Knysna Estuary - information, news, events and reports

[Mal Hannes]

Just spent some time fishing in the lagoon.

Fun was had al round mostly with small hooks chasing Littles.

One nice cob of 4 kg.

Most sucess ever in catching mullet.

[SAfish]

  Lekker Hannes.

[Mal Hannes]

What is the regulations around catching mullet with a scoop net and spotlight?

[SAfish]

If you go by the regulations for using a cast net it would be illegal as you are only allowed to use a net from sunrise to sunset.
What bait did you use for the mullets?

[Mal Hannes]

We used brown bread on small hooks off the jetty in Thesens Island where we stayed.

[SAfish]

  I have been using white bread but with less and less success in recent years. I know the guys also catch them on pilchard.

[Visenvryheid]

A scoop net you don't cast so don't see how it could be defined as cast netting. In anycase I think the regulations are in place to stop non mullet species being targeted at night and to make it easier to enforce the regulations as to bait collection as not much monitoring happens at night, not that there is any monitoring or enforcement during the day!And I don't get it either as it is far harder to cast net mullet at night when they turn off feeding and shoal together. Any movement against the horizon or silhouette against the light and they spook, uber skittish at night.

I wonder what the legality of scooping a fish in a handnet is anyway, as the law states only rod and line, or castnet, or or etc..Wonder what the bail would be set at for all those kids at the coast in the holidays scooping up klipvisses in the rockpools with those little cheapo colourful nets that we all played with. LOL

OK reread the regualtions again, need a lawyer to confirm this, as just my opinion and I am not a lawyer. But I have been right about the applications of many laws in the past where lawyers missed it originally..anyway..

You would not be able to scoop mullet on cast net permit as it is not a cast net, neither is a scoopnet's use in anyway defined by the castnet law which very clearly defines what constitutes a castnet. Neither would you be able to scoop up fish on your recreational permit which only allows rod and/or line and hook. But if one had a recreational aquarium license, there does not seem to be anything saying that you cant collect some fish with a scoopnet, nor anything saying that you can't do it at night, so long that it is less than 5 fish per species which would override the 50 mullet per day limit as no exception is listed unlike the recreational 10 fish per day accumulative limit. You'd have to have a big enough bucket so they dont die or you'd be breaking the law. That is my opinion..

[Mal Hannes]

Photo of my cobbie.