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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

The fish eagles of the Umzimkulu: Love in the air on the Umzimkulu Estuary

Fish eagles busted on camera!

Fish eagles busted on camera: How do you get really up close and personal with a juvenile fish eagle?

Use a camera trap! We have a bunch of GoFish Cams that we use for fishing non-stop. On this day, when we returned from sea – we left a bonito carcass, and a bunch of sardines – plus two of our cameras, for the fish eagles rather.
Not knowing what to expect, when we retrieved the cameras – we were blown clean away! The interactions between the three featured fish eagles from the Umzimkulu Estuary valley – the two parents, and one of their triplet offspring, was downright animal crazy.

The movie

Enjoy the picture show…

Well, that juvenile fish eagle ain’t interested in sharing a thing. Especially after the first featured adult completely blew his landing and wasted nearly all the sardines into the drink. And that mid-air collision – well what a dogfight, when it’s slowed right down! My 60 frames per second cameras could hardly keep up with the lightning-quick action, and reaction, of these majestic birds.

The triplets

As it turned out, the juvenile fish eagle took over the whole scene and just kept eating and eating all the fish. Even going so far as to grab some guts right from out of the second featured parent eagle’s mouth! The parents hardly got scraps compared to the voracious serving that the young fish eagle swiftly devoured.

The triplets never took very long to reach the enormous size of their folks. But their mottled brown colours stayed like that for ages. And then when the triplets grew into maturity, their fish eagle feather coating stood out brightly in the sun. Tints of red in the dark brown against the bright white of his head and the crisp yellow of his face and beak.

This is when they are kind of booted out of the valley, and they have to go and find their own stretch of river, or a damn, to set up home at. Meet a mate. And repeat the process so that we can always be wakened by the magical sound of a cheerful fish eagle.

The adults

Sean Prytz took these smashing shots of the adult fish eagles’ pre-mating cleaning and pruning session…that resulted in the triplets. These guys have mated for life. We have been living with them down here on the river, for two decades and more. They have given birth to many babies here, over the years.

Love in the air on the Umzimkulu Estuary

Fish eagles bathing and pruning pre-mating session on the Umzimkulu River. Photos by Sean Prytz

Fish-Eagle-bathing-in-the-Umzimkulu-Estuary

The breeding pair of Fish Eagles on the Umzimkulu River

Umzimkulu Adrenalin

Come and join us here at Umzimkulu Adrenalin. For the day. Or for a few days. Immerse yourself in nature. Learn all about the Umzimkulu River and its vital role in the ecology of the marine systems here on the lush KZN South Coast.

And you can dine in style at The Port Captain. Featuring Garlic n Naan Egyptian cuisine, right here on the bank of the river.

Check back with The Sardine News as we move closer and closer to sardine season. And winter perfection.