KZN, casting spoons from the rocks

[Tommo]

Casting spoons from the rocks in KZN must be one of the oldest forms of spinning in our province. It is a facet of angling which is done casually by quite a few anglers, particularly during the shad season and the sardine run. There is, however, a small hardcore group of people who spin from the rocks on an almost daily basis pretty much throughout the year. These hardcore spin fishermen usually make their own spoons, modify their tackle themselves to suit the functional requirements and have perfected the art of spinning from the rocks, and catch some pretty impressive fish during the course of the year.

Pennington on the KZN South Coast is my home, so the nearest legendary spinning spot is Umdoni Point. A tricky, rocky area, with access to deep water. Umdoni point is a great spot to target Queen mackerel (snoek to the locals), Yellowtail kingfish, shad, King mackerel (couta), sea pike, Kawa kawa (bonnies) and a host of other predatory fish under the right conditions. 

Arriving at the point after first light is too late if you are planning on spinning. The productive window is fairly short, and one needs to be in place in the dark and casting spoons as the sky begins to lighten. It is quite an experience finding a safe place to park the car, and then walking in the darkness with your rods and tackle along the railway line and then across the rocks. On arriving at the point you think you are the only person awake in the area, until you notice someone standing on a rock, already casting. As you put down your bag, you see another and another. The local guys already in place, each standing on his favourite rock focussed on the water in front of him.

It is fairly daunting going and standing on an unoccupied rock, as you feel the sideways glances from the locals and there is pressure on you to make straight casts and not stray out of your arc and cross one of their lines. It is not as though anyone is rude or aggressive, but you do get the subtle feeling that you are an outsider, coming to sacred ground. The prime spots are obviously taken, so you are going to be starting with a bit of a handicap, usually in the form of some "spoon eating" rocks just below the surface in front of you. Even though no comment is made, you feel that you are providing some amusement when you snag your first rock in the half dark and curse as you try to jiggle it loose, before sighing and breaking off.

For first timers, particularly in the dark, this is often first cast and I wonder whether the salty old locals don't have bets on how long the newcomer is going to keep fishing, depending on either his supply of spoons, or his ability to learn and adjust his technique to avoid hooking up. They must have seen it many times before, and quietly chuckle to themselves when some poor guy packs his bag and leaves the point five spoons lighter after less than ten casts. No advice is offered, and asking for it would probably be viewed in much the same light as asking if you could borrow his wife for a night. You have to earn some respect first. Once the first light window is over and the guys are relaxing on the rocks they will chat pleasantly to someone who has gutsed it out and given it a go.

The very first tip for anyone wanting to cast spoons from rocks in a place like this, is to remove treble hooks from your spoon and replace them with singles. Trebles snag redbait, mussels and rocks in an instant, while single hooks allow you to bounce your spoon over exposed rocks fairly safely, as long as the spoon is moving at speed when it comes over the rocks. If you do snag up, then a spoon rigged with a single hook is also more likely to be shaken loose from the structure. The next imortant tip is to use a short piece of wire trace in front of your spoon, not so much to avoid bite offs, but to guard against a knot on the front of the spoon, which will bump against mussels, oysters, barnacles etc when being retrived up the rocks in front of you, and more than likely break on a subsequent cast or when you hook a fish.

As a newcomer to the spot it is a good idea to defer to the locals if necessary, and rather watch them and learn, than risk alienating them by being cocky. These guys do it every day and have seen it all. They also know every trick in the book when it comes to fishing that spot successfully.

I enjoy seeing the different tackle set ups, and fishing styles of the locals. Some use old wooden centre pin reels (KP's), others multipliers, and very seldom will you find a local using a fixed spool (coffee grinder). This is mainly due to the fact that the new generation fixed spool reels are pricey, and these guys are not normally in a position to afford flash tackle. It is, however, a real pleasure to watch how these guys can get the absolute most out of the tackle they use, usually outcasting anyone with the latest and greatest tackle available. Experience and skill can't be bought, it only comes from putting in the hard yards.

