Offshore Africa whale spotters in Port St. Johns are having a bumper sardine run. Bringing with it the usual suspects. All sorts of whales. Dolphins. Sharks. Seabirds. It’s wild out there right now!
The sardines this year are spread out far and wide and not in concentrated shoals. This has made for more fun for everyone as the little fish elude the nets chasing after them all over the place. Not many successful nets went in so far this year, and although the action has slowed, conditions look great for this next spring tide cycle.
To try for a spot down in Port St. Johns with Rob Nettleton and Debbie Smith and crew, click on over to their website, offshoreportstjohns.com.
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!
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…
Check out the Mydo Luck Shot Mini #1 right in the shads mouth. News from the area is that Blue Shad are full up in amongst kob and garrick and all sorts.Yes well I do also notice that there is one more shad in this picture than what is allowed, but heck, maybe there were two anglers? Either way, fresh fried shad is the order of breakfast everywhere in the good old Transkei. Many thanks to my good friend Thulani, for keeping us in the news and for fishing and catching with my lures…
Another fine specimen, of a Blue Shad. Fact: Blue Shad are just normal Shad, but as the fish go through their growth cycle, they turn blue in bigger sizes. But this is not across the population, some big shad are distinctively grey.
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!)
Robbie van Wijk, deep down in Transkei, is right in the thick of things, reporting in with this sardine report, from Mapuzi.
“Sardines aren’t striped bru! They are definitely spotted! Down here on the point at Mapuzi, birds are swooping and diving, dolphins are chowing down in the little bay. One chap beautifully fought a 7kg yellowtail in off the rocks while plenty medium sized kob and big shad getting pulled out. The sardines off Mapuzi, are definitely spotted!”
Thanks Robbie!
Gannets taking some time out. This was shot yesterday of Mnyemeni, by Jay Steenkamp. Jay is full time the man on the scene wherever the sardines are…more news to follow…
“When the red hot pokers bloom, winter is upon us!” – Louis Wolmarans chanted. It was many, many years ago, but Louis still charges the KZN South Coast with more gusto than any grom. The only hassle, is that when the aloes flower like this, it’s also sardine season!
Sardine report 2015: “When the red hot pokers bloom, winter is upon us.” A chant by Louis Wolmarans
Just in from Jay Steenkamp at sea off Nyameni in the Transkei, right now:
“Glenmore has the most action. Small pockets being hammered by Gannets, which are everywhere. Just had school of bottlenose charging hard to the north with more Gannets chasing after them, diving, gorging, on sardines.
The surf is 4-5ft with a stiff offshore blowing. Sea temperature is 22 degrees.”
Thanks Jay!
So except for the slightly warmer water, the stars have lined up and it looks good for the sards to come in close and in reach. Yesterdays cast net catch of sardines in Umtentweni has got the carparks a-buzzing, and now it’s only a matter of being in the right place, at the right time.
Not sure what’s in the distance but it could be anything sardine. This photo was taken a few minutes ago, off Nyameni in the Transkei, by Jay Steenkamp, the man on the scene…
