Have just heard from Shaun Murphy who is down in the East London area is that there is wall to wall sardines with plenty of fish.
These fish have all been caught mainly on the South Coast although spearfishermen have seen one or two in the Umhlanga area.
Locally the Blue Lagoon area has over the past few weeks produced steady catches of mainly shad during the day and some grunter and smaller kob at night

FISHING REPORT 10th JUNE 2011

Angling
There is now a good chance that a sardine run could materialize as satellite imagery last week revealed that a cold current started moving in along the Eastern Cape coastline and within a day or two of this happening there was action in the Port St Johns area. Common dolphin and gannets were seen milling in this area and that could only mean one thing; that sardines are on the move. We will just have to wait a little longer and hopefully a run will materialize.

Have just heard from Shaun Murphy who is down in the East London area is that there is wall to wall sardines with plenty of fish. Sards were also reported at the Kei River mount as well as Slummies in the East London area with lots of dolphins and gannets. Things at this stage are looking good for a great sardine run. With this cold water along the Transkei coast, anglers fishing for sharks off deep water points are now finding some really big ragged tooth sharks. Some specimens that were caught at Port St Johns were over the 150 kg mark. If you intend fishing for these sharks, really big baits and top class heavy tackle should be used to subdue these big fish.

Anglers using lesser tackle will hook up but a one hour fight could last up to four or five hours. This also puts stress on the fish and could end up dying. The emphasis on shark fishing is the fight these big fish give anglers and more importantly is that it gives anglers great pleasure in releasing the fish alive. This is why we say that if you target these fish use the heaviest tackle and subdue the fish as soon as possible. A very good combination to use is the very strong Daiwa Saltist or Saltiga 50 reels filled with 600m of 48lb Triple Fish Gatograid and 150m of 52lb Kingfisher Giant Abrasion nylon. A strong rod like The Kingfisher Poseidon HMG Heavy (7 – 10oz) or Extra Heavy ( 8 – 12oz) would work well. Shark fishing aside, there are now kob and garrick in the Port St Johns and Poenskop areas as well as quite a few shad, so anglers venturing to this venue can expect to have some good fun. Anglers who have persevered for garrick have over the last few weeks have had some really good results.

These fish have all been caught mainly on the South Coast although spearfishermen have seen one or two in the Umhlanga area. These fish will now stay with us for the duration of winter and can be caught up to the middle of November. The best places for garrick now is Greenpoint High Rocks, Umkomaas, Illovo, Winkle High Rocks and Toti Rocks. Live shad has been doing the trick for them now. Locally the Blue Lagoon area has over the past few weeks produced steady catches of mainly shad during the day and some grunter and smaller kob at night. Anglers here should start using live shad and mullet as it will only be a matter of time before the garrick turn on at this venue, we have heard of the odd garrick coming out on live baits as well as a few on plugs.

New SA? Africa Record?? Received this email from Marius de Wet
“Grandfather’s Wish! Father’s Pride! Son’s Dream! It started with a friend of mine Leroy White that has a wonderful boat, 42 foot Luhr's Open(Charlie Brown) inviting me and my eldest son Vasie de Wet to test his boat one morning after the motors just had a service, on the 13th of January 2011 we did not plan to fish but while testing the boat leaving the Durban harbour after an ½ hour of riding straight out at sea we put out 4 x 80 pound rods and trolled for a while seeing that we are near good water and try catch some Dorado, or anything that may be there for a fish braai that after noon. While we were putting out the Conas, I was telling Leroy that my adopted son Rick( that has just passed away Sept 2010) and his father (that passed away years ago) always dreamed of catching a Marlin and I wish that they could have experienced the thrill of father and son and friend catching a marlin. I thanked Leroy for inviting my oldest son with for the day, what a day it turned out to be (a dream come true x 1000)!! As the rods were set and Leroy I and my son were deciding to have something to drink. The one rod started screaming and all hell!! Broke loose for the rest of the day.

7:30 First striped marlin ±60 kg my son Vasie in chair, Leroy at the helm and I am deckhand. In ±30 minutes the fish is on the deck and released. (8 AM). I am too happy to see my first stripe marlin caught by my son and his first striped marlin.

