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General Angling Topics => Saltwater Lure Angling => Topic started by: Tommo on May 04, 2015, 09:29:27 PM
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In February this year I had a trip planned to De Hoop in the Cape. I decided to add on three days and spend that time fishing the Breede river, which is just a stones throw away from De Hoop. I had heard so much about this amazing river, and was dead keen to see just what it was like for myself! My camera man, Brod Whitaker, and myself drove down from KZN, stopping for a night at Cape St Francis on our way. The drive the next day was awesome, it had been some years since I had done the Garden Route, and we both made the most of it, stopping along the way and admiring amazing scenery and some spectacularly fishy looking pieces of water.
We arrived at the Mudlark guest house, where we were to be staying, at about 4pm and were greeted by the sight of the river being blown to pieces by a very strong wind. There was not a single boat on the water, which wasn't surprising, as the water was streaked with white foam and looked very unfriendly. I sat and chatted to the owners Tim and Hilary and they seemed pretty confident that the wind would blow itself out sometime that night.
I set up my tackle on the veranda of my room and enjoyed a couple of beers, before we had a delicious dinner and an early night. We were up at dark thirty in the morning and the wind had indeed dropped. We quickly grabbed gear and headed upriver on foot, following the bank for a few hundred metres.
There we found a couple of rocky points, with a small shallow bay in between them. This looked like a good area to get started and I wasted no time in getting a drop shot out into the water. I was testing the new Shimano Terez Waxwing rod, which had just arrived in the country, and had it matched up to a Stella 5000 reel, with 20lb Sufix 832 braid on it. I was casting 3/4 oz jig heads, which I dressed with a six inch McCarthy paddletail in the baby elf colour. I quickly discovered that the rocky point that I was standing on ended in a ledge just beneath the water in front of me, making a nice deep channel. There were some rocks in the water close to the edge, which I lost a couple of jigs on, quickly learning that I needed to speed up my retrieve when my lure got close in. I didn't have any action on my drop shot, but the spot looked good and I was confident that it would produce fish at some stage.
The tide started to drop fast and I started working the shallow bay with some surface lures, looking for grunter. It looked like an ideal spot, with a muddy bottom and plenty of mud prawn holes. After a short while a boat arrived and dropped anchor at the mouth of the bay. It turned out to be Keith Tait, from the Fishing Specialist in Cape Town, along with Sean Rafferty. We chatted for a bit and they invited me to join them on the boat, as they were also looking for grunter on topwater lures. Keith hooked and landed a grunter on a pink Rapala X-Rap Walk:
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6791.jpg)
It wasn't a huge fish, but it was a grunter and that is all that mattered! A short while later I landed one as well, also on a X-Rap Walk, and I was happy to be on the score board. I had been hearing that the Cape boys were not convinced that the Breede grunter would eat surface lures and was happy to see that they did.
Brod stuck a live mud prawn out on a light stick and let it drift weightless near the drop off to the bay and it was picked up by a feisty little grunter. As he brought it in, there was a massive swirl in the water and a big zambezi shark chased the grunter right into the shallows, so much so, that half of the shark's body was exposed and it was sliding on its belly! Brod managed to pull the grunter away from the shark, and the shark left the scene. Brod landed the grunter and we were interested to see that it had a tag in it.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6785.jpg)
We sent in the tag information to ORI when we got home and found that the grunter had been tagged at exactly the same spot the previus week by my friend Andrew Parsons.
By now the tide had started to turn, so we moved to the big sandbank closer to the river mouth to try for some garrick on the pushing tide. We cast small poppers and managed to get some small garrick, which were great fun on the light tackle that we were using for them. I was interested to see that the garrick were definitely a lot more interested in faster moving, splashy poppers than they were in any of the slower, more subtle surface lures. This isn't all that unusual, but their preferences definitely do vary a bit from place to place. The garrick action was fun, but the fish were on the small side.
As it got later and the tide pushed us off the bank we decided to go back to the rocky point where I had started that morning. I got my dropshot rig out and started working the lure, bouncing it off the bottom in the deeper channel. All of a sudden the lure got hit and the rod went down. I was into a good fish, which fought hard, using the current to its advantage and telling me it was a kob by the violent head shakes. I pressed it as hard as I could, being mindful of the shark that we had seen there that very morning, and not wanting this fish to get eaten. Whenit got close it made some massive swirls on the surface and I knew that I was into a decent kob. I was very pleased as this was one of the fish I wanted to catch in the Breede. I landed it as the sun was setting and was super chuffed with a good day's fishing!
