FISHING EC BAIT DEMO
CATCH COMPETITION
TIDES
MAY 2016
SAVING SA’S Fish KAYAK CORNER
Brett Armstrong
RECORD
Scotsman
RASSPL
E FRE Y COP
Border Blacktips East Coast Report You can read the magazine on our website, find it on www.issuu.com or download the ISSUU app and read it on your phone.
ASE PLE ONE E TAK
WWW.FISHINGEC.COM 1 FEC | May 2016
ISSUE: 29
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CONTENT
Save South Africa’s Fish 04 Border RASSPL East Coast 10
Kayak Corner 16
Fantastic Catch
FEATURES Bait Demo
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Flapped baby mullet with chokka tails.
Catch Competition 26 Send us your photos and you could win.
Tides
Check the tide tables to make sure you fishing the right times.
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Keep our beaches clean.
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EDITORS
LETTER
MAGAZINE EDITOR Nigel Louw CONTRIBUTORS Justin Du Preez Shane Smit Nicolette Armansin Brett Armstrong John Luef
CONTACT ADVERTISING: email: nigel@fishingec.com Mobile: 073 690 2606 Website: www.fishingec.com
Find us on Facebook Search: Fishing The Eastern Cape
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.
We had hot humid weather for quite a while, but all of a sudden winter has hit. It is much colder and the mornings starting later and darkness falling earlier. Don’t let the cold weather stop you though, we have good fishing during the winter. Deep sea anglers will be targeting the salmon, rock and surf should be targeting the Pignose Grunter now and then a bit later the Shad will increase in numbers. Don’t forget to send in your catch photos for our Catch & Win page. You could be the next winner.
Nigel Louw Editor
ON THE COVER
Justin Du Preez with his Silver Steenbras caught at Trennery’s FEC | May 2016
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Save South Africa’s Fish Scientists & conservationist collaborate with anglers & ocean lovers to launch a new initiative aimed at combatting the decline of South Africa’s favourite fishes.
Pics: Brian Cochius, Eugene Beukes and Vincent Taylor 4
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aunching in April 2016, FishforLife is a national platform that will provide critical knowledge for the effective management of South Africa’s recreational marine resources. Developed in collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the University of Cape Town (UCT), Rhodes University and WWF South Africa, FishforLife is the first project of its kind to be
undertaken at a national scale in South Africa. It is widely acknowledged that fish communities in South Africa have been depleted to the point at which the future of our stocks is a major environmental concern. FishforLife was created in response to this and will raise awareness about the status of key angling species, the value of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and inform improvements to recreational fishing methods. FEC | May 2016
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FishforLife will engage members of the public as active citizen scientists, providing the opportunity to contribute to the research that can secure the future of our declining stocks. According to Associate Professor Colin Attwood, Marine Research Institute, University of Cape Town, “Each time anglers go out, they generate useful data, even if no fish are caught. While some spectacular angling results are reported in the media or captured in photographs, these are often not available as scientific data.” By participating, users can ensure that the quality of recreational fishing and diving is maintained for future generations to enjoy. The web-based platform, www.fishforlife.co.za, is central to the FishforLife project, and is a portal to three initiatives driving the research: CatchReport is designed to gather user-generated “catch” data and will allow individual anglers to log what they catch. It will also capture organised data from fishing competitions. Fishtory will use historical records to identify long-term trends in the state of marine fish stocks and to set baselines for FEC | May 2016
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current stock assessments. These records, including old trophy photos, angling journals and newspaper clippings, provide valuable insights into how distributions, compositions and sizes have shifted over the years and the impacts of changing fishing practices and management. iSpot allows users to submit photographs to the Sea Fish Atlas, aimed at mapping marine fish distributions in South Africa. FishforLife will also give back to users. Valuable information on best angling practices will be developed to promote responsible fishing, reduce fish mortalities, raise awareness of threatened fish species and the value of Marine Protected Areas. An integrated login for all three initiatives means that users need only register once to have access to all the benefits that FishforLife and its subprojects offer.
These include an online personal catch log with an integrated map, safe digital album of precious old photos, detailed and realtime weather and tide charts and access an extensive online community, including experts, that will help identify unusual catches. There will also be fantastic prizes on offer periodically and FishforLife merchandise available following the official launch of the project on 29 April 2016. For more information, please refer to the attached FishforLife Fact Sheet, visit www.fishforlife.co.za or contact: Nicolette Armansin, Researcher, Rhodes University on +27 761 718 702 or nicolette.armansin@gmail.com.
