1FEC | August 2015

EC BAIT DEMO CATCH COMPETITION TIDES

FISHING

KAYAKCORNERBrett Armstrong

PIGNOSE GRUNTER

Eat Paddletail

TARGETLINEClub Comp

YELLOWTAIL East London to

New Zealand

ISSUE: 20

FREE

COPYPLEASE

TAKE ONE

AUGUST 2015

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1FEC | August 2015

From East London to New Zealand 04

Bait Demo 24Octopus wrap blob.

Catch Competition 26Send us your photos and youcould win.

Tides 28Check the tide tables tomake sure you fishing theright times.

Target Line Club Comp

22

FEATURES

CONTENT

10

Pignose onpaddletail

Kayak Corner

17

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3FEC | August 2015

MAGAZINEEDITOR

Nigel Louw

CONTRIBUTORSBradley Stevens

Juan WesselsBrett Armstrong

Carl HennJustin du Preez

CONTACT

ADVERTISING:

email: nigel@fishingec.com

Mobile: 073 690 2606

Website: www.fishingec.com

Search: Fishing The Eastern Cape

Nigel LouwEditor

LETTEREDITORS

No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Fishing The Eastern Cape. The magazine

is published monthly and cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in articles. The

views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the editor. Fishing The Eastern Cape does not accept responsibility

for advertising content.

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ON THE COVERJohan Janse van Rensburg with a good size Shad caught in Gonubie.

Well winter should be coming to an end soon. There has been some nice fish caught during the colder months. We had a pretty good Pignose Grunter season from all the posts and emails that I have seen.

Next month is Spring and water should start warming up too, then it is time to have some light tackle lure fun again in the Eastern Capeestuaries. We had quite a bit of rain in July so hopefully that slows down and the rivers clear up nicely for the warmer months.

Don’t forget to send in your catch photos for our Catch & Win page. You could be the next winner.

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FromEast LondontoNew Zealand

Yellowtail from the rocks

On 5 January 2013, my wife, two young boys and I made the ex-tremely tough decision of leaving

beautiful South Africa for a better qual-ity of life in Wellington, New Zealand. It was the first time in my 39 years of living in East London that I had left the shores of South Africa. I have tried my hand at eve-rything, from rock ‘n surf to the delicate art of throwing a 4 weight line for trout.We’ve had a family holiday house at Kidds Beach for as long as I can remem-

Words/pics: Bradley Stevens

ber and to this day, it remains my favour-ite spot for kob, bluefish and piggy’s. Unfortunately the rock ‘n surf fish-ing in Wellington is not nearly as good as the Eastern Cape. The sea here is very flat and normally very cold.

In January 2014 we went on a road trip north to see what the rest of the North Is-land has to offer. We made plans to stay with family friends, Dirk and Nicci, Dirk is also an ex-East Londoner. They own a farm,

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about 2 hours north of Auckland. The farm is about a 30min drive to the coast. I had heard that the fishing is better further north, so I packed my gear into our Venter trailer that we had brought with us. I brought over all my fishing tackle from South Africa.

We arrived at our friends at about mid-day. After lunch I mentioned that I had my fishing gear and would like to throw a line during our stay. Dirk found the tide table and calmly said “would you like to catch a kingfish?” (yellowtail are re-ferred to as kingfish in New Zealand).I thought he was joking! He said, I’ll take you to a spot in the harbour where you’ll have a good chance of hooking one. Without hesitation, I said “let’s go!”

Not many people know about the spot. It’s a 5 minute walk if you live, or know someone that lives in an access controlled private housing development. Dirk has family that live in the development. It is accessible to the public from one side, only on a low tide and it’s quite a walk. There is a shallow reef about 30m from the rocks and a deep chan-

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nel between the reefs and from where you stand. The yellowtail apparently waits in the channel between the rocks and the reef on the pushing tide and ambush the baitfish. The idea is to cast over the reef and as the popper hits the channel, wait for the strike!

On the way to the spot Dirk told me that if the yellowtail were there, we would hook one within the first 10 minutes! He also said that the best time to fish the spot is on the pushing tide. We arrived at the spot and the tide was already high and the wind was blowing. We threw for 15-20 minutes with no luck, so we packed up.

