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5 September 2024 Welcome Back Adam Kamdar reporting in from Durbans Golden Mile

Paddlers enjoying off Durbans North Beach Pier

5 September 2024 Welcome Back Adam Kamdar reporting in from Durbans Golden Mile

5 September 2024 Welcome Back Adam Kamdar reporting in from Durbans Golden Mile: after a few deserved days off, Adam Kamdar is back on Durbans Golden Mile with another comprehensive conditions report.

Durbans Conditions

It’s a beautifully flat day out on the ocean as Adam Kamdar checks back in with the team at The Sardine News. There are surfers catching a few peaks coming in from the east. There are paddlers staying on top of the cold water. The divers have vowed to take advantage of these rare windless and calm conditions for this time of the year.

Durban Paddlers enjoying the calm conditions

Although yes, spring has sprung but it takes a few weeks into September before the winds start to back off and give us those calm balmy days we are all here in KZN for.

Like today!

Which, except for slightly chilly water at down to 18 degrees Celsius, is a typical KZN ocean-goers’ day out on the water. The colder water usually means a slower bite for anglers. But some species like the cold. And many others become doff and slow. So spearos generally don’t mind a drop in the mercury.

Spearfishing

Yesterdays Spearing Report Today

As you might have seen from The Bear’s spearfishing report yesterday (above), the brusher are putting on a show in the shallows. Further out deep, the geelbek are playing the game too. Both very hard fish to shoot. But these fish are around if you have the bottom time and the patience.

Anglers can use the information from The Bear’s reports at The Master Watermen website when planning their own fishing excursions. There is no more valuable intel available anywhere! Since it comes from Durbans waters way down deep!

Estuary

We have about a month or more hopefully, before the rains start up again. When this happens, all the crap upstream is delivered downstream by the flooding. Rendering the estuaries brown and useless. Sure you can fish in the brown. With sardines and the like. But our passion is sight fishing with lures. And for this, we need clean water.

Like it is now. Crystal clear and warmer than the ocean! Recently we have been catching perch, kingfish, rock salmon, garrick and kob. In fact two days ago, one guy here got two kob on paddletail down near the mouth. And guess what….the second fish he was fighting when a Zambezi chomped it right in half!

This, if anything, proves the healthy state of the river. And the vital role it plays in being a nursery for developing fish. The government and certain unscrupulous lobbyists (who know who they are), are trying tooth and nail to destroy/impede the natural flow of this marvellous and majestic ‘Mother of all Rivers’ – the Umzimkulu. Using all sorts of pathetic excuses to get billions of rands to squander – ANC style.

Watch this space for further developments on the saga…

Sardine Maps

Having intel to make the right decisions can save you hours and hours of frivolous sardine hunting. We have taken great care to log the activity of each sardine run since 2021. These records are available for anyone to look at.

If you study the maps year to year, you will see that right now we are only just in the middle of good sardine conditions. And that in previous years catches were made right into the summer months.

Sardine Map 2024

Sardine Map 2023

Sardine Map 2021

Channels

https://youtube.com/@Brucifire – highly entertaining  surf reporting

https://youtube.com/@thesardinenews – neva miss a single  sardine

https://youtube.com/@fishbazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

https://youtube.com/@mydotackletalk – highly technical  sport fishing

https://youtube.com/@surflaunchingsouthernafrica – getting out there safely

https://youtube.com/@waterwoes – complain here

Websites

https://umzimkulu.co.za – self-catering right on the Umzimkulu River
https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za –   sardine run coming up
https://thesardine.co.za – never miss a single   sardine
https://masterwatermen.co.za – news from deep down
https://brucifire.co.za –  surf and conditions reporting
https://fishbazaruto.com – your dreams are out there
https://mydofishinglures.co.za – technical  sport fishing

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26 August 2024 Monday Blues in Durban Today

East Conditions in Durban Today 26 August 2024

26 August 2024 Monday Blues in Durban Today

26 August 2024 Monday Blues in Durban Today: Durban Today by Adam Kamdar 26 August 2024 Adam Kamdar of Township Hyper brings us an unusually not-so-perfect Monday morning report. The east is on the upset sea already. The swell is still running strong. And the water is definitely not clear. On the bright side, these are sardine conditions to the tee. So if there are any leftover shoals hiding in the deep, now would be the time to expect a final flurry of sardine activity in the Durban area.

Over to Adam with the full prognosis and imagery…

Thank you Adam!

Spearfishing

Then we had a late report from The Bear last evening…discussing the huge swells crashing in up and down the KZN coastline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKBaL74TgH0?rel=0

Mozambique

Well, the waves have been firing here in the Inhambane area. A strong and consistent east swell has been bombarding the coast here for the past few days. This angle gets right into all the nooks and crannies. Videos to follow.

