couta Archives - The Sardine News

Posted on November 23, 2023November 23, 2023 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

Making a MYDO Telescopic Couta Trace (with downforce)

Making a MYDO Telescopic Couta Trace (with downforce)

The MYDO Telescopic Couta Trace can take any bait from a sardine to a bonnie. And everything in between! And its new spoiler design copied from the new Porsche GT3 RS adds in buckets of effective downforce.

More depth, and a lot more action!

Heavy-duty

This will most likely be your biggest bait out the back and therefore, like all other HD traces by MYDO, features double wire droppers. From a super sharp wire single. To the 4 X wire trebles that hold onto anything they touch.

The leader is also #7 wire, although it can (and should) be rigged with 200 to 300lb nylon. The 300 is too strong for a couta too bite through. The 200 id borderline. But your strike rate will increase radically if you string nylon up front.

And you will hold onto a freaking out billfish a great deal better than you would with wire.

Versatile

You can tie one of these traces on and use it all day long. Brings a dead bait back to life. And handles a live bait with no problem. Front hook through the lip and off you go. If the live bait pegs, rehook through both lips, bend the rigour mortis out, and you have a beautiful swimming bait.

For live or dead bait.

Available

We are still looking for cheerful tackle shop owners to stock our innovations. But in the meantime, contact Sean on +27793269671 or umzimkulu@gmail.com. There is also a big old WhatsApp button floating around on this page somewhere. That patches you through on a direct line to the factory. Where we are looking forward to being of assistance.

Links

Check out our other YouTube Channels that might interest you…

https://youtube.com/@thesardinenews
https://youtube.com/@brucifire
https://youtube.com/@waterwoes

And our websites…

https://thesardine.co.za (neva miss a single sardine)
https://thesardine.co.za/mydo (South Africa sales)
https://mydofishinglures.co.za (in USD with worldwide delivery)
https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za (charters and activities KZN South Coast)
https://umzimkulu.co.za (self-catering accomodation on the Umzimkulu Estuary)
https://fishbazaruto.com (extraordinary fishing for marlin)

Couta Gallery

The MYDO couta spread works for most gamefish

This fish was also taken on a double dropper trace. You just cannot take chances when trophy fish of a lifetime like tese guys are around. Get a MYDO Haywire tarce to be sure. — The MYDO couta spread works for most gamefish

Posted on May 22, 2022May 22, 2022 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

SKZN Fishing Report 22 May 2022

SKZN Fishing Report 22 May 2022: the sea finally returned back to a normal state down here in Southern KwaZulu Natal. Only after weeks and weeks of that ugly poison soup brown water being hemmed in close to the shore – did the current return last week.

With vengeance.

The water shot back up to 23.8 Celsius (from 19) and was full-up with ‘couta lights (bio-luminescent plankton that signifies the presence of hunting couta). When this current kicks, it really kicks. At about 4 knots offshore, makes things tricky for navigation and fuel consumption. But this is the gamefish water. Purple ink.

Unfortunately, more mud is on its way so we can just hope that the current is strong enough. Mhloti is out of bounds BTW. More flood destruction as another little cut off low hit Durban last night. Out of the blue!

Croc couta at Hibberdene

But a croc’ ‘couta came out this past week! Featured image. By local kayak angler Shaun Simpson. Off Hibberdene. Really nice fish looks like 25kgs or so, maybe more?

Hibberdene does clean up faster than most places down here since there are not any major river mouths north of the place. And those pinnacles and backline rock formations are exactly the turf that the couta like to hunt in. Many, many outsized couta have come from these reefs.

Including these two monsters, taken along while back, in June, 2007. When the sardines had just arrived that season. From the rocks!!!

You can read all about that incredible day right here…

A brace of couta at Hibberdene by the Posthumous brothers

Back to the present…

Sardines

There are NO sardines yet. Don’t believe anything you read in the mainstream media. And watch out for false sardine news on the social shark nets too. It’s unbelievable how stories grow and get completely out of control as the Dunning -Krueger effect kicks in.

As The Sardine News (marketing for Umzimkulu Adrenalin), we have sardine spies stationed up and down the entire coastline. Make sure to be a part of this community to never miss a single sardine this year and every year to come. Since 1987, we have been doing this. Back then we were a printed tabloid!

Anyway, sardines don’t do brown water so we are gonna have to wait until the current takes it all away.

Shad

The shad have most definitely arrived. But we have only been catching them out deep. Away from the poison soup. Some magnificent chases out there along the backline reefs too. Things are getting back to normal. And the shad will come in close with the effect of the current’s long overdue return.

