Author Topic: Umngazana Weekend (Read 10163 times)

kevf · « **on:** March 16, 2015, 05:23:00 PM »

So Friday morning me my wife and son set off at about 8 for the coast, would have been earlier but rain and a power outage the night before prevented any packing, so had a sleep in instead! After a usual Transkei drive we arrived at about 1ish and unpacked at our friends cottage. Went for a walk to the beach, came back and put the ski in the water and went for a quick paddle, didn't see to much just some bus size mullet that wouldn't take any of my offerings over the weekend.

At about 4 I went to one of the jettys on the estuary with some beers a few sards and fresh prawns. Started out with the prawns but they got pecked away quickly so moved to the sards, ended up having to scale down to a number 10 hook before I got my first for the weekend, a little russels snapper. After a few more little "silver ones" my wife went off to bath the lightie and I carried on by myself.Moved back to a prawn just before sundown and tide was pushing in nicely. Rod tip started moving slowly up and down and I thought maybe a crab so reeled it in a bit and then it just screamed off with my prawn and I realised this was no crab. Using my daiwa sweepfire 3000 with 10lb braid and I thought I was in trouble. After about 10mins things were looking up and I tried to phone my wife to bring the camera and my headlamp, her phone just rang and after what felt like an eternity I got it to the side. Lucky the cottage was right there so I ran up there shouting, she comes running out the shower with just a towel and finds me in the dining room clutching my PB Grunter - 68cm. She took a quick photo , I got the hook out and ran back down and released it! incredible experience that, don't think I've ever been that happy/relieved to get a fish out. Finished my then warm beer and went up to light the fire, didn't have to catch another fish that weekend it was already a success.Set my rods up that night for an early session on the ski. My mission for the weekend was a rock salmon!

Got up at 5ish and hit the water, the life in the river was incredible. With my headlamp I could see the bottom and there were fish in all the channels. blactail, stumpies,mullet, what looked like some tassel fish and plenty grunter-some must of been a couple kgs easily. On my regal 3000 I had a sprat stick and on the stradic 5000 a z-killer 90 the flashing mullet. A thorntail ate the sprat stick but otherwise was quiet. Headed up the creek near the mouth when the sun came up but was a lot of grass in the water so kept having to stop and take it off, I hadn't found a place yet that had the "structure" that I wanted to fish at. Stopped again to sort the lures out , did the sprat stick first and casted it back out and grabbed my other rod and there was a massive boil and I saw this red beast smash the lure and head off for the mangroves, tightened up the drag only for me and the ski to end up in the mangroves, with one hand I managed to wind in my other lure in, after about 5 minutes and it doing a few circles around the ski I bullied my first Rock Salmon onto the ski-60cm. A few awkward photos and back into the water, trawled around and had a few casts at some spots and had a few boils but that was my fish for the morning so went back for breakfast, after breakfast I wanted to get one of those big mullet so went off on the ski with some sard and number12 hooks on a float. didn't get any mullet but had great fun with the stumpies, grunter and a nice perch which gave me a good rev as well.

Spent the rest of the day with the family and relaxed. went to the jetty in the evening again but had no prawns so didn't hang around to long. That evening I read Dean Pretorius's article in the ASFN mag about estuary fishing which got me pumped up again. I decided in the morning I would head straight for the same creek and target the snapper. Hit the water at 6 and the first overhanging tree in the water produced a smash but the fish didn't stick. That morning all I did was drift upstream and put my lure next to anything on that river bank, mangroves, branches, stumps and I was amazed at the action I saw. I landed 2 snapper of about a kg an a half and a smaller perch( a first on lure) but had many many missed fish. The one fish tried so hard to get that lure I think it got tired and gave up, I was just laughing , the lure was dead still and this small snapper went mental on it but somehow the hooks didn't find home. One of my most memorable days ever fishing without a doubt, Saw 5 different kingfisher species and I wasn't even looking for birds.

