Fishing
If you have patience, perhaps casting a line in the water around The Island in the hopes of catching a garrick (leervis), harder or grunter is for you (of course, you are almost as likely to catch a canoeist or swimmer during the summer!).
Fly-fishing has grown in popularity in the last few years. South Magazine featured a two-part series, "Fly Heaven", in August and November 2010 which provides a good overview of fly flshing in the Garden Route (and Great Brak). Henkie Altna of Flydotfish guides in the area and gives clinics to eager to learn or improve their technique.
Popular spots for garrick (leervis), grunter and cob/kabeljou include:
- the south side of the rail bridge during the day going into high tide, or else dropping in the evening (click here for the tide table links on this site or see more at the bottom of this page)
- the first corner north of the N2 and rail bridges
- along the bank adjacent to the N2 and toward the police station
- under the N2 bridge
Or try your hand at catching a cob (you might even catch a 60+ kg monster), musselcracker, steenbras or galjoen in the ocean. Be sure you have a valid fishing licence. If you don't have one already, you can obtain a licence either for the whole season or for shorter (4 week) durations at the Great Brak Post Office in the village. Note that additional licences are required for the use of cast- or throw-nets, as well as for shellfish or bait harvesting, including pumping for mud or sand prawns (there is a daily 50-bag limit). The 2011/2012 guide to Marine Recreational Activity regulations is provided as a courtesy, but anglers should ensure they have the most current information which is available from either the Post Office or the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The images below indicate the area (9A) where bait collection is restricted - further details are available in this file which is available for download.
Fly-fishing has grown in popularity in the last few years. South Magazine featured a two-part series, "Fly Heaven", in August and November 2010 which provides a good overview of fly flshing in the Garden Route (and Great Brak). Henkie Altna of Flydotfish guides in the area and gives clinics to eager to learn or improve their technique.
Popular spots for garrick (leervis), grunter and cob/kabeljou include:
- the south side of the rail bridge during the day going into high tide, or else dropping in the evening (click here for the tide table links on this site or see more at the bottom of this page)
- the first corner north of the N2 and rail bridges
- along the bank adjacent to the N2 and toward the police station
- under the N2 bridge
Or try your hand at catching a cob (you might even catch a 60+ kg monster), musselcracker, steenbras or galjoen in the ocean. Be sure you have a valid fishing licence. If you don't have one already, you can obtain a licence either for the whole season or for shorter (4 week) durations at the Great Brak Post Office in the village. Note that additional licences are required for the use of cast- or throw-nets, as well as for shellfish or bait harvesting, including pumping for mud or sand prawns (there is a daily 50-bag limit). The 2011/2012 guide to Marine Recreational Activity regulations is provided as a courtesy, but anglers should ensure they have the most current information which is available from either the Post Office or the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The images below indicate the area (9A) where bait collection is restricted - further details are available in this file which is available for download.
Finally, if you're serious about your fishing, you're probably going to want to know the latest tide information. I regularly post the latest tide tables (courtesy of the South African Navy's Hydrographic Office) to this website's blog. For a short-cut to the tide table-related posts on this website, click here.