FISHING EC BAIT DEMO
CATCH COMPETITION
TIDES
OCTOBER 2014
Haga Haga
HALCO C-GAR Lure Test
KAYAK CORNER What You Need To Know
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e 6t bac ro h k ck an pa an nu ge d al : D s F a FR urf c ishin te se C E hall g E t fo O E en C r ge P
Working The Drop Off
BORDER BLACKTIPS
Se
LEERIE MAYHEM
FEC | October 2014
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ISSUE: 10
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FEC | October 2014
CONTENT
Leerie Mayhem 04 Border Blacktips Haga Haga 10
EL Angler Off To World Champs 14
Kayak Corner With Brett Armstrong
FEATURES Bait Demo
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Dingle dangle bait with Chokka.
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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20 New Halco C-Gar lure test
Nigel Louw puts the Halco’s latest lure to the test.
22 Annual Fly Fishing Competition
Amatola Fly Fishing Clubs annual competition held at Gubu dam.
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EDITORS
LETTER
MAGAZINE EDITOR Nigel Louw
CONTRIBUTORS Ryan Blane Shane Smit Des Schmidt Brett Armstrong Nigel Louw Andrew Pautz 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.
This is the time of year for screaming reels. We have more fishing time in the day as it is starting to get light earlier. Nothing better than an early start, seeing the sun rise over the horizon and then some good fishing time. The lure anglers will be excited now with the season warming up and we have had some nice catches. Some good Leerfish have been around as you will see in Ryan Blanes article and in our tackle test of the new Halco C-Gar lure. Don’t forget to send us your latest catch photos with a bit of information. You could win a monthly prize, see the Catch & Win section for more info.
Nigel Louw Editor
ON THE COVER
Joe Jonker with a 13.8kg Garrick caught using live mullet for bait. FEC | October 2014
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M E H Y A M E I R E LE drop-off Working the
Words/Pics: Ryan Blane
Ryan Blane with a Garrick caught in one of the EC estuaries.
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ome friends and I went camping at a small Wild Coast resort for the weekend. Having set up camp in the rain on the Friday night, we were greeted by a strong easterly wind the next day. Nevertheless, we kitted up and headed down to the river at about 08:45. The tide had just started dropping and we knew we would have to get wet to get to the drop off we could see in the distance. We spent about 20 minutes throwing some lures, one of which JuandrĂŠ Goosen lost and was very upset about. Suddenly JuandrĂŠ spotted a feeding frenzy on the far sand bank that lasted about half a minute with mullets jumping in all directions and larger fish thrashing in the shallows. Knowing we had to get closer by crossing the small channel hugging the rocks, and convinced the Leeries were feeding on the edge of the drop off, I headed out to the sand bank. I found the edge of the drop-off and quickly changed to a 1oz white predator plug. Due to the strong wind and heavy chop, I thought it would be my best option for casting. FEC | October 2014
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Ryan Blane with a Garrick caught on a Predator plug.
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he it the water as his lure h ded his first lan was on and . for the day
About two throws later, the Leeries started chasing and I managed to land one of standard estuary size. Juandré then joined me with his white Strike Pro Tai Stick after and as his lure hit the water he was on and landed his first for the day. What followed was nothing short of incredible. We had chase after chase with myself landing a second and third before Juandré got hold of his second. Moving up and down the bank using a fast retrieve, the Predator plug was too much for the fish to resist and I ended up with six fish, of which number four and six were reasonably large measuring up around 5kg. I then changed to a green 28g Iron Candy Couta spoon and gave the Predator plug to Juandré. By this stage I had already decided to retire the Predator plug after the weekend and promote it to “Lure of Fame”
LEERFISH SPECIES FEEDING: It is an aggressive predator showing preference for shad, karanteen and mullet. SIZE: Garrick can attain a size of 180cm and a maximum mass of 32kg. REGULATIONS: Minimum capture size is 70cm total length. Daily bag limit is 2 fish per person.
