Christmas Eve Dawn Patrol: More tasty treats!

[Jared2608]

Howzit Guys.


I haven't been able to do any fishing since Saturday due to inconvenient work commitments and so on.  I finally got a gap this morning where there was no work and no wind, two factors that tend to get in the way of early morning spinning.


I got to Durban View at around 4AM and started spinning with my trusty hand painted Onda.  The guys fishing with bait where getting some now and then but it definitely wasn't a feeding frenzy.  I finally got my first one at 4:50am and then two more by 5:10AM.  The bigger of the three was the last one, he really gave a decent struggle for his size, he managed to stay in the deep water just behind the shore dump so he was tricky to get out because you tend to lose quite a few shad in the shore dump when they shake and struggle as the back wash pulls them out again.


They're definitely not big, the smaller two are 31cm and the bigger one is just short of 36cm but it was definitely a good start to Christmas Eve. 


Still no other species but I'll keep trying until I find a kingfish or snoek that's feeling like the pressure of ocean life is too much for him.

[Steenie]

Nice going! It is amazing how localised the shad is at present. You guys are getting some Umhlanga side, but down towards Umgeni mouth it is just plain dead! Not even the few scattered bait anglers there are catching any shad! I did my dawn patrol from Beachwood to the mouth this morning and blanked bigtime. I am after the Kingies and really big shad that that area is known for. But there has been very little activity for a long time after all the shad in that area during November.  I got a huge strike on a green glow couta casting spoon there yesterday morning early, but the fish dropped the spoon within one second after the strike. Very frustrating! Its the driest past 8 months for many many years in Durban, and surely this unusual weather pattern is affecting the game fish bigtime in the bay. Things can only improve going forward.

[Jared2608]

Ja the gamefish have been very absent.  I'm hoping to find a few off the Virginia pier.

[Chigger]

Lekker breakfast Jared, how about a pic of that hand painted Onda?

[Jared2608]

Here we go, the hand painted lure.  My artistic skills are severely limited but it works. I painted it with water based acrylic then coated it with nail varnish.

[Chigger]

Interesting, have you caught any other species with it?

[Zak-e-Boy]

Something else to do with your shad today !! ( hope the attachment comes through )

[Half-Pint]

Zak this is useless without the recipe!

[Zak-e-Boy]

Half-Pint I believe my cooking involves no complicated recipes or science, my mood on the day determines the outcome of the dish. I add the ingredients with the palm of my hand.
There are basic ingredients, which most people are familiar with, for a good fish curry. Fish, oil or ghee, salt, onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, dry spices ie. cumin, coriander, fennel seeds, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, bay leaves, fresh tamarind, a mild curry powder and turmeric for body and a good chillie powder for the sting, sweet paprika and sugar to help blend the flavours. Tomato puree a must and some home made fish stock if possible. I believe the secret lies in cooking the sauce through properly and only then adding the fish. Salt the fish before adding. Cutlets are a must as the gelatine from the bones thicken the sauce and if you don't add the heads you're a sissy. Fresh coriander and a few more curry leaves and a little grated nutmeg on top to finish. Cooked on a wood fire is the cherry on top. As we know it is always best eaten the next day.

[Moolla]

Hi Zak

Thanks for the recipe.

You mentioned you prefer eating shad the next day. Amongst my friends we cook our shad the day we caught it because shad apparently doesnt freeze well (especially if ungutted).

Have you found the fillet quality decreased with freezing? Do you marinate the fish and keep overnight?

[Jared2608]

I think what he means is the curry is best the next day.  As for other species on the Onda I've only managed shad while spinning.   The game fish seem to clever for me.

[Zak-e-Boy]

Moolla, shad is always best when eaten the same day it has been caught. Any curry is normally better to eat the day after it has been cooked as it gives the ingredients time to absorb the flavors. Shad cutlets with all the bones are used not fillets. Hope this makes sense.

[Ppasmrf]

For the raport on the shad fishing
Been away from drubs
Has anything been coming els where?

[Jared2608]

At this stage I don't know of another place where they are coming out as well as they are in Umhlanga.  Even at Umhlanga they are mostly concentrated in the stretch of beach in front of the storm water outlet just south of the lighthouse.