TACTICS Dennis Ford with an 8.1kg geelbek caught off East London in July 2020.
’BEK
Recreational geelbek fishing off the east coast of Africa By Francois Beukes
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APE salmon (atractoscion aequidens) or geelbek, as it is commonly known along the east and west coast of Africa, is one of the most sought-after fish targeted by recreational ski-boat fishermen along our coast. Its features are a dead give-away when boated and it can be identified almost immediately. Although it resembles the common kob, the geelbek’s body is bluish to copper in colour above the lateral line with a white belly below.The name speaks for itself and, as you can imagine, the fish is further identified by the yellow colouring in the mouth and the inner surface of the
gill covers, hence the name geelbek. Although they are sometimes caught from the beach by rock and surf anglers, in the winter months they tend to be more abundant in deeper water from False Bay to the southern border of Moçambique.They are usually associated with the sardine run in winter but have been known to be caught almost all year round in some areas. Although they tend to be more prolific feeders at night, they are also regularly caught during the day. Geelbek are not unique to South Africa, and I have personally caught them on two previous trips to the Queensland coast of Australia. There they are called teraglen and are often
referred to as trag or trag jewfish, but they are identical and also seem to be more abundant in the winter months. The daily bag limit in South Africa is two fish per angler, with a minimum size of 60cm in length. HOW AND WHEN With current Covid-19 restrictions, including a curfew from 9pm to 4am, we recreational fishermen are limited to fishing out of those times and therefore should look at targeting geelbek at first light in the morning or in the dying light in the late afternoon. When they are around they can generally be caught during the day as well. My tackle of choice when fishing SKI-BOAT September/October 2020 • 15
