6 September 2024 Garrick vs Kob Report

6 September 2024 Garrick vs Kob Report: Adam brings us up-to-date with a positive forecast for the upcoming weekend.

Garrick vs Kob

A 20kg kob will pull and pull and take a long time. A 20kg garrick will stretch your arms, tackle and try break your back all at once.

Your choice!

Luckily they are both here at the moment. And although one is nocturnal and the other a day tripper, they can be caught at the same time. Especially at places like Port Shepstone, Umkomaas, Pumula…there are many spots along the KZN coast that have this design. The long beach and inside channel attract loads of fish and bait interaction. And it is in this channel that the kob and garrick hunt.

Kob – these guys are kinda difficult to find and catch during the daylight hours. Many have been caught with the sun up. But mainly night time is the right time for kob. Wherever there have been shad or any other shoaling baitfish during the day – that night the kob will be there. And right in the shallows. These fish, as big as they get, hunt right in rock pools, gulleys and inside channels.

Garrick – those first few minutes of first light each and every morning is when you need to be casting your lure out over the backline. And retrieving fast. Any lure will do as the garrick, now able to see in the early glow, are fiercely competitive with each other. If they are there, they will fighting over your lure. During the day these guys will take a lure or a live bait. But not really at night time (has happened).

If this kind of fishing is your game, get in touch while the fish are actually here. The season ends when the rains come and the water goes brown. This can happen anytime from October onwards. Contact Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com to book a slot at the Umzimkulu Marina where we can take you fishing. In the estuary, on the beach or out to sea.

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

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.

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

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

Estuary Fishing Time by Adam Kamdar 2 September 2024 #tarpon #kingfish #kob #perch #rocksalmon

Estuary Fishing Time by Adam Kamdar 2 September 2024: It’s that time of the year again! The end of the dry season. The water is crystal clear and warm from the ocean’s tidal influx. Baitfish abound. As do gamefish.

Over to Adam…

Ox Eye Tarpon

They are all here! Even the highly sought-after Ox Eye Tarpon has come down from the top. To spawn in the saltwater of the estuary here. And to venture out to sea through the surf zone seeking other estuaries to terrorise. Matt Wainright tangled with two over the weekend. And we saw them free-jumping after bait all day long. Difficult to hook. Hard mouths. Just like their American cousins. But not quite as big. Our fish here in the Umzimkulu average between 2 and 4 kilos thankfully. Almost manageable. Enjoy some tarpon action…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13JRTwKrieE?rel=0

Greenspot Kingfish

These guys have been in the estuary since May and are still marauding the channels at full speed all day long. We were surrounded by them on Saturday but the guests were a bit slow and n ever got a cast in at them. You need to have lightning quick reactions and perfectly prepared gear to be able to take on these guys.

GTs

Some really big fish have been caught in the estuary here. The biggest being 29kgs (that I heard of). A local fly fishermen got an absolutely marvelous fish out at about 8kgs released (let’s give him 2 extra kilos for releasing it and say 10 kgs). But our biggest has been young Mackenzie Nel, at about 6 or 7kgs. She caught this fish all on her own from rigging to casting to hookup and finally the net. You can see that epic battle right here…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En5DsocENCg?rel=0

Rock Salmon

The big daddy of the estuary. Teeth motivated by lockjaw. High speed ambush predators. Angry. Territorial. Eager for an argument. This guy is the reason you simply cannot bring your favourite light-tackle outfit. You will be annihilated. Embaressed. Mercillessly.

You gonna need 40 to 50lb braid to pull these guys away from the mangroves. Watch this video to see why…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVrD0twkyfE?rel=0

Those are small rods Matt is riding with, but they have 40lb braid on them. Still not enough!

Kob

The biggest in the river that I ever heard of was 23kg’s by Sean van Tonder. On a tiny hook fishing for anything inside the mouth. On the south bank. He reckons it pulled for 45 minutes and when it finally came up, Sean got the fright of his life at the immense fish.

We get shoals of smaller kob in here intermittently. Watch this video for a laugh…

Spotted Grunter

These fish are reliable. Reliably hard to catch. But I have proof of their existence in certain places at certain times. Watch…

You would never believe the fish that swim in and out the mouth at high tide. Estuary fishing time for sure!

Garrick

Another reason why you just simply cannot bring light tackle. Anyway, a 7.5 kg one came out just out front of the lodge last week.

Contact

Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com for your estuary fishing time package.

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

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!

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.

Matt Wainwright’s epic weekend at the Umzimkulu

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

31 August 2024 Weekend Prognosis by The Bear

31 August 2024 Weekend Prognosis by The Bear: the underwater perspective brought to us by The Bear. Please note that the data set on the video relates to tomorrow the 31st of August 2024. We prepared this a day early. And it looks great for tomorrow morning. For all KZN ocean users.

Over to the Bear…

The video behind the Bear’s prognosis above, was shot down the south coast a few years back. When the shad came thick and fast. And for a few months, every reef along our coastline looked like this.

This was after covid and because nobody was fishing, these fish proliferated without the pressure of a million mad shad anglers. But now is a different story. SInce DAFF cannot do its job, it has been mayhem. Some are arrested. Others not. Most not even approached or inspected. But overall, it has been a free-for-all as DAFF try work their act out.

Let’s hope we don’t take the shad stock levels so dangerously low as we did in the seventies. We caught them all. And this is where the good old Natal Parks Board (NPB) shone through brightly. Bringing the population back with catch restrictions and total bans. Only for the ANC to change the NPB name to Ezimvelo and then destroy it completely. Giving their job over to DAFF?! For zero reason except to relax the restrictions and create another free-for-all.

Mozambique

We keep talking about these big fish up at Bazaruto Island in Mozambique. Luckily, here is a quick little video for you to see and feel the power and speed of a crazy mad marlin.

It would be really cool if anyone interested in big game fishing could pop on over to Duarte’s website at https://fishbazaruto.com. And also to his new YouTube channel right HERE.

Where you can Like and Subscribe to stay in touch through the big fish season which starts on Sunday! Maybe we will get another grander this year?

Umzimkulu Estuary

As you heard in The Bear’s video, Umzimkulu Adrenalin have the last two weeks of September available. This is peak estuary gamefishing season so if this is your deal, get in touch with Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com.

Here is a throwback video to May this year when the dry season cleaned the water enough for Matt Wainright to take an interest. And to take quite a few trophy fish. Aswell as a beating from a big momma rock salmon. Check this out…

Matt Wainwright’s epic weekend at the Umzimkulu – The Sardine News

Or just watch one of the videos right here…

It is also grunter time right now…

Learn more at the Umzimkulu Adrenalin website. Or email Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com.

Sardine Maps

Although the 2024 sardine run might be finished by now, 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