ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
General Angling Topics => Species targeting articles => Topic started by: Kent on October 23, 2015, 08:29:53 PM
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:-) ..This obsession of mine with kob on spoon with a multiplier and nylon only took on a new meaning about ten or so years ago. As the weeks go by I will share my stories on this path of enlightenment that I call ….”The art of fishing without actually fishing....”
Now before you all run off and refer me to a shrink or the like , just take a read and these are my own experience and by NO MEANS the only way to target kob on lure or spoon ….BUT...Im quick to add that IT IS MY WAY,,,,and Ive had many successes over the last fully documented 9 years.
Why kob you ask??...Well, for one these are fairly wily fish and when hunted in their natural eating OR when they are more prone to eat , coz Im sure ALL fish eat all of the time...its the way of the sea , then one needs to find out what they like...No , not bait or what lure ...but...what conditions they are most likely to go on the bite , so to speak...BUT...lets go back a bit before we actually get into the whys , wheres and whatfors concerning the kob. Here we need to look at what it takes to hunt these silver beauts of our fantastic South African coast line.
For awhile I had been thinking and admiring how the bass societies of the world could make a million zillion dollar industry out of just ONE species of fish.....Well , I then embarked on the same quest for glory by doing this with spoon and kob in the sea and not in rivers. I can hear many of you sniggering and thinking , what a chop to limit oneself like that....Well Folks , that may be so , BUT, over the last 10 years its been a most satisfying quest and have had many successes , also with many blanks. Anyhow more of this later.
Back to the equipment side of things. Being taught on multipliers , I was determined to follow this journey with just such reel. My reel of choice 12 years ago was and still is a Daiwa SL30. Why??...well , coz it was the best reel at the time I could afford and the most modern reel in simplicity to the great Jigmaster that I cut my teeth on. At this time coffee grinders were coming to the for and they were starting to take favour with many fisherman for many facets of fishing....BUT...I was gonna do this with a multiplier.
My rod at that time was a Shimano Exage 110H , great rod and can throw from a 1oz spoon to a 6oz spoon and lotsa back bone to muscle any fish..I then put 13kg line on my SL30 and off I went....for at least the first 2 years it was “moer n soek” type method and threw everything at the sea at any time of the day , just so was my eagerness!!!....I bought books..etc etc magazines and still could not find that ONE thing that would get me into the ZONE with kob and spoon....
Everywhere I went and fished I was being told LOW n SLOW ...sand banks....ginger beer water …..early morning ...high tide....low tide.... blah blah ......Well, I soon slowed myself down and attached myself to a very good lure fisherman , whom I sort of knew and he then took me to a few spots along our Jikeleza. I immediately noticed that he fished with an 11f rod with a very fast tip an Abu levelwinder and also 12kg line..So...reel and line I was fine ...BUT...I soon realised that the 110H was a tad “heavy” and I also noticed that LS(what I shall call him) threw fairly lightish spoons...AND mainly amongst the bricks...And so begun my journey......
I went about securing myself another rod which had a faster tip and still the backbone. Enter the 12f BM TruFlex. Well.....first outing I had to contend with 1oz to 2oz spoons and this takes some thumb control as any overwinds amongst the bricks means reeling over the bunch up and then going back to peel the bunch up out...while your partner , LS , continues to cast and as you look up he is into a decent fish!!!!...OR ...let the spoon sink and run the overwind out and HOPE your spoon pulls free.....
Many sessions/outings later and I finally get my first 3k kobbie in the bricks with a 1oz spoon, it was about this time I started keeping a diary of every outing/session whether I caught OR not...Noting conditions ..water...barometer...wind...temp....tide ...colour etc etc.....
After my 5th or so kobbie amongst the bricks I started feeling “awkward” with the 12footer TruFlex , especially as the kob would get close into the bricks to land and bully them in and around the bricks. It was at this time I started looking for a 10 to 11 footer KF Stimulator series rod........
Well Folks this is all for this week and next week I will get to the ALMOST perfect setup to hunt these magnificent fish with only METAL!!!
Keep it clean and ...JUST GO FISH!!!!
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:tkx: waiting for the next instalment. :toppie:
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:tkx: waiting for the next instalment. :toppie:
:hnthnt: ....on its way..BUT,,..first some :fshn: this weekend.... :hehe:
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Nice Kent!
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So now we need to know HOW the 110H , TruFlex and Stimulator crossed paths , or how come these three rods are connected. Once this is revealed we can truly start on this path of enlightenment and JUST GO FISH!!!
I had now had been throwing with the SL30 and 110H for about 4 or so years and it was at this time I found myself doing a stint at one of our local tackle shops. I settled into the days routine and soon gravitated to the duties of sorting out the rod room and the ordering of and the returning of faulty rods/blanks to manufacters.
I noticed that in the storeroom that there were about 15 or so King Fisher Stimulator series rods that were not on the racks OR displayed for sale. I enquired and was told they were not popular and no one took interest in them. I started looking through them and found a 13,6....12,6 and a 10,5 all three pieces and all could cast up to 4oz and all had beautifull tips and a lovely light balanced feel in ones hands. I fancied the the 10,5 and soon found out that they also came in a 11f, which would be the HOLY GRAIL of spinning rods , in my opinion.
These rods averaged out at a grand a piece and at the time was a bit rich for me and proceeded to pack them out and mark them with pricing accordingly. Within in 2 weeks I sold all 15 odd and eventually customers came in asking for Stimulators. When the new stock arrived their pricing had jumped to almost a grand 500!!!...BUT..they still sold!!...AND then ..BOOM!!...KF stopped making them.
NOW...when it comes to rods , everyone has an opinion.....blank this...mandril this....layers that and T this P that etc etc.....I honestly believe that when you pick up a rod and how it feels in your hands , how the tip flex “talks” to you and what you imagine hooking with it ,,,THEN,,,you need to decide IF your wallet can meet its price tag!!!...Of course , you will get the fisherman that wants that “custom” rod ...well...thats a whole different story and Im still not sure what “custom” actually means.
Why am I waffeling on so about a rod??..Well, a good , solid , light , strong well balanced rod that does NOT break the bank BUT will get that record fish to the side as quick as possible for a green release , THAT Folks is pretty NB to get the right rod for this application . Hence my long story.
One chap that worked with me there , had a 11f KF Stimulator . This was given to Blue Marlin to try and match the blank as close as possible. Enter the Tru Flex range. The first Tru Flex,s had gold and red binding identical to the Stimulators and when they hit the shelves felt pretty damn smart!!!
I was then given a 12f to test and needless to say the rod was almost as close as dammit to the Stims...BUT...BM had no 11f blank , but had 10 and 13. So , Folks that is how the TruFlex range came to be, then ,they are now with red binding and the range has grown somewhat and to me the blanks are not the same as the original TruFlex,s and Im still the proud owner of one of the originals!!!
My point with this long story???...You intend to give this type of kob hunting a go ….well ..do NOT pass up the TruFlex range , they are damn fine and value for money solid rods!!!..And NO , Im not a Blue Marlin agent...
I finished my stint at the shop and was now on a mission to find a GOOD second hand Stimulator. It was to be another year and a bit when I bumped into a chap and we got talking and he says he has a rod that he has never used , would I be interested OR try and get it sold for him. Sure , I said and when he walked in the next day , in his hands he had a KF Stimulator 1053 H!!!!!!...
BRAND NEW , still with the Fuji tag and KF tags on. I was too scared to ask how much. He pipes up and says I can have it for R400.00!!! By 16h00 that same day I had paid the man and was now as close as dammit to the HOLY GRAIL of rods for this type of application. Although , I must admit , two years prior I had a chance to cast a few casts with a 11f WAFT Iron feather and to me THAT was THE rod...BUT...at R2500,00 it was not to be.
To date the punchy 1053 Stim has landed quite a few kob and the largest being over 11kg in very shallow water FULL of bricks. The 1053 Stim is a GREAT “little” rod that has TONS of backbone with such a sweet sensitive tip which can feel the lightests of taps by a wary kob . BUT...............
Its still not the HOLY GRAIL...So..the search continues....in the mean time Im still VERY fond of my 1053H Stimulator and should you be lucky to get your hands on one...BUY IT!!!
We , now have the rod sorted and as to the reel , it needs to be simple , tough , have at least a 6 to 1 ratio and not mind having a dip every now and then. As Ive said , my choice is a Daiwa SL30...BUT most 30 or 20 size reel with a 6 to 1 ratio will do the job....BUT the reel needs to be light and durable.
My SL has been slightly moded and sports leather drag washers as opposed to graphite or felt washers or cabontex. I find the leathers are smooth and handle getting wet very well.................
Well Folks this is all for this week and next time we will visit the nitty gritty of getting that nylon nice and “smooth” onto your reel of choice as to reduce and eliminate those pesky birds nest , over winds , bunch ups OR whatever you would call them when that thumb gets a tad LAZY!!!...
Keep it clean and ….
JUST GO FISH!!!
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:tkx: :happ: boet, keep them coming :resp: :win: :toppie:
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:tkx: :happ: boet, keep them coming :resp: :win: :toppie:
:FST: ...Pleasure......
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GREAT STUFF KENT!!! :win:
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GREAT STUFF KENT!!! :win:
:tkx: ...Pleasure
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:sreel: ...Nylon is a funny word. How it came about , the word and the actual stuff called NYLON. Well , NY stands for New York and LON stands for London. It is said that a scientist from New York and from London co invented the stuff/material and coined the name NY-LON from where they came from.
Nylon is used today in ALL walks of life from material in clothing and more so in womans stockings etc etc and in big industry even in the reels we use , although in present times lighter and even more durable materials are replacing nylon. Then of course , there is the nylon , line , we use for our favourite past time , fishing!!! Although , today its called by many fancy names such as , monofilament or mono for short , co polymer AND even extruded fishing line/nylon is used . You then also get GUT which is a form of nylon , although the term gut could be from the OLD use of animal sinew. Tennis rackets back in the day used GUT.
What we need to know and understand about nylon is that its extremely strong for its diameter and pretty durable to the elements of the sea , sun and wind. BUT , it does not like heat and does not stand up to well if more than 15% of its diameter is compromised. When I started out on this journey , I set out to do this with nylon and as a youngster grew up throwing a multiplier loaded with 20kg Maxima dark green!!!...While this was extremely strong and durable , it was like using rope to fish and cast with!!!....This coupled with a 49A and a 13f ole one piece Blue Marlin that weighed a ton!! Standing on the Gonubie point throwing 5oz spoons for shad for three hours on end was tiring to say the least.
Well once I could throw for about three hours with that 49A and no bunch ups I was later upgraded to the infamous Jigmaster and was given a great 12 foot two piece BM. I fished with this outfit for many many years and about 12 or so years ago I treated myself and bought my first SL30 and the 110H.
