Summer Gamefishing off Port Shepstone

Summer Gamefishing off Port Shepstone: it’s been the most fun season for gamefishing here on the eastern seaboard of Southern Africa this 2021/22 season so far. The flood pulse out of our last functioning estuaries came blasting down as nature planned it to. The brown water plumes went right out to sea. Where the gamefish were there to meet it.

Dorado

First the dorado always arrive. They come to feast on the shoals of bait that abound this time of the year. The brown water offers the bait refuge from the predators who patrol up and down the line ready to attack any foolish baitfish that swims itself out of the murky brown and into the deep blue of the Mozambique Current.

Dorado eagerly wolf down a live mackerel or shad. But red-eye sardines are their favourite by far.

Billfish

Hot on the heels of the dorado, and eager to feast on them aswell as the bait, are the many species of billfish that we get here at this time of the year.

The spearos first saw a shoal of striped marlin on the Aliwal Shoal about two months back. Then the sailfish arrived. And on one of the days out there, we hooked and duffed two on light tackle (luckily it was the tiny hooks that let go and not the tackle). And saw four more. Including one beast that would have gone over 600, hooked up right next to us. Also got away obviously .

You can watch guest star Phillip catch and release his first sailfish, off Port Shepstone, right here…from about two weeks back. He is still smiling.

Umzimkulu Guest Star Phillip with his sailfish smile on!

Couta

Greg Defillipi was fishing for dorado up near Umfazazana – in the Dorado Derby in the beginning of December, when he got bitten off. Quickly changing to wire, he got two nice fish out. This is very early season for couta and we are all expecting a few fish this year.

Marc Lange on the Niteshift got his one on the 2 January out of the Umzimkulu mouth area. In the most hectic buster SW.

Although, in November, the spearos got two on the shoal – very early season fish. Gavin Nell being the hitman.

Previous seasons records:

The first fish of the 2021 season came out on the 27th November 2020! By Jonno Gous and Justin Campbell on their kayaks.

And here is a video from three years ago – our first couta of the season back then. Caught off Seapark, a few clicks north of the mighty Umzimkulu.

First couta of 2019 season on video…

Wahoo

Wahoo! There have been plenty of these monsters being shot by spearos recently. You can read all about the wahoo, and the other fish that are being seen, at the Master Watermen website.

A couple wahoo pics from the past…

Yellowfin Tuna

Richards Bay got these two monsters. And here off Shelley Beach, a few clicks south- this 34.8 and a 38.5 were weighed.

Right so whenever the weather gives us a gap, and the north-south current comes flying in close, we are out there every time. Our rates are in the activities menu of this app.

Let’s goooooooooo

Our deep-sea rates are in the activity menu on the Umzimkulu Adrenalin website/app.

If you would like to join as a semi-permanent charter, we have some cool deals available for you to get out there more often.

Get in touch with Sean on +27793269671 (WhatsApp) or umzimkulu@gmail.com anytime!

More fun websites/apps…

https://fishontheriver.co.za – famous for quality seafood and beautiful scenery

https://spillerhouse.co.za – holiday accommodation in Port Shepstone

https://portcaptain.co.za – eastern cuisine and all-day breakfasts

https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za – hectically fun things-to-do in Port Shepstone

https://thesardine.co.za – all the sardine news you need

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Fishin’ in the rain at Umzimkulu Adrenalin

Fishin’ in the rain: we have got you fisher folk covered!

Yes it’s raining! Again!

But check out our huge riverside tent – right on the edge of the Umzimkulu River estuary. In Port Shepstone. KZN South Coast. Where the salt comes right in. Bringing the shoals of inshore gamefish that we all love to catch. Rockies. Kingies. Grunter. Perch. Have all been coming out consistently. In between floods, that is!

Although it’s raining, the river is not flowing hard. The high tide is pushing saltwater right up to us here at Spillers. Where the fishing has been great. You can sit in comfort and out of the rain (or sun), and fish all day with our Day Pass. And we have a unique and tasty Egyptian restaurant, right here too!

Live bait is the right way. There are plenty rock salmon in the estuary right now. This week we were checking things out way up river, where there is not one atom of salt anywhere. Looking around on the 3D finder, we saw so many fish and even baitballs in some of the deep patches. And as we returned to trailer the boat – there a local guy is handlining a proper fish in, that he had just hooked on a live mullet. The water was so brown we could not see what the fish was until it was on the bank.

