FISHING EC BAIT DEMO
CATCH COMPETITION
TIDES
OCTOBER 2016
LIFETIME CATCH Monster Pignose RASSPL
Border Blacktips
KAYAK CORNER
Brett Armstrong
E FRE Y COP ASE PLE ONE E TAK
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ISSUE: 34
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FEC | October 2016
CONTENT
Monster Piggy 04 Border Blacktips
FEATURES Bait Demo
Drift fishing Sandprawn.
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06 Catch Competition 19
Kayak Corner
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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16 Target Line
Freshwater competitions results.
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EDITORS
LETTER
MAGAZINE EDITOR Nigel Louw CONTRIBUTORS Damian Bezuidenhout Nigel Louw Shane Smit Brett Armstrong Carl Henn CONTACT ADVERTISING: email: nigellouw@gmail.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.
Spring was good, weather not so warm, but fishing was good. Now for summer to set in so we can have those 4am fishing outings. It is Kobtober so get out there and fish guys. This month is your best chance of catching your dream Kob. If you have some nice photos of a fish you caught recently then send them in with an article. If your story is used in the magazine it will then be entered into a draw for a prize. 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
Damian Bezuidenhout with a monster Pignose Grunter. FEC | October 2016
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Monster Piggy
What a catch & Release Words/pics: Damian Bezuidenhout
The weekends plan was to get my pignose season started. We had planned through the week that Saturday would be our day. The spirits where high as reports of pignose coming out where coming in from all angles, and the spot we had chosen had looked very good the weekend before. As murphy would have it Saturday was a blow out and wanting to have a fun session and not a miserable one we decided to go Sunday morning instead. When we arrived Sunday morning the sea was not playing its part and the spot had changed through the week and became more sanded up. We started there anyway fishing into a washing machine, waiting for the tide to drop for us to reach the back gutter at a spot we saw as we walked up the beach. Once the tide had dropped a bit we moved. When we got there it looked 4
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much better than where we started. I baited up as fast as I could and before Thor and Greg knew what was happening I was off to cast already. Cheekily I said to them as I ran off “I am just going to catch a Pignose quick, I’ll be back now”. I waded out and made a cast, But I was not happy with where the bait landed and I thought to myself should I leave it or throw again, I decided to reel my bait back in and make a better cast. I waded out further so I could reach the back bank made my cast and within seconds my rod was pulled flat with a long slow pull. When I struck all hell broke loose, luckily my drag was set knowing we were targeting pignose. The fish took off on so hard and fast there was no stopping it, if my drag was not set right it would have parted the brain in an instant. All of this happened so fast that Thor and
Greg had only just finished baiting up and where running toward me to make a throw. The rod was flat and the braid peeling off faster than I had ever seen before, as it was my first pignose on braid. Thor asked me if he should throw in or wait to help me I told him to throw in ill manage. While they were throwing in I thought I had been cut off by the fish as I had instant slack line and as fast as I could reel was just slack, I shouted out words I can’t repeat here. Reeling as fast as I could hoping it was swimming in I was starting to have that feeling of dread that only an angler knows after losing a good fish. The next thing the fight was back on the feeling of relief left me almost with a tear of joy. After a few more minutes of fighting the fish I saw it for the first time in the shallows, It dorsal stood out so high I knew it was a big fish, I shouted for Thor to reel in as fast as he could as now I knew I needed help. As he put down his rod and ran to help me get the fish out of the water I could not help but shout for joy I could not believe my eyes when I saw the size of the fish. I knew that the fish had to go back. We got a measuring tape and measured the fish and took a few quick photos. I then went to release the fish and it was going belly up. I was persistent that it will regain its strength after about 10 minutes I was having doubts but still persisted. Eventually after lying in the water with it holding it upright into the waves it started to try to swim off. I held it as long as I could to insure it was strong and good to go before finally letting him go and watching his dart off. During all this time Thor stood taking some pics and videos. It was truly an amazing thing to catch that fish; the Best part was the release knowing that this is prime breeding stock. I would like to urge more anglers to release these majestic fish to fight and breed another day. FEC | October 2016
