With the cold front being experienced at the moment, combined with high swells, sea conditions have not been great and fishing has been decidedly average.
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Spearfisherman Darrell Hattingh produced one of the catches of the week, a 16kg garrick caught off Hibberdene near the Carousel. His personal best is 18.2kg, speared in 1983. A fisherman through and through, he has a marine sculpting fish business. Garrick are known to average between 6kg and 10kg so 16kg is a ‘big boy’. The South African record is just over the 30kg mark. Further inland, Brian Steyn bagged a 2.62kg bass last Sunday.
He caught it as the cold front was coming through, with winds between 18km/h and 22km/h on a dropshot with a finesse worm bait on light tackle. He worked the bait alongside submerged grass edges in a dam in the Paddock area. Bass fishing should start picking up and pre-spawn fish could be targeted. Those are the big (slabs) but should be released immediately after catching so that they can go back to their nests. Still with freshwater fishing, Fanus Malan landed a 4.75kg carp at BBS Fishing Club dam in Southport.
It was caught during the late afternoon, with Fanus using Magic Baits products. Fanus said it’s a very family orientated club and not affiliated to any fishing organisations. They only take in a certain number of members as the dam is not very big. They are currently full, but anyone interested is welcome to contact Fanus to ‘talk fishing’ and perhaps be placed on a waiting list. Out in the deep, off Shelly Beach, it was a good day of fishing on Mighty with skipper Dawie Esterhuizen, who hooked an 8kg geelbek.
Bottom fishing has otherwise been a bit slow, due to the south-easterly winds picking up, but nonetheless various species were hooked, including bream, rock cod, pink salmon, Englishman and Scotsman. However, Dawie wasn’t complaining too much as he enjoyed the geelbek catch. Bronze bream have still been on the bite and shad are still also being caught. In Ramsgate, Steven Moodley bagged a copper bream last Sunday.
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