Vue de l'Eastern Cape en Afrique du Sud.

Namib, Kalahari & Karoo · Dry season · 8 October 2026

Fishing in Walvis Bay

Fishing around Walvis Bay means the open sea, from beach, rock and boat, the estuaries, the rivers and lakes, dams and ponds. Each holds its own fish; here is what is in season in each.

Desert climate
19 mm of rain a year
Sea coast

Photograph: South African Tourism from South Africa · CC BY 2.0

Now

10°C · Clear

Today

19° / 9°

Sun

06:35 – 19:03

Moon

Waning Crescent · anglers' solunar: good

Weather read at 5:14 a.m..

On the water · October

What to fish for around Walvis Bay, water by water

Each kind of water holds its own fish. These are the ones caught in the waters near Walvis Bay and in season now; tap one for where it holds, how to know it and the rules that apply.

The sea

The open coast is on the doorstep.

rocky shores · surf beaches · Mar–Oct
Galjoen
Dichistius capensis
Red bait or mussel on a small, strong hook, with just enough lead to hold in the white water right against the rocks.
Peter Southwood · CC BY-SA 4.0
rocky shores · offshore · Year-round
Hottentot seabream (Cape bream)
Pachymetopon blochii
Small hooks with red bait, mussel, prawn or a strip of squid (chokka), fished on the bottom close to the kelp.
Georgina Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0
rocky shores · surf beaches · harbours and piers · Year-round
White seabream (blacktail)
Diplodus sargus
A small, strong hook with prawn, mussel or red bait, fished light in the wash close to the rocks.
Public domain (iNaturalist) · CC0 (public domain)
harbours and piers · surf beaches · Year-round
Flathead grey mullet (striped mullet)
Mugil cephalus
Bread flake or dough on a small hook under a light float, after loose-feeding bread in a harbour or estuary to get the shoal feeding.
LPB · CC BY 4.0
surf beaches · rocky shores · Oct–May
Leerfish (garrick)
Lichia amia
A live mullet swum near the surface at an estuary mouth, or surface plugs and stickbaits worked fast through the surf.
Justin Ponder · CC BY 4.0

Other seasons: Snoek (Apr–Sep), Bluefish (elf, shad) (Dec–Sep).

Estuaries and lagoons

Where the Tumas and the coast's other rivers meet the tide.

estuaries · Oct–May
Leerfish (garrick)
Lichia amia
A live mullet swum near the surface at an estuary mouth, or surface plugs and stickbaits worked fast through the surf.
Justin Ponder · CC BY 4.0
estuaries · Sep–Apr
Mozambique tilapia (blue kurper)
Oreochromis mossambicus
Earthworm or bread dough on a small hook under a float, close to the weed edge on a warm afternoon.
Wynand Uys · CC BY 4.0
estuaries · Year-round
Flathead grey mullet (striped mullet)
Mugil cephalus
Bread flake or dough on a small hook under a light float, after loose-feeding bread in a harbour or estuary to get the shoal feeding.
LPB · CC BY 4.0

Other seasons: Bluefish (elf, shad) (Dec–Sep).

Rivers and streams

Tumas and Kuiseb.

rivers · big rivers · Sep–Apr
Sharptooth catfish (barbel)
Clarias gariepinus
Liver, worms or a strip of fish on the bottom after dark, near a weed bed or where a stream comes in.
Lukas Zangl · CC BY 4.0
rivers · Mar–May, Sep–Nov
Smallmouth yellowfish
Labeobarbus aeneus
Dead-drift a heavy nymph and a small caddis pupa through the riffles, or fish a worm or a small crab on the bottom.
Brian du Preez · CC BY-SA 4.0
rivers · Sep–Apr
Mozambique tilapia (blue kurper)
Oreochromis mossambicus
Earthworm or bread dough on a small hook under a float, close to the weed edge on a warm afternoon.
Wynand Uys · CC BY 4.0
rivers · Oct–Apr
Largemouth bass
Micropterus nigricans
Weedless plastic worm in the salad; frog on the pads at dawn.
Nick Tobler (Cowturtle) · CC BY 4.0
rivers · big rivers · Oct–Apr
Common carp
Cyprinus carpio
A hair-rigged boilie or tiger nut over a bed of bait, or floating bread on a calm summer day.
Quinn · CC BY 4.0

Other seasons: Largemouth yellowfish (May–Sep).

