Jozini Tiger FishingTiger Fishing Tips
Tiger fishing in
Jozini has been
a continuous learning experience from the first days where I spent days
on Jozini Dam with poor results. Where to begin looking for Tiger fish
in Jozini, and with what bait and tackle to use? As with any kind of
fishing, in the beginning it was very frustrating, but then with time I
got some tips and I learned some tiger fishing techniques which work
consistently. I discuss different tiger fishing tips and techniques in
more detail in the 'Jozini Tiger fishing Techniques' section of the
site, but here are some basic tiger fishing tips and tricks I have
learned, and that you will learn yourself, if you spend time tiger
fishing at Jozini Dam.
A list of
Jozini Tiger fishing Tips:
Weather
Conditions
- Explore
the whole of
Jozini Dam, from the gorge to the northern tip of the dam and create
your own fishing map, so that you know which areas
are best to
fish under different wind conditions.
- Weather
conditions will always determine how and
where you can fish on Jozini
Dam, so get accurate weather
forecasts for the Jozini area.
- There is always
the option
to launch at either the northern or southern part of Jozini.
Don't
let a short drive prevent you from getting to the best fishing spots at
Jozini.
- Take high spf sunscreen
and a hat.
Water Conditions
- Summer
rains bring in dirty
water in the spring and summer. During this time, the
clearest
water can be found in the southern tip of Jozini dam.
- Winds
from the north
make the water along the western shore very dirty. The
water
clears slowly when the wind dies or when the wind changes and blows
from a southerly direction.
- Tiger fish prefer
warmer water
in the winter, so avoid areas of upwelling of cold water.
Tiger
fishing in Jozini is slightly slower in the winter, but we catch good
size Tiger fish all year round at Jozini. Don't believe those who tell
you that you don't catch Tiger fish in the winter!
- A good Jozini
tiger fishing
tip is to remember that Tigerfish do not mind discolored water.
If you are struggling to find fish, try to fish in a dirty patch of
water. You will read that Tiger fishing is best in clear water, but
also bear in mind that hunting in clear water is difficult
for
Tiger fish, and off-coloured water makes hunting easier. This
is
why one often finds large numbers of Tiger fish concentrated
in
areas of dirty water.
- Wind
creates strong
currents in the Jozini Dam. Look for places where the fish
can get
out of the current. Good places to find Tiger fish hiding
behind
points along the southern shore. The bay
at the Fish Eagle
campsite is a good example of a sheltered bay. The water
currents
in Jozini also play a role in the transport of dirty water.
Fishing
Tackle
- Remove
all the split rings
from new tiger fishing lures and replace
with strong ones.
When a tiger fish jumps and shakes its head, the shaking lure causes
those small split rings pull open without any
excessive line
tension. Also remember that when a Tiger fish is speeding off at 70-80
km/h, just the drag of the bow of line in the water is enough to pull
rings and break line even with zero tension from the rod end.
- Replace
all treble hooks
with single hooks. Flattening the barbs on the hooks makes a
clean
release of your tiger fish much easier.
- Steel wire and
nylon coated trace
should always be in good condition and tiger fishing traces
must be
at least 50kg breaking strain. Replace wire traces with kinks
immediately!
- Use
braid only if you are
well accustomed to fishing with braid. Braid plus a stiff rod
offers little shock absorption, often resulting in mysterious
braid
breaks and hooks pulling out of the soft membranes in the
inside of
the Tiger fish's mouth. A good tigerfishing tip for
anybody
fishing with braid is to keep your fingers well out of the way when a
tiger fish attacks your bait and charges off. Braid works well to tie
your bait onto your hook! 10kg nylon or braid is a good strength.
- Always use
fluorocarbon
leader when fishing with braid line. Clear line will do, but
fluorocarbon is best.
|