Dana Bay Garrick, First, Second or Third Beach the best?

[Oelof]

Hi everyone,

I actually posted this on another forum, but I never seem to get any feedback so I thought I would try Ultimate Angling. I've heard a lot of good things about this web page...
I  wanted to know if anyone has targeted Garrick at Dana Bay on chisel nose plugs,  spoons or drop shot etc? And which artificial bait is best for this area? Also,  which beach would be the best bet? First, second or third beach?
 
 
 
  I have  heard that third beach is quite productive for Cob, Steenies &  Musselcracker. Just wondering if the Garrick are also around?
 
  I read  in the Mossel Bay Gazette that the best bet for Garrick is to start walking  from first beach back towards Mossel Bay. Can anyone confirm this?
 
  I  really want to land my first Garrick this year!!!! I would really appreciate  any help and advice I can get in this regard… This year I want to do my  research before getting there to better my chances.
 
  P.S:  If I manage to land one I will definitely release it to fight another day…
 
  Kind  regards,
 
  Oelof

[Lofty]

hi Oelof, hope you enjoy your stay here...to be honest with you,I've never thrown any kind of lure,plug or spoon at Danabay,I mostly fish this stretch of beach with bait as there's a lot of structure in the water and almost always a strong sideways surge in the water(most times a 6 ounce wire grab can't sit still).I'm not saying don't try spinning there,but spoons are expensive these days... The stretch of beach from 1st beach parking towards Mosselbay has probably the most structure,then you reach the end of the beach as the rocks(mountain)starts.Your best bet might be to do the cliffs as you'll be casting into deeper water...you could get good sized Leeries,Kob ar even BIG Elf if conditions are good.There's another good spot for big Leeries at the Pinnacle point golf course,(you can walk from Danabay 1st beach towards Mosselbay 'till you reach the Golfcourse but it's quite a distance,otherwise you'll need to drive to the main entrance by the casino and have a card to get in with your details and fishing licence details on it,sometimes they'll allow you access if you show your up to date fishing permit... )if you get in here,ask them to take you to Oysterbay(we know it as Grootkloof)because you leave your car at the main gate,they drop you and pick you up again... .I just think there are better places to do spinning than Danabay...I'd try Grootbrak(Suiderkruis)to Kleinbrak for kob,leeries and elf(white or pearl paddletails seem to work well here).Kleinbrakriver itself(if the fish are there).Hartenbosrivermouth to Dias beach to the corner.My other favourite is Boggomsbay to Vleesbay(mostly beach where kob and leeries can be caught).Another good place to try is at the famous "die Saal"(Fransmanshoek),also good sized Leeries and Kob.


If your dead set on Danabay then try it,maby you can teach me something,it is "fishing" after all and if the fish are there and hungry you'll be rewarded...
For some idea of what the spots look like that I mentioned and what Danabay looks like structure wise,you can have a look at these threads I posted a while ago...hope this helps and that you can get that elusive Leerie... http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=17533.0

p.s.almost forgot..Gouritzriver itself and the rivermouth are also good places to try...
feel free to ask any other q's you might have...

[Oelof]

Hi Lofty,

Thank you so much for your informative reply... I'ts great to have a forum like this where more experienced anglers dont mind sharing their knowlage. It's greatly appreciated!!!   

I will definitely give your suggested areas a go...

What lures have worked the best for you when it comes to cob & leeries??

I have silver and pink spoons, bucktail jigs, chisel nose plugs and a whole aray of paddle tail jigs... Which would be my best bet?



Regards,

Oelof

[Lofty]

It's a little hard to say which lures work best,because these fish might love something one day but the next they will hardly give it a look...I'd say best to try for kob would be paddletails(various colours,but white,olive and pearl seem to be preferred),bucktails worked slowly in similar colours mentioned and normal s-bend spoons etc.usually with some copper(2 tone).For Leeries I use needle-nose and chisle-nose in pink,pearl(GT Ice-cream),plain white and white with red head.They will also take paddletails,bucktails,spoons and jerk shads worked a bit faster than for Kob,mostly sub-surfice to surfice...at places like "die Saal" where you casting into deeper water you can use lipped casting lures too(diving ones),that dive to about 0,5-1,5m,here you don't need to cast far,that's why these lipped lures,which are usually a tad light for my setup,can be used too...Leeries of over a meter in length can often be seen cruising the depths around this pinnacle looking for something to chase down... with decent polarised glasses of course... very exciting to say the least...besides these options I mentioned,you should experiment,as long as you rememberas a rule of thumb,that clean,clear water-bright colours,dirtier water-darker colours..Leeries usually prefer clearer water as they rely on sight to hunt,more so than say for instance a Kob,who prefers dirtier water as he relies more on ambushing his prey by using his lateral line to pick up vibrations and whereabouts so for kob I'll fish for more at night.Leeries early morning,no matter tide,otherwise during the day to coincide with pushing water,they bite any time of day if conditions allow...hope I answered all your questions..those lures you mentioned that you have will work in the right conditions...

[WJ]

Dana Bay 3rd beach....some big garrick there.....cob.....I have seen a couple come out at 1st, 2nd and 3rd beach on spoon. Lots of bus blacktail on berkley gulp camo worm as well.....

