A 101 on fishing the reef’s in and around the Western and Southern Cape coastline.. though the term 101 is used it does not mean it covers everything nor does it cover everyone else’s experience and thoughts on fishing reefy areas. The one advantage this style of fishing has compared to surf areas is that it allow’s you to be more mobile in that you not bogged down by a fully laden heavy tackle bag all the while carrying a chiller box as well as a sand spike and beach chair or dragging a beach trolley with all this on top through the thick sand if you don’t plan on walking all the way back to the car. With all this equipment and being far away from the car or cover should the heavens open up and you have to slog all the way back wet and cold with nothing to show other than having caught a cold this will be one experience to forget.
1. Careful planning starts at home.
As already stated the aim of this style of fishing is to be as mobile as possible so everything gets done at home like traces already rigged with a few sinkers and a few other extras that wont bog you down. When at the beach you should be there for one reason and one reason only to fish as quickly and long as possible to give you a better chance so donate time to when at home for rigging up and what should and should not be with on the reefs. Before you start packing your car and start your adventure heres what to have and do all in the comfort of your home. Try to always have the larger tackle bag in the car for other tackle and stuff like knife and extra sinkers etc also a chiller box to keep bait cold.
2. Reef tackle bag.
To keep it as light and manageable as possible a moonbag is a good choice. As with everything to be said its budget dependant and there are some excellent models available from brands such as Elbe and Berkley and Sensation with some offering many pockets to ensure more than enough tackle is carried to a spot without having to leave a mark you fishing but they are pricey. Others on the market though cheaper and makes sense if you don’t fish that often does tend to sometimes let you down and the last thing you need is for the zip to break while standing almost neck deep in water with all the tackle that could include a camera and car keys being spilled in the rough water. Care should always be taken when returning from a fishing trip to rinse and spray with a tackle protector to inhibit rust.
The medium buddy from Sensation has no metal zips that after a while can obviously rust. All traces are packed inside a Sensation trace pouch that allows at least 3 pre tied traces for each divider giving you at least 24 ready made rigs in the pouch.
If half or more traces are lost within a short space of time on a certain spot it’s probably best to look for another spot that’s not so tackle hungry.
3. ï€ What’s inside the tackle bag?
Hook and sinker traces. Bait cotton. Pliers. Line clipper. Fish rope. Water to drink. Camera (optional). Slide rigs. Spinners etc.
Pre tied rigs to match reef species.
In the Western and Southern Cape edible species mostly found in reefy / rocky areas are blacktail/zebra/black and white musselcracker/galjoen/white and cape stumpnose/ hottie/bronze bream/belman/red roman/steenbras / kob and elf or shad. For most with the exception of elf std mono traces should suffice to land them without being bitten off. So that’s where one starts using mono with a breaking strain of at least 12kg and a brand which offers good abrasion resistance considering the fishing is done in rocky/reefy areas should for the most be good enough. Personally I found Maxima to be outstanding as trace material to use and having shied away from the original marine green the newer ultragreen proved to be a great choice having caught all edibles from blacktail to the sometimes fussy grunter using it. Not fishing in sandy areas the hook and sinker trace should be no longer than 30cm as too long a trace gets caught up easier with fish and trace coming off.
An example of where shorter traces are needed.
4. It always helps to know where to cast. Sunglasses in the form of polaroids are important to help you see where those hidden reefs are and where to cast to. One can also map the reefs at low tide using translucent trace paper when fishing reefs close to dry land and checking it when at full tide when rocks / reefs are almost covered by water.
5. Low tide showing exposed rocks.
6. Mapping the same spot using transparent trace paper.
7. That in stark contrast to fishing surf areas with scattered reefs where a longer trace is a better option. This mostly for the sometimes bigger gaps between the sand banks and to help find a feeding fish.
8. Trace for smaller edibles.
Hook sizes for most edibles with the exception of kob and musselcracker should be in the No 10 to 2/o size with kob and musselcracker being in the 6/o hook range size. Chemically sharpened hooks should be your first choice as there is no need to sharpen it so fishing with very sharp hooks increasing ones hook up rate.. which should not be mistaken for successfully landing a fish. All traces are stored in a plastic zip lock type bag.
9. Trace for larger edibles.
Kob and musselcracker comes to mind. Kob along the False bay coast floating a bait helps the kob to pick up bait easier and always recommended. In water with typical kob color (ginger beer) there is no need to have extra attractants like a squid skirt but in water a little more clear it helps catch the attention of a passing kob by adding extra movement.
STD TRACE.
BLING TRACE.
10. Shad / elf bite trace.
One or two bite trace in tackle bag in case these toothy predators comes along.
11. Split shot sinker trace.
The ultimate in tackle saving and fish landing trace. To be used with only the ultra light rod as sinker weight is normally no more than half an ounce ruling out long casts with heavier rods. Going lighter on the braid or mono also recommended for longer casts but scaling down on breaking strength of your mainline does have its drawbacks but the rewards far outweigh the occasional loss of tackle or fish when success is achieved.
What a split shot trace should look like.
Using a float of your choice its threaded first onto mainline followed by tying knot to hook trace swivel. The sinker is then attached or crimped onto the hook trace as close to the swivel as possible. Depending on depth of the water float is set if you feel hook wont get caught on something when distance between hook and float is too long. Wrong length normally being difficulty in casting as float is too close to tip guide.
Another method being to not use a swivel and hook trace as hook is tied directly to mainline after float was first attached and not forgetting the sinker lastly.
If using a running trace the sinker mono for these areas should be lighter in breaking strain than your hook mono to help you break off easier if that’s the only option as the last thing you want is to be standing on a reef stuck and have to walk through water neck high all the while trying to loosen or break off with waves crashing on you.. the lighter the sinker trace the easier to break off standing on one spot.
13. Slide trace.
If you feel the need to put a big bait or live bait out while fishing the reefs a slide rig should be included. This rig only works with a grab sinker. Also note that when you NOT fishing the reefs grab sinkers are still a MUST when fishing the surf of False Bay at certain spots as normal bottle sinkers gets washed out within a minute or two with sidewash fishing the gutters after being cast in making for a frustrating day out so always be sure to have a few with even if you don’t intend sliding a bait out when fishing.
Pictured is a light slide as well as a heavy duty slide in smaller picture.
Like all other rigs it should be stored in a zip lock style bag.
Grab sinkers to use when sliding a bait.
For the heavier rods these are typical examples of sinkers to buy. Note bait clip attached to clip hook trace to sinker to allow for more aerodynamic cast for better distance. Bait wont spin during cast causing whats known as the helicopter effect. Also known as a pulley rig.
For the lighter rods this is what you want.
These grab sinkers with plastic inserts though it can be used to hold firm when sliding is designed for use in rocky areas where the angle of the legs means sinker sits up straight between the rocks and wont get wedged between it allowing the angler to retrieve it without loss of tackle. Note use of quicklink clip so trace can be stored without attachment to sinker.
For storage a ordinary cooldrink straw is used to protect fingers when scratching around in the tackle bag if sinkers are lying loose. Simply insert over legs of grab sinker.
Live bait rig.
If fishing a area known for live bait having a trace to target bait fish like mullet / gorrie should accompany you. Casting to them in the shallows and with one caught attached to live bait slide and sent out could make all the difference.
Extras stored in bag.
Fish being renowned for their sense of smell any foreign odour on the bait might put them off on a particular day.. here mostly human scent in the form of sweat from fingers while putting on bait or cigarette smoke on fingers transferred to bait. With this in mind to give yourself a better chance of a pickup a small bottle filled with water and a few drops of aniseed oil which is sprayed on prior to touching the bait or even the hook trace might see your hookup rate increase.