When I first embarked on this kob/spoon journey I was given advice on what line to use from King Fisher Giant abrasion , Triple X , Double X , Maxima , Suffix etc etc. I went through rolls and rolls of nylon and still did not get to that SMOOTH ZONE with regard to nylon. One day I suggested to myself to go find a roll of line that would run me around R60 for 600m of .45 at about 13kg. I then happened onto a line called Okuma Max Tough No.7...It was .43 and 12,3kg. This line I used until the beginning of 2014 when Okuma was not brought into the country anymore. I found this line to be super low on memory , super castable and super abrasive resitant and ontop of that it did not “dry” out quickly in the sun.
NOW...the point of this LONG convoluted story is JUST THIS.....One does NOT have to buy the R400 roll of line to get the best out of your fishing AND to feel very secure about the line you are using. For me , LOW memory is of utmost importance ...WHY??...well...imagine youve been casting for about 45 minutes and you suddenly get a rattle and you are now wide awake coz the kobbies are present!!!...Your very next throw , coz you are now excited and your adrenal gland is pumping , you throw a bunch!!!...DAMN!!...You now reel in and need to peel out that bunch as soon and as fast n smooth as possible.
THIS , is where memory is VERY NB!!!...IF..you know your line has very low memory , do NOT peel it off into a pool of water rather peel off onto a dryish rock and not on SAND!!...IF you know your nylon has a fair amount of memory , then peel it off into a pool of water. Nylon with memory builds static...sea water release that...nylon with low memory has little static and sea water will add static. This might seem like a silly thing to remember...BUT...its the difference of you getting that price fish and the difference of snapping off on your next cast!!!!
Sooo, understanding nylon and how it reacts under certain conditions will greatly make your fishing session a pleasure and not frustrating. I always keep a little spray/squirt type bottle in my bag filled with a drop of sunlight liquid and fresh water. After about every 10 or so throws I give two or so squirts and continue my casting session. This reduces friction and also gives you nice smooth , bunch free casts. Salt water continuously deposit salt crystals onto your line and this in turn “cuts” into your line. Some freshwater squirts go a long way to eliminate line degradation . This then brings us to how to load your nylon of choice on your multiplier of choice. Remember , you reel needs to be light , durable , easy to service , at least 6 to 1 ratio and not cost an arm and a leg. Whether , you choose a level winder or not is purely personal choice. For myself I dont like a level winder BUT my partner, LS , uses an Abu level C3500 level winder.
Once you have you nylon of choice and I would suggest dont go lighter than 10kg and no heavier than 13kg.
NOW...get your roll of nylon set up so as you can reel on with a certain amount of tension . Then arm yourself with a piece of cotton , feldt or flannel cloth...NOT NYLON cloth. Some Johnsons PURE baby oil and you are set to load your “new” reel!!!
Dab some oil onto your cloth and let the nylon run through this as you wind onto your reel...On a 20 or 30 size reel you would probably get about 200 or so meters on and all the time run it through the oil wet cloth.
Once done , lightly rinse your reel off in luke warm water and your are now set for your first session on your quest to hunt kob with spoon!!!
Well Folks , this is all for this week and next time on this journey we will get into that 2 meters of line just before it gets attached to your spoon. Those two meters are THE MOST important part of the 200 odd meters of line on your freshly loaded reel!!!
Keep it clean
and
JUST GO FISH!!!
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Awesome stuff, looking forward to the next installment. :+ cred:
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Really nice read Kent.
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Awesome stuff, looking forward to the next installment. :+ cred:
:tite :uarocks
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Really nice read Kent.
:corrct: :uarocks
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Great stuff Kent :+ cred: :+ cred:
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Great stuff Kent :+ cred: :+ cred:
:uarocks ..Pleasure Gareth...
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Very good Kent :+ cred: but I have to ask: why the HUGE font?? :-)
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Kent gooi hom nou..GO BEEG or go HOME
Nice read buddy...
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Very good Kent :+ cred: but I have to ask: why the HUGE font?? :-)
:tkx: ..LOL..ja sorry...BUT..its from my diaries and they are written in word and then I copy and paste...
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Kent gooi hom nou..GO BEEG or go HOME
Nice read buddy...
:win: :uarocks
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thanks Kent,enjoying the read,I've never tried the cloth and baby oil method or the spray bottle... :dunno: but then again I don't use my :mp: to throw spoons that often :hehe: here's your 50th cred... :+ cred:
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thanks Kent,enjoying the read,I've never tried the cloth and baby oil method or the spray bottle... :dunno: but then again I don't use my :mp: to throw spoons that often :hehe: here's your 50th cred... :+ cred:
:tkx: :hehe: ...Lofty
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w;k ...I get asked, or rather told/implied all the time, that I must lose TONS of spoons coz of the area I mainly hunt the kobbies in. Jip , I do throw mainly in bricky gulleys and gutters and IF one is not careful OR do not do a proper recce of the area/spot you want to throw in then you ARE gonna lose lotsa metal.
Remember , when you snap off , you not only losing a spoon....BUT..Its the two split rings , the hook and the kwik clip...NOW...I use the Triton 7mm medium strength splits and they not cheap cheap....My hooks are strong BUT not Daiichi price hooks and NOW the kwik clip I use IS pricey...They are the Swanell clips and the best in the business!!..Sooo..Losing a spoon is NOT an option to me!!!..This then brings me to the last two meters of your line JUST before you clip onto your spoon.
As Ive mentioned previously , my line is 13kg .45 diameter and often get asked/told , aint that a bit heavy for kob? Well , my theory has always been , that you dont do ANY fish by “playing” it , especially if you intend releasing it. Landing a fish green is way better than landing it all tucked out. So , for throwing spoons from 1oz to max 3oz , I find the .45 to be the best so as not to affect casting distance and also the best in strength for fishing amongst the bricks.
Now...that pesky last two meters of line before you get to the business end of your tackle , the spoon. You need this portion to be as strong as possible. I tie a bimini twist and this I join to a meter or so of clear 60lb leader line as a trace...This then is connected to my kwik clip. Remember Folks , its almost always that last 2 meters or so that will snap off when you have a large fish on and its rubbing up against the bricks and whatever else there is just to spoil you fish of a lifetime!!!. This then also enables you to pull your spoon out of the bricks should it get snagged.
Snagged is such a flippant word with a VERY DIRE meaning. Losing metal is a costly business. A tin spoon of 2oz nowadays will run you at least R70...a packet of 5 Swanell kwik clips is around R40...a packet of ten splits will set you back R18...So , roughly when you lose a spoon its cost can get to a R100. Now you retie , re clip another spoon and five throws later you snap off again. Another 100 bucs, those are not good odds.
It pays to recce your prospective spot thoroughly on a spring low . Many and ALL of my 5 top kob spots Ive actually put on my flippers and mask and done a physical swime to get the lay of the land as it were. I can see some of you shaking your heads. Well , the next question Is why only/mainly throw spoon amongst the bricks for kob. Are they not supposed to hang around sandy beaches and river mouths etc etc. Well , yes , they do ..BUT...and here is a BIG but. You may well find a great spot on a sandy beach and its comfortable and all and the last three outings youve had 100% success. Then , you go back again after a short break and no fish. Well , that lovely sloepie has vanished. Changing sand bars etc etc make it difficult to predict accurately whether the kob will be there or not. NOW , with bricky gutters and gulleys , they dont change too drastically , although some can get sanded up. BUT , choose a bricky section of coast and do the recce/homework and put in the time and YOU will get rewarded!!!
What you need to do is keep a record of when you catch and what the conditions are at that time and also when you dont catch. Barometer , wind , sea temp , tide and moon phase. Soon you will get a pattern/trend ...follow that Trend and you WILL be succesful. OR you can just go moer n soek!!!
So , now you have your pattern of conditions in place , its now a matter of keeping a watchful eye on the conditions as they approach your time when you can go fish and then when they are aligned ...you JUST GO FISH!!!!...This , then is fishing optimumly. Now heres the kicker. For this application of hunting kob you need to pick not more than 2 to 4 spots that you fancy and work them.Try it for a full year/season and see what it brings you. Although , only after doing it for two years will you really get a solid idea of a VERY good trend.
One habit that is good to get into is , say after 3 or so sessions , is to strip off about ten meters of line off your reel and then retie your trace again.This gets rid of any nics you might have picked up. Checking you line regularly is a very good exercise to do as you are in your sessions . Continues casting is murder on you line , hence the squirt bottle with freshwater and a drop of Sunlight liquid.
One other thing that is very NB with regard to your reel is the drag system. Whatever drag you use , it needs to be super soft and firm , like Italians cook their paste ...Al Dente.....Soft, But firm and NEVER sticky!!!...This is how your drag system has to be. Otherwise you gonna drop more kob than actually land them. What you HAVE to remember ...A kob hits a spoon way different to any other lure out there!!
Well Folks thats all for this week and I cannot stress that last 2 meters of line enough. Next time we will get into the business end of this journey of ours and see IF we can determine what the kobbies like with regard to metal and what is the “bite” like????
Keep it Clean
and
Just Go Fish!!!
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w;k ..We continue on this quest for glory , we must remember this quote from a master of his trade as we work towards becoming masters of our trade and , yet , he never thought of himself as anything other than a master , rather as a student of his trade.....
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
Bruce Lee
As we think about this , I often get asked while Im fishing OR maybe on my way walking home , did I have any luck , or any bites???....Lets dwell on luck for a second and we will get back to the bite question in a short while. Gary Player once said , the more he practises , the luckier he gets....Well , that is not too far from the truth with regards to fishing and especially with regards to throwing spoon for kob...AND..throwing spoon SPECIFICALLY in the bricks for kob.
Now , I am inclined to say that the MOST important part of this type/application of fishing is the cast ...from the stance to the drop of your line ..the swing and then the follow through. No one fisherman will cast the exact as the next...BUT....there are three things that you must always adhere to when throwing spoon for kob . First when you plant your feet getting ready for the cast , keep them planted...DO NOT step on your cast. Second , always be aware where your drop is before you swing , and thirdly ALWAYS listen to your reel and get to know its sound when the spool is running away from your thumb. Remember , your thumb has a muscle and after awhile it will “learn” and you will have what they call muscle memory ...BUT...you still need to be wakker as that thumb CAN get Lazy!!
To do all this takes practise and practise and practise and then practise some more. PLEASE...do not clip on a sinker and go cast a 100 casts on a sports field!!!...THAT..is the worst thing you could do to yourself. Clip on a spoon , an old one and go practise in the sea , at least you will have a chance of hooking a fish. Also down at the waters edge you will experience tide...movement...wind and all that goes with fishing in the sea.
