St Lucia/Maphelane

[colin]

   Sardinella , great news

[Plugger]

Thanks for posting Sardinalla, very interesting . Hope we get good Summer rains up there.

[REEFMAN]

I see Google Earth updated it's Satellite images of the area... latest one is May 2017.

[Rory mundy]

The mouth needs to open the reeds in the estuary/dam are getting really bad

[MIKE PIKE]

The mouth needs to open the reeds in the estuary/dam are getting really bad

What he said ....

[sardinella]

Subsequent to the sudden removal of Mr Zaloumis, his 2nd in charge, Terri Kastis has been suspended.
I smell a rotten hippo or 2,  but no info is forthcoming from Isimangaliso

[Rory mundy]

heard last week she had resigned?

[MIKE PIKE]

Think i must take my bucket and spade next time im there................. start digging a trench ...

[FishStyx]

Subsequent to the sudden removal of Mr Zaloumis, his 2nd in charge, Terri Kastis has been suspended.
I smell a rotten hippo or 2,  but no info is forthcoming from Isimangaliso

   This country is riddled with such rot, it must be difficult to actually do your job.

[Rory mundy]

Think i must take my bucket and spade next time im there................. start digging a trench ...

if you open the mouth you can stay at my place for free

[MIKE PIKE]

Think i must take my bucket and spade next time im there................. start digging a trench ...

if you open the mouth you can stay at my place for free

Have you seen the size of my bucket and spade .......

[Plugger]

She was the one who wouldn't budge on the jetski launch rule. Karmas a ****.

[Ziggy]

Think i must take my bucket and spade next time im there................. start digging a trench ...

if you open the mouth you can stay at my place for free

Careful.....Zaloumis opened his mouth and look what happened

[FishStyx]

Think i must take my bucket and spade next time im there................. start digging a trench ...

if you open the mouth you can stay at my place for free

Careful.....Zaloumis opened his mouth and look what happened

Nice one Ziggy 

[Charles]

Did the recent rains have any effect on the mouth?

[sardinella]

Not yet, but the system is very full, I expect the mfolozi to breach the next time it is in spate. This could be in the next few days.

[MIKE PIKE]

Not yet, but the system is very full, I expect the mfolozi to breach the next time it is in spate. This could be in the next few days.

[phumba72]

Just came back from a week at Maphelane - aargh.

Fishing was extremely challenging. The water is crystal clear. I have never seen it so clear. There were no shad at all - apart from a bus of a blue shad that bit me off as I wasn't using steel trace. I managed to beach it and it jumped back into the water - eish the joy and heartbreak at the same time as only fisherman know!!!.

Walked to Crayfish point and water was just as clear - walked all the way north to St Lucia and the same. Totally struck out on all forms of spinning - the water was just to clear. The mouth is almost open - needs a bit more rain or big see but at high tide it just stops short of the river. All new staff at the Chalets and none of the usual crowd that we had become friends with and helped us carry our kit to crayfish point. Chalets were very clean and everything worked. Everything needs a bit of TLC but hey we were their to fish. Bearing in mind that we fish for 10 to 12 hours a day.

Due to the clarity of the water the plan was to fish into the night. We set -up about 300 meters north of the point from about 17h00. We were plagued by mosquitoes - they were even biting us while standing in the water. I have never ever seen so many or been bitten so many times. It really was unbearable but who thought to put mozzie repellent on at 17h00 on the beach - lesson learnt!!!! Back to fishing.

On the second night I landed this nice Stumpy of 3.9 kgs - took a red-eye fillet inside out with some prawn. Was a great fight and tasted lovely on the braai. Then we were hit by a whole shoal of baby sharks. Every cast we pulled in small sharks of around 2 kgs - it was like the shad run - never caught so many sharks in such a small space of time. After the sharks left so did everything else as am sure the sharks were hunting. We packed up about 10 at low tide.

I was up the following morning at 03h00 and walked about 200 meters south of the point were there was a nice washing machine with white water. first cast and - vas - a nice 8kgs GT and boy what a fight over the reefs and side wash. He fought like a true GT. Landed and released as I am a firm believer in saving the GT. After that it was Wave Garrick after Wave Garrick - the bigger ones fight nicely but at least 10 were smaller - none the less fish. Early afternoon both my dad and I went vas using red-eye fillets, I was dragged about 100 meters north while he went south about 50 meters. All we saw was the dorsal fin so two sharks for sure and then the line parted - leaders had been rubbed against the side of the shark.

During our stay I did speak to a spearfisherman who went out and said he saw two big bronzies, a shoal of average size GT's, a few bus shad that were not together and plenty big rock cods. He says the outer reef is not sanded up and is alive and in good condition. He did mention the viz being excellent but not many larger fish. He never shot anything whilst he was there as there were no decent fish.

That night managed a nice diamond ray of about 20kgs on a red-eye fillet and again obliterated by Wave Garrick - we must have caught over 20 this time. And that was it again for the night. Fishing was definitely better at night and this time we took cans of mozzie repellent and it worked but as soon as your feet got wet, they pounced. Parks Board had no peaceful sleep as were waiting for restock. We ran out as you couldn't braai or sit on the patio any time of the day without getting zapped.

Next morning up at 4 as body starting to take strain with all the walking and carrying tackle and spinning - wow body ached all over. This is when I got the monster shad and I had no idea it was a shad until it popped on the beach, said hello and thanks and swam off, thereafter wave Garrick and then some. The guys in the chalet behind us joined us that night on the beach that night - always the same place 300 meters north as a beautiful deep channel. The bay itself has a massive sandbank running across it - Low and behold they land a kob of about 6 kgs and then another diamond ray and sharks. all in all very quite. No shad at all. These guys told me that they had been at crayfish point during the early hours and landed another kob and last a GT in the shore break but did confess that the fishing was very quite and two fish in 4 hours was still worth it. The kob was caught on a chokka sardine fillet combo both times.

The week went by too quickly and was as awesome as always and came home for a holiday as body ached - every joint a muscle - us Joburgers forget all the muscles one uses to cast, spin, bait up etc. As I have mentioned in previous post, this is my best and favourite fishing place as have caught everything from Couta - snoek  - queenfish - GT's -  rock cods and now stumpnose. I really exciting place as you never know what you will get

[MIKE PIKE]

  great report phumba72 , nice to see some fish on the bite at Maphelane , nice stumpy as well . Thanks for the report /feedback .

[WalkersKiller]

Superb report, and well done on all the fish!!!!