1FEC | July 2016

EC BAIT DEMO CATCH COMPETITION TIDES

FISHING

KAYAKCORNERBrett Armstrong

TARGET LINE

FreshwaterComp

SHARKSSafe Release

ISSUE: 31

FREE

COPYPLEASE

TAKE ONE

JULY 2016

WWW.FISHINGEC.COMYou can read the magazine on our website, find it on www.issuu.com or download the ISSUU app and read it on yourphone.

FEC | July 20162

1FEC | July 2016

Safe Release Of Sharks 04

Bait Demo 18Sandprawn for Pignose Grunter.

Catch Competition 19Send us your photos and youcould win.

Tides 20Check the tide tables tomake sure you fishing theright times.

FEATURES

CONTENT

Kayak Corner

10

Target LineFreshwater competitions results.

16

FEC | July 20162

3FEC | July 2016

MAGAZINEEDITOR

Nigel Louw

CONTRIBUTORSJustin Du PreezBrett Armstrong

Carl Henn

CONTACT

ADVERTISING:

email: nigel@fishingec.com

Mobile: 073 690 2606

Website: www.fishingec.com

Search: Fishing The Eastern Cape

Nigel LouwEditor

LETTEREDITORS

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.

Find us onFacebook

ON THE COVERSunil & Kiraan Pillay with two nice Black Steenbras caught offshore.

We have an interesting article from Justin this month on safely releasing your sharks. Please have a good read and practice safely releasing of fish. I have seen quite a few dead Ragged Tooth Sharks pop up at Fish River Point due to guys catching, taking a photo and then dumping the shark off the edge into deep water. You really need to hang on to the tail and revive them properly.

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

FEC | July 20164

5FEC | July 2016

PracticeA SafeReleaseLooking after our fish

Hi guys. Something that’s been both-ering me for a while now is how I’ve seen and heard of guys not looking

after their catch. I thought I would just give a few pointers for guys learning and those that should know better on what to do and what not to do. Firstly try landing your fish in an area that’s easy to work with it as well as safe for you and your catch. A couple of things to remember, don’t drag your catch far up the beach onto hot dry sand this will harm it also don’t pull to hard by the tail as the spine can separate and even though the fish may swim away it will die of infection days later. Try keeping your catch in the shallow water or on wet sand just out of the water. Remember you still have to drag it back for the release. Now with the release please don’t just push it into the water and walk away rather walk with it a bit to make sure it’s swimming properly and can swim itself over to deeper water. Wave action can roll the fish onto its back and chronic im-mobility will take place and the fish could die so make sure your fish is able to swim properly on its own. Now the biggest prob-

Words/pics: Justin Du Preez

FEC | July 20166

7FEC | July 2016

Justin with a large Stome Bream (Moonie).

lem I’ve seen is the time taken from landing to release, it is often far to long. Work with a plan of what you are going to do. Make sure your fishing partner is aware of it. Work quickly and efficiently. Get your measure-ment, pull the hook and maybe two photos then get the fish back. I try for a maximum of 3 minutes time then I should be releasing. Have a decent hook remover made that re-ally helps a lot. While measuring plan your photo so that its not a paparazzi fotofest for a good pic. Sometimes I have not taken photos of fish to rather ensure a safe re-lease at the time. Let’s start looking after what fish we have left for our kid’s guys.

FEC | July 20168

9FEC | July 2016

NEW PRODUCTThe ROC’D Anchor was designed to take rock angling to new heights. If you are an avid rock angler then look no more. We have the solution to all your rock fishing problems. With our innovative design, the following can be achieved making rock fishing more than just a hobby.

- Fish with more rods at a time- Keep your hands free- Adding comfort on the rocks- Leave your line in for longer- Much more...

AVAILABLE AT BILIMORIA AND SPARGS

FEC | July 201610

KAYAK CORNERFISHING

Words/pics: Brett Armstrong

11FEC | July 2016

Hi there all you Kayak Fishing enthu-siasts! Wow, how awesome has the last month’s conditions been. Diving

birds, lots of Shad and game fish around with perfectly clear water, but also lots of sharks to keep us on edge. July is go-ing to be a great month as well with the sardine run in full stride. Now is the time to keep your cool and get out there in the hopes of catching one of those large game fish who have joined in the hunt of the abundant bait fish on their annual migration along our beautiful coastline.

