Snoek and shad at Umdloti
Umdloti saw some good non-edibles and shad in the mornings. This spot has also produced Natal snoek on spoon.
Umhlanga has been the most popular spot for spinners along the entire coast, as the snoek move closer in and the shad become more abundant. Many of the popular spots in the Umhlanga area produced the goods during the week, including some excellent catches of edibles on bait. Definitely a spot to keep an eye on for the coming weeks.
An angler at La Mercy mouth fought a fish for over an hour before the line parted. A whole mackerel slide was used and the fish remains unidentified. This serves as a reminder that lines need to be changed as often as possible, leader knots to be retied each trip and rod guides to be checked for cracks each trip. This can be the difference between catching the fish of a lifetime and losing it after a long fight.
The new pier at Virginia seems to be working extremely well for the shad anglers as well as those targeting stumpies or other edibles.
Blue Lagoon seems to have slowed down substantially, with anglers struggling to catch a few shad over the weekend and public holiday. There is a strong south-north current which has made fishing extremely difficult. Drift bait is definitely the way to go if these conditions persist. The only fish of note was a garrick which was landed on a Kingfisher 2V spoon on Saturday.
The Bluff saw some action during the week with shad being caught cast for cast on Falcon spoons as well as drop-shot, the latter of which becomes expensive after a few bites. The D Minnow or Maria Blues Code would be a great substitution.
On 1 August The Kingfisher started their annual Biggest Shad Competition. This year it will be run over a two-month period, August and September, with three prizes each month. The heaviest shad for each month will receive a Daiwa SL 50SHK Reel, valued at R1625, the second heaviest shad will receive a 13’6” Kingfisher Coastline Medium, three-piece, 4-6oz Graphite Rod, valued at R1145 and third heaviest shad will receive a Daiwa AG 6000 Reel valued at R598. Please note that all shad (fresh) must be weighed at either, The Kingfisher, 53 Hunter Street or Tackle Centre, Old Fort Road or The Fishing Tackle Shop, Warner Beach during trading hours.
Please remember there is a bag limit of four and the minimum size is 30cm and that the season closes 30 September and re-opens 1 December 2015.
(File Photo: Gallo Images)
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