Wrapping up the year

On the last day of 2010 at Cape Vidal, I awoke to the sound of relatively heavy rain. We had planned to fish for marlin with Mike Buyskes on “Thresher One”, a 21ft Tomcat. After checking out the sea and weather, we decided to give it a skip. Back at camp, we made breakfast and lounged around. By 10am we could not take it anymore and decided to launch ... come hell or high water!

At 10:30 Mike and Mearl Buyskes, Bryant Beukes and I were through the surf. There was a light SE blowing but the sea was great. Mike had found a likely looking are on the GPS along the 500m contour that he wanted to work so we headed straight there. Twenty minutes later, we were at the spot and we went about setting 4 lures on 50Lbs and 80Lbs rigs. Mike then worked the contour from 450m to 600m. There was a great upwelling and temperature break along the edge of the contour and after trolling for about an hour, we started seeing flying fish, skipjack and spinner dolphin.

We had just turned at the 450m mark and were right on the edge of the rip when I saw a fish coming into the spread on the starboard side. The short rigger popped but nothing. Mike kept his course for a while when the short port rigger popped and the reel ran for a bit before stopping. By that stage I had the pitch bait amongst the lures but the fish was not having it. It wanted the big lures. I told Mearl to wind the lure to its original position and after retrieving 5m of line, the bill and dorsal of the fish broke the surface behind the lure and smashed down. This time we were hooked up! After a scramble to clear the other rods, the deck was cleared. Mearl took the chair and strapped in. The marlin stuck its head out the water showing it to be a small stripey ... Mearl’s first. The fish was a bit out gunned with the 80Lbs rig, and was at the boat in 8 minutes. It was cleanly hooked so we got the hooks out and turned it loose. Great!

The lures went out again and Mike continued to work the area. At about 2pm, another small stripey came up on the short starboard lure. I pitched a halfbeak to is but the fish was just window shopping and after a half hearted look, it faded off. Despite working the area for another half hour, we could not raise the fish again. At 2:30pm we upped lines and headed for the beach. What a great way to spend the last day of the year!

Twas the day after Christmas

On 26^th December, Alan and Bryant Buekes and myself launched Allan’s 19ft Yeldcat “Baccus” at Cape Vidal. By 5:30 we were through the surf and headed for Oscar. When we arrived at the southern pinnacle, Bryant and I rigged a few small halcos and daisy chains and started putting out the lines. Before I could place my line, Bryant’s rod went away. After a quick fight, he brought a beautiful little yellowfin of about 2kg ... a perfect bait! I rigged it on a 20/0 circle hook and bombed it back into the water, keeping it close to the boat and away from the sharks. Allan took a course deeper and we waited until we were in 60m before I let the bait out.

The sea was very uncomfortable with the SE wind of around 15 knots and we bumped our way out to 500m before turning. In 400m, I saw a small swirl between the boat and the bait. I went to the back to see what it was. There were two Dorado cruising with us. I quickly grabbed a bait rod with a daisy chain on it and cast it out. The Dorado came over to look but lost interest very quickly and swam off. I took out a mackerel and hooked it onto the back of the daisy chain and left it to wallow in the wake. We continued shallower and at 300m, the bait rod with the mackerel took off. I fed the fish and tightened up. A small Dorado climbed out the water a few times before coming to the boat where we loaded it. At least we had something to eat. After turning in 60m, I headed out towards the ‘hole’ off Vegetation. The sounder showed the bottom falling away and minutes later, the rigger popped. I fed the fish and tightened up. We were on for a few seconds then nothing. I fed the bait back with no result. After retrieving the line, we saw that it was a small shark and only the head of the bait was left. It was back to Oscar to look for bait.

Bryant and I set the bait sticks and Allan trolled over the pinnacle. Allan had just passed over the deeper pinnacle and was moving shallower when one, two , three, four ... five rods went away ... a full house! I grabbed the closest, shortest rod and quickly pulled in a small frigate tuna. It was badly hooked so I put it into the hatch. By then, Bryant had a small yellowfin next to the boat which I grabbed, unhooked and bombed into the luna tube. Bryant grabbed another bait rod while I readied the two marlin rods. Alan brought in another small yellowfin that I quickly rigged and bombed into the water, keeping it within a few meters of the boat. Alan headed deeper off the reef and away from the sharks while Bryant pulled in another beautiful yellowfin which I rigged on the 50Lbs rod. The last rod also had a yellowfin on it and this one we released ... our good deed for the day. With 3 beautiful baits, we were pretty confident.

We had just settled when I saw another 2 dorado cruising in our wake. I grabbed a baitstick, hooked a mackerel on and flung it in their direction. Immediately the smaller one grabbed the bait. I fed it for a bit then hooked up. It came to the boat very quickly and it had a follower ... a nice bull Dorado. Bryant flicked a frozen mackerel at it and hooked up. The bull went mad, jumping over my line and burning me off. Unlucky! Bryant managed to get his 12kg fish to the boat where I gaffed it for him.

At about 2pm, I saw the spare bait rev. Seconds later a shark appeared behind it in hot pursuit. I grabbed the line and pulled the bait away. Bryant did the same with the main bait while Alan opened the motor and sped away. Both baits were fine so after about 200m, we slowed down and put them out again. We had just settled when the main bait was eaten. After feeding the fish for a while, we tightened up but there was nothing. Just the head came back. We transferred the spare bait to the main position and continued trolling. Our bait in the tube had died due to being badly hooked so this was our last chance. In 120m the rigger popped. I fed the fish but when we tightened up, there was nothing. Again just the head came back. That brought our day to a close. It was obviously not our day ... maybe next time.

Raising the Dead

On 24^th December, I joined Frans van Rensburg, his son Jako and two of his friends on “Trinity” for a day on the water. We left the dock at 4:30am and headed straight out until the water was a deep blue colour. The lures went out and Jako trolled the area for a while. It was very quiet and so we headed north. The sun had broken through the clouds and the lures were looking great. Something had to happen! About an hour later, at 9am, the flatline was eaten by a hungry Dorado. This was brought to the boat and unceremoniously gaffed. Jako worked the area and soon after, we had a small marlin chasing the long port lure. It swatted the lure a few times, but never hooked up.

