As we were packing to go home from the story before this one (Protea Reef 16 Feb 2013), we were treated to seeing one of the biggest king mackerel / couta caught on Protea Reef in a while!
With Noel were none other than 3 of the Posthumous clan – Louis, Dawdie and Sean. This fish never stood a chance! The ‘couta weighed 32kg’s and was presumably taken on a livebait (that kind of info very hard to extract from these fellas). Nice fish!
After the usual hectic river mouth launch out of the mighty Umzimkulu (Port Shepstone), we headed out on a bumpy sea, to Protea Reef a few miles out, to take on the yellowfin tuna that frequent it’s pinnacles. The first two drifts at 3.5knots yielded nothing, but on our third attempt, things hotted up fast.
Guest on the Niteshift – Randy Stevens, was the first to have his arms stretched – by a nice yellowfin of 9kg’s. That fish started the rush and soon we were going 3 sticks away. The yellowfin
got bigger and bigger and our last fish – caught by Frenzy, weighed in at 14kgs. She pulled it right out of a shark’s mouth – check the bite mark in the picture!
A huge school of bottlenose dolphin came by – one with a white dorsal fin and white patches all over his body – spectacular. We captured him on video, along with some of the fishing action – see video below…
The Umzimkulu Marina on the south bank of the Umzimkulu River in Port Shepstone is completely rigged for the family fishing holiday. The Niteshift – a Supercat hull with a walkaround cabin and powered by twin 4 stroke Yamahas takes on the launch with aplomb and confidence. Protea Reef is the main attraction and the Hibberdene area (famous for huge king mackerel / couta) is a quick 30 minute race north.
The Umzimkulu – a 25ft cruiser with a roof and seating and licensed for 17 is ideal for parties / events / functions / fishing on the Umzimkulu River. Estuary fishing for Grunter and Rock Salmon (Mangrove Jack) at night is another great distraction. There are also ski’s and a paddle boat available.
Email umzimkulu@hotmail.com or call +27732711694.
