WHERE TO FISH Part 18

By Nikki Smit

(Originally published in the March 2025 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine)

THE coastline between Gericke’s Point and Mossel Bay is characterised by steep dunes and cliffs interspersed with gorgeous sections of beach. While it’s a truly beautiful section of coastline, it does not offer many options for launching a boat to go to sea. Inland, however, options abound, ensuring that between the sea and the estuaries, anglers will certainly have enough to keep them happy.

SWARTVLEI ESTUARY AND SEDGEFIELD LAGOON
These water bodies provide a vast area to fish in. The lagoon is relatively shallow and, if the mouth is open, can be quite tide dependent, especially for launching, so make sure you check the tides when you plan a trip. The mouth sometimes closes for extended periods and then this is no longer a problem, but if Swartvlei gets too full, access under the old train bridge from the lagoon is problematic as it is very low.
Grunter, kob, Cape stumpnose, elf and garrick can all be caught here. The train bridge is a favourite spot for shore-based anglers who want to target garrick. The shallows between the N2 bridge and the train bridge are often frequented by flyfishers, as are the shallows north of the train bridge.
Access to these areas can be gained by parking at the train line where it crosses the outward-bound road. Ensure that no valuables are left visible in your vehicle when parking here.
Swartvlei has many options and can pretty much be fished anywhere. There are boat exclusion zones, but these are clearly marked with buoys. Grunter tend to be found on the shallower banks and kob in the deeper sections on the northern side of the vlei. Garrick are also sometimes caught while trolling livebait.
Public access directly onto Swartvlei is very limited, but one can launch a boat from Bayswater. Note that a daily fee is payable and the access hours are very strict. Alternatively, you need to get onto the lagoon and travel upriver and under the train bridge to Swartvlei, but this is not an option for bigger boats or cabin boats.
Fishing in the lagoon produces similar species to what you’ll find at Swartvlei, with grunter probably being the most targeted, usually by drifting across the banks on the pushing tide. When the mouth is open, the water is beautiful and clear, and as the lagoon is relatively shallow, the bottom can be seen most of the time.
There are two launch sites, but they can be heavily affected by the tide, so be aware of that and take the size of your boat into account.
One launch site is near the mouth, and there’s another on the island, but both have limited parking space. These areas can get very busy during the holiday season so it’s best to get there early.
Take note that skippers may have to navigate a fair bit of weed when leaving the slipways, but the channels are clearly marked with buoys. Care must be taken to observe the no wake and no boat zones.
A SANParks permit is needed to access the lagoon and Swartvlei with a boat, whether it be a paddle/rowing boat or one with a motor. These permits are available either from the Knysna office, located on Thesen Island (044 302 5600) or from the Wilderness office located at Ebb and Flow, (044 877 1197). This permit is required for all the vleis and estuaries within the Garden Route National Park area.
A variety of baits can be used on the vlei and in the lagoon, but sand prawns and sardines are firm favourites. Sand prawns can be pumped at low tide or be caught with the use of a float ring.

SWARTVLEI BEACH, GERICKE’S POINT AND SWARTVLEI LAUNCH SITE TO KAAIMANS
This section of coast is characterised by shallow banks and deep gullies. Swartvlei Beach is popular among surf anglers and offers a wide variety of fish to target, both edible and non-edible.
Gericke’s Point is very popular among shark fishermen and spearfishermen. One has to be mindful of the tide when fishing the Point, as it can be dangerous in places when you’re walking back to the car park at spring high tide.
Between Gericke’s Point and Wilderness is a spectacular piece of coastline, and if you are willing to tackle a fairly substantial walk, some wonderful spots can be found. Once again you will need to be mindful of the spring high tides when walking along this section.
Swartvlei Beach is also a launching site for boats wishing to go out to sea. George Ski-Boat Club manages the launch site on behalf of SANParks. It’s a surf launch and is very much swell and tide dependent. A 4×4 vehicle is required. For further informtion on the launch site, contact the George Ski-Boat Club via email <secretary@george
skiboatclub.co.za>.
There are a number of good deep sea fishing options between Gericke’s Point and the Kaaimans River mouth, and reef fish can be caught along this whole section.
There is a long reef relatively close inshore in around 30m of water, which runs most of the way from Gericke’s Point to Wilderness Beach. Each day out produces a different selection of catches – a bit like Forrest Gump’s “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. Be prepared for anything from kob and geelbek to red fish. Chokka and sardines are the baits most often used.
Hake can also be found along this section anywhere in the 60m+ depths.
There are many patches of reef off Wilderness Beach ranging in depths from 25- to 40m. Beautiful santer and the occasional kob can be found here. Big carpenters like to frequent the area in front of Klein Kranz.