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Border Blacktips Kaysers Beach Results The Border Blacktips held our 4th league competition of the season on the 3rd of September at the seaside village of Kaysers Beach. Boundaries for the event were from Ncera River to Chulumna river mouth. Medium to heavy rain was predicted for throughout the day but even that didn’t deter the 70 anglers from attending to get their hands on some of the awesome prizes on offer! The rain stayed away for most of the morning but when it did come down IT POURED! Everyone was completely drenched for most of the day but sea conditions were relatively favourable so we set out to give it our best shot. There was some good kob that came out early on at Ncera with one of them being the winning edible caught by ever reliable angler and long-time mem6
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Words/pics: Shane Smit
ber, Colin Scheepers. The fish measured in at 85cm/6.4kg so a nice healthy specimen. An Always smiling Janco Brits came in 2nd with a decent pignose of 63cm/4.1kg which he managed to catch fishing into the launch bay at Christmas Rock with Member Andre “Mossie” Botha securing a comfortable 3rd place with a snorter of a bluefish measuring in at 49cm/3.4kg caught somewhere special to the right of Kaysers near Lands End. Top Catch in the Shark category went to long time member Theo Pienaar with a young Smooth hound of 110cm/5kg. For once we actually had a winner in the Rays Category which was a nice Blueray of 63cm/11.4kg landed by none other than Mr. Colin Scheepers. In the points section which is always the anglers that really fished out of their
skins, coming in 3rd was long-time member Tommy Shaw with a very respectable 543.85 points. In 2nd place we had Mr. Reliable himself Colin Scheepers with just a cast ahead of Tommy on 559.55 points but on the day we can only have one true winner and that ended up being one of our rivals‌I mean, guests for the day all the way from our neighbouring franchise the Kowie Crackers, Dr. Warren Potts who managed a very impressive 622.59 points to wipe the smile off all the Border BlackFEC | October 2016
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tips anglers and take top honours! Well done to all the anglers that attended and braved the Hurricane winds and rain that ended the days fishing for everyone in the dying stages of the comp, True die hards! Our next competition is a Bi-Angular tournament between us, the Border Blacktips and Kowie Crackers for the 2016 Challenge shield trophy. Anglers will be allowed to enter both our usual comp aswell as the visiting Kowie Crackers’ comp as they will be held simultaneously and be classified as 2 separate comps with each their own prize table . This “Cracker” of a comp will take place at Hamburg on the 29th of October with boundaries being from Keiskamma(Hamburg) river mouth to Birha river. There will unfortunately be NO Friday afternoon Registration this time but Morning registration for both franchisers’ will take place from 04h30 at the Hamburg beach carpark and Prize giving, also for both Franchisers’ will take place at the Hamburg river pub at the caravan park! For more information, pre-registrations and member8
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ship queries drop me a mail at shane.rasspl@gmail.com or visit our website at www. rasspl.com .Remember that Anyone can enter any of our events and competitions!
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CORNER K A Y A K FISHING
Words/pics: Brett Armstrong
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i there all you Kayak Fishing enthusiasts! It’s October already, or shall I say “Kob”-tober. Unbelievable how quickly the year has gone by. What an amazing September with lots and lots of amazing catches and even more releasing of fish than normal. Well done guys. Keep the catch and release efforts strong and keep sending those photos. This last month has also been noted for some crazy conditions, strong ocean currents and big swell, so remember, safety is paramount. Make sure that you have the correct safety equipment, including the following: - PFD or Life vest as commonly known; - Drogue Anchor; - 5m Tow Rope/Tether rope; - 750ml of water;
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- Cell phone in waterproof pouch; - A set of flares; - Paddle leash secured to the kayak; - Cap and sunblock for protection against the sun; - Collapsible bucket for getting rid of un wanted water which your kayak may have taken on; - Warm jacket in the event of the weather turning cold. Kayak Launching – Important things to consider: As mentioned in last month’s article, we are truly blessed in East London with a wide variety of fishing areas, some easier to access than others, but all absolutely perfect for kayak fishing. However, eve the best
Red Roman caught on fly by Hylton Lewis.