8:30 Half and hour later 2nd marlin on, Vasie in the chair with a Stripe marlin again ± 80kg bigger than 1st one. ± 30 minutes on deck got the hook out and back in the water taking photos is difficult with my son in chair, I am leadering and Billing the fish and Leroy is on top deck maneuvering boat to make my life as deckhand more livable (easy). Now we cannot believe that two marlin and stripes’ at that too!!

±9:30 3rd Strike I immediately tell Vasie to get in the chair. Leroy shouting clear rods quick as this looks like a big blue and jumping like hell. It felt longer but say an hour we had a blue Marlin of ±120kg. We try to lift on to boat with bill and leader when the hook nearly shot into my face and shortly after that blue swims off, now we are all shouting and disbelieve as we have caught 3 marlin within the space of 2 hours. My son at this stage lies down on the bench to catch his breath and says to us with a devilish smile on his face that Marlin fishing is absolutely exhilarating. Leroy and I cannot believe what happiness we are experiencing. I am so happy for him and more even that my son has just caught 3 marlins, and I wish my father and the rest of my family was with us to see this and experience this day.

11:00 Myself and Leroy are still talking about everything when Leroy makes a comment that,” imagine that we can get a black marlin today that would give us a grand slam”. While explaining this to me the Japan goes off and shouting for my son to come down from the top tower and come help. I jumped in the chair after clearing some rods. Leroy scrambling up in top tower laughing and screaming! After a short fight we released another small strippie, ±60kg. Now I cannot believe our luck. My first striped Marilyn, my son's first striped marlin and a blue marlin and 4 marlin in one day. Leroy is smiling and we are all so happy for the boat and skipper a 1st 4 marlin in one day.

After a short fight we released another small strippie, ±60kg. Now I cannot believe our luck. My first striped Marilyn, my son's first striped marlin and a blue marlin and 4 marlin in one day. Leroy is smiling and we are all so happy for the boat and skipper a 1st 4 marlin in one day. Now we reset the Now we reset the lures and we do not believe what has just taken place in our lives, as friends and father and son. At this stage Leroy is wishing that Richard, his son, was with us but he is in Panama skipping a boat for “Tropic Star Lodge” and getting an experience of a lifetime as that is marlin paradise. I wish my youngest son Pieter was with us. But so we are chatting away, when for the next 2 hours all is quiet.

A Small Dorado in spread and yellow fin tuna. At 3 o'clock Leroy suggests we turn back to Durban and slow trawl back home. On the turn all hell breaks loose. The short corner 80 pound rod takes off at such a speed that by the time we cleared rods and Leroy up the tower again my son Vasie chased back to the fighting chair, Leroy screaming from top of the tower, “It is a big black Marlin, we are in for a fight. What felt like 5 hours was 3 hrs with the leader bead surfacing 4 times with every time the bead just comes out the fish takes off a good 70 meters of line every time. When eventually Vasie uses up whatever energy he has left to win the extra meter to get the leaders bead out the water to get the fish to surface we eventually have an enormous black marlin on 80 pound tackle at the back of Charlie Brown which is from starboard to port ±4m and this fish with tail sticking past the starboard corner (port) and bill of fish, I realized at that moment what a big black this is. I lessend the pressure on the leader and the fish shook its head and the hook came loose and we all had this incredibly tired but happy and sad feeling especially, that we cannot load this big black as bad as it sounds.

What pulled me and my son Vasie back to reality is Leroy shouting at the top of his voice, “ that was great, we have just caught 5 marlin in 1 day (3xSriped Marlin) (1xBue Marlin)(1xBlack Marlin a possible ±350-450kg fish).
It dawned on us that it is nearly dark and Leroy radios port to let them know we are OK and on our way in.

It is on our way back in, that Leroy comments to me saying we have possibly set a new SA record for 5 marlin in one day; 3 species, 1 day; (1 fishermen, 4 marlin in one day). I felt like crying because I was thinking, “dear God thank you!” and wishing my father was alive to have seen this.

P.S We have entered this to the Captain Morgan as advised by Leroy White skipper and other fishermen!”