Rock Salmon

Ian Logie cracked the first decent fish of the Umzimkulu Estuary winter season. The water clears up and these fish are available on artificial. Or live bait. As what felled this guy, down in the mouth area.

Fishing report 20 May 2022 featuring Ian Logie again! — Ian Logie strikes again! 4.5kgs.

There has been a big Zambezi Shark terrorising everybody at night time here. ALso spotted during daylight hours, this aggressive fish has been making huge splashing noises as he chases the plentiful perch, mullet and whatever other fish, that have come back him into the estuary recently.

The other estuaries that still function, like Mpenjati and Mtamvuna, are also going to be hot as the dry season sets in.

Get in touch if you would like some of this action!

Sean on +27793269671 or umzimkulu@gmail.com to arrange some fishing. Or check the menu above.

More fun apps/websites:

Umzimkulu Marina – self-catering in Port Shepstone

Spillers House – BnB and Backpackers right on the Umzimkulu River

The Sardine News – never miss a single sardine

Posted on April 10, 2018April 11, 2018 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

March/April ‘Cuda report plus spearfishing

March/April ‘Cuda report plus spearfishing

The ‘Cuda have made their annual pilgrimage to down south and some great catches are filtering through.

The first real action was by Happy Hooker who got two proper fish, nice and early on. Way down off Seaprk somewhere. Then the Niteshift got one in the same place the following weekend. Story and video here.

Matt Wainwright then got a live mackerel down the gullet of a nice fish. His fish came in at 15kgs.

But Dave Phillips off Durban has been having the most fun. On his ski. On his first submission he flashed us his first ‘Cuda of the season. A really nice fish seen below. Then a few fays later, Dave banged it out there for another ‘Cuda and three Natal Snoek! The Snoekies couldn’t resist Dave’s little Mydo SS Shad spoon.

Hopefully this weather will improve and we can expect some more ‘cuda action this April.

Dave Phillips in the morning before work!

Matt Wainwright and his 15kg 'couta caught with a live mackeral

Dave Phillips and his first 'Cuda of the 2018 season

And then over to the spearos, who have also been seeing a few.

‘Couta in the news underwater too…report by Jason Heyne

The diving conditions have average this week with one or two day’s being excellent. Wahoo, ‘couta and snoek are the main fish on the menu this week and rumours have it that the garrick are off the kei. Well done Wickus on getting fish of the week a new HUC club record Queen Fish at 10.47kg. As always dive safe and straight spears

Send your catch photos and stories to The Sardine News and contribute to the collection of goings on fishing, surfing and diving wise up and down our coast. Click here to submit online, or email umzimkulu@gmail.com anytime.

More about the Mydo SS Spoon that Dave Phillips has been using at https://thesardine.co.za/mydo/

For your online marketing requirements, we have space for a few more content partners…see our marketing stories at https://thesardine.co.za/the-sardine-news-app-store/

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

Video: Croc couta caught off Southport – KZN Lower South Coast

Deep-sea Port Shepstone: Sean Lange 25kg couta on the Niteshift

Video: Croc couta caught off Southport – KZN Lower South Coast

Croc couta caught off Southport – KZN Lower South Coast. See the video after the story below…

It was a lekker early launch with little comparable drama as the Niteshift plowed her way over the sandbar, bashed a few waves, and got us out the back. Captain Brian Lange (my Dad) has done this before!

Soon we found ourselves sounding around for bait – there were very many other boats out there this Sunday 24 March 2018. Louis Posthumous, his son Shawn and Noel Allchin already had bait they were so early. And were slow trolling comfortably in position. Boats were up and down this normally quiet piece of water.

But the bait eluded us and for a while, and we wandered around the usual mackerel hangouts but got only little useless orange fishies and a few cigar shaped maasbankers, or karapauw if you are up north. But then our lady crew on board, Ansie van Biljon (she was meant to bring the luck too), had her rod buckled over as a whole shoal of mackerel jumped onto her hooks. A full and tangled line later the mackerel were swimming lekker in their new home. Our live bait hatch. Ansie went down again and straight away got into it on the way down. She pulled and pulled and next thing three tiny little bonito come flying through the air. Bang! This was our ticket.

We pinned the first one onto a Mydo #1 with two solid 5X trebles and a new trace, and as Dad dropped the anchor to hold us where the baitfish were, I let the bait out the back. The current was winding and I set the Mydo at 10 metres deep, and turned to work on the other two bonnies. But as soon as I started, the TLD 25 screamed blue murder and we sprang into action.

