Fishing EC Magazine September 2016

FISHING EC BAIT DEMO

CATCH COMPETITION

TIDES

SEPTEMBER 2016

LIFETIME CATCH Silver Steenbras

RASSPL

Border Blacktips

KAYAK CORNER

Brett Armstrong

E FRE Y COP ASE PLE ONE E TAK

You can read the magazine on our website, find it on www.issuu.com or download the ISSUU app and read it on your FEC | September 2016 phone.

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ISSUE: 33

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CONTENT

Start Fishing Young 04 Border Blacktips

FEATURES Bait Demo Whole fish, flapped shark bait.

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06 Catch Competition 19

Kayak Corner

Send us your photos and you could win.

Tides

Check the tide tables to make sure you fishing the right times.

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16 Target Line

Freshwater competitions results.

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EDITORS

LETTER

MAGAZINE EDITOR Nigel Louw CONTRIBUTORS Nigel Louw Shane Smit Brett Armstrong Carl Henn

CONTACT ADVERTISING: email: nigellouw@gmail.com Mobile: 073 690 2606 Website: www.fishingec.com

Find us on Facebook Search: Fishing The Eastern Cape No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Fishing The Eastern Cape. The magazine is published monthly and cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in articles. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the editor. Fishing The Eastern Cape does not accept responsibility for advertising content.

We have seen some great catches over the past two months. This month we take a look at the nice Silver Stenbras that Calvin Wessels landed on light tackle.

If you have some nice photos of a fish you caught recently then send them in with an article. If your story is used in the magazine it will then be entered into a draw for a prize.

Don’t forget to send in your catch photos for our Catch & Win page. You could be the next winner.

Nigel Louw Editor

ON THE COVER

Calvin Wessels with a Silver Steenbras caught on light tackle.

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Catch Of A Lifetime

Silver hooked on light tackle.

Words/pics: Calvin Wessels

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I

went fishing early morning at Cintsa with my mate, Dwarren Pienaar, aiming for some shad.

I threw in a pilchard, squid mix bait and within minutes I was smashed.

I knew it was a big fish as there was massive head bumps, so I made a bee line to the bay to avoid getting snagged on the rocks infront of me.

After a 20min back and forth battle, Dwarren grabbed him in the waves.

When I saw what it was and the size, I dropped my rod and ran around on the beach screaming just like SA cricketer Imraan Tahir taking a wicket.

The Silver Steenbras was 9.41kg on a 12.7foot Loomis and grinder with braid.

Truly a catch of a lifetime.

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Border Blacktips Kidds Beach Results

T

he Border Blacktips held our 3rd league competition of the season on the 30th of July at the picturesque seaside village of Kidds Beach. Boundaries for the event were from Ncera river to Gulu river mouth. It was raining for most of the day during competition times enough to soak everything but at least the wind stayed away with speeds of no more than a stiff breeze at times. The sea was a tad on the cold side and the swell was smaller than predicted but still working quite

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Words/pics: Shane Smit

nicely so some good fish were expected.

Anglers spread out dispersing from Kidds Beach parking lot in both directions but it seemed that those anglers that opted to go left up toward Gulu made the better choice as most fish came out that side with leader of the pack and member Bernard Hagemann landing an impressive 86cm/6.6kg kob to take top edible for the day but it did not stop there for him as he also managed to take 2nd heaviest edible with a good sized Silver Steenbras weighing in at 5.4kg/62cm

and all the bragging rights that goes with it! 3rd placed edible went to member Jose Klaasen with a healthy 4.5kg/65cm Pignose Grunter. Two size Bluefish both measuring in at 46cm were also notable catches of the day in the edibles section. In the non edible section, member Mark Birkholtz took 1st place with a beautiful 5.2kg/98cm striped catshark. Top lady went to Sue Botha with solid total of 136.2 points followed by Top Junior, young Sarah Crossley with a very impressive total of 150.74 FEC | September 2016

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points landing her in 23rd spot overall for the day and even beating her dad. Member Ed Clur completed the species prize categories with a nice kobby of 71cm/3.7kg to take Top spot in the Masters category.

The cream of the crop for day when it came to the points section went to thee most hardworking anglers. To achieve the points that these few did, you have to give it your absolute all for the entire day as catching more than 6 species is no easy feet! Top scorer and most hardworking for the day with a staggering total of 759.01 points went to member Stuart Brill, 2nd with 648.02 points went to none other than member Bernard Hagemann.

