Reel Africa

Albert Falls in Kwazulu Natal played host to the 2017 Bass Classic, sponsored by Yamaha. 132 pairs competed over two days looking to bag the best aggregate weight of largemouth Bass, with a five fish limit each day. The water level in the lake was low, due to a recent drought so opinions were divided as to whether this would make the fish easier to find or have drastically affected their numbers. The area near the dam wall proved to be most fruitful and from here, a winning weight of just over 22kgs was bagged. It was also where the largest fish of the weekend at 4.2 kgs was caught earning one successful angler a new Yamaha boat. To watch Albert Falls Bass Classic 2017 now, just login or register

One of the biggest tourist attractions on the coastline of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa is the annual Sardine Frenzy, where shoals of migrating sardines, as long as 7km, are forced by warm currents to swim very close to the shore. Hundreds of people will congregate to either spectate or participate, as nets are cast and huge numbers of fish are hauled up the beaches. Naturally, all this activity in the water and the inevitable sardine casualties it creates attracts larger, predatory fish and therefore great opportunities for the sports angler. Sharks are there in force and Wesley Peens is determined to catch one of these beasts. He is also after one of his favourite species the Kob, which requires slightly more cunning and skill. The fishing's so good an early morning session runs on into the following night. To watch Sardine Frenzy now, just login or register

The Reel Africa team head to Vilanculos in Mozambique meeting up with fishing guide, Morgan O'Kennedy from Big Blue Adventures to target the elusive African Pompano. These fish are widely known as the 'tastiest fish in the ocean' but they aren't the only fish around in this thriving ecosystem and after catching a nice live bait, Wesley casts out beyond the surf looking for Giant Trevally. Things are a little quiet in the heat of the day but in late afternoon, the fish switch on and Wesley catches something unusual and quite striking, a Potato Bass, before landing a beautifully coloured, Speckled Snapper. Fishing into the night, Wesley hooks up another hard fighting Speckled Snapper which really doesn't want to leave the reef. Day 2 and Wesley starts by lure fishing for Green Spot Trevally which dwarf in comparison to their Giant cousins but also put up a great fight. Meanwhile, Morgan is determined to catch a Southern Pompano and persists with his bait setup of sea lice. This is Mozambique fishing at its finest with a variety of stunning species that can be caught on various methods and a stunning vista guaranteed every day. To watch just login or register

In Kob in the Surf, Wesley Peens heads over to Port Elizabeth, where he joins up with local guru Francois "Franna" Van Zyl and his buddy Darren Goosen for a few days fishing for Kob. The conditions make it tricky with an onshore wind blowing just a bit too hard. They try an assortment of baits, Chokka, which is a large piece of squid cut and tied to look like a small squid, as well as live baits. But the Kob are a crafty fish and very particular in where in the surf they will lurk. So success comes with being able to read the contours of the sand and look for the right colouration in the water. Get it right and the reward can be a 30lb bar of silver. To watch Kob in the Surf now, just login or register

Beach Fishing for Sharks - People travel from all over the world to Durban on South Africa's eastern shoreline, to fish for the tremendous variety of species that can be found here. Wesley Peens is local, so he doesn't have to travel quite so far and can enjoy a day's fishing from the rocks or beach pretty much whenever the urge takes him. Here we join him and a few mates as they spend a day making the most of an onshore wind that seems to bringing some rather large Ragged Tooth Sharks into range. These are big, strong fish, that put up a great fight, giving the guys a day to remember. They enjoy it so much they carry on into the night - addicted or what? To watch Beach Fishing for Sharks now, just login or register

Rocking the Surf presents the highlights of Wesley Peens recent shore fishing action along the Kwazulu Natal coastline, that extends for 500 kms along South Africa's eastern side. Sand Sharks are incredibly powerful creatures, so they put up one heck of a fight. They are actually members of the Ray family and are bottom dwellers, so don't have a mouthful of sharp teeth. He also hooks a few Diamond Back Stingrays or Skate, which because of their large sail-like wings can also generate a huge amount of power, making them another hard fighting fish. To watch Rocking the Surf now, just login or register

