Musselcracker
By Richard Wood
The Musselcracker is probably the fish with the most
names varying from musselcrusher, biskop, black biskop, stompkop, blouer, bank
blouer, witbek, Steenbras, stembras, black Steenbras, Saqomolo and a myriad of
other such names. The Musselcracker is a stocky fish with a heavy head and
powerful jaws lined with rows of crushing teeth. There are two types of
Musselcracker, being the White, and the Black, with the Black being the larger
and better tasting of the two species. The method for catching both species are
very similar. Musselcracker are found along most of our Eastern coastline from
False Bay up to Mozambique. The one consistent rule with the Musselcracker is
that they love clean, clear water, even if it is turbulent. White foamy water is
always a good target area. They hate silty, sand water. If there is a ground
swell that is churning the sand up in to a “mud bath”, don’t waste your time.
Although found in the shallow surf areas,
Musselcracker are also found in deep water and in rocky gullies. They can be
caught throughout the year along much of the coast. Along the Cape coasts they
are caught mostly in summer and in Transkie and Natal they are generally caught
in spring. When fishing a new area check with the local tackle shops to find out
firstly if they are
 there
and secondly where to look for them.
The best times to catch Musselcracker are in the early mornings and late
afternoons, like most other fish. If the water is deep, tides do not appear to
be important.
The Musselcracker is very temperature sensitive, and big drops can put the
Musselcracker off the bite quickly. They will head for warmer water as soon as
temperatures drop.
Tackle
The Rod should be 12 feet plus, with plenty of backbone. You are going to be in
for a lengthy fight so a rod that is light, long and strong is going to be your
best bet. Graphite rods are able to handle these fish, and will be more
comfortable for you.
The Reel has to have a big line capacity, and suit you and your rod. The
Multiplier types are good and probably the most preferred but it depends on you
and what you are comfortable with. At the end of the day that’s what counts. It
is not casting distance that you need (50 meters or so is ample) but line on the
spool for the runs.
Line, and plenty of it, should be 14kg plus , even up to 25kg or more if the BIG
ones are around. Remember it has to suit your rod and reel. In as much as you
could be taken on to the rocks I would suggest you go for a high abrasive type
line.
 The Trace
In as much as the Musselcracker is a big and strong fish you are going to need
some hard working gear. There is basically one trace that is used, being a 3 way
swivel on your main line, one leg (the shorter) of which goes to your sinker, on
a piece of ± 8 kg line. The second leg must by made up of much stronger line, 12
kg plus, depending on the size of Musselcracker normally found in your area. At
the end of this line you tie your hook (number 6/0 to 8/0 size – 3/0 if smaller
fish are around). This hook needs to be sharp, strong and durable, and must be
able to stand up to a long hard fight. The thin wire type is no good for these
fish with their hard strong teeth and jaws. Although the “molar type” teeth are
not sharp like that of a shark or shad, they can ‘rasp’ their way through your
line, causing many people to use a wire trace to firstly protect the line from
the “teeth” , and secondly from the sharp rocks that the Musselcracker darts for
once they are hooked.
The use of sinker type depends on the conditions, and the lighter line (detailed
above) is particularly used when fishing a rocky area. If you get tangled up
when you have a fish on the line you stand a better chance of still landing your
fish using this method. I suggest you use a pyramid type for sandy bottom, and
spoon type for rocky areas, or if rocks are nearby.
Bait
The Musselcracker is extremely partial to baits such as Chokka, Perlemoen, Crab,
Mussels (obviously), Redbait, Prawn, Cray-tail etc. They also take fish baits,
with live bait being more preferred over dead bait. The hook is threaded through
the bait and tied on with fine cotton.
Other 'Baits'
Although not commonly used Musselcracker have been known to take artificial
baits (Rapala etc), and obviously give a good account of themselves. I have not
see or heard of Musselcracker taking spoons, but I can see no reason why they
shouldn’t. Just remember to have strong hooks and a strong leader.
The Bite
The bite is normally (although not always) a long hard pull on your line ( they
sometimes mess around with the bait before running off with it), … leave it …
don’t strike yet …let the fish swim off with your bait, so as to make sure it
has taken it properly, taking a few meters of line with it ( or plenty of line
if it’s one of the Big ones), and then STRIKE! This is the tricky bit, not too
hard or you’ll get broken off, but then it has to be hard enough to set the hook
in that hard bony jaw. A hard strike is usually unnecessary as the fish will
make a sudden dash as soon as it feels resistance on the line and will thus hook
itself.
The fight is great, with long hard runs back and forth. Remember you have to get
them through the surf, so take your time and play them out. You may get the fish
close a number of times, only to have all that line taken again. Just be
patient, it could be that 30 kg fish you’ve been hearing about. Remember to use
the breakers to your advantage and, if fishing from or near rocks, to have a
gaff handy.
Bag Limits
The restrictions to what and how many you can catch may vary from area to area,
for example the “poenskop” - (Black Musselcracker) as it is called in Natal has
a limit of 2 per day of no less than 50 cm in length, and is on the Natal Parks
Boards “Critical list”, while the White Musselcracker is classed as a
“recreational” fish has a limit of 5 per day and a length limit of 60 cm. I
suggest you check with the Authorities in the area you are fishing and make sure
you abide by the rules. Please don’t forget that in different areas different
bait collecting rules (and licenses do apply), make sure you know your rules,
you don’t want to get caught out by not knowing the rules and getting a fine (or
worse – having your tackle confiscated).
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