The Struisbaai harbor wall has always been a special place for fishermen of all ages who come to this charming coastal town from all over South Africa. During the summer weekends and the holiday season, the wall is generally packed with fishermen of all ages who enjoy a wide variety of fishing techniques. The harbor wall is a safe and protected place (most of the time) where a lot of fishing wisdom is shared, experience is gained and the love for the sport of fishing is transmitted from one fisherman to another.
The Struisbaai harbor wall is an interesting spot for fishing as it offers a wide variety of fish species to target. It is a place where young children feel a rod and reel for the first time, and can touch a blowfish for the first time. It is also a place where the big boys with the big tackle come to hunt giant stingrays and huge raggies. Among all that you can expect to find elves, garrick, cob, mussels, smaller sharks, grunters and kolsterte.
Family fun
Many fathers, mothers or grandparents have brought the young fisherman to this safe fishing spot and introduced them to the sport of rock and surf angling. I wonder how many children have caught their first fish from the harbor wall. Taking a lightweight rod and reel or hand line and using sardines or chokka as bait, these youngsters hone their fishing skills with puffer fish, strepies, kolsterte, tjor-tjor, and maasbankers.
Elf on the wall !!
Many summer nights, with the outgoing tide, the wall resembles a porcupine with upright quills as fishermen, young and old, gather for the elf race, also hoping to get a garrick for a quick swim. The favorite bait is a whole sardine that is caught slowly inside the port. With the elf around you, it usually doesn’t take long for any fisherman to reach his bag limit.
Garrick / Leervis
From January to March you will see quite a few fishermen throwing spinners and water poppers from the rocks in front of the harbor wall in hopes of a massive hit and a tough fight. The 5-20kg Garricks are usually in the early morning or late afternoon feasting with the elf in the water of the sheltered harbor. Some fishermen prefer to run a live elf up the right side into the bay, waiting for a garrick or a cob.
Other edibles
Cob, kolsterte and spotted grunters are the other main target species during the months of November to March, but some white mussels, galjoen and belman are also landed. Spotted grunts are typically caught in shallower water on the second and third lamp posts with very light rigs using shrimp or sardine tail as bait.
The average ear size is between 2 and 5 kg, but quite a few specimens weighing more than 20 kg are landed regularly. The best time for the kob is in the evening using chokka and / or sardine or running a live mullet or maasbanker. Once a cob is hooked, it is best to carry the fish onto the sandy beach between the harbor wall and Die Las, as the rocks in front of the harbor have ended many fights with a parting line.
Sharks and Rays
We all know that Struisbaai Harbor is home to a few massive black stingrays weighing over 120kg, but it is the area just in front of the harbor wall and to the right where huge black rays are found, as well as smaller blue rays and bill rays. of duck. captured regularly. More than one angler has overestimated their own skill and rigging ability only to have a knot unraveled, a line snapped, a rod snapped, or a spool snapped trying to take on these sea diggers.
Stingrays are caught during the day and at night, and chokka or fish head seams work best for these bottom feeders. The smaller rayus is insanely fun on light rigs, but for big black manta rays you would need a rod with a strong backbone, at least a .45 line, a decent reel, and lots of energy as most fights last. up to 4 hours.
The best time to fish for sharks is at night. Some anglers target smaller shark species such as spotted gorge sharks and bloodhounds, or even the South African pajama cat shark, while other anglers slide large spotted rag-tooth shark baits weighing more than 150 kg that frequent this area, or waiting for a big bronzie or butt shark to land.
The preferred bait for smaller sharks is a live mullet or maasbanker, or fish fillets and chokka, but with the latter, small fry usually have a feast and the bait needs to be replaced on a regular basis. For the larger sharks, most fishermen slide horse mackerel or salmon heads from the cape or half skipjack. You can also swipe a large maasbanker or a smaller elf successfully.
Some rules
1) Remember, you are not allowed to use a shooting net inside the harbor at any time. Instead, use small baited hooks to catch red mullet or maasbankers.
2) Keep the port wall clean. There is a large drum for all your junk.
3) Be careful around children and other fishermen when casting your bait. Nobody likes an ear hook or worse.
4) Be considerate of other fishermen. Don’t push or throw their lines.
5) Respect the size and bag limits. If you are not going to eat it or use it as bait, throw it away.
6) Rocks are slippery and dangerous when fishing for a fish. I don’t think you want to be in the water with a 200 kg cloth!
7) Be careful with the water !! Look at the waves.
8) You are not allowed to drive up to the harbor wall with your car, bakkie or scooter.
The Struisbaai harbor wall will provide you with endless hours of pure fishing joy, even in those moments when the fish don’t want to bite. The idea for Overberg Angling was born on that wall one night while I was waiting for some action, and the harbor wall holds many other great memories for me, my family and friends. We hope that you too will soon enjoy this very special place for fishing in the southern tip of Africa.