WHERE TO FISH Part 17

By Nikki Smit & Graham Braby

(Originally published in the January 2025 issue of Ski-Boat magazine)

BAHIA Formosa, or Bay Beautiful as it was named by Portuguese navigator and cartographer Manuel de Perestrelo, has a long and, at times, tragic history of fishing, that includes the establishment of a whaling station in the early 1830s where the iconic Beacon Isle Hotel stands today. Thankfully these giants are no longer targeted in this beautiful bay, but fishermen are certainly spoilt for choice with other species when fishing this coastline.
In decades gone by, commercial fishing was a prominent feature of Plettenberg Bay, with a colourful selection of trawlers gently bobby away in the usually calm waters off Central Beach. These trawlers are now mostly absent, however, and fishing here is now predominantly a recreational activity.
Plett is a truly special place, and I can only imagine what settlers must have felt when they first saw the bay and its surrounds.
Protected from the elements by the majestic Robberg Peninsula, one of my favourite places to visit, you are treated to incredible vistas over the bay towards the mountains as well as the often contrasting wild scenes out to sea. No doubt sailors felt enormous relief when they rounded the point at Robberg and eased into the relatively protected waters of Bahia Formosa.
Plett Tourism recently announced that, in addition to being nominated as Africa’s leading beach destination for the 15th year, the town was also nominated in the category of the world’s leading beach destination at the World Travel Awards. This marks its first global nomination, placing it alongside renowned beaches like those in Thailand, Hawaii and the Maldives.
We are indeed very privileged to live in one of South Africa’s most beautiful areas, one which features six Blue Flag Beaches, two marine protected areas, dramatic scenery and an abundance of marine life. Situated right in the middle of Plett’s famous Central Beach, is another well-known and extremely popular landmark – Plett Ski-Boat Club.

FOR THE FAMILY
Plett offers a variety of activities for the whole family, which is great news for fishermen whose families might not be quite as enthusiastic about spending a day out on the water. The local attractions and activities include beautiful beaches, whale watching trips, hikes around Robberg, kloofing, elephant parks, Monkey Land, birds of prey, adventures parks and farmers’ markets. For those keen on spending time out on the ocean, this can either done with their own boat, or by hiring a charter boat – whichever is easiest and best sits their budget.

LAUNCHING
There are two public launch sites – one at Central Beach and one up the Keurbooms River. They are marked with red stars on the map alongside.
Plett Ski-Boat Club offers a beach launch facility at Central Beach, and permits can be obtained and paid for at the Beach Control Office at the club house next to the NSRI. Most boats are launched via a dolly as the boats generally have to be pushed in quite deep before motors can be dropped. A push pole can also be used if your boat can accommodate this, and sometimes conditions allow for a traditional reverse drop on the beach.
The surf, on the whole, is not too taxing, and it is generally considered a relatively protected beach to launch from. Another bonus is that the site is not tide dependent.
There is a tractor service which can be hired, but skippers who are launching their own boats need a 4×4.
Alternatively, boats can launch up the Keurbooms River at Alkantmooi, near the N2 Bridge. This site is managed by Cape Nature. Day permits are available at the boom, and annual permits are available from the Cape Nature offices in town.
This option is tide dependent, as the river gets very shallow between the slipway and the mouth at low tide, and the channels need to be navigated with care. The section of river between the slipway and the mouth is also a no-wake zone. Skippers need to ensure they watch the tides carefully so that they are able to safely navigate both the channels and the mouth, and will not be caught high and dry in the impact zone. The mouth can also be tricky to navigate through, with a challenging surf to deal with, so skippers have to be sharp when using this option.

MPAS
Once you’re out on the big blue, options abound, but there are two MPAs which skippers and anglers need to familiarise themselves with:

• Robberg MPA bounded by the latitudes S34°04.916’ and S34°07.633’ and longitudes E23°22.300’ and E23°25.967’.
• Tsitsikamma MPA boundaries: Northwest S33°58.99’ E23°34.561’, Southwest S34°1.99’, E23°34.561’, South midway S34°1.817’, E23°38.857’, Southeast S34°6.6’, E24°11.665’, Northwest S34°3.6’, E24°11.665.
  There is currently an appeal underway with regard to this MPA, but until this has been resolved, the Gazetted boundaries as detailed above are effective.

FISHING AT SEA
On colder days, Plett produces some pretty decent hake, and, as we all know, there are few things that beat fresh hake. They are found pretty much anywhere in the bay at around the 50-60m marks. Sometimes snoek are also caught, but this is not a common occurrence and it normally involves a fairly long run towards Eerste River and fishing the deep banks offshore.
Tuna have also been known to come into the bay, but this is also not an everyday occurrence, and, on the rare occasion that they are there, it’s normally over the summer months.
Kob, geelbek, roman, silvers and other reef fish can be found around the 24m depth off Natures Valley and Salt River. Please be mindful of the MPA boundaries in that are, and of sticking to the regulated bag and size limits. Anglers are encouraged to release the bigger breeding stock specimens as well as slow-growing fish such as poensies and rockcod.
Garrick can be caught along the backline along the sandy beaches on live bait or while trolling lures or casting plugs. The whole bay is also good for catching bonito, which certainly give a good fight for their size.

ESTUARY FISHING
If conditions are not conducive for fishing out at sea, the estuary will certainly provide some enjoyment. Remember to obtain a permit from Cape Nature when launching. As I mentioned, the river and estuary are very tide dependent, so make sure you don’t get stuck.
Species that can be targeted in the estuary include grunter, kob and garrick. The area surrounding the N2 bridge on both the Keurbooms and Bitou rivers seems to be good for garrick, and pretty much anywhere with shallow banks will produce grunter. Prawns are the bait of choice, and if you have the patience, you will be rewarded on surface lure and fly.

ROCK AND SURF
Rock and surf fishing in this area, like with most fishing, is totally dependent on the conditions. However, with a very large stretch of beach to choose from, one is sure to find a spot that works. Species caught include white steenbras, kob and garrick.

ROBBERG PENINSULA
While fishing off a boat is prohibited in the MPA, fishing from land is not.
Garrick and bonito are some of the favourites caught from the point, but this involves a long but beautiful walk.
Species such as white musselcracker and galjoen can be caught on the wild side, as can kob. Ensure you are familiar with the closed season for galjoen.
To reach the coastline here you will also need an access permit which is available from Cape Nature at the entrance to Robberg.
No bait collection is allowed in the reserve.
For those wanting to make a weekend of it, the Fountain Shack is an absolute treat and only a relatively short walk from the parking area.

USEFUL CONTACTS
Plett Ski-Boat Club 044-5334147
Cape Nature Offices 044-5332125
Robberg Nature Reserve 044-5332125