Fishing in DE HOOP Nature Reserve – Tag and Release Project

Fishing in DE HOOP Nature Reserve – Tag and Release Project

The tag and release project has been going for 30 years, starting one year before De Hoop was announced as a Marine Protected Area in 1986. This is a government initiative managed by The Department of Environmental Affairs, Branch Oceans and Coast, Directorate –  Biodiversity and Coastal Research. The data collected from this project has been used to manage recreational fisheries outside the reserve and also study the movements and growth of fish species. There are two areas in DE HOOP where fish are tagged namely Lekkerwater and Koppie Alleen. There are 6 trips per year with 10 anglers per trip of which 2 anglers target sharks and 8 anglers target edible fish. Anglers tag fish for 4 days from sunrise to sunset and therefore only fish daylight hours.

We arrived on the Sunday afternoon at De Hoop. After unpacking all our fishing gear we went down to Lekkerwater to flag the beach where we were going to fish the coming week.  Over a 3,5km stretch we pinned down a flag every 100m. Each flag is numbered and represents GPS coordinates. Once you catch a fish you need to measure the fish, tag the fish, indicate what specie it is and at which flag you caught the fish. Each tag has a unique reference number which then belongs to that specific fish. When the same fish is caught again sometime in the future the tag reference number will give meaning to the initial data collected since the first time the fish was tagged and the recapture date. We tagged 346 fish over the 4 days. Most of the fish tagged were galjoen. The conditions was not that great but regardless we still caught plenty of fish. Check out this video which is a summary of the week’s fishing:

 

(I apologize if some of the footage is a bit blurry – due to water that splashed on the lens)

 

I have been fishing for many years and can say with confidence that I would not have caught 42 fish in 4 days anywhere along our coastline in those conditions. In fact I would have been lucky if I caught 10 fish over 4 days with the same amount of effort. This brings me to my next point – MORE MARINE PROTECTED AREAS. Why? I think the reason is obvious and I would like my children and other children to also be able to fish in 15 years from now. I don’t want them to listen to the stories like I have  how rock and surf anglers caught Rooi Steenbras and White Steenbras by the hundreds in 1 day. Today Rooi Steenbras is a protected specie and White Steenbras is not far from being on the red list unless some drastic intervention takes place. We have 1, 5000,000 rock and surf anglers in South Africa. You can imagine the human pressure on fish. IF De Hoop were opened to public to fish freely as they like the fish population in the reserve will be depleted within 3 months at the current catch rate in the reserve.

So what is the solution to this problem? Don’t fish, leave the fish alone. We all know that is not going to happen and I am the first to put my hand up.

For starters I think all anglers should take responsibility and make this our problem. We can start by respecting bag limits and seasons when fish can be caught as those rules are there for a reason to give fish time to breed. Be a responsible fisherman!

Secondly more Marine Protected Areas are necessary to give fish the opportunity to breed and feed without any human interference. For example the Hermanus Plaat is arguably the preferred fishing ground for many anglers targeting White Steenbras. Why not make the Hermanus Plaat from the De Kelders end right down to the Mouth at Grotto Beach a reserve? Anglers will still get good catches on the borders of the reserve as fish will move in and out of the reserve. If we have more Marine Protected Areas on our coastline it can only have a positive influence on the fish population. De Hoop is a perfect example! I caught a tagged Galjoen 4 years ago in Jongensfontein which is proof that fish do move in and out of the reserve.

You are probably wondering which species we tagged on the trip at De Hoop. We tagged Galjoen, Musselcracker, White Steenbras, Elf, Kabeljou and Sharks.

Here are some interesting facts about some of these fish:

Fish can feel a degree of pain but much less than humans, more of an irritation than pain which they experience. A fish was caught and tagged and the same fish was caught 10 minutes later. Can’t be that painful then?
Galjoen Males are sexually mature at 31 cm and females at 34cm. Hence the size limit is 35cm, giving them at least once chance to breed before being caught. Up to about 47cm you will find both sexes, but any Galjoen larger than that is always female. The maximum ages we have measured so far is 22.4 years for a male of 47cm and 41.3 years for a 67,5cm female. Pretty amazing.
White Steenbras and Kabeljou both migrate to spawn, they are not territorial like galjoen.

Finally here is a scenic video of the territory we fished in. Note that the white house in the video on top of the hill is the old holiday house of former President FW De Klerk. He gave the house back to the state after he stepped down as President. I wonder if our current President would have done that.

 

Please share your comments below and your opinion on having more Marine Protected Areas. Or maybe a solution on how we can protect our fish species please?

The White Steenbras

The White Steenbras is one of the most popular fish to target along the South African East Coast from Natal all the way down to the Western Cape. Also known as the Vrakbek or Pignose Grunter, the White Steenbras can easily weigh up to 20kg's, but the average size caught is between 1-5kg's.

White Steenbras

These fish can be found along the beaches along the edges of deeper holes as well as either side of a sand flat. They can slo be found in mud flats in rivers and estuaries.


To see what bait to use and how to prepare it, check out our video below.

With the weekend coming up see if you can catch one or two, then Submit Your Catch and see how you compare to the others in our directories.

Happy fishing!

