Rocky Bay very active with shoals of sardines on backline. Sea is flat and glassy today. Awesome conditions. Also in Dbn at Ushaka there are shoals. No netting as yet this morning but boats in the water at Rocky Bay.
Category: Sardines
Sardines!
Sardines!
The lower south coast was reported in quiet for tsontwsanes(Pondo word for sardines) this morning. But Jay Steenkamp reports plenty humpback whale activity. The migration is in full swing.
But the big news was dialled in by Robbie van Wijk who reports masses of sardines with wild activity, off Mapuzi right close to Coffee Bay!
Photos please Robbie!
Monday Fishing Report
Monday Fishing Report
Well, in a cowrie shell…don’t go to work! The fishing is better than it’s been in years.
A few minutes ago my Dad on the Niteshift saw P.J. Botha and son boat a nice big ‘couta off the Umzimkulu River.
Last night Mike Stubbs got his kob. A big fish that went 32.5kg’s. (Photo coming soon). He was enjoying these amazing conditions fishing off the Sandspit in Port Shepstone, while just across the way, rock and surf anglers fishing from The Block, caught: yellowbelly and catface rockcod, a scotchman?!?!, during the day a bunch of garrick…
Darrell Hattingh has been having high adventures under water spearfishing the Hibberdene and Ifafa points. A Great White was spotted at Ifafa, a baby of about 3 metres.
And in the next pics, my other brother Darrell, I mean Marc, with Koos and Andre Viviers and a bunch of nice fish, mostly caught, but the grunter shot off Chakas right up from the Sandspit.
Then down at Mdumbi, I gave a few local subsistence anglers my new lure to try out, the Mydo Luck Shot #1, and check the pictures…
So, get to a tackle shop, tackle up, and GO FISHING!
(As for the rest of us working, I am in Pretoria right now distributing lures, we will keep the economy going while you guys all go fishing!)
Monday Sardine Report
Monday Sardine Report
Overall, the same situation prevails. There are plenty sardines, but they are spread far and wide with action not concentrated in any one area.
In from Jay Steenkamp, in the air, on the beach and in the water…
“Sea is looking awesome today with light SW and swell has dropped to about 3ft. Some 20 odd gannets diving in the brown water on backline at Peter Pan next to T.T. Strand. No sards on the surface boiling, they are sitting deep and trying to hide from predators”
“Mark Snyman netted at Skiboat Bay this morning. Not sure of details as I was surfing. Also netted at Park Rynie”
“Unreal sea conditions with light offshore and small surf. Just the viz is off colour. Loads of shad being caught off the Sandspit and nearly every other good fishing spot. It’s hard to believe that this is mid winter with such lekka weather”
Thanks Jay!
And then from our intrepid underwater scribe – Darrell Hattingh
“Phew, day of fortunes and losses. Braved and early morning swim at Ifafa Point despite Corey Versluis having seen a 3m Great White there yesterday. Duffed a nice snoek in the twilight and as I was still venturing out, a smallish garrick comes by, and while I am stringing it a shoal of big salmon surround me. Shot a nice grunter.
Then closer to home, in Hibberdene area, as I swam out a shoal of 30+ Garrick surrounded me. I shot the biggest one and it just broke my spear right in half! Got some crays and then as I swam in, got dealt with by 3 huge shoreys in a row. Ha ha!”
Thanks Darrell!! Keep it coming…
Then, Debbie Smith from Offshore Africa Port St. Johns…
” A stunning weather day today, despite the south westerly coming through this morning. News of loads of bird and sardine action sighted south of Rame Head (our area) has us hugely excited as our clients arrive tomorrow and we officially start our sardine run…”
From Mdumbi…
“Blue shad coming out every day. Lots of sardines sighted travelling north, but way out deep.”
So the sards are still around and the fishing is excellent. What are you waiting for?!?!
Sardine roundup
Sardine roundup
From Debbie Smith and Offshore Africa yesterday, down in Port St. Johns. And Jay Steenkamp on the KZN lower south coast, where it’s all happening.
Offshore Africa…”Some great gannet action happening off Agate Terrace, Port St John’s this morning A lot of bird working the 40-50m depth column but in dirty water. From a distance it looked like a Brydes Whale working the area as well. A stunning warm day here in PSJ with small surf.”
Sporadic, yet frequent sardine encounters are being reported in from up and down the Transkei and KZN South Coasts. It seems that there are indeed plenty sardines around, but they are not concentrated in one shoal. Rather, they are spread far and wide and are giving people all over, a taste of the action.
From Jay Steenkamp in the air and on the beach…
“Very quiet here today. Surf is the same as yesterday and temp still 22. Sharks board flying to East London at the moment, really good conditions all round…”
“Same as yesterday, little Gos had sardines on the backline, lots of birds off Port St Johns, that was the report from yesterdays flight”
“Umgababa. 2 nets. 80 crates each, sardines right in the bay”
“Jig and drop anglers are hooking up on gamefish in the Kelso area”
To get right in on the action, pay a visit to http://www.offshoreportstjohns.com/ and see if you can book a slot on one of their upcoming ocean adventures…
