KZN deep sea fishing update
Sodwana Bay through to Cape Vidal is fishing very well at the moment, and with a week of flat seas and pleasant fishing conditions, it is no wonder so many fish have been landed. Most of the fish which have been landed are couta, dorado, tuna and wahoo. Kingfish have also been plentiful and are not shy on size. Sailfish have been on the cards for most anglers fishing in the deeper water, with marlin unfortunately being a bit scarce. The water has been extremely clean in these areas, so the use of fluorocarbon is absolutely crucial. Live bait requires a thinner fluorocarbon to avoid line detection.
Zinkwazi has produced a few couta in the 18-25kg range and these fish have been reported taking live baits over the wrecks and pinnacles.
Ballito is still producing healthy numbers of tuna on Rattlers, along with some very nice dorado which have been taken off the Ballito wreck on live baits. This area has probably been the most productive stretch along our entire coast and should continue to fire for the next few weeks.
Umdloti down to Blue Lagoon has slowed down slightly, but has continued to produce some decent Natal snoek for the die-hard anglers.
Durban has been fishing well recently as well, with catches of dorado and wahoo near the cargo ships as well as along the colour lines.
The Bluff is fishing well for game fish as well as bottom fish and has produced some very nice sized couta during the week. Deeper along the 50m mark, quite a few dorado have been landed in the warmer water on Konas and live baits.
Toti and Umkomaas have both managed to produce good catches of snoek, which the fishing ski brigade have taken advantage of over the last week. Most of these fish have fed in off coloured water and have not been spotted in the clean water at all. Over the last two weeks, the colour line has been within 1km from shore, making this entire area a deadly spot for game fish. Pulling along through this colour line should get tuna, dorado, wahoo and even sailfish action. Pulling Rattlers a bit slower than average through this colour line should get a bite from a wide variety of species including couta and wahoo. Normal speed for trawling these colour lines is around 8-10kph.
Reminder - Imperial Nissan Zululand Couta Classic at Mtunzini on 25 and 26 April 2015.
For more details on this KZN north coast fishing competition you can contact Hylton on 078 854 9358 or Rod on 083 587 3990.
May will see Pumula on the KZN south coast hosting the annual Quattro King of the Sea contest.
(File Photo: Brendan Nolan)
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre @kingfisherdaiwa