The fishing gets good when the surf gets up in this place. We have had huge GTs swimming around us in the surf at Tofo and Tofinho before. They come right in close hunting in the white water. There are plenty of bonefish swimming along the backline at Barra at the moment too.

Couple boats launched into the shorebreak this morning. We shall see later.

Sardine Maps

Having intel to make the right decisions can save you hours and hours of frivolous sardine hunting. We have taken great care to log the activity of each sardine run since 2021. These records are available for anyone to look at.

If you study the maps year to year, you will see that right now we are only just in the middle of good sardine conditions. And that in previous years catches were made right into the summer months.

Sardine Map 2024

Sardine Map 2023

Sardine Map 2021

Channels

https://youtube.com/@Brucifire – highly entertaining  surf reporting

https://youtube.com/@thesardinenews – neva miss a single  sardine

https://youtube.com/@fishbazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

https://youtube.com/@mydotackletalk – highly technical  sport fishing

https://youtube.com/@surflaunchingsouthernafrica – getting out there safely

https://youtube.com/@waterwoes – complain here

Websites

https://umzimkulu.co.za – self-catering right on the Umzimkulu River
https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za –   sardine run coming up
https://thesardine.co.za – never miss a single   sardine
https://masterwatermen.co.za – news from deep down
https://brucifire.co.za –  surf and conditions reporting
https://fishbazaruto.com – your dreams are out there
https://mydofishinglures.co.za – technical  sport fishing

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Another stiff South Wester rips through KZN today 12 August 2024 by Adam Kamdar

Another South Wester rips through KZN

Another stiff South Wester rips through KZN today 12 August 2024 by Adam Kamdar

Another stiff South Wester rips through KZN today 12 August 2024 by Adam Kamdar of Township Hyper: Finally, the east winds have been beaten back and the low-pressure systems are now dominating. Hoping that these conditions will prevail as we squeeze the last bit of juice out of winter that we can.

Spring is gonna spring in two weeks time!

Over to Adam…

Cold Front captured on Camera

And not a half hour later…

Warm Water

KZN water refuses to cool down. Will not drop below 20 degrees Celsius, and has consistently stayed over 22 degrees Celsius for week after week. And now this cold front will calm the ocean and currents even more and the water may even get warmer.

Fishing

The garrick and kob are gonna be around for a while still. The shad might come back if the water cools. And there has been a good showing of Natal Snoek this year.

Spearfishing

Check out the annual Garrick and Snoek competition results and gallery at https://masterwatermen.co.za. Keeping an eye on the spearos really dials you in as to what is going out there. They also have an interesting YouTube Channel brimming with reports and things at https://youtube.com/@masterwatermen.

Surfing

After all that waiting in earnest for the high-pressure conditions to be overridden by these low systems, we can expect waves to surf at some places in KZN over the next few days.

JBay has been cooking and you can read all about those waves at https://brucifire.co.za or at his channel at https://youtube.com/@brucifire.

Sardine Maps

Having intel to make the right decisions can save you hours and hours of frivolous sardine hunting. We have taken great care to log the activity of each sardine run since 2021. These records are available for anyone to look at.

If you study the maps year to year, you will see that right now we are only just in the middle of good sardine conditions. And that in previous years catches were made right into the summer months.

Sardine Map 2024

Sardine Map 2023

Sardine Map 2021

Channels

https://youtube.com/@Brucifire – highly entertaining  surf reporting

https://youtube.com/@thesardinenews – neva miss a single  sardine

https://youtube.com/@fishbazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

https://youtube.com/@mydotackletalk – highly technical  sport fishing

https://youtube.com/@surflaunchingsouthernafrica – getting out there safely

https://youtube.com/@waterwoes – complain here

Websites

https://umzimkulu.co.za – self-catering right on the Umzimkulu River
https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za –   sardine run coming up
https://thesardine.co.za – never miss a single   sardine
https://masterwatermen.co.za – news from deep down
https://brucifire.co.za –  surf and conditions reporting
https://fishbazaruto.com – your dreams are out there
https://mydofishinglures.co.za – technical  sport fishing

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7 July 2024 Sunday Sardine and Ocean Conditions RoundUp

7 July 2024 KZN Ocean Roundup by The Sardine News

7 July 2024 Sunday Sardine and Ocean Conditions RoundUp

7 July 2024 Sunday Sardine and Ocean Conditions RoundUp: this crisp Sunday morning holds promise aplenty for oceangoers as conditions reveal themselves to be quite friendly.

Sardines in the Surf Report?!

As Adam took to the sea early this morning to catch some breakfast, we crossed over to Roosta who was luckily on the beach at the time. The surf isn’t as promising as Roosta would like it. But he did show us a shoal of sardines extending for hundreds of metres on the backline off the Anerley area.