One must remember , kob hits a spoon VERY different to any other lure out there. Almost 100% of the time , you have a kob on with spoon , that single hook of yours will just be in the lip. You could get lucky and here I mean lucky , and your hook gets twisted in the side sinew . In all the years I have done this , I have only ever had a kob take a spoon all the way in with the hook just in front of the gill plate.
With a rappie , bristling with all those horrible trebs , it will stitch a kob all in the mouth and make a mess as you play the fish. Rubbers , ie paddletails and dropshot , will almost always be in the gill plate section. Soooo, my point....we getting there...The new found clone lures , that lure kob so well , especially low n slow over sandy areas and river mouths also for the most part get slukked in. Although , the clone is a lot closer to a spoon than the others.
NOW , you have the cast under your belt and you want to cast from the 1oz to 3oz range of spoons. Very good....BUT...what spoon to use and in what condition sea would the be the right spoon to use to get those kob on the hunt and onto your hook??? …....IF...presented properly and in the right conditions and they are in a feeding frenzy , kob will take a door handle......BUT...we all know that THAT very seldom happens. In my 10 years of hunting kob this way , Ive had it happen twice!!!
So , here are my top shape spoons that IF the kobbies are at your spot when they are , you will get a hook up. You need a nice gentle S shape spoon that when it swims mush have a really decent wobble...it must NEVER spin. The more it wobbles the more it pushes water and this vibration is picked up by the kobs VERY sensitive lateral line and then sight takes over and then your spoon needs to be MIRROR shiny!!!
Another good spoon , off the shelf is the KF 2S,,,.Then you get the Alcocks 1oz SS slim , although they are very effective in rivers Ive never used one in the sea. Ive found a spoon made by Falcon that are good value and are GREAT for throwing amongst the bricks. Out of the T range of spoons supplied by Morrisons Fishing , you get the T14,,T29,,T31 and T32. All these spoons range from 1oz to 3oz. The KF 2S and T14 being the two most castable spoons for all conditions and bothe work in calm OR turbulent water.
NOW...If you can get hold of Tiger shape spoons in the 2oz size , you will have a kob killer spoon of note. Another spoon , from the bass fraternity is the 1oz Hopkins , VERY good kobbie spoon. Of course then I have my own designs and will over the course of the weeks here post some pics. I have 5 top spoons of my own design , namely the DS(Devils Special)...LS(Leons Special)...SS(Slim Shady)...Fugly and the Paris Hilton...ALL these spoons are in PURE tin. Remember one thing Folks , you can never have too many spoons and they can NEVER be too shiny!!!!ALWAYS shine your spoons before you go for a session and then shine them some more. You have more shine than the next guy throwing next to you...You will get the fish!!!
There is a mantra I live by when plying my trade and it is this......TOO MUCH PRESSURE AND THE KOBBIE SWIMS ..TOO LITTLE PRESSURE AND THE KOBBIE SWIMS.....Now...what is the “bite” like when throwing spoon for kob....To be honest , I really dont know...genuine...after 10 odd years doing this and hooking and landing NUMEROUS kob , I still cannot tell you WHAT the bite feels like. To explain , its more like ...the kob is just THERE and on your hook...BUT once you have that “on feeling” you have to resist the urge to strike or hit the fish...While you are retrieving , you need to keep your rod tip up and not down like youve seen all those classy spinners at Rooikrantz for tail OR at Winkelspruit for shad. By your rod tip up and the kobbie hits your spoon and you “feel” him on ...NOW you need to hold ...steady and then reel...NO STRIKE...this is where your choice of rod will become of utmost importance. Fast tight tip and lotsa back bone. This is when the pressure MANTRA comes into play....too much and he swims too little and he swims. At this point , kob have a very specific way of playing you. From 2 to 4 kay the kobbie will bump you around and try n shake that hook from his mouth and then he will come at you and then at the last two meters or so will bump n grind again. Your drag needs to be firm BUT smooth . This then Folks is the “bite”. Only through getting them routinely will you build up a memory pattern of how your kobbies in your area will play you. Try and let your rod do the work and TRY and not walk and land your fish.
This then Folks is all for now and PRACTISE is the order of the day when doing this application. Next time we will look at A typical conditions to look out for and what structure and gutters that kobbies might be frequenting.
Keep it clean and Just Go Fish!!!
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:tkx: another great post :toppie:
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:tkx: another great post :toppie:
:tite :uarocks
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Nice Kent (clap)
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Great articles Kent. You mentioned that the lure must never spin. I bought a few Toby spoons for Shad and they are all attached with a swivel on the end. Do you recommend taking it off and just using a regular Swannel's clip? Was your comment specifically for Kob or do you think the same would apply for Shad?
Thanks.
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Nice Kent (clap)
:tkx: :FST: :tite :uarocks
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Great articles Kent. You mentioned that the lure must never spin. I bought a few Toby spoons for Shad and they are all attached with a swivel on the end. Do you recommend taking it off and just using a regular Swannel's clip? Was your comment specifically for Kob or do you think the same would apply for Shad?
Thanks.
w;k ..Hi Dave , ja ..look...a swivel is a no no....although okies use one coz they using coffees to gooi with and a coffee tends to twist line and in turn make a spoon spin...If you using a multiplier then NO swivel...clip straight onto the split...Ive tested a zillion times in a pool and in the actual sea...a swivel makes a spoon spin...When the shad are thick and in a frenzy , they will take a piece of silver paper ..BUT at times they can be finicky...then you also dont need that spoon to spin...so yes ...not only for kob...BUT especially for kob...
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Thanks for the reply Kent. I think especially if you are throwing "S-Bend" spoons it doesn't make sense as it will completely alter side to side action which is what makes the S-Bend so successful to begin with. I've got a random "bullet" spoon I picked up at one of the PE tackle shops. Think it's an Iron Candy of some sort actually and for that I can see the benefit of a swivel in terms of casting distance. The swivel allows the spoon to spin at a hell of rate when you cast, sort of like a torpedo kick in rugby. I'm not actually sure what type of action that spoons is supposed to have when you reel in though. Do you know of any spoons that are designed to spin on the retrieve?
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Thanks for the reply Kent. I think especially if you are throwing "S-Bend" spoons it doesn't make sense as it will completely alter side to side action which is what makes the S-Bend so successful to begin with. I've got a random "bullet" spoon I picked up at one of the PE tackle shops. Think it's an Iron Candy of some sort actually and for that I can see the benefit of a swivel in terms of casting distance. The swivel allows the spoon to spin at a hell of rate when you cast, sort of like a torpedo kick in rugby. I'm not actually sure what type of action that spoons is supposed to have when you reel in though. Do you know of any spoons that are designed to spin on the retrieve?
:-) ..Bullet type spoons are great for distance AND they almost exclusively great for fast moving fish...leerie...natal snoek love them....yellow tail , if they in the mood...kingies....pompano....wave garrick...and yes these are species predominately on the KZN coast and of course shad will eat them ...BUT as to action in the water its mainly dash n splash....I never use them...
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:hnthnt: Evening Folks , just as a side note as I get some rest before I head out in the early AM at 03h30 as the conditions are spot on and the tides are all very good....some points to remember ,,,check your spoons splits are good...hooks are sharp and no cracks near the loop holes for the splits....your spoons can NEVER be too shiny!!!
I shine my non tin spoons with plain ole brasso and my tin spoons I scrape first with a blade and then rub hard with a little clear glass bottle and then final rub with tissue paper.
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:-) Sometimes , walking and watching the sea can tell you a helluva lot about how and where to hunt the kobbies . There is a school of thought that the ONLY way to get kob on spoon is to go low n slow ie dragging your spoon VERY slowly along the bottom of a sandy beach and then aiming at OR finding a so called drop off where the bottom drops off into deeper water or a deeper channel/sloepie rises up to a sandy bank. NOW.....yes you will get with this kinda structure OR “formation” as the pros like to call it , but...its a slow process and most times you will be standing in waist deep water and casting hours on end being partially submerged. Like Ive said previously , my way , is NOT the only OR best way , but , Ive had TOO many successes over the years for me to change my way of hunting kobbies on spoon.
Lets go back a few years to around 2008 and up until this point I had been mainly throwing at sandy beaches and river mouths when the formations presented themselves and found myself chasing stories and moving sand bars all along the Jikeleza...Now , while this kept me fit , I did not have too many successes. Then one day along my local section of coast , 300m away from front door I was talking the hounds for a stroll. On this stretch it was very bricky and know for its blue fish , silvers and poensies. My toppie used to often get his 10k poensie along this area BUT I knew from diving there as a laaitie it was a tackle eating area. Not a sand bar in sight for at least a 3 kay stretch of coast.
As the honds were having a ball in the rocky gutters I idly watched these two toppies putting out small blob baits for blues. Next moment the one toppie gets a bite and he is on!!...Lands about a 2kayer kobbie and proceeds to release it.The other toppie is in and he too lands a kobbie....After about a half hour they each land another two more kob. I amble up to them and asked, do they often get kob here?. The one toppie says to me ...”My boy , they can be a pest at times along this coast and we then battle to get our blues...”
Well , well.....this got me thinking and the very next low tide I was down there like a shot!!!....BUT..here is a harsh lesson that was learnt by me. I charged in throwing spoons at the area and soon realised that this was gonna be a costly affair!!!The first three sessions there I lost 9 spoons!!!...WHOA...I put the brakes on and the next spring low I took my goggles and flippers and proceeded to recce the area I was hoping to hunt the kobbies in. I soon had recced an area which had three very good gutters to get kob in and now I had to find them and start formulating a pattern/trend as to when and what conditions would they most likely come into the gutters to look for bait fish.
I also noticed that often when I went down to this area , the Jonny Dykers were always in this area diving bait fish...VERY good sign!!....My first session after I recced it for two days , I hit my first kobbie!!!...I made sure I noted the conditions , ie water temp...tide...water colour and what the barometer was doing at the time.
There are five things that tell me its time to GO FISH!!,,
A rising barometer and topping out at 1021hpk
Outgoing tide with three hours to low and preferably early AM
A water colour of lemon twist to clean/clear
Water temp of 17 to 20
And of course , you see Jonny Dykers diving thats a bonus!!!
Of the five , the rising barometer and water temp are the two critical and then the cleaner the water the better. Im not saying you WONT catch in adverse conditions , BUT... on the right conditions you WILL be more succesfull. Always remember , one needs to work out what conditions will suit your kobbies on your section of coast. The only way to do that is to note everytime you go gooi , whether you catch or not. Soon you will get to know the trend/pattern and when you see the conditions lining up you will be ready.
