TACTICS
Fishing clever in False Bay By Donavan Cole
I
DON’T think there is another species of fish in the Cape that causes as much excitement and chaos at our slipways and on the water as the Cape snoek does. On any good weather day in False Bay when the fish are around, it is not uncommon to have over 100 boats, kayaks, rubber ducks and almost anything that can float in an area the size of a few rugby fields. The snoek’s name comes from “zeesnoek” because the early Dutch colonists said it reminded them of the freshwater pike (or snoek) they found in the Netherlands. Snoek (Thyrsites atun) are encountered along the entire west coast of South Africa to Namibia and up the south/east coast as far as Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha). While we make massive catches of snoek in South Africa, we also import large quantities from New Zealand.The main reason for us importing so much of these fish is due to their consistent superior quality. In South Africa our snoek frequently go “pap” where the flesh will turn to jelly, resulting in it been inedible. The imported snoek do not have the same enzyme in their flesh that causes them to go pap. I know a few boat owners who don’t allow anglers to bring snoek on board because of the mess they create with their blood and scales. Snoek have tiny scales, each the size of a match-
head, which they will usually shed when you lift them from the water. These scales then fly around sticking to every surface on board, including any exposed skin. Once dried, they can be near impossible to remove. Snoek fishing also results in a lot more blood flying around than other species as you break every fish’s neck after landing. WHEN AND WHERE The last two years were two of the best snoek seasons we had around False Bay in the last decade, and we can only hope the 2023 season will bring similar catches. In 2021 and 2022 the snoek arrived around Cape Point by the middle to end of September with good catches being made from September through to January.This year we caught our first snoek of the season outside Cape Point in the second week of September, and as I write we hope we’ll soon be catching them inside False Bay. The easiest way to find where the snoek are is to look for the commercial handline snoek fleet. These boats are not hard to spot. They are usually open center console mono-hull ski boats between 6 and 9m and fitted with the largest outboard engines the boats can handle, in order to load and push as much fish as possible. It’s not uncommon for some of these 12-man boats to load in excess of 2 000 snoek a day, which they can catch in a matter of a few hours when the larger shoals arrive and they are feeding properly.
The main area where the snoek are encountered is in Buffels Bay, which is just inside the Cape Point. The snoek often move deep inside the bay too, with large catches being made right off Millers Point slipway when the season is in full swing. Years back we would frequently get snoek even deeper inside the bay, catching them off Simonstown, Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay. Outside Cape Point, the main area where the fish will be caught is on Rocky Bank, which is around five miles south-east of Cape Point. You can also find snoek around the Anvil, Bellows, South West reefs and further up the coast towards Scarborough and Slangkop Lighthouse. On your echo sounder snoek will show up in different ways depending on what they are doing. When they’re free swimming, you will usually find them “writing” in a closed red ball on the sounder. As soon as you stop and drop lines you should see the shoal break up and disperse all over the screen when they start feeding. (See photos alongside.) When the fish are busy feeding on baitfish, you will find them broken up at different depths. These shoals will usually grab a lure or bait line. There are, however, times when you will barely see them as they “write” so close to the ground that you cannot see the difference between fish and the seabed. The best way to check the different ways they will show up on your fish SKI-BOAT November/December 2023 • 27
