Fishing Stories

The dolphins of the Indian Ocean

My wife and I came to KwaZulu-Natal two years ago and we have vowed to come back within the next five years. Living and working in Chicago means that we both have busy schedules and we rarely take lengthy holidays.

After a particularly rough year we decided that we were going to come to South Africa for a month and spend some time on the North coast. We booked our accommodation Richards Bay and set out to see all the sights. Within a few days we were told that we had to see the Bottlenose dolphins. We assumed that we would have to go to an aquarium to see this so we were most amazed when we were referred to a charter that would take us out to sea.

We got up early the morning and set out to look for dolphins – we couldn’t believe how many we saw so close to the coastline! We were only out at see for two hours and we spotted numerous dolphins during this time. The pristine beauty, tranquillity and nature of KwaZulu-Natal is breathtaking and the marine life really made a huge impact on our lives. Since then we’ve joined a fishing club back home and regularly go scuba diving. We hope to be back in South Africa soon!
- Mike, Chicago

Fishing near the Tongaat River

My mates and I have been avid fishers for many years and we’ve tried everything from fly-fishing in the Drakensberg to trout fishing in Dullstroom. We decided that we needed a new adventure and decided that we were going to go Cob fishing over the June/July holiday when varsity closed for recess.

On arrival we quickly got a fishing license at the Ballito Post Office and set out towards the mouth of the Tongaat River. The river mouth was open and we had the most riveting experience fishing in this area. We hardly had time to sit down and have a braai because the adrenaline was pumping while all our friends were reeling in fish and having the times of our lives. I’d recommend Cob fishing in the Tongaat River to anyone who is looking for a new fishing challenge!
- Tobie, Pretoria

Catching my first Marlin

I’ve been fishing since I was a young boy and forty years down the line, I still hadn’t caught a Marlin. My grandfather taught me everything I know about fishing and I didn’t know much about deep sea fishing when I booked my spot on a fishing charter in KwaZulu-Natal.

Nevertheless, I was adamant about getting out on to the open water (being from Welkom I rarely get a chance to fish in the sea). We were five people on the boat, all keen to catch “the big boys”. As the day progressed various people caught some fish (nothing extremely noteworthy) and we calmly chatted amongst one another, sharing fishing tales and fishing tips.

The sun was setting and we were almost ready to start heading back to shore when there was suddenly a huge tug on my fishing rod and my reel started to spin. The atmosphere on the boat changed instantly and everyone jumped to their feet. Instructions and orders were bellowed at me from all directions on the boat but I blocked them out, determined to stay calm and catch my marlin. I wrestled with the fish for nearly forty minutes and even though my arms ached, I refused to hand over my rod for any assistance.

To this day I remember the euphoric feeling of finally lifting this fascinating creature out of the water and I will be telling this fishing story for years to come!
- Shane, Durban

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