The unusually searing heat experienced last week was just a taste of what we normally expect in February and early March.

Despite the heat, offshore anglers were in their element at the weekend with sea conditions well in their favour.

Game fish anglers were however on the losing side, with the wind and dirty water not in their favour.

Water temperatures hovered around 25 degrees Celsius all last week and while some fish were caught, fishing did not meet expectations. I have always found game fishing at its best from April onward.

Some couta and sizeable snoek were caught north of Ballito, with other game fish like tuna and dorado found off Durban and Umdloti.

Billfish anglers had a recent spate of productivity, mainly with sailfish, but there has been some marlin striking, too. I believe the water out deep appears purple, running hot as blood according to deep sea anglers who report difficult fishing conditions owing to a strong reverse current.

There have been several pulls from big wahoo as well, but no fish were landed. I think that fishing has potential at present and will improve as the sea water slowly returns to normal.

In this heat the best time for rock and surf anglers to fish has been during first and last light.

Anglers on the hunt for edible fish found shad on the bite in some areas with Salt Rock proving to be the best location. The shad were however on the smaller side.

Pompano have also been on the bite just south of Ballito. Cast a drop shot along the rocky outcrops of Ballito and just north of Westbrook to catch pompano. They generally take sealice bait but, at times, show preference for prawn, too.

Summer flat fish can still be found along the entire coastline but, last week, the fish tended to be smaller off Ballito. Some sharks have also been caught, from duskies, small greys and even a few hammerheads at Durban.

Most fish don’t like dirty waters, just like beachgoers don’t like dirty beaches. This is the case at Durban North where fishing has been quiet, the odd angler returning home empty-handed.

There have been some snapper salmon caught along with the odd nice stumpnose and big grunter at night.

The bay continues to produce fish, with anglers hooking into some big skates when targeting grunter and snapper salmon.

Meanwhile, the upper South Coast remains quiet with just a few small shad caught last week.

With rain expected from Wednesday, get down to the beach and persevere with a light tackle drop shot or two and gun pompano and snapper salmon.

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