Fishing Report SA
KZN South Coast Region 3
Lower South Coast: Shelly Beach to Margate
KZN South Coast Region 3 Fishing & Weather Report — 9–10 September 2026
Representative location: Shelly Beach, KwaZulu-Natal
Coverage: Shelly Beach, Uvongo, Margate and the Lower South Coast between Shelly Beach and Margate
Issued: Wednesday, 9 September 2026 at 05:00 SAST
Overall outlook
Both days look relatively dry and mild, with Thursday slightly warmer. Wednesday has a moderate north-easterly wind building during the day, while Thursday is lighter overall. Modelled east to east-southeast waves are around 1.7 m, with short-period swell near 1.5 m. The new-moon cycle produces good solunar timing, but the highest tide windows and actual water movement remain more important than the rating alone.
Main focus: shad around clean moving water, bait and structure; garrick, kingfish and kob remain conditional possibilities. Offshore activity is dependent on launch and return conditions.
Wednesday, 9 September 2026
Weather & Marine
Temperature: 14.4–23.3°C
Rain: 0% maximum probability; 0.0 mm modelled. Cloudy early, then mostly clear.
Wind: predominantly north-northeast (about 026°), up to 22.5 km/h, gusting to about 43.9 km/h; strongest in the afternoon.
Waves and swell: wave maximum about 1.72 m from the east (091°), period about 8.0 seconds; swell about 1.54 m from east-northeast (075°), period about 5.8 seconds.
Marine assessment: a moderate, short-period sea. The early morning is likely the calmer practical window before the north-easterly wind increases.
Solunar Times
Activity rating: Good.
Major periods: 09:32–11:32 and 21:49–23:49
Minor periods: 04:27–05:27 and 15:38–16:38
Sunrise / sunset: 06:05 / 17:48
Moonrise / moonset: 04:57 / 16:08
Moon phase: Waning crescent, about 4% illuminated; new moon approaching
Tides — Shelly Beach
High 02:37 (1.30 m) · Low 08:44 (-0.15 m) · High 15:01 (1.50 m) · Low 21:08 (-0.18 m)
Fishing Focus
The 09:32–11:32 major period runs into the falling tide after the 08:44 low, while the 15:01 high provides a strong afternoon water-movement reference. Shad are the first shore target to consider with sardine, red-eye, spoons or paddle tails. Fish only clean, safe water and watch the north-easterly wind; garrick and kingfish are possible around bait and structure.
Thursday, 10 September 2026
Weather & Marine
Temperature: 15.5–24.4°C
Rain: up to 6% probability; 0.0 mm modelled. Mostly clear to partly cloudy.
Wind: predominantly north-northeast (about 014°), up to 16.5 km/h, gusting to about 34.6 km/h.
Waves and swell: wave maximum about 1.68 m from the east (084°), period about 8.0 seconds; swell about 1.50 m from east-northeast (077°), period about 6.2 seconds.
Marine assessment: moderate short-period swell and lighter wind than Wednesday, although exposed beaches and ledges still require a local safety check.
Solunar Times
Activity rating: Good.
Major periods: 10:22–12:22 and 22:37–00:37 (continues into 11 September)
Minor periods: 05:01–06:01 and 16:44–17:44
Sunrise / sunset: 06:04 / 17:48
Moonrise / moonset: 05:31 / 17:14
Moon phase: New moon, about 1% illuminated
Tides — Shelly Beach
High 03:12 (1.43 m) · Low 09:16 (-0.29 m) · High 15:34 (1.64 m) · Low 21:39 (-0.28 m)
Fishing Focus
Thursday's 15:34 high tide and 10:22–12:22 major period offer useful daylight structure. Shad remain the practical shore target; work moving water, gutters and bait activity. Garrick, kingfish and kob are possibilities around suitable structure, but do not treat the solunar rating as a catch guarantee. Offshore crews should independently confirm the sea and launch conditions.
Current public fishing observations
- The Kingfisher public reports index checked on 9 September still lists 27 August 2026 as its newest KZN fishing report.
- That report says strong winds had kept anglers considering whether to fish rocks and beaches, although large pelagic catches were still reported along the KZN coastline.
- For the South Coast, Kingfisher identifies garrick as a major attraction, with kingfish and shad offering sport from beaches and rocky points. It also notes that Sardine Run effects may influence fish movements as the sea settles.
- A current web-search snippet from an inaccessible Facebook fishing group refers to warm-water South Coast activity and summer species, but it could not be independently verified and is not treated as a confirmed catch report.
- Out & About SA provides general location guidance for Shelly Beach, Protea Banks and Margate. No verified current Shelly Beach–Margate netting report, public fish-sales location or price list was found.
Sources and limitations
Weather values are a Shelly Beach point forecast from Open-Meteo; waves and swell are from its Marine Weather API. Tides, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, moon phase and solunar periods are from the public Shelly Beach Tideschart fishing table, checked at 04:59 SAST.
Forecast grids can differ from conditions at a particular beach, reef, point or launch. Wave height is modelled and does not describe every breaking wave. No live buoy, beach patrol, launch-master or official local observation was available through the checked sources.
Fishing information is current public material, but the newest accessible Kingfisher report is dated 27 August and has no town-specific Shelly Beach–Margate catch breakdown. General guides are not live catch logs, and the inaccessible social-media snippet is unverified. Confirm current South African Weather Service warnings, permits, access rules and local sea conditions before fishing.
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SAFETY & INFORMATION NOTICE
This Fishing Report SA publication provides fishing, marine conditions and weather predictions for planning purposes. It is compiled from multiple publicly available weather and marine data sources. Conditions can change rapidly. It is not an official South African Weather Service warning and must not replace professional weather advice or local safety decisions.
For the full official weather forecast, updates and warnings, visit the South African Weather Service:
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