.za.
25 June 2021 – 10:00amRory Reen reports many, many sardines at the Umzumbe Flats right now.
More at https://thesardine.co.za.
25 June 2021 – 7:00amSharks were smashing this backline shoal to pieces early in the morning.
The shoal was heading for Banana Beach and then presumably got bagged at Pumula an hour later, by netters waiting in ambush at that sardine friendly beach.
There is a lot more at https://thesardine.co.za.
25 June 2021 – 10:45amGreg Hill from Cape Town is having a marvellous sardine run with a tally of six or seven snoek shot right out from under the noses of the swarms of sharks.
He is at Sunwich Port right now looking for a dive buddy (very hard to find these days), and reports a huge long stripe of sardines extending between beaches. With no sharks on them, says Greg!
More at https://thesardine.co.za.
25 June 2021 – 1:00pmDarrell Hattingh in between dives reports of a 750m long shoal of sardines milling about the backline, waiting for the tide to come in.
Darrell also reports more sardines out to sea at about 300m out.
25 June 2021 – 1:00pmSardines netted at Suncoast.
25 June 2021  -1:00pmTeam Cherry got a nice net right in the heart of Durban.
Sardine Sightings from 20 to 25 July 2021
Sardine Sightings 2021: Suncoast at lunchtime
Sardine Sightings 2021: Suncoast at lunchtime

You can see the map by following this link to our 2021 Sardine Sightings Map.

You can watch our Sardine Run 2021 Series in video on our YouTube Channel right here. And which you can still Subscribe to for FREE! The playlist starts with our first video report with footage sent in to us from Mr Ant Nel in Port Edward. Way back on the 31 May 2021!

The Sardine News and The Master Watermen are powered by TLC for you Business.

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Sharks vs People Sardine Report 23 June 2021

Sharks vs People Sardine Report 23 June 2021 Yip!

Sharks vs People Sardine Report 23 June 2021: It’s all happening. The sharks are leading the assault with the dolphins and tuna and other feasting gamefish backing them up. People in a distant 10th spot. This is happening daily literally up and down the KZN South Coast – right now.

Click HERE for our interactive Sardine Run 2021 Map.

Sharks vs People!

The theme of this video are the sharks and land sharks. The sharks in the clear blue waters are clearly visible and it’s quite easy to stay the hell out of their way. But the land sharks hide in the bushes and as soon as your sardine fever takes over your senses, they strike. Hence the warning by Darrell Hattingh contained within.

Main shoals

And the sardine news just gets better and better. Real cold water and billions of sardines are being reported from our sardine spies in Coffee Bay. This means we may just be in for the very start of the 2021 sardine run!

Team Vees and Moonlight are you guys ready!?

Gamefish

Oh yes there are plenty of gamefish! In our previous report we document a shoal of yellowfin tuna getting caught in a sardine net. They were all released! Kudos! So imagine hooking one of those guys on your favourite spinning outfit and a MYDO SS Spoon.

Matt Defillipi’s garrick also featuring in our last report, is one of the biggest seen this year so far. Although the spearos are just getting back into the water after all that brown and green, they too are now slamming the snoek and garrick. Guest Greg Hill at the Umzimkulu Marina, swam out yesterday and bagged himself a beautiful Natal Snoek.

Sharks vs People Greg Hill sneaks a lovely natal snoek from the Zambies
Sharks vs People Greg Hill sneaks a lovely natal snoek from the Zambies

But ok, it’s the most perfect day so far so let’s see what happens.

See you on the beach!

And thank you to Fabian, Adam, Naren, Ash, Shaun and the many others sending us the action right from the beach as it happens! A FREE MYDO SS Spoon to each of you! Buzz me on umzimkulu@gmail.com to claim your lure!

More at https://thesardine.co.za and https://masterwatermen.co.za.

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19 June 2021 Sardine Report: TUNA in da NETS!

19 June 2021 Sardine Report: TUNA in da NETS!

TUNA in da NETS! Unbelievably, our mate Alex sent in some unbelievable footage of a shoal of yellowfin tuna being caught in a net! And then being released! This must surely be due to some sort of bycatch law (acknowledgements Darrell Hattingh) because those tuna taste way better than them sardines in that same net!

But the main message that the 19 June 2021 Sardine Report carries, is…

TAKE YOUR SPINNING ROD FOR A WALK!

Imagine one of those bombers on your favourite spinning stick. You would need at least 50lb to be in with a chance. But a fish of a lifetime, oh yes. A yellowfin of any size, off the bricks, is one helluva tasty trophy. Walk a popper or a spoon, up and down the inside channels for garrick, shad and kingfish. And get your MYDO SS Spoon out just past the waves to be in for the queen of all gamefish – the Queen Mackerel. Aka Natal Snoek. The most amazingly beautiful fish all round.

And right within reach right now.

Sardine Report in Video

Garrick have also been playing the game. Hence the featured pic of Matt Defillipi and a bomber taken at the Sandspit in Port Shepstone. Right near the Umzimkulu Marina.

19 June 2021 Sardine Report
19 June 2021 Sardine Report: Matt Defillipi at the Sandspit in Port Shepstone

And the sardines are literally everywhere!

Just hit your favourite beach and set ambush.

Gallery

Thank you!

As for the rest of the 2021 Sardine Reports, I cannot thank you guys enough for making this all possible. Riaan, Alex, Daniel, Jason, Darrell, Adam, Yushan, Quentin, Digby, Ant, Marc, Brucifire (gone gallivanting again) …and the list goes in and on actually.

And then to all the new subscribers and members, a HUGE welcome from the team at The Sardine News. We will keep you informed and up-to-date each sardine season.

And the rest of the time we do surfing, fishing and diving news.

Check it all out at https://thesardine.co.za and on https://masterwatermen.co.za/.