SKZN Winter Fishing Report
Our favourite time of the year is upon us and all the signs are in place for another rich and exciting winter season on the East Coast of Africa.
After the bumper run of big couta earlier in April, the sea is still playing the game and has cleaned up nicely. In these early winter season months, the spearfishing crew do the best with a steady trickle of catches being reported in by Jason Heyne, our local spearfishing columnist.
Rock and surf fishing enthusiasts have been catching flatfish aplenty, at most of the points and beaches up and down. A springer taken on a lead spoon caused a scene at The Block in Port Shepstone, but the obviously uneducated angler took the fish out of the water and killed it?! Springer are traditionally not eaten and returned alive to fight another day. A magnificent gamefish designed to release huge dollops of adrenalin into estuary and rock and surf guys systems alike. Yesterday morning I patrolled past the Block and spotted Kisten Moodley looking very serious with a bunch of live baits in the pool and a few on the line. There is a big chance that an early Garrick shoal might appear soon and annihilate Kisten’s liveys anytime now.
In the Umzimkulu, a lucky angler got a bunch of foot-long perch and crowned his catch off with a 3kg rock salmon. And the biggest news from that river (aside from the fish braai at The Umzimkulu Marina), was a brilliant 6kg rock salmon! Angler unknown. But it came out at flat rock, right up top, under the ghost house. Rory Lawlor on Happy Daze was spotted trawling lures and spinning in The Umzimkulu on Sunday, he came back with releasing photographs of a big-eye kingfish, a flagtail and perch. Now that is fishing!
Carl Gouws took a trip on Monday and after a busy day being bullied about by some beasts on Protea Reef, returned with a bunch of pan sized bottoms and two nice sarda sarda, for his guests – Malcolm and crew.
So yes, it is that time again – to fish the south coast, cast us a line at 079 326 9671 or umzimkulu@gmail.com
