Kosi Lakes Fishing Adventure – 13-15/02/2010

[Cpt. Hook]

Kosi lakes is a natural estuary system on the northern borders of Kwa Zulu Natal consisting of 3 saltwater lakes and the Kosi Mouth set in a wetland reserve, and besides good fishing for a variety of estuary fish and game fish, the area is stunning, natural and unspoilt. It is one of those places you need to go to in South Africa.

 

We stayed at Kosi Cabins about 1.5Km from the reserve entrance which has just been taken over by new owners, and they really took care of us ensuring that we were satisfied.

The self catering cabins are rustic and simple, and perfect for a fishing holiday and they even had DSTV, which I did not expect at the low prices (R200p/p/day that we paid for our accommodation, and they also have a nice restaurant and bar area with a super view. I highly recommend this establishment.

 

For this trip we were targeting the Game Fish that frequent the Kosi Lake System, our target species were King Fish (GT’s – Giant Trevally, Jack), Sea Pike (Pick Handle Barracuda) and Springer, which we wanted on light tackle.

 

Other species of fish that can be targeted in the Kosi Lakes system are the Spotted Grunter which grows to a good size here, Rock Salmon and then there is also good Mullet and some Perch which can be found here, we did not target these as we wanted the game fish.

 

We wanted to fish the mouth, but it was full of Jelly Fish and Blue Bottles, and so we left this out.

 

On the way up I drove via Jozini and the road is terrible with pot holes so big I could hid my car and boat from the cops, so on my return I tried anther route via Hluhluwe which was a nice road in good condition.

 

[Cpt. Hook]

DAY 1[/b]

After getting all our permits etc. in order we launched the boat at about 08h30, it was a hot day of around 38 deg. C and very humid, there was a light NE wind and the water surface temperature averaged around 29.5 deg. C. The Kosi Lake system was looking good with the water levels where they should be, and the water was crystal clear.

 

We started in lake 3 and within 5 minutes we got bitten off by something big and then decided to use light steel traces. We were not even on the water for 20 minutes when we got the 2[suP]nd[/suP] strike and after a very intensive 15 minute fight and several runs we landed a huge Springer (Lady Fish, 10 Pounder), the chap fighting the fish got tired after around 10 minutes when the deep burn set in and we had to really motivate him to keep on the pressure and get his fish to the boat, but in the end it was worth it and he was rewarded with the biggest fish he had ever caught in his life. The Springer was successfully released after posing for a photograph.

These fish really fight hard and on light tackle are an awesome game fish to hunt.[suP][/suP]

 

We then left Lake 3 and went through the channel to Lake 2, the channels kept us occupied for some time as they are narrow and you get a very close encounter with all the birdlife that lives around the area and they are teaming with small fish which you can see clearly in the crystal clear water. Many people rush through the channels, and I strongly recommend that one takes their time to enjoy the show that nature has to offer.

 

Lake 2 has such clear water that you can see the bottom clearly even in the deep water, there are a few hippo’s around here and there are some super places where on can stop the boat to take a swim or even have a picnic on the side. In this lake our first fish was a smaller Sea Pike (Pick Handle Barracuda) which still gave a good account for himself but ended up being our smallest fish for the trip. A little later on we hooked up into a large Sea Pike of over 1m long and he really gave the angler fighting him an adrenalin rush, especially once close to the boat where he gave a good run and then darting backwards and forwards around the boat in his desperate attempt to escape his fate. Both these fish were also safely released back into the water once we had taken our photos.

 

We then headed back through the channels and back to the launch site to go home for the night having caught 2 of our 3 target species, and were pleased with our catches for the day.

 

It was very hot and humid that night and we got to bed early for an early start the next morning, I struggled to sleep as I became a meal for the local mosquito’s as I had forgotten my insect repellent at home.

 

[Cpt. Hook]

DAY 2[/b]

We got up at 04h00 and were already on the water before 05h00 there was a stiff SW wind blowing and the water surface temperature was averaging 31 deg. C,. Within a few minutes we had a hook up with a large Sea Pike (Pick Handle Barracuda) which gave us a good fight, we then carried on to a drop off which I had identified as a good spot for GT’s (Giant Trevally King Fish, Jacks) and before long we had a double hook up with 2 GT’s, the one fish was huge and striped us over 300m and we had recovered him to around 200m when the line went slack and we lost him.

 

I am very annoyed about this as this was a brand new Rapala X-Rap still with original hooks and the wire at the back of the Rapala had broken out. I find this unacceptable and when you spend all that money on a trip you do not expect what is supposed to be the top branded lure in the world to fail on you, if the hook had bent open I would be OK with that, but not complete failure of the lure. IMO Rapala not only owes us a new lure, but also a GT. I am a big Rapala fan, and am interested in how they are going to deal with this as I cannot accept this.