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Border Blacktips East Coast Results
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Words/pics: Shane Smit
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he Border Blacktips held our 8th and final league competition of the season on the 2nd of April on the Eastcoast resorts side of East London. Boundaries for the event was from the Kwelega river mouth to Kwenugha river just east of Cefane. Weather for the day was great but the sea did have a relatively big westerly swell early on which made fishing conditions tricky. Most fish were caught early morning with the shad biting like crazy around the Cintsa area where several anglers caught them throw after throw. Member Derek “Steenbras king� Nicholson landed a Nice kob Early on whilst fishing the Glen Muir area where quite a few young Black Musselcracker were also recorded. The biggest Musselcracker and top fish for the day however was caught at Cintsa West by, now RASSPL veteran and
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top dog angler for the season, Colin Scheepers with a 4.7kg Black Musselcracker. Colin also achieved the top scorer position for the day with a total of 576 points which also secured him the “top dog� spot for the 2015/2016 season ending with 3416 individual points, 1300 points ahead of the 2nd placed angler and 2nd nationally! Truly impressive angling and he remains an inspiration and asset to the Border Blacktips team. As the day went by conditions became extremely difficult with some anglers only managing bites every few hours so to sum it up, if you never had or missed your chance in the early hours, you were never going
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to get it. When it was all said and done though there were anglers with prizewinning catches like member Robert Odendaal coming in 3rd with a beautiful 2.2kg Yellowbelly rockod and member Brian Simpson in 4th with an impressive 1.8kg Shad. Top of the ladies for the day was member Caryl-Ann Parathyras also with a nice Yellowbelly Rockod of 1.1kg and Top junior going to Hein Dafel with his 49cm eel tail barbell. Biggest non edible fish went to member Julian Maastrecht with a sandshark of 3.2kg. The most important stat of the day was that we caught and released a total of 97 fish for day, Well done to all involved. A huge thank you to all our sponsors for making our competitions and 2015/2016 season possible, without all the great prizes it simply wouldn’t be as exciting. Another big Thank you must go to all the Anglers whether visitors or members for all your continued support throughout the season, without you all none of this would even be possible so thank you and we hope to 14
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see you all again next season, remember that anyone and everyone is welcome! Our next competition and first for the 2016/2017 season will once again be on the Eastcoast on the 4th of June but this time with boundaries being from Gonubie river to Belugha river where we hope to start the year off with a bang! It will be the 1st time that we are fishing this venue in 3 years. For more information, pre-registrations and membership queries drop me a mail at shane.rasspl@gmail.com or visit our revamped website at www.rasspl.com
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CORNER K A Y A K FISHING
Words/pics: Brett Armstrong
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OW, how nice was April. We had so many great outings, in both the river and the ocean. We are so blessed to live in the beautiful Eastern Cape. I can think of nothing more relaxing and rewarding than going out kayaking at the crack of dawn, watching the sun come up with 8 to 10 other like minded kayakers. That’s the way to start the day. Epic Day out on the Kayaks In the middle of April, 6 kayakers headed out form one of our local beaches and after witnessing an epic sunrise, we put our lines down to see what Mother Nature had planned for us. The day, which started in spectacular fashion, just got better and better. The day turned out to become one of the most memorable ocean outings in the last year or so. Understanding that we fish at this spot quite often and normally enjoy great catching and releasing of a multitude of species. But this day was just insane. We just could not stop catching fish. The moment we release the catch and drop our lines, another fish takes the line. We even moved around to see how many different species we could catch and release. Epic
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doesn’t begin to explain our experience. Eventually after a few hours we decided to take a fish or two home for lunch. We caught and released seven different species that morning and everyone enjoyed themselves. March proved a little slow on the catch and release front, but man did April shine. A few days before I hit the river to see what it could produce and to my absolute surprise it to left me speechless. Five different species and all on different bait options. Unreal. All were safely release back into the water. Mdumbi Kayak Fishing Trip – 27 April – 1 May: The much awaited and planned for Mdumbi trip will happen and by the time you read this I will be doing the write up from this amazing adventure. Lots of photos, lots of kayaks and all round fun and adventure. Watch this space for next months report back. This has the making of an annual event. Kayak Safety Tip of the month Over the last month we have had a lot of discussions around safety especially around launching in conditions, which
may be challenging for some. Essentially, herewith a couple of important points to remember when making that decision to go out while at the beach: 1. Never go out in the ocean to fish on your kayak alone; 2. Make sure you have all your safety gear and equipment and that it is safely stowed away on your kayak; 3. Make sure you inform someone where you are launching from and what time you are expecting to return; 4. Always look at the weather conditions and predictions before going out. Make sure you are aware of what the tides are
