General Tiger Fishing - Lake Jozini
- Thread starter JulianParsons
- Start date
Julian - I am blown away - just registered on this site and first post I see is yours!! Met you when I stayed over at Shayamoya a month ago or so!! Hope the winter not too quiet - planning to get onto the dam in Sept for my first SA Tiger experience. Will be back at the Lodge in July - talk then. AJ
JulianParsons
New member
Hey AJ
How you doing? Yeah fishing has been soooooo slow at the mo. Had such good weather yesterday so was hoping to boat at least 1 tiger. But, all we got was nibblers. One guest got one big pick on last cast as it was getting dark, she was screaming louder than the reel, but snapped her off, hahaha. Had a really fun day though. Those americans are crazy!!!!
How you doing? Yeah fishing has been soooooo slow at the mo. Had such good weather yesterday so was hoping to boat at least 1 tiger. But, all we got was nibblers. One guest got one big pick on last cast as it was getting dark, she was screaming louder than the reel, but snapped her off, hahaha. Had a really fun day though. Those americans are crazy!!!!
JulianParsons
New member
Yeah, not to big into hunting myself, I prefer seing my pray swim off after the fight. But hey, cant stop the hunters hey.
So far I have found the best fishing I have had in the past few weeks have actually been off the campsite jetty. There is atleast a bit more activity than usual. But unfortunately still small fish coming out. A mate of mine actually got broken off yesterday evening by what seemed to be quite a bus. But most of the success stories I have heard recently have been from the bank and not boat. Chris Rippon, one of Jozini's expert fishing guides, was telling me the other day that he to has been finding most of his success up river past the railway bridge and off the lodges jetties. Unfortunately the camp site is really the only jetty open to the public, and up river past the bridge can only be accessed by people that have property along the river.
The owner of our lodge, Brian Blevin, owns a farm on the other side of the N2 that runs along a nice section of the river. Been doing alot of bush slashing recently opening up fishing spots along there. Found some amazing spot. Going to try open it up to guests, providing one of our rangers accompanies them, for tiger fishing befor the summer rains hit and fly fishing for yellows during the winter months!!! Just batteling to find spots clear enough for fly fishing. Really excited for this project, just hope I can start it up!
So far I have found the best fishing I have had in the past few weeks have actually been off the campsite jetty. There is atleast a bit more activity than usual. But unfortunately still small fish coming out. A mate of mine actually got broken off yesterday evening by what seemed to be quite a bus. But most of the success stories I have heard recently have been from the bank and not boat. Chris Rippon, one of Jozini's expert fishing guides, was telling me the other day that he to has been finding most of his success up river past the railway bridge and off the lodges jetties. Unfortunately the camp site is really the only jetty open to the public, and up river past the bridge can only be accessed by people that have property along the river.
The owner of our lodge, Brian Blevin, owns a farm on the other side of the N2 that runs along a nice section of the river. Been doing alot of bush slashing recently opening up fishing spots along there. Found some amazing spot. Going to try open it up to guests, providing one of our rangers accompanies them, for tiger fishing befor the summer rains hit and fly fishing for yellows during the winter months!!! Just batteling to find spots clear enough for fly fishing. Really excited for this project, just hope I can start it up!
JulianParsons
New member
This weekend was busy!!! But, the fishing was not. Well for myself atleast.
Us three rangers set off yesterday on three different boats with three different methods, Doug was trawling Rappies, Jacques was using plastic, and I attempted spooning.
Jacques - 0, Julian - 0, Doug - 7
Ok well his guests got 7 between the two. We had a surprising amount of activity in the morning between 8 and 10, after that the wind began blowing and fish went off the bite completely.
The plastics brought no results yesterday, only a couple hits and a small fish lost, the spooning I must say atleast got the blood flowing in the earlier hours with about 5 fish (500 - 750g) that spat us and plenty hits. The trawling however won it hands down... 7 fish landed (500g - 800g) all between 8 and 10 30 before the wind picked up. The rappies he used were green with yellow/orange belly.
This result really surprised me, I have been doing a fair bit of trawling myself this winter and really has not produce any results. But I must say the fish were surprisingly active yesterday morning. Maybe I should stop telling my guests to pick a latter launch time and rather brave the chilly weather and fish the morning instead of the afternoon. Will give it a go and see the result.
Us three rangers set off yesterday on three different boats with three different methods, Doug was trawling Rappies, Jacques was using plastic, and I attempted spooning.
Jacques - 0, Julian - 0, Doug - 7
Ok well his guests got 7 between the two. We had a surprising amount of activity in the morning between 8 and 10, after that the wind began blowing and fish went off the bite completely.
The plastics brought no results yesterday, only a couple hits and a small fish lost, the spooning I must say atleast got the blood flowing in the earlier hours with about 5 fish (500 - 750g) that spat us and plenty hits. The trawling however won it hands down... 7 fish landed (500g - 800g) all between 8 and 10 30 before the wind picked up. The rappies he used were green with yellow/orange belly.
This result really surprised me, I have been doing a fair bit of trawling myself this winter and really has not produce any results. But I must say the fish were surprisingly active yesterday morning. Maybe I should stop telling my guests to pick a latter launch time and rather brave the chilly weather and fish the morning instead of the afternoon. Will give it a go and see the result.
JulianParsons
New member
Ok, have not been doing much fishing on Lake Jozini lately, other than being on days off the weather is :cens!!! But before this fowl weather was brought in with a new employee from cape town I did put the working method to test and it works. Unfortunately the days I fished the weather was exactly how it is now, minus the howling wind, so fishing was slow, only producing a couple pick ups, 4 small fish landed (300g-700g) and 1 fiesty 1.2kg. Ok not huge but atleast some fish are still being pulled out during the slowest month. I do have a day on the lake planned with my old man for tomorrow, BUT, god forbid, I think the weather is going to be :cens!!!
Bru sorry to see the fishing hasnt been the best but time now for the weather to start warming up and the tigers to be getting pretty active. Not sure if you saw my post about the tigers in Kruger, eish was too nice. We coming down zululand side beginning of august so will see if I cant squeeze in a quick howsit at the lodge when we drive past. Hope the tigers are pulling hard!:fishn
JulianParsons
New member
Weather is finally giving us a break! Went out yesterday and got two fish trawling, one baby and one of 1.8kgs. But the season is on its way! It has been a long winter, to long! Would be sweet if you could pop in at the lodge, would be great to meet you.
August is a hard one, its the transition between winter and the tiger season. It all depends on how quickly the water warms up. Another shit thing in Aug is the winds. The august winds have already given us a taste of whats to come, and I can tell you its not pleasant... This lake looks like the ocean when the wind pumps.
But the fishing should slowly but shurely begin to right itself from now onwards.
Waterdog, few words of advice - TRAWL SHALLOW WEED BEDS. Its the method that we have found works the best at the mo. It has produced nice fish this winter! Good luck boet!
August is a hard one, its the transition between winter and the tiger season. It all depends on how quickly the water warms up. Another shit thing in Aug is the winds. The august winds have already given us a taste of whats to come, and I can tell you its not pleasant... This lake looks like the ocean when the wind pumps.
But the fishing should slowly but shurely begin to right itself from now onwards.
Waterdog, few words of advice - TRAWL SHALLOW WEED BEDS. Its the method that we have found works the best at the mo. It has produced nice fish this winter! Good luck boet!
JulianParsons
New member
We mainly just trawling rapalas, or halcos. Best colours are green back, yellow/orange belly, red head white body, and yesterday the 1.8kg was caught on a purple shallow diver. try get lure that dive between 1.5m and 2.5m. This also helps when you trawling over the shallow weed beds.
Thanks Julian - Ill get hold of you just before we leave to see whats happening - appreciate the help chap.... If the fishing is KAK we will pop in at the lodge for a toot ! you got a bar there? I take it that its the one on the hill alone the river? We we still get live bait or should we focus on sards and rapala's?
JulianParsons
New member
Cool man. We the lodge on the hill while traveling to Golela border post. As far as the fishing is concerned the only method that has been working is trawling rapalas along the shallow weed beds, around 3-4m of water. Recently when fishing I try a couple methods, spinning effzett's, spinners, bait, deep, shallow, river, lake, everything. And the only thing is trawling. Good luck bud, hope you come right and would be sweet if you poped up to the lodge to say hi.
JulianParsons
New member
DJ Fear No Fish
New member
Hi Julian,
How are you? I hope all is well!
We are going to fish Jozini from the 14-18 Sep 2011
I see you know this area very well, could you please advice about lekke
Accommodation that's quite cheap, but i'm also taking my boat so we need a slipway at the lodge??
Thanks
How are you? I hope all is well!
We are going to fish Jozini from the 14-18 Sep 2011
I see you know this area very well, could you please advice about lekke
Accommodation that's quite cheap, but i'm also taking my boat so we need a slipway at the lodge??
Thanks