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…
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.
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.
Welcome to the Sardine Report 7 June 2021. It’s been chaos! With certain carparks and beaches getting gridlocked. As more and more people respond to questionable mainstream media live updates.
Sardine Fever is far more contagious with cellphones and the internet to help spread the word!
The best approach to sardines really is to spot shoals further offshore. And then try to predict where they will hit the beach as they move north. And set up your ambush in advance. And tell no one when you get it right!
Following the crowd will just get you into a traffic jam.
Pumula yesterday
Pumula sticks right out off the coastline and the bay between the launch site, and Sharks Bay to the north, is always a hotspot during the sardine run. Yesterday was no different with sharks in the shorebreak and all.
Quite a few nets went in throughout the day and many crates hit the beach.
This gallery was shot yesterday morning (Sunday) at Stebel Rocks, across the bay looking south to the Pumula chaos. Before the crowds were called in.
Access at Pumula is extremely limited but please don’t park like a paluka! Non-sardine cars don’t give a hell and come flying around that corner at the speed limit which is 100kmh?!
Please be careful and considerate out there!
Record of Sightings for Sardine Run 2021
These are the confirmed sightings we have logged so far. The steady migration northwards can clearly be seen in this data. The shoals hitting the northern section of the KZN south coast today could be from the same bunch we have been following through the Transkei recently.
The big shoals recorded swimming by off Oslo Beach and Port Shepstone this morning, are the ones to be watching.
11 May 2021
Many sardines, some together in a long stripe, passed here. Three separate reports confirmed this early sighting. Birds, gamefish and cetaceans were present.
5 May 2021
Scattered shoals of confirmed sardines all over the place. Extremely cold water reported as low as 11 degrees could explain this early sighting.
19 May 2021
This sighting at Brazen Head could be of the same shoal that came through Morgans Bay near East London, a week or so ago.
April Sighting
Riaan Smith dived with a fairly large shoal of sardines, in 11 degrees water, off Coffee Bay. This was at the end of April already.
22 May 2021
[08:04, 22/05/2021] Jason Heyne: Saw a what I suspect is a big shoal off Sinangwana (Mpande – close to brazen head and PSJ) this morning. Dolphins and birds were smashing it hard! Large area… Probably around 500-1000m area… Wish I had a boat and crew to go jump in! From Nils Von Delft down there right now!
28 May 2021
Sporadic but continuous sardine action out deeper as reported by Quentin in Mdumbi. Cold water is coming finally. 21 degrees at Port Edward today bodes well.
31 May 2021 – 8:00am
Mr. Ant Nel has just called me from the beach at Port Edward. Sardine boats are on the beach! Mark Snyman got a small net in and as of today, the first three crates of sardines are official. Thank you Ant! Lance Dunn. Master Watermen, for the images.
31 May 2021 – 10:00am
Deep off Ramsgate there were plenty boats out enjoying the action as the first shoals to hit KZN swim right into the waiting ambush. Dolphins, sharks and sardines!
31 May 2021 – 2:00pm
Margate Pier is the epi-centre of the action right now as the early shoals of sardines (pilot shoals) move north at high speed. Being chased by so many predators like gamefish, dolphins and sharks. Garrick are playing the game nicely and now we just hope anglers also do by observing bag limits and size restrictions. Please. The water temperature has dropped below 20 degrees courtesy these beasterly easterly cyclonic conditions.
1 June 2021 – 2:00pm
The ASFN team have found sardines off the back of Stebel Rocks, in Umzumbe. How these little guys survived last nights storm we’ll just have to guess. More at https://thesardine.co.za
3 June 2021
We got a video in of a wild ocean with plenty activity on the backline to slightly deeper. The waves and wind were too wild for anyone to go near the buzz. But it certainly was sardines. And a lot of them!
4 June 2021 – 10:30am
Margate Beach scores again! Action spilling out onto neighbouring Manaba Beach. Sardines confirmed on the beach!
6 June 2021 – 11:00am
Two nets taken at Pumula. Sardines are spread out so don’t follow the crowd. They could pop up anywhere at the moment so keep your eyes on the water!
7 June 2021 – 9:00am
Shoal spotted 300m off Umkomaas travelling north at high speed. Being chased by all kinds of marine wildlife. These guys could well be in Durban by nightfall today! Unless they all get eaten before then.
