Back before I had 2 children, in the days when my job was less time consuming, I used to often fish before (and after) work along the beaches of KwaZulu-Natal or in the Durban harbour. Those days now seem like a distant memory, although in truth it wasn’t all that long ago.
This morning I got to relive those days and realised that perhaps they’re not out of my grasp, and reminded me that I’m getting a little lazy and that I can still wake up at 4:30am on a work day to get to the water.
The fishing itself was very much a non event in terms of size and numbers. We fished a pushing, neap tide for an hour and got maybe five fish between the three of us. They were predominantly juvenile wave garrick, although I believe Neill landed one small thornfish as well. The fly of the day was once again an orange charlie, although considering the fish we caught I wouldn’t read too much into this.
Conditions were near perfect; it was a sunny 30 degree morning with clean, warm water and a light southerly wind. There were deep holes, sand banks, and channels with lots of white water. The only thing missing was the fish.
That said being out there is half the fun – it’s true that it’s not always about the fish. And sitting at the Bike and Bean with a large cappuccino and the sun in my face made for a near perfect end to the morning and start of the work day.
