South Africa part 8 - Gordon's Bay fishing the jetty

On Thursday, March 21st Josh and I took a domestic flight from Durban to Cape Town to start the bonus leg of our South African trip. We would eventually make our way down the coast to Struisbaai, so to make the drive shorter we rented an apartment in Gordon's Bay for the first night.



We needed a break from fishing (it's embarrassing, but it's true), so after we settled into the apartment we geared up to go trail running in the nearby Helderberg Nature Reserve. We knew the elevation gain would be tough, but we didn't realize how steep the main trail up the mountain would be, so we had to walk quite a bit. The view of False Bay and the surrounding area was well worth it though.



Eli had a bonus leg for his trip as well, a few days in Malawi targeting cichlids, but he also had enough time to join us in Gordons Bay for a day of fishing. We planned to fish the rock jetty of one of the nearby marinas, but first we wanted to checkout the stream near our apartment. That area has two endemic species, Cape galaxia and Cape kurper. We walked the bank for a while, and the water was pretty clear, but we didn't see any fish. We knew they would be tough to find, so we decided our time was better spent at the jetty picking up saltwater species.

Originally we had a fishing charter booked, but they called a few days before we arrived to let us know that it was cancelled due to the high winds in the forecast. They made the right call, because the wind was howling when we arrived at the jetty. And to think we also considered doing kayak rentals!

Fortunately the jetty made a perfect wind break, so the water inside the marina was calm. We chatted with the owners of the bait shop for a few minutes, and they recommended we head to the end of the jetty and fish the channel as the tide was going out. It looked promising.

I rigged up a piece of bait on medium gear and cast it out to the center of the channel. Perhaps something would pick it up as the tide was going out. While I waited I fished the rocks with lighter gear to catch the oddball stuff. The oddball stuff ended up being 90% super klipfish, and eventually a South African mullet and a Cape stumpnose. The klipfish were highly variable in appearance, so I took a photo of each one I caught, but they turned out to all be the same species. 

Super Klipfish (Clinus superciliosus) - new hook & line species #625


South African Mullet (Chelon richardsonii) - new hook & line species #626


White Stumpnose (Rhabdosargus globiceps) - new hook & line species #627


In classic Ben fashion, I added another injury to my list of fishing mishaps. The rocks closest to the water had a film of algae on them that made them incredibly slippery. I got overconfident, and you can see the result below. Coincidentally, those were the same pants that I was wearing when the catfish in Peru stabbed me with its pectoral spine. Sadly, they did not return home with me from Africa.

We expected the new species to come a little more easily, but we had to work pretty hard for them. The bait in the center of the channel wasn't getting any love, but eventually I was able to find one more small species in the rocks, the barehead goby.

Barehead Goby (Caffrogobius nudiceps) - new hook & line species #628


At low tide we decided to move over to the tidepools that had become exposed next to the base of the jetty. It was a habitat unlike anything we had ever seen. The rocks were pointed upward in jagged rows. I was glad to be wearing my sturdy hiking boots!

The tidepools were full of gobies, and they were easy to fish for. We added two more species from the same genus as the barehead goby. One of the commafin gobies I caught was especially colorful, and some of the banded gobies were jet black. The only other fish I saw were a few juvenile super klipfish, but there were other cool things to see like octopi, anemones, and urchins.

Commafin Goby (Caffrogobius saldanha) - new hook & line species #629


Banded Goby (Caffrogobius caffer) - new hook & line species #630


We were keeping an eye on the clock, and it was getting close to last call, so I gathered up some mussels from the tidepools and took them back out on the jetty. We hadn't really fished the ocean side, but I thought it was worth a shot despite the wind and surf. After a few bait resets, I felt a solid bite and pulled in the national fish of South Africa. Its name is really fun to say out loud. Give it a try, and say it with gusto! 

Galjoen (Dichistius capensis) - new hook & line species #631


We ate a seafood lunch at the restaurant next to the jetty. It was greasy but good. The tide was coming back in, and when we finished eating we noticed some kids fishing at the end of a concrete ramp. We didn't have much time, but it was worth taking a look.

The kids were catching a mix of small fish. Most of them were mullet, but there were a couple of salema mixed in as well. Josh and I needed the salema, so we jogged over to the car, got our micro gear, and jogged back. It was one of those situations that we felt should be easy, but it took us a while before we each caught one. Thanks to the kids for putting up with us!

Salema (Sarpa salpa) - new hook & line species #632


Eight new species in a day where our fishing charter got cancelled was beyond awesome. Sure the fish weren't big, but we did our best given the circumstances. The galjoen was the highlight for me. I wonder what else was lurking under the waves that we missed.

Photo courtesy of Elijah Wang.

After taking a group selfie, Josh and I said our goodbyes to Eli and hit the road for Stuisbaai (which should also be said with gusto).