Fishing EC Magazine September 2014. by Nigel Louw

FISHING EC BAIT DEMO

CATCH COMPETITION

TIDES

SEPTEMBER 2014

LIGHT TACKLE

HAVE MORE FUN

JIKELEZA

NEW

KAYAK SECTION

BLACK STEENBRAS LUCKY CATCH

F C RE O E P Y

WILD COAST CHALLENGE RESULTS

FEC | September 2014

ISSUE: 9

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FEC | September 2014

CONTENT

Go Light & Have More Fun 04 Black Steenbras Lucky Catch 08

Swartkops River 12

Kayak Corner With Brett Armstrong

FEATURES Bait Demo

Chokka tentacle bait.

Catch Competition 26 Send us your photos and you could win.

Tides

Check the tide tables to make sure you fishing the right times.

20 Jikeleza Wild Coast Challenge

Fishing report and results from the annual challenge.

FEC | September 2014

EDITORS

LETTER

MAGAZINE EDITOR Nigel Louw

CONTRIBUTORS Gregg Burger Nigel Louw The Alcockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 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.

Spring has arrived and water temperatures should be on the rise in our estuaries. Better get those light lure rods ready for action. Come December the rivers should be boiling with life. Young Kingfish, Skipjack and Kob. We have a grat article from Gregg Burger this month ,showing us what light tackle can do. Also check out the new section starting for Kayak anglers, This facet of angling is growing in our Eastern Cape region. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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

Nigel Louw with a 72cm Fork Length Black Steenbras. FEC | September 2014

T H G I L GO ! n u F e r o eM & Hav

od size er with a go Gregg Burg Coast ild W a ht in Garrick caug . le light tack estuary on

FEC | September 2014

Gregg with a small Spotted Grunter.

Words/Pics: Gregg Burger

s it the fear of losing the fish or just simply an old school way of thinking that drives people to use heavier tackle? With today’s technologies, is it still necessary to select the heavier rod, line and reel? Fishing light tackle does not at all mean that you can only successfully land small fish, but it does mean that you get the benefit of having loads of fun with whatever size fish you hook into. But special care also needs to be taken not to tire the fish out too much. Personally I use an ultra-light 6’4” 10lb rod, small 2000 reel, and very thin 15lb braid. If I feel there might be a chance of a really big fish I’ll use my 6’6” 12lb rod. I also believe in practicing catch and reFEC | September 2014

FEC | September 2014

rrick with a 12kg Ga Gregg Burger . le ck ta ht caught on lig

lease and very seldom take fish home. We all know about the dwindling numbers of fish, and this is even obvious to the humble Transkei â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madalaâ&#x20AC;? who has watched the fish numbers become less and less over the years. That is why I often speak to local fishermen in the hope that at least a little of my ideas of conservation rub off on them. I believe that if we all practice and preach at least a little bit of conservation, it will add up to a positive result for the future. Another practice I have adopted when fishing with bait is to try my best to not allow the fish to swallow the hook. Using circle hooks and a lighter rod is also the better option in this regard as fish will mostly hook themselves in the lip when the line gradually tightens.

FEC | September 2014

BLACK STEENBRAS

LUCKY CATCH Words: Nigel Louw Pics: Daron Parker

with a Nigel Louw ngth Black le rk fo cm 72 s. ra Steenb

recently rebuilt an old Aquaquad for fishing inshore and it looks like it is going to be a lucky craft for me. My first outing was off Gonubie and I only managed to hook into a small Blacktip reef shark, which was still fun as it peeled line from the grinder and 7ft rod. Then on the second outing Daron and Myself launched our Aquaquads at Orient Beach and headed out to try target some Black Steenbras and other red fish species like Red Roman. The first spot was extremely dead so lines up and we moved

FEC | September 2014

on. It is still a bit difficult at this stage to find good reef as I have not installed a fishfinder/ GPS unit yet. I was fishing blind and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of water out there when guessing if you on a good spot. Well we settled on a spot, which I would judge at about ten meters of depth. After dropping the baits down we soon had some small bites, which were Big Eyes. After a few minutes I had a nice bite and it definitely did not feel like a Big Eye. I managed to land the fish, which was a 45cm Black Steenbras. The wind then changed to

a more Southerly direction and it felt like we were in a washing machine, but we stuck it out. At times looking up at the swell with the motor idling in case I needed to shoot out of there quickly. I had a 4/O circle hook on with a strip of Chokka so was targeting the smaller fish. The next bite I had did not feel that small though. My bait was picked up and the fish took off with about 30m of line in a horizontal direction. Daron shouted â&#x20AC;&#x153;Somebody has hooked a sharkâ&#x20AC;? and I thought the same thing as I would expect FEC | September 2014

Daron Parker on his Aquaquad off Gonubie.