Jako found a current line and trolled north along the deep edge. At 11:45, there was a huge splash on the long starboard lure and the rigger popped. The 80Lbs rig took off and a big Blue marlin took to the air. We all grabbed rods and cleared the deck as the fish absolutely smoked off. Jako backed up hard trying to keep up with the fish, but it was too fast. Moments later, a movement to the starboard side caught my eye. It was our marlin, greyhounding parallel to us ... in the opposite direction! There was about 500m of line out when the fish slowed down and we could regain line.

Hennie regained most of the line, but the marlin had other ideas and sounded. We could do nothing but watch as the fish took more than half the spool of line. After two hours, the fish stopped and we could only assume it was dead. We were in 500m of water with a dead fish lying on the bottom... not a good situation to be in! We tried every manoeuvre in the book, but the fish would not budge.

Out of pure desperation, I put on a pair of gloves and grabbed the line. There was some tension, but I could pull it up. Slowly ... very slowly, the dead fish started to lift off the bottom. I continued hand-lining the fish while Hennie took up the slack. After 100m, Jako took over from me. So we took turns raising the fish until the elastic from the rigger came out the water. There was a huge amount of tension on the line now and almost zero stretch. I handed over to Jako, warning him not to put too much pressure on the line. Everything was going well and the fish was about 15m under the boat when a swell unexpectedly caused the boat and the fish to suddenly pull apart. All I can recall is Jako’s hand shooting towards him as the line popped. The big fish slowly sank back to the depths. By now it was after 3pm and the battle had taken its toll on the entire crew, physically and mentally.

We decided to up lines and head for home. This day showed us how important a good team is. Even though we did not manage to get the fish, we felt we had done our best.

Hard luck prize

On 19^th December, Wayne Ritchie and his two sons, Divan Coetzee, Jacques Spence and I launched “Big W” off Richards Bay. There had been a lot of billfish around and we were keen to catch one. We set off at 5am and were soon in good water. The lures went out and we trolled towards the drop off.

In about 300m, Wayne’s sons started feeling seasick and Wayne suggested we head back and drop him and his sons off. We trolled shallower and in 96m, I saw a fin slicing through the spread toward the teaser. I shouted to Wayne who was closest and before he could react, the short starboard rigger popped. The fish took some line then took to the air showing itself to be a good striped marlin of around 70kg. We cleared the lines and slowed the boat down. Wayne was busy clipping himself into the harness when the marlin jumped again and shook the hooks out. Unlucky! We were still in good water so put the lines out again. In 70m, the long port rigger popped and a Dorado splashed around. I happened to be near the rod, so I winched it to the boat where it unfortunately pulled hook. By now, we were in green water and we upped lines and dropped Wayne off. Wayne suggested that Divan, Jacques and I should launch again, so without much ado, we headed back offshore.

The same spread went out as we passed over the colour line and almost immediately, we hooked a Dorado. Jacques made short work of it before I gaffed it. There were a few hook-ups on the 500m contour so Divan headed out to sea. It was very quiet, but at about 14:00, the short starboard rigger popped, the reel gave a short burst but then nothing. We continued on our course and were rewarded with the long starboard rigger popping. This was a strip bait so I gave a few moments before setting the hook. The line ran off the reel at a constant speed but after I felt a few good head nods, it took off. We all looked back and saw a nice blue marlin clear the water. Beautiful! I gave the rod to Jacques and Divs and I cleared the lines. I went to the helm and as I was about to start backing up, the line went limp. On closer inspection, we saw that the trace had broken ... who knows why!

At 3:30pm we trolled towards home and in 80m, we had a Dorado take a lure. Divan pulled it in and it had two followers. I ran down stairs and flicked out a piece of belly shine on a spare rod. Almost immediately I went on. Jacques took the rod and I gaffed Div’s fish.

We rigged another rod with a belly shine and slipped it into the wake. It didn’t take long to hookup and we managed to get all three fish. They were not billfish, but they were a hell of a lot of fun and a great way to end the day!

By hook or By Crook!

On Friday 17^th December, I took out Mike Leenstra’s 21ft Yeld Cat “Beluga”. Fishing with me was Mike’s 13 year old son Dale. Dale has recently started targeting SA Records and has accumulated a few impressive fish on light tackle. Today we were looking for a Blue or Striped Marlin record.

We launched “Beluga” at 5:30am and headed North to the Kasteel (50m Ledge). The blue water started on the edge of the reef so I slacked the speed and let out a small kona on a baitstick while Dale let out a halco. I stopped the spool with my thumb to see where the lure was when suddenly the rod buckled and the reel took off! I put up the drag and gave the rod to Dale. He brought in a skipjack of about 2kg (a perfect bait). It went straight into the live bait tube and we headed deeper.

In about 200m, I rigged the skippie on a 20/0 circle hook and an 80Lbs rig. There was a big swell so I let the bait out about 30m and attached the line to the outrigger with a rubber band. Slowly we headed deeper and over the radio, several boats were hooked up in 400-500m. We turned at 600m and headed shallower. At 500m a pod of spinner dolphin cruised with the boat for a while before heading to parts unknown. We also started seeing flying fish and even an ocean sunfish. This was definitely the area to be. Probably 5 mins later, the bait revved and the elastic popped. I fed the fish a few meters when the water behind the boat erupted and a nice blue marlin of about 150kg started jumping. I upped the drag and wound like hell. Dale increased the speed but alas, the reel stopped running and the marlin was gone. On closer inspection, I saw that the fish had become tangled in the line and trace and the bait did not even have a mark on it! Unlucky! The bait unfortunately died and so Dale and I put out 5 marlin lures and headed back to the ledge to look for another livebait.

In 100m of water, I looked back to see the port long rigger bending for the water! Next thin the rigger released and the 130Lbs Tiagra took off. Seconds later, a black marlin of about 100kg exploded out of the water putting up a beautiful display! We cleared the lines and Dale jumped into the chair. He fought the fish very well and had it next to the boat in 15mins where I leadered the fish, removed the hooks and released it. Great!

