Introducing The Sardine News HOTLINE: The Sardine News HOTLINE fired up at the beginning of the year and has operated wonderfully.
Each morning, our guys head down to the coast, and from the beach, submit a report to the HOTLINE. We have a star-studded cast of reporters whom you shall get to meet in the HOTLINE. The morning reports are not too many to be annoying, and there is no advertising or anything of the sort.
when you join on YouTube (R59 a month), you have the option to be added to the HOTLINE. You can also buy access right HERE for a tad cheaper (does not include the YouTube Members Section, but all else is included)
you can come and go as you please (some people leave the group a while and then ask to come back in when they need fishing info)
we update daily from up and down the coastlines of KZN and the Eastern Cape and even further some days, but this is our focus area
you are allowed/encouraged to chat with the HOTLINE contributors for your fishing intel needs – we got somebody everywhere for you
you get 20% discount on MYDO Products and certain others at thesardine.co.za/mydo (let me know when you want to make a purchase)
It’s a big deal for us to get a HOTLINE Member, and we really appreciate it; it goes a long way. And in return, you get a “virtual fishing guide team” working for you at all times. You can check ocean conditions in the daily reports and use our weather and ocean conditions reports to plan your fishing trip. And when you are fishing, we are at your service too – just contact us for intel, anytime, from anywhere!
Hot Summer: Alan at it Again with another Kob at the SandSpit November 2024Henry Giant Kob In Christmas Bay Sheffield BeachJason Heyne 31kg Daga SalmonSean Lange releases all his rockies too
Sardines and Sighting Maps
Here are the links to existing and past Sardine Sighting Maps. With instructions on how to install The Sardine News right on your phone, tablet, or even desktop.
It’s ALL happening at Port Edward today with Steve Moriarty #garrick #shad
It’s ALL happening at Port Edward today with Steve Moriarty #garrick #shad
welcome back to the Sardine News All the fish and more welcome back Sardine News Saturday morning beautiful calm peaceful day so far so good except in Port Edward it’s all happening in Port Edward luckily we’ve got Steve Moriarty down there our intrepid reporter who is covering everything for us over to Steve this next is Splash Rock the conditions are looking gorgeous predicting rain today bit of a east but at the moment it’s after 7:00 on Saturday morning the sea is so inviting what a beautiful place I live at I’m so blessed this is God’s country fellas how’s it Cuz what’s your name Donovan Donovan what did you lose them now my mate hey a big garrick bro were you throwing spoon throwing spoon yeah here is it here show me that lure come closer hey and you lost it right by the rocks yeah this lure is it from Basil Manning sorry you lost your fish man I was gonna put this fish on the video hey I’m going back I’m going back hey thanks Steve on the spot reporting lekker hey anyway I hope that guy gets his garrick there are quite a few garrick about the place this is a perfect garrick fishing day of all time today is the day you can get your you can get close to those garrick today that’s for sure anyway check this guy’s nice fish over here okay let’s have a look around for some more news ah well luckily the bridge is always news the U Mzumkulu bridge been closed for like 3 months now and the achievement levels are astonishing to say the least so Brad Tanner come all the way down from Durban to do some fishing with us make a few lures and things and this mouth was open this this one here and not anymore don’t know what to say or do but yeah there’s big problems happening here don’t don’t forget to like and subscribe we’ll check back in with you in the future Ciao how’s it folks 10 of September and having a look at the bridge come to throw a quick line but EWW the east is going there’s our team member Brad from MYDO he’s even given up but mainly to come and have a look at what’s happening with the river we’ve got high tide in about 5:20 so it’s about a half an hour from now and we’re gonna see what’s gonna happen with this slipway here the water is starting to run over it’s the new dugout that they have but the problem is the shore break is just dumping up sand and just these banks that’s what it does so I reckon it’s it’s gonna get higher and we can see some waves coming up but it’s the river that needs to push out that’s where all the pressure is bodyboarders need to actually make this place into a standing wave and that would oh check here we go there’s a bit of an effort let’s see in 20 minutes time okay thanks Emilio and Brad we’re back at the well deck and checking things out there’s someone casting a paddle tail or something down there and the conditions are absolutely wonderful perfect unbelievable really good the water is clean light Westerly blowing or southerly or something like that another guy fishing over here okay don’t forget like and subscribe check you tomorrow
Sardines and Sighting Maps
Here are the links to existing and past Sardine Sighting Maps. With instructions on how to install The Sardine News right on your phone, tablet, or even desktop.