 

After a gruelling 20 minute fight we landed the other GT that we had hooked up and he was a superb specimen who also ran well over 200m and gave us a good few runs, this was our prize fish for the trip and we had now caught all 3 of our target species.

 

We fished for a little while longer and managed to land another large Sea Pike which gave us a good fight and a great end to a morning session, we got back to the launch site at around 09h30 and headed back to Kosi Cabins to relax, and have a braai for lunch before our afternoon session which was to start at 15h00. All our fish were safely released.

 

We launched again at 15h00 and the SW wind was blowing at a near gale which picked up some nice waves on lake 3, and we headed through the channel to lake 2 which was a little calmer, the barometric pressure was low and falling and we found no feeding fish there and came back to lake 3. Only after it got dark did we get our 1[suP]st[/suP] strike and our only fish for this session which was a decent size Sea Pike and he was extremely aggressive and fought hard, and when on deck was snapping at us. After an entertaining photo session with a flapping snapping toothy fish we released him and got back to the launch site at around 20h00.

 

[Cpt. Hook]

DAY 3[/b]

We launched at 04h00 in the hope of getting another early morning GT or 2, the water surface temperature had dropped to 26 deg. C and the was the lightest of NE winds blowing. It was not very long when we got our 1[suP]st[/suP] hit and after 15 minutes of heavy fighting we landed another superb GT. The angler who landed this was the same one that landed the prize GT the morning before and he told me that even though this GT was smaller, it gave a much harder fight.

 

We then headed to Lake 2 where we got a smaller Sea Pike, and then we went to Lake 1 where we got another smaller sea pike which were to be our last fish for this trip and we started making our way back to the launch site, by this time it was so hot that we decided to stop the boat and took a really refreshing swim in some shallow waters and got back to the launch site at around 11h30. After helping someone with car trouble we went back to Kosi Cabins had lunch, packed our cars and headed home.

 

Whilst in Lake 2 we cam across some big schools of bait fish and decided to target these for a while to see if there was any game fish feeding of them, and they could be identified by dark patches in the water, when we went to the 2[suP]nd[/suP] one we started casting and when we were right on top of it realised we were fishing for a hippo which stuck it annoyed head out of the water, and so we quickly moved out of the way.

 

All our fish for the entire trip were safely released, and we had a super sport fishing adventure, although we did not catch a huge number of fish most the fish we got were large and so we had good quality fishing as opposed to quantity fishing.

 

I will do more trips here in the future and anyone interested can contact me.

 

[Reefman]

Fabulous Report FA! Some super catches too!

More info on tackle used and techniques please.... were you mainly trolling Rapala's? How much spinning did you do and what lures worked for you?

 

[Cpt. Hook]

Reefman wrote:

Fabulous Report FA! Some super catches too!

More info on tackle used and techniques please.... were you mainly trolling Rapala's? How much spinning did you do and what lures worked for you?

LOL. You want me to give all my secrets, we were the only boat catching there.

 

[Reefman]

It was worth a try!

 

[WalkersKiller]

Great stuff!

 

[Oxeye]

Great report - thanks!

 

[Glenn]

Am I right in saying is Kosi lake's near Kosi bay toward's Mozambique????

Fab trip! Some nice fishing there!! & great report.

 

[Cpt. Hook]

Glenn wrote:

Am I right in saying is Kosi lake's near Kosi bay toward's Mozambique????

Fab trip! Some nice fishing there!! & great report.

Same place

 

[Glenn]

Fishing Adventures wrote:

Glenn wrote:

Am I right in saying is Kosi lake's near Kosi bay toward's Mozambique????

Fab trip! Some nice fishing there!! & great report.

Same place

Mike I can imagine how the fishing was then!! A guy got a big Springer beside me at st.lucia Estuary and they can move.. The next thing he put it out on a slide for Black tip shark and Zambezi shark.. Am I right in saying it's hit & miss like St.lucia ??

 

[Cpt. Hook]

Glenn wrote:

Fishing Adventures wrote:

Glenn wrote:

Am I right in saying is Kosi lake's near Kosi bay toward's Mozambique????

Fab trip! Some nice fishing there!! & great report.

Same place

Mike I can imagine how the fishing was then!! A guy got a big Springer beside me at st.lucia Estuary and they can move.. The next thing he put it out on a slide for Black tip shark and Zambezi shark.. Am I right in saying it's hit & miss like St.lucia ??