We were practically on the reef so out came the big rods and in went the bait rods. We trolled around for about an hour and managed to get a nice Dorado and lost a wahoo. At 1pm I suggested we put the big lures out and head for the deep to look for a blue or stripey. We had just started trolling when we caught a 16kg wahoo on a marlin lure in 100m of water.

A short while later, in 500m, a blue marlin came charging in to the port long rigger but turned off at the last second! I worked the area for about half an hour without any action. It was getting late so I told Dale that it was time to head home. We decided to troll shallower until the water turned green before packing up. In 74m, I noticed a splash on the centre rigger, followed by a snap as the rubber bang popped. The 50Lbs Tiagra took off and another black marlin launched itself out the water.

Again we cleared the lines before Dale climbed into the chair. The fish settled and I slowly closed the gap between the boat and fish. The marlin was about 20m away when it shook its head violently and then took to the air then stripped quite a bit of line before settling again. Dale worked it closer and the leader came out the water. I took the trace and waited for the fish to give the right approach. It kept ducking under the boat resulting in a few tense moments. With just two people on board, one in the chair, meant I had to turn the chair, skip the boat and trace the fish ... stressful to say the least! Finally, after letting go 4 or 5 times, it surfaced next to the boat and I could safely pull it closer. I grabbed the bill of a healthy 90kg black and removed the hooks before turning it loose! Unreal, 2 blacks in a day with 2 people on board ... and one on 50Lbs ... NICE! After that, we packed up and headed home.

Fish's day off

On Sunday 5^th December we launched “AVANTI” at Cape Vidal and headed for the bait spot off the point. We scratched around for a while until we found a good showing and went down with bait jigs. As they hit the ground, we went on with mackerel and maasbankers. After the livewell was stocked, we headed for Oscar to pull for marlin bait.

Divan and I set the lines and At trolled over the pinnacles. It didn’t take long to get a pull. Three rods went away with yellowfin tuna and Johan, Pierre and Divan took the strikes. Moments after we hooked up, a pod of dolphin started jumping towards us. Knowing what was about to happen, all 3 anglers put the drags up to maximum and pulled like mad. The inevitable happened and 2 of the 3 tuna were eaten by the dolphins. The one we managed to get went into the livebait tube and we continued trolling. About 20mins later we hooked another yellowfin which found its way into the tube.

The baits were a bit big for our liking so we continued trolling to try catch a smaller bait. A short while later we pulled hooks on a nice size bonito but managed to catch another of about 2kg just after that. One of the yellowfins went into the hatch to make space for the bonito. The current had come in and so we headed about a kilometer north to gain ground and depth. En route we had a sailfish take one of the bait lures we were pulling but unfortunately it didn’t stick. In 60m I rigged the bonito and put it about 20m behind the boat.

Pierre rigged a live mackerel and put it on the other rigger, hoping for a Dorado or smaller billfish. At trolled the bait deeper and turned at 160m before working in shallower. We were hopeful of getting a marlin because the conditions were perfect. But, by 1:30 pm we had nothing so decided to call it a day. I pulled in the bait, cut it free and watched it swim away strongly. It was its lucky day.

Holiday Fishing

After returning from Kenya, I was keen to get on the water and try some of the new tricks I learnt. Close friend At van Tilburg was at Cape Vidal and he invited me to fish for the weekend. Divan Coetzee and I left Richards Bay at 03:45 on Saturday 4^th December and arrived at Vidal round 5:30. The SW wind was still blowing but the forecast indicated that conditions would improve as the day progressed. We decided to fish for halfbeaks on the low tide and launch at midday for an afternoon session.

At, Pierre, Divs and I fished for about two hours and managed to get 27 halfbeaks. After vacuum packing them, we hitched the boat, launched and set off for the live bait spot. The bait was relatively scarce but after 45mins we managed to get about 20 baits. The sea was choppy with a 15knot SW blowing. We wanted to fish south of the launch so we opted to pull lures instead of pounding our way into the wind. About 10mins later, we had a strike and Divan caught our first Vidal Dorado for December. After arriving at the lighthouse, we rigged a few livies and slow trolled north with the wind, tacking deeper and shallower as we went. In 27m Pierre caught a nice Dorado on the surface. A short while later, we had a double strike and Divs and I fought the fish. Mine came to the boat first and turned out to be a hammerhead shark of about 20kg ... not what I was hoping for! Divan brought in a Dorado of around 6kg.

The current had pushed us south while we were fighting the fish and we upped lines and moved further north before resetting the lines. Things were a bit quiet for a while until we moved into the area where the water temp increased. Almost immediately, the deeper bait was eaten and the fish smoked off. I took the strike and while Divs was clearing some lines I saw a Dorado swimming behind us. Divs fed it a livie and it was game on. Another double. I managed to get a cuda of +- 8kg while Divs got another Dorado. We were busy resetting the lines when the far surface bait was eaten. I picked up the rod and took up the slack. After a short run, I felt something break. On closer inspection, I saw that the 100Lbs fluorocarbon leader had been bitten through. It was probably another fish that ate the lure which had slid up the line. About 10mins later, Divan did his magic with a sailfish. Nice Divs!!!

At 15:30 we beached and after prepping for the next day, we enjoyed a fresh fish and chips meal. NICE!

We've been Having it!

On 13^th November 2010, Marius Botha, Riaan Pretorius, Divan and I launched Marius’ boat “Sea Hunter”. This was the first launch with his boat and we were unsure as to what the game plan should be. We loaded the boat with two 80Lbs marlin rods and a few game sticks and headed out to sea.

There was a light SE wind blowing and the sea was relatively calm. There had been a few Dorado north on the 50m ledge so we headed in that direction. After stopping off at a bait spot and catching some maasbankers, we put out some high speed lures and headed north along the ledge towards the castle. We had just arrived in the area when a reel took off. Moments later a Dorado of about 9kg took to the air. Marius fought the fish to the boat and Riaan unceremoniously gaffed it and popped it into the hatch. With something to eat, we were all satisfied that the day was not a complete waste.