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6772.jpg) The next couple of days brought us much of the same. We pretty much followed the same pattern, fishing each spot on its tide and had a lot of fun. I tried some 1/0 VMC Spot circle hooks for grunter with live mud prawn and no sinker, just casting the prawn with the wind behind me on a very light rig. This was lots of fun and we caught some nice grunter this way.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6797.jpg)
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6798.jpg)
The Garrick were pretty small, but I understand that they do get some very good garrick in the river at times, so it was just our bad luck that the big ones were not around. The little ones came in shoals and provided great entertainment on the very light tackle we used for them.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6813.jpg)
The little one above that Brod is holding actually ate Keith's lure while he was targeting grunter, so it was one of the few garrick to show interest in a slow moving lure. The others wanted the lure to be ripping away from them before they would bite.
I got a couple more nice kob on the drop shot as well
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6825.jpg)
The kob in the pic above also had a tag in it. When I got home I checked with ORI and it had been caught a year before at Struisbaai by a MR J Hamman, so it had been free for 362 days and had moved 102kms. It is really good to see that guys are tagging and releasing fish in that area! Hopefully the next guy that catches it will have as much fun as MR Hamman and I had with it and maybe he will release it for someone else to enjoy as well!
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6835.jpg)
The three days went by so quickly, I felt like I was just starting to understand the system a bit and it was time to go. Anyhow, I was very impressed with the Breede as a lure fishing destination and it is definitely on my list of places to return to. There is some seriously good fishing potential there!
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff447/craigfish1/Breede%20River/DSC_6845.jpg)
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(clap) Awesome report as usual, Sir Tommo. You guys made some great catches, well done. I would have been very careful not to fall in the water after seeing the Zambezi chase the Grunter.
Give me a shout the next time you pass through Knysna, I would gladly buy you a beer or two. It would be interesting to hear your views on our estuary. I have tried paddle tails for Kob before but have yet to land my first one on it. What does the bite feel like?
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Thanks Hermann, Yep, I will contact you next time i go that way.
Usually the kob just hits it and it is on, other times there is a gentle tap while you are dropping the rod between twitches and when you lift the rod it is there. try and work the deeper holes and make sure your paddle tail gets down to the bottom. Keep trying, once you start catching it just gets easier, the first one is usually the hardest, for all species.
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Geez, what a lekker report Tommo!!! Please keep them coming... :clfoto:
What were your thoughts on the Shimano Terez?
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great report thanks tommo
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Thanks Tommo, I will keep trying.
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Superb Tommo!!!
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Great report Tommo and (clap) on some lekka cobbies
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Wow Tommo great report as always. :cgrts:
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:clfoto: thanks for sharing, enjoy your posts . :toppie:
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Great catches and it is really good to see that the cob is starting to get back, looks like the rules to close the river at night for fishing is really starting to pay off. :clfoto: :envy .
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Awesome stuff Tommo, well done and thanks for a great report - :+ cred:
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Well done... guess where im going this weekend... now i'm plenty stoked... don't know if the season is right but will be giving the rocky point a bash with the artificials...
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Nice Tommo!! Good to see the movement of that cobbie! Marthin, gaan jy Witsand of Infanta kant toe?
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Ons bly by mudlark vir die naweek.... kom eers laat vrydag daar aan, so sal net saterdag kan gooi tot mamma raas en sondag dalk nog vinnige enetjie voor ons kaap toe ry....
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Brilliant report Craig. :clfoto: And congrats on those fine catches (clap)
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Swell tel mooi op Donderdag, dan Vrydag sak die swell en wind. Die oggend sal jy nog 'n paar galjoene kry as jy oor die Infanta punt stap en gooi in die eerste baai agter die punt. Laaste uur van sak en eerste uur van stoot (10hr-12hr). Een van my favourite gate in die land daai... Heelwat krakers ook daar! Ek sou verseker eerder dit doen as rivier, maar familie maak dit nie altyd moontlik nie! Sterkte!
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Great report thanks. Breede river added to the bucket list :envy
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Thanx poenie.... Sal laat weet hoe gaan dit, sien nogal uit lanklaas iets ordentlik gevang...
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Wow fantastic report and fish tommo.
During the same time you guys were down there , I also saw some good kob on paddle tails in the breede .
There's a bunch of guys and club anglers tagging fish in Struisbaai , year round .