Sometimes , you will get certain gutters that look good on the surface but underneath its just too foul. Then , move on, find another . Once you have found two or three such bricky gutters , you need to work them and able to fish them blind folded. One must remember , kob are not weak swimmers , they just lazy and are ambush specialists!!!... Sooo...Ive learnt they LOVE bricky gutters with lotsa pinnacles and rises and rocky slopes. Lotsa place to hide and ambush. The beauty of fishing almost 100% in areas like this is that the structure/formation , almost never moves away or changes. This then is great , as kob are also fish of habit and when the conditions are right , will return time and again to the same area. There are a few pics with this weeks writ and its typical areas I gooi in.
This then brings me to the need to throw lightish spoons from the 1oz to 2,5oz range and spoons that wobble/push water very well and dont dig in or dive deep when pushed hard in the retrieve. A lot of this application of fishing will be testing , testing and testing some more. Whenever you lookin at a new area , use an old spoon.
Folks , once youve found a few spots and they start delivering , it will be a great sense of accomplishment. Almost like you finding virgin fishing grounds!!!!
Folks , thats all for this week and next time we will look at the actual retrieve and what to be aware of when you enter the strike zone and get that spoon up to attack speed!!!
Keep it clean....and
JUST GO FISH!!!
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Awesome post and your passion for this sport is infectious-keep up the excellent work Kent
Rajen
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:win: :tkx:. @ Kent. Is this photo taken off the rocks near the bird sanctuary?? looks like where I used to sit and watch the swallows roost while fishing in the evenings. :toppie:
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Kent, such passion and dedication. :resp: and :+ cred: for sharing years of hard earned experience, knowledge and skills with us. Thanks.
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Awesome post and your passion for this sport is infectious-keep up the excellent work Kent
Rajen
:tite :uarocks
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Awesome again Kent! :+ cred: (clap)
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:win: :tkx: . @ Kent. Is this photo taken off the rocks near the bird sanctuary?? looks like where I used to sit and watch the swallows roost while fishing in the evenings. :toppie: :bow: Pleasure.........Colin , well you could say that , although the Sanctuary is a about 400m back from this stretch of coast line , but yes, you are correct...
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Awesome again Kent! :+ cred: (clap)
:uarocks ..Pleasure Gareth....thanks for reading...
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Great stuff Kent, can't wait to read the next episode !! :+ cred: :resp:
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Kent, such passion and dedication. :resp: and :+ cred: for sharing years of hard earned experience, knowledge and skills with us. Thanks.
:bow: A pleasure.....
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Great stuff Kent, can't wait to read the next episode !! :+ cred: :resp:
:bow: ..Only a pleasure....
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w;k Sometimes one can get bogged down with this pastime of ours we call fishing. On my journey and quest for perfection in the hunt for kob on spoon , Ive come across fisherman on their outings and they look visible frustrated. NOW...like most things in life one can fall into a, so called , routine , heaven forbid we call it a rut!!!. Be that as it may , its at times like these , and this most often happens when one is NOT catching fish. Well , IF you should ever find yourself falling into this “trap” , now is not the time to pack away the tackle , but , now is the time to start asking why and what is it that motivates one to fish???....For some its the end result ...a fish on the end of the line...to others its the outing and get away from the rat race(the inlanders) For some its the solitude and yet for others its that social fishing in a group that does it. Well , whatever it is that makes you want to fish OR that “thing” that gets you excited to go fish OTHER than the actual fish itself , this then is the thing to focus on.......
I can hear and see the question marks on your faces and wondering whats all this mumbo jumbo got to do with the retrieve when throwing spoon for kob??...Well Folks , it has EVERYTHING to do with the retrieve!!!...One must remember , we as beings of this world are part and parcel of Nature and its bounties , no this is not a bunny hugger speech , but bear with me,,,,,
You get going on a morning for a two hour session and looking forward to a good 2 hours throwing and have had a hard days work with your stress levels through the roof and you need to relax...Your first throw is a bunch...your second throw , you throw your spoon off , the next throw , you are now getting rather frustrated , you take two turns on the retrieve and your spoon is in the bricks...snap off!!!...NOW..you are acid and your retrieves become erratic and you pack up and go home feeling more irritated than when you actually arrived at the waters edge....
Retrieving with spoon for kob over the bricks requires you to be sharp and aware of EVERYTHING that is happening around you...The water movement...the wind strength and direction changes if any.....sidewashes and surges and VERY aware of your retrieve speed and to KNOW exactly where your spoon is at all times!!!
I learnt very quickly and smartly that you need to concentrate and have a good clear mind when practising this application of fishing...IF NOT...you WILL lose tons of metal...you WILL drop kob IF you get the hit at all!!!...You will NOT notice changes in the water tide etc etc.....Imagine youve been retrieving all morning for an hour solid and nothing...Then you take a few deep breaths and get that retrieve in the ATTACK SPEED ZONE,,,and BOOM you on!!!...All this time those kobbies might have been idling just under the surface. You get the right energy and you are in business!!
Now , lets get onto what to do as your cast is finished and the spoon has entered the water...Yoiur spoon needs to enter that water with as least of a splash as possible...ie going in nice and straight , this ensures your hook has not snagged up against the split and no matter how deep the water , you nust click over and start your retrieve straight away...As you get to “feel” the spoon , your rod tip should be tap tap tapping away lightly and your line should be moving side to side ever so slightly...This then means youe spoon is swimming with a GOOD wobble and pushing water. Its of utmost importance that your spoon pushes water , this “pushing” creates a vibration which in turn alerts the kob,s VERY sensitive lateral line and then when he gets near enough he will pick up your shiny spoon...IF..you do not see your line moving sideways it means your spoon is spinning in the water...NOT GOOD!!! Over the years Ive found a steady retrieve throughout the attack zone area is far better than a push pull erratic style retrieve.
When at your spot , you notice Jonny Dykers diving and fishing you need to get your spoon in the same area. Should you arrive at a spot and you see fisherman using livies , well somehow you need to get as close to that area and throw your spoons. Ideally , you want your spoon to be operating about a meter beneath the surface supposing the area you throwing is about 3 meter in depth in the retrieve area. Its not very often you will find kob in deep water points.
Always make sure your drag is set on firm but not tight as when that kob hits your spoon it will be a hard hit!! About 5 years ago we were down the coast at a spot called Three Sisters just this side of Port Alfred. On that morning as we arrived at the rock we saw that two guys had rods out and they were using livies. I immediately started throwing in that area , three throws later I was on. I later found out that that evening these two had landed 10 kob in total. ALL on livies!!
Im telling you , you get your retrieve spot on for your spot and you will get kob everytime they are there!!! BUT..you need to be in the right frame of mind and dont go throw for throws sake. Then rather take a step back and just sit and watch the water for awhile.
When you are retrieving , one needs to be as still as possible and not move your feet once the retrieve has started. And remember , when you feel the kob on , lift and hold and then see how that kob will play you..
Well folks this is all for this week and next time we will cover the merits of moving spots as the tide shifts OR as the water changes. This is actual pretty crucial when throwing spoon for kob in the bricks.
Keep it clean and
Just Go Fish!!!
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:tkx: kent :resp:
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Well done Kent, another interesting article. I'll be fishing near your home grounds, Queensberry Point to Cintsa Point, between the 16th and 27th of December. Hopefully the Blue Fish and Silvers will come to the party. I have in the past caught the odd Cob at the Round Boulders at Cintsa. Happy "hunting" over the holidays !![size=78%] [/size]
[/size][size=78%] [/size]
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:tkx: kent :resp:
:bow: Pleasure Colin....thanks for taking the time to read...
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Well done Kent, another interesting article. I'll be fishing near your home grounds, Queensberry Point to Cintsa Point, between the 16th and 27th of December. Hopefully the Blue Fish and Silvers will come to the party. I have in the past caught the odd Cob at the Round Boulders at Cintsa. Happy "hunting" over the holidays !![size=78%] [/size]
[size=78%] [/size]
:bow: Pleasure...Jip..you spot on for that area for silvers and blues....at the Cintsa tidal pool I often gooi there for kob.....
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:nuts: Mornings Folks , well as you see on the pic attached , Im now more than ever certain, that I am being drilled by poensies , and possibly large ones…That there is a 6/0 short shank VMC , not a weak hook by a long stroke of the chalk ….fourth throw this AM …..One hard hit and that’s the result!!!...Well, Im afraid its TIME….they wanna play rough Im just gonna put on the BIG GUNS…..The 8/0,s are going on TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!
[/size]After 6 days of hard spinning , and I am down 3.....NIL...well ITS OVER!!![/color]
[/size][/color]
[/size]This is after 6 days in a row spinning hard for kob and the last two days being drilled HARD!!![/color]
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Very interesting Kent, hope you manage to get some poensies soon!
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:hnthnt: >Ive now locked n loaded a BIG GUN 8/0 and tomorrow its game time!!
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Looking forward to seeing the results, you don't think that one of those 12kg Silvers has changed it's eating habits? :hnthnt:
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:tite
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Looking forward to seeing the results, you don't think that one of those 12kg Silvers has changed it's eating habits? :hnthnt:
w;k ...Hi Zak.....Ive hooked two poensies before and im of the opinion that its poensie taking my spoons and not silvers...BUT...Im also of the opinion that any fish will grab a spoon given the right conditions at that time....
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w;k ..There are so many options when throwing spoon for kob in amongst the bricks. By just throwing a few meters to the right , a few meters to the left or going short or pushing a long throw. Now , this type of “panning” for the kob is VERY useful when one has a longish waist OR neck deep wade out to that magical pinnacle you want to stand on and once you on it you don’t really want to just have 5 throws and move off to a whole new spot. Lets say youve now gotten onto your pinnacle and its three hours to low and the tide is steadly moving out and the water is working nicely out front and right in your attack zone its looking VERY GOOD!!.....What you want to do is actually have at least an hours throw on this same spot. Yes yes yes …I hear the protagonists saying …walk n stalk , while I am also in agreement with this modus operandi , at times when you find a nice bit of rock to stand on in a nice good looking gutter/gulley setup then its worth your while to try and work it into the low as long as posibble. What is the point of this???
Don’t forget you throwing in an area that is 99% bricks and as the water drains that terrain changes and as the drainage continuous , the bait fish are frantic and want to stay shallow coz they know IF they go deep its tickets for them and NOW the kob have been lounging around in the crevices and holes waiting and watching. They then time it spot on as the bait fish are now so much closer to them and they don’t have to venture too far out of their lekker lounging spots and its breakfast time!!!....THIS then is where you 1.5oz , S shaped SHINY spoon comes into play with a 6/0 short shank single attached. Soooo…we assume the the baro is rising…the water is a lekker 18/19 and its lekker clean …the bait fish are aplenty and nice working white water all the way in the attack zone!!!....Im telling by7 the third throw you would have had an enquiry IF not a good solid on/off. Remember , when you at a spot like this its 5 throws left , 5 throws right , 5 throws centre , then vary them short and long. Always rod tip up and the retrieve speed MUST not vary too much , just need to get that spoon pushing water and have a very good shine to it….