We needed to make a decision as to what we were going to fish for... do we pull livebait around for gamefish of do we put out lures and look for marlin bait? Opting for the latter, we put out 2 small rapalas, a Dorado lure and 2 marlin lures (just in case). After about 15 minutes, the one baitstick went away with a small yellowfin tuna of about 2kg... a perfect bait. I pulled it in and put it into the livebait tube. Divan changed course for deeper water while Riaan, Marius and I cleared the other lines and prepared the traces. We did not have a bait needle, so I had to make a plan with a piece of #9 piano wire.

At 70m, Divan slowed the boat to live bait speed and I rigged the yellowfin on a 20/0 circle hook. The bait was let out 20m and the line attached to the outrigger. Slowly we made our way out to sea, turning at 300m. There was no current and we could maintain position without any problems. In 155m, the bait started revving. I ran back and pulled the line out the rigger. After a few seconds, there was a heavy weight on the line indicating the bait had been taken. I released the line and put the reel into free spool, pulling off line as the fish swam away with the bait. The fish’s speed increased and I told Divan to accelerate a bit. I increased the drag and the rod bent followed by a screaming reel... HOOKUP! Marius donned the harness and I passed him the rod. Once settled, we watched the line as it angled towards the surface. About 60m behind the boat, something broke the surface and thrashed around. None of us could get a good look, but we were relatively sure it was a marlin. The fish stayed on surface but would not come closer to the boat. If I backed up, the fish would sound but when I rode forward, it would come up again. The fish followed us where ever we went and after 45mins, Divan managed to get hold of the trace. The sun was at the wrong angle so we could not ID it. The trace was pulled out of Divan’s hands as the fish sounded a few meters. In the next 20mins, the trace came out the water 3 times. Finally we could see the fish. It was a good size black marlin. This was a very stubborn fish and even with 10kg drag, we made little impression. At one point, the marlin swam up to the side of the boat for a quick look at what was happening. Divan traced it within about 2m of the surface and it had all its fighting colours lit up ... beautiful!

It then sounded again. After 2 hours of heavy pressure, the fish started tiring. At this stage we were in 50m of water and had taken the trace about 7 times. We decided to load the fish if we could as it was Marius’ biggest fish. There was a problem however because there was no heavy gaff or sheleilie on the boat. We would need to grab the bill and manhandle it next to the boat ... this was going to be good! The leader came up and Divan gave a few wraps pulling the fish closer to the boat. I slowly circled keeping the fish out from under the boat and away from the motors.

Slowly but surely it came closer and when it was less than 2m away, it came to the surface and shook its head, dislodging the hook! It hung there for a few moments before veering off into the depths. This was an extremely strong fish and earned its freedom. There was no use crying over spilt milk, so we regrouped and put out the bait lures and headed to the ledge again.

After about an hour, we hooked another yellowfin tuna. I rigged it and let it out as we did the previous bait. The wind had picked up and most boats headed back. We stuck it out and continued to 220m before turning shallower. At around 2pm, the bait revved I ran to the back and released the line from the clip. After feeling the weight of a bigger fish, I fed slack into the water then let the line to run off the reel. Divan increased the speed and I increased the drag ... HOOKUP! Divan climbed into the harness and commenced battle. The fish stayed on surface, but came to the boat very easily. I had to ride away to keep tension. After convincing ourselves that it was a hammerhead, we were pleasantly surprised when the “shark” grew a bill and came flying out the water.

It gave a great display near the boat and after about 15 mins, Divan had it next to the boat. I leadered the +-80kg black marlin and Marius took the bill. After a few good shakes, I got the hook out and we released a healthy marlin.

Thanks to the crew for a great day, and remember ... Surf’s up Dude!!! Hehe!

MBA ... Master Builder Association

After a spell of terrible weather, which kept most of us off the sea, we had our break and planned to make full use of it.

On Sunday the 7^th November, Wayne Ritchie, Divan Coetzee, Ettienne de Villiers, Riaan Pretorius and I launched Wayne’s 900 Cobra cat “Big W”. We had entered the Master Builders Association Gamefish Competition held at the Meerensee Boat Club. The first day had been bad weather and we opted not to fish. Other boats launched and there were a few Dorado, tuna and sailfish around.

We headed for the castle with a SE wind of about 12-15knots. The forecast indicated the wind would settle and it was going to be a great day. The water was clean at 40m so I decided to put out a small high speed lure while we ran out, hoping to get a wahoo. In 55m we slowed to put out the lures and Riaan started retrieving the high speed lure. Halfway to the boat, he shouted that he was on! Classic. The fish gave a bit of a tussle before Divan gaffed a 5kg yellowfin. Wayne increased the speed to about 8 knots and Divan and I put out some lures. Div was busy placing a lure in the spread when the rod buckled in his hands. He was also into a yellowfin of about 8kg. We reset the lures and continued trolling.

At 350m we turned shallower as there had been more surface activity near the 100m mark. Moments later, the close lure was taken and a Dorado launched into the air. Seconds later the long rigger came down and a second Dorado, bigger than the first, took to the air. Riaan and Ettienne took the rods. We were busy retrieving the other lines when there was a loud crack. The next thing, the centre rigger fell from the sky and landed on the deck! Moments later the 130Lbs reel started running. We were on with 3! Chaos reigned for a few minutes as 3 guys tried to control 3 dorado. When the dust had settles, one Dorado made it to the fish hatch with the others pulling hooks. After clearing the deck and assessing the situation, we realised that the centre rigger had broken on a previously welded section which had become weak. When the Dorado took the lure, the rigger could not handle the strain and broke. Not to worry, we made a make shift plan and were trolling a full spread in no time.

We heard over the radio that one of the boats had a strike a bit shallower so we headed to the area where we had seen some skipjack feeding. At about 8:45 in 133m, the short port rigger lure was eaten. The fish took off to the starboard side at speed, so I picked up the rod and weaved my way through the other lines which were being retrieved by everyone else. The fish changed direction and shot past the starboard rigger causing the line to cut through the water. I tried to retrieve the slack but the fish was too fast. Wayne opened the throttle and after what seemed like ages, the line took tension. I handed the rod to Riaan who was by now in the standup harness. We clipped him in and left him to fight the fish which was still unidentified.