Some of the guys will retrieve their spoons fast, some slow, some use a whipping action, others prefer a steady retrieve. It all depends on what spoon they have on the end of the line, and how they can best get it to entice a fish to strike. It can be confusing to watch the conflicting styles as a newcomer, when trying to learn by watching, but each of those fishermen has his reasons for fishingb the way that he does. It may be due to the gearing on his reel, or lack thereof, or it may be because of the shape or weight of his spoon, but it is all for a reason and guaranteed it will work for him. 

Taking a walk down to a popular spinning point on the KZN coast in the early morning, either to join in the fishing, or even just to watch the locals is a bit like going back in time and experiencing a bit of fishing history.     
 

[vismal]

Nice story Tommo,got some of that home made spoons from a Durban ou that works with me,those white metal ones,I think he calls them 'terribles",they are deadly,spinning is one of my favourite forms of fishing,thanks for sharing.

[SAfish]

Great article, Tommo! 
I am going to Ballots Bay next weekend and there are some good spots for spinning. I am looking for those big shad (blou Elf) that are around this time of year and I might even pick up a Garrick if the water is not too cold. Can you supply us with a basic guide on the retrieval of the different shape spoons? Things like speed of retrieval, preferred action and depth of the spoons springs to mind. 

[Fritz]

Tommo,
I was smiling every second I spent reading your post and the words you have spoken here are so true, especialy about Umdoni. I have gotten to know some of the locals their and I went thru the same beating just as you have explained. They gave me the hairy eye ball the first time I was their and I had to keep myself thick skined. But the boot is on my foot now.

[craigb]

Great post.Great read.I think Sa fishs suggestion would be a great help to a novice like me.

[John F]

Very pleasant reading Tommo!

 

Thank you!

[mervyn]

I am now back in Cape Town after a wonderful 20+ years plus in KZN .I use to be involved with Rex Kerr-Wilson who use to make the white metal spoons in his shop in Cato Ridge Weights Galore .We use to test them with great results on the whole of KZN coast.I found the best place for spinning was Umkamaas or Orange Rocks.He made a spoon for Shad with a copper back and it worked like a bomb.Great to hear there is still people making white metal spoons.
Tight Lines

[Tommo]

Thanks for the positive comments guys. I will do what I can to try and explain how to get the most out of your spoons, time on the water will do the rest...

The straight shaped spoons, with no real curves or bends in them are great for getting distance with casting and also for casting into wind. Their aerodynamic shape means that they travel staright and true, without catching the wind or spinning in the air. The downside is that they have very little action in the water on a straight, slow retrieve. They need to be moved throught the water fairly fast to get a wobble which throws some flash and excites predators due to the panicky action. These can also be retrieved with a jigging or whipping action done by lifting and dropping the rod tip during the retrieve. If a spoon is going to be fished with a whipping action then I strongly recommend adding another single hook at the line attachment point on the top of the spoon. The erratic fluttering often triggers aggressive strikes that hit the top of the spoon and many fish will be missed when fishing this way with only a single hook on the back of the spoon. A faster steady retrieve is fine to use with these spoons when they are rigged just with one single hook on the back. I often add a second split ring like a chain, to get my hook point riding up, and I like the freedom of movement and swinging action of the back hook. Remember that when you are reytrieving a spoon fast it is going to swim near the surface, which is good when fishing over rocks, but not always good when the fish are holding deeper. Therefore you need to choose your retrieve according to the terrain or where the fish should be, and often you will then need to choose the spoon best suited to work with that retrieve.

