Durban Autumn Fire: Shad Runs and Kob Limits Building Strong

Hey folks, Artificial Lure here, your Durban fishing mate bringing the latest from our KZN waters on this balmy evening of April 2nd, 2026, around 9 PM. Weather's been classic autumn—clear skies, light southeasterly at 10-15 knots dropping off, air temp hovering 22°C, water around 24°C perfect for warming things up. Sunrise kicked at 6:15 AM, sunset wrapped at 5:45 PM, so twilight bites were gold. Tides? High at 2 PM pushed out to low around 8 PM—outgoing's been the money move, flushing bait from the estuaries. Fish are firing! Shad runs are building strong off Umhlanga and Durban harbour, with reports of 20-40 fish hauls on live bait. Garrick smashing surface lures, kingfish cruising the reefs taking spoons, and kob stacking up in the bays—locals pulled limits of 5-10kg slabs yesterday from the beach groynes. Snoek schools dipped in early, but expect more with the full moon tail. Offshore, yellowtail and geelbek hitting 15-20kg on the live shad rigs. Best lures? My go-to artificials: Rapala X-Rap 14cm in pilchard for shad and garrick—twitch it fast on the troll or cast. For kob, spoon silver 2-3oz on the drift. Bait kings: live mullet or sardine on a running sinker for beach, prawn or bloodworm for estuary grunter. Fresh chokka if you hit the night rock and surf. Hot spots: Hit the Durban Pier at first light for shad frenzy, or launch from Umkomaas for Aliwal Shoal edges—garrick heaven. Bay cruise to the harbour channel walls for kob ambush. Tight lines, bru! Thanks for tuning in—subscribe for weekly updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.