The tide was high at about 07h40 the next morning. Dirk couldn’t make it, but I was up at 05h30 and at the spot just after 06h00. I was using my 10ft Fenwick Eagle

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GT dropshot rod, Diawa Regal 4000 with 20lb braid and one of Malcolm Botha’s 2oz Connoisseur poppers. On the first throw I had a chase! A few more chases after that and on the 5th throw was tight!! I couldn’t hold it and it took off towards the reef. Af-ter about 15-20 seconds it reefed me!!! That was my chance for the morning..........they went off after that. I did go home with three size snapper, one of about 2kg.

On my sixth throw was tight

again!! “ “

I was back at the spot earlier the next morn-ing, with my two boys (Daniel and Callum) and told them to watch for the strike. This time I set up my 13,6ft 3-piece Elbe Wave-runner with medium tip and Diawa Salt-ist 40H with 40lb Kingfisher hi-abrasion and put on a 3oz Connoisseur popper. On my 6th throw was tight again!! The fish took off for the same rock and I tightened the drag and held on! I managed to turn him and he then swam left towards the deeper water. I had the fight of my life and then landed a 1100mm (35lb) yellowtail!!My son, Daniel took some action photos while I was fighting it. I had a few more throws after I landed it, but had no hook ups.

We were leaving for Wellington the next day, but I had to go back for one more throw. I was at the spot just after 06h00 again and it was spring tide, but only high just before 09h00. It was still a bit low, but I couldn’t wait to get my line in the water. I went tight on the first throw!!!! During the fight, I got the fish close to the rocks and there were 3 other yellowtail following it! This one was smaller at 860mm (16lb) and was released.One of my best 3 days of fishing ever!!!

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Yes they do eat it!Words/pics: Juan Wessels

PIGNOSE GRUNTERON PADDLETAIL?

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PIGNOSE GRUNTERON PADDLETAIL?

After having fished with bait for many years, I decided I need a change. So I started fishing with artificial lures or

crank baits. I was in two minds to do so as I would be leaving behind my favourite target species, the Pignose Grunter, Witsteenbras.Piggy’s have been taken on most baits such as Pilchard, Chokka, Occi Leg, etc. but the real hardcore Pig Hunter will use

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sand prawn or Mussel Worm. These fish get to well over 20kg and are caught al-most anywhere along our coastline. Some will target these fish only when the water is cold and dirty, but I have seen many a Pig caught in clean warm water. They are normally caught right through the year but seem to come on more regularly in the winter months from around April to July. Things to look for are deep holes in the surf line with sand turning on the lip. River mouths especially when there are swim-ming prawn about. Blind rivers that have been recently washed open due to heavy rains, these fish feed off prawns that get washed out to sea. After changing to paddle tail I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I could still catch these fish, by slowing my re-trieve down. If you feel hard knocks or short runs and you fail to hook up, check the pad-dle tail for teeth marks and if there are nonethere’s a good chance there’s a pig around.

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KAYAK CORNERFISHING

Words/pics: Brett Armstrong

Hi there fellow “fish-yakers”. The weath-er has certainly been showing its ugly side the last few weeks. August and

September will hopefully bring some amaz-ing conditions, so dust off that kayak and get out there with some family and friends.

Why is kayak fishing becoming so popular? Very simple, it is an exciting, inexpensive, simple, and healthy sport where you set your own pace and also catch great fish whilst out with some family and friends in nature. Kayak fishing, although it’s been around for some time, is still developing and evolving with great equipment and accesso-ries and models to make you kayak experi-ence so much more enjoyable and exciting.

Over the last month I have had quite a few discussions with guys on anchoring in

both the river and ocean. Now this topic is essentially one of personal choice and preference, it is one of importance. Whilst anchoring in the river for some is not a big deal, drifting being the choice of a lot of kayakers, for some anchoring near a deep hole and making the most of the condi-tions is the way to go. An anchor trolley system is the way to go for sure, allowing you to be protected from the wind and face the correct direction. With a strong cur-rent in the river, a drogue anchor would be the best option to slow that drift motion down. If you don’t have a proper drogue anchor system, throw a bucket over the side and a length of rope around 1.5m long and you set for a slower controlled drift.

