Winter Gamefish Moving In: Durban Shad, Bonito and Kob Report

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Durban fishing report. We’ve just come off the back of a building new-to-first-quarter moon, and that’s had the tides running nicely along the KZN coast. Around Durban today the morning high pushed in with a decent bit of colour on the water, then dropped off through the afternoon with a softer evening push. Nothing extreme on the swell: light to moderate surf, mostly manageable from both beach and pier. Light southwesterly to southerly breezes have kept things comfortable, with the classic winter pattern of cool mornings and mild, clear afternoons. Sunrise was early, just after six, with sunset not long after five in the evening, so the proper bite windows were that grey first light and then the last hour before dark. Off the piers – especially Durban Sandspit, North Pier and Umhlanga – the shad have been around in fits and starts. It hasn’t been a full-on frenzy, but enough fish came out this morning to keep the guys awake. Most were pan-size, with the odd better chokka-length fish mixed in. Metal spoons in the 1–2 ounce range, silver or chartreuse, worked on a medium spinning setup have been the ticket, along with small white and pink bucktail jigs. A few anglers drifting sardine baits on light wire traces also picked up shad and the odd smash from a pickhandle barracuda. On the beaches northwards – Umhlanga, Umdloti, and further up towards Tongaat – the winter gamefish are starting to show. There’ve been some bonito and smaller king mackerel cruising just behind the backline where the baitballs are stacking. Boat anglers slow-trolling live mozzies and mackerel have had the better success, but a couple of shoreline guys throwing long-cast spoons and small plugs into working birds reported hook-ups. If you’re fishing off the sand, focus on the rip lines and colour changes where the water goes that deeper green, and keep your retrieve fast and erratic. Rock and surf anglers working the ledges around Blue Lagoon and the more broken ground south towards Isipingo have picked up some decent stumpnose and blacktail, plus a few grunter in the deeper gullies. Best baits there have been fresh prawn, chokka strips and small sard belly baits on light traces. Those fishing the deeper holes into the evening have reported the odd kob coming through when the water has a bit of movement – nothing huge, but enough “soapies” to make you commit to the graveyard shift. For kob, go with chokka-sard combos or a well-presented live mullet if you can net one in the estuary. Inside Durban Harbour, winter has brought more stable water and the grunter have been active on the banks and drop-offs on the pushing tide. Guys drifting with cracker shrimp, prawn and small sardine pieces on very light tackle have done well, especially at first light and again on the early evening push. A couple of smaller kingies have also been reported on soft plastics and tiny topwaters worked along structure – bridges and pylons are always worth a cast. In terms of artificial lures, here’s what’s been earning its keep: - For shad and general gamefish: 1–2 oz silver or chrome spoons, white or pink bucktails, and slim surface plugs in white, pearl or blue. - For kingies and bonito: long-cast metals, small stickbaits and fast-moving plugs. - For harbour and estuary: 3–4 inch paddle-tail soft plastics in natural baitfish colours, worked slowly along the bottom. For bait: - Shad and general surf species: sardine, mackerel and chokka. - Rock dwellers and grunter: prawn, cracker shrimp, chokka strips and sard belly. - Kob: chokka–sard combos or live mullet. If you’re looking for hot spots over the next day or two, I’d put time into: - The Umhlanga and Durban piers at dawn for shad and the chance of a passing kingie. - Durban Harbour banks on the pushing tide for grunter and the odd kingie on soft plastics. - The deeper beach holes south of the city towards Isipingo after dark if you’re hunting kob. That’s the word from the water for today in and around Durban. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a session with Artificial Lure. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn