FishingThe Wild Coast has long been a popular destination for
sport fishermen. Shore angling from the rocky coastline
rewards the angler with catches of Garrick, kob,
steenbras, shad, Kingfish, galjoen and hottentot. The boat
anglers fishing from surf –launched ski boats have a
chance at yellowtail, tuna, yellowfin, swordfish,
mackerel, marlin, sailfish, barracuda, cob and queen fish. |
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The sardine runEvery year in winter, vast shoals of sardines that have
spawned in the waters of Antarctica travel the cold-water
currents south of the East Coast of South Africa.
Sometimes a combination of wind and current will allow a
tongue of cold water to intrude into the warm waters of
the Indian Ocean – and then millions upon millions
of
sardines come close enough to be seen from shore or even
washed up on the beach. This phenomenon, which occurs no-
where else on earth, can be witnessed from the beaches of
the Wild Coast – if you are lucky enough to be there
at
the right time. | |
From the air, the shoals look like huge dark clouds in
the water. Each shoal has several
‘doughnuts’ – rings of
clear water where the sardines are taking evasive action
from sharks. On the surface of the sea the presence of
shoals is signalled by huge flocks of sea-birds that
follow the shoals. The surface seethes like boiling water
as fish, predators and birds thrash in furious pursuit and
escape. | |
On the beach the shoals come right into the shallows and
the sea becomes alive and bright silver. The natural
bounty is almost incomprehensible, and leads to a human
condition called ‘Sardine Fever’, where
bystanders rush
into the water and catch the little fish in every single
receptacle imaginable, including plastic wash-baskets,
hats, aprons – even generous underwear is pressed
into
service. | |
The sardines are then sold to the unlucky few who could
not get their own, or taken home for many future meals.
The best way to cook these fish, say the pundits, is on an
open fire, at sunset, right there on the beach, with
plenty of rock salt and lemon juice. | |
Other opportunities …But for those who are not lucky enough to be there when
the big run starts, there are various other opportunities
to experience fishing, whale watching etc. Search the
database below for other opportunities. | |
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