Ending the year with a blue

On 31^st January, Herman, Quinton and I launched Mitsufishi off Richards Bay. We were hoping that the last day of 2017 would be good to us. We worked the drop-off straight off the harbour but despite finding some bait and current lines, there was no action. The day wore on and out of desperation we headed shallower to see if there was a black marlin that would be interested.

We were in about 80m when I saw a fin flash behind the ruckus on the left short. The rigger popped and the 130 took off. The fish never jumped and just made a constant run on the surface. This gave us a chance to clear the other lines and get Quinton into the chair. It was the first time he had fought a fish on the big tackle and was lifted out the seat a few times. After a few minutes, he settled into a good rhythm and had the fish near the boat. The fish was on the leader, but by no means tired! It made a few big head nods, turned 180 degrees and took off on another good run. Thee heavy drag took its toll on the fish and it was soon on the leader again. It was extremely stubborn, and I struggled to get its head out from under the boat. At one stage, it touched the boat and went mental, ripping the leader out my gloves as it took off straight down. All we could see was the electric blue tail kicking hard as it swam into the depths. After a few minutes though, the fish was on the leader again. This time I managed to get a few wraps on the leader and pull the fish up against the side of the boat. We were all surprised to see that it was in fact a blue marlin of about 120kg and not the black we were expecting. This fish was hooked in the top of the eye socket which is probably why it gave us such a tough time. On closer inspection, there was also a longliner hook in the corner of the mouth, so the fish obviously had some experience. Herman removed the hook and sent the marlin on its way.

With the new years festivities happening later that evening, we decided to head back to port, ending off the year in a good way.

Striped Afternoon

On 28^th December at 11am, Hansie, Quinton and I launched Mitsufishi off Richards Bay. The weather had settled and looked good for an afternoon session. With a full spread of lure and teasers out, we worked the 200m to 400m dropoff just north of the harbour.

There was no current, but the water colour looked really good. We had been trolling for a while without any action. There was a big tanker drifting in 350m, so we trolled past it hoping there might be a dorado or something lurking in the area. We were all looking at the sounder when the 130 in the gunwale gave a short burst. None of us saw the strike, but when we looked back, there was a billfish on the teaser. Quinton threw out the pitch bait and while I retrieved the teaser. Thee fish stayed on the teaser for a while until I could clear it, it then switched to the halfbeak and grabbed it. Quinton did an excellent job with the feed and hooked up to a very acrobatic striped marlin. The fish took a lot of line while I retrieved the other lines. Hansie followed the fish and Quinton could put some line back on the reel. After about 20 minutes or so I could get hold of the leader and grab the bill. The current junior 37kg SA Record for Striped Marlin is vacant, so we decided to take the fish home.  

Despite trolling until late into the afternoon, we never had another strike so headed back home.

Vidal Switches On

On Sunday 5^th November, Mike, At and I launched “Thresher One” off Vidal. We were on a bit of a rekkie to see what was happening in preparation for the annual Nov/Dec pilgrimage. We stopped on the backline at 5:30 and went about looking for live bait. There were shoals and shoals of mackerel on the surface as far as you could see. Unfortunately most of them were really small so we moved from shoal to shoal looking for some larger baits.

While we were drifting, I rigged one of the small livies on a small bass rod and flicked it out. About 5 minutes later, the reel took off and I was tight to a strong fish. It sulked near the bottom for a bit, then finally the line angled to the surface and the water erupted as a solid queenfish took to the air. It made a few great jumps before tiring enough to bring onboard. Talk about a bonus fish.

A nice Queenfish off Vidal point

We slowly worked our way north stopping at the bait shoals as we went. While Mike and At fished for bait, I put out a livie. When we had enough livies, I started to retrieve the bait and the rod keeled over in my hands. There was a heavy weight to the fish, which probably didn’t know it was hooked yet. Eventually, there were a few head nods and the fish took off! We followed it a bit and eventually had a nice yellowfin in the boat which was bled.

