It’s that time of the year again, when holiday vibes are what’s on the menu for most people. The sun has started to rise later in the mornings, the dew lies thick on the open fields and green grass of our homes, and we can feel that distinct crispness in the air as we start to leave summer behind and head into late autumn and early winter.
For most people this is a sign to pack away the fishing rods, although I have never understood why.
This time of year marks the beginning of the fishing season for myself and many other anglers, and I would rate it as the best time to be next to the water. Yes, it’s a little colder and wetter for us as anglers, but the fish really don’t care.
For those who love edible fishing, there are so many more opportunities for anglers. Galjoen, white steenbras, musselcracker, geelbek, big elf, wildeperd and many more species are what’s on the top of my mind.
I would also like to mention that this is also when the Gordon’s Bay Boat Angling Club hosts its annual offshore classic competition, because it’s tuna time now!
So for those who are keen boat anglers, get out there while you still can; just this week there were some great catches of tuna, including some big eye in the 120 kg range and some big yellowfin pushing the magic 100 kg mark.
We have also seen big schools of mackeral in the bay over the past two weeks. Guys have been chasing these shoals of bait fish around and finding some really good yellowtail feeding on them, so we should also see the catches of geelbek improve with the influx of mackeral in the water.
I, for one, am busy doing the changeover from summer to winter angling, and I cannot wait. I am changing my set-ups – leader set-ups, traces and hook sizes and, also very importantly, preparing my winter baits like red bait, white mussel and all the natural baits one needs to target winter edibles.
So what does one need for winter fishing in terms of tackle? That’s the beauty of winter fishing and fishing for edibles in general; I would suggest a 12- or 13-ft rod, something that can throw up to a 4 oz would be more than perfect, like the assassin-bluefish special – an amazing rod that can handle all situations. There’s also the range of loomis rods, specifically the archipeligo 12 ft, one that throws a 3 oz beautifully; it is light and easy to cast, with its slow, soft action, perfect for beach fishing or scratching for smaller edible species.
Match it with a 6 000-size reel loaded with 20 lb or 30 lb braid for all your steenbras and belman fishing on the sand, and 50 lb braid for the bricks for targeting galjoen and other rock dwelling species like wildeperd and cracker.
If I were to choose one hook for the entire winter it would be a 2/0 circle hook, gamakatsu and vmc, which make brilliant hooks (although mustard eagle claw and the more affordable adrenalin hooks will also do). Yes, you may think a 2/0 is small, but I have landed big steenbras and many musselcracker on one, the perfect-size hook for winter species.
One should also pay careful attention to hook snoots and leader thickness and lengths. For steenbras and belman or beach fishing, I like to fish a long 12,5 kg leader, and then my hooksnoot will vary between 10 kg and 12,5 kg and sometimes a little thicker if there is scattered rock or bamboos in the water. When I fish for galjoen or between the bricks I will drastically increase my leader to 30 kg or more.
I have also found that galjoen and cracker don’t care about a thicker hook snoot. I fish anything from 0,60 mm up to 0, 90 mm for the rocks.
The thicker leader and hook snoot just leads to far fewer break-offs, and you end up breaking off your sinker nine out of 10 times, which is exactly what you want. You don’t want to get stuck and break your entire trace off.
Make sure your sinker line is lighter than the rest of your set-up, and rather lose 10 sinkers than the fish of your lifetime.
We know many guys and girls are looking to learn, so please feel free to pop into Fishing Republic, Shop 6, Helderberg Centre in Beach Road, Strand, to pick our brains about local fishing, baits, traces and so on.
We’re more than willing to assist those who care about conservation and fish stocks, as well as those who love nature and want to make a difference in our sport.
