ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
General Angling Topics => Rock and Surf Fishing Reports => Topic started by: WalkersKiller on November 22, 2015, 04:50:05 PM
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Hidden away along the shores of the North Coast, lies a stunning location; with it’s beautiful coastal forests full of Red Duiker and Bushbuck; and it’s long sandy beaches with abundant amounts of Ghost Crabs; known as Maphelane.
It is a well-known angling destination in Southern Africa, but the feeling of the remoteness this place offers is almost like no one knows about it. This is arguably the most attractive reason to visit this beautiful location… But then there is the fishing.
A few of us from Ultimate Angling recently went on our annual venture to the North Coast, and this was our chosen destination. I had never been to Maphelane, so I was extremely excited, as this had always been one of my “bucket-list” fishing spots.
It lies just 670 kilometers from Johannesburg, but because of the heavy traffic, and final stretch of treacherous road, it takes roughly 9 hours to get there. The diaries below are the events that unfolded in this hidden-away treasure, where you can catch 4 personal best fish in one day and unwind with Bushbabies screeching over your braai at night looking for scraps.
Day 1
There were six of us: Tony (Reefman), Brendan (Weedeater), Brad (Half Pint), Martin (Doc), Mike (Mike Pike) and Myself (WalkersKiller). There were 3 cars travelling down, and I was with Mike. Tony and Brendan travelled down in the Jeep, while Brad and Martin drove in the almighty BT-50. We met in Pongola, for an annual breakfast at the Wimpy. It was great to see everyone, and know that we were on the final stretch. We had left at 4am, and after 50 kilometers of bad dirt road and amazing scenery, we arrived at Maphelane and were checked in at about 1pm. We quickly learnt that the monkeys of Maphelane were much the same as they are at Kosi Bay, St. Lucia and Cape Vidal. Brad’s eggs got stolen, and eaten, on the top of his car, and very stereotypically someone’s Banana’s also got stolen and eaten.
We unpacked, had a few alcoholic beverages and then curiosity got the better of us. We decided to do a “recCe”. We wanted to identify the holes and rips in the surf, where we anticipated some good fish would hold. We did identify a few, but the most shocking thing was the estuary. It was basically gone. A few centimeters of water remained, and I shudder to think that even a Thornfish would inhabit this nursery area. It was disappointing, not so much for us anglers, but more so for the myriad of species this estuary provides home to. Where had everything gone?
Day 2
We were all up and rearing to go at 5am. A few of us fished the bay right in front where the Evil-eyed Puffers were full up… I mean there were a lot. Regardless of how this fish can become a pest, I strongly encourage all anglers to safely remove their hooks and release these fish back into their natural environment. I have seen some shocking things over the years, where anglers would rather kill a Puffer fish to get their hook out, and then throw them up on the beach to let them die. We are anglers, and we should treat the ocean with the utmost respect that it deserves. What we take out of the sea should be given back, as a thank you. This is the least we can do. Tony had some success around the corner, to the right (If you were facing the sea). He caught 2 Blacktail. Other than that it was very quiet. The late afternoon session saw lots of slide baits and big edible baits travel far out into the ocean (Well at least 100 meters anyway). Most baits came back untouched, some of them had been pecked, but no fish.
Day 3
A 5am wake up call was once again the order of the day, (And this time or earlier would be when we woke up throughout the trip). I was happily fishing the bricks on the dropping tide where I caught 2 Blacktail and one of the infamous Evil-eyed Puffers. Brad then asked me if I wanted to walk with him to the ledges, I obliged, and proved to be the worst decision ever.
With Mike following us, Brad somehow walked past the kilometer stretch of ledges and we walked for 7 kilometers. We could see the Jolly Rebino quite clearly from where we were, and at one stage I am sure I could count the barnacles on the ship’s exterior. My feet and muscles were killing me, and after a few jokes and some muttering the 3 of us decided to fish a point we had reached. It was worth it in the end, for me anyway, as I managed to get 4 Wave Garrick, a common North Coast species that had eluded me up until this point. I was happy. My body was not, and the walk back proved grueling for me, as I am terribly unfit to say the least. It must have taken me nearly 2 and a half hours to walk back on the soft beach sand.
While all this was going on Martin interrupted a feeding Stonebream that shot out of the water and almost landed on his head and Tony caught a Wave Garrick a lot closer to the chalets, less than a kilometer in fact. Oh well!
Day 4
In the morning, most of us fished lures to see what was around; there were a few bumps and bite offs, but nothing other than that. Tony hooked into a monster Shad; easily 3 kilograms, and it bit him off right at his feet. It is the closed season for Shad, so we were not targeting them, but sometimes they come through and go crazy. None of us decided to use steel or shad traces as during this time of the year they are not allowed to be targeted, but they do become a by-catch. Unfortunately we cannot decide what Neptune lures towards our baits.
I blanked throughout the day, and fished the bay in front while the others made the 2 kilometer walk to Crayfish Point. The rocks were exposed and the bay area looked really good. This is an important nursery area and there were an abundant amount of fish and species in the waves, from Mullet to Grunter, and Stonebream to Bonefish. Tony caught a small Bonefish and nice size Spotted Grunter, which was just undersize. Brad had some luck and caught a Catface Rockcod, and then an amazing fish, a Potato Bass! These fish are a prohibited species and are not allowed to be targeted. Brad originally thought it was another Rockcod species, as it is not every day you see a Juvenile Potato Bass. That being said he took a photo of it and released it safely. Once again you cannot control what the ocean offers you as by catch, all you can do is handle these rare fish with care and make sure you do not damage them by handling them to much, dropping them in the sand and so forth. A variety of combination baits proved successful on this day and during the entire trip: Prawn, Chokka, Mackerel and Sardine.
Day 5
The birdlife at Maphelane is something to behold. There are a variety of species that are fairly uncommon or non-existent around the rest of South Africa. During our stay we witnessed a variety of interesting birds, and at one stage there were 30 or so Flamingo’s moving up and down the beach. No idea why! The African Fish Eagles abound, and patiently wait for an eager angler to leave some bait out of his chiller.
On the fifth day the guys went to slide very early, around 2am. This was because the tides were right and it was dark. It paid off as Brendan hooked into a good size Blackfin, which eventually broke the surface and burnt him off. Martin managed to get a new species as well, a Giant Guitarfish of about 12 kilograms, a fish that had eluded him for quite a while.
A few Shad bit me off early morning at Crayfish Point, and then as the sun came up they disappeared and the Puffers made an appearance again. The wind started to get up very early and was blowing 35 kilometers an hour, with gusts of up to 50. That meant no fishing, but we found a substitute in the ice-cold beer stocks we had piled up.
Day 6
Today was a day of PB’s – Personal Bests… It started off with a scratching session. Tony was the star here landing a 72cm Cock Grunter (4.5 kilograms). An amazing fish to see. It revved him really hard and was taking line and gave up an awesome fight. The photo does not quite give this fish the justice it deserves it was a bus! I messed around with some short casts on the light tackle. I had seen some Stonebream turning a few meters in front of me, and one cast with a well-presented prawn bait did the job. There were some bigger fish, but a 30cm Stoenbream got to the bait first and gave a good account of itself. I then managed a beast of a Spot Damsel (A PB, but not in the same league of the Cock Grunter, or the fish that followed).
There was a slight drizzle in the air and it was overcast, and so the guys decided to go slide at high tide around 3pm. The conditions proved to be perfect, and Martin managed another Sandy, this time bettering his previous PB. The Giant Guitarfish was 136 centimeters and approximately 15 kilograms. Then it was Brad’s turn. He got his biggest Sharpnose Brown Skate of 74 centimeters (15 kilograms). Then Brendan got in on the action with a beast of a Diamond Ray… It was 50 kilograms and 174 centimeters but was really heavy, and could have possibly been pregnant… The guys thought it was in the 60-70 kilogram range when it was landed. A true day of PB’s, and what a day it was…
Day 7
At around 7am we started walking to the ledges to fish low tide. I carried on a bit further towards the end of the ledges where I had seen a steep drop off on the long walk Brad had taken us on previously. It was a good choice of spot and I managed a few Stonebream and Spot Damsel. The water is really deep and very rough here, almost got washed off twice. On the way back to bait up I saw the smallest Lesser Sandshark I have ever seen swimming in less than half a foot of water. He must have been about 20 centimeters total length. I hooked into 2 (What I presume are) Rockcod. The first took me and did not give me a chance, and with a fast run a very heavy fish took me straight into a hole. I tried to get him out but ended up straightening the hook. The next one took my bait in the same fashion but I put a bit of extra pressure on the fish and instead of taking me into a hole, he cut me off. Fishing light tackle often delivers hidings like these, but it’s all part of the game. I then saw some Kingfish in the waves and brought out the fly rod. I got one chase but nothing much happened after that and I decided to get off the bricks quite quickly before I got washed off.
The beginnings of the ledges were fairly unsuccessful for the other guys. A Shad (That surprisingly did not bite him off), was caught by Martin. Then it started to rain and the lightning shortly joined it, making it a big risk to fish in such weather.
Day 8
Our final day at Maphelane arrived and it was a somber day at that. The guys went to slide at 3.30am, and were unfortunately not successful. Mike finally broke his blank with a tiny Catface Rockcod caught while fishing ultra light tackle. I walked down to the rocks on the right hand side to try look for those Stonebream again. Instead I found more Pufferfish, and surprisingly, a Natal Stumpnose, the first one of the trip! I then managed a new species (My 3rd of the trip), a Four Bar Damsel. It unfortunately evaded the photograph as I placed it in a rock pool while I went ot get my camera, and on the way back to the pool I saw it swimming on it’s side on an outgoing wave.
After that the cleaning and packing process commenced, all done with quite heavy hearts.
Leaving Maphelane was quite heart breaking, I must be honest, but there is always a bright side… Plan another trip! There was so much I didn’t get to do and so many fish I did not get to target… I am sure that’s what many people come back for, in this coastal wilderness, known as Maphelane…
Summary of fish caught (In order in which they were caught):
Evil-eyed Puffer x32
Blacktail x4
Wave Garrick x5
Shad x3
Catface Rockcod x2
Potato Bass x1
Spotted Grunter x1
Bonefish x1
Giant Guitarfish x2
Stonebream x2
Spot Damsel x3
Cock Grunter x1
Diamond Ray x1
Sharpnose Brown Skate x1
Natal Stumpnose x1
Four Bar Damsel x1
Species: 16
Total: 61
Some pics, in no particular order :-)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/1eeef8c6-e233-47f0-97ea-bf280cafbd7b_zpsdih2xzre.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/4bb5f41a-11f2-4b96-8bd9-526d9fefc23e_zpsgptyphqj.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/4f8e45d5-9286-4ba0-b574-0fea7ae12f8f_zpscuyubouq.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/4f6275c9-2607-4aba-a78f-5823813a5b99_zpseuocvdeh.jpg)
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(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/8c02e626-b63f-4414-b8ea-19dd547174f8_zpsppwuzci0.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/11fb5d14-5055-4f69-b4b5-7b0b948f41ce_zpsnycbnvt1.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/21f3da25-e2c2-44bc-9611-1d78692c04d7_zps4oj1mhx3.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/28dff0b2-0e77-4b64-8fee-143767034995_zpsythwshjq.jpeg)
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(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/393f5af0-e4c2-44d4-92f2-79cdbaa37f99_zps6cpstaxn.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/1538c220-6e2c-4ddb-b8ef-80d4007457ca_zpstvsjzura.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/3238f3f5-abfa-4966-9939-83c9206a9796_zpsivdgtdi3.jpeg)
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(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/31973ce0-b953-46bf-bb41-b438fdd73dd9_zpsack7xwo9.jpeg)
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(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/37988563-4ffc-44cc-a105-e881fdfa7fa7_zps3vxpqwyi.jpeg)
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(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/blacktail_zpsaxumj37w.jpg)
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More Pics:
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/brendan%20diamond%201_zps6trgbpou.jpg)
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(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/brendan%20diamond_zps06exbbd1.jpg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/CGrunter%201_zpslbsphanw.jpg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/CGrunter%202_zpswh5zprrs.jpg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/CGrunter%203_zpswbxum9f0.jpg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/d9bf33b2-37ad-4d49-8b8b-352bd13d4209_zpsj4q9wgob.jpeg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/fish%20eagle%20sard_zpsb0ue4mu3.jpg)
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/flamingoes_zpsp0dke6o4.jpg)
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Fantastic report G! :tkx: :+ cred:
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nicely done lads looks like you had a great time, and a nice comprehensive report well done
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Fantastic report WK and some awesome pics to. :uarocks
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:tkx: great report and photos. :envy :toppie:
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Tanks for sharing.
I think one should do it sometime, all the time (clap)
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Great report Gareth!! Thanks
Well done guys!
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(clap) awesome stuff Gareth :clfoto: ... :hnthnt: ... congrats to all that came with and put in the time and effort to get some PB's and new species on the list , had a great time as always , with excellent company , some awesome food and good laughs , fishing was hard and many miles covered up and down to crayfish point and beyond , would do it all again in the blink of an eye .. :rck" , roll on 2016.
