Kleinmond Fishing Tackle

28/12/2013

Thursday I had the privilege to attend the prize giving of the Overberg Angling Club's annual "Boxing Day Derby". Anglers were allowed to fish a long stretch of coastline from Kleinmond Harbour up to Rietfontein (+/- 60km towards Struisbaai from Gansbaai). The event was well organised by some awesome people.

Some observations from my side. Quite a few Cob in the six to 8kg range were weighed in. A couple of size Geelbek and Steenbras were also weighed. A big surprise was 4 Belman each weighing over 2kg caught by the same angler being weighed in. Apart from the winning teams receiving some nice prizes the lucky draws for anglers attending the prize giving saw even more awesome prizes being handed out. Most of the fish were caught in remote areas well away from the popular fishing spots. Areas the sometimes require a hike of up to 5km along the beach. Makes one think doesn't it.

Unfortunately one or two individuals also displayed some awful human flaws... Arrogance and envy. I was asked by someone who had caught some nice fish and who visits my shop from time to time what I had caught for the competition. When I answered my time was limited due to my business and I only caught a couple of small Cob which was released again he answered that it was a $%* excuse, one that he has to remember if he ever does not weigh in fish for a competition. Another case in point was when a team which had a Protea rock and surf angler came third. A slobbering loudmouth went on and on very loudly about a Protea Angler who only managed to get his team into third place. Talk about bad sportsmanship.

Back to the good stuff. Fishing could be better. I am receiving daily reports of widespread catches of Cob. It seems that the fish are not totally off the bite but are not coming out in huge numbers. I anticipate this to begin changing in the next day or two. I've also just received some news about nice size Steenbras being caught from Kleinmond beach.

Although the wind might become a bit fierce from Monday the Solunar calender indicates some awesome fishing for the week ahead. Changing winds might affect water temperatures almost daily. Earlier in the week the water temperature went from about 11 degrees to 18 degrees overnight with an immediate improvement in fishing as well.

Check out the best fishing times here: http://www.tides4fishing.com/af/south-africa/hermanus

and the wind and waves here:
http://www.windguru.cz/int/index.php?sc=208296

Please do not hesitate to call me for advise or any fishing requirements. I will be open everyday except the 1st of January 2014. My cell no 079 953 7038. As always, if you need bait or tackle outside normal business hours, call me. If I'm in town I'll open up the shop for you.

Tide tables and solunar tables for sport fishers in Hermanus. Find out the forecast for high tides and low tides before setting out to fish, and other fishing-related data such as the lunar phase, tidal coefficient, sun and moon rising and setting times, hours of maximum fish activity, weather condi...

26/12/2013

Just a quick post to inform all that fishing conditions are perfect for Cob. The swells died down and the water warmed significantly overnight. No wind either.

22/12/2013

The Southerly winds abated a bit. This almost immediately improved fishing conditions. Water temperatures increased and after the fairly rough swells the water colour and temperature is now almost perfect to catch a Cob or two.

Me and a couple of friends fished Bettiebay yesterday evening. I started fishing off the beach and caught a couple of Sandsharks. My friends fished the gullies between Blougat and the Harbour. They called to let me know that conditions in that area looked even better than the beach so I joined them just before sunset. Within less than an hour we ended up with four Cob. The biggest close to 8kg and the rest between 2kg and 5kg. I used strips of chokka whilst my friends used sardine. The 8kg Cob was caught on Sardine. My best advice to visitors would be to move around whilst fishing. Don't get stuck at a particular spot if there is no fish activity. Move around till you get onto some fish. Remember to always use the best quality bait you are able to lay your hands on. (Available at my shop of course).

I've also seen some anglers making the mistake of defrosting sardines/chokka then re-freezing it and on their next outing using this bait again to try and catch their dream fish. Avoid this as defrosted and refrozen bait is mostly just good for chumming or catching baitfish and crayfish. Keep your bait frozen. Take out only one or two pieces of bait at a time.

The photo is of me with a Cob that weighed in at just over 3kg.

Low tide is at 12h00 today and high tide is at 18h00. A higher period of fish activity is predicted from 16h27 to 18h27. I would fish spots close to the kelp beds and rocks. During low tide the kelp and rocks heat up when exposed to the summer sun. When the incoming tide starts pushing over the rocks and kelp the latent heat increases the water temperature that creates a comfortable feeding zone for bait fish which in turn lures the predatory fish like Cob.