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status and to hang on my rear-view mirror. On the first throw I was into number seven with the Iron Candy, with the Predator plug still producing hits, some of which were hooked but unfortunately came off. The fish were active all day and we packed up at 13:30 with our last catch being at 12:45 and although the fish were still chasing, we were unable to entice anymore into hooking themselves. We returned to the same spot later that
afternoon at 16:00 where another Leerie was lost on the Iron Candy after having a few chases on the Predator plug. Thinking it couldn’t get much better, we were reminded again on the Sunday morning that fishing is a mug’s game. With the west wind blowing and the water notably colder, the fish were nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, with nine decent sized Leeries caught, all safely released and a number beating us in the fight, we were more than satisfied.
WHAT IS A DROP-OFF?
A drop-off is an area of the river where water depth goes from shallow to deep quite suddenly. They are mainly formed a little way up from the river mouths. This form of structure is very good for game fish like Garrick that hunt other live fish. The predator fish will be lurking in the depths around the drop-off waitin for a baitfish like mullet to swim over the edge. The best times to fish these areas are two hours before and after low tide. Somedays you will have to cast and try different lures before any
chases take place, but on other days as you arrive you may see predator fish smashing baitfish on the edge. When approaching the drop-off you will be on the sand bank in a water depth from waist deep to ankle deep. Walk slowly and stop about 10m from the edge of the drop-off so you don’t spook any fish feeding right on the edge. To get the best results cast along the whole drop-off and also try various lures. If they not feeding on the surface then change to a leadhead on the bottom. FEC | October 2014
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BORDER BLACKTIPS Haga Haga
Words/pics: Shane Smit
Neville Kromhout with his winning Silver Steenbras.
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he Border Blacktips RASSPL team held our 4th league competition of the season at picturesque Haga Haga on the 6th of September 2014. Although the sea measured a icy 15 degrees celcius, some great fish were caught and released. Members Neville Kromhout took the Top edible prize on offer with an 8.6kg Silver Steenbras/White Musselcracker followed closely by Colin Scheepers with a 7kg Pignose Grunter/White Steenbras. Other notable catches were Abraham Reabow with a 2.1kg Galjoen and Junior Raiden Masters with his 46kg Spotted Ragged
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Tooth Shark. A total of 133 fish were caught and released on the day, bringing our total catch and release fish count for the season to 638 after 4 league competitions. We had a total of 91 anglers take part at Haga Haga from last years 60 odd at the same venue. Not only is this great for the growth of RASSPL but more importantly that it shows that more and more anglers are being sold to the fact that catch and release sports angling is the future of angling in SA. What we have also seen is that more and more Lady and junior anglers are taking part in our competitions and this is
Raiden Masters with a Ragged Tooth Shark.
a very encouraging sign as to the future of this beautiful sport. The Border Blacktips team is still the leader when it comes to angler participation within the RASSPL brand and although our dedicated committee members work hard to bring you, the angler, an awesome competition with awesome prizes, the greatest contributor to our success is all of you, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your growing and continued support! Our next exciting League competition will be held at Winterstrand seaside village on Saturday the 11th of October and as always,
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anyone can enter! The RASSPL format caters for the all anglers, from the most experienced to the 1st timers so bring the entire family along including Granny and Grandpa and put yourself in line to win some awesome prizes! Tickets will be on sale at Bilimoria and Quality Baits from the 1st of October so be sure to get yours. For angler registrations, memberships and general queries contact myself on shane.rasspl@gmail.com.
Luke Gernetsky with his 16.7kg Grey Shark
Colin Scheepers with a nice size Pignose Grunter.
Full prizewinners list: Heaviest Shark Species - Luke Gernetsky - 16.7kg grey shark Heaviest Ray Species - Colin Scheepers - 9kg eagle ray 1st Heaviest edible species - Neville Kromhout - 8.6kg white musselcracker 2nd Heaviest edible species - Colin Scheepers - 7kg white steenbras 3rd Heaviest edible species - Abraham Reabow - 2.3kg bronze bream 4th Heaviest edible species - Abraham Reabow - 2.1kg Kob 5th Heaviest edible species - Abraham Reabow - 2.1kg Galjoen 6th Heaviest edible species - Tommy Shaw - 1.2kg cape stumpnose Lady Heaviest non edible species - Lizel Smit - 1.3kg lesser sandshark Lady Heaviest edible species - Nadia Radcliffe - 1.6kg bronze bream Junior 1st Heaviest fish - Raiden Masters - 46.4kg raggered tooth shark Junior 2nd Heaviest fish - Thorn Masters - 0.6kg lesser sandshark Masters Heaviest fish - Colin Scheepers - 7.1kg eagle ray Most outstanding catch - Abraham Reabow - 2.1kg/44cm galjoen Most points - Colin Scheepers - 555.6 points FEC | October 2014
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EL Angler set for World championship Words/pics: Des Schmidt
Kyle with Carl Henn and Liza Schmidt from Target Line.