Ansie cleared the lines and tidied the boat. Good crew that she is. And my Dad fired up and jammed the boat into reverse to pop the anchor. It all worked for a change (most times when we try this, the anchor holds stubbornly) and next thing we were loose!

But the fish had taken a steam train run first off and the backing was in sight. And next thing, as we get into the backing – a crossed line! I just backed right off as my Dad got us going, let all the line go, to the spool, and then started again properly. I got all the line back on the first chase, but when the fish saw us, he bolted again. All the line off the reel, even though we were motoring after him. But we got the line back again. We had drifted about 3 kms so far, the current was so strong.

The second run tired the couta out and we closed the deal with little fuss, and the gaff went in!

Ansie caught some nice reds and a few barbel, and then the second bait screamed. Not quite as fast, but fast enough to get all excited again, pull the anchor a second time, and give chase. What a fight! It was too strong to be a couta, we realised after 10 minutes. It might be anything the way it darted around and ran so fast.

Then all of sudden there was a blacktip shark. Or spinner shark, as they spin their way into the sky in amazing leaps. We got away with a clean release,

Then a hammerhead took our third bait…and it was time to get back in the mouth before the tide dropped too low.

King mackerel off Southport, Natal Lower South Coast

Southport has some cool little patches of reef scattered about the place. Perfect for couta

With a bonito behaving beautifully on a Mydo #1 Baitswimmer, we knew we had a chance or three

If you want to get in on this type of action, get in touch with The Umzimkulu Marina at the link below.

Read about the Umzimkulu Marina at http://umzimkulu.co.za

Catch us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/

More about the Mydo at https://thesardine.co.za/mydo/

Posted on March 29, 2018March 31, 2018 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

Fishing Addicts stock the Mydo

Fishing Addicts in Clairewood, south Durban, have recently taken delivery of the entire range of Mydo Fishing Lures. Other stockists of Mydos in Durban are Township Hyper up the hill in the Chatsworth area, and Danwood Fishing Tackle, in the north, in Tongaat. And Fisherman’s Warehouse slap bang in the centre of Durbs.

This is just in time for big ‘couta as the season hots up with the start of April. April has been the pattern for the big crocodile sized couta visiting our waters here in Natal. Well southern Natal particularly, as the bigger fish seem to like going the furthest south. Hibberdene to Port Edward. And even further – way down into the Transkei.

Fishing with Mydos will help you catch fish like this. Available at Fishing Addicts too now!

Team Mydo, fishing on the Niteshift, off Southport, on Sunday, got one of the first. At 25kgs it’s a lovely fish, taken using a #1 Mydo Baitswimmer rigged with a little baby bonito. Or jube-jube, as they are more commonly known by seasoned couta anglers in Natal.

The #1 has always been a favourite for fishing the 20m contours, where this fish came from. It takes care of the middle echelons of the water column. When fishing with live baits, it’s important to keep the little critters well away from each other. So one down deep, on a #2, 3 or 4, depending on wind and current. Then the #1 in the middle. And a float rigged bait right on top. Sometimes two. But fishing with these deadly live baits and having more than one rod per angler in the water, can ruin everything when the strike comes.

These fish empty a TLD25 two or three times. Fast. Before they start their never ending circles under and around the boat. You really have to be a polished team and real quick to give chase or you will be spooled. Sometimes the fish goes in the right direction and you can give chase leaving one or two live baits out. The floated ones are better for this because you can see where they are.

Mydos are rigged with serious 5X trebles that really hold on. Heavier wire on the droppers, and a nice long leader. The baitswimmers are designed for dead baits. They impart an action to the bait as it’s trolled along. Speeds of up to 6 knots are fine, if you have a nice fresh and strong bait like a ballyhoo (aka halfbeak).

For livebaits, either use some elastic to keep the bait in control and on the pin. Or use a Mydo Livebaitswimmer. This head has a powerful little hook up front, which you can delicately put through the top lip of your bait. This will keep him happy and swimming just the way you want him to. There are two sizes of Livebaitswimmer – the #1 at 0.7 Oz, and the #2, at 1.5 Oz. And there are 7 sizes of the Baitswimmer range.

These four shops stock Mydos in Durban…

https://www.facebook.com/fishingaddicts.Clairwood.Durban/

https://www.facebook.com/Township-Hyper-261941777199241/

https://www.facebook.com/danwoods.fishingtackle

https://www.facebook.com/FishermansWarehouseDBN/

You can find the entire dealers list here…

https://thesardine.co.za/mydo/

And if your local shop doesn’t stock Mydos, we will gladly sell you some through our online store. See menu above.

And…a gallery of couta caught on Mydos…enjoy!