Unbelievably, the remains of what could have been a 6 foot long barbel, washed up next door to the Umzimkulu Marina, just last week. The mouth was closed, but the action in the river certainly wasn’t. The guys fishing at Spillers down the way, reported hearing, but not seeing, huge attacks out off the wharf. We have been seeing a free jumping Zambezi up and down the river for months now. And many bust ups have been reported.
Judging by the size and shape of the bite marks, and the incisions made by shark teeth, this was a hefty shark. Zambezi for sure. It’s not the acrobatic jumping Zambezi we have been seeing around. He is only about two metres. This one looks huge.
There have been so many shark sightings and encounters in the Umzimkulu, since the sand miners pumped out all the sand. Right from the deep corner under the Fish Eagles roost, all the way up past the bridge and further, is deeeeeep water! Some places 8 metres or so. The average depth has also increased and the Umzimkiulu offers more draft in the channels than the Umzimvubu (Port St Johns) nowadays.
It’s not only the sharks that have taken advantage of this recently restored river, a brace of outsized garrick were spotted terrorising mullet recently at the slipway at the Umzimkulu Marina. Many lovely kob have been coming out, in the deep channels, on live mullet. Weight your bait and bang! Some of the rock salmon we have hooked lately have been merciless. Straight into the rocks.
But the story of the season definitely goes to the unknown angler who pulled in this beast. He weighed in with the biggest kob recorded in the Kulu ever. A whopping 42 kgs’s. He promises to release the next one. But this one he got on 6kg line and a light stick, which tired the big fish out.
IA 42kg Daga Salmon, or Kob. Taken in the Umzimkulu!
To come fishing in The Umzimkulu, get in touch on umzimkulu@gmail.com and we can put a package together for you.
A few weekends back we had a huge influx of fishing mad kids down at the Umzimkulu Marina. Including a chap named Max who took the right ride out to rock salmon alley, on the Mad Mullet. He caught his first rock salmon – and so he brought it home and cooked it for his Mom.
With a magnificent turnaround in weather conditions, the fish in the Umzimkulu came alive this sunny 19th August 2017 morning.
Fishing brothers Liam and Jarrod Gallagher were up at crackers loading the Mad Mullet with her powerful new 4 horse Yamaha. Their mate Max Mogeson made up the three anglers and Brian Lange was at the helm.
After getting the boat back to seaworthy after the recent rains nearly flooded The Mad Mullet, the lucky anglers left the Umzimkulu Marina in high spirits. Liam had netted a live mullet so they headed straight for rock salmon alley.
It wasn’t long before Jarrod was jammed up against the gunwhale as a serious rock salmon came to fight. He was actually a bit too serious and ended up winning hands down.
Live bait gone.
And so they switched to lures and trolled along the northern channel towards the river mouth.
Bang the rod went again. So Max was given a go at his first gamefish. It worked him hard and he had tired arms and deep breath by the time it was flapping on the deck.
Being his first rockie, Max was allowed to take it back to base for a braai.
And a big thank you to The Sardine News correspondent and photographer Tracey Saayman for always being on the spot.
Max Mogeson’s first Rock Salmon. Max is on the left, Liam and Sienna Gallagher on the right. Max says he will throw them all back from now on – but this rock salmon was delicious on the braai in foil and garlic butter!
Then the next crew of kids got all excited and Calum and older brother Kyle Saayman headed across in their little boat – Unsinkable 2. They had been schooled in the art of fishing awith a sardine head and soon Kyle was fighting his first rock salmon too. Jack Russells Chelsea and Satch were unfortunately on the boat too, and they cannot control themselves with rock salmon, or any fish for that matter. So they jumped on the lively fish. The fish jumped back at them and a dorsal spine went straight through the pontoon. Calum jumped to stick something in the hole, the dogs came back into the ring, Kyle grabbed the injured fish and someone fell onto one of the rods and smashed two of the eyes. Chaos!
There was no ways that rock salmon was going to make it back into the water, and it also became Mom’s lunch!
[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ShusV9ax2wc/WaefklL7RPI/AAAAAAAAK0k/c9f6k7HcqB86cftaHZiU3shV27cMARJ6QCCoYBhgL/s144-o/FullSizeRender-1.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/105055692697822421688/6460307644026744497#6460307641292506354″ caption=”Kyle Saayman and his first rock salmon. Caught in the Umzimkulu Estuary on his boat Unsinkable 2. Using a sardine head as bait…” type=”image” alt=”FullSizeRender-1.jpg” image_size=”768×1024″ ]
“It’s been a while since we were able to get back out on the Umzimkulu and fish for salmon again. Fortunately the water cleaned up and Dejan Vujevic, out from Europe, timed his charter down at the Umzimkulu Marina in Port Shepstone, KZN South Africa –Â really well” – Xona
We started out on Sunday. Preparing the boat. Remembering everything that it takes to make a proper fishing trip. We loaded the skottel, the coffee, the snacks, the fishing dog – Chelsea our fishing Jack Russell was over excited at losing the no fishing withdrawals and soon it was time to set sail.
Dejan (from Serbia) had come over from Germany (where he works), and we had talked about doing a two-day trip on the Umzimkulu River, in Port Shepstone. We had already caught a few barbel and eel together in the brown run-off water from the heavy rains a few weeks previously. And we had fished the Paddock Bass comp, where Dejan got to know his first bass or two.