 

No hit and miss, find the feeding highway and bang you are in. Whe the fishing is on it's on, when it switches off there you can tear your hair out. Like St. Lucia Estuary, Durban Harbour, Richards Bay Harbour and Kosi lakes you need to fish the windows and these will vary from species to species according to the tides, moon, barometric pressure and time of day.

 

[Glenn]

So for Large shark all year around in Durban area.. What would ytou usually catch?? I know that Raggie's breed at some stage and don't touch anything..

 

[Cpt. Hook]

Glenn wrote:

So for Large shark all year around in Durban area.. What would ytou usually catch?? I know that Raggie's breed at some stage and don't touch anything..

Off the beach I have very little expereince for sharks, but off shore Durban just put out an inverted large bonnie fillet with a balloon on a drift trap stick and you wil be onto a large hammer head or black tip in no time.

PS: If the raggies are breeding then the window is closed, go target something else

 

[Glenn]

PS: If the raggies are breeding then the window is closed, go target something else

Just as I thought!!

Would rather Target Zambezi & Black Tip.. Something that can move so to speak.

 

[Cpt. Hook]

Glenn wrote:

PS: If the raggies are breeding then the window is closed, go target something else

Just as I thought!!

Would rather Target Zambezi & Black Tip.. Something that can move so to speak.

IMO, you need to fish the fish that are there, pointless trying for Dorado in Mid June off Durban, you will never get one no matter how hard you try and how good you are.

Rather go for a chance at Tuna or a good chance at Snoek or Bek or Daga or a even a chance at a sailfish. These are the fish that are there.

Then look at your times, snoek early morning, Tuna & Sailies Mid day, Daga & Bek late afternoon and evening.

Yes there are guidelines to fishing which the fish have never read, and you will always get a fish that breaks a rule, BUT some rules cannot be broken like a Dorado in June off Durban, at least not until global warming turns up a few more degrees

 

[Glenn]

Fishing Adventures wrote:

Glenn wrote:

PS: If the raggies are breeding then the window is closed, go target something else

Just as I thought!!

Would rather Target Zambezi & Black Tip.. Something that can move so to speak.

IMO, you need to fish the fish that are there, pointless trying for Dorado in Mid June off Durban, you will never get one no matter how hard you try and how good you are.

Rather go for a chance at Tuna or a good chance at Snoek or Bek or Daga or a even a chance at a sailfish. These are the fish that are there.

Then look at your times, snoek early morning, Tuna & Sailies Mid day, Daga & Bek late afternoon and evening.

Yes there are guidelines to fishing which the fish have never read, and you will always get a fish that breaks a rule, BUT some rules cannot be broken like a Dorado in June off Durban, at least not until global warming turns up a few more degrees

Yes that's true, Mike! Was only wanting to know what type of shark one could catch in Durban winter time off beach? I know you dont target these on shoreline.

Tuna & sailfish & that's me happy for boat fishing!!

Global warming turn's up a few more degree's!!  :lol:1

It would really need to HIT here BIG time first! 

 

[BigVan]

Hi FA

Nice report Kosi has always been a favourite place to be. Relaxed fishing and camping. We always drift for springer in lake 3 when the wind is really up with sardine bait and short piece of wire as trace. They are very strong fighters. How do you catch them? Did you troll for the GT's or used plugs?

Tight Lines I agree with Reefman give us a bit more info man!! We would also like to catch & release more fish. 

 

[Cpt. Hook]

BigVan wrote:

Hi FA

Nice report Kosi has always been a favourite place to be. Relaxed fishing and camping. We always drift for springer in lake 3 when the wind is really up with sardine bait and short piece of wire as trace. They are very strong fighters. How do you catch them? Did you troll for the GT's or used plugs?

Tight Lines I agree with Reefman give us a bit more info man!! We would also like to catch & release more fish. 

Big Van,

I have been fishing east coast estuaries for over 35 yrs and it is one of my favorite types of fishing targeting these game fish on light tackle.

There are so many variables that it would take a book to give you this info, and one day when my book is published you can read it. There is noways I can give you 35yrs expereince in 1 or 2 sentances.

Every time I go to Kosi the pattern changes and you need to figure it out each time, according to the tides moon barometric pressure and so on when you are there and off course what time you are fishing.

In this case the early mornings worked well and they wanted shallow run rapalas at high speed in 1m - 2.5m depth and only in natural colours, did not matter if you were trolling or spinning both worked, plugs and drop shot did not produce and neither did any bright colours.

Having said this my last trip only bright clours worked, and they wanted them deep and slow, and my trip befre that got results on top water, so you see it changes each time and you need to figure out the pattern for that trip and once you got it and fnd the feeding pattern you are away.


Here is a big tip on Kosi:

If what you are using has not produced a fish in 20min it is time to change, there are always plenty fish there but they are super picky.