Musselcracker on light tackle: Video
Photo 1: Robin Beatty, Jarda Kolar, Renske Massing, Brian Lange, Michael Moye and Candice Kolarova with 15kg Musselcracker caught with Niteshift Charters, Umzimkulu Marina, Port Shepstone (c) Xona
The 3:30am call time was difficult to process into action, but we did, and our morning crew featuring Jarda Kolova (CZ), Robin Beatty (Aus) and Renske Massing (Ned) found themselves heading slowly down river in the pitch dark. Clouds meant that first light was slow in coming, and after checking the launch through the gloom, we went for it.
Brian Lange steered us out of the mouth and parallel to the sandspit, at full tilt. 55 Seconds and a bunch of foamies later, and we were on the backline, rigging baits. The ‘couta still make it down to the Kwazulu Natal South Coast, and Feb is normally a good month for them, so we went straight for mackeral rigged on MYDO baitswimmers, MYDO stripswimmers with fillets, a daisy chain and a surface bait rigged with a float. Looking very good we headed north into the current. Jarda, the keenest fisherman in Czeckeslovakia, was flicking a rig of yo-zuri type jigs, and came up with a shoal of tiny red-eye sardines, which we promptly put out live.
There have been very few dorado this year, and only a few ‘couta have been coming out (sign of the times?), and after being beaten backwards by the strong current, we turned around and headed for the reefs just south of Sheppy, and dropped anchor. Light line fishing for soldiers and rockod in the current, is challenging and heaps of fun. Jarda started off with a few and soon we wee all catching delicious red soldiers. At 26 metres or so, these reefs often produce gamefish so we had three trap sticks flopping around out the back, when a nice little Hammerhead Shark came to investigate. We pulled the daisy chain rigged with redeyes away quickly enough, but he made short work of the fresh sardine on the outrigged rod and before long, Jarda was having a good old sweat.
Then Renske felt something on her 6kg line light tackle rig, an Okuma 555s and a beautiful Daiwa estuary type rod. She pulled and pulled, and the fish pulled and pulled. Brian mentioned Musselcracker due to the way it was fighting, and with about a 2kg drag, it looked to be a long and anxious haul. Remember, we had Jarda on the Hammer still, so crossed lines and burnoffs were on the cards. Eventually, after a good 15 minute fight, Renske popped up this beautiful Musselcracker (Poenskop, Black Steenbras). It was her first and it was quite deep, so we put it in the hatch as we released the Hammer, and packed up heading for home before 8am!
Watch the video of the action here…
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