The only thing you HAVE to be very aware of is the tide dropping. This then is where you now have to take your time and be absolute SHARP on every retrieve , coz Im telling you, you are gonna bump n scrape the bricks BUT if you stay sharp you will get your spoon out of trouble every time!!!
Ive always maintained , that when you’ve found a spot that you really like , more than likely there is probably at least another three spots within that spot. Your original spot might be for , say good from three hours to low to fishable one hour to low and then it gets TOO low …after that you need to find a spot very near that one that is fishable on the low and yet another one very near that fishes well on a slight east and yet another that fishes well in a west and yet another that fishes well on a full high tide.These then need to be at least in a 100m stretch. NOW…find this kinda area with 4 spots like this for ANY wind , tide condition …WELL….you will not be hopping and chasing all over in your car BUT rather concentrating on working out WHEN its good to be on the fish!!
Now , imagine if you find this spot/area a stones throw from your home , Id say you are in PARADISE!!!
What you find will happen is that you start catching and eventually you start fine tuning your kit for that exact spot/area. Throwing spoon for kob in bricky areas like this , one thing , you will have to be prepared to get wet , A few apparel tips from my years of doing this.
A wetsuit , even a good second hand one is a great piece of kit to have especially in the winter. A nice light weight sweater to pull over the wettie and then one of those light weight rain suit jackets , they excellent to keep that chilly wind off your arms etc.Some decent foot wear and my choice are Reef booties BUT with the softer sole as opposed to those rigid ones you get. Although if you prefer fishing boots , just make sure they drain well otherwise they tend to get heavy. A little waterproof moon bag type pouch around your waist to keep a few spoons in and your knife , here I use a fold up knife and a pair of long nose split ring pliers. I also have a water proof sling bag for my NON waterproof items such as small coffee flask , cell phone . I also keep a fold up fish bag a small medical kit with a few plasters …swab and one or two headache tablets. I also keep a plug in my sling bag in case for leerie action.
The idea with this kinda fishing application is to travel/walk as light as possible and after awhile you will streamline line it kwik kwik. One thing you might notice I don’t posses a headlamp and don’t not use one at all. I do though carry a torch for certain spots where the path is still someways from the waters edge. Other than that its always best to let your eyes adjust to the pre dawn dark and in this way you in a better position to throw for the kob.
Back to moving to different spots. Its always important to watch what is happening at your spot(s) within in your area. Especially the Jonny Dykers and any other bird activity. Now , if you suddenly notice Jonnies diving at another spot to the left or right of you , it maybe in your best interest to move and go throw right there where they are. Jonnies are EXCELLENT fish finders even better than a Garmin. They have an uncanny knack to find bait fish holding stations and where these holding stations are , you will find kob.
In addition to Jonnies , watch for sterritjie(terns) diving all of a sudden…this too means that there might be red eyes or anchovies in the water and that too can attract kob to the area. There is a school of though that if you spot dolphins coming past that its now a waste of time as they have scared the fish away , well my theory is that when this happens it also can make the kob hug the inshore shallows a lot closer and that in turn puts them in your attack zone. ALL these things could happen at any given time while you are out on your session and they are VERY NB things to take note of when throwing spoon for kob. You will need every bit of intel to gain the edge over these great intelligent fish as they are very wily and often will tap tap your spoon for an hour until the water is just RIGHT for their ambush .
Well Folks that’s all for this week and next time we will dwell a bit on TIMING and fishing the conditions.
Keep it clean and
Just Go Fish
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:tkx: I agree , travel light , most guys I know carry too much kit. Eventually even the best protection fails a little and one has rusted hooks and swivels that have never been used. :toppie:
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:tkx: I agree , travel light , most guys I know carry too much kit. Eventually even the best protection fails a little and one has rusted hooks and swivels that have never been used. :toppie:
:bow: ..Pleasure...thanks for reading...
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:-) ..Here you can see what i mean about spots in an area....here are three of my top top spots in approximately a 100m area and for any tide and inbetween....and each one is condition specific....
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Awesome stuff Kent!
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Awesome stuff Kent!
:bow: ..Pleasure...
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what's happening mr Kent...?When can we expect the next instalment..? w;k :Like:
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what's happening mr Kent...?When can we expect the next instalment..? w;k :Like:
sry ..Lofty , have got two more to post , will do so this evening ...been busy at work with the start of the new year...BUT yes ...will be posting the next bit of the journey shortly..... :fshn:
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what's happening mr Kent...?When can we expect the next instalment..? w;k :Like:
sry ..Lofty , have got two more to post , will do so this evening ...been busy at work with the start of the new year...BUT yes ...will be posting the next bit of the journey shortly..... :fshn:
:tkx:
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(clap) :toppie:
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w;k Part 9 and the journey continues.....
As we continue along this path of enlightenment , we strive to find that ONE THING that will tell us ...NOW is the time to go gooi those spoons for kobbies!!
Well , let me share with you , there is NO one thing BUT we all still look for that one THING that will , some how , put us onto the fish of a life time OR where we , in a session , klap the fish , so to speak …..Well Folks that ONE thing , and IF , you could call it that ONE thing , is not really a ONE thing ...Its all about TIMING...and timing it right when ALL the indicators/conditions are aligned and THIS THEN tells you ...JUST GO FISH!!!!
I remember a time awhile back , and Ive mentioned this before , when I was starting out on this quest , that I threw my spoons at EVERY opportunity and free moment I got!!...Come hail , rain or shine...east , west , south OR north winds and anything inbetween!!!...Big seas ...grubby seas and icy seas....I threw my arms off!!!
Now most of us , have a working life and have to do our bit for the economy and most of us then only really get to fish on weekends and then there are some of us who live inland and ONLY get to the sea perhaps once a year!!!...Soo , I soon realised that for this journey of mine , hunting kobbies on spoon specifically and only , would require some form of record keeping and finding out WHAT , for my areas and spots , would make the kob come in and feed …
Once this data I started collecting started showing a trend , I then could TIME my sessions where most , if not all the most favourable conditions lined up nicely...Once this was on , then it would mean getting the timing right at the right spot at the right tide , this then made for more record keeping of spots/areas and what type of tides they were good on. Of course in the beginning I found myself consumed by all the data I was accumulating... I even went off and visited the local kob farm here to find out what temp their kob like to eat and what temp they like to spawn etc etc....and one thing that seemed to intrigue me was that the kob seemed “happier” in clean water than grubby water and seemed to feed more readly in clean water....
NOW of course this got me thinking and this then become one of my FIRST general conditions I looked out for when on a session.....Then I also got info that they like a rising baro and when it tops out at around the 1021hpk mark they tend to be pretty hungry and active and responsive to lures etc etc...this then became my number TWO general condition.....
While I was at the farm I also asked about water temp and then also found out the kob were VERY sluggish in water from 14 to 18...BUT fro 19 to 21 were extremely mobile and avtive....Here then was number THREE general condition , and believe me , over the years Ive found the water temp to be a VERY crucial “timing” thingy.....
These then were my THREE general conditions/indicators I look for when planning and timing a session.....IF I have these three … I JUST GO FISH!!!!...
Then there are two more , BUT they are really my personal prefrence as to certain spots I throw at , an outgoing tide and I ALWAYS get excited when I see Jonnies diving at my spot when I arrive for a session...
Lets assume these indicators are spot on for when you want to go , now is the crucial thing to TIME the tide and the time of the day , Its always been of the firm belief that most fish , and more so with kob is that they feed best at pre dawn and last light … For myself , I prefer pre dawn as I like fishing from dark into light as opposed to from light into dark. This too , is not to say you wont get during the day , but these times are the OPTIMUM times to throw spoon for kobbies....
A little side note here , and forgive me IF Ive mentioned it before...IF you like throwing pre dawn , be as quiet as possible when you arrive at your spot and also DO NOT use any form of artificial lighting. VERY often in the pre dawn hour the kobbies sit right close on the shore line and sound travels from land to water quite easly...believe ...dont believe it...and as to the light.....well....Ive proved it ...I NEVER fish with a light...ALWAYS , as I arrive at my spot I never start throwing immediately , I stand OR sit for at least 15 minutes and listen and watch. Get ones eyes accustomed to the pre dawn darkness and also the sea will quickly tell you what its doing OR not doing...Folks these things ALL count up to having a productive session OR not and once you start practising this modus operandi , it becomes second nature and before you know it , you doing it automatically...
By going about this way before a session , you are narrowing that timing window to such an intense point that all it might take is ONE throw and you land a PB kob!!!...Imagine....ONE throw and you back home before the household is even THINKING of getting up!!!
Some of you might be thinking...GEEZ...why all this mumbo jumbo...just clip on a spoon and go gooi???...Jip...you can do that ...BUT..its so much better when youve worked out a “code” for YOUR spots/area and on that “code” you catch and when that code presents its self again you catch again!!...To me ...NOW THATS fishing optimumly!!!
Then of course , you might have your code and time it right and come away with a blank , well , that could also mean that just maybe they were not there at that time....Ive often got to my spot with ALL the indicators lit up in green and NADDA...NOTHING!!!....Then I walk away and come back in an hour and all hell breaks loose!!!...Maybe I did not time it the first time BUT IF that water talks to you the second time on the same session...DO NOT ignore that whisper!!!
Folks I will say this again and again....10 minutes of watching...not looking...but watching the sea , will tell you a multitude of things....
Soooo...with ALL this babbling of timing this and timing that , one should be 100% succesfull every time???....hee hee...think again....BUT ...what it does do , cuts down the luck factor and gives you a bit of “control” as to your success rate . AND , of course it also gives you MORE excuses when you blank!!!
Well Folks thats all for this week and next time I want to spend some time on weather patterns and conditions as to the journey with spoon for kob...
KEEP IT CLEAN
and
JUST GO FISH!!!
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Fantastic stuff Kent! What an informative series you had going there! Big respect for taking the time and sharing your observations and experience with us!
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Fantastic stuff Kent! What an informative series you had going there! Big respect for taking the time and sharing your observations and experience with us!
:bow: Only a pleasure...
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Yeah, great reading Kent!!!! :+ cred:
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Yeah, great reading Kent!!!! :+ cred:
:bow: Pleasure Gareth....
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w;k Part ten and the journey continues......
Every fisherman out there worth his salt is an expert when it comes to the “RIGHT” weather conditions , when to go and CATCH fish ...not just to go fishing. So , you all think Im being sarcastic ??.. Well , no , in fact I am being dead serious!!! On the one side you will have that fraternity who love fishing for sharks , skates etc etc and then you have the fraternity that likes to fish for scaly fish and yet still you will get that fraternity who fish exclusively in rivers and estuarine systems.....