This shoal is moving north with the swell and could come within netting range as the tide drops through the morning. Becoming very low at 10:40 am. This is time to be on patrol and hunting for sardines trapped in the gulleys and channels.

Spearfishing

Another favourable looking day ahead for the spearo community. The Bear reports good water as they try to make up for lost time accumulated during all the wayward weather of the past few years.

There are snoek and garrick to shoot. A lot of kob. And the odd couda! The warm water encouraging our favourite gamefish further and further south. Where they are bound to run into the shoals of sardines coming the other way. Get full of sards. Slow down. And…

Wham!

The Transkei

Finally, we reach Transkei where Coral Bella does the Freedom O Clock update for us. From the beach at Mdumbi. Alls I can add is that it must be freezing down thataway right now!

Thanks to all the contributors to today’s sardine news roundup. It is clear from today’s report that we all can learn from each others different ocean activities. Sardines in the Surf Report?!

There are strong tides today. There will be currents and things. The ocean is not always your friend!

Affiliated YouTube Channels

https://youtube.com/@Brucifire – highly entertaining  surf reporting

https://youtube.com/@thesardinenews – neva miss a single  sardine

https://youtube.com/@mydotackletalk – highly technical  sport fishing

https://youtube.com/@surflaunchingsouthernafrica – getting out there safely

https://youtube.com/@waterwoes – complain here

Affiliated websites

https://umzimkulu.co.za – self-catering right on the Umzimkulu River
https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za –  sardine run coming up
https://thesardine.co.za – never miss a single  sardine
https://masterwatermen.co.za – news from deep down
https://brucifire.co.za –  surf and conditions reporting
https://fishbazaruto.com – your dreams are out there
https://mydofishinglures.co.za – technical  sport fishing

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Early Sardine Report 19 June 2024 by The Bear

Sardine Report by The Master Watermen 19 June 2024 at 7AM

Early Sardine Report 19 June 2024

Early Sardine Report 19 June 2024: we are having a phenomenal early sardine run this year. So much so that The Sardine News website broke! So we will share the posts between the many websites we run, in the future. Especially here at The Master Watermen.

I just got some inside information from netters who were successful yesterday late afternoon with a net real close to Hibberdene. Just a bit north.

And right now along the backline at Uvongo and St. Mikes shoals are milling about waiting for the tide to drop.

Enjoy the video…

Spearfishing

This a great time to be a spearfisherman. Clean water. Gamefish. Sardines. It’s like a magical imaginary wonder world down there. Check out this recent gallery of catches.

Fishing

During the sardine run, fish are much easier to shoot than to catch. Which is why we all went underwater in the first place. But some anglers are getting lucky and garrick are being hooked all up and down the KZN coastline. Aswell as those lekka big old kob. The 20kg models that sit right in the shore break to ambush shad and sardines as they swim by.

You have to be completely ‘doff’ not to be catching your daily quota of shad. Which is FOUR I might remind y’all!

Deep Sea

It’s a tough time being a ski-boater this time of the year. The fish are everywhere. Every beach. Every reef. Fish have migrated to here from all over the show. To get their share of the spoils. But they ain’t biting! They are after the fresh power-packed bite-sized sardines. That are freely available everywhere right now.

Today 19 June 2024

Those outsized shoals sighted yesterday on the lower south coast have got everyone on edge. Up early. Drinking coffee and waiting on The Sardine Report.

These big shoals could surprise us all and disappear completely again. The water in Durban is 22 degrees and that is way too warm.

Yesterday Kevin in Qora was reporting his water right down to 16 degrees. And that water is not the result of any incessant easts. None have been blowing hard enough to chill the water that much. So Kevin deduces that his cold patch down there in the deep Transkei, is yet another cut off section of cold being sandwiched against the shore line and being driven north by pressure.

Kevin’s understanding of the sardines and the ocean is unparalleled. And he has a grandstand seat. His verandah! Kevin runs Wild Coast Cottages. You can get ahold of him via The Sardine News website. Which is kinda broken at the moment but it is still serving the news luckily.

Affiliated YouTube Channels

https://youtube.com/@Brucifire – highly entertaining surf reporting

https://youtube.com/@thesardinenews – neva miss a single sardine

https://youtube.com/@mydotackletalk – highly technical sport fishing

https://youtube.com/@surflaunchingsouthernafrica – getting out there safely

https://youtube.com/@waterwoes – complain here

Affiliated websites

https://umzimkulu.co.za – self-catering right on the Umzimkulu River
https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za –  sardine run coming up
https://thesardine.co.za – never miss a single sardine
https://masterwatermen.co.za – news from deep down
https://brucifire.co.za – surf and conditions reporting
https://fishbazaruto.com – your dreams are out there
https://mydofishinglures.co.za – technical sport fishing

The post Early Sardine Report 19 June 2024 by The Bear appeared first on Master Watermen.

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