Pacific Bluefin Tuna Endangered by Over-Fishing

The population of the Pacific Bluefin Tuna has dipped by a shocking 96% over the years, leaving the species under threat.

A proposal has been put forward in Japan to cut catches of tuna younger than 3 years old by 15%, but still needs to be formally accepted.

In the video below, Al Jazeera reporter, Florence Looi reports from Tokyo.

Baked Fish Recipe

Even though Spring Day has come and gone, we still find ourselves in the thick of the cold, wet and windy weather we know all to well as Winter. But what is a man to do, after a long hard day in such weather, enjoying his favorite sport/past-time, with his day's catch of yellowtail? It surely can't be expected of him to still attempt to braai the fish out in that weather too? No. Well how about bake it?

Now I know what you're thinkig: Baking is not for men - but have you ever tried it? It's really quite simple. And so is this recipe. In fact, the recipe is so easy you could get the whole family involved (and hope they manage to come right by themselves).

Here's what you'll need:

• 1.5-2kgs of the yellowtail you spent your whole day, working hard in catching. (cleaned and descaled)
• 2x Oranges, cut into thick slices
• 2x Lemons, cut into thick slices

And for the marinade:

• 1/4 cup torn up coriander leaves
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 olive oil
• 1 crushed garlic clove

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Place the fish in a roasting pan or oven dish and cover with the orange and lemon slices
• Mix all the marinade ingredients together before pouring over the fish.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25min.

And that's it! So easy! In fact, you might want to try and play around with your own flavours in the marinade.

If you like this recipe or have any questions, let us know in the comments section below. Otherwise, if you'd like to share your recipe with us, please do so via our forum and we'll share it with the rest of our followers.

How to Load Line on a Spinning Reel

It is of great importance that you load you line correctly. If you get this wrong you only set yourself up for a line-twisting nightmare later. The line will twist into coils when it should hang limp, causing your line to tangle into an ugly nest when you cast.

The easiest way to load line onto your reel is to have someone else do it for you. If you can, just let the tackle shop take care of it when you buy your line. They should have a nifty machine that will do it quickly and professionally.

If, for whatever reason, you need to do this yourself, this is how its done:

1. Open the bail. That’s the little wire arm on the reel that flips up and down. Up is open, down is closed. Click here to see more about a spinning reel.

2. Tie the line on the arbor with an arbor knot. Close the bail.

3. Put the spool on the floor, label facing up. A spinning reel requires that the line be loaded onto the reel the same way it comes off the spool.

Like this:

 Not like this:

4. With your free hand, use your thumb and index finger to apply light pressure to your line as you give the handle 15 to 20 turns. Always apply light pressure on the line while loading it, otherwise the line will go on loose and tangle later.

5. Stop. Check the line for line twist. Do this by letting the line go slack. If it starts twisting, flip the spool over (label down) and try again. Use the side that gives you less twist.

6. Fill your spool until it is 1/8th inch from the rim. Overfilling or underfilling your spool will create problems when you cast.

And you’re all done. You can use a rubber band to secure your line on the spool, or wrap it around the tab in your spool (if it comes with one).

The Ultimate Fish Braai Recipe

If you've caught yourself a nice Yellowtail (or any other firm and gamey fish) that you intend on puting over the coals for dinner... then here's a fantastic, easy, fool proof recipe for you to try!

What you will need:

• Yellowtail - filleted and butterflied
• Basil Pesto
• Olive Oil
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Red Onion
• Feta
• Black Pepper
• Foil

Follow these steps:

1. Place the fish on a sheet of foil, big enough to enclose as a parcel.
2. Rub a decent coat of olive oil in to the fish.
3. Spread a generous layer of basil pesto on both butterflied sections.
4. On one butterflied section, add generous quantities of cherry tomatoes, red onion rings, crumbled feta and cracks of black pepper.
5. Take the butterflied side that only has basil pesto, along with it's half of the foil and fold it closed onto the other side to form your parcel.
6. Place the parcel on a grid above the coals for 15 minutes on one side and then 10-15 minutes on the other, before checking on the parcel by opening it.
7. Roll back the foil and open the fish to allow the smokey braai flovaours to enter the mix for a few minutes.

If you wish to keep with the braai theme, try a sweet potato rolled in foil, cooked on the coals as a perfect accompaniament with a side salad for this dish. It can also be served with steamed basmati rice and vegetables.


If you have any great recipes you'd like to share with us, post them in the comments below or even post it to our Forum and we'll share it with all our followers.

Campfire Fishing Rod

How's this for an innovative idea?

Now you can fire up some tasty snacks around the fire with campfire cooking gear that any one can use! These innovative campfire roasting sticks create a fun way to roast foods like peppers, hot dogs, shrimps, marshmallows and much more!

Featuring a fishing pole appeal, this fun roasting stick has a fixed stainless steel "line" and roasting "hooks" and a heat resistant wooden handle. And they're great for the kids to use too!

Simply place the hot dog and/or marshmallows on the roasting hooks, gently shake the pole over the fire (like you would an actual fishing pole) and whatch as your snacks cook to perfection! After use, let the rod cool down before cleaning with soap and warm water.