Author Topic: Cape Vidal (Read 6557 times)

Steenie · « **on:** September 10, 2014, 11:17:35 AM »

Me working in Pongola/Swaziland this week. Going to have a solid spinning session at Cape Vidal on Friday morning (from about 7 - 12). Lots of wind predicted by windguru though, NE swinging to SW by about lunchtime. Hopefully the couple of hours before the SW wind comes through will work well. Should be a nice start to the day before driving back to Durban.

Willie · « **Reply #1 on:** September 10, 2014, 11:45:09 AM »

Great some people have all the luck

REEFMAN · « **Reply #2 on:** September 10, 2014, 12:00:48 PM »

Steenie!

gavin erwin · « **Reply #3 on:** September 10, 2014, 02:41:59 PM »

Good luck Steenie!!!

WalkersKiller · « **Reply #4 on:** September 10, 2014, 03:06:53 PM »

Steenie · « **Reply #5 on:** September 10, 2014, 04:33:17 PM »

Thank you guys!

Steenie · « **Reply #6 on:** September 10, 2014, 04:37:05 PM »

Tides are not to great, it will be outgoing tide. I will start at around high tide in the bay at Vidal and then try and get onto the ledges south of Vidal as the tide drops.

Steenie · « **Reply #7 on:** September 11, 2014, 08:33:42 PM »

Ready for getting up at 05h00 tomorrow to go to Vidal. Two beds in the guesthouse room I am sleeping in Mtubatuba tonight. My Amia with Stradic 5000 is softly laid down on the one bed, the other bed is mine! Hahaha! Me and my faithfull angling mate...

Steenie · « **Reply #8 on:** September 11, 2014, 09:42:06 PM »

I am not telling a lie, my companion is tucked in for the night. Hahaha "Modified" Chase S-bend spoon was chosen to open the session tomorrow morning.

REEFMAN · « **Reply #9 on:** September 12, 2014, 06:40:00 AM »

The bastid is fishing right now....

hardfisher · « **Reply #10 on:** September 12, 2014, 07:15:50 AM »

Aye Reefs, the only way I keep going is by thinking todays work will pay for tomorrows fishing

Willie · « **Reply #11 on:** September 12, 2014, 07:19:01 AM »

Agree Reefz every time I see some photos of fish or read about the people fishing I go in serious depression one more month to go for me

Kent · « **Reply #12 on:** September 12, 2014, 07:42:12 AM »

.....Aaaaggg...jinne shame.......I feel for you gents......BUT , yes I count my blessing daily.....That pic in my profile is my kobbie hunting grounds ...will be thinking of you when Im there tomorrow and Sunday AM.....LOL...

WalkersKiller · « **Reply #13 on:** September 12, 2014, 07:45:52 AM »

Quote from: REEFMAN on September 12, 2014, 06:40:00 AM

The bastid is fishing right now....

No-Pro · « **Reply #14 on:** September 12, 2014, 08:02:36 AM »

Quote from: Willie on September 12, 2014, 07:19:01 AM

Agree Reefz every time I see some photos of fish or read about the people fishing I go in serious depression one more month to go for me

Ja Willie, 32 days until i land in my beloved Cape Town, it seems forever still.
My rig might demobilize slightly earlier, so it might cut down by about 10 days. I need to fish or at least be at the ocean.

Charles · « **Reply #15 on:** September 12, 2014, 08:45:55 AM »

Quote from: No-Pro on September 12, 2014, 08:02:36 AM

Quote from: Willie on September 12, 2014, 07:19:01 AM
Agree Reefz every time I see some photos of fish or read about the people fishing I go in serious depression one more month to go for me

Ja Willie, 32 days until i land in my beloved Cape Town, it seems forever still.
My rig might demobilize slightly earlier, so it might cut down by about 10 days. I need to fish or at least be at the ocean.

32 Days also. Leaving Bunia on the 13th home on the 14th of Oct.

Steenie · « **Reply #16 on:** September 13, 2014, 10:09:54 PM »

I arrived at the Cape Vidal entrance gate at around 05h30 on Friday morning and chatted to a group of kayak anglers also waiting for the gate to open at 06h00. They wanted to launch at Vidal, but with the eminent south-westerly gale on its way they decided to do some spinning from the side as well. We travelled the tar road of about 35 kms to the Cape Vidal camp in a convoy of four vehicles.

On our arrival at around 06h45 we discovered a bamboo forest of about 40 anglers (young and old) catching shad in the bay. The tide had already started to drop and the action appeared to have slowed down. Nevertheless the group of kayak anglers and myself promptly grabbed our spinning kit and headed for the crowd. At this stage the north-easterly wind was still pumping hard. I went north away from the crowd and targeted a nice sand gully with a chase s-bend spoon. Soon I was rewarded with a shad (released again) on a slow retrieve speed, but nothing after that. I switched to a no.2 green-glow couta casting spoon and varied the retrieve between fast and slow but without success. I also tried a bucktail jig on various actions from slow bumping on the bottom right through to a steady retrieve like with a spoon – nothing. I must admit that it is fun spinning with these bucktail jigs and the casting distance is good even with a strong wind. I ended up around 2 km north of the parking area and then started working back as the tide dropped. I met up with some of the kayak group again and they have had no success. The crowd was slowly dissipating as the shad has gone off the bite. It was around 08h00 and I decided to go back to the bakkie to get my rock shoes and to work south onto the Vidal ledges.

I jogged about 3 km south of the parking area to a spot with great rock ledges and deep water where I got a big largespot pompano on a pink GT ice cream needle nose plug (of all things!) during my previous visit. There is a nice section of beach just before these ledges and there were some good gullies, so I tried a bucktail jig again in the hope of attracting largespot pompano or kingies but it was dead quiet.

At around 09h00 the north easterly wind started to drop whilst I was spinning with spoons from the deep water ledges. I promptly switched to a flat-face GT ice cream plug to exploit the more quiet conditions, but no success. I was contemplating switching to a CID slimbait, but the south-westerly gale then came through a mere couple of minutes later without mercy and it was an instant sand storm! I promptly switched back to spoons which were the only lures one could use in the near unfishable conditions. At 10h00 it was simply unfishable and I returned to the bakkie after a spinning session that lasted only over 3 hours and covering about 10 km of coastline in total (always good exercise!) to drive back to Durban. The kayak anglers also retreated to their accommodation without success. They will be there until Sunday (lucky buggers) and I hope for their sake they nail the fish of their ski’s.

It was great fun as always, but the fishing and weather conditions were really poor, typifying what has been a very dismal season out of a spinning perspective for me so far. It is my first year as a true spinner man and I have been learning a lot – a steep learning curve, but I feel I am now becoming a real spinning machine! The short daily spinning sessions before work has really improved my skill level at a fast pace.

I read in the latest Basil Manning newsletter this evening that it has been a really dismal season along the KZN coast for guys targeting garrick, snoek and other game fish from the shore. Even the kayak and boat anglers have battled to find these species except for some really good yellowfin tunny. So I do not feel too bad about my really poor success so far, and with my technique steadily improving I will be ready for action when conditions improve!

Big B · « **Reply #17 on:** September 14, 2014, 06:56:42 AM »

Nice report, hard graft, you will be rewarded by neptune, just keep grafting.

Charles · « **Reply #18 on:** September 14, 2014, 10:47:55 AM »

Enjoyed the report. Spinning is indeed hard work! What equipment are you using?

gavin erwin · « **Reply #19 on:** September 14, 2014, 05:34:31 PM »

Nice report Steenie!!!