Fishing and Sardine Roundup from Durban to East London #sardinerun2025 #sardinemigration #fishing
Fishing and Sardine Roundup from Durban to East London #sardinerun2025 #sardinemigration #fishing: we have a rather comprehensive coverage of things ocean today…
Morning from Port Edward, Splash Rock just a few fishermen don’t know why there’s so few looks like one guys into a shad no false alarm sea looks beautiful not such a big swell running through this morning but still quite big not as big as yesterday quiet quiet Splash Rock this morning around the corner up north from Splash Rock we got Lucky Dip sitting here for half an hour now nearly no one’s here nothing how come out at all hi there peeps just a quick update from the Bear and the Bluff KZN Durban South Africa yeah seas calm down remarkably man from very bumpy this morning to this hey we got some boss weather tomorrow Friday and then southwest on Saturday and the champs is said to be held I think it’s gonna get bumped up it’s Sunday but that’s just me personally that’s not any of the organisers saying that hey think we now got 37 people on the group get your entries in it’s gonna happen yeah nearly diveable here on the bluff it’s probably better viz out deep but here in the shallows looks 3 to 4 meters eh that’s in Aweh from the Bear and as always dive safe and straight spears OK boys right now we’re joining Jaco down near the Block and this is a still shot that he sent to me and check what AI did with it absolutely wonderfully marvelous I don’t understand how this can work but that’s a time lapse made from a still shot cool eh alright but anyway Jaco did catch something with he caught it on a paddle tail these things take paddle tails all the time what you may ask these big white sandbags that those moron construction people have let loose into the ocean the people that can’t even I can’t even divert the river with all that machinery and all those tides they can’t get this right that is an attempt a failed attempt that’s closed again now and the other side they’re putting bricks and rocks and check this out it’s crazy what they’re doing all the money they’ve just wasted here just spent and this time lapse is actual real time lapse and I did it so you can see there are still some sardines about the place if you look carefully you’ll see little black dots popping up here and down there and moving around and this was yesterday at Trafalgar so yeah they you could still bump into a shoal of sardines at any time last year it was about the same time as this that they finally petered out alright all aboard let’s head up the coast to Umtwalume where we’re going to meet Nkazi our latest addition to our spread of guides that are available to you guys if you wanna come fishing down here and Nkazi is very good check this shad he caught here yesterday in fact but this fish there’s a dream fish that is busy fighting there right now what’s it gonna be what’s it gonna be ha ha nice work Nkazi that’s a beautiful fish for anybody okay moving along so okay Sean I’m taking this little footage just come down in the afternoon and there’s lots of action here my buddy um happening all over the place the birds are still full up gannets and they’re travelling up and down hey yo so yo that’s the sign that they’re still around hey Sean I’m gonna come down fishing later on and search for a bit of shad seeing as there must must be bait fish around in that out there man these birds are really diving aye all over the show and this morning I got some nice whale footage I’m gonna send to you as well that a friend of ours took with a drone uh yeah that’s gonna be quite lucky to see how you gonna squeeze that all in okay bruh I know it’s windy here on the beach but uh Lekker come down with my mate he’s going for a little paddle now out there um just getting ready how’s it but Sean lots of action out there buddy okay cheers hey morning how’s it this is the uh East London beachfront esplanade call it what you like this you gotta love in front of the Hotel Osnia this used to be all pretty much just open land fun fair and that used to come around here but now you’ll notice they paved it all and I’m pretty sure the Bill exceeded 100 million You can obviously see the the value in that nevertheless sea’s looking like a bit of a west has been coming through the water’s not too bad for East London temp as well surfers must be digging it alright that’s a big thank you to all the reporters starting with Steven Manny who else is in here Jaco and Nkazi myself Dallas Yoh Manny too I think I’ve mentioned Manny already in the Transkei okay so the thing is um thanks all of you guys and thank you very much to Gary Maas for getting in touch blast from the past and Gary still got some of our old newspaper copies here some of his pics that he sent to me thank you very much Gary it’s very nice to hear from you and as for the rest of you guys don’t forget to like and subscribe and join this channel if you want us to keep on bringing you the Sardine News like this instead of all that other political crap you can also watch alright Ciao Ciao
