A good friend of mine, Johan van den Berg, phoned me on Friday the 1st January and invited Divan Coetzee and I to go through to Cape Vidal and fish with them on Saturday to see if we could catch a marlin for the New Year. Johan and his Dad, Oom Johan, were camping at Vidal for a few days over December and had some space on the boat. It didn’t take much convincing to get me to pack my things and hit the road. I picked Divan up at about 5pm and headed for the Vidal gate. The traffic was horrendous due to all the people going to and from the beaches at Richards Bay, St Lucia and Vidal but we managed to make the gate before it closed at 7pm. We arrived at Johan’s camp and settled in. Johan braaied for a couple of steaks and a good time was had by all! After the boat pack was made, everyone went to bed.
At about 6am Johan woke me. I was looking forward to a days marlin fishing when Johan mentioned that we were going to fish for gamefish. First I thought he was joking but when I saw the fighting chair being removed, I knew he was serious. We didn’t complain because just to be on the water is great so we hitched the boat “INYATI” – a Cobra cat powered by two 75 Mercury’s - and headed to the beach. After a tricky launch, thanks to the spring high tide and a good shore dump, we headed for the bait spots. There was one rod rigged with sabikis and Divan manned that. Johan told me that there were very few cuda traces so we needed to make up a few. I got to work making a few live bait rigs but I needed wire. After looking through all the boxes and trays, we found a roll of #3 piano wire (the kind you use for queen mackerel). I was nervous of using such thin wire as most of the time a ‘cuda would bite through this. But beggars can’t be choosers so I made five traces, a few with glow beads and others with different colour cuda dusters. In the mean time, Divan had caught some nice big maasbankers and mackerel.
We headed up to Oscar and put out some rapalas and small konas to try for a yellowfin or a wahoo. After trolling around for about an hour with only one half hearted strike on a rapala, we headed north to vegetation. When we arrived, we rigged the livies on the suspect traces and staggered the bait in distance and depth. I took over the controls and started zig zagging the area between 18m and 30m into the current. In 20m the reel with the deep bait gave a few ticks. I asked Johan to check the bait and he brought it in. There was a small milk shark hanging on the trace. It was quickly released and the bait reset. I made another turn and the same bait was eaten by another small shark. I trolled a bit deeper and at 28m Johan and I saw a swirl on the surface between the lines. We both ran back to the rod that the fish was nearest to. Johan was trying to get the rod out the holder while I had the reel on freespool, thinking the fish was a dorado. The fish took the bait and I fed it for a bit. As I pushed the drag up and the fish took line, the rod next to me – with a 12oz sinker and live bait - also slowly bent and ran a bit. I picked up the deep bait and passed it to Oom Johan so that I could clear the other lines. Both lines were going into the water at the same spot and taking line at a slow yet constant pace. Divan and I cleared the other lines and I went back to the controls. We all thought the lined were tangled and tried to unwind them by doing some fancy weaving but nothing helped. We noticed the line coming to the surface and thought the fish had been hooked on the one rod and tangled in the other line. This was not the case! All of us were looking back when a small black marlin stuck its head out the water in slow motion and jumped showing that both traces were in its mouth. Oh my soul! The first thing that went through my mind was the #3 wire. Surely there was no chance that we would get the fish. I was more that happy to just stand there watching the show … while it lasted. The marlin looked very lethargic when it jumped and slowly swam toward the boat. I thought we would get a quick tag into it but I needed to move fast. I grabbed the tag stick and tried to fit the tag – this was not easy since I was now shaking like a leaf! Before I had the tag ready, the fish was on the leader, 3 meters away. I finally managed to fit the tag and passed the pole to Divan. Before he could get the tag in the