:fswim Hi to everyone, For many years I have been

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syd

New member
:fswim Hi to everyone,

For many years I have been a gallie angler in the Waenhuiskrans area, until we moved to Struisbaai and I started talking to those lucky enough to have retired there about fishing on the Plaat. There stories were just too appetizing and I now spend many an hour there, mostly trying to catch the "uncatchable" steenbras and belman.... HELP!!! Have already caught the odd cob and shad off the beach, but steenbras and belman remain the ultimate challenge.

I would like to learn from the old hands at catching steenbras and belman. In the past 2 years fishing Struisbaai Plaat I managed to catch only two decent sized steenbras (9.5 and 10.5 kg), one in July and one in August. In between you get the odd small one but the bigger ones seem to be missing me...... or I am missing them. If one fish for them of a sandy beach, where do one put your bait (white water just in front of the bank, on the bank in the sandy type water or behind the bank). Do one need to fish for them on the deeper banks (wading as far as you can go)? 1/0 hook with bloodworm or moonshine worm good enough? Any other bait that they will take?

W.r.t belman do you cast in the shallow white water for them? At least I know a small hook (1/0) and a sliding sinkertrace is necessary for them.

Are there specific weather conditions when these species feed more actively, especially on the Struisbaai Plaat?

Trying to catch both these species regularly have become quite a challenge for me, as it seem that I still have a helluva lot to learn.

I am sure there are fellow surf anglers who have learnt a few tricks over the years with these species and who would share their experience.

I'm all ears:)
 
I

Inky Squid

Active member
One thing I have definitely noticed when fishing for steenbras in an area with a sandbank parrallel to the beach - When the tide pushes, you get more fish in front of the sandbank as the water is working more in this area, revealing more food. When the tide goes out, you fish behind the sandbank.
 
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Flippie

Sealiner
U should use a grapnel with sliding trace very thin line my choice would be florocarbon bloodworm an moonshine specialy for struisbaai look where the water is working the sand up towards the surface but the water must be calm the waves must not brake it must role in from the back just work the backs ull get the big one
 
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rofflign

Sealiner
I use a fixed trace, hook = 65 to 70cm and sinker 70 to 75cm, then cast on to the sandbanks at low tide and in the gullies at hi tide,I tend to fish with a slap line i.e not to much tension on the line as i've found the fish often pick up then drop the bait and especially the juveniles are fond of an in bite.Flippie is 100% right the fish feed in those discoloured patches of slightly sandy water.
 
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syd

New member
[color="#006600"]Flippie[/color] wrote:
U should use a grapnel with sliding trace very thin line my choice would be florocarbon bloodworm an moonshine specialy for struisbaai look where the water is working the sand up towards the surface but the water must be calm the waves must not brake it must role in from the back just work the backs ull get the big one
Click to expand...
Flippie in your experience on the Plaat what time of year will the steenies be biting best? i was also told that they prefer the water to be a little bit on the cooler side, than most of your other edibles?

The one problem with using small hooks with the big fellas are that they tend to swallow the hook and part of the trace, therefore catch and release is a little difficult!

Anybody with some experience re. belman fishing?:fishn
 
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rofflign

Sealiner
caught a few belman mostly at blakes and broken rd next to the pool,never targeted them but picked up while fishing for steenbras or kob.....they are skelm!!the last one I hooked but lost at my feet was at the gants pipe in Strand a few months back...was using prawn for steenbras.
 
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Turns123

Senior Member
Hi Syd

I'm definately no expert on struisbaai or the plaat, but recently i have been pumping prawn in hermanus on the way up to struis and have had some good success with smaller steenbras up to around 55cm in discoloured (sandy) water on the pushing tides (2hr before until high tide). There seem to be plenty around at the moment. The big ones still elude me however.

With regards to belman, wonderworm to the right of the harbour on the pushing/high tides. You literally cast into the first breaker - use a small ball sinker - running trace - very light line. I have seen 10 - 20 belman caught by crowds there. (this admitted was not recently but there have been plenty there if the conditions are right).

My 2 cents...

Cheers
 
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Noddy

Senior Member
steenbras - i caught two to date. Both different setups.
1st: hermanus plaat - 1.5m hook trace line, 2/O hook, moonshine worm with bits of white muscles wrapped around. Sinker had a 30cm line to it, running trace, grapnel sinker.

2nd: Buffelsjag - 1m hook trace, 1/O hook, fresh wonder worm, bottle sinker, 10cm line attached.

both times no tension on line.

water conditions, as said further up, rolling waves, but not rough, in the patches where you can see the sand picking up a bit.

As for belman, only ever caught one.
Struisbaai - pebble beach, approx 70cm trace with 1/O hook, 3month old prawn that was frozen and stank like dogsh1t. lmfao. by the time i put tension on the line, the fish was long on.. then decided to run me like a mofo.. eventually got the guy out the water, this was at 6am, fish was about 55cm in length, with three families back at the camp site, this was good breakfast! :D
 
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Tsa

Senior Member
What I have seen work well with belman is what the guys have said above regarding tackle and then what we call a PC (Planned cast) : )

Walk away from the crowds - find a nice spot and dont go near the water - stand well back and cast just into the 1st breakers(thats where they are) you will be surprised how close they are (hence standing back from the water), easily cast over the area. Seems to work well.
 
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Noddy

Senior Member
my old man caught a 14KG+ on sardine&chokka mix, with a steel trace and 3/O hook with a large float, coz he was going for geelbek/kabeljou....
 
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syd

New member
I have heard about steenies biting on pilchard, but that seem to be the exception to the rule. Most people's experience tells us worm remains the best bait for them. Anybody caught them (the bigger one's) straight on white mussel?
 
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Flippie

Sealiner
The other bait I use is sand crabs(swim crabs) they white u get them between the whit mussel while u digging and also work very great up in namibia caught abot 7 steenies(7-15kg) in one day up there about a month ago all on crab and around here it whas a 12 kg steenie on crab u can put a bit of fresh white mussel with it cut yhe legs of the crab there must only be like a 1cm sticking out the sides remove the top shell of the crab use a 4/0 hook or bigger in namibia whe used 7/0 hooks
 
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syd

New member
Flippie, What's the chances of drawing your crab bait presentation? I'm not pretty sure what size crab you refer to - top shell about 4 cm fom side to side? Where do you put the 4/0 hook?
 
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Flippie

Sealiner
4- 6 cm Crab whill be perfect u put the 4/0 - 7/0 hook from the back leg to the others side front leg but the shell on top must be removed than u bind it up crush it a bit with ur (so that there is more juices) and bind it again try to use latex cotton ill try to draw somthing but it will not look pretty
 
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Flippie

Sealiner
U can move the hook backwards into the body hide the hook more

here it is only freehand
 

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Noddy

Senior Member
not really an exception to the rule Syd...

if i look at the Stywe Lyne, last year, and one of this year's too, there was a guy with a 10+KG steenbras, caught on sardine..
and there were others too.. it's not impossible.

i'll get a picture now of the one my old man got.
 
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