19/12/2013

My PC was giving me some problems and I could therefore not compile my regular report.

I hope that the all the visitors get a fish or two. The cob is still biting fairly well in Bettiesbay.

Once again the strong Southeasterly wind of last week had an adverse impact on fishing in general. Although the number of fish being caught declined significantly there were still the odd Cob being caught by a few lucky fishermen. There also seem to be a huge number of small Cob between the bigger fish. Currently the most fish are being caught more frequently from the main beach in Bettiesbay.

A very lucky angler made a phenomenal catch from Kleinmond main beach. He successfully landed a Steenbras of over 28kg about 1km from the Restaurant at the beach. An angling friend has seen the photos and is trying his best to get me an electronic copy and permission so that I can post it here as well as a bit more accurate information on the bait used, time caught, exact location etc.

I've also received reports of lots of smaller Cob being caught at Masbaai/Hangklip. Apparently some of the boat fishermen have also landed a couple of Geelbek.

The predicted weather and wind till after Christmas bodes very well for fishing. Moderate South/Southeasterly winds are expected whilst daytime temperatures remain in the mid 20's. Fishing spots where there is a lot of boating activity during the day, such as Bettiesbay harbour, should fish better during the evenings and at night as the noise of the boat propellers could scare away most of the fish.

If you need to stock up on bait, I've collected a batch of fresh sleeved Sardines from one of the boats in Gansbaai, yesterday. I also collected and are (legally) selling some fresh Cob, Snoek and Yellowtail should you not be fortunate enough to have caught a fish.

Crayfishing remains fantastic. The Crayfish are back this year in huge numbers.

11/12/2013

General Information and Productive Fishing Spots:
Most of the best fishing spots are within a Marine Protected Area (MPA). Please keep to your permit limits and observe the rules and regulations regarding animals/fish and plant life.

Edible Species that can be caught from the shore:
Common – depending on season and location: Galjoen, Steenbras, Cob, Geelbek, Hottentot, Elf (Shad), Maasbanker and Mullet.
Less common – Wildeperd, Musselcracker and Belman.

Safety:
There have been no robberies or attacks on fishermen fishing on our section of the coast. Theft from vehicles is, however, a sporadic problem. There is also a tendency to break open petrol caps or drill a hole in the fuel tank and steal fuel from vehicles. Do not leave any valuables in your car. Items targeted are cell phones, GPS, cameras, fishing tackle etc. SAPS Kleinmond (028) 271 8200.

Poaching along our coast is a huge problem. Do not try to intervene with poachers. Call one of the following numbers and report the poaching activities: (028) 313 2703 or (028) 312 2601.

Beware of the tides and currents when fishing from the rocks. Our coast is prone to being struck by so called “freak waves”. Every year sees a couple of drowning after careless fishermen is washed off the rocks.

You are also fishing in a fairly undeveloped area. Keep an eye open for snakes and spiders when walking along the paths to fishing spots. Keep an eye on kids and do not let them wander off into the Fynbos.

Emergency Numbers are also displayed on the notice boards at all the fishing spots.

Best places to go fishing with children:
Kleinmond Lagoon – from the bridges and the shore. Carp and mullet.
Palmiet Lagoon – from the shore in front of and to the right of the picnic area, right up to the boathouse close to the Palmiet Bridge. Mullet and small Steenbras.
Bettiesbay Harbour from the cement block next to the slipway. Mullet, Strepies, Klipvisse, Maasbanker and even small Kob and Geelbek. Do not fish here on days that boats can go crayfishing as it gets quite busy.
Rondevlei in Bettiesbay – Carp, Bass, Barbel, Bluegill.

Fishing Spots:

Kleinmond Area:
Kleinmond Main Beach:
Park at any of the two parking areas. Go onto the beach and proceed to your left. The first big sand dune is known as “Eerste Duin”. From the live savers house to the left look for the gullies. Fish onto and around the sandbanks.
Species targeted:
Steenbras with the odd Cob coming out now and again.

