What an apt scientific name for this specie. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to hook into a decent size elf on an artificial lure will know exactly what I mean; “saltatrix”. They jump, twist and shake their head, trying to throw the lure, performing all sorts of aerial “tricks”
About the elf / shad
BREEDING HABITS
Tagging studies have shown that shad migrate from the cool waters of the Western and Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal each winter. This migration is associated with one of their primary prey – the sardines, which migrate to KwaZulu-Natal during the annual “sardine run”.
Shad breed in the warmer waters of KwaZulu-Natal from spring to mid-summer. Shad reach sexual maturity at one to two years of age, when they are about 25 to 30cm in length. Large female shad may produce up to two million eggs in one season, although most females produce about one million eggs each season.
The eggs hatch after a few days and the pelagic larvae drift passively inshore of the Agulhas Current back to the south-eastern Cape, where they spend their first year living in large marine bays. During their drift southwards the young fish have very little chance of survival as the sea teems with filter feeders and carnivorous zooplankton that thrive on gulping down small fish larvae.
FEEDING HABITS
As larvae, shad feed on small marine creatures drifting in the open ocean. Adult shad are voracious predators (piscivores), preying on small fish such as sardines, pinkies and streepies (karanteen).
Their razor-sharp teeth are able to tear quite large prey into shreds. Shad hunt by sight and usually feed in shoals, in clear water, during the day primarily over sandy seabeds along the edge of reefs. Shad, in turn, provide food for other predators such as large gamefish, sharks and dolphins.
LIFE CYCLE
Large fish of around 100cm would be about 10 years old, but, given the high fishing pressure along our coast, few manage it.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Van der Elst, R.P. 1988. A Guide to the Common Sea Fishes of Southern Africa (2nd ed). Struik Publishers, Cape Town
uShaka Sea World, accessed 11 June 2014, Shad
Viewed: http://www.seaworld.org.za/species/entry/shad-elf-tailor-bluefish
Catching elf / shad
There are a multitude of techniques to catch Elf (As known in the Cape) or Shad (As known in KZN). The only really fun way is using a spinning outfit and an artificial lure.
A 9 or 10 foot spinning rod matched with a 4000 or 5000 size fixed-spool (grinder) reel loaded with 14 lbs braid is the perfect setup for this type of fishing. The zero stretch of the braid allows for a more controlled lure action as well as a better hook set.
Lures that work best for us
- A small silver spoon, the lightest you are able to cast in order to achieve the required distance. The lighter the lure, the more action you can add to it.
- A bucktail-jig in yellow, purple, pink, chartreuse or white.
- A surface lure that can be retrieved at slow speeds; a Rapala X-Rap Walk is a good example of this.
- Although soft plastics are deadly, and have a great action, this can become a costly exercise. The sharp teeth of the Elf shred a soft plastic to bits on one take.
1.5 ounce is the perfect weight to cover all bases when using the outfit described above.
Elf are most active at first light or last light, but in the right conditions they can be caught all day long, although in smaller number; it is these fish (also known as “blou elwe”) that are caught during the day and usually loners that are the busses.
Elf are predators and thus require cover in order to ambush their prey. Overcast conditions, structure causing white water and small bays perfectly attribute to conditions conducive to results.
Be sure your hooks are very sharp.
Elf generally take bait from the tail first so be sure to have a hook at the back of your lure; have you ever used soft plastics (dropshot) and after a small tug on the line you are left with have a minnow? Elf….
Once hooked up, keep tension on the fish, but not too much as this will result in the hook often tearing out of the fish’s mouth; remember braided line has zero stretch.
Enjoy the incredible acrobatics of the elf and if you are lucky enough to land one be careful of those sharp teeth when removing the hooks. Their teeth seem to contain an anticoagulant; a wound just does not want to stop bleeding.
Please keep in mind these restrictions (these are not just a suggestion…)
- Closed Season 1st October – 30 November
- Bag Limit 4 Fish per Angler
- Size Limit 30 cm (Fork Length)
Hi,
I’ve recently moved over to rock and surf fishing from bass fishing, I actually used a light spinning set up 7ft rod 2500coffee grinder 10lb mono, and managed to hook quite a few on fresh water bronze spinners and an el cheepo crank bait from game, until of coarse the lures either got washed onto rock and snagged, or rusted unusable.
Any way, since then after reading countless articles on rock and surf I’ve invested and got a 10ft spinning setup and bought more expensie 1.5ounce lures – Iron candy bullet, SV, foil, s spoons, buck tail jigs, chisel nose poppers, surface cranks etc, and had no luck since, ive hooked the odd Shad in a solid day of fishing. Feels like I had more luck with the fresh water lures.
Not to mention several times there were guys casting bait, (sardine) drop shot and catching plenty right next to me, I unfortunately have no interest in bait fishing, do you have any tips? would gulp products work better or anything?
Hi juscress
Thank you for your feedback!
There are loads of variables to consider; area, conditions, formations, your action, etc.
Like you, we also prefer artificial lures to bait, but when it comes to elf/shad it can be a costly exercise using soft-plastics (dropshot). They tend to take a lure/bait from the back and normally just end up biting your lure in half and missing the hook on the jig-head.
I do not think that the gulp products will add any advantage. It is a reaction bite, so it has much more to do with the action you are using.
Please feel free to let us know if you have any questions. We would love to know how the elf/shad fishing is going!
use a 20gm, 30gm or 40gm (depends how far you need to cast) Uncle Toby type spoon. just change the treble for a decent 4/0 or 5/0 single hook. Wind as slowly as you can without getting hooked up if a rocky bottom. Outdoor Marine shops keep these spoons.