Fishing in Algoa Bay
Port Elizabeth’s consistently mild climate ensures that fishing is good at any time of the year!
The avid angler’s choices are plentiful – allowing him or her to choose from several river, dam/lake, rock, surf or deep sea fishing opportunities.
We have several angling clubs, fishing tackle shops, bait shops, as well as upmarket and professional charter facilities.
Remember – the best time to fish is in the early morning or late afternoon!
If you are finding it hard to decide where and what to fish, then contact the following people to put you on the right track. They will also advise you as to what bait and tackle to use, but we all know that a fisherman has his/her own preferences!
- Louis Van As from the Hook Line & Sinker: +27 41 365 5471
- Martin Gierz from IBY Deep Sea Fishing Charters: +27 41 366 1794
- Neil Murison for rock & surf information: +27 82 777 8384
- Chris De Beer for bass and trout fishing information: +27 82 569 4204
- Denise van der Merwe from the Port Elizabeth Deep Sea Angling Club (PEDSAC): +27 84 284 1046
Click here for a printable map to help you plan your fishing trip!
Rock & Surf Fishing
From the Sundays River on the East Coast down to the Harbour Wall (including the Dolosse), and then on to Cape Recife and all along the West Coast down to Maitlands – you will be able to find dozens of fishing spots where you can be guaranteed to catch at least one of the following:
Shad / Elf
Kob / Kabeljou
Grunter
Garrick / Leervis
Hottentot
Galjoen
Bream
Black Musselcracker / Poenskop
Tiger
St. Joseph / Elephant Fish
Pompano
Red Steenbras
White Steenbras
Yellow-bellied Rock Cod
River Fishing
The Sundays, Swartkops and Gamtoos Rivers make for fantastic river fishing with wonderful scenery thrown in for good measure. Here you will find peace and quiet in abundance and you may even get lucky and snag one or two of the following:
Kob (Kabeljou), Tiger, Garrick (Leervis), Elf (Shad), Red Steenbras, Grunter, St. Joseph (Elephant Fish) and Pompano.
Dam/Lake Fishing
If this is your preference then there are several dotted around the city. North End Lake, next to the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, is home to the likes of Kob, Eel and Barbel/Carp/Catfish.
Bass and Trout Fishing
If this is your kind of fishing – then you will find exactly what you are looking for at a variety of private dams in and around Port Elizabeth.
Alternatively, you can travel a little further afield to the nearby towns of Grahamstown, Queenstown, Lady Grey, Barclay East and Elliot. Here you will find yourself in bass/trout country!
Whatever your choice, it would be advisable to contact the Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism office to find out more information on the ideal spots for you! They can be contacted on: +27 41 582 2575. Alternatively, Chris De Beer is your guru for bass and trout fishing information: +27 82 569 4204.
Deep Sea Fishing
Between Cape Recife and Maitlands, and from 15 nautical miles out, you have the opportunity of doing some serious game fishing! You will come across the likes of Yellowtail, Yellowfin & Big Eye Tuna, as well as Dorado & Marlin.
If you are bottom fishing then you will have the chance to catch yourself some exciting species such as the Black Steenbras/Musselcracker, Kob, Geelbek (or Cape Salmon) and Copper Steenbras – caught off the deep and shallow reefs along our beautiful Coastline.
You can also fish for Red Roman, Miss Lucy, Carpenter, Daggerhead, Bonito, Hake, Busterman, Rock Cod and Musselcracker.
Professional fishing charters are available from the harbour – providing you with qualified, skilled anglers who will take you out to the best spots and provide you with a really amazing fishing experience.
Contact Denise van der Merwe from the Port Elizabeth Deep Sea Angling Club (PEDSAC) for further information: +27 84 284 1046
Fishing Competitions to Diarise
Algoa Tuna Classic May 2012
Geelbek Competition October 2012
4 Comments
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George Vorster
Hi. Very interesting content. However, I have a question regarding the photo of the “Tiger” fish in the rock and surf section. Surely it must be an error! It is a tiger fish, but a species that is found in rivers and lakes up north. Never heard of any being caught in PE area! The spotted Grunter is referred to a tiger fish in the area, and probably the cause of the error.
sarah
Hi George,
Thank you sooo much for your input! Cannot tell you how much I appreciate it as I’ve never fished anything bigger than a trout in my life, and had to rely on some ‘experts’ from the NMB area to help me with the content of the article! I must say that I had an absolute ball doing it!
What are the chances of you submitting a ‘correct’ picture so that I might replace the ‘Tiger’ immediately. I will be honest & say that I would not know what to look for!
You can send the pic to our inbox: portelizabeth@showme.co.za
Thanks once again & Warmest Regards,
Sarah Hall
Franchise Owner
sarah
Oh dear – I thought I had the wrong picture! Do you know where I can source the correct pic – or would you be able to email me the correct one? Thanks a mill, Sarah | ShowMe PE
Pete the beat
Hi Sarah
The other name for tiger is grunter. You do have a picture of a grunter on this page. Just use the same picture. Some people refer to it as grunter other as tiger. it is the same with elf , some people refer to it as shad. Musclecracker’ other name brusher. Peonskop’s other name is black musclecraker or black steenbras. Kabeljou is also known as cob \ kob .White steenbras also known as steenie or pignose grunter. It is just that some people will use one name and other peolple will use another name for the same fish.