The whole time we were catching bait, there were boats launching and heading to Leven Point. We knew that there would be too much traffic so we stopped at Greens on a good looking current line. Mike and I put out 5 livies and as we were heading deeper, there was a commotion on the surface just behind the motors. It was a nice size sailfish. The problem was that it was not attached to any of our lines, it was just a free jumper. While this was going on, the rod Mike was holding went away. He fed the fish and tightened up. Line flew off the reel, but the fish stayed deep. With a lot of line off the reel, we looked a long way back and saw a sailfish jumping. On the second jump, the fish threw the hook and Mike had a long wind back.

Things went very quiet, but we stuck to the current line and after an hour or so, the deep line went away, shortly followed by the second deep line. Two nice dorado bounced around out the back. While this was going on, the close surface line went away and we had a triple. I put my rod in the holder to clear the other lines. I just started winding when the rod pulled flat and we had a 4^th fish on. This was going to be interesting! At’s fish unfortunately burnt off and when my fish jumped near the boat, it spat the hooks, but there was another free swimmer around the boat, so I grabbed the bass rod and flicked it out. Immediately I went on to a really nice fish which ran out a lot of line, luckily away from the other fish. Mike and At both boated lovely 10kg class dorado. When I finally got mine to the boat, it was a similar size fish.

Fighting my 1st dorado of Summer

With all the lines in the boat, At ran back up North and we put out a fresh spread of bait. It did not take long for one of the close baits to go away and Mike fought another nice dorrie. When this fish was near the boat, it had a follower, so I pitched it a livie on the bass rod and went on immediately. We managed to boat both fish after really great fights! The wind had picked up a bit, so we drifted south in the current line and when I noticed a bit of floating debris, I threw a stick bait at it. The lure just started moving when I went on. This time it was a small tropical yellowtail. While this was going on, Mike hooked another dorado on a close bait. When I looked up after releasing the tropical, I saw a few dorado in the water and quickly flicked out the stick bait again. Three dorado charged in to grab the lure and I hooked one. The fish went mental in the air and when it landed, the others tried to grab the lure hanging out its mouth. With the commotion, one of the other fish swam into the light braid and cut it off! The other fish then all gave chase after the hooked one and disappeared.

Again, we ran a few hundred meters and set the baits. Unfortunately, the Easterly wind came up, slowing things down. We decided to just drift back to the point then go back in. Just as we were ready to pack up, I spotted a dorado swimming down the swell towards the lines. It was no surprise when the reel went away and Mike hooked up. The fish also had a follower, but it did not want to eat. With the dorado in the boat, we packed up and headed home after a great day’s fishing.

First Dorado of the season

On Saturday 21st October, Wayne, Lorenzo and I launched “Galavant” off Cape Vidal. The conditions were uncomfortable with a fine drizzle and moderate SE wind. The sea was a bit bumpy with very little pattern. Our game plan was to troll a few lures around to get an idea of where the fish were holding and then put some baits out.

Lorenzo's PB Dorado

I rigged up 3 lures and trolled south towards the lighthouse. There was not much action, so I headed a bit deeper and found a few birds dipping. As I turned through them, one reel went away. Wayne fought the fish and soon had a cuda next to the boat which I went to gaff. I unfortunately messed the entire process up when the end of the gaff got stuck in a fold in my jacket and I could not lift the fish into the boat. It shook the hooks and managed to get off the gaff… epic fail. The lures went out again and I trolled back toward the point to catch some bait. I trolled over a bit of a showing and the far lure went away. This time I made no mistake and safely lifted Wayne’s cuda into the boat.

We were almost on the bait spot, so we cleared the lines and ran to the marks. There were massive shoals of mackerel and it took all of 5 minutes to get a hatch full of bait. I rigged up 5 lines and we tacked between 18 and 28m, heading south. It was very quiet for a quite some time before I saw the far surface rod bend. I ran to the reel and would it tight. A nice dorado jumped around on top for a bit while we got Lorenzo kitted up with a bucket. The fish had a lot of line in the water so I followed after it and after about 20 minutes, we had a lovely fish in the hatch… Lorenzo’s biggest.