The fish fought on the surface for most of the fight and after about 30mins we caught a glimpse of it. It was a blue marlin of about 100kg. About 15 mins, I took the trace and Divan tagged the fish. After a few photos, we released a healthy fish which swam away strongly. This was Rianns first marlin and he had fought it well.

With a spring in our steps, we set the lines and Wayne continued working the area. About half n hour later, I saw a sharp dorsal fin followed by a sickle tail slicing through the water towards the short port lure (again). I shouted to the guys and everyone saw the bill and dorsal come up behind the lure as the marlin tried to eat it. The fish missed the lure about 4 times before it found the hooks and we were hooked up. The large dorsal indicated that this was a striped marlin and because Wayne had not caught one yet, we gave him the strike. I ran upstairs and took over the controls while the other lines were cleared. When Wayne was clipped in, he pulled the fish to the boat relatively easily.

About 30m from the boat, the marlin stuck its head out the water and then instantly turned away from us and greyhounded away almost pulling Wayne over the transom. At this stage, I put both 300HP Suzzies into reverse and charged the fish down. It looked like a scene from ESPN with white water coming over the transom. Absolutely spectacular! The fish stopped jumping and the fight slowed down. When we neared the fish, we could see that it had become tail wrapped. Luckily, as Divan took the leader, the line unwrapped and Divan could grab the bill. Ettienne tagged the fish and after a few quick photo and a reviving session, the striped marlin was released. Great! 2 marlin in as many hours!

The competition’s lines up was at 11:30 and apart from a quick strike with a skipjack tuna, the day ended. We were fortunate to do well in the comp and ended up taking the top billfish boat and the second biggest Dorado with a fish of 12,4kg. Congrats to Wayne, Riaan and the crew on a great achievement!

Back to basics - KP reels rule!

On Sunday the 5^th September, Hannes and Michael Duvenage and I launched “Lihann” to fish for Garrick. There had been very few around but they are the only decent gamefish around so we decided to try for them. We launched at around 6am and headed to the shallow bait reef. On the first down with livebait jigs, we lost 4 hooks. We assumed they were shad and persevered a while longer. We then caught about 7 small milk sharks in a row. Realizing we would not come right with bait if they were around, we moved a bit north and deeper. Michael and Hannes caught a few nice pinkies before heading north to hlobane mouth.

The water was beautiful. Clean, small swells and quite a lot of baitfish around. We rigged 4 baits and Hannes trolled along the backline. In front of the mouth, we noticed movement on the surface. There were sharp fins sticking out of the water and large swirls in a small area. Michael and I threw spoons and plugs at the swirls without a chase. Finally, when they were close to us we identified them as milkfish (chanos Chanos). No wonder we didn’t get any chases. There was no action on the first drift and so we made a second drift over the same area. At about 10am we were just south of the mouth when the bait on the Scarborough was taken. I fed the fish which ran very quickly and didn’t stop. I struck into what seemed like a brick wall and then the fish took off even faster. It went out to sea and stayed deep. I told Michael that I was positive that it was a kingfish and so Hannes got the boat on top of it to prevent it from cutting me off. The fish fought with heavy head nods and strong short runs. Finally, after about 20 minutes, the fish came up circling beneath the boat. Michael reached out and gaffed a good GT of 15kg. Not bad on a KP! Again we travelled north before resetting the rods but after about an hour or more, there was no action. The weather was beautiful so we decided to up lines and run to the 50m ledge to pull a few small konas and halcos.

We arrived at the ledge about 20 mins later and rigged 3 konas and two halcos (both on scarboroughs) and zigzagged the reef towards the harbour. After trolling for about 20 mins, the one halco and one kona was eaten. Unfortunately the hook pulled on the halco but we still had one on. Michael pulled a +-4kg yellowfin tuna to the boat where it was released. The lines went in again and almost immediately we caught a small bonito. We continued south and hooked another 2 yellowfins. I released one on the KP and Michael released the other.

About 15 mins later Michael released another yellowfin and caught 2 more bonito. At 2:30 we upped lines and headed back to the club.

Slim pickings

On Saturday 4^th September at 5:45am, Michael, Divan and I launched “Lihann” off Richards Bay to fish for Garrick. The weather predictions were for strong NE winds from midday but there was a quiet period in the morning. We wanted to fish on the low tide was at 6:45am so we didn’t have much time to catch bait and get to the fishing spot.

Our first stop was at the shallow bait reef off the caravan park. We were lucky and managed to find some nice pinkies and a few small shad in a short space of time before heading north. The water was filthy near groenkop, so we headed towards Hlohbane river mouth. When we arrived, there were patches of off coloured water, but otherwise it looked good. Divan and I rigged a few pinkies and a shad while Michael worked south along the surfzone.

We made two drifts over the area without a single rev so we headed even further north to Dawsons bay. Again we rigged some livies and worked the area but without success so we continued south back to the river mouth. About half way between Hlobane and Dawsons, Divan saw a big swirl on the sea side of us and then a Garrick broke surface and chased a few baitfish. I grabbed a rod with a popper on it and let fly. The moment was obviously too big for me and I ended up with an overwind ... Epic Fail! I knew I needed to act quickly, so I wound over the knot and got the popper on the surface. Immediately the Garrick turned and chased the popper but did not want to eat it and turned away a few meters from the boat. The baits pulled through the area without a rev and we continued on our drift. At 11:30, we had had enough and decided to pull in the lines and head back along the backline and stop if we saw a good looking area. About a kilometre south, near kwambo ramp, we saw a patch of clean water with a bit of a rip. Divan and I put 3 baits in and michael worked the area.

As we came into the dirty water of the rip, the deep bait started revving wildly. Divan and I ran back and I got to the rod first and freespooled the bait. A few seconds later, the bait was eaten and I fed the fish for a while before hooking up. The fish came to the boat relatively quickly and after a few short runs next to the boat, Divan gaffed a 6kg Garrick. It had a lot of energy left and jumped around the deck while Divan tried to control it. The fish got a few good shots in before Divan could put it into the hatch.

The weather was deteriorating fast and Divan had to be back early for a wedding so we called it a day.

