| Struisbaai harbour wall has always been a special | | | | ended many a fight with a line parting. |
| place for anglers of all ages coming to this lovely | | | | Sharks and Rays |
| seaside village from all over South Africa. During | | | | We all know that Struisbaai harbour is home to a |
| summer weekends and holiday season the wall is | | | | few massive black stingrays weighing well over |
| generally packed with anglers of all ages enjoying | | | | 120 kg's, but it is the area just in front of the |
| a wide variety of fishing techniques. The harbour | | | | harbour wall and to the right where huge black |
| wall is a safe and secure place (most of the | | | | rays as well as smaller blue rays and duckbill rays |
| times) where a lot of angling wisdom is shared, | | | | are regularly caught. Many an angler has |
| experience gained and the love for the sport of | | | | overestimated his own prowess and tackle |
| fishing passed down from one angler to another. | | | | capabilities only to have a knot come unraveled, a |
| Struisbaai harbour wall is an interesting angling spot | | | | line break, rod snap or reel bust trying to take on |
| as it offers such a wide variety of fish species to | | | | these sea bulldozers. |
| target. It is a place where toddlers get their first | | | | Stingrays are caught during the day and night, and |
| feel for a rod and reel, and get to touch a puffer | | | | chokka or fish heads seams to work the best for |
| fish for the first time. It is also a place where the | | | | these bottom feeders. Rhe smaller rayus atre |
| big boys with the big tackle come to hunt | | | | awesome fun on light tackle, but for the big black |
| massive stingrays and huge raggies. In between all | | | | stingrays you would need a rod with a strong |
| that you can expect to find elf, garrick, cob, | | | | backbone, at least .45 line, a decent reel and lots |
| musselcracker, smaller sharks, grunters and | | | | of energy as most of the fights lasts up to 4 |
| kolsterte. | | | | hours. |
| Family Fun | | | | The best time to fish for sharks are at night time. |
| Many a mom, dad or grandparent have taken the | | | | Some anglers target smaller shark species like |
| young angler to this safe angling spot and | | | | smooth hounds and spotted gully sharks, or even |
| introduced them to the sport of rock and surf | | | | South Africa's very own pajama cat shark, while |
| angling. I wonder how many chilfren have caught | | | | other angler slide out big baits for spotted ragged |
| their first fish from the harbour wall? Taking a | | | | tooth sharks over 150kg that frequent this area, |
| light rod and reel or a handline and using sardine or | | | | or hoping for a big bronzie or tope shark to land. |
| chokka for bait these youngsters hone their | | | | The prefered bait for the smaller sharks are a live |
| angling skills on puffer fish, strepies, kolsterte, | | | | mullet or maasbanker, or fish fillets and chokka, |
| tjor-tjor and maasbankers. | | | | but with the latter the small fry normally have a |
| Elf on the Wall!! | | | | feast and you have to replace bait on a regular |
| Many a summer evening, on the outgoing tide, | | | | basis. For the bigger sharks most of the anglers |
| the wall resembles a porcupine with quills standing | | | | slide yellowtail or cape salmon heads or half a |
| erect as the anglers, young and old, gather for | | | | skipjack, You can also slide a big maasbanker or |
| the elf run, and also hoping to get a fast | | | | smaller elf with success. |
| swimming garrick. The favourite bait is a whole | | | | A Few Rules |
| sardine slowly trawled on the inside of the | | | | 1) Remember, you are not allowed to use a |
| harbour. With the elf around it normally does not | | | | throw net inside the harbour at any time. Rather |
| take long for any angler to get their bag limit. | | | | use small baited hooks to catch mullet or |
| Garrick / Leervis | | | | maasbankers. |
| From January to March you will see quite a few | | | | 2) Please keep the harbour wall clean. There is a |
| anglers throwing spinners and top water poppers | | | | big drum provided for all your rubbish. |
| from the rocks in fronth of the harbour wall | | | | 3) Watch out for children and other anglers when |
| hoping for a massive strike and a hard fight . | | | | throwing your bait. No one enjoys a hook in the |
| Garrick from 5-20kg are normally around early in | | | | ear or worse. |
| the morning or late afternoon, feasting on the elf | | | | 4) Be considerate towards other angler. Don't |
| in the sheltered harbour water. Some anglers | | | | push in or throw over their lines. |
| prefer running a live elf out on the right hand side | | | | 5) Keep to the size and bag limits. If you are not |
| into the bay, hoping for garrick or a cob. | | | | going to eat it or use it for bait, throw it back. |
| Other Edibles | | | | 6) The rocks are slippery and dangerous when |
| Cob, kolsterte and spotted grunters are the other | | | | going to gaff a fish. I don't think you want to be |
| main targetted species during the months of Nov | | | | in the water with a 200kg raggie! |
| to March, but the odd white musselcracker, | | | | 7) Be carefull of the water!! Watch the waves. |
| galjoen and belman are also landed. The spotted | | | | 8) You are not allowed to drive onto the harbour |
| grunters are normally caught in the shallower | | | | wall with your car, bakkie or scooter. |
| waters at the 2nd and 3rd lamppole on very light | | | | Struisbaai harbour wall will provide you with |
| tackle using prawn or sardine tail as the bait. | | | | endless hours of pure angling joy, even those |
| The average size of the cob are between 2 and | | | | times when the fish don't want to bite. The idea |
| 5kg, but quite a few biggies over 20kg are landed | | | | for Overberg Angling was born on that wall one |
| on a regular basis. The best time for kob is at | | | | night while waiting for some action, and the |
| night using chokka and / or sardine or running | | | | harbour wall holds many other great memories |
| some live mullet or maasbanker. Once a cob is | | | | for me, my family and friends. Hopefully you too |
| hooked it is best to work the fish towards the | | | | will soon enjoy this very special angling spot at |
| sandy beach between the harbour wall and Die | | | | the southern tip of Africa. |
| Las as the rocks in front of the harbour has | | | | |