Kayak Fishing during the Sardine Run \\ South Coast Mission

South coast mission. Justin loads the ski onto Arnold's bakkie and the two head down from Durban for a day on the water at Scottburgh, chasing whatever wants to play: couta, garrick, tuna, sailies. Ross is already out there and has a tuna on the deck before they even launch. The surf does not roll out the welcome mat. A solid set rolls through right as they're trying to punch out, and there's a bit of negotiation with the shore-break before they're clear and into the open water. Once out, the bait situation gets interesting fast. The fish-finder lights up with marks all around them, and a hammerhead cruises past close enough for Justin to clock the wrong kind of fin. The sabikis go down on a big school of liveys and come up with a mix of mackerel, sardines, and one very confused goat fish that crashed the party. Justin holds it up for the camera, has a chuckle at the goatee, and gets back to it. With bait in the hatch the squidtrex comes out. First fish on the jig is a chunky yellowbelly rockcod with sparks all over him. A bit later the same setup pulls up one of the more unexpected catches of the day: a bright yellow trigger fish, all teeth and attitude, that needs the pliers before it goes back. The day stretches into late afternoon, dolphins move through, and the camera dips under the surface to a wall of baitfish that gives a sense of just how much life is sitting under the kayaks. As the sun drops and the sky turns pink, Arnold's rod loads up properly. Justin paddles over and gets the camera on Arnold holding up a serious silver fish at last light, the kind of finish that makes the early start worth it. Back on the beach with the kayaks pulled up and the fish laid out, the trip wraps in the half-dark. 📍 Scottburgh, KZN, South Africa Chapters: 0:00 Plan: south coast for tuna, couta, sailies 1:00 Loading the skis, drive through Durban 2:10 Scottburgh main beach, scoping the launch 3:40 Punching out through a big set 6:16 Quick word about the new Salt Rockers website 6:20 Surf launch, second wave round 6:54 Out the back, paddling to the marks 7:26 Circle hooks on, hunting bait 7:34 Bait school under the kayak 7:58 Hammerhead cruises past 8:01 First liveys come up on the sabiki 8:08 Goat fish gatecrashes the bait drop 8:48 Massive school of bait below 10:53 Dolphin pod moves through 13:20 Squidtrex goes down on the marks 14:30 Yellowbelly rockcod on the jig 15:50 Setting a live mackerel for garrick 16:55 Trigger fish on the squidtrex 18:30 Underwater wall of baitfish 19:40 Arnold lands a big silver at last light 20:33 Surf back in, fish on the sand Connect with us here: Website: https://www.saltrockers.co.za/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltrockers... TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@saltrockers?_...