Hourly fishing forecast for South African anglers

What goes into the rating

Every rating starts from the weather at your exact spot, then weighs each condition the way that species reacts to it:

• Barometric pressure and its trend - BaitLine compares the pressure now with three hours ahead, so you see whether it's dropping, steady or rising before it happens.
• Moon phase - new moon, full moon, and everything in between.
• Time of day - dawn and dusk around your local sunrise and sunset, midday, day and night. A barber (barbel) bite and a kurper bite peak at different times.
• Water temperature - estimated for your spot and compared with each species' preferred range. Fish feed less as the water gets too cold or too warm for them.
• Cloud cover - clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
• Wind - dead calm, a light to moderate breeze, or a gale.
• Rain - heavy rain in the last 24 hours (which muddies the water), and whether it's raining right now.
• Spawn cycle - pre-spawn, spawning, post-spawn, or the rebound after it, from each species' own spawn calendar.

Each rating, from Poor to Excellent, is your chance of catching at least one fish in an hour with the right bait, starting from catch rates measured at real fisheries.

Every species rated on its own

BaitLine knows 60 South African species out of the box, each with its own profile - freshwater fish like carp, kurper and other tilapia, largemouth and smallmouth bass, barber (barbel), yellowfish, tigerfish, trout and mudfish, and saltwater fish like kob, galjoen, shad, garrick, yellowtail, snoek, steenbras and tuna. Pick the ones you fish for, and BaitLine rates each of them separately, because the conditions that switch a bass on can switch a carp off.

Free today, five day forecast with Premium

• Free for everyone: the conditions right now, the hour-by-hour forecast for the rest of today, and your best time to fish today on the home screen.
• With BaitLine Premium: the hour-by-hour forecast for the next four days, so you can pick the best day and time for your next trip, plus the Spawn Calendar.

The forecast follows your live location anywhere in South Africa, or you can pick another spot - the dam you're heading to this weekend, say. See plans for everything Premium includes.

Spawn Calendar

Every species you track gets a yearly timeline of its spawn cycle - pre-spawn, spawning, post-spawn and the rebound after it - with how each phase shifts your odds right now. It's the same spawn data the forecast uses, laid out so you can plan your season.

Questions

What's the best time to fish today?

It depends on the species and the weather where you are. BaitLine works it out hour by hour for every species you track, and shows your best time to fish today on the home screen - free for everyone.

Does barometric pressure affect fishing?

Yes - it's one of the biggest factors. BaitLine looks at where pressure is heading over the next three hours, not just the reading right now, and weighs it differently for each species.

Does the moon phase affect fishing?

The moon is one of the factors in every rating, alongside the time of day, water temperature, pressure, cloud, wind, rain and the spawn cycle. Each species is weighted differently.

What do the ratings mean?

Each rating is your chance of catching at least one fish in an hour with the right bait, starting from catch rates measured at real fisheries: Excellent is 70% or better, Great 60-69%, Good 50-59%, Fair 30-49%, and Poor under 30%. Hard-to-catch fish like tigerfish or kob start lower.

Is the fishing forecast free?

Yes for today: the current conditions and the hour-by-hour forecast for today are free for every account. The next four days are part of BaitLine Premium, and new accounts get 14 days of Premium free.

Is the forecast a guarantee?

No - it's a guide based on weather data and published research into fish behaviour, not on your exact water, and it isn't a safety forecast. Always check official weather warnings before you head out.