Zandvlei - Clarity on permissabilitiy of live bait for Leerie

Hi All

Please could I have your views (or better the facts) regards using live bait at Zandvlei. I'm very conservation minded and would not kill/remove a leerie ever - I mainly spin, but when using live bait (in other locations) I always use circle hooks to avoid gut hooking etc.

I understand that no gill net use is permitted - so any livie from Zandvlei would have to be line-caught (or more likely they'd be throw netted from elsewhere).

In discussions with some locals I've had conflicting views on using live bait BUT the local fishing tackle shops insist that live bait use is permissible, if obtained in the manner above.

Please can i have confirmation/thoughts on the facts of the law (or bye-laws probably more applicable) in this case?

Many thanks

Hi All

very keen t get to the bottom of this as season approaches - anybody have a view on this?

Many thanks

the fishing regulations is the one to follow.
if special regulations are in place, it needs to be documented properly.

how you go about getting the live bait could be of concern.
no cast netting, most likely!!!
but if you do manage to catch a mullet via piece of bread, then no one can stop you from using it as live bait.
as the regulations do not prohibit you.

I would use live bait!!!
nothing better at times

using a cast net in a estuary is not permitted!!!
as long as one cannot see the opposite bank "river mouth" then one is technically correct in using the net!!!!

so I would get the live mullet at the mouth, 2 hours after the turn of low tide.
then keep them live, transport them to your spot and fish with them

Im not sure if there are bylaws in place that prohibit it? Contact the guys at tuckers or eddles gas and ask them, the shops are close by and I'm sure the guys fish there, they should know.

We used to catch the mullet on bread, its an art easily mastered, and then use them and that was OK but that was not allowed at some point. Not sure what the situation is now? Not sure also what jurisdiction the bylaws actually can have on bait use (not collection), if the estuary is still somewhat tidal, someone with more knowledge would have to clarify that..And depends if the mouth is open most of the time these days or not? It used to be kept artificially closed to protect the properties which are slowly sliding in to the water, at the detriment to the eco-system but after a couple of serious pollution events I think they were forced to change that?

Keep us updated once you clarify the situation?

Thanks Gents

The abovementioned tackle shops are of the view that livies can be used, so was double-checking....we know how people with fixed assets (even modest) are targeted more than those without....

I think i'm going to give it a bash as the weather warms up a bit here, and of course I won't collect bait in the vlei (ie use the throw net there).

Will update as/if I find out more!

Cheers

willem wikkel spies wrote:

using a cast net in a estuary is not permitted!!!
as long as one cannot see the opposite bank "river mouth" then one is technically correct in using the net!!!!

so I would get the live mullet at the mouth, 2 hours after the turn of low tide.
then keep them live, transport them to your spot and fish with them

Click to expand...

Don't know if that is true? Cast netting in estuaries is permitted, just not after sunset/ before sunrise?
Certain estuaries might have specific rules but in general cast netting is allowed in estuaries.

Regulations specific to recreational cast-netting
(14) The holder of a recreational fishing permit endorsed for cast-netting shall not catch, disturb, land, keep, or control:
(a) any fish not listed in the Species List of Table 1,
(b) more fish than the bag-limit listed in respect of each species in Species List of Table 1 during any one day;
(c) any fish smaller than, or of a mass less than, the size-limit listed in respect of each species in the Species List of Table 1;
(15) The holder of a recreational fishing permit endorsed for cast-netting shall not fish or attempt to catch fish between sunset and sunrise.

Houtarm wrote:

willem wikkel spies wrote:

using a cast net in a estuary is not permitted!!!
as long as one cannot see the opposite bank "river mouth" then one is technically correct in using the net!!!!

so I would get the live mullet at the mouth, 2 hours after the turn of low tide.
then keep them live, transport them to your spot and fish with them

Click to expand...

Don't know if that is true? Cast netting in estuaries is permitted, just not after sunset/ before sunrise?
Certain estuaries might have specific rules but in general cast netting is allowed in estuaries.

Regulations specific to recreational cast-netting
(14) The holder of a recreational fishing permit endorsed for cast-netting shall not catch, disturb, land, keep, or control:
(a) any fish not listed in the Species List of Table 1,
(b) more fish than the bag-limit listed in respect of each species in Species List of Table 1 during any one day;
(c) any fish smaller than, or of a mass less than, the size-limit listed in respect of each species in the Species List of Table 1;
(15) The holder of a recreational fishing permit endorsed for cast-netting shall not fish or attempt to catch fish between sunset and sunrise.

Click to expand...

we were not allowed to use cast nets in the st lucia estuary.
as long as you could not see the other bank...then they could not do anything as such.

but if it is allowed, then good for you guys

http://www.sealine.co.za/view_topic.php?id=82498&forum_id=1&highlight=ZANDVLEI

INTERESTING VIEWS HERE

Hi all

A (disappointing in part) update as promised. I contacted the Zandvlei Trust who sent on my email to Kyran Wright of the City of Cape Town, who then replied.

There is a by-law governing fishing in relevant recreational waters (of which Zandvlei is one) and, as if to negate our enjoyment, Section 11 "Prohibited ways of catching fish", Clause h1 explicitly states that is not permitted to catch fish by "using anything that is alive as bait".

Possibly drafting a little loose, but it would seem to rule out live bait.....unless you can pull a very surprised face and convince the officer that it was a miracle "self-resuscitating" fish....or that you didn't know you'd caught it!

I guess the right thing to do is not use livies, I shall continue with my spinning/dropshot efforts!