kayak fishing launching spot can turn into the most dangerous if the conditions turn unfavorable and this is when keeping your head and making the correct decisions is most important. Here are some important questions and considerations you and your friends who are about to launch need to consider before jumping in and paddling out: - How are the waves and do you feel it will be too challenging to you or anyone in your group. Take 15 minutes to watch the swells and sets of waves and see how and where they are breaking; - Look at the expected weather reports predictions and tide charts for the day and assess weather it is worth the risk of going out; - Discuss with your friends who are also going out whether it is worth the risk and consider ways to minimize the risk during launching and returning to the beach; - Assess and try and predict what the conditions will be like in a few hours when returning to the beach and what the risk will be like at that point; - Look at the conditions and predicted
conditions in relation to the “weakest and most inexperienced person in the group� to establish the risk and whether it is worth going out; - Assess the safety equipment and experience in the group as a whole before going out in unfavorable conditions; - Remember there will always be another day to go out and fish, so do not take unnecessary risks and put yourself and others in danger because your are desperate to go out. Rather be safe and keep it for another day; - Listen to those more experienced people around you and understand their advice and concerns. As a more experience kayaker, it is our responsibility to be vigilant and bare in mind that the risks are great, especially to those inexperienced or not so strong kayakers. Help advise and encourage safety at all times; - If deciding to go out inform a family member or friend where you are launching and when you expect to be back on land. Once returning to the beach, inform that person you are home safely. FEC | October 2016
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Kayak Fishing Club of East London: Our Kayak Fishing EC club is growing 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. Our group 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. 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, we 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. So we have now introduced a Club membership number system for every 12
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kayak who is registered with our club. Registration is free and you will receive two registration stickers with a membership number as well as a 2016/17 - membership sticker. The idea is that we develop an accurate database of members and kayak enthusiasts. So contact Mark Kimble of Kayak Fishing EC on 083 555 3741 or Nigel Louw of Wild Coast Kayaks on 073 690 2606. This month’s Kayak Safety tip:
With summer upon us and the fishing days on the water getting longer and longer, always ensure you are protected from the sun, even on those deceivingly cloudy days. I almost always wear a long sleeve chafe vest, but always have cap/hat and a sun-scarf type face mask and lastly I al-
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C-Tug trolley available from Wild Coast Kayaks
ways put some sunscreen on my legs, neck and face. You will be amazed at how the sun deflects off the ocean and you can get really sun burnt in a few hours on the water. I mostly wear board shorts when fishing so my legs are always exposed to the suns harmful raise and unless you through that sunblock on beforehand, you will be really sorry later in the day. I recently started wearing a long wetsuit when the conditions were not to favorable and must admit felt really comfortable and was obviously really protected from the sun. Kayak Accessory Idea of the month: From time to time, you may consider going to that new kayak launch spot, which is just a little, even much further than normal, from your car, so this makes transporting your kayak from your car to the launch too much effort. The solution, besides carrying that fully rigged and loaded kayak and resting every couple seconds, is to buy yourself a kayak trolley. Now of course you do get quite a few different kinds of trolleys, some very affordable and some pretty pricey, so 14
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it really is all up to you and how often you will use it and the weight of your kayak you wish to transport and on what kind of surface you will mainly need to transport your kayak over. For example, if you will be transporting your kayak over soft sand mainly, a thin flimsy wheel is clearly not going to work, a fatty more “sand-friendly” wheel will be a better option. Lots of guys also attempt to make their own trolleys, which is also great, as long as it is portable enough to store and transport in your car and if possible on your kayak, then why not. So look at your needs and consider getting a kayak trolley, it may open up a whole new kayak fishing spot you previously could not get close to. For more information on kayak trolleys and pricing contact Nigel Louw of Wild Coast Kayaks on 073 690 2606. This month’s catches (and releases) worth mentioning: This last month, mother nature has been pretty kind to quite a few of us on the ocean and rivers in terms of catches and it