Driving Directions to Bettiesbay Fishing Spots:
Dawidskraal:
On the R44 (Clarence Drive) driving from Kleinmond turn left into Bass Road just after you passed the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens on the right side of the road. Continue for about 500m till you get to the first tarred road turning left. Harry Stark Road. After about 150m you turn left again into Reed Road. Drive till you get to a parking area on your right. You have reached Dawidskraal.
Walk past the toilet facilities and the braai area onto a wooden walkway. The walkway ends at a wooden deck overlooking Dawidskraal. Good spots to fish are about 5m to the right of the deck. Look for a rocky outcrop at the back right against the kelp. About 150m to the right is also a good spot. Easily identifiable as this is where a gully from the open surf enters Dawidskraal. Further to the right where Dawidskraal ends and Bettiesbay Main Beach begins is also a good spot to fish.
Species targeted:
Galjoen, Steenbras, Cob and from time to time Geelbek.

Bettiesbay Main Beach:
On the R44 (Clarence Drive) driving from Kleinmond turn left into Edwards Avenue. This is about 500m before the shopping centre/restaurants and petrol station next to the R44 in Bettiesbay. Drive till you get to a T-Junction. Turn Left in Anglers road. After about 70m turn left again into Acces Road. Be careful as the road here is very narrow with a deep gutter on the one side. Go slow. Drive down to the main beach parking area on your left. Walk over the sand dune in front of the parking. Best spots start from right in front of the parking to the left. Look for gullies opening up close to the beach. Fish on the side of the gullies.
Species targeted:
Cob and Steenbras. Belman can sometimes be caught here as well. Spotties can be a nuisance when you are using fish bait for edibles. In winter when the small reefs open close to shore Galjoen can also be caught here.

Blougat:
On the R44 from direction Kleinmond turn left into Porter Drive. Continue down Porter and then turn left into Disa Road. Continue on Disa and then turn Left into Dianthus Close. Drive to the end of the road. Follow the footpath on the left of the parking area down to the spruit. Cross and walk to the small bay on your left. Fish in the middle of the bay towards the kelp at the back.
Species targeted:
Cob, Geelbek, Galjoen and Steenbras. Smaller Elf can be quite prolific in December. Very infrequently Musselcrakcer and Redsteenbras are caught here as well.

Die Eiland:
Driving instructions same as for Blougat but continue on Disa Road for about a further 800m. Signposted parking on the left side of the road. Park at the parking and follow the footpath to the small bay. To the left front is a flat set of rocks. From the front cast to the hole between the kelp on the left.
Species targeted:
Cob, Geelbek, Galjoen and very infrequently Musselcrakcer.

Bettiesbay Harbour/Whaling Station:
Driving instructions the same as for Die Eiland. Continue on Disa Road till the crossing with Crasulla Street. Go straight for about 100m The parking area is on the left. Best fishing here is from the breakwater. Be careful as waves can wash over the rocks and take all your tackle, bait and bags with it. Fish in line with the breakwater towards a well defined hole next to the kelp. Another well defined hole can be seen a little bit to the right of this hole.
Species targeted:
Cob, Geelbek, Elf and Galjoen. Some huge Geelbek are taken from the breakwater each year. Usually mid December for a couple of days and then again during February and March. This is also a good spot to get fresh Maasbanker to use as bait for Cob and especially big Geelbek.

Tom se Klip/Silversands Beach:
On the R44 from Kleinmond. Turn left into Porter Drive. Continue for about 4km along Porter Drive. Turn left into Park Road. Drive down till you see a parking area. From the parking area follow the footpath to the beach. As you emerge onto the beach you will see a set of rocks slightly to the left. Fish from the rocks towards the kelp. Look for holes and gullies opening up. To the right is Silversands Beach. Look for the holes and gullies.
Species Targeted.
Galjoen. Cob are infrequent visitors here and once in a while a Musselcracker is landed here. Silversands Beach is an excellent spot for huge Steenbras. Spotties can be a nuisance and come in quite close to pick up your worm or prawn bait that’s been put out for a big Steamer.

Aasbankies/Dorinbaai:
On the R44 from Kleinmond continue through Bettiesbay. Turn left into the last turnoff before you exit Bettiesbay towards Pringlebay, Porter Drive. Continue till you get the second street turning right, Delport Street. Continue along Delport street until it becomes a dirt road. This was the old provincial road connecting Bettiesbay and Pringlebay. The dirt road will eventually curve to your left ending in a parking area at a private residence. Here you go to the caretaker cottage and pay a R10-00 parking fee. From the parking follow the path down to the beach. About 500m to your right is a set of rocks. Walk towards the rocks, at the back there is a path going over the rocks. From the top you will see another smallish bay. This is Doringbaai. The rocks is called Aasbankies. Fish on the right of the rocks into deeper water or go onto the beach and fish into the gullies.
Species Targeted:
Cob, Galjoen, Steenbras and Elf.