Unfavourable Conditions

On the morning of Saturday the 21^st August, Michael, Divan and I Launched “Lihann” to fish for Garrick. The SW had blown for most of the week and there was a lot of rain. This resulted in very dirty water in the backline and unfavourable conditions. Knowing it would be a difficult days fishing, we decided to give it a try regardless. The NE was predicted to blow 16-19 knots.

We headed for the south pier to look for some shad, but they were not interested and we were forced to try another spot. Other boats were on the pipeline but were battling for bait so we stayed shallow and managed to get a few shad and pinkies before heading north to fish the rips in the backline. After pulling baits around for about an hour in dirty water without a strike, we made a call to move about 10km north to Hlobane mouth. The closer we got to the mouth, the better the water conditions became. When we arrived, there were a few good rips and working water with a few birds dipping over the area. Divan and I rigged baits and had just put out the second rod when the first bait was eaten. I fed the fish for a few seconds and then set the hook. The fish splashed around on the surface for a while then came within gaffing range where Divan lifted the +- 7,5kg garrick into the boat.

We went back to the start of the drift and set the lines. On the edge of the rip, we saw a Garrick clear the water while chasing baitfish. A few minutes later, a Garrick ripped into a shoal of bait under one of the dipping birds... something had to happen. Near the end of the drift, as we were coming out of the rip, the deep bait revved and I freespooled the reel. Something ate the livie and I fed it for quite a while before setting the hook. As the line came tight, the Garrick came to the surface splashing trying to throw the hook. I handed the rod to Divan as the fish thrashed on the surface throwing a lot of blood because the fish was in the gills which made it an easy fight. As the fish came close, Michael gaffed the 6kg garrick and lifted it aboard. Again we headed to the start of the drift and set lines. After about 30mins, the pinky on the Scarborough started revving and was eaten. Divan fed the fish for a while but the bait was dropped before he could set the hook. There were no more strikes on the rest of the drift so we headed back up and rerigged. As we entered the area that we had dropped the previous fish, the Scarborough bait was eaten. Divan fed the fish for a few seconds then set the hooks. The fish took off at speed while I cleared the other lines. The fish fought hard and deep with big head nods and when it came to the boat, we saw that it was a nice kingfish of about 11kg. I quickly put the gaff into the fish’s head and lifted it into the boat. This was Divan’s biggest kingfish.

The wind was now blowing about 20 knots and we decided to make one last drift. We had no further strikes and at 2pm we upped lines and headed back to the harbour. There were no other fish caught at the club and we felt satisfied with a good catch in unfavourable conditions.

Picture Perfect Conditions

On Saturday the 14^th of August, my Dad and I planned to go Garrick fishing with Wayne Ritchie and Hendrik McCarthy. The forecast looked promising and at 6:30am we launched “Selfish” and headed off to the pipeline to get bait. We stopped at the coordinate and Wayne and I sent the jigs down into a good looking showing. Before we hit the ground, the rods doubled over as the baitfish climbed on. We brought up two full strings of mackerel. My Dad repositioned us and again we brought up strings of mackerel. I cut one up for bait and put a few pieces on the jigs, hoping for a shad. On the next drop, Wayne brought up a few maasbankers and I managed to get two shad and a few mackerel. We moved a short distance away and found a few red eye sardines which we kept for snoek bait. After filling up on bait, we went shallower and caught a few pinkies before heading to groenkop.

We wanted to fish the low tide for Garrick, but this was only at 11am so we had some time to kill. I rigged up a few redeyes and a live mackerel and we slow trolled a ledge at 12m. Apart from a half hearted strike, it was quiet. At 9:30 we headed for the backline.

There was almost no swell and the water was crystal clean.

I rigged two mackerel, a shad and a pinkie. My Dad slowly trolled into the shallows and headed for one of the rips that was forming with the outgoing tide. We had gone about 100m when the shad was eaten. I fed the fish for a long time then struck the fish. It took about 30m of line before the hook pulled. Unlucky! I rigged the last shad and as we went into the rip, it was eaten. I fed the fish for a while and set the hook. This time the fish was on properly. Hendrik took the rod and fought the fish to the boat where it gave a good account of itself before I put the gaff into a 7,6kg Garrick. We went back to the north side of the rip and set the lines again. I had no more shad so I put another pinkie out. Again, as we went into the rip, the pinkie was taken. I hooked up and gave Hendrik the rod. The fish came to the boat quickly and turned out to be a nice rockcod. We carried on south to the next rip and as the baits came out of the turbulence, the pinkie was eaten. I fed the fish but before I could strike, the fish dropped the bait. We did not have any more action for half an hour so we upped lines and went back to where we had started the day. We had the baits in the perfect spot when the pinkie was eaten again. I fed the fish and hooked up before giving the rod to Wayne. This Garrick took a lot of line and gave Wayne a good go. Wayne decided to tag the fish so I traced it and lifted it into the boat where it was measured, tagged and released. Great!

We rerigged and trolled to the next rip. Wayne had also put on a pinkie because this seemed to be the bait of the day. A short while later, this bait was eaten. Wayne fed the fish and then tightened up. The fish was on for a few minutes but then threw the hook. We were now out of pinkies and so we had to use mackerel and maasbankers. Again we rode to the north of the rip and rerigged. I put out new baits on all the rods and as the last bait was in the water, the mackerel was taken. Wayne fed the fish for quite a while and then tightened up. Hookup! The fish was on a spinning rig and Wayne wanted Hendrik to feel what it was like to fight on a coffee grinder, so he handed over the rod. Hendrik fought the fish to the boat and after a good tussle, I gaffed a 7,4kg Garrick.

With a renewed faith in the other baits, we reset the lines. We decided to up lines at 2pm and at 1:55pm, the deep bait with the maasbanker was taken. I fed the fish but unfortunately the line tangled with another and the fish spat the bait before I could strike. We were happy with our day and headed back for a cold beer.

Don't believe the forecast!

On Saturday the 7^th August, we had planned a fishing trip with my sister, Julie, brother in law, Carl and my Dad. We wanted to target the ladies 3kg line class record for Garrick. The weather forecast did not look good. There was supposed to be a small window of good weather in the morning before the NE wind would get up and blow us off the water. We decided to launch as early as possible to get in what little fishing we could.