But we needed a good fish. Something to remember the experience of fishing Africa with.
The small kob, up to and around 5kg’s, were the main target, and we had everything we needed to get them. Lures of every shape and size. And a bucket with some live bait therein. So with the outgoing tide we sailed, our heading towards the Sandspit, where we would try. And try. And try. With about 100 casts each under the belt and no result, we headed back to the boat and launched back out into the river, this time dropping our QE2 sized anchor just inside the bridge to greet the incoming tide. We chucked out a bait each and continued our spinning frenzy, cast after cast, lure after lure, colour after colour, action after action. This is what it takes. Sheer effort.
Soon the fish came through, there was action everywhere. Boils and attacks and all sorts. Baitfish jumping, it just felt so right. We had our beautiful baits and lures but nothing to report, and so with a slacking tide, we kind of passed out under the beautiful moonless sky, stars holding our gazes until the snoring competition started. A few hours drifted by and soon the boat had turned again, and the river was running out gently with the tide change.
Chelsea had us out of bed and scrambled within seconds of the ratchet! Dejan’s bait had been picked up and line was melting off he reel.
I cleared the decks for Dejan to enjoy fighting what was definitely not a kob. I dared utter the name rock salmon as I hold these fish in such high esteem, but the way that fish rocketed past us and up river said it for me. Dejan did a great job and finally maneuvered his trophy fish close to the boat, where after a few more dogged runs, it lay still. The hook was deep down and the rockie was bleeding so Dejan took home his very first Rock Salmon, to be utterly appreciated on a braai, with his family in Umtentweni.
Dejan Vujevic and his Umzimkulu Rock Salmon
So, very stoked we lay back down on our comfy mattresses, and hardly drifted off when my out-sized livey started the same blood curdling scream. I burst up again, grabbed the rod and force fed the fish as it swam off with my bait. I let it go, but it was headed towards the mouth area, so I put the brakes on and bang I had a really heavy fish on the end of my line. But it was not to be – I was too soon (as usual), and what I got back was eye-opening! Something with real sharp and large teeth had crushed my live baits head right in, with a clean cut on the one side. I hesitate to say shark, except that it characteristically ran for the mouth, as they almost all do. Rock Salmon head up river almost always.
In the morning we tried the Sandspit again, threw another 100 casts each, but it wasn’t going to be this time either.
And so we prepared for the next night. Some sleep, another shopping run…and back to the river. This time we went to the bay under the ghost house up river of the lodge, and found a spot where our anchor rope was long enough to reach the bottom. It’s a good 12 metres deep in some places, in that bend, with pinnacles and all sorts of features in the bottom. And there we fished the night through. Some crabs gave us a few slow runs, and there were fish all around us all night. Big fish. Some huge attacks, but no action on our offerings.
And so we resorted to the galley, and in a fun few hours, came up with the most uncannily delicious mutton curry, with which to replace some energy and heat.
And so it came to be that we returned to land and reality, with just that one fish. But. It was a rock salmon and a fish that Dejan will never forget.
Book your slot now, choose your weekend carefully. Ask JP Bartholomew for advice on when to fish. He still is the undisputed champion, with 8 gamefish on lures, in just two sessions?! Check this link for more on that interesting story.
After a great time catching eel and barbel in the flood waters recently, the rains have finally slowed and the Umzimkulu River is cleaning up!
So it’s gonna be all about the rock salmon, grunter, perch, kob, flagtail and kingfish as the waters become that murky green the gamefish love to ambush in.
Looking through old albums I found a bunch of photographs of catches and scenes that never made it to be published or even be part of a story…so they have been captioned rather…
Join us this winter down at The Umzimkulu Marina for some filled fish chasing days and nights.
Contact Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com, or call +27 79 326 9671.
Koos Viviers and Marc Lange have been at it again – this time with a great catch of four rock salmon. On a bumper trip and caught in amongst a few daga salmon. Or kob, as they are also known.
Koos Viviers and his prize catch of rock salmon taken off Port Shepstone
Normally caught in estuaries or lagoons, these formidable fighters leave the protection of the still waters and move out to sea, when the floods come each rainy season. This is when the spearos see and shoot their share of these prized gamefish.
Rock salmon are actually open ocean spawners, and move into estuarine habitats as fry, as part of their genetic instinct. It is at about 7kg’s or so, that rock salmon leave for the sea for good.
Rock Salmon are known by many, many names.
Lutjanus argentimaculatus, is the scientific name.
Rock Salmon is what we call these beautiful fish.
Mangrove Snapper.
Mangrove Jack.
Red Snapper.
nKululunkulu, is the Zulu name.
Night time is the right time!
We have accommodation and boats right on the Umzimkulu River. Which is famed for its collection of rockies. Come and join us for a weekend, or a few more days, as we hunt for these fish hard. We use live bait in the estuary, but lures produce as many fish, when fished right.
You need to bring your 30lb braid stick, or you can use our equipment, which is all top notch.
Other species include kingfish (GTs and greenspot), perch (summer bream), flagtail (river gurnard), ox-eye tarpon (ox-eye herring), malabar rockcod (estuary rockcod), Zambezi Shark (Bull Shark)…and many more!
We are on YouTube right HERE, please dont forget to subscribe!
