Winter Bite On: Grunter, Kob and Shad Firing in Durban Harbour and Off the Bluff

This is Artificial Lure with your Durban fishing report. A lekker winter pattern has settled in along the KZN coast. Light to moderate south-westerlies inshore, swinging more southerly by late afternoon, with a small to moderate swell on the Bluff and around Umhlanga. Skies have been partly cloudy, cool in the morning and evening, mild around midday. Offshore winds have been manageable for most boats, with a bit of chop on the run back in the afternoon. First light came just after 6:40, with sunrise not long after. Sunset is just before 5:00 this evening, and that last hour of light has been the money time. Tides have been running on a neap-ish cycle, with a gentler push than last week. The better bites have lined up with the last of the pushing tide into early high, especially around river mouths and the harbour. In Durban Harbour, grunter and stumpnose have been active on the flats and channel edges. Most action has been on prawn and chokka combo baits, with a few solid grunter pushing the mid-50 cm mark. Small paddle‑tail plastics and prawn‑profile dropshots in natural colours have also found fish for the lure guys working quietly along the banks. Off the piers and beaches from Blue Lagoon down through North Pier and the Bluff, anglers have picked up shad in the early mornings, with a few bonito and kingies cruising just behind the backline. Metal spoons in the 1–2 oz range, in chrome and white combos, have been the top producers, along with small surface plugs when the shoals are up. Some decent kob have come out after dark on the south side, mainly on fresh sardine, mackerel and chokka baits slid or cast into the deeper gutters. Rock and surf along the Bluff and towards Toti has delivered a mix of bronze bream, blacktail and the odd bluefish in the white water pockets. Pink prawn, chokka and red bait are working nicely. Light tackle, long leaders and small sharp hooks are key in the cleaner water. Offshore, the ski‑boat and paddle‑ski crowd have been finding good reef fish on the inshore marks – rockcod, slinger, Englishman and the odd daga salmon. Standard bottom baits of sardine and chokka have been doing the damage. A few tuna and bonito have been taken on trolled feathers and small diving lures along the colour lines north and south of the harbour mouth. Best lures right now: - Medium and small chrome spoons - 3–4 inch paddle‑tails in natural baitfish colours - Small surface plugs and stickbaits for shad and kingies - Slow‑pitch jigs on the reefs when the current eases Best natural baits: - Fresh sardine, mackerel and chokka for kob and edibles - Prawn and chokka combo for harbour grunter and stumpnose - Pink prawn and red bait for bronze bream and other reef pickers A couple of hot spots to focus on: - The Bluff beaches and points, especially the deeper gutters on a pushing tide into dusk - Durban Harbour channel edges and flats on the morning and late‑afternoon tides - The backline and inshore reefs off Umhlanga and Glenashley for shad, bonito and bottom fish That’s your Durban fishing rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn