ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
General Angling Topics => Shore Angling => Topic started by: Tommo on May 24, 2011, 10:48:39 AM
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On our recent trip spinning for Kob in the Woody Cape area we found ourselves with time to kill over the high tide periods. We noticed that there were fish moving up over the sand mussel beds with the surge, tilting up and tailing for a few seconds over the sand mussels, then swimming back on their sides with the receding wave. These fish were very shy, and couldn't be easily approached, but were clearly feeding on the sand musels in extremely shallow water. We rigged up our lightest spinning rods with one ounce ball sinkers on a running trace and a 1/0 barbless circle hook, which we baited up with fresh sand mussels dug up from the beach. We stood well back from the water and cast our baits into the surge where the fish were feeding. The surge would move the baits around, leaving them high and dry at times between waves, and also washing them into the trench behind the shorebreak at times. These dynamic moving baits were picked up by both blacktail and white steenbras in water not more than 30cm deep at times. The fight that these fish put up on super light tackle, and in such shallow water was amazing. They would run hard in their attempts to reach deeper water. This provided us with much entertainment during the high tide periods when we couldn't effectively spin for the kob, due to the banks being too deep to wade to. It is amazing how the fish have grown confidence in difficult to access areas, due to the beach driving ban. They are behaving like fish do on remote tropical atolls where there are no people living.
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Brilliant stuff... learn something new every day!!!
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(clap) ... :shre: .... :win:
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:shre:
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Great catches on light tackle!! :shre:
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Tommo,
The four reports you posted today has got me in serious trouble with my IT guru.... :tkx:
My keybord is wrecked because of all the drool!!!! :envy
Amazing fishing!!
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Wow Tommo. Well done! Is that near the Fish Kraals or Springs at all? Must be if its in Woddy Cape. That is right on the doorstep of our holiday home at Cannon Rocks. I bet you walked far for those fish?
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Awesome stuff Tommo :shre: :clfoto: :envy
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Here are some more pics of my mate Chris Schoultz with some nice steenies caught in the surf zone at Woody Cape. This area seems to hold a lot of these wonderful fish, I guess because there is just so much food for them. I would also like to appeal to anyone who gets stuck into the white steenbras, to consider the fact that these fish are considered threatened. The population has taken huge strain due to the state of most of our coastal estuaries, as well as the fact that when they gather together in numbers, either the large adults for spawning, or the subadults for feeding and protection in the shallows, they become very susceptible to being caught by the bagful. So please guys, take a legal size fish of 60cm, and leave the others to fight another day. They are battling enough as it is. It is my firm belief that if you respect your quarry, and fish sensibly, you will be rewarded with better catches. Just a sort of karma thing.....
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:envy Anybody have a job for me in PE? Please!?
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:shk :shk :shk
What amazing fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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A lesson I learnt from FA (Mike) a while ago was to be more observant.
This is another example of being observant.
Thanks, Tommo.
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Yep, quite right. Fishing is a lot like hunting. You have to use every clue that nature provides you with in order to increase your chances of making better catches. The guys who are best able to tune in to the environment, and are most aware of the needs and ecology of their quarry are the ones who will consistently make the best catches. It pays to learn as much as you can about the fish you are targeting and the environment that you are targeting it in. I find it totally fascinating and I think you never ever stop learning...
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:shre: Brilliant catches and info there Tommo! :resp:
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those are some nice steenies and blacktail there,well done guys! (clap)
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Watched Inside Angling the other night, was awsome to see you guys catching those White Steenbras in that shallow water, I live in Hermanus and want to give it a shot along the Hermanus plaat area, it should work because we also have alot of white mussel beds on the stretch of beach, also maybe a good idea combining the mussel with sand prawn!
Awsome seeing this type of angling, completely different to what we are use to!
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:welc: Looking forward to your reports!
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veeerrrry nice!!! (clap) (clap) bet u wer leeker moeg after that long walk! which side of woody cape did u guys fish?
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Those are great fish, well done :cgrts: :resp:
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Did you guys check those BLACKTAIL???? - frikking AWESOME !!!!!!!!
Nice Steenies too.
We experienced exactly the same in December when the Missus caught a 3.8kg Stenie up North under exactly the same conditions and the same fishing method - I thought her head had left her till she had the first hit.....
Well done Tommo and thanks for another great read.
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Did you guys check those BLACKTAIL???? - frikking AWESOME !!!!!!!!
The one :blktl: is so old its black spot has gone grey :hehe:
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Did you guys check those BLACKTAIL???? - frikking AWESOME !!!!!!!!
The one :blktl: is so old its black spot has gone grey :hehe:
:hyst: Good one. (clap)
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Tommo- awesome catches!
Ive got a trip planned early march hoping to target these guys on fly in the surf zone. My only concern is them feeding(primarily) on mussels and not crustaceans. Do you think those fish will take a prawn or crab pattern ?
Cheers,
Pete
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(clap) (clap) (clap)
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Thanks Guys, I was very fortunate to be fishing with some extremely experienced and knowledgeable anglers. I learnt a lot from Chris and Paul.
@ Pete, I know that steenies are a very tricky fish to catch on artificials in the best of circumstances. To be honest with you, I don't see the opportunity to nail them on fly in the surf. Too much water movement, and no way to keep in contact with your fly, or even know exactly where it is. You would need to find them tailing in calmer waters such as an estuary. Then I think you would have a real chance. If you have bagged a permit, you are probably skilled enough to get a steenie...
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If you have bagged a permit, you are probably skilled enough to get a steenie...
He has bagged a Permit, but it swam across his line and he foul hooked it.... :hehe: :crzy Just kidding Pete!
Amazing stuff as always Tommo.... big ups to Chris and Paul for showing you yet another amazing fishery and technique these boys have dialed in...
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As Always Tommo :win: :envy :resp:
beautiful fish
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A friend of mine's steenie off the Cape St Francis beach last night. As my dad used to say "Junie is Wit Steenbras maand"
(http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/webkit-fake-url://CC3F48CA-FC32-4D7A-BEFF-B49410D7A66A/imagejpeg)
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wow,that's a steamer of note... :Like: what was it's weight?I also didn't know steenies bit at night... :dunno:
b.t.w.... :welc: :hnthnt:
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Back in the days when the surf was still open for 4x4 we use to fish only at night and we caught many steenies. My mother's oldes brother caught one, one night of 17kg on a female swimming crab loaded with eggs. We use to go to Cape st Francis lots in those days. That was the days. Nice steenie
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Excellent post. I know in struis the guys fish for belman like that. Bait is out the water then in. A size cracker was picked up next to me the one afternoon at struisbaai 5 species.
One of the guys in our club has had very good results fishing for galjoen in this fashion.
With reels designed to cast 150m plus and 18kg drags and whatnot, we definately cast over fish a lot!
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Yip, good fish. This one kept, but 6 more released. It was caught on bloodworm, measured 101 cm (92 fork length) and weighed 13 kg's.
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wow,that's a steamer of note... :Like: what was it's weight?I also didn't know steenies bit at night... :dunno:
b.t.w.... :welc: :hnthnt:
Thanks Lofty, it's a great forum.
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Yip, good fish. This one kept, but 6 more released. It was caught on bloodworm, measured 101 cm (92 fork length) and weighed 13 kg's.
Well done on the great catches! (clap)
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Yip, good fish. This one kept, but 6 more released. It was caught on bloodworm, measured 101 cm (92 fork length) and weighed 13 kg's.
Well done Tarpon. If everyone released 6 out of 7 fish, our stocks would be doing much better. Well done.