was great to see some guys getting some new species and even personal bests off their kayak. Plenty Geelbek and Kob have been surfacing and there have bee some great sized Black Stembrass being caught and even a few good-sized Scotsman. Well done boys and keep up the amazing efforts and conservation. It’s still good to see that most of the people we spend time with fishing off kayaks release 85% of the fish they catch. Great stuff boys! Gloves or no gloves? Over the last 5 months I have been wearing gloves while kayak fishing, I previously did not even consider this as an option. But I must be honest, I think it was one of the best decisions I could have made. It provides the obvious protection when handling fish and working with hooks and knives and I must be honest really feels comfortable when paddling. Personally, I prefer half gloves, which have half your fingers exposed, than full finger gloves, but each to their own. But, very important that you get the right sized gloves for your hands as they may stretch slightly over time. If the gloves are too loose, you may get blisters from paddling. Maybe buy yourself a pair and try them out, you won’t be sorry. My last words…Catch and Release goes along way to securing the future of our estuaries and oceans for you and others to enjoy tomorrow. Respect the bag and size limits. Let’s help make the oceans more sustainable. 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. FEC | October 2016
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Target Line
6th Freshwater club results Words/pics: Carl Henn
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n Sunday 04/09/2016, Target Line Freshwater Angling Club had its 6th club competition for the 20162017 seasons at Wriggleswade Dam, on the farmer’s ground. This comp from 07:00 – 15:00 was hopefully gona produce some nice fish. We were welcomed to the dam by ongoing drizzle since the day before and the lightning and thunder was surely gona be a factor. The water level was low making it impossible to park your vehicle next to the water’s edge. The turnup was one of our best yet for a club comp with more than 40 anglers taking on the weather. The drizzle stopped at about 10:30 only and then the coldness really set in. Even the fish we think felt it. We had carp turn within 5m from the side and still they were just a tease. With all the rain you would think that a few eels would be landed, but that was
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only a dream. In total 6 anglers managed to weigh their nets. 12 fish were landed with a total weight of 32.282kg . Biggest carp was caught by a visitor 4.938kg and the yellow of 1.880kg by Chris Engelbrecht. Here are the results of the competition: Seniors: 1 Riaan Nel 2 fish 2 Lourens Coetzer 1 fish 3 Jacques Husselmann1 fish
6.403kg 2.831kg 2.502kg
Masters: 1 Chris Engelbrecht 2 Danie Notnagel
4 fish 2 fish
10.799kg 4.950kg
Ladies: 1 Lezanda Engelbrecht 2 fish
4.797kg
Our next comp will be an overnight comp in October at Xonxa in Queenstown where more than one keepnet would be required if you manage to climb into the fish. We have had comps there in the past where the winning bag weighed 75kg…….can’t wait. Keep 28-30 October open………………. We are hosting a 40 hour comp at Wriggleswade Dam with plenty of prizes up for grabs. This will be our second time to host the competition and it is gona be bigger and better that last year with prize money totaling about R 15 000.00 on the line. More details and the entries are available at Target Line in Vincent, East London. For any enquiries on how to join our club or on any of our upcoming events, feel free to call me on 073 857 2209, e-mail targetlinefreshwaterangling@gmail. com or join on face book at Target Line FAC, or send me a Whats app message. New on the shelves in Target Line, Vincent branch, East London…………. William Petrie floaties, soft floaties and ball dips, The Conoflex Signature Series Feed, the orange bags, together with a few new dips from the master angler as seen on TV. The complete range of 20 Gems from Magic Baits, floaties and liquid also finally in on demand.
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X O B T I TIPS BA
THE
SPARGS MALL BEACON BAY 043 711 7700
DRIFT SANDPRAWN
A very easy bait to rig that produces good results with Grunter. I even got a 10kg Kob recently like this.
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Words/pics: Nigel Louw
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You will need to pump some Sandprawn. Make sure you have your permit up to date for this.
First option is to rig it through the tail just bend over two segments and pierce hook through.
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Other option is to thread the whole prawn up the hook. This one is a bit more tricky especially when using small circle hooks. 18
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CATCH & WIN September Winner
Angler: Jean Staffen Species: Black Steenbras Location: Kwelera Bait: Slice Size: 4.3kg Jean wins an assortment of Triton lures, Sponsored by Bilimoria.
Angler: Darien Bradfield Species: Pignose Location: Winterstrand Bait: Sandprawn Size: 32cm
Angler: Russel Johnson Species: Bronze Bream Location: Tkei Bait: Cray Tail Size: 48cm
Angler: Maynard Block Species: Bronze Bream Location: Palm Springs Bait: Red Bait Size: 3.7kg
Email your entry to nigellouw@gmail.com with the following details: Anglers full name | Species | Location caught | Bait used | Size/Weight 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) FEC | October 2016
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TIDE CHART October 2016 Information supplied by the Hydrographer SA Navy The Hydrographer is not responsible for any transcription errors.
TO ADVERTISE WITH
CONTACT: NIGEL@FISHINGEC.COM 073 690 2606 20
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