If for some reason all ready made traces are used up be sure to have a small tackle box with extra hooks and swivels to make up while fishing always keeping your safety in mind for where you are standing. If not too safe rather return to dry land and make up the amount needed.
If fishing for the pan then to ensure you don’t have to leave a productive mark a home made fish rope to keep fish or a reef bag normally used by divers slung around your shoulder is a welcome bit of kit.
If new to multiplier reels or not then having a wrist band to protect yourself from painful little cuts while casting is handy and small enough to keep.
If there are predatory fish like shad or kob around and with no interest shown in bait having a few artificials in your bag could mean all the difference. Choice of mono or bite trace is arguable with both having their own merits.
Spare spool hook or sinker mono. Fishing reef areas most times especially at spring tide the area is covered in foamy water with the use of more visible trace line often not making a difference and only in areas where the water is clear should fluorocarbon trace material be used to make trace invisible to a shy feeding fish. There is however a big price difference between the two though a spool of fluorocarbon is recommended.
When fishing the sharp reef areas a leader is a must to protect your rig. But sometimes leader line does get cut off and having a spare spool to attach while fishing certain areas is a must. Remember those knots.
For hook removal a pliers is a must and with the ever present birds nest just a cast away having a tool near to remove it like a line clipper with a line remover. As much as you will get a birds nest with a multiplier you also get wind knots with a coffee grinder and with braid stuck in itself it’s a pain to loosen to continue fishing.
Bait cotton for neater bait presentation.
If travelling by ones own car a lanyard to keep the car keys safe. Normally the remote is stored in the boot to ensure it don’t get wet while only the car key is attached to lanyard.
Having rubber eyes to attach to baits intended for species like kob is insignificant not be take up much space or weight in the bag.
If you intend carrying your camera on you the waterproof case from Tevo I found to be a good buy. This though can be worn around ones neck.
A clip i made with a camera inside the waterproof case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvSzvmbNdHI&list=UUaWoLRPmB0dWgP241nTqJLA
In case you need to strip your reel. Normally comes supplied in reel box.
Another option is a fly fishing vest.
If the moonbag is too small or you just don’t like the idea then the fly fishermans vest is another option to enable you to carry lots of ready made tackle without the use of large conventional tackle bags.
A kob I caught fishing the reef’s of Cape Agulhas.
to be cont..
1. Careful planning starts at home.
As already stated the aim of this style of fishing is to be as mobile as possible so everything gets done at home like traces already rigged with a few sinkers and a few other extras that wont bog you down. When at the beach you should be there for one reason and one reason only to fish as quickly and long as possible to give you a better chance so donate time to when at home for rigging up and what should and should not be with on the reefs. Before you start packing your car and start your adventure heres what to have and do all in the comfort of your home. Try to always have the larger tackle bag in the car for other tackle and stuff like knife and extra sinkers etc also a chiller box to keep bait cold.
2. Reef tackle bag.
To keep it as light and manageable as possible a moonbag is a good choice. As with everything to be said its budget dependant and there are some excellent models available from brands such as Elbe and Berkley and Sensation with some offering many pockets to ensure more than enough tackle is carried to a spot without having to leave a mark you fishing but they are pricey. Others on the market though cheaper and makes sense if you don’t fish that often does tend to sometimes let you down and the last thing you need is for the zip to break while standing almost neck deep in water with all the tackle that could include a camera and car keys being spilled in the rough water. Care should always be taken when returning from a fishing trip to rinse and spray with a tackle protector to inhibit rust.
The medium buddy from Sensation has no metal zips that after a while can obviously rust. All traces are packed inside a Sensation trace pouch that allows at least 3 pre tied traces for each divider giving you at least 24 ready made rigs in the pouch.
If half or more traces are lost within a short space of time on a certain spot it’s probably best to look for another spot that’s not so tackle hungry.
3. ï€ What’s inside the tackle bag?
Hook and sinker traces. Bait cotton. Pliers. Line clipper. Fish rope. Water to drink. Camera (optional). Slide rigs. Spinners etc.
