Durban Winter Fishing: Shad, Kob, and Kingies on the Back End of the Season

Evening, anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Durban fishing rundown. We’re heading into the back end of a mild winter pattern along the KZN coast, with light to moderate south‑westerlies most of the day and a bit of a chill on the early breeze. Skies have been mostly clear with some cloud pushing through in the afternoon, and the sea has held a workable 1–1.5 m swell on a fairly long period – good news for anyone working lures off the bricks or the sand. Sunrise was just after 6:45 am and sunset around 5:05 pm, so that short winter light window is still key. Tides today ran on a standard neap-to-mid cycle, with a low early morning and a pushing tide through mid‑morning, then a late‑afternoon drop. On this coast, that pushing mid‑morning and the first part of the drop at dusk have been the productive slots, especially around structure and river mouths. Off the piers – particularly **Umhlanga**, **Blue Lagoon**, and **Toti** – the shad have been around in fits and starts. Most fish have been on the smaller side, but enough legal ones came out on the dawn tide to keep the gaffs busy. Standard drift sardine baits and small spoon worked slowly have both produced, with chrome and pink being the standout colours in the clearer water. Rock and surf guys reported a few **kob** after dark around the Bluff and down toward **Winkel^spruit**, mainly on chokka‑sardine combos and live bait when you can find it. Nothing wild, but a steady trickle of table fish in that 4–8 kg class. If you’re targeting kob tonight or tomorrow, think deeper gutters with some working white water but not too much sand churn. In the bay and around the harbour mouth, light‑tackle spinning has been decent when the wind backs off. Smaller **kingies**, **pickhandle barracuda**, and the odd **bonnie** have been smashing 20–30 g spoons and small stickbaits. Work the colour line and any bait show you can find – birds dipping or scattered shoals on the surface are your cue. Best artificial choices right now: - For shad: 1–2 oz spoons, slim profiles, chrome/blue or chrome/pink, plus small white or chartreuse bucktail jigs. - For kob: soft plastics in natural mullet or pearl colours on 1/2–1 oz jigheads, and slow‑rolled paddletails in the 4–6 inch range. - For kingies and bonnies: compact metal jigs and fast‑retrieved spoons, 20–40 g, silver or anchovy patterns. Best baits: - Fresh sardine – still king for shad and general scratching. - Chokka and chokka‑sardine combo for kob and bigger edibles. - Red prawn and cracker shrimp for stumpies and smaller reef fish in the bays and gullies. - Live karanteen or mullet if you’re serious about a kob or a kingie. A couple of hotspots to keep on your radar: - **Blue Lagoon / Umgeni mouth**: early‑morning shad, scattered kob on the drop, plus the odd kingie when the baitfish stack up. - **Bluff rocks and Cave Rock area**: solid structure for kob and rock game on the pushing tide, especially into the evening. - **Umhlanga lighthouse stretch**: shad at first light and kingies working the backline when the sea settles. With the current weather and sea state, focus your effort around first light and the early evening drop, fish light where you can, and keep your presentations natural – winter water here rewards patience and finesse. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a Durban conditions update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn