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!