Pre tied rigs to match reef species.
In the Western and Southern Cape edible species mostly found in reefy / rocky areas are blacktail/zebra/black and white musselcracker/galjoen/white and cape stumpnose/ hottie/bronze bream/belman/red roman/steenbras / kob and elf or shad. For most with the exception of elf std mono traces should suffice to land them without being bitten off. So that’s where one starts using mono with a breaking strain of at least 12kg and a brand which offers good abrasion resistance considering the fishing is done in rocky/reefy areas should for the most be good enough. Personally I found Maxima to be outstanding as trace material to use and having shied away from the original marine green the newer ultragreen proved to be a great choice having caught all edibles from blacktail to the sometimes fussy grunter using it. Not fishing in sandy areas the hook and sinker trace should be no longer than 30cm as too long a trace gets caught up easier with fish and trace coming off.
An example of where shorter traces are needed.
4. It always helps to know where to cast. Sunglasses in the form of polaroids are important to help you see where those hidden reefs are and where to cast to. One can also map the reefs at low tide using translucent trace paper when fishing reefs close to dry land and checking it when at full tide when rocks / reefs are almost covered by water.
5. Low tide showing exposed rocks.
6. Mapping the same spot using transparent trace paper.
7. That in stark contrast to fishing surf areas with scattered reefs where a longer trace is a better option. This mostly for the sometimes bigger gaps between the sand banks and to help find a feeding fish.
8. Trace for smaller edibles.
Hook sizes for most edibles with the exception of kob and musselcracker should be in the No 10 to 2/o size with kob and musselcracker being in the 6/o hook range size. Chemically sharpened hooks should be your first choice as there is no need to sharpen it so fishing with very sharp hooks increasing ones hook up rate.. which should not be mistaken for successfully landing a fish. All traces are stored in a plastic zip lock type bag.
9. Trace for larger edibles.
Kob and musselcracker comes to mind. Kob along the False bay coast floating a bait helps the kob to pick up bait easier and always recommended. In water with typical kob color (ginger beer) there is no need to have extra attractants like a squid skirt but in water a little more clear it helps catch the attention of a passing kob by adding extra movement.
STD TRACE.
BLING TRACE.
10. Shad / elf bite trace.
One or two bite trace in tackle bag in case these toothy predators comes along.
11. Split shot sinker trace.
The ultimate in tackle saving and fish landing trace. To be used with only the ultra light rod as sinker weight is normally no more than half an ounce ruling out long casts with heavier rods. Going lighter on the braid or mono also recommended for longer casts but scaling down on breaking strength of your mainline does have its drawbacks but the rewards far outweigh the occasional loss of tackle or fish when success is achieved.
What a split shot trace should look like.
Using a float of your choice its threaded first onto mainline followed by tying knot to hook trace swivel. The sinker is then attached or crimped onto the hook trace as close to the swivel as possible. Depending on depth of the water float is set if you feel hook wont get caught on something when distance between hook and float is too long. Wrong length normally being difficulty in casting as float is too close to tip guide.
Another method being to not use a swivel and hook trace as hook is tied directly to mainline after float was first attached and not forgetting the sinker lastly.
If using a running trace the sinker mono for these areas should be lighter in breaking strain than your hook mono to help you break off easier if that’s the only option as the last thing you want is to be standing on a reef stuck and have to walk through water neck high all the while trying to loosen or break off with waves crashing on you.. the lighter the sinker trace the easier to break off standing on one spot.
13. Slide trace.
If you feel the need to put a big bait or live bait out while fishing the reefs a slide rig should be included. This rig only works with a grab sinker. Also note that when you NOT fishing the reefs grab sinkers are still a MUST when fishing the surf of False Bay at certain spots as normal bottle sinkers gets washed out within a minute or two with sidewash fishing the gutters after being cast in making for a frustrating day out so always be sure to have a few with even if you don’t intend sliding a bait out when fishing.