NOW...all these fraternities have different weather thoeries and maybe the word theory is the wrong word , cause to most their way is the only way and let me tell you , they are NOT wrong!!!...Over the years Ive met fisherman who poo poo the barometer , some poo poo tides , some refute wind and some even say water colour is not important BUT almost all will say the weather is critical!!!
How severe does the weather affect fishing???...Well , in my experiences over the years weather is THE factor that can turn a session into a success or a blank AND If you do NOT take cognisance of the weather and at least have a slight idea as to how it affects your areas and how it affects the fish species in your areas .., well then I am afraid , you will have to be one lucky fisherman , otherwise you will be blanking a lot....
Lets back up a second to the weekend of 5/6 March 2016 and I got it horrible wrong as opposed to the weather and a trippie we did on our local Jikeleza coast line...the two vicious looking coastal lows lurking to our west was predicted by me to slip off into the deep blue being pushed there by a rather serious high pressure hanging over the coast lying areas....Well , that high did very little to stay the pace of the two coastals and they came through on the Saturday evening with a vengeance...Prior to this , 9 hours to be exact the barometer dropped over 20 points ...NOW , a rapid falling glass is almost never conducive to good fishing , especially in kobs case , once that glass has hit its bottom of around 998hpk , its gonna take at least another 8 hour period for that glass to rise steadly and get those kob to come onto a feeding pattern again. Once again I am NOT saying you wont catch in adverse conditions BUT you will catch more readly in the “right” weather conditions...But now herein lay your dilema...
Not ALL fish will come into a feeding pattern on the same weather systems BUT there is a certain mantra that a lot of fisherman generally follow....”Go fish just before a low pressure(cold front) enters your area ,,,Go fish just as a high pressure(warm front) approaches...”
Now , if you are an occasional fisherman and , say live not too close to the coast , you can use this mantra with a certain amount of success...BUT , should you be fortunate to live pretty close to the sea , then you can start to watch the weather patterns/system a lot more closely . One does not have to get too technical BUT watch wind and what it does to the water , then get to know what system brings that wind and if that certain wind brings you fish , you can then be on point to be ready and GO FISH!!!.
Number of fisherman get frustrated with lack of catching and eventually pack it in and only had they just paid a bit of interest to only , say the wind and tide water phases , their session would have been so much more succesfull.
One must remember Folks , fishing is a journey and the actual fish on the end of your line is a blessing bonus!!!
Sooo...you want a simple method OR system to keep to so as to “tell” you when to go fish optimumly …..Pick your spot(s) and have no more than three...Then decide what you want to catch , lets say you hunting kob , cracker and piggies(steenbra)....Now you need to start and take a day that “looks” good and note the wind and what the sea looks like ….whne you catch...highlight the note you made in your note book...and so you go on and very soon you will see a trend...FISH the trend and it WILL be your friend!!!
To throw a spanner in the works you will get the fisherman that refutes ALL this and fishes for certain species at certain times of the year...I know a ole man on our coast that fishes exactly like this and water weather conditions are secondary...Lets refer to him as Yoda...
Now master Yoda knows his stuff and can tell you a helluva lot by just watching the water for ten minutes BUT the water and what to look for is for another part of this journey....
RIGHT>>>>>after all this mumbo jumbo lets get back to kob on spoon and WHAT wheather trends/patterns are we looking for here???....First of all get that ginger beer water colour outta of your head .. The MOST succesful Ive been with kob on spoon is as that barometer is rising on its way up to 1021hpk and the west is still puffing slightly and the water is 19 and clear/clean....
Sooo...HOW do we get to this scenario or what do we look for during the week approaching the weekend when we can go fish???
What you want is a low preassure lurking off our coast on a Thursday night , then hit us on Friday and by Saturday AM the baro has turned and its rising steadly with the west still puffing and then Sunday AM you still have a slight west and changing to east late AM...
This is a perfect system for getting these silver/copper beauties on spoon!!!..BUT , we all know that we cannot actually ORDER the weather and hence the reason I say during the week keep one wary eye on the systems coming up the coast...and how you say we do this???...The most effective way is to get to read a synoptic chart and see one attached with this part of our journey. On the synoptic you will see two fronts licking our coast and the high ridging in behind...The chart is dated 8/3/2016...So, 9/10/March/2016 would be two good fishing days , especially for kob on spoon in particular ..
Now one doesnt have to know how to read the synoptic BUT a simple phone call to your local airport will give you the info you see here...
You can ask them what system is coming along the coast and what is the baro doing OR ask them for the flying weather systems for the next three days...this will be the MOST accurate reporting you will get IF you do not have a barometer . Its way more accurate way of knowing whats coming than most IF not all the weather apps/sites on the interweb!!!
There is also the modus operandi that ...to heck with weather ...JUST GO FISH!!!...Oh yes you can follow this method BUT wouldnt it be lekker to “know” what the weather system will do and then be forewarned is forearmed AND then you land your fish!!!
Please remember Folks , watching weather systems and what they do to fishing can differ as close as 50km away from each other...So what works for this area might not work 50kms away...just a thought...
Also when the systems approach and they look like they will be spot on for when you can get a line in the water..THEN its all the so much sweeter when you do get your fish!!!
On my FB page Jikeleza Fishing 365 , I give a pre weekend report every Friday AM before the weekends fishing and at times I get the wind a bit late OR early , but this is due to HOW fast OR HOW slow systems travel up the coast..BUT for the most part you have a 85% idea as what to expect and then plan your attack accordingly!!!
One thing is for sure , and this we know for FACT...That weather systems affect how fish react and behave in our waters off our beautiful coast line. Wind to a large extent also plays a huge part in the temperature of our sea , and especially inshore where we get our casted baits too.
Well Folks this is all for this time and next time we will look at WHAT water we need to look for when going for kob with spoons.
Keep it clean
and
JUST GO FISH!!!
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Nice Kent!
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Well done Kent, another interesting and informative article !! (clap)
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Nice Kent!
:bow: ..Its a pleasure
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Well done Kent, another interesting and informative article !! (clap)
:bow: ..Its a pleasure...
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Thanks Kent! VEry informative once again!
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Thanks Kent! VEry informative once again!
:bow: ..Pleasure Andrew...
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w;k Good day Folks , thought I would share some of my stats with you , for those that like to crunch numbers....
2014--- I did 42 sessions....of the 42 I did 18 at my local spot 300m from my front door....2 NOT on the Jikeleza and the other 22 all along the Jikeleza..
I hooked and landed 23 kob...7 shad...2 poensies...The poensies I got at my local spot and 14 kob...the shad I got at a spot along the Jikeleza.....0f the 23 kob hooked and landed , 11 were kept and enjoyed by myself and family.....during this time , I also "dropped/lost" a further 12 kob , although one of these dropped I still say was a piggy :hnthnt: ....Spoons lost for the year is 10.....4 tin...2 stainless steel ...1 brass and 3 commercial spoons...The 2 sessions not on the Jikeleza i did not catch.....Of the 42 sessions 3 of the sessions I caught two or more fish.....Average time on a session was 2 hours....out of the 1008 hours in those 42 , 24 hour periods I spent 84 hours fishing.....Most spoons were lost during the winter months...
2015....I did 48 sessions...of the 48 I did 39 at my local spot and 9 along the Jikeleza......I hooked and landed 25 kob...4 shad and 1 poensie....Once again the poensie at my local spot...the 4 shad along the Jikeleza and of the 25 kob ONLY 1 along the Jikeleza and the 24 at my local spot....Of the 25 kob hooked and landed 10 were kept and enjoyed by myself and family.....I also "dropped/lost" a further 9 kob and two of these could have been poensies......Spoons lost for the year was 9...3 tin...3 stainless steel...2 brass and 1 commercial....Of the 48 sessions 4 of the sessions I caught two or more fish.....Once again average time on a session was 2 hours....Out of the 1152 hours in those 48 , 24 hour periods I spent 96 hours fishing and that equates to 3,84 hours per fish....Of the 9 spoons lost 6 were lost in winter.....
:nuts: ..Sooo...deductions....the winter cold affects concentration as to losing spoons... :hehe:
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Very interesting stats Kent!
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Very interesting stats Kent!
:corrct: ..Jip....what it does do and show ....EFFORT equals RESULTS!!!...more EFFORT more results...BUT ...one also has to put those efforts to use AT the right conditions .....so its all relevant to HOW you learn what works in your areas/spots....
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I think what is does show is "you spend a helluva lot of time fishing." :hnthnt:
Lucky bugger!
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I think what is does show is "you spend a helluva lot of time fishing." :hnthnt:
Lucky bugger!
:hnthnt: :hyst: :hyst: ....and according to my Missus AND not enough fish to show for it and when I try and explain I am using specifically spoons ONLY....I get the ...blah blah blah...speak to the hand reply.... :hehe:
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We're not worthy! We're not worthy!
Thank you very much for posting and sharing! There is some great info here, and even if its not applicable to my section of the coast it has definetly got me thinking.
Have you ever tried assist hooks on the back of your spoon? Spoke to a very knowledgeable slow jig fisherman and he reconned that they would be great for a sucking feeder like cob.
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Just wanted to say THANK YOU and :+ cred: :+ cred: for taking the time to do the write up and sharing the quality info, Kent! (clap)
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We're not worthy! We're not worthy!
Thank you very much for posting and sharing! There is some great info here, and even if its not applicable to my section of the coast it has definetly got me thinking.
Have you ever tried assist hooks on the back of your spoon? Spoke to a very knowledgeable slow jig fisherman and he reconned that they would be great for a sucking feeder like cob.
:fshn: ..Its a pleasure Jacques.....jip...Ive dabbled with assist type hooks BUT for the specific way Im throwing spoon for kob amongst the bricks , Ive found that assist hook set up , firstly affects the way the spoon swims AND it likes to snag on red bait and the bricks themselves ...Sooo...I stick with the tried and tested short shank 4/0 to 8/0 live bait hooks...
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Just wanted to say THANK YOU and :+ cred: :+ cred: for taking the time to do the write up and sharing the quality info, Kent! (clap)
:bow: Its only a pleasure...thanks for taking the time to read it....
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One thing that that really interested me was you saying the cob always got hooked in the lips on spoon. That is definitly my experience! Compared to cob I have caught on a surface lure and vibe style lures in the estuaries which all swallowed them deep.
My last session I had 5 strikes in 30 min, only one stuck. The biggest fish actually managed to hold on the vinyl backing of a 60g Toby preventing the hook from sticking. Felt the weight and then the fish was off with the vinyl having some big teeth marks in it. And it was not even the heaviest/thickest vinyl I have seen on spoons. Definitely another lesson!
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One thing that that really interested me was you saying the cob always got hooked in the lips on spoon. That is definitly my experience! Compared to cob I have caught on a surface lure and vibe style lures in the estuaries which all swallowed them deep.