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Ya great report Gareth, thanks for that.
Got to thank the special boys who went with - what a grand and splendid bunch of gentlemen! Plenty laughs and much fun. :resp:
Fishing was difficult, but the guys put the hard yards in. Special thanks to our Chef Doc, for the great chows; you can definitely come again! w;k :hehe:
Whose got the broken rod pics?
Other crazy things happening... I got the butt and midsection of my rod vacuumed tight together. An hour of pushing, pulling, twisting amongst 6 BIG boys.... eventually it came loose like a champagne cork. Remind me never to spray oil on the fitting rod sections!! :blush: Some serious blisters gained from that escapade!
Highlight of the trip for me was seeing Brendans smile after that Diamond!! What it's all about!
My Cock Grunter was also a special catch - a few cm short of the SA Record! Put up an awesome fight!
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Was an amazing experience huge thanks to Doc for the awesome cooking!!!!
Don't know where the broken pics are, I do not remember seeing them...
Was such a proper trip!
Thanks guys!
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Wow! Great report G!
Some special catches... looks like a few UA records have been broken!!! Well done chaps (clap)
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Ya great report Gareth, thanks for that.
Got to thank the special boys who went with - what a grand and splendid bunch of gentlemen! Plenty laughs and much fun. :resp:
Fishing was difficult, but the guys put the hard yards in. Special thanks to our Chef Doc, for the great chows; you can definitely come again! w;k
Whose got the broken rod pics?
Other crazy things happening... I got the butt and midsection of my rod vacuumed tight together. An hour of pushing, pulling, twisting amongst 6 BIG boys.... eventually it came loose like a champagne cork. Remind me never to spray oil on the fitting rod sections!! :blush: Some serious blisters gained from that escapade!
Highlight of the trip for me was seeing Brendans smile after that Diamond!! What it's all about!
My Cock Grunter was also a special catch - a few cm short of the SA Record! Put up an awesome fight!
You mean 5 BIG boys and me :rotfl
Another fantastic trip with a great bunch of guys! Fishing was very hard for me this year and certainly didn't get nearly as many fish as I would have liked but Mappies is a great spot and it was very encouraging to see that work is going into slowly improving the place.
I am pleased to see Gareth down played the walk to "Brad se gat" :blush: not my finest moment as a navigator
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Thanks for the report and pics.
Reefz, I read somewhere that rubbing the insert section of your rod (on a fly rod, but sure it would apply to all) on the side of your nose lubes it just enough that it parts easily at the end of the trip???
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Nice report, still my favorite place.
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Great report Gareth! Glad you guys got into some nice fish! (clap)
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Great report and awesome to see you guys caught some good fish. Reefz, that Grunter is a bus!!
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Thanks for the report and pics.
Reefz, I read somewhere that rubbing the insert section of your rod (on a fly rod, but sure it would apply to all) on the side of your nose lubes it just enough that it parts easily at the end of the trip???
Cranks, I thought I'd be clever and spray the fitting surfaces with some Oil before I put it together. Slipped the pieces in and it went further together than ever before, creating a perfectly sealed oil vacuum. I've had rods stuck before and know all the tricks including the wood taped on, ice, hot etc etc. but this one was on the verge of breaking it apart... all the guys agree, they've never seen a rod so perfectly jammed tight. When it came out, there was a noise like a Champagne cork... POP!
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Great report and pics, thanks.
Still a place that remains close to the heart as Plugger suggests.
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Ya great report Gareth, thanks for that.
Got to thank the special boys who went with - what a grand and splendid bunch of gentlemen! Plenty laughs and much fun. :resp:
Fishing was difficult, but the guys put the hard yards in. Special thanks to our Chef Doc, for the great chows; you can definitely come again! w;k
Whose got the broken rod pics?
Other crazy things happening... I got the butt and midsection of my rod vacuumed tight together. An hour of pushing, pulling, twisting amongst 6 BIG boys.... eventually it came loose like a champagne cork. Remind me never to spray oil on the fitting rod sections!! :blush: Some serious blisters gained from that escapade!
Highlight of the trip for me was seeing Brendans smile after that Diamond!! What it's all about!
My Cock Grunter was also a special catch - a few cm short of the SA Record! Put up an awesome fight!
A BIG thank you to you Tony, Brad, Doc for helping to land the fish. It was a FEISTY lady! :pylie: Thanks to each of you for making it such a memorable trip. Brad's Brown skate, Doc's Giant Guitarfish, Gareth's new species, Mike's determination and your Grunter made it a very memorable trip. (clap) :win:
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Watching Tony roll around in the shore dump with that diamond I was very happy to provide moral support for the day :hehe:
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Lekker report... thanks for sharing WK.