fish went ballistic! There was just white water everywhere. Johan tried to control the fish but on 10kg line there is not much you can do. He unfortunately parted off his line leaving Oom Johan to fight the fish by himself on 15kg tackle. The fish took about 60m of line and then sounded. I got the boat on top of the fish and tried to move it shallower. It was not having any of it and stayed down deep. After 20 minutes the fish came up and we could get the leader on the rod. The fish was just out of reach of the tag pole when it took off again, jumping in a big arc to the right. I opened the two 75’s and sat right next to the fish with if jumping at about shoulder height not 4 meters from me. While this was going on Johan was now trying to tag the fish in mid air! The fish went deep and the fight became a tug of war as we tried to gain any line that we could. After about 15 minutes of stalemate I suggested we put some line in the water to get an angle on the fish so I put the boat in reverse and backed away from it. After about 40m of line left the reel, the line shot to the surface and the fish jumped. I took the boat toward the fish and Oom Johan managed to get the leader on the reel. The fish spun around and swam to the back of the boat, right on the surface. I put both motors into reverse and managed to keep pace with the fish … by now it looked like a clip from ESPN with water coming 6 inches over the transom! The marlin was about 3 meters away so I closed the gap by turning towards the fish. Johan leaned over the gunwale, and with Divan holding his shirt, he planted a perfect tag shot in the fish’s shoulder - Brilliant! The fish objected to its newly acquired piercing and greyhounded away from us. I spun the boat around and chased it in forward. With the leader on the reel again, Oom Johan put some pressure on the fish and parted the trace for a release. If I could draw an air-punch and insert it here, I would but you will just need to believe me that we were stoked! Releasing a +-75kg marlin on a cuda stick with #3 wire was not bad going!
After the traditional handshakes we decided to go to Oscar and look for a kaakap or cuda because the gamefish were not exactly thick at vegetation. We arrive at Oscar and put out the lines. I trolled over the deeper pinnacle while Johan put a vertical jig down. I notices that the downrigger had released and asked Divan to check it. Just then Johan had a hit on the jig but lost it. While everyone was busy checking the downrigger and dropping the jig, the rod next to me with a big livie on the surface smoked off. I happened to be closest to it and was not busy with anything so I took the rod. The fish took a lot of line and so, after the other lines were cleared, we chased the fish. After about 15 minutes we managed to boat a good cuda of about 13kg – we were very lucky because the hook in the mouth had been bitten off and the other hook had snagged it in the head. We trolled for about half an hour more before the SW wind picked up and forced us to beach. All in all, it was a great day. Johan and his dad were happy that we had caught a gamefish and Divan and I were stoked to have released a marlin. I guess you can have the best of both worlds after all!
At about 6am Johan woke me. I was looking forward to a days marlin fishing when Johan mentioned that we were going to fish for gamefish. First I thought he was joking but when I saw the fighting chair being removed, I knew he was serious. We didn’t complain because just to be on the water is great so we hitched the boat “INYATI” – a Cobra cat powered by two 75 Mercury’s - and headed to the beach. After a tricky launch, thanks to the spring high tide and a good shore dump, we headed for the bait spots. There was one rod rigged with sabikis and Divan manned that. Johan told me that there were very few cuda traces so we needed to make up a few. I got to work making a few live bait rigs but I needed wire. After looking through all the boxes and trays, we found a roll of #3 piano wire (the kind you use for queen mackerel). I was nervous of using such thin wire as most of the time a ‘cuda would bite through this. But beggars can’t be choosers so I made five traces, a few with glow beads and others with different colour cuda dusters. In the mean time, Divan had caught some nice big maasbankers and mackerel.
