On Saturday 14th December at 5:30am, we launched “Stephe” off Sodwana. We were a full crew for the day with Phillip’s friend Anton, his son and a friend, myself and my friend David from Joburg. None of them had caught a marlin before, so we were hoping for one of them to have a chance at ticking off this bucket list item. What made the day more interesting was that there was a side bet made the night before between Phillip and Fanie. Fanie bet a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label that we would not catch a marlin... the bet was on!
The surf was a bit big that morning, so it took some fancy footwork to get out, but soon we were headed towards Diepgat. I set the spread of lures while Phillip explained the drill to the crew. The conditions were perfect... warm, purple water, dolphins, birds, current lines, hammer heads, bait showings, you name it, it was there.
At around 8am in 300m, Phillip saw a fish come in on the stinger lure, a Marlin Magic Tube. The rigger popped and the reel smoked off. With so many hands on deck, the lines were cleared in no time. Anton was in the chair and we were just getting settled when the fish went ballistic. A really nice blue went greyhounding across the surface then doubled back on its track. When the fish landed, the rod shot back as the line parted. Just a bit of bad luck I guess. I rerigged the rod and set the lures. Phillip turned to come back over the area where we had a strike and at 8:45 in 300m, I saw a good fish come up on the right long “Merlin” lure. It missed the lure 3 times before it finally engulfed it. The rigger popped but the line just slowly ticked off the reel. While this was going on, the lines were cleared. As the last lure came into the boat, the fish went mental on the surface and dumped the reel well into the backing. Anton’s son was in the chair and managed to regain some line while Phillip backed up. When the mono was back on the reel, the fish went deep so we upped the drag to around 14kg. After about 10 minutes of this heavy drag, the fish turned our way and slowly came closer to the boat. 45 minutes after hookup, the leader was in reach. I brought the blue in alongside and was surprised at the size. It was somewhere between 450 and 500Lbs. Not bad for a first fish. After a few photos, we release her... and claimed the Blue Label!
It was still early, so we put out the lines again. Again, we worked the area and at 11:30 in 200m, there was a big splash on the left short “Ruckus”. The rigger popped and we were hooked up. The fish stayed on the surface and made a few great jumps near the boat. It was not long before Anton brought the leader up. The fish was super green and before I could get it close, it launched itself out the water. I held on for as long as I could, but had to let go when I felt myself going overboard! A short while later I had the leader again. This time the fish was a bit more relaxed and we could take the hooks out. As it is with black marlin, they can give you a hiding next to the boat and this one was no different. Both Phillip and I had received war wounds before releasing the 200Lbs fish. What a day!
Again the lines went back in. The leader on the lure was a bit buggered so we replaced it with an “XL Ruckus”. This lure had never been in the water, so we were keen to see how it operated. At 12:00, Phillip turned back over the 200m line to intercept the birds working on a shoal of bait. While turning, the line wrapped around the tagline so I pulled on the slack line to unwrap it. As I did this, there was a big commotion in the wake and the line was ripped out my hand! We were on! All of us were taken by surprise by the fish but managed to clear the deck without a problem. The fish stayed close and jumped a few times before coming to the boat. We could see something was wrong as the fish was fighting strangely. This was a better size black, around 350Lbs, and with it being at the boat so quickly, all of us expected it to open a can of “whipass”. I took the leader and pulled it against the boat without much hassle. Only then could we see what the problem was. The leader had wrapped around the bill and jaw and then tangled in the hooks. The fish could not open its mouth to breathe, so it could not fight. Phillip removed the hook and the leader slipped off the bill for our third release for the day. Unreal... 3 marlin released by 12:30!
Again the lures were set and we worked the area. The water colour started to go a bit green so Phillip headed out a bit deeper to find better water. Things went quiet so we decided to make one last turn then head for home. At 2pm, Phillip turned towards the bay. The lines were just straightening out when the right short “Bogeye” disappeared in a big splash. The reel ran for a while but the line went straight down. While the lines were being cleared, Phillip and I mentioned that it could be a big tuna. I transferred the rod to the chair where David strapped himself in. The line was still leaving the reel at a steady pace, but the angle on the line had come up a bit only then did we notice the white water in the distance. It was a marlin. The fish tore up the surface and took a lot of line in a hurry. Phillip backed up on it while David put line back on the reel. After about 30 minutes, the fish was close. It jumped a few times then sat sulking under the surface. Phillip turned toward it to close the gap. David inched the fish closer until I finally got a wrap on the leader. I heaved the 300Lbs blue to the surface. After a few pics, we turned it loose. What a feeling!
It was nearing the end of the day, so for what it was worth, we trolled to the backline before going in. This was the first time Phillip or I had been with 4 fish in a day so it was super special. And to have all 4 anglers catch their first marlin in one day, was just the cherry on the top... with a Blue Label sauce!