Choosing the Kayak that best suit our needsI have been inundated with lots of questions the last few weeks about which kayak is best suited to the individual wanting to pur-chase a kayak, specifically around the age old discussions over which is better, fiber-glass or plastic. So I will cover this in quite a bit of details in this month’s article, remem-bering that at the end of the day, it is com-pletely a personal choice, but here are the things you need to consider before commit-ting to purchase a specific “type of kayak”:

1. How experienced are you at paddling and

more specifically, kayak fishing;2. Where will you primarily be using the kayak, namely in the ocean or in the rivers only;3. How tall are you and much do you weigh or are you wanting a single or double kayak;4. If you are going to be finishing mainly in the ocean, what are the launching condi-tions mainly like in the area you are going to fish? Is it a launch off the rocks, or a paddle through a lot of rocky sections or is it straight off the beach in calm waves or a serious launch through big waves;5. How much storage space does the kayak have and does it have existing rod holders, or does it have place to add this in;6. How stable is the kayak you are looking at and how long is it? A minimum of 3m is required in length to go to sea;7. How important is speed of the kayak to you;8. Does the kayak lend itself to having certain modifications and “upgrades” done to it? Can you add a fish finder, a storage crate etc;9. How will you transport the kayak, e.g. On a bakkie, on roof racks or on a trailer? This is very important as the easier it is to load and

FLUID BAMBA PLASTIC FISHING KAYAK

FEC | July 201612

offload your kayak the more you will use it;10. And finally, is there after sales support, should you require it, from the supplier if buying the product new?

The decision of whether or not to have a plastic or a fiberglass kayak, I believe is really dependant on the above questions and answers. When I first started kayak fishing I felt I just had to have a fiberglass kayak, because everyone seemed to have one, so it must be right for me. Over time I realized that what I thought was ideal for me wasn’t really best suited to my circum-stances. I then relooked at my options and then bought a perfectly suited plastic kayak which compliments my needs 100% and al-lows me to really enjoy my experience, both off and on the water. So in closing this dis-cussion try and be honest about the items I mentioned and see what you come out with, and discuss the ideas you have with fellow experienced kayak fisherman. There is nothing worse than spending a lot of money on the wrong kayak. So be sure first or what your “actual circumstances” are and then make a decision. Your circumstances may also change depending on your expe-rience and how your fishing has evolved.

Kayak Club for East LondonWe are very proud of the fact that in East

London, us kayak fishing enthusiasts have a club under which we operate, namely, Kayak Fishing EC. Our club has grown 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. We are also proud of our new affiliation to the East London Yacht Club. And we thank them for including us in their facility. 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 expe-rience and ideas. As a club, we also have a very informative and interesting website at 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 riv-er kayak fishing, so there is something for everyone here. We have a host of informa-tion and galleries available on the website, so check it out and join us on the water.

This month’s safety tip:We all know that wearing a SAMSA ap-

STEALTH FIBREGLASS FISHING KAYAK

13FEC | July 2016

FEC | July 201614

15FEC | July 2016

proved PFD or life jacket is the law in South Africa when Kayak Fishing, in particular in the ocean. Now this PFD is not only about keeping you afloat, it also has a few other benefits. For example, depending on the color PFD, it could also make people aware of where you are, also most PFD’s come with a storage pouch, which is awesome for carrying Flares and a Cell phone. This is very important because as these items should be kept on you and not stowed away in a hard to reach place on the kayak. In an emergen-cy you normally do not have time to look for these essential, potential life saving items. Keep these two items in waterproof bags to protect them for when you need them.Secondly a simple, yet extremely important safety item is a good paddle leash, which connects the paddle to the kayak. This is very important and never skimped on. The really good paddle leashes costs about R300, a small price to pay for your safety and that of your kayaks. Wiping out in the waves and holding onto you paddle could make a ma-jor difference to your wellbeing. Of course, knowing when to let go over your paddle is also something you will learn in time. Los-ing your paddle while 1km out in the ocean because you never had a leash could spoil your afternoon for sure and potentially land

you in a lot of trouble. Go buy your paddle leash today and invest in a good life jacket. You will not be sorry. For more information on what stock is available, contact Nigel at Wild Coast Kayaks on +27 (73) 6902606. The last words…Catch and Release goes along way to securing the future of the ocean for you and others to enjoy to-morrow. Respect the bag and size limits. For more information on kayak fishing and related aspects, please do not hesi-tate to contact me at info@kayakfish-ingec.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.