ISLAND LAKE AND TOUW RIVER
Island Lake is a fascinating place to fish due to the variety of species found there. It is one of the few places where one can catch grunter, leervis and carp. Both artificials and bait provide good results, and one can launch a boat at the slipway located next to the Island Lake Holiday Resort.
The launch site is managed by SANParks and a park fee is payable. Information is available from SANParks Wilderness. The Serpentine River, which links Island Lake to the Touw River, is a no boat zone.
To access the Touw River by boat, you can launch from SANParks Wilderness at Ebb and Flow. Touw River is a great place to target grunter, kob and leeries.

KAAIMANS RIVER
At present the public can only fish the Kaaimans River from the shore or from a canoe. Some decent sized grunter have been caught here, and leervis can be targeted close to the mouth. Please ensure that you respect private property at Kaaimans if you fish there.

WILDERNESS TO VICTORIA BAY
(Along the train line)
There are some great places to fish off the rocks along this section although for security reasons people are advised not to go there alone as there have been a few incidents. Use of the old train bridge is also not advisable as it is badly rusted and degraded with huge sections missing and is a severe safety hazard. The mouth is currently quite deep so care would need to be taken if one wants to cross over.

GROOT BRAK, KLEIN BRAK AND HARTENBOS RIVERS
These three rivers are located relatively close to one another as we move closer to Mossel Bay. Species to be targeted in this area are grunter and leervis, with the occasional kob also being caught here. Grunter can be caught on the pushing tide, as well small kob and leervis.
Kleinbrak has a small public slipway opposite the police station, but the launch is quite tight. It is not a proper concrete slipway, though, and is just made from compacted sand, so it is advisable to use a 4×4. This is a public launch site so there’s no fee for using it.
Boats may not travel left around the island near the beach as it is too shallow.

MOSSEL BAY
Those looking to go deep sea fishing in Mossel Bay have a couple of options – book a charter with one of the local charter companies which operate from the harbour, or launch your own boat from the public slipway at the harbour.
Just be careful if you choose this second ption, because the slipway can be tricky to navigate at times due to quite a serious surge. A tractor service is available should it be required.
Due to the slipway being part of the harbour, a harbour permit is required, as is a Port Clearance certificate. For information on costs and what documents are required, contact Elfie on 060 870 4299 or <admin@mbskippers.co.za>.
There is a fair amount of reef close inshore between Mossel Bay and Victoria Bay, and reef fish including kob can be caught on most of these reefs. Depths vary between 20m and 40m.
Garrick can be caught from the shore or close inshore from a boat between Reebok and Diaz Beach. There are ample places to fish along the whole section of beach between Groot Brak and Diaz Beach.
When conditions are right you can catch bonito from the Point at the Lighthouse. Hake are generally found out in the bay in depths around 70m, but water temperature influences this and sometimes they are found in shallower water. Kob sometimes come out among the hake too.

FOR THE NON-FISHERS
If the rest of the family aren’t quite as enthusiastic about a day out on the sea, the area boasts many other outings and adventures they might enjoy.
Sedgefield is a quaint little seaside town that’s often missed by passersby. Things to do here include visiting the Saturday morning Farmers and Craft Market, paragliding, beautiful beach walks, canoeing on the lagoon (you can rent canoes at the slipway near the mouth during the holiday season), mountain biking, horse riding and swimming.
Wilderness offers a variety of shops and entertainment including quad bike riding, segway tours, paintball and paragliding, or you can swing in the trees with Acrobranch.
There’s also kayak hire and kloofing trips on the Kaaimans River.
In George you can go mountain biking, hiking, strawberry picking or horse riding. You can also visit the Outeniqua farmers market on a Saturday or visit the old train museum, or take trips on the Outeniqua power van.Vic Bay and Heralds Bay have lovely beaches.
Mossel Bay has a coastal zip line which will certainly get the heart rate up, as will cage diving with sharks and whale watching. Then there are the beautiful beaches, game farms and museums to visit. You can also go diving, skydiving, parasailing, hiking and trail running.
In short, there is plenty to keep the family busy while the fishermen collect dinner.

GENERAL INFO
There are a number of charter companies and tackle shops in the area and a Google search will help you identify them.
There is also plenty of accommodation along this stretch of coastline. If you look on one of the many online booking portals such as Lekkeslaap, Airbnb or Safarinow, you are bound to find something that will suit your needs and pocket.
For more information on the area as a whole, contact the Mossel Bay Tourism office on 044 691 2202 or visit <www.visitmosselbay.co.za>.
Sincere thanks to Jandre Blom from Bloudam Fishing Adventures, Marius Opperman, Bertie Steward, Dylan Erasmus from Mayfly, and Elfie from MB Skippers for their input and photos.