Mike Laubscher

Good Bottom Fishing after the Floods

Offshore Fishing Report – Durban – End April 2019

Easter weekend was a washout with heavy rains ending with floods on Monday night. On Tuesday the harbour was filthy and full of debris and litter that has washed down from rivers and storm water drains, the sea was also a mess, as the week went on the debris in the harbour remained but was taken away by currents offshore leaving green water with the first few meters filled with freshwater. I have never before seen so much empty plastic bottles floating around out at sea as I did after these floods in my life before, it is so disgusting to se mankind’s litter all over the ocean, the harbour has been a cesspool of filth and it stinks. Clean up operations have been fruitless; more rubbish has drifted down after so much effort was put in. Very difficult conditions to fish in and we have found no game fish at all. With on the first few meters of water not good the reefs seem to be unaffected and we have had some really superb bottom fishing with loads of Slinger being caught along with a few other species, all average sized fish and many multiple hook ups with a fish on every hook dropped down. In no time quotas were filled. On one trip we had full quota of bottom fish for all on board within the first hour and then tried in vain for the rest of the trip looking for Tuna. Yesterday we ventured out to deep waters after bottoms first and found out deep that the water is clean, blue and warm but sadly void of life. During the next week I think the offshore waters will improve quickly but the harbour will take a while to clean up. To all those who have volunteered and spent their own time to assist with clean ups all around a BIG THANK YOU and my respect, a big thumbs down to the municipality for leaving things to get this bad and not making much effort to clean up leaving it to volunteers.

Fish Species: Bottoms
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Mike Laubscher

About The Author: Mike Laubscher

Company: Blue Water Charters - Durban

Area Reporting: Durban. KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Bio: I have been fishing since I was 5 years old in Durban and have fished many places around the world and in South Africa, but Durban is my home waters. I fished competitive for many years and I have been running my own charters since 2008 with 2 companies and 2 boats, fish a variety of styles and target a variety of fish species in both Salt and Fresh water, have many published articles in several magazines on fishing. Love nature and outdoors, Am very conservation minded and have a passion for birds. I am crazy about big Tuna, Marlin Fishing and Game Fishing, and also love light tackle spinning, am a total lure junkie. Represented my province in fly fishing for many years and am also pro staff for Rapala/Shimano. I want to write a book on fishing one day. 3 items left on my fishing bucket list, guess then a new bucket list will be in order. As a writer I have my own quote: \"I love taking people fishing because it releases their inner child, and in doing so keeps my inner child alive.\"

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