Couta biting off Zinkwazi
Ski-boaters have been having an amazing time as there have been quite a large number of couta coming out and filtering through to the Sodwana, Maphelane and Cape Vidal areas.
It is still relatively early couta in the couta season, but that shouldn’t stop you from trawling a mackerel behind the boat rigged with your favourite Mustad trebles. Live baits, dead baits and even strip baits seem to be working in these areas for the couta, tuna and dorado. The shallower waters have seen quite a few more fish recently, which have been caught on shallow diving Kingfisher Rattlers. There have been good numbers of sailfish, tuna, dorado and bonito this week, with Natal snoek all the way down to the lower north coast.
Zinkwazi seems to be the place to be to catch couta at the moment with anglers on skis and boats alike hooking into some really decent fish. Snoek along the backline have been showing face more and more and will continue to do so over the next few weeks, but seem to be happier staying up north, with only a few sightings of them closer to Durban. Tinley Manor seems to be producing some really good fish up to 5kg on spoons and small Strike Pros.
Durban seems to have settled a bit with us only seeing a few dorado, tuna and bonito coming out. Most of these fish were taken on live bait, but you can never go wrong by trawling a decent lure past a yellowfin tuna’s nose. The dolphins seem to be holding a few tuna and the anchored cargo ships have the dorado. For the less experienced anglers, fishing in these areas would enable you to find the fish pretty easily. Trawling around the ships with shallow diving rattlers seem to yield the best results. Marlin and sailfish bites are steadily increasing and should continue to do so as summer progresses. The south coast is still seeing good numbers of bottom fish as well as the odd tuna and wahoo coming out at Aliwal Shoal. Divers are reporting large numbers of tuna around the bait marks too, but as always, they are being followed by some massive sharks. As an angler that often fishes for sport more than for the plate, sharks can be quite the irritation, as you can no longer fight the fish properly. Winching the fish to the boat is the only option you have before the ocean taxman takes a bite.
(File Photo: Caroll Hermann)
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