My last session I had 5 strikes in 30 min, only one stuck. The biggest fish actually managed to hold on the vinyl backing of a 60g Toby preventing the hook from sticking. Felt the weight and then the fish was off with the vinyl having some big teeth marks in it. And it was not even the heaviest/thickest vinyl I have seen on spoons. Definitely another lesson!
:corrct: Hi Jacques...jip....99% of the time it will be in the lip and one always HOPES for the corner as this is where its most of the sinew.....one thing of note the short shank hook keeps the spoon closer to the kobs mouth so the weight of the spoon does not smash the lip to pieces also better for the fish should you want to release...
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Chaps old Kent knows a thing or 2 about spooning, to all the okes that want to learn.....read this piece of his carefully. He is a master. I have learned a lot from him, maybe not about the lazy thumb....but the places he catches kob I generally fish for bait....goes to show.
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Chaps old Kent knows a thing or 2 about spooning, to all the okes that want to learn.....read this piece of his carefully. He is a master. I have learned a lot from him, maybe not about the lazy thumb....but the places he catches kob I generally fish for bait....goes to show.
:hnthnt: ...Ja chomma....you certainly DO NOT have a Lazy thumb!!!...AND I still owe you a spoon or two.... :hehe:
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w;k Mornings Folks , well its almost a year ago since posting the next episode in this journey ....this week I will be putting up the next chapter and its the one on water , so , stay tuned for those that are interested ..... :shd: :grk:
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Looking forward to it bru!
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Chapter eleven and this journey continues……
One hears of fisherman talking and going on about that the water is just not right , you wont get fish here today. AND , believe you me , especially if they old school fisherman , they will be spot on!!....
Often as a youngster we would go on outings for overnighters along our local coast , with my toppie and we would , say get to the spot in the mid afternoon and as youngsters we all excited to get our baits and lures in the water . We would be off the buggy get all the stuff unpacked and the ole man would say WOAH boys ..slow down , we would stop and he would stand and watch the water for about 10 to 15 minutes and suddenly say …NOPE…we not gonna catch a fish here today…..WELL…that was enough to stem our excitement and he would suggest we pitch the tarp against the buggy and get all the kit under cover as we had a long arvie ahead of us…..
It is only NOW after spending time myself and watching the water and making notes that Ive come to understand at his alien like “knowing” that when the fish will come onto the bite….EVERY fisherman worth his salt has this ability to a larger or lesser degree…some say its experience and comes with many years of catching…others say it’s a an ole sea dog SIXTH sense , BUT , in factual , realistic and non mythical terms it s a plain simple dogged understanding of the water and sea as a whole. The oceans and seas and ALL its inhabitants is and always will be a complex world BUT its cyclic rate OR “motion” is pretty simple , once you take the time to watch and not just look….AND when you watch and you really are interested , then its an understanding that is so simple in its form of nature as a whole….
Why do you think its called an underwater HABITAT??...Well , that’s coz its creatures are , mostly , habitual in their movements and feeding…yes , yes , you get the unpredictable , like the infamous Zambezi BUT that’s in any habitat , on the most part , most inhabitants are habitual , in feeding , in breeding etc etc and why??..well that’s partly due to seasons and hence the weather following those seasons…Soooo…ALL this then gets funnelled into a precise timing scenario and you WILL increase you catching ratio as opposed to your session ratio…..making a bit of sense???
Hehe…I hear the odd person out there saying…”GEEZ..all I want to do is JUST GO FISH…”….Jip..you can do just that , my ramblings and findings over the years are/is for those fisherman who want just that teeny weeny edge and to make OPTIMUM usage of their precious little time that is spent at the waters edge. Its so satisfying when one has done a bit of “homework” and when you get to to actually do the “test” and you ace it 90% …well then , its just that much better , for yourself that is….
Back to the water and what to look for , the arvie would drag on and us youngsters would be in the pools netting mullet , collect periwinkles and some cockles for the pot later in the evening and as that sun would be setting , although still light , we would hear a sharp whistle and the ole man would be telling us to come on…
As we got back to the buggy and dumped the livies in the buckets , he would be a lot more urgent now and say come boys , bait up the kob are on the bite…well , this always blew me away and I think one time I did say …”Geez dad , earlier on you said the water was not good , it still looks the same to me?...well I would get a tap on the head and he would say …the water NEVER stays the same!!!...You must learn to watch it!!!
Well , I must say I tried hard as a youngster to “watch it” BUT we were always too busy with other activities at the beach and rocks…heheh
Back to this particular day and as that first livie hit the water the ole man was on and then the second rod would go vas and my boet would handle that and for the next 4 hours it was kob mayhem!!!....
After all the excitement we sat down later that evening around the fire and I asked the toppie …”Soo…what “told” you that the kob were there…he replied …the tide AND as the tide pushed it brought the slightly warmer and cleaner water inshore AND the surging had stopped and the swell dropped off slightly ….Interesting I said…
YEARS later these words would stick in my head and today they still hold truth and MUCH value….
One must remember , that kob are not weak swimmers BUT lazy swimmers and ambush is VERY high up in their modus operandi …Sooo…they like clean working water and yes they will bite in that ginger beer water BUT very seldom on spoon more on a very fresh pillie and chokka mix grill….
Surging and heavy sidewashes is not where you will find kob and especially if you using spoon to hunt them. A surge is never a good sign for a session on spoon …nice even working water and clean and at around that 18 to 20 degree water temp mark , although PE and Western Cape areas the temp story might tend to be a tad colder , those kob tend to have pullovers on…hehehe…
Should you find yourself at a nice gutter and the water looks good and its working lekker , a tip that I picked up from a blues fisherman… watch the sets of waves coming and always try anmd time you throw behins the last breaking wave in a particular set…this then gives you lotsa white water to work your spoon through and keep it in the strike zone a lot longer . Ive often been hit as the spoon lands at the back of the breaking wave…
Tide , water and how the water is behaving all go hand in hand . I prefer an outgoing tide , lets say three hours to dead low , as this also aids your spoon in its swimming action and you often can stop retrieving and just “hold” the spoon in place and let the outgoing wave and tide work it , keeping it even longer in the strike zone. Remember , don’t curse those pinnacles and rocks sticking out , yes , I know losing a spoon is not on BUT those very pinnacles are where the kob will be sitting and sometimes you can just “hold” your spoon next to them , this does take some practise and getting to know your spot thoroughly . NOW , while there may be many of you reading this , who know what Im talking about , but this also then acts as a reminder to keep these pointers uppermost in your mind as it could be the sliver between catching OR blanking….
Ive often been asked…BUT…what makes a spot a good spot for hunting kob on spoon??...Well , to be honest , any spot/area will hold kob , especially if you get specific and hunt them in and around the bricks , but I will cover SPOTS/AREAS in a following chapter of this journey. For now , watching and looking for that “perfect” working water is what is pretty important.
One more thing when it comes to water and kob on spoon , kob like structure and often fisherman looking for deep water with structure. This is also a fallacy , most of my kob on spoon have been hooked in about 3 foot of water and probably not deeper than 6 foot of water. Kob are not scared of the shallow if they know that they will get trapped. When lloking for areas spots look for gutters/gulleys with entrances and clean exits , but I will cover this at a later stage….
Well Folks , that’s all for now and remember , 10 minutes of watching will go a helluva long way to MORE successes than blanks…till next time and thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings…
Keep it clean
Just go fish!!!
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:win: :tkx: great that you are back :bow: :toppie:
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:win: :tkx: great that you are back :bow: :toppie:
w;k lekker Colin...thanks for taking the time to read...
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Lekker Kent, great stuff!
Reading that brought back loads of memories of fishing with my old man as a lightie. :happ:
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Lekker Kent, great stuff!
Reading that brought back loads of memories of fishing with my old man as a lightie. :happ:
:hehe: ..lekker..thanks for reading ...ja ..no look...those ole school toppies knew a thing or two and landed moerse fish with basic basic tackle...
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Well..well and WOW!!!!...Just received a parcel from Clone lures Donovan Pautz...and I am SPEECHLESS!!
These spoons will be tested to melting point!!!!....the shape is SPOT ON and pretty much the TOP pressed spoon ive seen to date...as soon as the rain clears here will give a pre swim test in my pool....
THEN....this weekend they will be USED extensively....allready I have noted which will be pulled through what gutter/gulley
MANY THANKS...Donovan!!!
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[size=0pt]Chapter twelve and the journey continues……[/size][/b]
Fishermans areas/spots can and will always be a very ‘secretive’ subject that gets discussed around braais and whenever fisherman get together and we almost always hear stories of …”Geez , Bud…you should have been here yesterday , we klapped the fish…”…OR…” Man…you should see this ‘new’ spot I have…..” and so on and so on….hehehe
I bumped into a fisherman years ago as I was getting off from my ‘secret’ spot and he tunes me …”My man , have you ever caught a fish here before?...”…Not today I haven’t BUT yesterday , yes I did….He shoots back saying ..and you happy to tell me that???...I chuckle and say….”let me tell you a story as life is all about stories………………..
IF you are like me and watch and watch and note down what makes a spot produce and what makes it not produce under what conditions and should you be targeting a certain species specifically , then its not too often you will bump into many fisherman at that hour…BUT…should you be a moer n soek fisherman then you might just bump into fisherman all the time….I for one like early AM and outgoing tides and yet another fisherman will like late late afternoon into evening . We all , or most of us , know that best times for fishing is early AM or late arvie as the sun sets and midday fishing is not that productive BUT not to say you will not catch….
NOW….To go about finding the ‘right’ spot , and let me tell you straight away , that there is NO right spot…
First of all , ear mark an area of coast line that you want to frequent and steadly start doing your reconnaissance of the area. Remember we talking kob on spoon here. You need to be looking for spots that do not look like your typical what-the-experts-say for kob spots must look like. It also depends how “comfortable” you want to be and also how wet/dry you prefer , BUT , here too you can make yourself comfortable by investing in wet/dry clothing AND throwing spoon for kob should be , absolutely , no longer than a thre hour session at its max. Actually , should you come up with not a touch after two hours , it is suffice to say the kobbies are not around at that time…..
When looking for spots amongst the bricks you want to find gutters/gulleys that have clean entrances and exits . Ones that have barriers that are submerged about 100m out and which damper the incoming swells and then break into a fairly shallowish area. A very important to note when watching out for spots in your area , is Jonny Dykers(Cormorants) diving for bait fish and seeing actual bait fish yourself in the shallows. Seeing these two indicators should make you VERY excited about a spot. Spots that hold bait fish are a sure sign that kob WILL be in and around there.