Rock salmon!

Rock salmon caught on live mullet 7kms up the Umzimkulu River in the pure fresh floodwaters. Zero salt. This was on Monday.

Finding these beautifully powerful and aggressive fish all that way upriver in the pure fresh, makes you wonder just how far they actually do go?

Another kilometre? Up the next two rapids? Or way up around the next few pools and bends where it’s totally untouched and full of amazing rock features right in and around the river valley up there. It’s uncharted really. And we need to get up there and fish.We can spend the night no problem. We have all kinds of boats, kayaks and things here at Umzimkulu Adrenalin.

Garlic n Naan

And we are extremely stoked to announce that we are lucky enough to have an Egyptian themed and flavoured Halaal restaurant, right here on the premises. So you can check in here for the day. Catch some live bait. Throw out a few lines. We have restrooms. And you can order delicious freshly cooked food!

You’ll need to use the app to order, but we have wifi if you need it. You can click right here, to get to the Garlic n Naan menu. Or the big Menu button below.

MENU

Or…

Garlic n Naan Menu Page

So, there is something to emphasise however.

This is not a walk-in style restaurant. You need to order ahead on the App. Or you will have to wait for quite some time for your food. Since all the food here is freshly baked and cooked.

We do offer takeaways. Order on the App, and select your pickup time, at checkout. Cash, card or EFT.

But with the Umzimkulu Adrenalin Day Pass, you will even have your own table to enjoy your food with the fantastic views we have here.

When you visit on an Umzimkulu Adrenalin Day Pass, you get a table with a view. So not everyone has to fish. Ladies can enjoy the tented lounge area. And all the amenities here. Kids love the place.

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February 2022 Surf Reports by Brucifer

February 2022 Surf Reports by Brucifer: Back in Black!

Enjoy the picture show…

Feb 2022 Surf Reports by Brucifer

And we are very stoked to announce that Brucifire is back with his informative and entertaining commentary from Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

Where there have been some summer waves already!

Two or three sessions under the belt and its not even Valentine’s Day?! There is a lot of cyclone and frontal activity all over the southern hemisphere right now and you can only wonder if this is a result of the recent volcano in Tonga.

Anyway, a couple cool stories for you to listen to and a few waves for you to watch. Special thanks to Piet Cloete for filming a session featuring the Moroccan Princess Amal, with his drone. Finally some decent footage on the surf report! And a folky fun soundtrack put together by Matt Vend, Sawyer Sauce and The Great Idea (banned). There’s also a crazy kiteboard segment in this particular issue of the brucifire.co.za surf report – which leads me to the new big thing. The new big thing is brucifire.co.za

Yes, it’s official, Brucifire has a website! it’s still in its formative years at the moment and looks a bit haphazard but we are working on it. But for the most part, it’s Brucifire on tap and online. Soon you might even be able to buy some merch!

And it’s gonna be a lot more fun than those social idiot sites everyone is addicted to, promises Bruce. And you can get a real education too!

Other cool websites and apps by The Sardine News:

https://thesardine.co.za – never miss a wave or a sardine

https://portcaptain.co.za – excellent Egyptian cuisine in Port Shepstone

https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za – let’s goooooooooooo

https://spillershouse.co.za – BnB right on the Umzimkulu Estuary

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Never squander a sunrise or healthy ego…ja ja but where does the ID come into IT…. ha ha…think ITS Latin for IT…our better wiser nature…if we can find IT feed IT….WE MIGHT BECOME IT NE!
Early seventies tribe of Californians….Brotherhood of Eternal Light..or so…rocked up here long hair, flutes….fasting…meditating and saluting the sun….monkey see monkey want to do….easiest was the long hair jaaa.
Mike Diffenderfer really great shaper who influenced many SA shapers was pretty religious with his greetings from highest points…sunsets toi naturally….captured him surfing tubes on super 8…recently got original footage back plus John Orams early seventies 16mm film lost for nearly fifty years…rather young Chris Knutsen shaping at Cosy Cot and surfing supers…Nautical chart call it Noorskloof Point…now you know. Today the two and a bit minute reels are off to be digitalised if viable…anticipation station ne.

Sent from my Samsung device

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