I have caught a released a grunted in de mond , that was tagged in the breede.
I have also released a tagged fish inside the harbour , also tagged in breede.
Then I know do a couple of dehoop fish recaps in Struisbaai .
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Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed it. I will post on here when the show is coming on air.
Shaun I am really enjoying the Terez rod, it is like a Trevala with good quality fittings.
Marthin, I hope you have good fishing! Give my best to Tim and Hilary. Try and fish that point at around sunrise and sunset!
Lenny, it is great to see the results from tagging in the area. It helps us to understand the fish movements, also wonderful to see that many guys are fishing for the pleasure and handling fish well and releasing them to fight another day!
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Lovely report, thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for the detailed report, those paddle tails are the bomb.
We recently even fooled some nice fish on the 5 and 6 inch orca and crystella
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Good stuff Tommo
Still my favourite fishing destination in SA by a mile. Heading there again in December
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Great stuff, enjoyed that. (clap)
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Just a couple of tips for those of you who are thinking of throwing paddle tails for kob for the first time:
Use an outfit that is light yet stiff. You want the rod to have a fast enough action to be able to flick your jig on the retrieve, yet not so heavy as to tire your wrist quickly. Ideal rods for bigger kob in an estuary are the Trevala and Terez ranges. Around seven foot, light and strong. 15 to 20lb braid should be ample and is thin enough to get a decent cast. I like the Sufix 832 braid for this, as it has better abrasion resistant qualities that the others. A good reel that has a quality line lay system is critical, especially when fishing with braid. I would suggest a Shimano Sustain or Stradic in the 5000 size.
Choose jig heads that have a large hook of good quality. Kob shake their heads hard in an effort to get rid of hooks and jigheads with smaller hooks often come out. I like a 3/4 oz jig head for a river like the Breede and would like a hook of 5/0 or bigger. Kob have big mouths and even a small fish will get hooked on big hooks. Mad Mullet brand of jig heads have a good range that are ideal for kob fishing.
Don't only buy paddle tails. It is worth having some jerk minnows as well. Paddle tails have a lot more action in terms of vibration, and can swim well without being twitched or jerked, but they also don't cast as far due to the movement through the air of the tail flapping. If you need more distance, then it can be helpful to change to a jerk minnow type plastic.
Bigger is better for kob. The bigger the lure, the more disturbance it will make in the water. Kob hunt primarily by picking up vibration and movement with their sensitive lateral line organs. A six or seven inch plastic will be found more easily by the fish than a four or five inch. Even a 1kg kob will hit a seven inch plastic. I really like the McCarthy range of plastics. These are made in RSA by guys who understand our fish and conditions. They make great colours for our fish too.
I would take a selection of bright and dull/dark colours. Some very good colours for the Breede area are: Orca, Baby Elf and Red Mullet
When it comes to technique keep varying it up until you find what works for you. It is important to allow the jig to sink right down to the bottom before starting your retrieve. With Paddle tails you can then either just retrieve it slowly, the vibration of the tail will call in fish and stimulate a strike, or you can twitch it to give it extra movement. I prefer to twitch it by lifting the rod tip fairly sharply, then allow it to drop again, retrieving all the while. I find that this causes the lure to dart up off the bottom and then drop down again, the beauty of a paddle tail is that it continues to "swim" as it falls, as the movement of the water over the tail keeps it fluttering. Kob can't seem to leave it alone.
I lift and drop my rod tip in a regular cadence as I retrieve the lure, probably with an interval of around 3 to four seconds between lifts. The main thing is to keep the jig swimming in that zone from bouncing off the bottom to around a metre up.
When a kob hits the lure on the upward twitch, you just go on immediately, setting the hook with the continued lift of the rod developing into a strike. When the kob hits the lure on the drop you often feel a gentle "tap" while the rod tip is dropping and you know that when you lift he will be there, so you give it a good strike when you do so.
Kob can be caught at any time of day, but they definitely feed more aggressively around dawn and dusk, and of course in the dark. If you want to concentrate your effort, then work around these times.
Kob are creatures of habit, they tend to hang around in the same areas, so if you know that there are particular holes and channels that produce kob, then these are the places to work your jigs. Ask around and find where the locals catch their kob on live bait. Deeper holes are usually a good bet. Many 'kob holes' in our rivers have been producing kob for the last hundred years and still do so today.
Enjoy, and please treat the kob with respect, they are too good to only be caught once. Release them and you will make another angler's day sometime!