The Sardine News Late Edition 22 August 2025 FULL Reports #shad #sardines #bridges #fishing #report
The Sardine News Late Edition 22 August 2025 FULL Reports #shad #sardines #bridges #fishing #report
welcome back to the Sardine News ALL the fish and more hey a big welcome back to you the Sardine News in the afternoon edition Chelsea says howzit alright we got some very good news today like really good news and I’m gonna start it off yeah and yes that was our good friend Jace and now here is the very very good news the guys deployed a net and guess who is back welcome back Kioshin so guys I’m back I thought it was over but I’m back and so is the rest of the team Veez One and uh we’re back on the beach um sort of walking again so we decided to net today and we are at um Caradeen in front of Karridene Hotel and we got a nice net about an hour ago so there’s a lot of sardine action I believe there’s still a lot of action on the coast and uh yeah Veez One is a nice net if anyone wants fresh fish we are selling at uh at Winklespruit uh near Green Roof at the entrance to Green Roof so the team is back and I’m back and back on the beach and uh yeah sardine run 2025 isn’t over yeah it’s really good to see you again Kioshin you do such a really good job down there thank you very much for all the reports and it’s so nice to see you up and riding again okay moving right on morning guys beautiful morning stunning day couple of nice shad came out here early and then they’ve just went off the bite waters perfect a lot of peckers around well couldn’t work ask for a better day take time off come fish yeah while we at the block check this out thanks Roosta for sending us this update from such a cool angle but yeah I don’t know what to say or what to comment about this because I’m sure some people are gonna get upset hey yeah yeah anyway they look like they’re digging at the bottom at the other side as well so I don’t know I just don’t I’ve got no comment moving along morning all from the pond in Port Edward not much shad action going on here there’s quite a crowd gathered there with the guys with the big sticks I’m gonna hang around and see I think someone’s hooked something big garrick came out here the other day on it was close to 20 kilos just taking the beauty of the surrounds here it’s absolutely stunning light north easterly 8 to 10 K’s an hour making fishing still fine nothing wrong anyway this is me from Port Edward saying goodbye tight lines everyone okay thank you Roosta Allen Steve for your reports we’re gonna go over to Ian who’s got something to tell us thanks Ian good uh morning everyone coming to you from the lower south coast uh this awesome Friday morning um all of you guys know me I’m the uh squidgits man so this morning um we will head down to the rocks and uh I’m gonna use my trustworthy bait squidgits so we’ll keep you updated on uh how it goes if we catch or not um I had some guys um WhatsApp me last night with awesome catches of um I believe they were some other fish caught but um they never sent me any posts I will see if I can get hold of them and ask them to share but they got some big black tile I did post it last night as as as it came in so yes um guys um while we’re here um I believe there is another supply of squid guts on the um uh on on the Durban Durbs area they’re calling themselves squid guts uh comes in a bottle similar to mine with an orange lid guys um I I wish them all the luck I wish them tight lines and real runs but guys if if if if it does not say squidgits it’s not squidgits and I’m saying this with a reason it’s not a matter of just sourcing bait packaging it and sending it out there um I’ve been um doing squidgits now for more than 10 years so I have fine tune is the bait um so there is a secret twist to the squidgits and so yeah um like you say um proof in the pudding and the guys are doing well um and um yeah the posts have just been streaming in on on how um fishing has changed uh things in the last couple of months but anyhow guys um I’m not really worried about that um just if it doesn’t say squidgits it’s not squidgits so yeah it’s up to you uh to decide um what you wanna do what you wanna buy what you wanna spend to waste your money on so guys uh from me um I’m heading on down now to the water’s edge uh and I will be using squidgits the golden bait and um yeah let’s see what we can get this morning hopefully I am blessed with some good fish there has been a increase a lot amount of small fish in the water um so yeah they’ve been going to town and not getting the big fish to the bite so yeah with that said uh let me head on down uh Sun’s almost almost up uh we have a bit of cloud so maybe give me a little bit more darker morning hours to fishing so from me uh down here on the south coast from the squidgits’s man I’ll be in touch uh during the course of the