FEC | September 2014

a Black Steenbras to shoot down and try cut me off on the reef. After another 20m run I got the fish under the boat and as it started surfacing I could see white which I thought was the belly of a small shark, but then I saw the width of the fish and the white was on the bottom jaw. I shouted out with excitement to Daron “Big Black Steenbras”. The fish measured in at 72cm fork length, which puts it around the 10kg mark. What an awesome fight and a great fish to catch on my birthday too. Shortly after that I also landed a 35cm Red Roman. This definitely was my lucky day. The trace setup I was using had leader to power swivel then about 80cm of 0.75mm leader line which has two dropper loops tied into it with a 4/O circle hook on each. The bottom of the trace just has a normal loop tied where I attach an 8oz sinker with elastic. This method seems to work very well as if you get stuck you don’t lose your hooks.

MY DEEP SEA TRACE SETUP POWER SWIVEL

0.8MM FLUOROCARBON LEADER

DROPPER LOOP

BEFORE END LOOP

ELASTIC

8OZ SINKER

AFTER FEC | September 2014

SWARTKOPS RIVER Small Leeries In Their Thousands Words/pics: The Alcocks

Keegan with a young Leerie caught on a Strike Pro Thai Stick.

FEC | September 2014

FUN FOR THE KIDS Chad with a baby Leerie.

hen Lando and I were lighties we would target baby Leeries with our fly rods up at Perseverance in the winter months but as we got older we started to troll for big Kob forgetting about the shoals of baby Leeries that gave us so much fun over the previous winter months. But over the last 2 winters we’ve been seeing massive shoals of baby Leeries in the Swartkops which we target with Lando’s son Keegan like we did as kids. The fish are in such numbers now it’s fantastic to see and they love the Strike Pro and you see 4-6 chasing it at a time – you know you’re going to go Vas. The little quarter ounce leadhead my Dad makes is FEC | September 2014

FEC | September 2014

Keegan with another young Leerie.

also deadly. As we speak the little Leeries are gale in the Swartkops and if you want to take your child to target them just pick up a Strike Pro or leadhead and I guarantee you the Leeries wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let you down. What is nice now is that the bigger ones move into the river and you get a mixture of small, medium and large fish as Spring approaches. The best tide, depending on how low down or high up the river you are, is low(ish) tide the closer you get to the river mouth and higher tides the further up you go in the river system. Neap tides being very good in the river mouth area and the warmer the water, the better the surface lures are. If slightly colder, then leadheads work better. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out on this exciting fishing! The Alcock Brothers 041 365 6868.

FEC | September 2014

K A Y A K CORNER FISHING

With: Brett Armstrong

elcome to the first edition in Fishing EC for Kayak Fishing and related topics. I was really excited when Nigel and I discussed the possibility of including information on this great sport in fishing EC. Over the next few months we will be bringing you in depth information and advice on Kayak Fishing, including safety, product reviews and fishing tips. We will also be showing you some basic hints and tips on how to make your kayak more user friendly and optimize your space and storage, making your fishing experience more pleasant and beneficial. Kayak Fishing in South Africa is fast be-

FEC | September 2014

coming one of the most popular forms of fishing off a vessel, whether it is in quiet estuaries and rivers or those brave enough to wonder into the big blue ocean. The costs associated with Kayak Fishing are obviously substantially cheaper than those costly boats and jetskies, and the time taken to launch and clean up afterwards, a lot quicker and more enjoyable. For those of you interested in starting this amazing activity, you will be blown away by the exhilaration and feeling of freedom. The kayak is essentially an extension of your body, responding to every movement you make and every single motion of the water below you. However, this intimate connec-

Brett Arm stron nice size g with a Dageraa d.

FEC | September 2014

tion with the kayak leaves us exposed and vulnerable to every force of Mother Nature around us and leaves us exposed to potential risk at the same time. So it is essentially about “balancing” these risks and pleasures. For those of us who have been fishing off kayaks for a while, or even those less experienced, the sense of freedom experienced, the thrill of being in nature or even the sense of relief from the pressures of the working world, are all to familiar to us, and we just want more time on the water, with friends or family. This is why we do it, it’s not only about the catch or the satisfaction of releasing that beautiful gift from nature, it’s about creating memories and experiences. But at the same time we have to understand the inherent dangers and responsibilities we have as anglers and visitors in our rivers and oceans. The safety requirements, the personal commitment to adhering to legislative requirements and our overall understanding of the environment and regulations surrounding that, this

is what we at Fishing EC will strive to inform you of and trust that over the next few months, you will gain a much better understanding of, not only this amazing sport, but also the dangers and pleasantries around it. We look forward to bringing you exciting and interesting information in our next edition. Please do not hesitate to contact me at brettflip@gmail.com should you need any information or have any questions.