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Wow great tutorial Tommo thanks for sharing your knowledge with us (clap) :+ cred:
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Thanks Willie!
I also meant to add:
The nice thing with paddle tails is that you can retrieve them with the twitching action over a clean bottom, then change that to a steady retrieve when bringing it over rocks. Once you learn where the rocks are (usually by getting hooked up and losing lures), you can do this.
Kob often hold over sand close to rock structure, so this is a big plus!
The paddle tail will continue to swim enticingly on the straight retrieve, but will lift a bit higher in the water column. If there are kob holding on sand patches between the rocks, they will snatch the lure as it passes over them.
Don't just give up on a spot if you lose a few lures, try and learn and adjust your retrieve accordingly.
If there are fish in a particularly foul area, then you can rig your paddle tail onto a large bass worm hook, weedless style, with a weight in front of it, in order to minimise the chances of snagging. There are some jig heads available that have a clip system where you can use your own hook which is ideal for this. Unfortunately I am not sure of the brand.
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(clap) Tommo, thank you for the valuable information, I will definitely implement it and change my tactics. There is a really steep drop off close to my house that I have fished this summer without success. I know the fish must be hunting in that area as the Mullet gets washed down the banks at the dropping tide. We have a problem with sea lettuce and my paddle tail constantly get snagged on it, even after just a couple of turn on the reel. It is very frustrating and then I give up easily. :blush:
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Loved the report, tips and pics Tommo, also great to see the recaptured fish.
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Great report Tommo! I will certainly apply these tips. Besides cob, how well are paddle tails suited for other species in places like Cape Vidal, St Lucia? Thank you for sharing these tips. Kind regards, Riekert.
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Great info and superb report from the master!
Thanks Tommo! :+ cred:
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Thanks Guys!
Rieckert paddle tails are good for pretty much all species of gamefish. I do find however that the further north we go the faster the fish seem to prefer the retrieve (in general). I find that the Jerk minnow style soft baits are more productive in the tropics due to their quick darting action, which seems to stimulate the strike from fish in the warmer waters. Paddle tails would probably be a great option in dirty/foamy water and alos low light conditions, due to the extra vibration they give off.
For cleaner water I would still go with the jerk shad in most situations. Having said that, every day is different and I like to have the option to change it up and try different things, so I always carry some paddle tails.
I think that they could be very good for GT's in the surf when cast on a heavy jig head, like a 2 oz and then ripped through the water very fast, in the foamy stuff where the GT's feed. In that cast you would want very good quality hooks on your jig head!
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Thanks Guys!
Rieckert paddle tails are good for pretty much all species of gamefish. I do find however that the further north we go the faster the fish seem to prefer the retrieve (in general). I find that the Jerk minnow style soft baits are more productive in the tropics due to their quick darting action, which seems to stimulate the strike from fish in the warmer waters. Paddle tails would probably be a great option in dirty/foamy water and alos low light conditions, due to the extra vibration they give off.
For cleaner water I would still go with the jerk shad in most situations. Having said that, every day is different and I like to have the option to change it up and try different things, so I always carry some paddle tails.
I think that they could be very good for GT's in the surf when cast on a heavy jig head, like a 2 oz and then ripped through the water very fast, in the foamy stuff where the GT's feed. In that cast you would want very good quality hooks on your jig head!
Thanks again Tommo. I will certainly try the much quicker retrieve when I visit Vidal again soon. So far I have only used a very slow retrieve, like the okes in the Eastern Cape uses, with no success.
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Well im plenty excited, so much so that i think for the first time in my life i might leave the bait at home altogether (prawn pump going with tho).... My last time at breede i had some pretty big swirls and we saw one or 2 big fish follow the lure low down but not comitting, and i had a big springer on for about 3 seconds but it jumped and threw the jig....
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Amazing Tommo ! Absolutely amazing !
(clap)
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Awesome report (clap)
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Great report and advice Tommo. Thank you! :+ cred:
River fishing is the most relaxed and pleasant fishing one can do. Remembering that it is essentially a nursery and fish should be released is an important part of river fishing. Thanks for the releases, you guys are such a professional and classy bunch of guys.
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(clap) :Like: WELL DONE!!
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Lekker report, I like the mustad jig heads as they have a thin sharp hook, is that similar to the mad mullet....
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Some fantastic fish there well done Tommo and friends!!! (clap) (clap) (clap) (clap)