However, when it comes to anchoring in the ocean, this is a completely different concept,

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with safety being your primary concern, especially near shallow reefs and in rough conditions. The wrong kayak anchoring sys-tem in the ocean can be the difference be-tween a successful outing and an extremely frustrating and dangerous experience. The ocean anchor system should include an an-chor trolley system of pulleys, latches and bungee cord. This allows you to anchor the kayak from bow to stern depending the conditions. For me, I want an anchor system that is safe, easy to use, quick to release and extremely easy to store on my kayak. There are lots of styles and options out there, but not all work as effectively as you hope for. Recently, I had an amazing experience with a friend and we tried tandem anchoring. This is where the front kayak anchors and you connect a tether bungee anchor cord to the front kayak from the front of the second kayak allowing both kayaks to be anchored with one anchor. The advantage is that you both stay on the same reef; you are in close contact with each other and, depending on the conditions, can even be safer. This worked extremely well and proved to be very successful. It is also more personal and allows you to maintain contact and com-pany with your fellow fisherman buddy. Es-sentially, you need to ensure you have the right equipment when anchoring, enough anchor rope to ensure you allow for enough swell height, tidal changes and drift abil-ity. You should have some quick release latches and floatation buoys to allow for quick release of the anchor system should you experience a sudden surge or danger-ous hook up of a big fish. A strong fish can easily cause complete chaos around an anchor system and despite the possibility of loosing a catch of a lifetime; you could easily get sideways and capsize. Nothing like falling off your kayak in the ocean…. you learn to walk on water super fast. Talk about an adrenalin rush. Essentially you need a 750gram grapnel (folding) anchor, a whole lot of rope and an anchor trolley system with pulleys and a few quick release latches and a few floats. Checkout You Tube, there are so many systems available.

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Now onto some river kayaking and light-ing….there is nothing better than getting up really early, having a coffee or some hot chocolate and hitting the river at 04h00 on a chilly morning with a couple mates. Although there are many options for get-ting some light for you kayak on the river, for me I have two basic lighting tools I use. The first one is a head torch, which is great for general navigation and direc-tional lighting and the second, a Railblaza base mount on a mini extension pole. This provides perfect lighting for the main sur-face area and working space on the kayak as well as allows other craft to know where you are. The light from the Railblaza is not too bright, but the perfect amount to allow the required lighting to get the job done.

The advantage of river kayaking to me is very simple; it is a much more control-led and safe environment for your fishing experience. The conditions are so much more predictable and inviting. So for me, it is an opportunity to just chill and go

Anchor pulley system fitted to the front of a

Stealth fishing ski.

Railblaza light installed on the

river kayak.

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Kayak seat with rear storage

pocket.

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with the flow, I don’t need to worry about changing conditions, sudden wave bursts and hectic currents. It’s just me, my kayak and the awesome natural surroundings of our beautiful region. Don’t get me wrong at all, I absolutely live for fishing on my kayak on the ocean, but the dangers are far greater, but the rewards far bigger. But sometimes you just want to chill on the river and drift for some spotties and en-joy the environment without thinking too much. It is for this reason I decided to build myself “my ultimate’ idea and version of a river fishing kayak. My base weapon of choice, the Feel Free Moken 10 Angler.

One of the most important safety points to remember when fishing off your kayak in the ocean is to always go with a friend. Safety in numbers! I am always concerned when I hear of mates fishing on their own, I have only gone kayak bottom fishing on my own once in the ocean, I felt so vul-nerable and uneasy, I believe I know the ocean well. So rather be safe than sorry and go out with some mates. It’s just easier and actually more enjoyable and sociable.

Lastly, I have seen quite a few guys fishing with “normal “ 9ft and similar fishing rods off their kayak. Essentially each to their own, but there are lots of smaller, kayak specific fishing rods available for around R100 that are so much easier to work with

off your kayak. When paddling out on your kayak to your favorite reef or spot through the waves and shore break, it is important to adequately store and protect your rods and equipment from the elements. So the smaller the equipment and rods, the safer and easier to stow away. Invest in some nice rod leashes or make your own from some bungee cord. You will be happy you did should the conditions get nasty and gnarly.

Another kayak option, which I have gone for on my river kayak, is a kayak seat. I must admit the idea at first was a little foreign and I felt like an “old man”, but once I fitted it and got some hours behind me I realized what a great addition it was; so much more comfortable and relaxing. My seat has a rear storage compartment as well, which is great for keeping a few items in. The seats are relatively inexpen-sive and available at most kayak related stores. I have actually decided to fit one on my ocean going fishing kayak now and look forward to my first outing with it.