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ith two weeks to go to leaving for the 50th anniversary of the FIPSM World angling championships, Kyle Schmidt (U21 Junior Protea angling team Captain) is on the final leg of his preparations. This tournament will take place in Weymouth about 250km south of London in the United Kingdom over the period of
Carey Kurten winner of the Haga Haga Hotel voucher. 14
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23rd September to the 5th October 2014. The team consists of five anglers from all over South Africa and is selected on merit, based on their achievements attained over a period of three years on South African national ranking list. It is a great honour for this team to represent their country, with this been Schmidt’s third international cap.
Keith Zehmke winner of the Shimano Trinidad 30 and Technium surf rod.
Johan Barnard winner of the Shimano Sustain 5000 reel and Aero cast rod.
Kyle with Dave from Bilimoria Fishing Tackle.
Schmidt has been privileged to be supported by two of the local fishing tackle stores namely, Bilimoria Fishing Tackle and Target line. The three raffle draws were drawn in the two stores and witnessed by Nigel Louw, the editor of the Fishing EC magazine. The rock and surf raffle was drawn at Target Line and was won by Keith Zehmke. He was presented a Shimano Trinidad 30 and a Shimano Techninium surf rod compliments of Target Line and VMC, SA importers and distributers of Shimano. The sort after drop shot rig consisted of an Aero cast rod and a Shimano Sustain 5000 reel, this raffle draw was once again witnessed by Nigel Louw and the prize presented by Bilimoria Fishing Tackle and VMC. Dave from Bilimoria presented a very excited Johan Barnard with the drop shot rig, Barnard commented that it was the first time he had ever won anything. The local Haga Haga hotel raffle organised by Megan Schmidt was also a great success as many of the general public that were not anglers and took a chance at winning this sort after prize. Carey Kurten will be enjoying a wonderful weekend in the majestic setting of the Haga Haga complex. A special thanks needs to be mentioned to all the sponsors that have contributed towards this raffle in some way or the other and especially the supporters that purchased raffle tickets. It is with this support that Kyle Schmidt has been able to reach another milestone and dream in his life.
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K A Y A K CORNER FISHING
With: Brett Armstrong
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elcome to the second edition of our Kayak Fishing section. The first edition was very well received and we look forward to an exciting future with this monthly editorial. This month I have decided to focus on some simple, but very relevant questions and answers which we often discuss in great detail, but will try and answer them in the best way possible in this short article.
SHOULD I PURCHASE PLASTIC OR FIBREGLASS? This is an ongoing debate and effectively boils down to your personal choice, once you understand the elements and restrictions of either option. The fiberglass option is normally lighter, has a rudder system and is faster, however, the down side is that when it gets damaged, it needs a specialist to repair the damage. Plastic kayaks on the other hand can handle a lot more rugged behavior, but lack the speed and directional control in windy and rougher condition. My personal option, the Fiberglass Kayak for sure for fishing in the ocean. If I were planning on staying in the rivers, a plastic one would be perfect.
What are the key factors I should understand when purchasing a fishing kayak? The most important question is what is your intended use for the kayak, is it to stay in the rivers or to mainly go into the ocean. How much do you weigh. This is important as most kayaks have weight limitations which affects stability and safety. Thirdly, how tall are you? Does the kayak have adjustable foot pedal positioning to control the rudder. Comfort vs efficiency of paddling is important. Lastly, and certainly not the least important, how experienced are you at paddling and kayak fishing? Once you have answered these questions truthfully, you will be ready to look at which kayak to purchase.
Do I need a fish finder for my kayak? It goes without saying, that essentially you could of course go without the benefits of a fish finder, however, it not only provides you with information on the ground structures, but also information like, water temperature, current speeds etc, so some of the information could effect your fishing. I have really enjoyed using my fish finder. Of course a fish finder is not at all necessary in the rivers. 16
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What equipment do I need to fish off my kayak? Firstly, you will need to ensure you have all the necessary safety equipment you require for your intended purpose. Secondly, although most small fishing rods are adequate, there are special kayak fishing rods available, which are smaller and better suited to be stored in the kayak hatch while you paddle through the waves to your fishing spot. I would recommend a nice coffee grinder reel, which is very easy to operate. Speak to your local fishing shop for details on product specific fishing gear for your application.
Is there a marine reserve off Nahoon? This is the case, the NO FISING ZONE, goes from the Nahoon Reef ocean side to Gonubie Point. This is really very important. It is our responsibility to ensure the sustainability of our oceans and we should promote this at all times.
OTECTED AREA
INE PR NAHOON TO GONUBIE MAR
GONUBIE POINT (32°56’.485 S; TO E) 96 7’.0 7°5 02 S; 78 9’.7 °5 NAHOON POINT (32 EEN THE HIGH WATER MARK TW BE ) IES AR TU ES L AL ING UD 028°02’.120 E) (EXCL MILES SEAWARD AND A DISTANCE OF 3 NAUTICAL
PROJECT STEALTH SUPALITE: Watch this space for more details on our latest project, the custom building and kitting out of our Stealth Supalite. This kayak will blow your mind. PHOTO COMPETITION: Please send photos in of your catches from your kayak and stand a chance to win a monthly hamper in our Kayak Corner Competition. I trust this information was helpful, but for more information, submissions or questions, please email me on: brettflip@gmail.com FEC | October 2014
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TESTING THE C-GAR
I was asked to test the newly launched Halco C-Gar lure the other day. At first glance the lure looked excellent with great detail and quality finish, but would it work? So to put it to the test I traveled to a spot outside East London where the river has nice formation at the moment for targeting gamefish on lure. On arrival the water looked fairly clean so I walked onto the sandbank in about knee deep water and stopped ten meters from the edge of the drop off. The wind had picked up a bit more than what was predicted and I was going to have to cast straight into it. As I made my first cast it was notable how well the 40g lure travels through the air. Even in the stiff breeze I was casting over the drop off, across the deeper chanel and almost onto the opposite drop off. This was perfect as the lure would look like a mullet swimming over the edge of the drop off into deeper wa20
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ter. This is where the predator fish will be lurking and waiting to ambush their prey. After a few fast topwater retrieves I had no chases so I let the lure sink a bit and then retrieved with a slow pull and then reel up the slack and then repeat again. This makes the lure look like it is a fish swimming up and then falling back down as if it is injured. On the one retrieve I felt something bump about 3m from the drop off edge and then I heard my favorite sound, screaming drag. At first I thought it must be a Kob as my retieve was so slow, but there were no headshakes and the fish was cutting line across the surface too fast to be a Kob. It was definately a Garrick(Leerfish). After about an 8 minute fight on the light tackle I landed the Garrick and released it to fight another day. So the C-Gar worked. I think if Kob are around they will eat it on a slow retieve too.
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Amatola Fly Fishing Club
ANNUAL FLY FISHING COMPETITION Words/pics: Andrew Pautz
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he Amatola Fly Fishing Club (AFFC) held its annual, fundraising (social) competition and AGM at Gubu Dam on the weekend of 5th to 7th September 2014. What made this event different from past years was that now that the club is an amalgam of the two historical trout fishing clubs in the area, anglers were allowed to fish Maden Dam and Gubu. The fishing and stocking of both of these dams is managed by the AFFC. Having stocked Maden with 3500 rainbow trout fingerlings and Gubu with 21000 in October last year, anglers were excited to get onto the water and start fishing on Saturday morning. The format for the competition was that there were two sessions that could be fished; with the late morning and early afternoon set aside for a few casting and technique competitions.
