Swartkops River

[LeerieXP]

Hi all

I just joined up on Sealine and was wondering if anyone has been fly fishing the swartkops lately? I've spent a number of days there this holiday season and have only been able to come up with one small mullet that I believe was having an identity crisis because it took the flipper I was using. Has anyone else had much success here and if so, would you be willing to share your secret? I've concentrated most of my fishing around tiger bay and moddespruit using flippers, prawn imitations and clousers.

Any help would be fantastic!

 

[rseebach]

I remember way back when, the leeries would go off at modderspruit just as the tide turned on the low.

 

[Marshie]

The river was full up with leeries, skippies and kob up to the 16 / 17 Dec.  The locals gill netted once again this year and decimated the shoals.  There is still the odd fish around but you have to work hard for them.  I see you have been concentrating on the lower sections of the river... I find this area of the river too busy this time of year.  Try the Perseverance section...

 

[Splasher]

I saw the pegs that they put up to hold the nets in place. I take it the nets only go up at night? I wish I could do something to stop these guys!

 

[Marshie]

Splasher...  spot on.  They pop the net in on the low tide and remove it early the next morning.  It sits below the water's surface so can't easily be spotted.  The local conservation guys are useless... my mate was down at the river watching the locals put a net in.  He called the conservation officials who came down but would not do anything about it.  

The best thing to do is to remove the pegs whenever you come across them.  The only other option is to go out at night in a boat and drag an anchor up and down the channels.

It's sad...  I have reviewed our catch records from the last 4 years and each year about mid December the fishing has gone dead as a result of the netting.