A spoon with a nice s-bend in it will be a battle to cast into the wind in many cases, particularly the lighter versions, but have a wonderful swimming action and can be worked very slowly while still attracting fish. These spoons therefore may not always cast as far, but due to the slower retrieve will stay in the strike zone longer, and can be fished deeper and slower. They will sometimes be hit while still sinking in the water due to their fluttering action, or often just as you start your retrieve. If the wind is behind you, such as an early morning land breeze in KZN during the winter months then an S-Bend spoon is a great option. A slow, steady retrieve makes it swim with a wide wobble, throwing a great flash, particularly if you take care to shine your spoon up well before using it. Heavier s-bend spoons cast better, and still have a swimming action, though less than the light ones. A sixty or 80 gram spoon can therefore be retrieved far more slowly than a 100 or 120g spoon.  These s-bend shaped spoons can also be fished with a whipping action, though I would tend to keep the action slower, more of a lift and drop than a whip and drop. Again use a trap hook if you are going to fish this way.
It is often a good idea to allow the spoon to sink once it has landed after the cast, particularly if you are fishing over sand and if there is no visible surface feeding going on. Give it a few seconds before starting the retrieve. The depth that your lure swims at can be decided according to bottom structure, sometimes you will want to speed it up substantially towards the end of your retrieve as you will be approaching rocks and want your spoon right on the surface when it passes over them. It is also a good idea to try and time bringing your spoon over the rocks with a wave or swell. This may mean slowing down to get the timing right, but don't slow down enough to let it sink.

Spoon fishing, like many forms of lure fishing is a case of sacrificing one quality to enhance another. Therefore the spoons that cast best, often dont have the best swimming action and vice versa. Spoons such as bullet spoons cast extremely well, but need quite a bit of work to get them looking good in the water. Choose your spoon depending on the wind, how far out the fish are and how deep or slow you want to fish. If you are wanting just one spoon that will give the best of everything then you should go for something like a s-bend with a fairly thick body, giving it lots of weight. It does pay though to have a selection of different shapes and sizes to choose from.

[SAfish]

Thank you for the quick and very informative reply.    I am sure a lot of us will benefit from this.  + cred

[SAfish]

I got some a couple of old "Tiger" spoons from my Dad and use sticker type flashy tape on them to get some shine back on them. I am experimenting with silver on one side and gold on the other. I hope it works! Do you attach the trap hook with a split ring or assist style?

[Tommo]

Trap hook is normally put on with a split ring, or by making youn own ring by weaving #4 wire.

[SAfish]

  I will try it.

[okkiebutler]

  Thanks, these tips are very welcome!

[Dooma]

Nice one Tommo, you are a legend,
What sort of retrieval would one therefore use with a chissel-nose or needle-nose plug

[Kumz]

  .... :shre: ..i was grinning all through your write-up ... + cred ...

[adgoose]

awesome man thanks, ill be in Pennington this weekend and all nest week will the sards have past already, and if so what are my chances of getting some shad or kingies even after they have gone, on fly spoon or drop shot

[Tommo]

Hi Dooma, sorry to take a while to reply, I have been away and then flat with the flu... You pull those plugs just about as fast as you can, as long as they are not skipping out of the water. You want the plug to splash and wobble, without jumping right out of the water.
 
Adgoose I am sure there will still be loads of shad around, they have been here for some weeks already. Also a great time for kingies, garrick, queen mackerel etc. There should still be sards coming through over the next week.

[adgoose]

      man i cant wait im think im gonna pass out....

[Tommo]

If I were you I would concentrate my efforts in the following areas:
 
Early morning (before first light) get yourself to Umdoni point and work a spoon there until after the sun comes up. You want an outfit that can cast pretty far and handle decent fish, as there is always a chance of a big couta or a decent kingie there. Mostly you will catch snoek and shad.
 
During the day you can go to the rocks to the right of the ski boat club and fish for shad with a small spoon, dropshot or fly. Light tackle is great for this spot. The occasional kingie also comes out here. It will be easy to see where to fish, as there should be people there. If there aren't then there is something seriously wrong with the conditions...
 
Another spot in Pennington that has been producing a lot of shad during the day, particularly on a pushing tide is the rocks at the end of Salmon drive. You can park there and then you will see the rocks down to your right. Also a great light tackle spot. This and the ski boat club rocks work well in the late afternoon/evenings as well.

[PH]

Tommo, I'm playing around with spoons presently.
Straight spoons cast further and need to be retrieved at a fast rate to obtain some action from them. This means they will swim fairly high in the water column.
To you knowledge, as anybody ever added a small lip to straight spoons to maintain casting distance but also obtain better swimming action at slower retrieval rates and deeper swimming depth?