 EXPLORING SMALL SOUTH COAST ESTUARIES — Kingfishers, leguaans and wily perch — by Bruce Black
MENTION estuarine flyfishing on the east coast and it’s a given that venues like Mtentu, Kosi Bay and the big harbours spring to mind. That’s not surprising, because these are legendary spots, some of them offering world-class flyfishing.
Less well known, and often ignored by flyfishers, are the many smaller rivers and estuaries punctuating the shoreline of the Wild Coast and KwaZulu-Natal. Although overshadowed by the bigger waters, many of these smaller estuaries fish very well. Even blind rivers that have been closed to the sea for years often hold good fish. Some of these small waters are very scenic, and a day spent quietly prospecting a secluded estuary can add some grand memories to the angling year.
Small estuaries often warrant little more than a glance from visiting flyfishers before being written off as not worth the effort. Certainly, some are too small or shallow to hold anything meaningful, but many of these little waters have immense potential. Tiny rivers that often look totally insignificant from the beach can turn into deep fishy places once you get around the first bend of the river. Other rivers that are silted and degraded often have channels and deep spots that house decent fish.
The Wild Coast is full of small rivers, and most of them hold fish. On KwaZulu-Natal’s south coast many of the smaller rivers fish pretty well — Mpenjati, Oslo Beach and Karridene to name but a few. On the north coast Zinkwazi is good and there are others like the Umhlali that can be productive.
The variety of fish species that inhabit estuarine waters is part of the appeal of these places. You really don’t know what to expect next. On some Wild Coast rivers it is quite possible to take ten different species in a day’s flyfishing.
In smaller estuaries kingfish species, especially bigeye kingfish, are usually common. Small kob and spotted grunter thrive in most east coast estuaries and can often be found near the mouth of the system especially when there are beds of sand prawn present. Cock grunter are found in Pondoland estuaries where they favour shallow rocky areas.
River snapper (rock salmon) are fierce estuarine predators that can attain large sizes and spend most of their lives in the river. Perch are very common in the majority of east coast estuaries and are a favourite target. Other likely catches are flathead, kitefish, seapike and mullet species. Some of the more unusual species one is likely to encounter include Malabar rockcod, ponyfish, largetooth flounder, tank gobies and milkfish.
Freshwater species also crop up quite regularly in catches. The upper reaches of most estuaries are quite fresh and species that can tolerate slightly raised salinities, such as redbreast and blue tilapia, are common in many east coast estuaries. Catfish are also occasionally taken from the upper reaches of some estuaries.
Systems that have been closed for some time become very fresh, and in some rivers bass that have escaped from upstream impoundments have thrived. The Ifafa and Ohlanga Rivers in KwaZulu-Natal are both so infested with bass that it is unusual to catch anything else in these waters.
Read the full story in the February/March 2009 issue of FLYFISHING.
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