morning uh to all you guys out there on the rocks stay safe tart lines and real runs so good morning guys just a recap of this morning’s uh broadcast um yeah uh bit hazy this morning the sun’s coming up a lot of sardines in the water a hell of a lot of sardines but yes on the squidgits the golden proof in the pudding this guy jumping around there we go you just keep quiet a bit you can see squidgits and a danger right in the corner there so yeah guys proof in the pudding uh even on rough days yeah we’re getting fish cheers guys and tight lines and then finally we would like to thank the people who ordered MYDOs this week and joined the HOTLINE you’re the lifeblood of the sardine thank you thank you and thank you again um we’re gonna just go out mentioning National Garrick Day it’s coming up you know in a month or so but there’s a cool video that I posted this morning that we made in 2008 might be our first sardine news video of all time but it’s on I’m not gonna put it on now cause it’s like 9 minutes or something like that but it’s on the channel somewhere and it’s highly recommended alright don’t forget to join the HOTLINE to support us too that’s our biggest thing welcome Roger welcome Sharon welcome Callum welcome all those new people who have just joined up right if you can just also like and subscribe that’s just good enough for us to thank you thank you and thank you out
The KingFisher Shad Competition Is On — This Is How To Win
The KingFisher Shad Competition Is On — This Is How To Win: The biggest shad showdown in decades has officially kicked off — The KingFisher Shad Competition is live across KZN, with R75,000 in cash and a mountain of tackle prizes up for grabs. From Durban’s piers to the South Coast’s wild gullies, anglers are locked in, and the bite is heating up.
The shad bite has been slow due to the increased sardine activity, but now that the sards are evidently scattering and dispersing, the shad will move in shallow. Just like they did this week at Coffee Bay and Port St Johns where the shad fishing is back to normal there] now that the sardines have swim right past.
Enjoy the gallery of recent shad catches and what we can all be looking forward to…
Renske Massing shad fishing…Shad fishing Anerley…Another huge Shad Lane shad.
But when the bait’s scarce or the bite goes quiet, it’s not just about luck — it’s about movement. That’s where your bait strategy becomes the game-changer.
Moving Baits: The Secret Sauce for Big Shad
The MYDO Baitswimmer Silver Bullet Number Two rigged with a strip bait and pulled with a faster retrieve WILL put you in the game to win the KINGFISHER Shad competition this year.
When shad are shy or scattered, you need to troll your bait like it’s alive. This is how you can also cover ground and locate the shoals. And then capitalise on the highly effective moving bait strategy (image at left shows a MYDO Baitswimmer Silver Bullet 2 Ounce being pulled at a natural swimming speed).
Big shad are aggressive and will take a moving bait over anything that just lies in the water. The traditional style of shad fishing is outdated and has not evolved with technology. These days, we have super-light rods and reels, spooled with casting braid that makes shad fishing an absolute delight. For the whole family. And you won’t look like those old guys striking and striking in vain all day long! Using up so much bait!
Here’s how to build and fish a finger bait rig that mimics real baitfish motion and triggers more strikes:
Bait Construction
Start at the single hook, extend to the back treble.
Use sardine fillet, flavoured with cracker shrimp, with a squid core for shape and longevity.
Cotton the sardine fillet with the juice facing outwards — scent trail is everything.
Mixed bait = mixed signals = more bites.
Sardine bait up with the MYDO Shad Trace
The double hook rigs are meant for bigger baits (whole sardine). They are, however, adjustable to take a half-sardine bait too.
The most important thing is to have that sharp little treble right in the back of the bait. Hook points slightly proud of the bait too.
Here is the adjustable double-dropper trace meant for a bigger bait…
MYDO Telescopic Shad Trace Number One for half or whole sardine baits. The back hook slides up and down for the ultimate fit.
These rigs are not for targeting shad only. We have caught blacktail and kob fishing like this…
Koblet on MYDO Silver Bullet Baitswimmer w Sardine Fillet
Reading the Water
On beaches or easy rocks, visualize the scene in front of you in 3D: find the gutter, pop the baited MYDO onto the sand, and work it down into the strike zone.
Maintain a steady pace, adjusting speed periodically to mimic different prey.
No need to strike hard — the back treble hooks the fish itself. Switch to a single if the bite gets wild.
Cast, Walk, Cover Ground
On longer beaches like the Sandspit or Ifafa (both hotspots for big shad), you will need to spend some time on your own determining where the fish are feeding.
