South Africa - Fishing

Angling is one of South Africa’s most popular sports. Many game and nature reserves have dams or rivers-or even a stretch of coastline where fishing is enjoyed. The 2600 km coastline comprises five major marine habits: rocky shores, sandy beaches, kelp forests, estuaries and the open sea. In the open sea, there are approximately 2150 fish and 38 marine mammal species.

There are about 250 species of freshwater fish in South Africa. Trout fishing in South Africa is probably the least expensive in the world with major trout fishing areas to be found in Mpumalanga, the Northern Providence, the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal and the southern mountains ranges of the western cape. The eastern cape also has exceptional fly-fishing conditions in mountain streams and along its beautiful coastline.

Deep-sea fishing 
The waters south-west of the Cape of Good Hope offer some of the finest Big Game Fishing in the world. The warm Agulhas current of the Indian Ocean meets the cold Benguela current of the South Atlantic Ocean at Cape Point, providing prolific catches of Yellowfin and Longfin Tuna as well as Yellowtail, Dorado and Atlantic Big Eye Tuna. South African waters are also blessed with an abundance of Broadbill Swordfish "the gladiator of the deep". Broadbill Swordfish is more easily caught at night.

The Cape of Good Hope has earned a reputation for being a hotspot in the world for Big Game Deep Sea Fishing. Longfin (Albacore) and Yellowfin Tuna range generally from 9 to 99 kg. Often the big Yellowfin Tuna prove to be more agony than ecstasy for its pure fighting stamina taking sometimes 3 hours to boat. Dorado and Yellowtail are generally in the 5 to 15 kg class and it is an unwritten law that Broadbill Swordfish of under 100kg, are released.

Although the Cape of Good Hope is not known for Marlin, some numbers have been caught. They are occasionally sighted and lucky is the angler who may have the good fortune to hook one of these exotic tropical billfish.

The reefs of Rocky Bank, some six miles south of Cape Point, as well as Whittle Rock situated almost in the center of False Bay, together with the shoreline off Strandfontein, offer good catches of Cape Salmon, Yellowtail, Elf (shad/bluefish), Snapper, Bream, Makerel, White and Red Stumpnose as well as Red Roman. Snoek, which in appearance is very similar to the Barracuda, are also in abundance.

During the months of September to November, Southern Right Whales are ever present in False Bay, as well as Dolphin throughout the year. Most times, charter boats operating out of Simon's Town, catch crayfish en route, affording anglers, in season, a complimentary scrumptious crayfish banquet at sea. Straight out of the water, into the pot.

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