[Oelof]

Thanks Lofty and WJ,


Loving your post on fishing spots Lofty, very informative...


WJ,


I'ts great to know that Dana Bay can produce good Cob and Leeries because I will be staying right in front of first beach... 1 Minute walk and I'm on the beach, so I'm going to hit the beach at the crack of dusk...


I've also heard that Boggoms bay is quite good for Garrick and Kob...


What time of day would you say is the best for fishing in these area's? Early morning?

[Lofty]

yes,definately early mornings is king,but late afternoon into evening is also good...if you are going to do dropshotting then you'll have fun at Danabay with camoworm,bloodworm and prawn/shrimp imitations,like W.J. said,big 1,5-2,2kg sizes,also Bellman and perhaps Grunters at 3rd beach on the worms...3rd beach has a lot of good spots if you're willing to walk and explore... like I said,I have never done "spinning" there,but seems I'm missing out on something...

[Charles]

like I said,I have never done "spinning" there,but seems I'm missing out on something...


  Same here! I think I will give it an early morning go during December.

[Lofty]

eish,I just hate losing expensive lures to reefs,Danabay has it's fair share,that's why I prefer places like Die saal,Boggoms-Vleesbaai,Kleinbrak-Grootbrak and Grootkloof...not to mention expensive braid and leader being left in the water along with the lure...

[Oelof]

I really cant wait anymore, you guys are making me so exited!!! I'm definitely going to give this a go early morning's in December.


Let me know if you want to hook-up a early morning fishing trip on 1st, 2nd and 3rd beaches Charles, I'll be there from the 21st till 29th December.


 

like I said,I have never done "spinning" there,but seems I'm missing out on something...


  Same here! I think I will give it an early morning go during December.

[Lofty]

I really cant wait anymore, you guys are making me so exited!!! I'm definitely going to give this a go early morning's in December.


Let me know if you want to hook-up a early morning fishing trip on 1st, 2nd and 3rd beaches Charles, I'll be there from the 21st till 29th December.


 

like I said,I have never done "spinning" there,but seems I'm missing out on something...


  Same here! I think I will give it an early morning go during December.

I'll be in C.Town...far away from my fishing grounds... from the 19th-3/4th Jan.

[Charles]

Oelof I will be back in SA on the 11 of December. We may be able to meet on the 22nd or 23rd? PM me your mobile number and I can contact you should the weather allow us to fish?

[Charles]

Oelof I will be back in SA on the 11th of December. We may be able to meet on the 22nd or 23rd? PM me your mobile number and I can contact you should the weather allow us to fish?

[Oelof]

Oelof I will be back in SA on the 11 of December. We may be able to meet on the 22nd or 23rd? PM me your mobile number and I can contact you should the weather allow us to fish?

Hi Charles,


I'll send you a PM shortly... I think the 23rd will be the best. I just realized that we will only be arriving the 22nd, and I will still need to get my fishing silence tackle sorted that day. Maybe, if the weather allows early morning on the 23rd...

[Oelof]

Bummer Lofty,


Would have been nice if we could have hooked up for a session...



I'll be in C.Town...far away from my fishing grounds... from the 19th-3/4th Jan.

[Lofty]

Oelof I will be back in SA on the 11 of December. We may be able to meet on the 22nd or 23rd? PM me your mobile number and I can contact you should the weather allow us to fish?

Hi Charles,


I'll send you a PM shortly... I think the 23rd will be the best. I just realized that we will only be arriving the 22nd, and I will still need to get my fishing silence tackle sorted that day. Maybe, if the weather allows early morning on the 23rd...

I hope not after all the info you've received... we want and lots of noise

[Oelof]

Oelof I will be back in SA on the 11 of December. We may be able to meet on the 22nd or 23rd? PM me your mobile number and I can contact you should the weather allow us to fish?

Hi Charles,


I'll send you a PM shortly... I think the 23rd will be the best. I just realized that we will only be arriving the 22nd, and I will still need to get my fishing silence tackle sorted that day. Maybe, if the weather allows early morning on the 23rd...

I hope not after all the info you've received... we want and lots of noise

Hahahaha... Sorry, I think my computer auto corrected my text to "Silence" in stead of "Licence". But now that you mention it, I'm hoping my reel makes a lot of noise this December.... 

[Gerhard]

Guys,


Keep us posted on whats happening.


I fished those areas as a lighty with bait for elf.


Always wanted a leervis but never happened.


About "Die Saal" probably best deep water spot I have been too but your kit needs to be up to scratch to fish there.


Also think it gets dangerous quickly as well as packed that will make spinning impossible...

[Poenie]

Lofty, I'll be in Vleesbaai 3-10 Jan. Maybe we could hook up for a session one day. I'm staying RIGHT ON THE BEACH, so will have a livie out every night while I braai 
Early mornings I'll take a walk down to boggoms' side and look for cob, and the saal in the afternoons, but very keen to give Pinnacle Point a good bash one day for leeries - heard VERY good things about that spot!
PM me if you're keen for a session!

[Lofty]

I'll be back in Mosselbay between the 3rd-5th of Jan. perhaps we can hook up litterally and figuratively when I'm back from C.Town...I brought NO gear with me... I would much rather have stayed at home to go fish... ....