Jeffrey’s Bay Day 1: Mayhem on the beaches…
Shore fishing for sharks can be a very hit and miss business, but we struck absolute gold on day one.
Starting the fishing at around 05:00, it was pretty much rods bent from one hour into the session, until the session ended at around 17:00. There were very few moments at all in which at least one of the lads wasn’t hooked up….just absolutely insane fishing.
The fish weren’t small either, with the catch including a 305lb Ragged Tooth Shark for Gareth and Bronze Whalers of 204lb for Lee , 330lb for Oliver and a pair of crackers for Kim of 198lb and 385lb!
Also well worth a mention, were a grey shark for Paul, an Eagle Ray, Kob and small bronzie for Marc and a few other smaller bronzies.
Tomorrow, a bit more wind and swell, so not expecting the same kind of result as today, but only time will tell.
Jeffrey’s Bay Day 2: A Tough Day In The Swells…
Well, as expected, the swells picked up significantly overnight, making it much harder to fish.
We did go back and give it a go at yesterday’s hotspot, but after 2 hours with no sign of a bite and the swells building all the time, we decided to move around a bit.
The bigger fish just didn’t want to play today though, so we had to settle for a mixed bag of smaller species, which included cob, shy sharks and a spotted gully shark.
Tomorrow, it’s 50:50 as to whether the top beaches will be fishable again, so we’ll just play it by ear. From Friday onwards though, the forecast is looking extremely favourable
Jeffrey’s Bay Day 3: A Pleasant Surprise…
After yesterday’s struggle in the swelly conditions, we thought it would be another tough one today. But Gerhard Guse from JBay Fishfighters knows this area better than most and he had faith in one spot in particular.
During the first hour and a half, the swells remained huge, crashing on the back bank consistently….. no bites came. We were starting to think that a move may be needed, but every now and then there would be a 10-15 minute lull in the waves, which gave us a glimmer of hope.
As the morning progressed, the swell started to drop out even more and with the change came the fish….and plenty of them. Although no monsters were beached today, all the guests enjoyed some great action from smaller bronzies to around 60lb, grey sharks, a pair of lovely blue rays, a 64lb butterfly ray and a couple of spotted grunter. All in all an excellent result considering what it was looking like first thing.
Tomorrow is the start of the better conditions, so we should see some more bigger shark action. With only two of the guests yet to beach a fish over 200lb, that will be the target
Jeffrey’s Bay Day 4: Hammer Time!
Apologies for the lack of report yesterday. It wasn’t down to lack of fish as you’ll read below. I was just knackered after a long day and fell asleep at 19:30. Lightweight…
Anyway, we ventured back to day three’s location to see if we could bag up again and it was certainly a good move. The swell being much smaller and water clarity much better, Gerhard immediately said conditions look perfect for hammerheads. True to form, he was spot on, with three being landed in the morning for Oliver , Marc and Jacob .
Highlight fish of the day was another cracking butterfly ray of 69lb for Lee . Other fish included numerous smaller bronzies and grey sharks.
Today we went back to day ones venue in search of big bronzies. Find out how we got on tomorrow.
Jeffrey’s Bay Days 5 & 6: A Few Fish To Finish Off A Cracking Trip…
Well the last two days have been more of a struggle than expected. On Saturday, we hit up the beach from which we had great success on day one. But the numbers of fish were not there this time. We did have one belter of a Bronzie though at 207cm/276lb for Paul Cookson and a couple of smaller fish too.
Today the swell and wind picked up again making it difficult. We picked up a few fish early on, which included a grey shark, a butterfly ray and a cob. From then on in though, it was just a few small fish on the light gear, despite trying 4 different venues.
Overall though, it’s been another fantastic trip. I can’t thank Gerhard Guse , Wallie, Fritz, Dewet and Jeroen enough. These guys look after us like no-one else I’ve come across, sorting us with fantastic food, fantastic fishing and a good helping of banter throughout. If you’re looking for a getaway next year, I can’t recommend this trip enough.
Now it’s time for one last braai before packing it up for the week. Sirloin steaks coming up…
Tight Lines,
Ross Johnson
CONTACT US
If you like the idea of doing battle with a big Bronze Whaler from the shore, then check out our hosted Jeffrey’s Bay tour. If you’d also like any further information, you can contact our shore fishing specialist Paul Stevens on 01603 407 596 or email at paul@sportquestholidays.com.