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Watching Tony roll around in the shore dump with that diamond I was very happy to provide moral support for the day :hehe:
:crzy
I was trying hard boet... that Diamond smacked us 6-0. Almost as bad as that green Blackfin we tried to land at Mapies a few years back...
While I was 'bodysurfing' with that Diamond, I felt it's barb brush lightly against my thigh... :shk subsequently nearly pulled a fat trying to get out the way.
That Ray was on Steroids... luckily Doc was also around.
:cnfzd
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Great report there Walks !
makes me really nostalgic.... the last time I fished the salt was at Maps last year !
Some awesome catches there guys ! well done !
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Fantastic read.
Lekka photos.
So jealous.
Gareth now understand your name the Walker nearly killed you.
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Great report there Walks !
makes me really nostalgic....
X2
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Thanks guys, sorry of the report is a bit long...
Fantastic read.
Lekka photos.
So jealous.
Gareth now understand your name the Walker nearly killed you.
Bru you don't understand the half of it :hyst: :hyst: :hyst: Walked about 22kms in December during a full day of fishing, but the Eastern Cape soft sand has nothing on the North coast, those 14kms nearly killed me :hyst: :rotfl
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Whose got the broken rod pics?
Other crazy things happening... I got the butt and midsection of my rod vacuumed tight together. An hour of pushing, pulling, twisting amongst 6 BIG boys.... eventually it came loose like a champagne cork. Remind me never to spray oil on the fitting rod sections!! :blush: Some serious blisters gained from that escapade
Next time put some ice on the join or hang it in front of the AC happens with GT rods all the time
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Thanks guys, sorry of the report is a bit long...
Fantastic read.
Lekka photos.
So jealous.
Gareth now understand your name the Walker nearly killed you.
Bru you don't understand the half of it :hyst: :hyst: :hyst: Walked about 22kms in December during a full day of fishing, but the Eastern Cape soft sand has nothing on the North coast, those 14kms nearly killed me :hyst: :rotfl
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Wahahahahaha!! The look on Walks face afterwards was priceless... :hyst: A good few :beer: later too!
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Whose got the broken rod pics?
Other crazy things happening... I got the butt and midsection of my rod vacuumed tight together. An hour of pushing, pulling, twisting amongst 6 BIG boys.... eventually it came loose like a champagne cork. Remind me never to spray oil on the fitting rod sections!! :blush: Some serious blisters gained from that escapade
Next time put some ice on the join or hang it in front of the AC happens with GT rods all the time
We tried ice... didn't work. Aircon at Maphelane.... :rotfl whassat?!
The only thing that worked, out of desperation, was manhandling the rod from side to side. I'll be shocked if the rod doesn't break in the near future.
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Love this pic.... :hyst:
Deeeeeeep Burn!
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/WalkersKiller/Mapies2015/brendan%20diamond%202_zpsnwn15hqp.jpg)
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Oh yes :rotfl :hehe:
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Ha ha ha!! That fish pulled me HARD. That expression was my lower back moaning :hehe:
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So I broke my Poseidon Ultra light on a cast, right at the spigot.
Got some 50 lb Sufix 832 braid, wrapped in a special way with the tag end pulled under, coated with Pratley's Quickset and fished with it the next day!! :corrct:
A little lumpy, but it works! w;k
I'm sure FISHATIC will be very proud of me.... :rotfl
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Proud!
Now, shall I collect it tomorrow?
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So I broke my Poseidon Ultra light on a cast, right at the spigot.
Got some 50 lb Sufix 832 braid, wrapped in a special way with the tag end pulled under, coated with Pratley's Quickset and fished with it the next day!! :corrct:
A little lumpy, but it works! w;k
I'm sure FISHATIC will be very proud of me.... :rotfl
One of the BEST patch-on-the-go jobs I've ever seen :win:
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:Like: ... probably stronger than the original design , dunno why they dont do it to the rods anyway when they make them .
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:Like: ... probably stronger than the original design , dunno why they dont do it to the rods anyway when they make them .
Simply because its cheaper not to put that kind of effort in. :nuts: :dunno:
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Fantastic report Gareth - makes me :envy Great photos and well done to everyone on getting some really decent fish (clap)
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:tkx: ..NEAT report!!!... :clfoto: :win:
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Thanks guys, its a stunning place!