Rain set to reign this weekend
WITH the weather being up and down over the past week the fishing has been slow. With the days leading up to the weekend with no distinct patterns in the wind and rain predicted for tomorrow, it seems to be the perfect time to take a step back from the fishing and get your tackle and traces back up to scratch.
Ray’s tip:
Preventative measures. Prevention is far better than a cure (and often a lot cheaper). In terms of fishing this can range from medical to tackle. With the weather being a little foul this weekend, it is your perfect chance to do some maintenance or cleaning up.
Make sure your traces are neatly packed and that the rusted versions are thrown away. Retie all your leaders. Fix the electrics on your boats trailer that you have been meaning to do since last season. Give your rods and reels a good clean. Go through your tackle box and first aid kit and make sure you have everything that you may need. This can range from emergency numbers to antihistamine ointment. Doing the prep during your down time will make the time you spend doing what you love so much more enjoyable (it will also save you lots of money in the long run).
The diamond smashes have come to a halt over the last week. This has been due to the NE winds no longer blowing consistently.
The North Coast has been producing the goods over the last few weeks but with the conditions being a bit temperamental over the next few days, the catches will more than likely decline. The problem up north is that when the diamonds aren’t feeding, it can be a long, long day of holding pole. High risks come with big rewards, so if you are willing to risk the long drive, you may just be rewarded with an empty beach and a shoal of hungry diamonds all to yourself.
Closer afield the lower north coast has produced some pompano for the edible fishermen. These fish have fallen for cracker shrimp and prawn baits. These are fish with good eyesight, so scale down your traces and you will stand a better chance of catching more fish. The central section of KZN has been rather sparse in terms of reports. This is more than likely due to everyone and their dog making the trips up north to target the diamonds.
The inedible fishermen have not had much luck fishing the basin to Umhlanga area, with only a few grey sharks to mention. The edible anglers have seen some lovely stumpies and pompano for their efforts with the same baits as mentioned above proving successful.
The South Coast of KZN has been producing some absolute bomber bronze bream over the last week and the sale of small orange floats has shown that the news has spread.
The lower south coast has also produced some white muscle cracker over the last week. A very effective bait for these fish is a crab, in particular a muscleman crab. If you can’t get your hands on these, a ghost crab will also do the trick. Remember that you require a licence to collect anything from the sea or beach so make sure you have the appropriate paperwork before you go about using any natural bait. If you are uncertain about what licence you need, pop in to our store and we can help you out or go to your closest post office and they will advise you accordingly.
Big seas and rain on the weekend mean it might be a good weekend to spend with the family. The offshore fishing has been good over the last week with tuna and couta making up the majority of the catches. The North Coast has been consistently producing some fine gamefish. Sailfish, dorado, tuna, couta and kingfish are but a few of the fish available to you if you make the trip up north. If you manage to get access to some of the private area on the lower north coast you have a chance at some bomber snoek.
We have seen fish over 10kgs come out in the last week!
Please send any info about fishing, fish caught or competitions in your area to mike.pereira@kingfisher. co.za. Tight lines and screaming reels.