There were a few birds dipping ahead of us on some bonnies so I quickly threw a spoon into them. On the first cast, I went tight and the fish took a long fast run. After a strong fight, I managed to get a yellowfin tuna into the boat which was bled. I made another cast and got a beautiful jube-jube but it was hooked in the gills and died. The next cast produced another jube-jube and I immediately rigged it live. We were 100% sure it would not take long to get a pull but after working the area for an hour without any action I moved shallower and north towards the point. I had just made a deep turn when the far surface mackerel went away. The line went down immediately and we all knew it was another yellowfin which I winched in. Despite pulling the live bonnie for a few hours, it was not eaten and when we got back to the point, we released it and headed back in. All the other boats battled for fish and it seemed like we had the most fish for the day so we could not complain.

Salmon Surprise

On Sunday 1^st October, I launched “ABF” off Richards Bay. My crew was a no show so I decided to go it alone. There was a small weather window so before the NE was going to pick up so a quick Garrick session was in order. I headed out the harbour at 5:30 and a short distance out of the mouth I noticed some baitfish on the surface. I stopped and sounded around. There were big bait showings so I went down with the jigs and managed a few maasbanker. I thought that I didn’t need many as I was alone and was only going to try for a few hours.

I put out 2 surface baits and one deep and trolled around the bait showings. The outgoing tide pushed me out to sea so I turned shallower and worked the colour line. An hour or so in and there was very little action. I saw one kingfish from a boat anchored nearby but not one Garrick. The water was pretty dirty but there were some good showings. At one point, I stopped the boat and dropped the bait jigs. Immediately I went on to some bait but then there was a heavy pull as something ate it. I instinctively released the drag assuming it was a Garrick that had eaten it and I didn’t want to break it off. While I was tussling the fish, the deep line had sunk and the reel went away. I leaned over and freespooled thinking it was a second Garrick. Unfortunately with too few hands onboard and too many fish on, I lost both fish. When I retrieved the bait, they had heavy bite marks… definitely not a Garrick.

Some great eating fish for the family

I made a turn and passed over the same spot and it was no surprise when the deep reel went away. I ran back and tightened up immediately. The rod keeled over and there were some big headshakes, but not much of a run. While I was tussling, the surface rod went away. After a short feed, I hooked up. The fish went on a short run and after some head shakes, the hook pulled. At least I could now focus on the first fish. The fish tired and came to the boat. It was a decent size kob of around 100cm. fun on a light Garrick rig. Knowing there were a few fish there, I only rigged 2 rods and made a turn. Again, as I went over the spot, I got the pull. The fish were all about the same size and gave me a great fight. The fish were really eating but being alone on the boat, I missed quite a few. So much so that I ran out of bait. Luckily the bait spot was not too far and when I stopped on the mark and sent the jigs down, I managed a string of maasbanker. I made a b-line for the spot and this time only sent 1 bait down. As I trolled over the spot, I hooked up and had another great tussle. By now the other boats had cottoned on to what I was doing and soon there were 4 boats around me. Luckily, I only needed one more to get quota and it did not take long to get the pull.

I had my tag kit onboard and thought it would be a good chance to tag some fish so I rerigged and headed back into the fray. It was difficult to get into position with all the boats jockeying for pole position. The strengthening wind also made driving/fishing difficult. When I did finally get onto the mark, the showing had vanished. I sounded around, but found nothing. I can only assume it was the sudden increase in boat traffic everyone with their echo sounders on. Be that as it may, I had had a great morning with the surprise salmon catch so even though it was still early, I upped lines and headed home.

The Long Night

On Thursday 14^th September at 8pm, Andre, Terrence and I launched “Good Time” off of Richards Bay. There had been quite a few good size daggas around so we were hoping to catch a few... and while we were at it, stay out till morning and fish for garrick at first light. The sea was relatively calm with a slight onshore wind. There were quite a few boats fishing but none had caught any fish yet. we took our time sounding around until we found some good structure and some bait showings. After throwing the anchor, we could see how we would lie with the wind and current. Unfortunately, the anchor did not hold so we put a second anchor in tandem and threw again. This time it held and we positioned ourselves right on the spot.