A few things I learnt(its common knowledge but I saw it first hand for myself): (1) that lure needs to be right against the structure, lost count of how many times I had to pull it off the mangroves or anything else. (2)I don't think I had a single fish go for the lure while it was moving, just a twitch of the rod while the lure was stationary produced the goods every time.
(3) when on a fishing ski keep your tools on a leash or at least above your lap - lost a pair of long nose trying to take a hook out.(4) by 9 o clock the bite had slowed right down (5) that Z Killer 90 in flashing mullet is deadly!!

Spent the rest of the morning on the beach, and hit the road home after lunch, tired but extremely satisfied! oh ya (6) work on Monday morning after an awesome weekend really really sucks

kevf · « **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2015, 05:42:29 PM »

greedy guts
what is this silver fish? a pinky?
happy days

kevf · « **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2015, 05:47:11 PM »

5.25kgs according to fishweights

kevf · « **Reply #3 on:** March 16, 2015, 05:51:23 PM »

Sunday morning session

kevf · « **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2015, 05:56:22 PM »

number12 hook and a bit of sard

kevf · « **Reply #5 on:** March 16, 2015, 05:58:11 PM »

view from cottage deck
heading to the mouth
view on the beach, brazen head is the far cliff

iNdlovu · « **Reply #6 on:** March 16, 2015, 06:05:47 PM »

Good stuff Kev, looks like you had a brilliant weekend.

allsorts · « **Reply #7 on:** March 16, 2015, 06:23:35 PM »

Quote from: kevf on March 16, 2015, 05:47:11 PM

5.25kgs according to fishweights

That's a solid snapper boet! Well done!

kevf · « **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2015, 06:26:58 PM »

Quote from: allsorts on March 16, 2015, 06:23:35 PM

Quote from: kevf on March 16, 2015, 05:47:11 PM
5.25kgs according to fishweights

That's a solid snapper boet! Well done!

That brute towed me like a tug boat, incredible fish! Now I know why Tommo and co speak so highly of it

smiley6996 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2015, 06:35:46 PM »

Lovely catches mate but next must use your zombie to get your grunts they also love it lekker report

kevf · « **Reply #10 on:** March 16, 2015, 06:48:09 PM »

Thanks tony , a very special weekend ! for sure smiley next time that'll be my next goal! Do you target them specifically on high tide over the prawn banks

Charles · « **Reply #11 on:** March 16, 2015, 07:36:29 PM »

Great report Kevf! Well done.

smiley6996 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2015, 07:48:50 PM »

Quote from: kevf on March 16, 2015, 06:48:09 PM

Thanks tony , a very special weekend ! for sure smiley next time that'll be my next goal! Do you target them specifically on high tide over the prawn banks

Hey mate you welcome to drop me a pm I don't want to say to much but high tide right place stick with the same action and look for the grunts feeding when you see one tailing you must know there's normally 5 waiting to steal his prawns around him handy hint hahaha

MIKE PIKE · « **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2015, 07:56:42 PM »

Lekker report kevf and some great catches

.

REEFMAN · « **Reply #14 on:** March 17, 2015, 03:50:45 PM »

Awesome report Kev! Nice array of species!

Fish ID is a Piggy - Pomadysus olivaceus; aka Pinky, Olive Grunt - Makes excellent bait!

The Black spot varies quite a bit from light grey to black. Called a Piggy because it grunts like a pig! Family of the Grunters.

Lenny · « **Reply #15 on:** March 17, 2015, 08:25:04 PM »

Lekker report , good fish .

kevf · « **Reply #16 on:** April 12, 2015, 11:08:21 AM »

Hit some luck and heading back there for a week at the end of the month, brazen head on the cards this time

kevf · « **Reply #17 on:** April 12, 2015, 06:48:02 PM »

Tony, how would you rig those little buggers up live?

kevf · « **Reply #18 on:** April 25, 2015, 05:37:05 AM »

almost time for a weeks fishing, come on!!

Rory mundy · « **Reply #19 on:** April 25, 2015, 06:45:04 AM »

a hook just under the dorsal, using a balloon at top of leader or a hook were the second dorsal go''s into the tail