Cape Town fishing guide

As Africa’s most popular tourist destination, Cape Town is often associated with beautiful beaches, gorgeous mountain ranges, and national parks. While it is true that Cape Town offers these natural wonders to the seasoned tourist in abundance, Cape Town has even more in store for the sea-loving adventure seeker…. And if fishing is your thing, then let us be the ones to tell you that the fishing scene Cape Town is off the hook!

The City

Today Cape Town is one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world, and boasts a population of 3.75 million people of all race and color. It was initially used as a port for a Dutch shipping company, and has since become famous for its harbor and picturesque landmarks like Cape Point and Table Mountain. It’s easy to spend your time here winding through the city streets or taking in the sights, and when you’re ready to move on, Cape Town is linked to the rest of South Africa through a prolific transportation system.

Weather and fishing in Cape Town

Cape Town is characterized by dry, warm summers, and mild, moderately wet winters, with winter beginning in June and lasting until the end of August. Summer begins in early December and lasts until March. The best time to fish in Cape Town is from October to December, when the temperatures are relatively warm and most fish are biting.

Fishing tips

Much to the pleasure of the seasoned and would-be fisherman, South Africa Big Game Fishing is a very affordable activity. And when you’re not fishing, Cape Town is a great place to try out all kinds of new things and immerse yourself in a rich and diverse local culture. Be sure to give the fishing a few cracks if the fish aren’t biting… with Table Mountain as your backdrop you can’t really go wrong, even on a bad day.

We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again. The Tuna is one of the strongest fighters, so make sure to do your push-ups before casting a line for this feisty fish! It’s fast, strong and a lot of fun to catch, but will make you work. Though common in Cape Town, especially in and around Cape Point, the Yellowfin tuna is still one of the most fun and challenging to fish for. The Yellowfin tuna can grow to a length of more than 2m and weigh more than 200kg, with an average catch weighing-in at around 30-40kg.  

When to fish for Yellowfin Tuna in Cape Town?

The best time to fish for tuna in Cape Town are the months of March and May, inclusive, and from October to December, inclusive . 

Where to find Yellowfin Tuna in Cape Town?

Once you’re at the dock, the Tuna fishing grounds only a short boat-ride away. You’ll need to travel about 30 nautical miles to prime tuna fishing, and a fishing experience you’ll not soon forget! The waters surrounding the Cape are rich with Yellowfin and are known to be some of the most densely populated waters for Yellowfin in the world, but let your boat captain bring you to the hot spots.

How to fish for Yellowfin Tuna in Cape Town?

The best way to fish for a tuna is to use live-bait (free-swimming fish) - usually a sardine. Also, trolling is a very common way to catch a tuna using squid-like lures.

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Characterized by its namesake, the Yellowtail has a bright yellow tail with stripes that adorn its body along the sides. This one is a very, very fast swimmer which will also put your endurance to the test. These guys will dive deep in an attempt to snag your line, and fight with all their might, right up until the moment it onto the boat.

When?

The best time to fish for Yellowtail is from January to May, inclusive, and from October to December, inclusive. 

Where?

Yellowtail can travel in large schools, and usually feed in large numbers near the coast or on rocky outcrops. Also, diving birds and splashing at the surface of the water are good indicators of Yellowtail. 

How? 

Catching a Yellowtail is a feat in itself. But once you locate them they can usually be caught with live bait or spinning.  They will also bite on whole and fillet baits, and spoons or jigs.

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The Cape Snoek (or simply Snoek) is long bright silver fish with intimdating jaws and razor sharp teeth. Doesn’t sound like something that you’d want to be pulling into the boat with you, but that’s half the fun! Its back is usually a dark blue or green and its belly is a shiny bright white. These guys often chomp baits and lures as fast as you can throw them in the water, and always make for good fishing!

When?

The best time to fish for the snoek is from May to October, inclusive. The rest of  the year (November to April, inclusive) is also halfway decent. All said and done this fish is a good bet.

Where?

Snoek like to hang out in temperate coastal and offshore waters, and can be found in abundance off the Cape’s west coast. Look for the shoals by watching the birds, and keep an eye out for the ones that break the surface and can be seen with the naked eye. You can also find these guys by trolling lures of various shapes and sizes, including diving plugs, plastic lures and metal head lures.

How?

The Snoek can be raised to the boat by chumming and spinning once they’ve been located, and they will also bite on drifted baits, spoons or jigs. Watch out for these guys because they can change direction at full speed and if they miss your lure on the first pass will likely turn on a dime and come back to hit it with pinpoint accuracy.