At 6am we headed for the ski-boat club and were in the water by 6:30. We then headed out to the pipeline to catch livebait. The sea was beautiful with no wind and almost no swell. Carl and I dropped the jigs down on a good showing and immediately went on. We brought up strings of maasbanker, shad and pinkies. By 7:30 the live well was full, we headed off to the backline to look for Garrick. We had decided on an area between 5 mile and groenkop where the low tide created a few strong rips. I rigged up 2 shad and a pinkie on the 3kg spinning rigs and my Dad worked from south to north through the rips. After about an hour, we had just turned to work back south when one of the shad was eaten. Julie rushed to the rod and fed the fish while Carl and I cleared the other lines. After we were happy that the fish had swallowed the bait, my Dad increased the speed and Julie started winding. The line took tension and ran off the reel. Hookup! The fish ran straight fot the backline which indicated that it was indeed a Garrick. The current record is vacant so we knew that this was the fish we were looking for. My Dad moved the boat into deeper water out of the surf zone so that we could fight the fish in open water. Julie brought the fish to the boat and had the leader on the rod after 15 mins. But this is where our progress came to a grinding halt. The fish turned broadside and stayed just out of reach. Every now and again, it would make a run along the surface breaking surface, trying to throw the hook. After the leader had been through the tip guide about twenty times, I managed to get the gaff into the fish and haul it aboard. Mission accomplished! It was a nice size fish and it had given Julie a good rev.

It was still early so we decided to try for another fish. I put the 3kg away and put the three 6kg spinning rigs out. The Garrick record on 6kg is just under 10kg, so we needed a relatively big fish. Again I put out 2 shad on the surface and a pinkie on the bottom. We worked the same rip for a while without a strike so moved further south to try another rip. As we moved into the turbulent water, the far shad was eaten. Again Julie fed the fish and after a while, my Dad opened the motor and the line came tight. The fish came to the boat quickly and as it made a pass at the boat, I put the gaff in.

It was not big enough for the record so we continued trolling along the rip. The lines had been in the water for a short while when the deep pinkie bait started revving. The rod bent and the reel freespooled. Julie took the rod and fed the fish for a bit before tightening up. Hookup! The fish fought in the surf and gave a good show on the surface. After a few minutes, the fish was at the boat. We decided to tag the fish as it was once again not big enough for a record. Carl put a wet towel on the deck and got the tag ready. I traced the fish and took hold of the tail. The fish was still very strong and I battled to keep hold of it. Eventually, I took hold of the tail with two hands and lifted it into the boat. I inserted the tag, measured it and then cut the leader. We took a few photos and then sent the fish on its way.

The tide was now starting to turn and the rip was dissipating so we quickly put the lines in the water to work it before it was gone. A few minutes after entering the rip, Carl shouted that there was a commotion on the surface just behind the boat. I saw the rigged shad jumping out the water trying to get away from something. Then a Garrick came up behind the shad, turning the water into a ball of foam and spray. When the shad landed, it disappeared in a big swirl. We all expected the reel to start running, but nothing. Julie retrieved the line to find the shad had been hit off the bridle and we were left with a bare hook. Moments later, the other surface shad was eaten. The reel free spooled and Julie took the rod. After a short while, we struck the fish and again the hook found it’s mark. This fish came to the boat very quickly and we saw that it was also quite small so again we decided to release it. We had the fish on the leader and Julie put some pressure on it so that I could get my hands on it. It was on the surface, next to the boat when it gave a last kick and the hook came out. Oh well, it was probably better that way in any case.

By 12:00 the rips had frizzled out and we were left to work the backline blindly. The sea was still beautiful and the strong wind that was predicted had not arrived. About an hour passed without any luck so we trolled south towards the harbour. Just in front of 5 Mile lighthouse, the deep bait revved and the reel freespooled. Again Julie fed the fish and then tightened up. The rod dipped for a bit, then came back as the hook pulled free. Oh well, 4 out of 5 is not bad. We decided to call it a day and packed up and headed home. We weighed the two Garrick and the smaller one was 7,2kg. The fish on 3kg line was 9,2kg, a new Ladies SA record.

A slow start but strong finish

On Saturday the 24^th July, Michael ,Divan, Heindrich and I launched “Lihann” off Richards Bay to target Garrick. There had been a number of fish caught during the week and we were looking forward to an action packed day.

Our first stop was at the end of the pipeline where we normally catch bait. Divan and I went down with sabiki jigs hoping for shad, but instead came up with full strings of maasbanker. I am not personally a big fan of a maasbanker as a Garrick bait so we continued looking for better bait. After moving around a bit, we happened upon a shoal of mackerel. I handed the bait rod to Heindrich so that he could fish for a bit. While they were loading the mackerel, I rigged up a game rod with a bottom trace, pinned a live mackerel and sent it down. At the end of the first drift, I retrieved the bait to find it had been chopped. I rigged another bait and sent it down on the next drift. After a few minutes, the rod bumped and I fed the fish for a short while then struck. The fish ripped off line at a fast speed before I turned it. We all thought it was a shark, but the deep hard fight with constant tail beats suggested otherwise. I got the fish to the boat where Michael lifted it into the boat. It was a yellowfin tuna of about 5kg which we released. After catching quite a number of mackerel, we decided to head shallower to look for bait at a different spot. In 12m off the caravan park, I sent down the sabiki. It had just hit the bottom when I hooked something that felt like a shad. I quickly lifted it into the boat and saw that it was a tiny cuda of around 35cm, probably the smallest I have ever caught. I kept this as a pitchbait for the coming marlin season. We managed to catch several large pinky’s and then headed for the south pier to look for Garrick.

We rigged 2 mackerel, 1 maasbanker and a pinky and slow trolled along the backline toward new mouth and then turned back towards the pier. By 12:30 we had only had 1 half hearted strike on a mackerel so the decision was made to up lines and run north between 5 mile lighthouse and groenkop hoping that there would be a few fish holding in the rips. The baits went out and the trolling continued without a touch. After checking the baits, Divan opted to change his bait to a sand mackerel hoping that this would trigger a strike. About 15mins later, I saw a big swirl between the lines. Divan’s scarborough reel started spinning as something ate the sand mackerel. Divan fed the fish for a while before setting the hook. The fish headed straight for the backline which was a sure indication that it was a Garrick. The fish came to the boat where I gaffed Divan’s first Garrick of about 5kg.