Andre got to work catching shad while Terrence and I rigged up our bottom rods. With a good supply of bait, we rigged up 3 shad and sent them down. Things were very quiet for about an hour before Terrence caught a nice rockcod on his live shad. This was a good indicator that we were on some structure so we didn’t need to check the sounder to see if we had moved or not.

Andre had put his rod in a holder and continued catching shad. I kept an eye on the rod and as it would happen, the rod tip bumped a few times then keeled over. Andre dropped the shad rod and grabbed the bottom rod. There were a few good head nods with short strong runs, typical of a dagga. After a good fight, Andre had his first dagga on the boat… a fish of about 17kg. About half an hour later, Terence had a pull with another salmon. This fish was quite small in comparison and was under the 1.1m mark so he could still fish a bit. Things went very quiet for about an hour or two but then at about 2am, Terrence went on with a really strong fish. The head nods were big and it made some good runs. Terrence was convinced that it was a shark but we were not convinced. The fish had Terrence at his breaking point and just when he was about to hand over the rod, the leader came through the top guide. I looked over and saw a beautiful dagga. This was by far his personal best and ended up being 34kg.

The rest of morning passed with only one other missed fish so at 4:45 we pulled anchor and headed back to harbour to weigh the fish. Terrence headed home as he had to work but Andre and I decided to take the few live shad we had left to the south pier and try for a Garrick. There was a competition on the pier so there were a lot of lines in the water. We had to give them a wide berth to avoid any unnecessary conflict. As we made our first pass, a Garrick chased the close bait but never grabbed it. I made a turn over the same area and the far line went away. Andre fed the fish but the line never picked up. The bait came back looking worse for wear so I put on a fresh one. Two passed later and the far line went away. This time the fish fed well and Andre hooked up to his first Garrick. The fish was quite strong and when it got to the boat, there was a lot of blood coming from the gills so we loaded the 7kg fish. 

There were a few fish around as the fishing skis and other boats also got fish so I stuck around the area. Unfortunately the dredger came around the pier and we were forced to move. I headed south into the backline to a nice looking colour line so I put the baits out. One of the rods I was using was the bait rod we used to catch shad the night before. As Murphy would have it, that bait was eaten. I fed the fish and tightened up. The little reel sang as the Garrick went on a run, but it took strain when I put some pressure on it. The gears sounded like they had blown and it took a long time to finally get the fish to the boat. It was a similar size fish to Andre’s. With one Garrick each (and the lack of sleep) we decided to head home after what I would call a successful trip. Anyone interested in booking a bottomfish charter off Richards Bay, contact Andre from Good Time Charters.

2017 Richards Bay Garrick Derby

On Saturday 9^th September, At and I launched Avanti off Richards Bay. Our Club Garrick Derby was on so we had decided to enter.

Our first stop was at the pipe where we quickly caught a hatch full of livies before heading north towards Hlobane. On arrival, I put out 2 surface baits and 2 deeper baits. At slow trolled north towards a good-looking rip. It wasn’t long before we had our first pull. I fed the fish and hooked up. After a typical Garrick fight, we had points on the board. It was not a monster, but at least we had one. While I was rerigging, the deep line went away very slowly. I leant over and put the drag up. There were a few head nods and a slow run. At pulled the fish which ended up being a big rockcod.

Lines went out again and as we passed through the rip, At went on with a Garrick. It was also a small fish, so we released it. Trolling continued and as we went, I cast a stickbait into the backline. At one stage, a Garrick lazily followed the lure and faded off near the boat. I carried on casting and moments later there was a commotion on the surface as a Garrick chased the close bait. I freespooled as the bait was eaten and hooked up to another fish. When it was close to the boat, we noticed a lot of blood coming out the gills so decided to take it.

For the next half an hour we never had a pull so At turned us around and headed back to where we started fishing. This time when I saw a big splash on the surface, it was a big shark chasing the shad. Before I could get the bait away, it was eaten. I tried to strike it off, but unfortunately the hook set properly and the shark took off in the opposite direction. I was on max drag and thumbing the spool trying to part off, but only after a few burnt fingers, I managed to part off.