In Zambesi River Raiders, Dexter Grewcock of Pure Fishing SA is on the trip of a lifetime to Matoya Lodge on the Barotse Floodplains of the Zambesi River. On day one he's targeting Tigerfish, the apex predator in the river, first off using surface lures walk-the-dog style. But it is when he switches to small Bulldogfish live baits that the action really starts and he catches a PB at just over 15lbs, a magnificent trophy fish. The Barotse is also famous for its monster Bream, and after a trip downstream and an overnight camp, Dexter has a second memorable day catching another PB, this time a Nembwe or Yellow-belly Bream at just under 10lbs and then his first ever Thin-faced Bream. Dexter acknowledges what a privilege it is to fish a mighty stretch of river like this and how the experience is literally a spiritual one . To watch Zambesi River Raiders now, just login or register

In this episode of Reel Africa we join freshwater specimen anglers Werner Lubbe and John Dearden for a session at Aqua Paradiso on the outskirts of Johannesburg. John has pioneered specimen fishing in South Africa for over 20 years, he is a contributor to The Carp Angler magazine and the creation of Aqua Paradiso as a specimen carp lake is due in no small way, to the interest he has generated in the sport. He and Werner are on a session just before the lake is officially re-opened and they are fishing pop-ups off the bottom with PVA bags of bait. The crystal clear water makes the fish exceptionally wary, but John is able to bag a couple of lovely 20 pounders. To watch Carp Fishing South Africa now, just login or register

These Diamond Back Skate are members of the Ray family, a close relation to Sharks. Because they are not sought after as a human food source, they are not an endangered species and can be found in large numbers along most of the South African coast. In this episode Wesley Peens is up at day break and heads down to his local beach hoping to catch a few of these amazing creatures. The large wings, that create their diamond shape, can generate a huge amount of power in the water, so once hooked they are liable to put up a tough fight and any sudden change of direction can cause the rod to react violently. But once on the beach it would be easy to miss them, as they are camouflaged so well. To watch Diamond Back Skate now, just login or register

Blue Water Bad Boys - Morgan O'Kennedy only goes after "angry fish", Black Marlin, Blue Marlin or GTs. But he's lucky, because based as he is in Vilanculos on Mozambique, he gets to fish for plenty of these bad boys on a regular basis. Here, he's joined on his boat by Reel Africa's Wesley Peens who has one target in mind, hooking a monster GT. The unique ecosystem around Vilanculos provides a marvellous, rich environment in which these big fish can thrive, and they can grow to over 50kgs. Anything approaching that will be considered a success, so over four days they try a variety of lures and poppers in an attempt to get one to bite. To watch Blue Water Bad Boys now, just login or register

Algoa Bay just outside Port Elizabeth has established itself as one of presenter Wesley Peens favourite shore fishing destinations. In this episode he joins local guide and expert shore angler Francois "Franna" Van Zyl for a session in one of its more remote rocky corners. This beautiful secluded location is only accessible after a long early morning walk, but Franna demonstrates how he prepares his famous Chokka bait using squid and mackerel. Obviously the fish can't resist it, with he and Wesley both landing a selection of Kobs, Black Musselcrackers and Spotted Gulley Sharks. To watch Algoa Bay Shore Fishing now, just login or register

Port Elizabeth sits on South Africa's east coast and its estuary and surrounding shoreline offer incredible saltwater fishing for a variety of species. Wesley Peens is joined by a group of anglers from Pure Fishing as they embark upon a rock and surf fishing trip hopeful of success despite fairly rough conditions. After using a cast net to catch some live bait in the surf, Wesley puts a line out beyond the breakers. But its Francois who is first into a fish as something pretty sizable picks up his live mullet and a strong, back breaking fight ensues. After bringing the fish into the shallows, the formidable sight of a rare Sandbar Shark appears and Francois is delighted with his catch. It isn't long before Wesley gets on the scoreboard either as he locks horns with a trophy sized 12kg Kob. Francois then tries out a rocky outcrop stepping up his tackle to target the Black Musselcrackers that will certainly reside there. These powerful fish can reach weights of 35Kg so strong gear is needed to get them out of the rocks quickly. This isn't fishing for the faint hearted as nerves of steel are required to horse these fish in whilst manouevering position on the rocks as the waves crash in. Another stunning episode from the Reel Africa team which shows off the incredible shore fishing to be found on the Port Elizabeth coastline. To watch just login or register