Rounding off 3rd with 615.85 points went to member Julian Maastrecht on his first comp of the season, a late start but what a way to start! Well done to all the anglers!

Our next competition and 4th for the 2016/2017 season will be the popular Kaysers Beach area on the 3rd of September with boundaries being from Ncera river to Chulumna river mouth. Friday afternoon 8

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Registration will be with our club secretary, Sharon at her Chelsea Square B&B from 2pm in Selborne with Morning registration and Prize giving taking place at the Kaysers Beach Social Club! For more information, pre-registrations and membership queries drop me a mail at shane.rasspl@gmail. com or visit our website at www.rasspl.com

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CORNER K A Y A K FISHING

Words/pics: Brett Armstrong

H

i there all you Kayak Fishing enthusiasts! The year is flying past way to fast and you can tell winter is almost over. Except for the obvious early morning chill in the air, the sun is showing it’s head earlier and the days are slowly getting longer, awesome. Four months left until Christmas, crazy! July and August were plagued by strong winds and unfavorable ocean conditions mostly, but on those few days the kayak fishos braved the conditions, they were amazing and pretty fruitful to with some great catch and release being exercised. Well-done guys.

With the growing popularity of kayak fishing in our area, thanks to our amazing nat-

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ural surrounds we are blessed with in our region and thanks to some amazing kayak options on the market at really affordable prices more and more people are “taking the plunge” no pun intended, and getting into our amazing sport. This is great, there is no better way to relax and get out with family and friends for a few hours and just enjoy what we have to offer on the water.

Get off the couch and just enjoy some sun for a change, get out of your comfort zone and find a new way to spend that early Saturday morning. You will not be sorry. With so many guys around enjoying our sport, it is great fun and there will always be someone to go out with if you need company.

Mermaids pool at Nahoon.

Kayak Launching - East London and Surrounds We are truly blessed in East London with a wide variety of fishing areas, some easier to access than others, but all absolutely perfect for kayak fishing. Here is a list of the main areas where our club members enjoy fishing, and in no particular order:

the roadside on the right of the bay. Most of the guys go straight off the slipway into the ocean. Tricky with lots of swell, but a pleasure with no swell. Can be very hectic when coming in after a long day on the water and swell. Stay away from the sanctuary as mention on the right.

- Mermaids, Nahoon Reef: Great spot, tricky to launch at low tide and when the swell is up. Lots of rocks underfoot so booties are essential. Watch out for the sanctuary where we are obviously not allowed to fish which runs from Nahoon Reef point to Gonubie Point. Make sure you stay far away from Nahoon Reef corner when going around the bend towards Bats Cave. The waves pick up quickly and you don’t want to be caught in that bowl. This is for surfers “only”.

- Orient Beach/EL Yacht Club: For sure the easiest and the safest launch.

Unless you are a member of the EL Yacht club, you will have to pay at the Orient main entrance next to the Wimpy from 08h0016h30 to gain access to launch from the Orient beach. Don’t go down into the harbour and if you paddle to the other side of the main harbor wall, be very careful, as it can be extremely dangerous when going around the corner. Look out for ships!

There is a variety of places to fish in this area. Stay away from the other side of the wall when the strong wind picks up.

- Gonubie Bay: There are two places to launch from, namely through the mouth straight through the surf or off the cement “slipway” next to

- Yellow Sands/Kwelera: This is also a great spot, launching off the slipway at high tide is a pleasure and a launch site for lots of fishing boats, so reFEC | September 2016

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Kelly and Daron with some nice fish caught from there kayaks.

member when leaving your car in the parking area, park sensibly and respect the fact that the will be a lot of vehicles with big trailers trying to park and launch. When returning from fishing and paddling in at low tide, you will probably have to paddle in to a point and then just drag your kayak through very shallow water a little, but it’s not very far at all and relatively easy.

- Glen Eden: Another great spot to launch at and you launch directly off the beach after a short walk from the car. A word of warning, the waves can get pretty big at this launch area, so pick a good day and enjoy the amazing surrounding reefs, which stretch really far up the coast.

- Cintsa: This can be an amazing beach, but be prepared to walk you kayak pretty far to get to the place you can launch off the beach. A beach trolley really helps here or you walk down two by two carrying the kayaks. Add 30-45min in total on to your fishing day at this beach for the walk to and from your vehicle. The launch in bigger surf can be 12

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pretty hectic here and lookout for the rocks.

