19 Jun 2026
Cape Town Spring Tides: Kob, Galjoen, and Winter Night Fishing from False Bay to the Atlantic
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Cape Town fishing report for this evening.
We’re sitting on a **waxing gibbous moon** and pushing into spring tides, so there’s plenty of water movement. Around the peninsula, the evening **high tide** is lining up nicely with the last light, which is prime time on the reefs and off the beaches. Sunrise was just after half past seven this morning and sunset wrapped up just after five, so we’re in those short winter days with long, fishy nights.
Weather along the Atlantic side has been classic Cape winter: a cool south‑westerly, leftover swell, and chilly water pushing up from the south. On the False Bay side things are a touch calmer and slightly warmer, with a light south to south‑easter this evening and a bit of cloud cover helping the night bite. Air temps have been sitting in the low teens once the sun goes down, so pack the beanie and a flask.
Inshore **fish activity** has picked up nicely after the last blow. Off the False Bay beaches, the usual winter suspects have been around: **galjoen**, **white stumpnose**, and a few decent **kob** coming out after dark. Anglers working the gutters at Strand and Macassar reported several kob in the 3–6 kg class over the last few nights, with a couple of proper fish lost in the shorebreak. On the rocky stretches near Gordons Bay and along the eastern side of the bay, galjoen have been coming out steadily, mostly pan‑size but with the occasional bus mixed in.
On the Atlantic side, the water’s colder and a bit scratchy, but rewarded the grinders. Between Melkbos and Blouberg, there’ve been **blacktail**, smaller galjoen, and the odd hottentot off the bricks when the sea settled between sets. Further down the peninsula, around Kalk Bay harbour wall and the reefs towards Muizenberg, boats and paddleski anglers have found **roman**, **hottentot**, and **red stumpnose** when the wind allowed a launch.
For the **bait anglers**, the standout offerings:
- For kob: fresh chokka strips, chokka‑sardine combos, and if you can get it, a bloody mullet head or fillet.
- For galjoen: red bait, white mussel, and wonderworm on a short trace, fished tight in the white water.
- For stumpnose and blacktail: prawn, mussel, and small chokka baits.
Artificial crew, don’t feel left out. In the cleaner pockets of False Bay, **paddle tails** in natural mullet or pearl, 4–5 inch, pinned on a 3/8 to 1 oz jighead, have taken kob along the drop‑offs. A slow, steady retrieve just off the bottom is doing the damage. Around the reefs, small **bucktail jigs** and **metal spoons** in the 1–2 oz range are finding roman and hottentot when worked vertically from a boat or kayak. For the surf spinners, slim spoons and plugs are always worth a throw at first and last light around bait shoals, just in case a stray tail or garrick patrols the edge.
A couple of **hot spots** to put on your list tonight and over the weekend:
- **Strand to Macassar**: focus on the deeper gutters on the push into high for kob, especially after dark.
- **Gordons Bay reefs and Bikini Beach area**: good for galjoen and mixed reef fish when the swell isn’t too wild.
- **Melkbos rocks**: scratch for galjoen and blacktail on a moderating sea; watch the sets and the surge.
- **Kalk Bay harbour wall**: sheltered option with a chance at roman, hottentot, and the odd kob under the lights.
Tackle up with slightly heavier sinkers than you think you’ll need – there’s plenty of sideways pull on these bigger tides – and keep traces short in the rough stuff. Winter fishing here rewards patience and persistence, but when it comes together, it really comes together.
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