7 June 2021 – 9:00am
A HUGE shoal of sardines, about a kilometre long, is easily seen off Oslo Beach. And from way inland even. It is a really dense and long shoal that is surrounded by many medium to small pockets.
Sardine Report 7 June 2021
You can access our Sardine Map 2021 by clicking right HERE!
The week ahead
Shaun Begg with a Souther KZN Blacktail – Sardine Report 7 June 2021
The weather seems to be backing off. But only after today’s backup big wind, to yesterday’s sand blast. That east yesterday was so blowing right through us as we persevered for a few scratches. And it’s gonna blow the same again today.
The water was still terribly warm as of yesterday. This also needs to change. The optimum water temperature for sardines is about 19 degrees. And below.
The water is also still really discoloured and we are counting on the usually strong north south current to take the brown water away.
This could take quite a few days so we just gonna have to be patient and wait it out. Today’s big east will help move that water along, and reduce the overall water temperature.
The next spring tides are upon us and hopefully this will clear the estuaries too. There is a lot of hoping going on but it’s all we can do for now.
Shad are literally everywhere. Everywhere where the sardines were before, the shad will be. But it’s not been easy. They are around for a short while and then disappear off again.
Arno Davies scratching the gulleys this morning
Blacktail and karanteen anglers are the only ones enjoying these crazy weather conditions. They can get down amongst the rocks and gulleys and escape the relentless winds.
We did see one guys yesterday, at Anerley, hook into what could only be a big rockcod or something. It gave this giuy hell as it swam all ober the reef, eventually cutting the line on the sharp rocks.
Sharks n things
Sharks of all kinds are plentiful right now. The usual zambezi and bronze whaler contingent can be seen all over the place. At Pumula yesterday they put on an excellent show for the massive crowd. And even a 4m great while was caught by the KZNSB.
The humpback whales made their first appearances last week already. And yesterday a huge pod of high-speed common dolphins came crashing past the backline. Soon all kinds of cetaceans will be here.
Gannets and terns make up the forward ranks of the airborne attack. That lovely sound of a few terns working a shoal of baitfish is mesmerising.
Who dunnit? The image of confusion! Is the thread of this very first Brucifire Surf Report series. Watch the next show to find out…
This is the very first segment, and is an intro to Brucifire, for any of you who just don’t know.
What part don’t you get?!
But ok, it’s an uneasy brown looking wave with a kick in the drop and a real tube. Much more meat than Stupids says Bruce and Roosta. The scene is from the movie Shaloha! An epic journey taken from perfect wave to perfect wave to perfect wave, between Cape Town and Inhambane (Mozambique). Featuring Roosta and Brucifire, and a few others! Take note!
Play the movie!
But ok, this is the very first segment, of the very first week. The follow ons are great. And are kinda broad and scene-setting in its storyline as Brucifire sums up the current feeling in JBay and surrounds. From his perspective! Which most likely is flying down the line or commenting grandly on some other soul who is!
From now on there shall be even more of…a little history and not so much nostalgia, some superstition, commentary on waves and their masters, and most of all, good solid life advice from Brucifire.
What you could also be doing though is clicking this link, to get the series as a playlist. Then it all makes just a little more sense. And that is the way this is gonna roll out – one segment leading to another. Steady as she goes! At the moment we are still practising but are working it out amongst the team just fine. And so we published all four in one go!
Amazing underwater action in the Umzimkulu Estuary
Right off the bat, kingfish, of all their species, are really endangered. We do not kill any. We tag as many as we can. We work with the Oceanographic Research Institute with the goal of tagging fish to gather data about them. To use for conservation.
Current laws are far too broad and vague. We need systemic conservation measures applied to fish as and when they need it. based on data. But as the kingfish numbers diminish with over-fishing by recreationals and subsistence fishers alike, one thing is clear. The remaining few are very hard to catch!
They are so fast and intelligent. In these clips you can actually see the fish learn that something is up with that white lure! The first two strikes are at blistering speed, one after the other. How they never hooked up can only be attested to fortune since we have been catching so many of the exact same kingfish with it over the past few weeks. Then they are all a lot more timid. They come in close, following and inspecting right up close. But after those first two lighting strikes went awry, the entire gang, about 12 or more, of them, stayed back. And eventually peeled off completely.
