Yep it’s him again. Swopping his speargun for a spinning stick, Marc shows us a nice yellowfin kingfish…Caranx Herberi. They get quite big, about 12kg’s the biggest seen around here, great fighters and quite eager to attack lures and baits.
Port Shepstone sits quietly in the background. The water looks like it has cleared up nicely on the south coast.
Tag: port shepstone
Queenfish for Marc
Marc Lange happens to be my brother but this ain’t nepotism – it’s ‘mark’eting! The queenfish have been kind of scarce over the last few years so hopefully this a sign of a comeback for this incredibly agile and athletic fish. The Umzimkulu River mouth off Port Shepstone in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa used to be a hotspot, they hang in shallower water around open river mouths, moving up and down behind the backline hunting baitfish. They will take a trolled lure but the most fun is to be had with light tackle dropshot or spinning stuff. Marc prefers a gun.
Check out www.umzimkulu.co.za for some options on how to get at a tailwalking queenfish.
Birthday Dageraad
Umtentweni Crocodile ‘Couta
The Real Deal
Subsistence fishermen have been working the Umzimkulu River for decades. As the condition of the river has deteriorated their lot has been reduced year after year. But there is something very noble about their ignoble existence. Targeting barbel chiefly…they also catch rock salmon (mangrove jack), grunter, perch, salmon and even gamefish like kingfish and garrick. Sometimes shad move into the river and the bounty makes for celebrating.
But mainly…it is hard going.
Pollution.
Brown water.
Cold.
Wind.
Hours with no bites…
Yet what else could they do? Their lifestyle is all they have. Their fishing is all they have. The Umzimkulu is all they have.
Respect to the subsistence fishermen of the mighty Umzimkulu…