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The anglers that fished the early morning session were very successful although most of the fish caught were the one year old stockies weighting about 700g. Even though the trout were no trophies, all anglers agreed that the 40cm long fish put up a great fight that defied their size and there was plentiful speculative talk about looking forward to a fruitful year ahead. There were few fish bigger than 1kg caught, but it was first time fly angler Wiele Coetzee who took the early lead with a rainbow of 1.66kg. Wiele is actually a deep-sea angler, and to rub salt into the seasoned fly fishers’ wounds, he landed the second heaviest fish too, a rainbow of 1.4kgs. Before beginning the land based casting activities, anglers were served with boerie rolls just to make sure that hunger pains were not to be the excuse for sub stand-
ard performances on the casting pitches. The anglers were put through three disciplines; accuracy, distance, and then what really separated the men from the boys, distance casting using a broom stick. Basically this entails mounting a fly reel on a broomstick, with a few guides, and then trying to cast the furthest. A lot of fun and laughter (and frustration) was had by all. Unfortunately, a dropping barometer did not help during the afternoon session. There were however still quite a few stockies landed, but the thirty five participants didn’t do as well as in the morning. Although the heaviest fish was not challenged, some anglers did add hype to the occasion by telling of the big one they saw someone else catch. But, Wiele’s fish stayed the winner. PRIZE WINNERS: Heaviest Fish: Wiele Coetzee Heaviest Fish (Lady): Grezelda Stokes Heaviest Fish (Junior): Victor Krull, just sneaking ahead of Ryan von Holdt Longest Cast: Karl Krull Highest Accuracy Score: Shane Ashby Broomstick Distance: Karl Krull The organisers would like to thank the following prize sponsors: Columbia Sportswear; Compusys; Distell (Hunter’s Gold & Sedgewick’s Old Brown); Pennypinchers; Omnispool; Rapala VMC; Sandile’s Rest; Target Line; The Kingfisher; Tourette Fishing; Xplorer. Gubu and Maden Dams are open to the fly fishing public (a day rod ticket costs R100) or one can join the club. Interested anglers in the EL area who would like to find out more about these exciting fisheries; or tout fishing in general in the Eastern Cape, can contact Dean at Target Line (043-7264496) or for those further afield, visit www.amatolaflyfishingclub.co.za FEC | October 2014
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X TIPS O B T I A B
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DINGLE DANGLE WITH CHOKKA This bait setup is very good when using circle hooks as your hook is left open for a good hook-up. Words/pics: Daron Parker
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Make a loop on one end of bite trace wire, then thread half a bead with bait foam and another half bead.
Make another twist loop on the other end of the piece of wire. Squash the foam a bit shorter while making the loop.
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Place some heatshrink or fish tank tubing over the one loop end. 24
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Then half of a small bead, thread hook through tubing and then another half bead. This stops it from sliding along the hook.
Sponsored by SPARGS MALL BEACON BAY 043 711 7700
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Use the other loop end to hook your sinker when casting.
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Cut two pieces of Chokka with tentacle shapes and beat with Chokka hammer.
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Cotton them over the bait foam, then pull two tentacles back up and cotton them at the base.
The final product.
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CATCH & WIN Angler: Brendan De Lange Species: Galjoen Location: Seavale Bait: Redbait Size: 40cm Released: Yes
Angler: Taygon Mauer Species: Lesser Sand Shark Location: Christmas Rock Bait: Squid & Sardine Size: 101cm Released: Yes
Angler: Brandon Roux Species: Kob Location: Port St Johns Bait: ? Size: 21.78kg Released: No
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) 26
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Angler: Th Species: S Location: Bait: Bloo Size: 110c Released:
September Winner Angler: Joe Jonker Species: Garrick Location: St Francis Point Bait: Live Bait Size: 13.8kg Released: No
Joe wins himself five packets of McArthy baits.
helma Jonker St Joseph : Kabeljous Surf od Worm cm : Yes
Angler: CarylAnn Parathyrus Species: Bronze Bream Location: Seagulls Bait: Pink & SandPrawn Size: 43cm Released: No
Email your entry to nigel@fishingec.com with the following details: - Anglers full name - Species - Location caught - Bait used - Size/Weight - Released (yes/no) FEC | October 2014
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TIDE CHART October 2014 Information supplied by the Hydrographer SA Navy The Hydrographer is not responsible for any transcription errors.
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