Walk with the prevailing current, gather intel, and fish dynamically.
You’re not just casting — you’re trolling from the shore.
When the Bite Is On — Go Big
If the shad are smashing baitballs and you need to out-throw the crowd:
Load up the 2-ounce MYDO, add a whole sardine, and cast with 3 ounces of power.
Use a top bung to keep the bait off the rocks and keep the bait intact.
This rig flies over the horizon and lands right on the other side of the traffic.
Wind, Distance & Reef Tactics
Middle-sized MYDOs are perfect for light onshore wind or when you need extra reach.
Small MYDOs can get blown off course — use them when conditions are calm.
In gulleys and shallow reefs, rig a top bung at the swivel to troll over the rocks, not into them.
How to WIN the KINGFISHER SHAD Competition featuring MYDO Silver Bullet Baitswimmers #shad #fishing okay welcome back to MYDO Tackle Talk we talking about the SHAD fishing competition put on by KingFisher this year what fun eh biggest competition for decades it turns out and 75,000 bucks is up for grabs for first prize plus a whole mountain of fishing tackle as you would expect from people like Kingfisher right it’s province wide all over the place and we’re gonna talk about catching these big shad my first advice would be to join the SARDINE NEWS HOTLINE it does cost 59 bucks a month but you get to be in the thick of it and that kind of news we don’t dispel out to the public until way after the fact but to the HOTLINE members that’s where the news comes in HOT alright um I’m gonna talk to you about catching Big Shad because Big Shad likes to go mad after a moving bait you can put your big sardine out there and let it sit there on the reef and wait and wait you can it washes around and then something will might bite it but as soon as you move that bait like when you winding in or or like on the camera here look at this see that the shad are just milling about that bait they’re not even looking at it but the minute it moves they just go wild like this it’s crazy and the bigger shad being more aggressive more voracious and and more everything are the most aggressive so they’re all gonna get if you want to catch a big shed use a moving bait it’s quite simple the shad bigger shad take a spoon you know it’s like they’re more aggressive they go faster and they want a moving bait now I’m gonna tell you how to make a finger or pencil bait but I call it a finger bait’cause it’s about the size of your finger that goes on a smaller MYDO Bait Swimmer silver bullets shad trace that is what you cast when it’s really good weather and the offshore’s blowing it was all very nice and the sea’s quite flat but you’re trying to find the shad you start with this little thing and you just have to throw it out and let it go into the water column as you’ve imagined in 3D what the gutter looks like and then get it down the gutter and patrol the whole water column until you find some bites you’re normally just gonna hook up with this lure because that treble at the back and that’s a moving bait you don’t miss you just don’t miss and by the way these things catch all kinds of fish they don’t just catch shad I caught a kob and a blacktail and ugh we’ve been having so much fun with these things anyway so the bait fits on here and off you go put the wrong way around the bait fits on there and off you go with the front hook you just put a nice fillet on here the nicest fillet that you can cut wrap it from the very beginning of the hook all the way over here and uh make sure the back hook is just sticking out a little bit all these things are proud and then off you go um this is how you cover ground you just keep walking and throwing with the current and if you got a nice Long Beach like Mtwalume or Ifafa or Sandspit or whatever and you want to find out where the fish are cause they move up and down I promise that’s how it works but you as you walk you’ll pick up clues and you’ll start seeing they could be here they could be here excuse me alright so if however the sea gets a bit inclement and the onshore comes up you’re going to have to go up and notch to a 1 ounce luckily there is a half ounce a 1 ounce and even a 2 ounce now the 2 ounce is a monster it’s a real cool thing it’s for when the crowd is on your back and there’s a casting and the roads are cracking and all that stuff and you need to get a away from the from the traffic away from the marine traffic put this thing on here tie a big sardine on tie it on nicely and launch it over the horizon at 2 ounces plus a sardine you’re nearly on 3 ounces you gotta give it all the 3 ounces of power that you can and you’re gonna get over the back line and past the past the let’s just say the riff raff um alright I think that’s about it there’s the three different things the three different sizes in the in the shad pack you get two big ones and two small ones ready um don’t forget to subscribe the hotline is open like I told you earlier you can uh sign up but you’re a like and a subscribe is all we really need to keep this show going thank you very much for watching and we’ll catch you in the next segment Ciao Ciao
