Knysna Lagoon Fishing: More about the Knysna Lagoon |
| The town is primarily built on the northern shore of a large warm-water lagoon, fed by the Knysna River. The lagoon opens to the ocean after passing between two large headlands. These are popularly known as the "The Heads", and have become infamous due to the loss of boats and fishermen passing through their treacherous and unpredictable waters. Near them are geological formations, known locally as "The Map Stones." To the north of Knysna, Afro-Montane or temperate rainforest covers the hilly terrain for 20 km until changing to fynbos or macchia high up in the Outeniqua Mountains. |
Water Map of the Lagoon |
Fishing in the Knysna Lagoon
Fishing in the lagoon is a rewarding experience, but you do need some knowledge of the local waters to be able to better predict locations where fish are located at differant times of the day or season. Fishing from a boat greatful improves your chances of catching more fish.
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Fish Specifies Overview |
Spotted GrunterThe Spotted Grunter has a long, compressed body with a long, sloping forehead and pointed snout. The body is silver-brown with distinct mother-of-pearl sheen on upper flanks. The dorsal surface is covered with rows of small dark brown spots which extend onto the dorsal fins but not the head. There is a black blotch on the gill covers and the fins are translucent or dusky. |
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ShadShad can grow to be 120 cm long with a weight of 14 kg. Shad of this size would be 10 to 15 years old - but with the intensity of fishing along our coastline few fish survive to attain this age. One year old shad are 25 to 30 cm long and at two years they are over 35 cm and are sexually mature. |
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Garrick Garrick are game fish, and many anglers live for the thrill of hooking up this magnificent species. They are a challenge to land as they will fight till the bitter end. |
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Kob / Kabeljou Kob are excellent eating fish, particularly in the southern Cape where it is a sought after table fish. Along the East coast the flesh is often infested with worms, especially Kob caught in warmer waters such as estuaries. The worms are apparently harmless to man provided the flesh is cooked properly. |
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White Steenbras The White Steenbras is also known as the Pignose Grunter and it is a large, strong fighting and good eating South African saltwater fish. The minimum legal size to keep this fish is 65 centimeters and can reach a formidable size of about 100 centimeters. The White Steenbras has powerful molar teeth and when the mouth is extended you can see where the name "Pignose" comes from. The Grunter part refers to the sound that this fish makes sometimes when it is caught and taken out of the water. |
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