We headed up to Oscar and put out some rapalas and small konas to try for a yellowfin or a wahoo. After trolling around for about an hour with only one half hearted strike on a rapala, we headed north to vegetation. When we arrived, we rigged the livies on the suspect traces and staggered the bait in distance and depth. I took over the controls and started zig zagging the area between 18m and 30m into the current. In 20m the reel with the deep bait gave a few ticks. I asked Johan to check the bait and he brought it in. There was a small milk shark hanging on the trace. It was quickly released and the bait reset. I made another turn and the same bait was eaten by another small shark. I trolled a bit deeper and at 28m Johan and I saw a swirl on the surface between the lines. We both ran back to the rod that the fish was nearest to. Johan was trying to get the rod out the holder while I had the reel on freespool, thinking the fish was a dorado. The fish took the bait and I fed it for a bit. As I pushed the drag up and the fish took line, the rod next to me – with a 12oz sinker and live bait - also slowly bent and ran a bit. I picked up the deep bait and passed it to Oom Johan so that I could clear the other lines. Both lines were going into the water at the same spot and taking line at a slow yet constant pace. Divan and I cleared the other lines and I went back to the controls. We all thought the lined were tangled and tried to unwind them by doing some fancy weaving but nothing helped. We noticed the line coming to the surface and thought the fish had been hooked on the one rod and tangled in the other line. This was not the case! All of us were looking back when a small black marlin stuck its head out the water in slow motion and jumped showing that both traces were in its mouth. Oh my soul! The first thing that went through my mind was the #3 wire. Surely there was no chance that we would get the fish. I was more that happy to just stand there watching the show … while it lasted. The marlin looked very lethargic when it jumped and slowly swam toward the boat. I thought we would get a quick tag into it but I needed to move fast. I grabbed the tag stick and tried to fit the tag – this was not easy since I was now shaking like a leaf! Before I had the tag ready, the fish was on the leader, 3 meters away. I finally managed to fit the tag and passed the pole to Divan. Before he could get the tag in the fish went ballistic! There was just white water everywhere. Johan tried to control the fish but on 10kg line there is not much you can do. He unfortunately parted off his line leaving Oom Johan to fight the fish by himself on 15kg tackle. The fish took about 60m of line and then sounded. I got the boat on top of the fish and tried to move it shallower. It was not having any of it and stayed down deep. After 20 minutes the fish came up and we could get the leader on the rod. The fish was just out of reach of the tag pole when it took off again, jumping in a big arc to the right. I opened the two 75’s and sat right next to the fish with if jumping at about shoulder height not 4 meters from me. While this was going on Johan was now trying to tag the fish in mid air! The fish went deep and the fight became a tug of war as we tried to gain any line that we could. After about 15 minutes of stalemate I suggested we put some line in the water to get an angle on the fish so I put the boat in reverse and backed away from it. After about 40m of line left the reel, the line shot to the surface and the fish jumped. I took the boat toward the fish and Oom Johan managed to get the leader on the reel. The fish spun around and swam to the back of the boat, right on the surface. I put both motors into reverse and managed to keep pace with the fish … by now it looked like a clip from ESPN with water coming 6 inches over the transom! The marlin was about 3 meters away so I closed the gap by turning towards the fish. Johan leaned over the gunwale, and with Divan holding his shirt, he planted a perfect tag shot in the fish’s shoulder - Brilliant! The fish objected to its newly acquired piercing and greyhounded away from us. I spun the boat around and chased it in forward. With the leader on the reel again, Oom Johan put some pressure on the fish and parted the trace for a release. If I could draw an air-punch and insert it here, I would but you will just need to believe me that we were stoked! Releasing a +-75kg marlin on a cuda stick with #3 wire was not bad going!
After the traditional handshakes we decided to go to Oscar and look for a kaakap or cuda because the gamefish were not exactly thick at vegetation. We arrive at Oscar and put out the lines. I trolled over the deeper pinnacle while Johan put a vertical jig down. I notices that the downrigger had released and asked Divan to check it. Just then Johan had a hit on the jig but lost it. While everyone was busy checking the downrigger and dropping the jig, the rod next to me with a big livie on the surface smoked off. I happened to be closest to it and was not busy with anything so I took the rod. The fish took a lot of line and so, after the other lines were cleared, we chased the fish. After about 15 minutes we managed to boat a good cuda of about 13kg – we were very lucky because the hook in the mouth had been bitten off and the other hook had snagged it in the head. We trolled for about half an hour more before the SW wind picked up and forced us to beach. All in all, it was a great day. Johan and his dad were happy that we had caught a gamefish and Divan and I were stoked to have released a marlin. I guess you can have the best of both worlds after all!
