Ox Eye TARPON in the Umzimkulu right NOW!

Justin Landrey Ox eye Tarpon caught and released in the Zinave National Park in Mozambique

Ox EyeTARPON in the Umzimkulu right NOW!

Ox Eye TARPON in the Umzimkulu right NOW! Yip, they are back. Matt Wainright got tangled with two yesterday morning early. And a lovely little baby GT. The GT Matt got into the net and released just fine. However both the tarpon exercised their right-to-release themselves and both threw the hook in mid-air. Forced release!

But that’s enough already. Just to hook, or even just to encounter, one of these majestic and highly sought-after gamefish will have your heart racing for hours, like Matt’s. He has launched again this morning at first light. Haven’t seen him since!

Ox eye tarpon by Chris Leppan — These are proper exciting fish to catch

Please enjoy this video about catching ox eye tarpon in the Umzimkulu estuary…

Umzimkulu

The tide has finished draining for the day. It has turned and we are looking forward to an afternoon session on the pushing tide. Starting at 1PM we shall be joining Matt out there. We will most likely troll lures and flick to the hibiscus mangroves and rocks as we go along. This is a dynamic formula that covers all bases. Having tarpon in the Umzimkulu again is a real treat. They live right up the river in the fresh. And come down to the salt to spawn. This is when you can catch them in the surf zone. As they pop out and look up and down for the entrances to any other estuaries that they can find.

The kingfish (all the species here – GT, Blacktip, Greenspot, Big-eye…) smash a decent trolling lure. And all the while, two guys up front will be casting ahead and to the side of the boat. To bring in any predators out of range of the lures. And to entice a hammer strike from out of the mangroves by a rock salmon or perch. Both these fish love to tear into a surface popper. This is spectacular fishing. Right in front of your eyes. Clean, calm water. And really big estuary gamefish.

The Umzimkulu is one of the last functioning estuaries here in Southern Kwazulu Natal. And does the job of the many estuaries around it. That have been systematically ruined by agriculture and development. We have the Umtamvuna in Port Edward. But the mouth there silts up in the dry season. Further north we have the idyllic Mpenjati. But now also badly affected by construction and development barely a mile upstream. We also have the delightful Southbroom (also closed mouth in winter and features the odd croc). And a few others. But all the rest, are wrecked properly. And polluted. Like Margate. Banana Beach. Mbango. Boboyi. This is a very long list. Point being that there are very few estuaries left to fish as we do here at the Umzimkulu.

Tackle

Do NOT bring light tackle. We strive to get these fish in healthy. And release them in the same condition. After a quick lecture on not taking suspicious man-made-looking baits again.

Bring your 30lb braid spinning outfit as a minimum. I recommend 40 to 50lb. And some really good leader material from 20lb to 50lb. An 8 kg rock salmon demands respect. Plus there are garrick and GTs of that size roaming around in the estuary right now. Last week a 7.7 kg garrick was caught right in front of the lodge here.

Rod length is not so important but anything over 7 or 8 feet is a hassle on the boat and in the bush. With decent braid rod length is not an advantage for casting.

All that said, please bring your fly rod! About an 8-weight would be great, with a sinking line and some big old salty flies. Prawn and mullet lookalikes.

The more outfits you have, the more effective you can be. Changing tactics to respond to what is going on around you is what is required. At a minimum, you will need a trolling rod or two, which can double as bait sticks when we fish that way. And your permanent 30lb spinning companion. Always loaded and ready to fire.

Keep fish?

We let all our fish go (unless mortally injured), most of them with tags in them. This is cool fishing. For everyone. Kids and grandparents all on the same huge (28ft) catamaran boat – with shade, seating, table and cooler box. We are even solar-powered (when the wind ain’t blowing too hard!) with a petrol engine for when we are in a hurry.

Accommodation

Is at The Umzimkulu Marina. Right on the water’s edge. You can fish from here all day long. And night! Nighttime is the right time for grunter and rock salmon.

We have four river-facing units. Sleeping from 3 to 6. We only take a dozen guests or so at a time. Keeping it quiet and exclusive for our guests.

They are self-catering with everything including towels and bedding.

Book here

Contact Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com.

This article below was quite recent…Matt’s first trip of the dry season this year…and features epic battles between Matt and his adversaries here. This is what is on offer during the Umzimkulu Estuary gamefish season. Ends when the rains come in about November/December.