- Nahoon, Gonubie and Areena Rivers: We are really lucky to have three amazing estuaries very close by with an abundance of fish and birdlife around. Very safe and easy to access. So if you want a change of pace or you are just starting out, any of these three will give you hours of enjoyment. Get up really early and get on the water just before first light and you will realize how luck we are to live in the region.

Kayak Club for East London Our Kayak Fishing EC club is growing from strength to strength over the last few months. And it is amazing to see how much fun everyone is having. The group outings are amazing. Our group outings are also very important and no matter how many times you have been out, no day is the same. You will learn something new every time. Every experience allows for better preparation for the next trip. It is great to learn from those more experienced guys who are always happy to share their experience and ideas. As a club, we also have a very informative and interesting website at

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Mark with a good size Dageraad.

www.kayakfishingec.co.za and a Facebook page with the same name, Kayak Fishing EC, and would like to encourage you to go and checkout our site and to also Like us on Facebook and then share/spread the news.

The club is focused on both ocean and river kayak fishing, so there is something for everyone here. We have a host of information and galleries available on the website, so check it out and join us on the water.

Confessions of a Nervous Novice With so many newcomers to kayak fishing, and so much information and advice out there, our club chairman of Kayak Fishing EC, Mark Kimble, found this interesting extract from an article he was recently reading and I felt it fitting to add into this month’s edition. The topic is around why today’s new paddlers are choosing caution and certification instead of thrills and spills when getting into our amazing sport.

Lauren McCafferty wrote this segment: “Full disclosure: I’m a millennial. I’m of the demographic this magazine once characterized as “pathologically anxious and 14

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dependent young adults”. I’m trying my hardest in a world where the generational divide can seem downright cavernous.

And over the past year or so, I’ve become a kayaker. Still reading? Good on you for your willingness to listen to a Millennial.

Some veterans of the sport have suggested that many kayakers, especially those new to the community, get bogged down by all the training and certification hoops they’re asked to jump through.

The wall of intimidating acronyms is large and seems to stand prominently in the newcomer’s path down to the water.

These longtime paddlers, most of them greying Boomers, understand that there’s another route to becoming a kayaker: the caveman route. The figure-it-outas-you-go route. The option to quietly side-step officiality and simply trot down to the surf. So why don’t we Millennials take this simpler, nobler path?

The thicket of certifications and acronyms is so unavoidable that newcomers might not even see that other route. Or maybe they do, maybe they know the caveman route exists. But here’s the thing: that path

isn’t free of barriers, either. It comprises a slew of obstacles that exist in the lives of us youngsters. There are emotional barriers. There are social barriers. There are financial barriers. We didn’t choose to put those hurdles there, but there they are.

Yes, I am one of the earlier products of helicopter parenting. My parents were concerned for my safety, and wanted me to know that they were proud of me. And yes, I’m now rather insecure. I’m anxious, I’m timid, I’m nervous. I don’t blame my parents; I had a great childhood and I love the person I’m growing to be. Being helicoptered made me sensitive, thoughtful and honest. It also made me too terrified to buy a boat, drag it down to Lake Erie and hop in. What may sound like an adventure to some sounds like a cold and...”

This month’s Kayak Safety tip: When fishing in the ocean, it is really important to always try go out with a friend.

There are lots of guys around, so it can be relatively easy to find someone who is keen to go out, especially via our Club Whats App group. Besides the obvious social and safety aspects, it can be quite intimidating fishing out in the ocean by yourself, especially when you see a few sharks circling. So rather be safe than sorry. There is safety in numbers.

My last words…Catch and Release goes along way to securing the future of our estuaries and oceans for you and others to enjoy tomorrow. Respect the bag and size limits.

Let’s help make the oceans more sustainable.

For more information on kayak fishing and related aspects, please do not hesitate to contact me at info@kayakfishingec.co.za. Also checkout our website at www.kayakfishingec.co.za. To join our Whats app kayak fishing EL group, please email us and we will add you. It’s a great way to meet new guys and plan fishing trips and chat about our amazing sport.

Remember: Safety first and always respect our environment.

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Target Line

5th Freshwater club results Words/pics: Carl Henn

O

n Saturday 06/08/2016, Target Line Freshwater Angling Club had its 5th club competition for the 2016-2017 seasons at Nahoon Dam. This comp from 10:00 Saturday – 10:00 Sunday was the first of three overnight comp to be held for the season. On approach to the dam we crossed a little river that was not as little as before.