FEC | July 201616

On Saturday 04/06/2016, Target Line Freshwater Angling Club had its 3rd club competition for the 2016-2017

seasons at Nahoon Dam, rural river side. This comp from 08:00 – 16:00 was hope-fully gona produce some nice fish. We knew we were not gona have the quanti-ties, but the size would be better now that we are in heart of winter. The weather for the day was set out to be cold, cold, cold. Hardly sun to speak of with icy cold winds cutting through whatever warm jackets you thought you had on. Even then 25 club members along with visitors were ready to take on the tough conditions.The water levels are low making it excellent for fishing in areas that are normally under water and not accessible. Everyone that practiced the waters before the comp was positive and expecting good catches. But yet again the turn in the weather, 2 days be-fore the comp, showed that you should nev-er count your chickens before they hatch.The key today was to not get the deeper water that actually produced plenty of

fish in the practices. The shallower water really stood out. Nice bags with healthy bulky fish, just what the doctor ordered.

Here are the results of the competition:Seniors:

1 Jacques Husselmann4 fish 5.808kg2 JJ Koch 2 fish 7.177kg3 Chris Fritz 4 fish 2.923kg

Masters:1 Chris Engelbrecht 9 fish 14.998kg2 Andy Warren 3 fish 7.951kg 3 Andre Opperman 3 fish 6.469kg

Ladies:1 Lezanda Engelbrecht3 fish 5.042kg2 Nicky Warren 2 fish 1.026kg3 Jacky Domoney 1 fish 0.464kg

Juniors:1 Liane Husselmann 6 fish 16.688kg2 Jordan Barnard 2 fish 4.538kg3 Adam Barnard Jnr 2 fish 0.899kg

Freshwater club resultsWords/pics: Carl Henn

Target Line

17FEC | July 2016

In total, 46 fish were caught weigh-ing 93.426kg on a day where many got blanks. Biggest carp was Andy Warren’s 4.382kg and a nice muddy of 0.658kg was landed by Jacques Husselmann.Our next comp will be at Bridal Drift Dam in July and with win-ter full upon us, its gona be cold.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 avail-able at Target Line in Vincent, East London.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, Vin-cent branch, East London…………. William Petrie floaties, soft floaties and ball dips. Conoflex Signature Series Feed, the orange bags, will be out soon……Watch this space.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.

FEC | July 201618

THE

BAIT BOXTIPS

SPARGS MALLBEACON BAY043 711 7700

Words/pics: Nigel Louw

Prepare this bait over a strip of Chokka and then you have the perfect bait to cast into the surf zone for a Piggy.

PIGNOSE GRUNTER BAIT

Thread a Sandprawn on the hook for a plain sandprawn bait, otherwise cotton on a thin strip of Chokka first.

Thats the complete Sandprawn bait, if Chokka strip is used then you would have that tentacle strip extend-

ing about 8cm out from the Sandprawn.

Now cotton Sandprawn over the first one or the piece of Chokka if used..

1

3

2

19FEC | July 2016

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)

Email your entry to nigel@fishingec.com with the following details: Anglers full name | Species | Location caught | Bait used | Size/Weight

June Winner

Angler: Heinrich BartlettSpecies: Pignose GrunterLocation: ChintsaBait: Prawn/ChokkaSize: 44cm

Angler: Sunil PillaySpecies: Black SteenbrasLocation: Deep SeaBait: Flapper baitSize: 9kgSunil wins an assortment of Triton lures, Sponsored by Bilimoria.

Angler: Bernard Du PlessisSpecies: Spotted GrunterLocation: Fish RiverBait: Mud PrawnSize: Not measured

Angler: Schalk RossouwSpecies: KobLocation: SundaysBait: Halco OutcastSize: 40kg

CATCH & WIN

FEC | July 201620

TIDE CHARTJuly 2016Information supplied by the Hydrographer SA Navy

The Hydrographer is not responsible for anytranscription errors.

TO ADVERTISEWITH

CONTACT:NIGEL@FISHINGEC.COM

073 690 2606

21FEC | July 2016

FEC | July 201622