So for some 10 years+ I have been rock and surf angling and here's what i learnt.
Unless you go fishing with someone who has successfully come home with caught not bought fish you are gonna take years of trial and error to catch anything significant. To date my exploits have been from Saldanha to Struisbaai and Port Shepstone with the latter at the hand of a local delivering 4 large Shad as they call it, Elf as we do.
I have caught a few edibles but not even tallying 15 in my angling exploits of 10yrs+.
Cost to date let see : S/S prawn pump,tube,2x Snowbee waders, 4x reels viz. Penn49A, Penn 500 Jigmaster, Penn 555 and a Daiwa SL50SH, 3 rods viz. Javis Walker 3pce a.k.a. Flippy (turned out to be a rvier rod but hauled in the big bronzie as well as my Elf and a Gallie), Purglass Stoke5 custom (green) 1pce and Blue Marlin G3 5pce. 1000's of metres of Maxima line of different colours and strenths, tons of sinkers being of grab and bottle varieties. Hooks a plenty and swivels to boot. Tackle boxes, head lamps cutting boards,knives, scissors, floats cotton,gaff rod holders... Did I leave anything off for qualifying as a well prepared fisherman except maybe a 4x4 (which was on the cards until the law changed regarding riding on the beach in 2002/2003 and after loads of phone calls and emails to Overberg municipality etc for permission)
Chuck in the accomodation and food and booze costs for fishing weekends to Arniston and struisbaai which is a 400km return drive from where I live which tallied 5 to 6 per year for 4 yrs straight.
I have fished Langebaan ,Saldanha, Camps Bay, Kommetjie,Scarborough,Millers point or Smitswinkel baai (whatever it's called) Fish Hoek, Sunny Cove, Baileys Cottage,Muizenberg,Sonwabi,Broken road,Muskiet Gat,Arendse Road Middelbank, Die Pyp,Beespens,Mnandi,Monwabisi (off the rocks and in the bay) Boskloof,Rooi Els, Pringle Bay,Palmiet,Dawidskraal,Hermanus in the harbour and surrounds,Die Dam,All over Arniston up to Die Draad and Strauisbaai.
So if we put a tally on costs I would say well over R15k has been spent for 15 edibles at most.
What have I learnt??? If you don't know what the hell you doing or if you are listening to people who also have no clue what they are doing then you on a fool's expedition.
Solution: Research.
Not buying hords of books written by people who speak of experience but yet not a single picture of them with a fish???? Hell I even bought a handwritten book which was very informative but not enough to land me dick squat.
The research I have compiled only amounts to 18 pages but it goes into practice this weekend and I will keep a detailed record for 1 year. Should I not catch any edibles totalling 15+ Iwill hang up my rock and surf angling equipment and donate it to someone and stick to my boat fishing where I have been much more successful.
Unless you go fishing with someone who has successfully come home with caught not bought fish you are gonna take years of trial and error to catch anything significant. To date my exploits have been from Saldanha to Struisbaai and Port Shepstone with the latter at the hand of a local delivering 4 large Shad as they call it, Elf as we do.
I have caught a few edibles but not even tallying 15 in my angling exploits of 10yrs+.
Cost to date let see : S/S prawn pump,tube,2x Snowbee waders, 4x reels viz. Penn49A, Penn 500 Jigmaster, Penn 555 and a Daiwa SL50SH, 3 rods viz. Javis Walker 3pce a.k.a. Flippy (turned out to be a rvier rod but hauled in the big bronzie as well as my Elf and a Gallie), Purglass Stoke5 custom (green) 1pce and Blue Marlin G3 5pce. 1000's of metres of Maxima line of different colours and strenths, tons of sinkers being of grab and bottle varieties. Hooks a plenty and swivels to boot. Tackle boxes, head lamps cutting boards,knives, scissors, floats cotton,gaff rod holders... Did I leave anything off for qualifying as a well prepared fisherman except maybe a 4x4 (which was on the cards until the law changed regarding riding on the beach in 2002/2003 and after loads of phone calls and emails to Overberg municipality etc for permission)
Chuck in the accomodation and food and booze costs for fishing weekends to Arniston and struisbaai which is a 400km return drive from where I live which tallied 5 to 6 per year for 4 yrs straight.
I have fished Langebaan ,Saldanha, Camps Bay, Kommetjie,Scarborough,Millers point or Smitswinkel baai (whatever it's called) Fish Hoek, Sunny Cove, Baileys Cottage,Muizenberg,Sonwabi,Broken road,Muskiet Gat,Arendse Road Middelbank, Die Pyp,Beespens,Mnandi,Monwabisi (off the rocks and in the bay) Boskloof,Rooi Els, Pringle Bay,Palmiet,Dawidskraal,Hermanus in the harbour and surrounds,Die Dam,All over Arniston up to Die Draad and Strauisbaai.
So if we put a tally on costs I would say well over R15k has been spent for 15 edibles at most.
What have I learnt??? If you don't know what the hell you doing or if you are listening to people who also have no clue what they are doing then you on a fool's expedition.
Solution: Research.
Not buying hords of books written by people who speak of experience but yet not a single picture of them with a fish???? Hell I even bought a handwritten book which was very informative but not enough to land me dick squat.
The research I have compiled only amounts to 18 pages but it goes into practice this weekend and I will keep a detailed record for 1 year. Should I not catch any edibles totalling 15+ Iwill hang up my rock and surf angling equipment and donate it to someone and stick to my boat fishing where I have been much more successful.