Lakes, dams and ponds

Walvis Bay Wetlands, Walvis Bay Salt Works and Dorup Pan.

lakes and dams · ponds · Sep–Apr
Mozambique tilapia (blue kurper)
Oreochromis mossambicus
Earthworm or bread dough on a small hook under a float, close to the weed edge on a warm afternoon.
Wynand Uys · CC BY 4.0
lakes and dams · ponds · Oct–Apr
Largemouth bass
Micropterus nigricans
Weedless plastic worm in the salad; frog on the pads at dawn.
Nick Tobler (Cowturtle) · CC BY 4.0
lakes and dams · ponds · Oct–Apr
Common carp
Cyprinus carpio
A hair-rigged boilie or tiger nut over a bed of bait, or floating bread on a calm summer day.
Quinn · CC BY 4.0
lakes and dams · ponds · Sep–Apr
Sharptooth catfish (barbel)
Clarias gariepinus
Liver, worms or a strip of fish on the bottom after dark, near a weed bed or where a stream comes in.
Lukas Zangl · CC BY 4.0
lakes and dams · Mar–May, Sep–Nov
Smallmouth yellowfish
Labeobarbus aeneus
Dead-drift a heavy nymph and a small caddis pupa through the riffles, or fish a worm or a small crab on the bottom.
Brian du Preez · CC BY-SA 4.0

Waters from Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap; fish and seasons from the site's species records, which give typical months, not guarantees. Seasons, size limits and protected areas change — check the rules before you fish.

Loading this week's guide: forecast, moon and local records…

Conditions

The day, the ground and the sky over Walvis Bay

Now

Night

34 min left · sun below the horizon in the east · clear and calm

Hour by hour →

Bright, still conditions push fish deep, into shade and under cover. Fish early and late.

Sky · Walvis Bay, Namibia

Sun and moon

Day length and the moon, for Walvis Bay.

Sun

12h 28m of daylight

+2 min/day

Sunrise

06:35

Solar noon

12:49

Sunset

19:03

A month from now the day will be 0h 37m longer. Day length is sufficient for steady growth.

Moon

Waning Crescent

7% lit · waning · day 27 of 29.5

Next full: Oct 26 · 18d; Hunter's Moon
Next new: Oct 10 · 2d; No moonlight

Lunar planting (traditional): Last quarter to new: a resting phase — weed, prune, harvest, turn compost and prepare beds.

Solunar rating (traditional): good. The tradition holds that fish feed most in the days around new and full moon, and near moonrise and moonset. The evidence is mixed; light and weather have larger effects.

Next solstice or equinox

Summer solstice

Dec 21 · 74 days away

Frost is rare here: most years have none, or one or two nights at most.

Coming phases

New MoonOct 10
First QuarterOct 18
Full Moon · Hunter's MoonOct 26
Last QuarterNov 1

Almanac →

This week · Walvis Bay, Namibia

Seasonal conditions

Each reading is taken from this week's forecast and the local climate record, with what it means for the season.

Moon
Monitor
Waning Crescent · 7%
Waning, 27 days old. Full moon in 18 days. Solunar rating: good (a tradition).
The moon drives ocean tides. By angling tradition, fish feed most in the days around new and full moon; studies of the effect are mixed.
Wind
Monitor
3 km/h now · 25 peak
Calm. Suitable for spraying and transplanting, and rising fish are easy to see on flat water; calm, bright days push fish deeper.
Wind pollinates maize and grasses, dries soil and breaks stems. On water it moves baitfish, and the fish that feed on them.
Rain
Limiting
0.0 mm / 7 days
0.0 mm over seven days. Most gardens need about 25 mm a week; water deeply twice a week rather than lightly every day.
Rainfall governs germination, fungal fruiting and slug activity, and sets river levels for the following days.
Soil temperature
Favourable
21.0 °C
Warm enough for beans, maize, squash, cucumber and transplanted tomato and pepper. Root growth is rapid at this temperature.
Germination is triggered by soil temperature, not by date. The reading is taken at 6 cm, the depth of most seed.
Day length
Favourable
12h 28m
Gaining about 1 minutes of daylight a day. Lengthening days increase daily growth.
Day length is unaffected by weather. Plants respond to photoperiod when they bolt, form bulbs, flower and go dormant.
Frost
Inactive
359 frost-free days
Frost is rare here. Coldest night in the next week: 9.4 °C.
Frost sets the limits of the growing season. Ice forming inside leaf tissue ruptures the cells: one night kills a tomato plant and sweetens a parsnip.

The fishing note for Walvis Bay, every week

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What to fish for around Walvis Bay, water by water

Each kind of water holds its own fish. These are the ones caught in the waters near Walvis Bay and in season now; tap one for where it holds, how to know it and the rules that apply.