Kingfish biting at the Coaling Wharf

There are plenty of kingfish, pickhandle barracuda and other gamefish around this area that anglers can target on ultra-light rods, reels and braid. Lures are definitely the way to go at the moment as the gamefish species around this area cannot leave them alone.

There are still plenty of brown rays around at the moment with the hot bait still being cracker shrimp or baby squid. If you are using cracker to target these fish, there is a high chance that you will pick up more grunter.

There are plenty of grunter around the centre bank if you are able to get yourself onto a boat, but otherwise if you wait for low tide, you can wade the banks and fish around the Wilson's Wharf area and the Yacht Moll. You will pick up a lot of the much smaller fish, but the opportunity is there for you to catch a monster.

If you find yourself puzzling for fish, there is a fish out there that will hit your lure every time it sees it, not out of hunger, but out of aggressiveness. The sand gurnard is an incredibly territorial fish and an amazing fighter. These fish are often caught on sinking Rapalas and drop-shot, when you leave your lure to sink to the bottom. These fish keep to the same area of the harbour and can grow well over 5kg. They sit on the harbour floor and wait for any unsuspecting fish to cruise past. This fish attacks by half burying itself in the sand, then using its strong body to launch itself at the unsuspecting prey. By dragging your drop-shot along the floor, you entice this fish to attack, and once you have hooked it, prepare for an amazing fight. Just a few things to remember when handling this fish. There is little meat on this fish and so release is a better option. It has incredibly sharp spines all along its body and blade like gill plates. So handle with care.

(File Photo: Office of the KZN Premier)

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