The lines went out again and we trolled slowly north. At 16:15 the deep line with the pinky had a strike. I fed the fish but the line didn’t pickup. After a few moments, I put up the drag and wound the reel to check what had happened. The line started cutting through the water to the front of the boat and I realised the fish had taken the bait and swam toward me. I set the hook and passed the rod to Heindrich. The fish gave us a hard time around the boat, but eventually we managed to load the 7kg Garrick.

The lines went out quickly again to use what light was left and not 10mins later, the deep line with a pinky was taken. Divan fed the fish and hooked up. Michael took the rod and fought a 6kg Garrick to the boat where Divan gaffed it.

We were hopeful to get a fourth fish so that we all could have caught one, but it was not to be. At 17:00 we upped lines and headed for the harbour. After a slow start to the day, it ended off with a bang. We are all looking forward to the next day’s Garrick fishing.

Garrick Galore

At 7:30am on Sunday the 18^th July, Jacques Spence (Tjokkie) and I launched “KC”, a 14ft ski-vee to fish for Garrick. We headed for the end of the pipeline to catch live bait. This is always the hardest part of Garrick fishing because without livebait you are dead in the water. I sounded around the marks for a few minutes to locate the bait shoals. After about 4 drifts, I found a spot where the showings looked good. Tjoks and I caught a few pinky’s, razorbellies and maasbankers but not the shad that we were looking for. I filleted a few of the razorbellies and both Tjoks and I baited up with this. We both dropped on the showing and immediately went on. Tjoks lifted 6 shad into the boat while I had 3 shad and 7 missing hooks... Game on! Tjoks had a heavy duty sabiki rig on so I held the boat on the spot while he caught bait. With the live well full, Tjoks and I headed for the south pier to look for garrick.

We arrived at 9:30 and I rigged up 3 shad, two on spinning rods and one on conventional tackle. There were a lot of people fishing off the pier and I could not get close enough to be productive. I opted to make my was along the pier working south towards the New Mouth area, along the backline. At just after 10am, I saw two Garrick chasing baitfish near the surf. This was exactly what I was hoping for. I headed for the area and a few minutes later, I saw a fish surface near the baits. I picked up the rod and held it in free spool anticipating the strike. I felt the bait rev and then there was a heavy pull on the line. After feeding the fish, I set the hook and passed the rod to Tjoks. The fish surfaced in the surf shaking its head violently. On the second breach, the hook and fish parted company and we were left with a mauled shad and 0-1 score to the Garrick, but we knew they were there. I rerigged the bait and continued along the backline and as we approached a good rip, the far bait was eaten. Again I fed the fish and hooked up before passing the rod to Tjoks. The other lines were cleared and the fish was brought to the boat. There was a second fish with it, but it refused to eat the bait that we offered it. I gaffed the fish and rigged up again.

Tjoks and I both agreed that the area we had just been through had a number of fish in it, so I turned around and headed north. We had not gone 100m when the bait on the spinning rod was eaten. I fed it and tightened up as the fish surfaced some distance away. Again Tjoks took the rod and fought a nice fish to the boat. He wanted to release it and so I traced the fish and when it was close, I cut the leader and it kicked away strongly. 2-1 to team “KC”... much better!

By now I was itching to get my first Garrick of the season and I didn’t have to wait long for a chance. We were nearing the pier when the close bait revved and then disappeared in a big swirl. I fed the fish and hooked up. At this stage, there were two other boats next to us and I am sure they were a bit envious that we were hooking up at such regular intervals (I know I would be!). As the fish neared the boat, I noticed that it had a tag in it so we put the fish on the deck, measured it, cleaned the tag and released it. 3-1 team “KC”. Great stuff.

By now, we were seeing a pattern and most of the fish were being caught on a colour line formed by the outgoing tide. I rode back to the beginning of the rip and put the baits out. We had just settled when a fish swirled between the lines. One of the shad jumped out of the water and when it landed, a Garrick engulfed it. This fish was on a light spinning rod and after I fed the fish, I set the hook. The fish ran for a short distance and then spat the bait. 3-2 ... we were slipping! Again I went back to the start of the rip and put out the baits. After about ten minutes, the far bait on the spinning rod was eaten and after feeding it, I hooked up. The fish fought strongly and after a good tussle, Tjoks gaffed a nice Garrick for me.

The other boats had moved away by now and we had the area to ourselves. Again the baits went in and 20 minutes later, when baits were in the same area as the previous strike, the close bait was eaten. I handed the rod to Tjoks to feed the fish himself. He did a great job and set the hooks like a pro! I had left the other lines in while I headed out of the danger zone and next thing the far bait was eaten again. I hooked up and we were on a double! Both fish fought away from each other any making it easy to handle. Tjoks brought his fish in first and after it was gaffed, he returned the favour and gaffed my fish. 6-2 team “KC” ... Awesome!

We had a shad and a pinky left so we rigged them both and made one last turn. Like clockwork, the shad was eaten and Tjoks fed the fish. I was clearing the other line and when the pinky was about 5m away, a Garrick came flying up behind the bait. I stopped winding and opened the bail of the reel to feed to feed the fish, but it just circled the bait and in a flash disappeared. Tjoks tightened up on his fish and I helped with the motors. The fish took about 30m of line before it spat the bait! Unlucky. 6-3 Team “KC”. It was 14:30 and we were now out of bait and the see was picking up due to a 15 knot NE wind, so we decided to call it a day. The fish were weighed and they ranged from 8-10kg. The information on the tagged fish was astounding. It was tagged 323 days prior off Richards Bay and had grown 20mm. What made it unbelievable was that it was tagged by me! What are the chances - Classic! What's more is that this was the fish that I won the Captain Morgan Challenge with! Needless to say, Ihave entered it again and who knows, maybe my ticket #13 comes up again!