doing; 5. Always ensure that you are comfortable with the specific launch site you are going from. Familiarize yourself with all obstacles, rocks and waves and tidal flow before deciding whether to go out or not; 6. Always openly discuss your concerns about the launch and returning to the beach with your fellow kayaker. More often than not people keep quiet and then panic or have an issue when going out. This could easily be avoided if discussions are had before deciding to go out; 7. Always consider the change in tidal flow and weather and ocean conditions FEC | May 2016
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NAHOON POINT TO GONUBIE POINT RESERVE
by the time you return and come back to the beach after your outing. This is often forgotten about until you realize the sea has turned really ugly and unsafe; 8. Always be aware that the weather could change at any time, so get ready to end your trip early if the conditions appear to potentially be changing for the worse; 9. Finally, never be scared or embarrassed to say, “let’s not go out today, the conditions don’t look too favorable””. Tomorrow is another day. Safety first. Kayak Club for East London: We are very proud of the fact that in East London, us kayak fishing enthusiasts have a club under which we operate, namely, Kayak Fishing EC. Our club has grown from strength to strength over the last few months. And it is amazing to see how much fun everyone is having. The group outings are amazing. These outings are also very important and no matter how many times you have been out, no day is the same. You will learn something new every time. FEC | May 2016
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Every experience allows for better preparation for the next trip. It is great to learn from those more experienced guys who are always happy to share their experience and ideas. As a club, w also have a very informative and interesting website at www. kayakfishingec.co.za and a Facebook page with the same name, Kayak Fishing EC, and would like to encourage you to go and checkout our site and to also Like us on Facebook and then share/spread the news. The club is focused on both ocean and river kayak fishing, so there is something for everyone here. We have a host of information and galleries available on the website, so check it out and join us on the water. This month’s tip on rigging your kayak: Although we are extremely serious about catching and releasing, we obviously like to take something home for the braai or pan. I recently had a special fish bag made (for my catch), which I use for storing my bait, anchor and a few other goodies in when launching and coming in after my outing. When I catch the fish I intend taking home with me I place it in my fish bag. The bag has a couple zips, but essentially is waterproof. More importantly, it doesn’t let any blood out of the bag. So no attracting any
sharks from blood spilled overboard. When I get to the beach, I just take the fish in the bag and clean it and then clean the bag off. The result, no blood and smell in my fish hatches. The bag is extremely strong and very easy to clean, so just rinse the hatch out with fresh water and you good for the next trip. I must admit, the bag has so many uses, other than just for your catch. It’s simple, measure you section you need a bag for and take it to get one made. Mine cost R400, and fits perfectly and is worth every cent. For more information on kayak fishing and related aspects, please do not hesitate to contact me at info@kayakfishingec.co.za. Also checkout our website at www.kayakfishingec.co.za. To join our Whats app kayak fishing EL group, please email us and we will add you. It’s a great way to meet new guys and plan fishing trips and chat about our amazing sport. Remember: Safety first and always respect our environment.
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FANTASTIC CATCH
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ow what a fantastic catch, this huge Scotsman weighing in at a whopping 9.55 kg was caught by top angler from Kwelera Ski-boat club, Dean Niepage from the boat “Dutchie� on the 28th Feb in the clubs monthly competition. This amazing fish lays claims to the Border Deep Sea, All Africa and IGFA world records. This fish is testament to how well the current Amatola Marine Protected Areas are working. As these areas become over populated with fish, they migrate out the reserves and replenish the usual fishing grounds.
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X TIPS O B T I A B
THE
FLAPPED BABY MULLET WITH CHOKKA TAILS Words/pics: Justin Du Preez
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You need need a couple chokka strips and a baby mullet, knife and bait cotton.
Skin the mullet as much as possible.
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Fillet it up to the head and remove entire middle bone. 24
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Cut the bottom of the head open as such.
Sponsored by SPARGS MALL BEACON BAY 043 711 7700
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Place the hook through the top part by its nose and insert the dingle.
Now fold the flaps over to cover the top and bottom of the bait and cotton up nicely.
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CATCH & WIN Angler: Matthew Busse Species: Kob Location: Glen Eden Bait: Dropshot Size: 67cm
Angler: Leslie Hempel Species: Kob Location: East London Bait: Paddletail Size: 8-10kg
Angler: Jason Smith Species: Spotted Grunter Location: Kwelera Bait: Mud Prawn Size: 40cm
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 following details: - Anglers full name - Species - Location caught | May 2016 26 - BaitFEC used - Size/Weight
April Winner Angler: Brian Simpson Species: Silver Steenbras Location: Kwelera Bait: Sand Prawn Size: 81cm
Brian wins himself an asortment of Triton lures. Sponsored by Bilimoria Fishing Tackle + an Alcock’s book.
Angler: Steff Myburgh Species: Catface Rockod Location: Black Rock Bait: Sardine/Chokka Size: ?
Keep sending in your catches and stand a chance of winning a prize plus a copy of the new Alcock’s trolling and spinning book. FEC | May 2016
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TIDE CHART May 2016 Information supplied by the Hydrographer SA Navy The Hydrographer is not responsible for any transcription errors.
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CONTACT: NIGEL@FISHINGEC.COM 073 690 2606 28
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