Whenthrowing spoon for kob amongst the bricks , you want the water to be working nicely and must be clean and not surging in and out of the gutters and gulleys…
Something I always do is make sure I check prospective spots on a spring low tide and preferably not on a big sea. After doing that I always make a sketch of the proposed spot and if time allows OR I make time I also swim the retrieve area I want to throw in. Always nice to know whats under the surface where you will be pulling your spoons through. I always , at a newish spot that I am doing a reccie at , I throw an old spoon with a small hook tied on , so if I snag I lose a cheapie and not one of my favourites.
I remember , years ago when I started checking out Bulugha point and one ole toppie that is a legend at that point , spoke to me the first time , he tuned me ,,,,don’t throw your favourite spoon here , you WILL lose it….I thought ..ppffftt…ole codger id just tryna scare me off …next throw …one of my fave spoons gone!!!...I watched in amazement at how he threw throw after throw and didn’t get snagged once!!...A coupla weekends later I was out there again and by myself , I quickly put on my goggles and swam the spot….Aaaahhh…HUH…found three underwater pinnacles that needed avoiding and next time he was there I stood shoulder to shoulder catching shad with him and I did not snag ONCE!!
IF…we are prepared to take the time , and its enjoyable , to do the reccie , I am telling you ..YOU WILL be rewarded !!!
I found two spots the one day very close and about 150m away from one of my fave spots , by pure accident as it turned out. I had been throwing at my spot for about 2 hours and nothing…I saw two laaities mucking about in the shallows to my left and walked over to see what they were doing. I noticed they were catching smallish mullet in a V shaped channel in the rocks that widen out to sea with a little submerged barrier running across I about 50 odd m out and the water broke over and around this barrier and white washed nicely into this open V…
It was a pushing tide and almost 3 hours to high….
The next day I popped down to the spot and water conditions were almost the same and I proceded to throw one of my testers in to see what was what and after 3 throws got a VERY serious enquiry…..To date I have pulled at least 10 kobbies out of that spot and when the water conditions are spot on will pull more!!!
My point…not all that glitters is always silver and gold …some spots that look absolutely k*K for putting a spoon into , could probably be the BEST spot where you will get kob and these then my dear friends will become your “secret” uncrowded spots…Granted they might take a bit of time to crack the code BUT when you do …its GAME ON!!!
Using this spring low tide reccie method and REALLY working out a spot , you will eventually come up with 3 to 4 very good producing spots that you can visit on an outgoing , pushing tide and depending on the wind too…
This then , hoping , gives you some insight in to how I go about finding a new spot that could be right under your nose all the time and possibly cut out traveling time to those so called “famous” areas spots….
Now that we have an idea on what to look for for a good spot we need to know in detail …what is the “bite” like and CAN we tell whether that single hook is in the top of the lip , in the corner OR just just in the skin of the lip…
Till next time…
Keep it clean
JUST GO FISH!!!
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Local knowledge rules w;k :toppie:
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Flipping awesome Kent! :+ cred:
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Evening Folks....at my spot today I picked up this rubber rigged weedless....now throwing rubbers or drop shot amongst the bricks can be very productive and VERY expensive no matter how weedless you rig them you WILL lose many....a tip....rather use paddle tails as you can swim your rubber out of trouble not so with the kinda rubber in the pic....just some sage advice....
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:hnthnt: Good day Folks....This journey of enlightenment continues....STAND BY!!! :fshn: :fshn: :sreel:
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Lekker... We're needing some increased traffic on the site. :happ:
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w;k
Chapter 13 and the journey continues……
We go through lows n highs in life and there are many people on this blue orb that we call home , that sadly have many demons in their heads and many still rely on drugs to get them through the day .
I , for one , do not profess to be a great humanitarian , that I leave up to my lovely wife , who is almost always helping the “lost” , she will truly be blessed or rather is blessed…
OK…onto us fisherman , and here I must add , Ive yet to find a “troubled” fisherman , I mean , troubled when he/she is NOT catching OR frustrated that they cannot get to the water < but for the most part , fisherman tend to be a solid bunch , with a fairly healthy state of mind , no matter what life throws at them….
No herein lies the jist and crux of this chapter…..
As in life we go through highs n low in fishing and in 2017 had a little incident off of the rocks and sought of took a back seat with my fishing as I had lost my “lucky” fishing hat and my inner self felt lost without that hat and its mojo …hehe
Laugh , but its true!!!....since then its been a push me pull me to go fishing and then in March 2018 I had another incident , this time while out on a morning run and took about a month or two to get my head around that one AND then the really bad cycle of conditions hit our part of the coast line …so much so that for almost 10 months for every weekend , just about on the trot , the sea and surrounds were just plain nasty!!!
All this while I am getting my fishing stuff and mojo together and wearing in a new hat etc etc …AND Ive always believed a passion a really TRUE passion for something , never really dies or goes away , especially like fishing …coz fishing is something one can DO to a good ole age , being you keep reasonably fit ….
Im always watching the weather systems and over the last 10 months Ive got accustomed to the k*K coming our way all the time that when , last weekend prior I start to see systems along the South Americas that really piqued my interest and boy oh boy …was my viskoors HIGH!!!...
NOW…all this blah blah , gets to me that ole theory of mine ..WORK your spot and work it until your know it blindfolded…jumping around and following stories will not land you tons of fish BUT possibly make your wallet light and the fuel companies richer!!
Its at times like these doldrums , as fisherman we find ourselves in , that WHEN all of a sudden conditions change for the better we REALLY then need to visit those spots we know like the back of our hands…why??..you may well ask….
Well its simple really , by fishing your known spot(s) when the conditions hit good after a long bad spell , you optimise you catch percentage and this then in turn motivates the hell outta you and then you feel all amped to go try that newer spot you’ve been eyeing …instead conditions turn good and you hit the new spot and get frustrated coz you losing tackle coz you don’t know the spot etc etc….
Point in case , last weekend and the weekend before …conditions were spot on…hit my local local fave spot and boy oh boy were the kobbies ready to play…BUT ..only the chilly water stopped them from committing to the hook 100%...
I would say , for any fisherman who only really has a weekend at any given time to fish , should not have no more than three spots that he knows back to front and I tell you what…you WILL have success..
One small thing that many do or do not take note of is washed up bait ..ie worm casings…rock bait and especially crabs …take note of these and of course the sand , whether its shingle or sand sand…if there is drastic change in the “look” of the spot …why??...is there more litter than one would normally find …what ocean going debris is laying about…more bird life than normal…why are the oyster catchers suddenly now more than they used to be??..
ALL these signs tell a story , and yes , while you can just go down and moer n soek , that too still beats sitting on the couch BUT…its not really that productive way of fishing…
Many fisherman comment and say ..joh so n so knows his tuff ..he is always catching …OR joh so n so knows all the TOP spots…BS…there is no such thing as THE secret spot….YOU need to work out the code for YOUR chosen spot and there is NO Google for that …it takes observation…watching the sea NOT looking and of course taking note of the weather conditions etc etc…..
Well Folks that’s all for now and I hope you get your mojo ON!!!...
Till next time ….
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:clwn
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Makes sense :corrct: :toppie:
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Makes sense :corrct: :toppie:
w;k ..Good stuff Colin...sorry the print is so small..dunno how to change it... :dunno:
ADMIN: Sorted.
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Couldn't agree more Kent... I have favourites at my local dam and if I'm not catching there, the bite is just not on. When I do catch there, I'm always encouraged to go try out new spots.
On the font size, just go and edit your post, highlight all the text and change font size to 10 (up top above all the motis)
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Makes sense :corrct: :toppie:
w;k ..Good stuff Colin...sorry the print is so small..dunno how to change it... :dunno:
ADMIN: Sorted.
:bow: Thank you...
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Couldn't agree more Kent... I have favourites at my local dam and if I'm not catching there, the bite is just not on. When I do catch there, I'm always encouraged to go try out new spots.
On the font size, just go and edit your post, highlight all the text and change font size to 10 (up top above all the motis)
:-) .Thanks , I see Admin sorted it...good stuff..
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Lekker read their Kent , good to see you are writing again , would love to know what happened on the rocks??
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(bat Well , in my haste to get to a spot that I dont really fish much AND the sea was a tad up AND my son was with and he hadnt thrown for awhile and we were both throwing spoon off of a ledge for kobbies and he got snagged in front and I got him to hold the rods while I went forward to un snag the line and spoon...as I was coming back a nasty little whitewater 3 footer came rushing over the ledge...the rest is history... :-( ..anyhow ,,we survived..minus my fave hat and a drowned cell phone...
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Hi Kent!
WOW! Thank you for sharing this excellent info with us! You have dispelled many myths regarding the Cobbies and their habits. These posts are absolute gold - thank you for taking us on this amazing journey with you! :tkx:
For us landlocked fishermen, who only get to spend a week or two at the sea a year, your info could really help us unlock the potential of our favourite spots. We normally just end up "throwing lures" in the time we're down there.
Keep catching, and be safe out there on the bricks! (clap) (clap) (clap)
Mike
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:tkx: keep it coming.
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Hi Kent,
I stumbled across this old post and am absolutely loving it!!
I live in Stirling, just up the road from Nahoon Reef, and fish the Nahoon and East Coast Resorts area extensively.
Unfortunately, yesterday morning, my son snapped the tip of his 12' BM truflex(I agree it's an absolute beaut of a rod!).
I don't suppose you have one lying around that you'd consider selling? Alternatively maybe you know of someone who has one available?
Many thanks
Mike
082 841 3697
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Hi Kent,
I stumbled across this old post and am absolutely loving it!!
I live in Stirling, just up the road from Nahoon Reef, and fish the Nahoon and East Coast Resorts area extensively.
Unfortunately, yesterday morning, my son snapped the tip of his 12' BM truflex(I agree it's an absolute beaut of a rod!).
I don't suppose you have one lying around that you'd consider selling? Alternatively maybe you know of someone who has one available?
Many thanks
Mike
082 841 3697
..Hi Mike ...jip i do have one ..BUT really dont want to get rid of it as it is one of the original TruFlex....hope you find one soon...
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:hnthnt: Stand by Folks...CHAPTER 14 on its way...The Lazy Thumb...and other fishing stories....from August 2018 to Jan 2020 has been an attrocious fishing time ...condition wise...but more later in Ch #14...
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Hi Kent!
WOW! Thank you for sharing this excellent info with us! You have dispelled many myths regarding the Cobbies and their habits. These posts are absolute gold - thank you for taking us on this amazing journey with you! :tkx:
For us landlocked fishermen, who only get to spend a week or two at the sea a year, your info could really help us unlock the potential of our favourite spots. We normally just end up "throwing lures" in the time we're down there.
Keep catching, and be safe out there on the bricks! (clap) (clap) (clap)
Mike
Excellent....thanks for reading
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CHAPTER 14 IS LOADING......
The journey is not over ..... :fshn: :fshn:
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I am waiting for this
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I am waiting for this
:fshn: :fshn: