Tag: umzimkulu

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Dorado bite

Up in Southern Mozambique, and right down the coast into Southern Natal, the seasonal “Dorado” are coming out regularly. Local boats in Tofo are getting 4’s and 5’s interspersed with the usual small couta and the odd sailfish. Yesterday Jose Rungu hooked a big marlin that towed him and his rowboat around the bay for a few hours.

IMG00976-20130125-0744

In the photo…Alan Ngobo and Themba hold up their catch, made off the Umzimkulu River mouth area.

Because they are so delicious, cooked any way you prefer, seafood chefs worldwide refer to Dorado as The “Chicken of the Sea”. It also goes by the name “Dolphinfish”…and in the Pacific – “Mahi Mahi”.

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Roger Davidson’s Cracker!

Roger Davidson
Roger Davidson
Roger Davidson

Fishing off Karl Gous’ boat – Roger Davidson brings home a real “Skomolo”, while Marc Lange shows us a real nice bull dorado. Fishing seems to be really good down south.

Marc Lange
Marc Lange

Note the Umzimkulu River’s brown/orange colour in the background – characteristic of these summer months. By about April the river returns to a clear green and on the stronger high tides – the blue Indian ocean water comes right up the river. The Umzimkulu is a great estuary to fish, even when it’s brown like it is now. Perch, rock salmon (mangrove jack), grunter, kingfish, catfish / barbel, garrick (leervis)…feed on the mullet, prawns (mudprawns, tigers, pink) and crabs (all sorts) that live in the mangrove associates and along the muddy banks.

In winter, in the clear water…and especially at night time…anything can happen! For estuary fishing, the south coast of Natal still has a few surviving tidal/semi-tidal lagoons.

Check out http://www.umzimkulu.co.za for more information on fishing these waters…

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Umzimkulu Dorado!

Marc Lange fishing on the Niteshift out of the Umzimkulu...dorado!
Marc Lange fishing on the Niteshift out of the Umzimkulu...dorado!
Marc Lange fishing on the Niteshift out of the Umzimkulu…dorado!

When the rivers fill right up with brown pigmented water from the summer rain catchment areas in Kwa-Zulu Natal, they  spew out into the ocean hitting the current to form a beautiful seam between the brown and blue water.

This is Dorado time on the Natal and Transkei coast! They swim up and down this seam ambushing baitfish caught swimming in and out of these brown clouds.

Marc Lange with two nice ones…I am pretty sure there were a few more in the hatch! The Umzimkulu River mouth makes for a huge plume and the dorado patrol aggressively…feeding all day sometimes.

Check out http://www.umzimkulu.co.za for more on how to get into the action!

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