Masbaai:
On the R44 from Kleinmond continue till you get the Pringlebay turnoff. Turn left into Hangklip Road and continue on this road right through Pringlebay. Eventually becomes a dirt road. Continue past the Hangklip Hotel and Plankies Pub. Turn right on the first major dirt road. Continue till you get to the parking area. Park and walk to the slipway. Look to your left. There is a huge house built right on a rocky outcrop. Most people call it the “Blockhouse”. Walk towards the house. Just before you reach the house there is a well defined footpath to the left up a sand dune passing at the back of the house. Follow the path. As you come to the top you will see a smallish bay to the right in front of the house. Continue onto the beach and walk onto the rocks on the right. Flat ledges with a deep gully next to it. Fish into the gully towards the Kelp on the opposite side.
Species Targeted:
Geelbek, Cob, Elf and Witsteenbras. Also a good spot to catch some Maasbanker for bait.

11/12/2013

Pierre, a friend from Hermanus sent me this photo of two of his Cob caught at Aasbankies on Monday evening.

11/12/2013

Today I want to start my report by sharing what is in my opinion one of the best fishing quotes ever:

"To go fishing is the chance to wash one’s soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of sun on blue water. It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature, charity toward tackle-makers, patience toward fish, a mockery of profits and egos, a quieting of hate, a rejoicing that you do not have to decide a darned thing until next week. And it is discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish."
~ Herbert Hoover

I have to humbly apologise for being "caught with my foot in my mouth" regarding my fishing forecast for this week. I have once again been humbled and have yet again seen that in fishing anything is possible.

Fishing conditions are at it's worst for this time of the year. A howling Southeaster for the past four days as well as clear and very cold water. The solunar calender also predicted very low fish activity up to Saturday. This lead me to predict that almost no fish will be caught. Well I could not have been proven more wrong.

The past three days has seen quite a number of Cob being caught at Aasbankies, next to Bettiesbay. Some fish were of such size that many fishermen only took two or three fish as it is quite a walk and they would not be able to carry their fish over a long distance back to their vehicles. The only thing that I did get correct was time that the fish was caught. The majority of fish was caught in periods that correlate with the best fishing times on the solunar calender. Due to the clear water most fish were also caught at dusk till about two hours after dark. Fish baits combined with tjokka worked very well.

I have asked advice and possible clarification on why this happened from some of the old time fishermen. The most sensible explanations I got were as follows: The Cob were all "thin" and had empty stomachs when cleaned. They haven't been able to feed for the past couple of days due to the cold water and strong winds. It also happens that an extreme cold current (10 degrees or less) cuts between patches of warmer water thus trapping fish like Cob close to the shore. They use their body fat to survive up to the point where they are forced to feed or die of starvation. This creates a type of feeding frenzy in the right conditions. Please comment if you agree or have other thoughts as to why this could be happening.

08/12/2013

A warm Overberg welcome to all the visitors. I hope all will enjoy the hospitality of our region and have a well deserved rest. And of course, to all fishermen (and women) tight lines !!!

A very strong Southeasterly wind has been keeping most fishing folk at home. The water temperature has dropped down to below 14 degrees. Which unfortunately means fishing will be very bad. I do not expect any fish to be caught. The adverse conditions will prevail until about Thursday when fishing should start to improve getting much better towards next weekend. From next week Friday the wind speed also drops to between 5 and 10kmp/h.

The next couple of days might be best to do the tourist routes, visit the wine farms and spend some time with the family. Our local tourism office situated in Harbour Road has loads of brochures on activities etc. in our area.

Due to copyright issues I can unfortunately not publish a road map to the best fishing spots. I will, however, start publishing written directions to the spots and what you can expect to catch there.

Even though the weather conditions are not conducive for fishing the solunar calender indicates periods of high fish activity for the next three days. I've also noticed that these periods to some extent coincide with times during which the wind abates a bit. Mostly late afternoons and early in the morning.

Tides:
Today. Low 13h40 High 19h40 Best fishing times 17h47 to 19h47.