What a dogfight! Again and again…literally fighting over the lure.
The perspectives from underwater are insane! The action is red hot high speed ultra violent powerful stuff and its got me addicted! All I want to to do now is film fish now!
Catch 22
There is a huge Catch 22 to this revolutionary technology however. Since I posted a few videos of the results of the exercise, boats began pitching up all over the Umzimkulu. The regulars. They release every fish too. And a whole host of new boats. That we just don’t know about yet. And I can only hope the new guys take note of the dire situation these fish are in. They have only a few functioning estuaries left. The rest have been destroyed by agriculture and erosion.
Just as a precautionary note: the crystal clear winter water of the Umzimkulu right now, hold a dark secret. There are still suspect activities occurring upriver. Some incredible stenches waft down from the sugar mill. And if you drive that area, the dirt road along the river, some very strange and stinking glowing substances can be discovered. Leaking right into the river! And a whole area of the riverbank is fenced off with razor-wire. What could be hiding in there? Toxic waste? Some answers from the sugar mill people would be pertinent right now. Since the sugar mill people also dumped a damn full of poisonous non oxygenated water into the river recently, killing off a huge amount of fish too. Just another reason to not eat the fish that come out of the river!
Lastly, it is really being optimistic to think that this technology will not be applied by poachers and other criminals too. To see what is down there! Just like we are trying to do!
And so, extra vigilance is required when monitoring our rivers for illegal activities. Poachers have been using nets in the KZN estuaries for a while now. Wreaking havoc in the Umkomaas. Where luckily local anglers and conservationists are conducting an active campaign against this illicit criminal behaviour. They have burned many, many kilometres of nets already.
Imagine our rare and endangered shoal of greenspot all get caught in a friggin’ net upriver!?
Please get in touch if you would like to join us fishing the season away in the Umzimkulu Estuary. We are based at the Umzimkulu Marina this year. And we offer many options for you or your family to partake. We are even running fishing school at the moment.
So please get in touch for anything fishing. Estuary, surf or deep-sea. On +27793269671 or umzimkulu@gmail.com.
You can order your very own GoFish Camera right here…it comes in a few days to a week and is endless fun and learning. If you buy it from this website, you can call me for support anytime – Sean
Shooting fish in KZN waters with Jason Heyne weekly, a great source of intel for anyone wanting to know what is actually going on with the fish in our waters. Although the garrick and kob may not be really on the bite yet, they certainly are seen patrolling up and down the coast. It’s nice to hear the geelbek are coming in shallow – a good sign that there are still a few about…over to you Jason.
“The diving conditions have been above average this week. Garrick, wahoo, daga salmon, geelbek and brusher have been coming out. Saturday the north east has blown thro the night and drops off midmorning switching to a moderate south West with the swell running at 1.5m. Sunday morning a light offshore blows switching to a light to moderate south West later in the day with the swell running at 2.2m..so it looks like Saturday is go day for a dive. Viz was reported south and North today. Well done Quintin White on getting both club merit and biggest fish for the week a 18.5kg (gutted) wahoo! As always dive safe and straight spears. ”
And the gallery to go with the weekly story…
The Fish Eagles of the Umzimkulu wake lodge guests at the Umzimkulu Marina, each morning. Don’t worry though, they start at a reasonable hour – fishing time!
This weeks spearfishing report by Jason Heyne is sponsored by the Umzimkulu Marina. The perfect spot for spearos to come and enjoy the clean and warm conditions of spring, on the KZN south coast. The water stays crystal clean right through to the summer rains, which have been coming later and later each year – leaving us with clean water right into November sometimes.
The launch here at the river can be otherwise and is not officially a launch site any more. But a short tow north or south gets you to really reliable and easy launch sites. Pumula is fantastic, as is Hibberdene a bit further north. Then if you can handle a queue, head to Shelley Beach, or further south to Ramsgate. These launch sites open vaste stretch of fish rich coastline for your to explore.
Shore diving is a magical prospect here on the south coast. The many points and rivers make for easy access to the backline and beyond. There is a nice strong north to south current that can fly you over scattered reef for miles.
