Nice bass at Albert Falls

Bass

With many families traveling down to the coast in hope of getting in on the sardine action, most dams seemed to be less busy over the last week. Bass fishing has been slow at most waters, but have had the odd cracker day and produced a few fish to write home about. Albert Falls is steadily dropping with this lack of rain we have been experiencing over the last few months, but has still managed to produce fish over 4kg for the anglers who fished deep and slow during the week. Jigs have once again proved to be the key to fishing deeper, cold water. Many of the anglers adding large trailers to their jigs have been more successful, particularly near the river section where movement and lure detection is everything. Inanda has been the dam to be at and with no less that around ten fish per boat according to reports. It seems that Inanda has regained its former glory. As far as winter fishing goes, this is as good as it is going to get for the time being. Many anglers have been moving around the dam in search of spots after the recent quiet spell, which has resulted in a wealth of dam knowledge and has now put many anglers on new spots which have been fished less. Areas such as Car Body, Cactus Point and most bays between Donkey Bay and Cactus Point have produced many fish.

Fly Fishing

With the temperature dropping to below zero at most of the trout fishing destinations in KZN, most fish will definitely be preparing themselves to attempt to spawn. The key to success in these times is to establish where the trout are in the spawn and work from there. This will help the angler determine which fly to use. If the fish are cruising in the shallows and have red cheeks, they tend to become skittish and want smaller flies suspended from a dry fly such as the DDD. Some anglers have up to three flies suspended at different depths to locate these fish. This style of fishing often entails casting out and waiting for the fish to locate the fly. The fish tend to cruise a set path and multiple casts should be made to locate these paths. It is very slow fishing, but on the bright side, the fish are larger than normal. If it is that trophy double-digit fish you are after, it is now the time to get on the water. Calling all fly fishermen and fly tyers, the Durban Fly Tyers Society will be holding a clinic on Saturday 4 July from 9 to 12 noon at The Kingfisher, 53 Hunter Street, Durban. A variety of fresh and salt water patterns will be tied and any questions will be welcomed and advice openly offered.

(File Photo: Gallo Images)

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