Tomorrow: Low 1h50 and 14h55. High 08h20 and 20h55. Best fishing times 6h19 to 8h19 and 18h37 to 20h37

Tue 10th Dec: Low 03h05 and 16h15. High 9h30 and 22h20. Best fishing times 07h08 to 09h08 and 19h26 to 21h26.

Wed 11th Dec: Low 04h30 and 17h30. High 10h50 and 23h35. Only average fish activity is predicted with better fishing times predicted for 7h56 to 9h56 and 20h13 to 22h13.

Anyone needing more detailed information and advice are welcome to visit me at the shop.

Should you require advice or tackle outside normal working hours please call me on 079 953 7038 for assistance.

I am now stocking a wide range of Tsunami terminal tackle. Quality swivels and hooks at very affordable prices. Fresh tjokka arrived on Friday and I will be taking delivery of fresh sardines and hopefully some fresh caught anchovies on Tuesday. I will also be running combo specials as soon as the new range Blue Marlin rods arrive. Fresh frozen fish also available. I have "Hotnotsvis" or "Hotties" available in 2kg bags @ R60 per bag. Fresh frozen descaled and gutted Cob available @ R80 p/kg. Fish weigh between 2kg to 4kg.

04/12/2013

Since Sunday morning catches in our area has been dismal. Two factors contributed to this state of affairs. Firstly there was a very strong Southeasterly wind blowing from Saturday to Tuesday morning which made fishing/casting a line almost impossible. Secondly the continued Southeaster blew the cold current closer to shore which rapidly decreased water temperatures to between 10 degrees and 14 degrees at various spots in the bay. The cold water and wind also affected plankton growth which had the effect that apart from being very cold the water became crystal clear.

Some of the Hermanus fishermen drove through to Bettiesbay and reported catches of small undersized cob late at night on Monday.

Outlook for today is very good with the best fishing times from 14h01 to 16h01 and again from 21h13 to 22h13. Fish activity according to the solunar calender is very high for the whole day. Fish activity decreases from today onwards and will increase again from Sunday going into next week.

Weatherwise there will be a bit of rain today and maybe tonight when it should start clearing up. Temperatures will keep rising into the high 20's until the weekend. The only damper is that Easterly and east southeasterly winds of 40+km/h is expected from Friday late afternoon for probably the next week or so. It might not be all bad news. These winds is just what is needed to bring the baitfish such as Maasbanker much closer to shore. Along with the Maasbanker we could expect to catch some nice Cob and very possibly some Geelbek when the wind eventually dies down.

The Easterly winds should also produce very favourable conditions to catch Steenbras from the Main beach in Kleinmond. This time of the year fewer Steenbras are caught but those caught are usually the bigger specimens above the 10kg mark.

26/11/2013

Adriaan Lategan with one of the smaller Cob caught at Bettiesbay Main Beach on Saturday.

26/11/2013

Apologies for not reporting on the weekend fishing in our area, yesterday. I collected some new stock for the shop. Come visit and see whats new.

Weekend catches of Cob ended up being very sporadic. It seems that early mornings some better catches were made. During the afternoons some smaller, undersize Cob were all that was caught. The surf was also full of seaw**d which made fishing difficult. It became a case of fishing the gullies up close so as to avoid most of the w**d tangling on your line and hoping that the fish get to your bait before you have to reel in and clean the debris from the line. I've had reports of Cob in the 5kg class being caught early Sunday morning off Bettiesbay Main Beach. A local fisherman also lost a Cob estimated to be close to 20kg on the breakwater at Stoney point. The angler managed to bring the fish next to the breakwater. Another fisherman apparently jumped into the water to help lift the fish onto the rocks. The fish was placed on a flat ledge. When it felt no tension it started flopping around, the hook came loose and it fell between the rocks and managed to get away before anyone could grab it. Fish - 1, heartbroken angler - 0.

Yesterday a Southwesterly wind was raging across False bay. I thought that fishing would be almost imposssible. But, I received a message from two gents fishing at Bettiesbay Main Beach that the wind was more to the open sea. They managed to bag a couple of nice fish. The biggest weighing in at over 12kg's.

It has just started raining so I suspect that few fisherman will be out and about. The Solunar calender predicts periods of minimal fish activity until Saturday. The weather also seems to changing at will with warm summer conditions the one day and rain with cooler temperatures the next. The wind changes between Easterly and Southeasterly depending on the time of day. Moderate wind speeds for the rest of the week with stronger winds expected from Saturday.