The winter season has really started with some serious cold fronts and some much-needed rain and wind bashing the Cape coast.
The cold fronts, although difficult to fish in, are a vitally important part of the fishing “cycle” so to speak.
The fronts bring a few things with them which directly influence the fishing. Of course there are many technicalities but we will discuss the most influential and how they affect fishing.
The first of course being the rain, which encourages stronger river flow and this in itself washes food and puts nutrients into the ocean, but also gives the water a beautiful ginger beer colour, something kob anglers look for. Kob love to feed in discoloured or even brown water. They are able to use there lateral lines to locate baitfish or food in many forms in this dirty water, and are master hunters in these conditions. Rivers are an important ecosystem where they meet the ocean and estuaries form vital breeding grounds for our fish species. Unfortunately these days when the rivers flow into the ocean they mostly bring loads of plastic pollution as well as man-made chemicals into the ocean, which in turn kills off marine life.
The second thing is the sea state, as the big waves and swells move and shift the sand, in turn opening up new rocky areas and places for fish to feed. The bigger waves also create new sandbanks and gutters for fish to move and operate closer or further from the shoreline.
The wind itself assists in shifting water, and causing temperate changes. For instance when a south east wind blows for long in the Strand the water becomes clean and cold, all the good water gets blown down towards Macassar and further along False Bay. The north-west wind in turn pushes all that water and colour back into Strand and Gordon’s Bay, this is when one can have good kob fishing. In fact, all species will feed in water which has a bit of colour and a good temperature.
When you plan your winter fishing trip the first place to start is your weather apps; check out apps like windy.com. There are many apps but this one gives you the most accurate and most important forecasts like barometer readings, swell size and sea temperature.
If you find that the sea is going to be quite big, with swells of 2.5 m plus up to 4 m or even more depending where one is fishing, then it is always a good idea to look at targeting galjoen, musselcracker and your general rock species. These species of fish like to feed in white turbulent water created by the waves breaking and rolling through rocky areas or points.
The nice thing about targeting galjoen is that all the other species will readily eat red bait, mussel, prawn and worms. Other species you would most likely come across while targeting galoen are blacktail, wildeperd, mussel cracker and stumpnose.
If the conditions are less windy and you have a 1,2 m to 1,8 m sea swell then it’s always a good time to target species such as your white steenbras, belman and kob. When the sea is smaller these fish have the opportunity to use the many sandbanks, galleys, holes and troughs to move inshore and feed on prawns, worms, mussels and baitfish. Don’t be afraid to fish in very shallow water for these fish, most people arrive at a spot and wade through the water hip depth and try throw as far as they can. Many times those fish are at your feet in the shallows where they naturally feed. One just has to get it out your mind that it’s shallow and have faith. I have witnessed how belman “tail” in shin deep water and then move back down the beach into the sloep with the wave. Big steenbras do the same thing. They use the set to move into shallow water where the prawn or worm are, they blow and tail and feed while the water is knee deep and then move back again with the water as it drops.
Please remember the above is not a rule and many places and types of structure require a different size sea swell and a different wind direction to work. No fish ever bite or feed the same, each place you fish you must apply new techniques.
For more information or advice on fishing, tackle or bait, pay us a visit at Fishing Republic at 73 Beach Road near the public swimming pool; or contact us on 072 552 4400 or kegan@fishingrepublic.co.za.