Anyway, for more information on kayak fish-ing and modifications and setup, drop me an email at brettflip@gmail.com In addition to this, if you would like to join the kayak fish-ing Whats app group, please also send your details through and I will link you. A great way to meet guys who share your fishingexperience and passion for the sport.

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On the 04/07/2015, Target Line Fresh-water Angling Club had its 4th club competition for the season, this time at Nahoon Dam, just off the N2.Conditions looked good for us, but it is winter and fishing was going to be tough. Everyone knows that fishing in winter is slow and we were hitting it solid in the middle of winter. It was a beautiful day in the end with not much wind. At times the water presented itself with a beau-tiful mirror image of our surroundings.As the day went on, more and more fish came out….not your typical winter’s day. The fish size was as we all had hoped, decent.Chris Engelbrecht, who came 1st over-all and in the masters, had the big-gest carp at 5.797kg and the big-gest bag of 12 carps at 39.794kg. 3

19 anglers competed that caught a to-tal of 74 carps with a total weight of 229.862kg (average of 3.1kg). Definitely not too shabby for a winter competition.

Here are the top results of the comp:

Seniors:1 JJ Koch 9 carps 31.272kg2 Martin Piek 8 carps 28.649kg3 Adriane Domoney 8 carps 18.923kg

Masters:1 Chris Engelbrecht 12carps 39.794kg2 Chris Koch 4 carps 12.103kg3 Jack Sutton 3 carps 10.187kg

Ladies:1 Petra Piek 6 carps 15.802kg

TARGET LINEFreshwater club results

Words/pics: Carl Henn

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Here are the standings after 3competitions:

Seniors: 1 Martin Piek 77pts 2 Adriane Domoney 59pts 3 JJ Koch 46pts Masters: 1 Chris Englebrecht 65pts 2 Anthon Henn 56pts 3 Chris Koch 46pts

Ladies: 1 Petra Piek 49pts 2 Lezanda Engelbrecht 30pts 3 Jackie Domoney 20pts Juniors: 1 Liane Husselmann 35pts 2 Nikita Moodley 20pts

Our next club competition will be Bridal Drift Dam in August and many fish are waiting to hit our scale.Our date is out…….16-18 October 2015. 40 hours of thrilling fishing at Wrig-gleswade Dam. Ticket prices to be an-nounced very soon. Some nice prizes up for grabs with lucky draws and more….. For any enquiries on how to join our club, feel free to call me on 073 857 2209, e-mail sales@targetline.co.za or targetlinefreshwaterangling@gmail.com or join on face book at Target Line FAC. See you all reel soon on the banks.

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Words/pics: Justin du Preez

THE

BAIT BOXTIPS

OCCIE WRAP BLOB

You need a nice semi frozen chokka ring (beats and fluffs better when slightlyfrozen) chokka legs optional.

Cotton legs onto dingle if wanted then wrap beaten strip around dingle and cotton to secure.

Now beat the chokka strip to the desired consistency.

1

2

3

25FEC | August 2015

SPARGS MALLBEACON BAY043 711 7700

Sponsored by

Clip and cast.You can add anything to this bait if u want like a Mackerel cutlet or Sardine.

4

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Send us your best catch picture and you could win an awesome prize. (Photo must be of yourself holding the fish and preferably still alive. Photos of gutted fish do not qualify)Email your entry to nigel@fishingec.com with the followingdetails: - Anglers full name - Species - Location caught- Bait used - Size/Weight

Angler: Wade BothaSpecies: Grey SharkLocation: Mazeppa BayBait: BlacktailSize: 180kg

Angler: Justin StaudeSpecies: EnglishmanLocation: Deep SeaBait: SquidSize: 3.74kg

Angler: John McKaySpecies: KobLocation: Port St JohnsBait: Live BaitSize: 12kg

CATCH & WIN

27FEC | August 2015

July Winner

Angler: Julian MaastrechtSpecies: KobLocation: ShixiniBait: DropshotSize: 89cm

Angler: Johan Janse van RensburgSpecies: ShadLocation: GonubieBait: Shad filletSize: 91cm / 6.5kg

Johan wins himself an assortment of Triton lures/spoons.

Keep sending in your catches and stand a chance of winning an assortment of Triton lures.

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TIDE CHARTAugust 2015Information supplied by the Hydrographer SA Navy

The Hydrographer is not responsible for anytranscription errors.

TO ADVERTISEWITH

CONTACT:NIGEL@FISHINGEC.COM

073 690 2606

29FEC | August 2015

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