Pictured is a light slide as well as a heavy duty slide in smaller picture.
Like all other rigs it should be stored in a zip lock style bag.
Grab sinkers to use when sliding a bait.
For the heavier rods these are typical examples of sinkers to buy. Note bait clip attached to clip hook trace to sinker to allow for more aerodynamic cast for better distance. Bait wont spin during cast causing whats known as the helicopter effect. Also known as a pulley rig.
For the lighter rods this is what you want.
These grab sinkers with plastic inserts though it can be used to hold firm when sliding is designed for use in rocky areas where the angle of the legs means sinker sits up straight between the rocks and wont get wedged between it allowing the angler to retrieve it without loss of tackle. Note use of quicklink clip so trace can be stored without attachment to sinker.
For storage a ordinary cooldrink straw is used to protect fingers when scratching around in the tackle bag if sinkers are lying loose. Simply insert over legs of grab sinker.
Live bait rig.
If fishing a area known for live bait having a trace to target bait fish like mullet / gorrie should accompany you. Casting to them in the shallows and with one caught attached to live bait slide and sent out could make all the difference.
Extras stored in bag.
Fish being renowned for their sense of smell any foreign odour on the bait might put them off on a particular day.. here mostly human scent in the form of sweat from fingers while putting on bait or cigarette smoke on fingers transferred to bait. With this in mind to give yourself a better chance of a pickup a small bottle filled with water and a few drops of aniseed oil which is sprayed on prior to touching the bait or even the hook trace might see your hookup rate increase.
If for some reason all ready made traces are used up be sure to have a small tackle box with extra hooks and swivels to make up while fishing always keeping your safety in mind for where you are standing. If not too safe rather return to dry land and make up the amount needed.
If fishing for the pan then to ensure you don’t have to leave a productive mark a home made fish rope to keep fish or a reef bag normally used by divers slung around your shoulder is a welcome bit of kit.
If new to multiplier reels or not then having a wrist band to protect yourself from painful little cuts while casting is handy and small enough to keep.
If there are predatory fish like shad or kob around and with no interest shown in bait having a few artificials in your bag could mean all the difference. Choice of mono or bite trace is arguable with both having their own merits.
Spare spool hook or sinker mono. Fishing reef areas most times especially at spring tide the area is covered in foamy water with the use of more visible trace line often not making a difference and only in areas where the water is clear should fluorocarbon trace material be used to make trace invisible to a shy feeding fish. There is however a big price difference between the two though a spool of fluorocarbon is recommended.
When fishing the sharp reef areas a leader is a must to protect your rig. But sometimes leader line does get cut off and having a spare spool to attach while fishing certain areas is a must. Remember those knots.
For hook removal a pliers is a must and with the ever present birds nest just a cast away having a tool near to remove it like a line clipper with a line remover. As much as you will get a birds nest with a multiplier you also get wind knots with a coffee grinder and with braid stuck in itself it’s a pain to loosen to continue fishing.
Bait cotton for neater bait presentation.
If travelling by ones own car a lanyard to keep the car keys safe. Normally the remote is stored in the boot to ensure it don’t get wet while only the car key is attached to lanyard.
Having rubber eyes to attach to baits intended for species like kob is insignificant not be take up much space or weight in the bag.
If you intend carrying your camera on you the waterproof case from Tevo I found to be a good buy. This though can be worn around ones neck.
A clip i made with a camera inside the waterproof case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvSzvmbNdHI&list=UUaWoLRPmB0dWgP241nTqJLA
In case you need to strip your reel. Normally comes supplied in reel box.
Another option is a fly fishing vest.
If the moonbag is too small or you just don’t like the idea then the fly fishermans vest is another option to enable you to carry lots of ready made tackle without the use of large conventional tackle bags.
A kob I caught fishing the reef’s of Cape Agulhas.
to be cont..
Thanks
thanks Flippy very informative