Craig Farren with a beaut of a daga and Jay Jay Schlebusch with a lovely orangespot rockcod.
Who says you can’t catch daga in the day? A lovely specimen landed in bright sunshine.
The author with a daga which ate a live mackerel on the first drop of the day.
just fishing with two anglers on board and are fishing relatively far away from one another on the boat. Another trace variation is to try a two-hook rig, with a 1.5m sinker snoot and two 1- to 1.5m hook snoots connected via three-way swivels. This works well to deploy a dead bait along with a live bait.
the bottom hook, and a live bait suspended above. The extra scent of the sardine can prove effective to luring the daga out of structure and onto your baits. Daga can be incredibly sensitive feeders, with a soft and barely discernible bite as they “prick” your baits, often leaving conspicuous bite marks in your baits.This can leave you scratching your head and can test your angling skills to the limit. In contrast, when they are feeding aggressively their bite is insane and there are times when they pull you straight down, virtually pulling the rod out of your hands. It’s a great feeling reeling into and connecting to a good daga. They fight well, particularly close to the bottom, shaking their heads and bodies and bouncing the rod tip hard, meaning plenty of grunting and backwinding until the initial flurry is under control. Take it slow at the start of the fight and keep pressure on, because once you have turned a fish, then the battle is half over. It’s a beautiful sight to see a large
daga explode on the surface once the fight is over, and they are truly impressive denizens of the deep.
BAITING UP Bait wise, one bait consistently outfishes the rest, and that is a live mackerel; to me it remains the king of the daga baits. Other live baits to try include shad, larger mozzies and even a seapike should you be battling to get any other liveys. Take your time getting live baits as the extra effort can often make the difference between fish or no fish. Should you not be able to get your hands on live baits, then Natal sardines are effective as dead baits, along with large fresh fillet baits (filleted flanks of soldier), or even a dead pinky. As mentioned above, when fishing a two-hook rig, a mix of live- and dead bait works well, with a dead sardine on
10 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2022
STICKING TO LIMITS One final note: The dusky kob is under severe pressure both from angling and habitat destruction. Breeding grounds have come under huge pressure, meaning less spawning and less suitable habitat for young fish to grow and replenish stocks, so please make sure you stick to the bag limits. Daily bag limit: One per person per day if caught from the shore and in estuaries east of Cape Agulhas. Five per person per day if caught west of Cape Agulhas or if caught anywhere from a boat offshore. Minimum size limit: 60cm total length if caught from the shore and in estuaries east of Cape Agulhas; 40cm total length (KZN) and 50cm total length (EC & WC) if caught from a boat offshore or from the shore west of Cape Agulhas. Only one kob greater than 110cm total length may be caught per person per day regardless of area or sector.