It was flowing at a steady pace and pushing cold water into the dam. From arrival at the venue we could feel that the water was icy cold and this was gona make things tough. In fact, by the time we left the venue the next day, the water rose up unto the bank by 2 meters. Besides the water being cold, beautiful weather was predicted for the comp.

In the end we were 30 anglers including seniors, masters, ladies and juniors. No spectacular catches came out, but a nice barbel of 6.808kg was caught by Gary Petzer and the biggest carp only weighed

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3.832kg caught by Martin Piek. Danie Notnagel landed a nice size muddy at 0.435kg.

Here are the results of the competition: Seniors: 1 Martin Piek 7 fish 2 Jacques Husselmann3 fish 3 Chris Fritz 3 fish

18.169kg 7.257kg 6.623kg

Masters: 1 Andre Opperman 2 Chris Engelbrecht 3 Danie Notnagel

4 fish 4 fish 4 fish

11.021kg 10.232kg 3.594kg

Ladies: 1 Petra Piek 2 fish 2 Lezanda Engelbrecht 1 fish

7.227kg 3.366kg

Our next comp will be an 8 hour comp in September at Wriggleswade Dam, Near Stutterheim with the weather and fish hopefully playing along to ensure some good catches.

Keep 28-30 October open……………….We are hosting a 40 hour comp at Wriggleswade Dam with plenty of prizes up for grabs. This will be our second time to host the competition and it is gona be bigger and better that last year with prize money totaling about R 15 000.00 on the line. More details and the entries are available at Target Line in Vincent, East London. Tickets also available at Komani Gun Cellars in Queenstown or pop me a mail and I can get them off to you.

For any enquiries on how to join our club or on any of our upcoming events, feel free to call me on 073 857 2209, e-mail targetlinefreshwaterangling@gmail. com or join on face book at Target Line FAC, or send me a Whats app message.

New on the shelves in Target Line, Vincent branch, East London…………. 40mm and 50mm Bomb Moulds to help with making mielie bombs, William Petrie floaties, soft floaties and ball dips. Also the latest Super Cast dips, such as Tracer, Stinkvoete, Kaptein and even the Soaker range of floaties in 4mm, 6mm and 8mm. And finally….

The Conoflex Signature Series Feed, the orange bags, ARE OUT ON THE SHELVES, together with a few new dips from the master angler as seen on TV. Also the latest rods from Sensation and on the way from Shimano and Mitchell, their new rods and reels. Come and check them out….

See you all reel soon on the banks…

PS: Komani Gun Cellars (Powered

by Target Line) in Queenstown, now also stock all your carping needs.

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X O B T I TIPS BA

THE

SPARGS MALL BEACON BAY 043 711 7700

WHOLE FISH FLAP BAIT

A great shark bait. You can use Mackerel as used here or any other whole fish bait.

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Words/pics: Justin Du Preez

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You need a whole bait. Insert hook through nose with dingle and foam attached.

Fillet the fish up each side and remove the spine from the middle. Then place the foam dingle dangle inside the fillets.

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Then cotton the fish and fold fillets up inside out and cotton again. Lastly put a cable tie around the mouth just behind the hook.

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CATCH & WIN July Winner

Angler: Cameron Francis Species: Pignose Grunter Location: Kidds Beach Bait: Pink/Sandprawn Size: 63cm Cameron wins an assortment of Triton lures, Sponsored

by Bilimoria.

Angler: Gavin Bradfield Species: Silver Steenbras Location: Kei Mouth Bait: Squid Size: 89cm

Angler: Kyle Busse Species: Stone Bream Location: Kidds Beach Bait: Pink Prawn Size: 43cm/1.8kg

Angler: Shannon Mackenzie Species: Blacktail Location: Gonubie Bait: Pilchard Size: 32cm

Email your entry to nigellouw@gmail.com with the following details: Anglers full name | Species | Location caught | Bait used | Size/Weight Send us your best catch picture and you could win an awesome prize.

(Photo must be of yourself holding the fish and preferably still alive. Photos of gutted fish do not qualify) FEC | September 2016

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TIDE CHART September 2016 Information supplied by the Hydrographer SA Navy The Hydrographer is not responsible for any transcription errors.

TO ADVERTISE WITH

CONTACT: NIGEL@FISHINGEC.COM 073 690 2606 20

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