ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
General Angling Topics => Fishing Hotspots and locations => Topic started by: AQUAFAN on April 06, 2015, 07:06:03 PM
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Hi
Heading South tomorrow - spending 2 nights at Caribbean Estates before leaving for Umngazi River Bungalos.
Can anyone share some info on fishing the Umngazi river?
Thanks
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What tackle have you taken with you?
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Everything from ultra-light estuary rods with 2500 reels to the heavy Poseiden paired with a Torium 30 including spinning outfits.
Also carried a few Halco and Strikepro poppers and stick baits in the 60 and 90 range as well as the regular baits.
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hey Aquafan
I was last there 2 years ago and the was a sand bank (marked in yellow) nice place to sit by the blue X and fish the head of the bank (red X), fished much better when tide was pushing. Use some prawn/sard baits and a sprat stick, plenty small stumpies, grunter, flatheads and a few nice lessers aswell, awesome fun on the light tackle. I saw a nice grunter come out deeper out past the red X , a guy on a boat. there are boats for hire to cruise up the river but I didn't have much luck. Id love to go back there knowing what I know now about targeting rock salmon cause they must be full up in that river, so much structure. can buy mud prawns from the gillies there. I ate to much while I was there to take the big rod out and go to the point.
If you that keen and want to go to brazen head Im pretty sure I remember seeing something there about them supplying you with food and bedding to go spend the night there, you'll probably need to hire a gillie to go with.
Enjoy
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I was there 6 years ago, and if I knew then what I know now I would've taken all my spinning kit with. Fishing from the side is easy, and if you walk down the north side to the lagoon and the beach on the northern end I'm sure you would pick up something on surf spinning gear, especially paddletails near that mouth. You can also catch a boat to the other side and spin off that beach or into the lagoon itself with the lighter gear.
The red I've marked is the boat traffic commuting visitors and staff accross to the other side.
The yellow stripes are the areas I would immediately investigate, but for those upriver you would have to hire a boat and a gillie to pilot it. I would be on that water at first light throwing walking stickbaits and small poppers and pulling them from the sand/reeds over those drop-offs into the deep for kingies, seapike, perch and rock salmon. If nothing at all is happening on the surface I would go a little deeper with crankbaits and spoons. Failing that, pulling 4/5" dropshot baits over the drop-offs. Same thing approaching late afternoon and dark, but in reverse order.
I know there are rock salmon there. A gillie took me to "Roman Hole" a spot where he said they catch plenty, but that was before my serious lure fishing days and I was using dead bait and caught zero. There is a lot of structure around there. I did get small kingies, stumpies and grunter on mudprawn, but there is so much more you can do with lures. Wish I had lures with me then....but I was a novice with artificials and on honeymoon too, and I didn't want it to appear as if I was going on a fishing trip!!!
(http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/MGalleryItem.php?id=2509)
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Thanks guys for the awesome info! Looking forward to getting there more than ever now!
Fished the Umtamvuna river yesterday morning - water still a bit dirty from recent rain but we managed some decent mullet, perch, cape stumpies, small grunters and a snapper salmon - all with sard.
Made one cast into the surf which looked ideal for kob but there was too much seaweed and a strong drift.
Leaving today for Umngazi - will hopefully have a good report next week when Im back!
Cheers
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:+ cred: To Kev and Jball, awesome advice there chaps!!!
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Travel safe and tight lines Ashaan !
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:tite
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Aaah man! Just read on the Kingfisher report about small Garrick at Port St Johns - you must be able to get at the mouth and in the river there at Umngazi!!!
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Unfortunately nothing great to report on.
Fished discoloured water of Umtamvuna River on Wednesday morning - got a few grunters, nice mullets and a snapper salmon.
Left Port Edward on Thursday around 11h00 and arrived at Umngazi River Bungalows at around 15h00 - by the time we unpacked and settled in, it was already 17h30 and time for the kids dinner, followed by adults dinner from 19h00 - 21h00 (this was a major hassle as the times co-incided with the incoming tide) - did not fish on Thursday.
On Friday we were at the river by 5h30 - both my sons (7 and 12) chose to use sardines and fresh prawns and caught a few small grunter.
I chose to fish exclusively with lures - threw small poppers, sprat spoons, max raps, chisel nose plugs, needle nose plugs - all the common colours but no takers. There was plenty chasers and swirls to get the heart racing and even though I retrieved through them I got nothing.
The water was also quite dusky following rain up stream.
That night after supper we fished the river again using sards and fresh prawn but again only small grunters.
We decided to head back a day earlier and left Umngazi at 8h00 to go back to Caribbean Estates - as we crossed the steel bridge entering Port Edward our hopes of fishing the Umtamvuna River again were lost as we saw the dark brown water - it must have rained quite hard up river and the river was worse than Wednesday.
We spent a night at Caribbean Estates and left for home yesterday morning.
I did not do as much fishing as I would have liked to - then again, I managed to score some brownie points with the extra family time.
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Sorry about the fishing boet, but quality family time is awesome.
I have those fishing issues every time I go on a trip. Thing is you have to plan so far ahead to get your accommodation sorted that cannot make an educated fishing decision. But its more about the family so that doesnt matter in the end.
I get either too much rain so the water is messed up, gale force winds for the weekend, or pearler weather conditions but storm surf. Oh, and I left out the rather annoying weed filled water! Every time!!!
Nice for the kids to catch fish, regardless...!!