FEC | September 2014

JIKELEZA WILD COAST CHALLENGE Words/pics: John Luef

welera Ski-Boat Club held its annual Jikeleza Wild Coast Challenge on the 2nd and 3rd of August in conjunction with the Jikeleza festival at Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve. There was an excellent entry of 26 boats and 88 anglers, making this the biggest deep sea angling completion in the Border area annually. Visitors to the show were excited and gathered at the weigh in to see the anglers bringing their fish to the scale. There was plenty of clapping and cheering as some nice fish were weighed in. The competition was almost in jeopardy as poor weather forecasts almost had it called off but finally went ahead. Boats were permitted to launch at any official launch site from Kei Mouth to Christmas Rock and bring their catch to the weigh in before cut off times. There were very nice prizes up for grabs with Top Boat walking away with amongst other prizes, a fully inclusive weekend for 8 people at Inkwenkwezi valued at over R20 000. Saturday morning saw boats launch into a light North Easterly which swung to South Easterly and

FEC | September 2014

got up to 40km/h as the day went on. Most boats came out early due to very rough sea conditions and there were not too many fish that weighed in. The biggest fish for the day was a 15kg yellowtail caught by Deon Pretorius just shading Ashley Senekalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of 14.95kg. Sunday saw a light Westerly greet the anglers and although it got up to approx.. 20km/h, conditions were very nice the whole day. Some very nice fish made the scales as can be seen from the results below, with a number of boats weighing in Evan Bosse with a nice Yellow Belly Rockod.

The winning team Kevin Branfield, Deon Pretorius, Cris Johnson and skipper Henry Daniel.

yellowtail. Eventually the same angler, who won the biggest fish prize last year, David Russel, came to the fore again with a nice 17.85 kg yellowtail and took the R10 000 up for grabs. Their boat “Rosco” skippered by Craig Lindhorst who won top boat last year, also weighed in the second biggest fish with Dean Dustan weighing in a nice 17.2 kg Yellowtail and taking the R5 000 prize. Deon Pretorius just held onto the R2 500 third biggest fish from Ashley. Very interesting and unusual was the 9.85 kg Pignose Grunter that was caught by Mark Butler. Top Boat prize was an extremely close affair with Thrillseeker and skipper Henry Daniel just piping Bushcat and their skipper Andrew Gericke by less than 1 point. Third boat prize went to skipper John Luef on his boat “White Knuckles”. Hard lines to Andrew and his crew who fished 5 up which is a bit of a disadvantage as the boat score is worked out by dividing the sum total of the anglers scores by the number of anglers on the boat. Well done to all the other biggest species prize winners who FEC | September 2014

all walked away with R500 cash prizes. KSBC would like to thank all clubs for their assistance in helping make our JWCC a success. We would also like to thank all skippers for entering even though the weather forecast for the weekend was dicey, without your support, we would not have had a competition, also thanks to the public for their support and sorry to those who wanted to buy fish from the anglers but as we all know, it is illegal to sell fish without a commercial licence although some skippers kindly gave some of their catch away. Finally thanks to all our sponsors for being generous and kind in these tough times to make this competition a standout as far as prize values go, we will be back next year with a bigger and better competition.

FEC | September 2014

RESULTS

FEC | September 2014

X TIPS O B T I A B

THE

CHOKKA TENTACLE BAIT This is a very good bait for targeting Kob. It takes a bit longer to make than other baits, but it is worth it. The tentacles create good movement in the water. The foam on the hook will help keep it off the botom to. Words/pics: Nigel Louw

Cut about eight thin strips and one big V shape out of your Chokka.

Beat the V shape piece of Chokka to soften and bring out the smell.

Cotton on one tentacle at a time.

FEC | September 2014

Cotton the tentacles on all the way around the foam on the hook.

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Place the V shape piece of Chokka on.

Cotton on the V shape piece of Chokka.

You can also cotton the Chokka ink sack onto the back of the bait for extra smell.

The final product.

FEC | September 2014

CATCH & WIN Angler: Craig Tessendorf Species: Trout Location: Thrift Dam Bait: Wooly Bugger fly Size: ? Released: No

Angler: Andrew Renton Species: Kob Location: Cebe Bait: 6â&#x20AC;? Pink Paddletail Size: 10kg Released: Yes

Angler: Timothy du Plessis Species: Black Steenbras Location: Cintsa Bait: Sardine Size: 32cm Released: Yes