The next hour or two produced quite a few strikes, but the fish didn’t commit to the bait properly. They would grab it and run a few meters then spit the bait. Some would be on for a few seconds and as they started taking line, they would throw the bait. Frustrating to say the least.

As we moved north, there were less pulls so again we headed back to the start of our GPS track. It wasn’t long before we had a smoker on the deep line. This was obviously not a Garrick so I tightened up almost immediately. The fish took a lot of line on a fast and strong run but suddenly the tension was gone. On closer inspection, you could see that the leader cut off in the rocks. Obviously one of the kingfish that had been around the last while.

The next 2 pulls were both Garrick and both hooked up properly. These fish were however also shoal size so we released them both. It was getting late and we had another day’s fishing the next day so we packed up and headed home.

On Sunday 10^th September, we launched again and quickly caught some livies before making a B-Line for the south pier. There was a nice current line with plenty bait around. I put out 3 lines while At trolled along the break. It wasn’t long before the far bait went away. I fed and hooked up to a Garrick. It gave me a good fight until we could boat it. It was a bit bigger than the previous day’s fish. I wasted no time in rerigging and soon we had another pull. At had a great fight on a spinning reel with a strong Garrick making it 2 fish in 30 minutes.

There were a few chases around the boat so it was no surprise when we had another pull. When I hooked up, the fish took off on a strong run. The line angled towards the surface and the surface erupted as a big queenfish angrily launched itself. This was a big surprize as we normally don’t get them off the boats at this time of year. The fish made a few great jumps before going deep, making me work for every inch of line. It was a great fight on a spinning rod. Eventually the fish was at the surface where we could get hold of it and take some pics.

It was now only 8am and things were looking good… but looks could be deceiving… Despite working the area for several more hours, we never had another pull so at 1pm we headed home.

Moroccan Marlin

On Friday 25^th August, Brendan Davids, Tim Bacon, Wayne Ritchie and I arrived in Morocco. Our goal was to each tick a white marlin off the list. Our trip started off badly when our connecting flights, which were booked almost a year in advance, were cancelled and our flight had to be redirected to Dakar. To add to the frustrations, when we finally arrived in Casablanca, all our luggage had gone missing! Most of our tackle and all our clothes were a no show, in a foreign country with very unhelpful people who can’t speak English. After hours of frustration, we threw in the towel and headed to the hotel in Mohammedia. With no choice but to go clothed shopping, we headed into the market. It was noon on a Friday and being a Muslim country, almost all the shops had closed for Mosque. We did eventually find a small shop with a very limited selection of shorts and vests, but beggars can’t be choosers.

It was a real motley crew that stepped onto the boat “7 Days” on the first day. After a quick briefing from John Huntington, we headed out to sea. The first stop was at a buoy outside the harbour where we caught a live well full of mackerel before the long hour and a half run out to the fishing grounds. We were warned that the eclipse a few days prior had also shut down the bite so we were not expecting fireworks. Having never fished for whites before, we were a bit out of our comfort zone, especially with none of our tackle, so we were reliant on a few shoddy teasers and make shift tackle combos to get the job done. We started out with 2 mackerel and 1 halfbeak, all rigged as swimbaits. We then had 2 daisy chain teasers and a dredge. We fished in about 130m to 150m of water with a temperature of around 23 to 24 degrees. The day passed without much action other than one fish missing the swimbait and another in the teaser for a few seconds but not interested in the pitched live mackerel.

On Sunday, still with no luggage, we put to sea. The mackerel were full up so it didn’t take long to fill the well and head to the grounds. This time we decided to leave the swimbaits and only focus on the teasers. We had one hookless lure on the rigger, two moldcraft squid chains off the bridge, one dredge off the transom. There were 2 bridled livies in the well and a dead pitch bait on 30Lbs spinning rods. We also had a 50Lbs rod with a big lure ready for anything that came up. At about 11am, we found a current line with a temperature break and almost immediately had a fish in the teaser. Brendan pitched a live bait to it and after a few missed attempts, the marlin grabbed it and wolfed it down. After a long feed, Brendan flicked over the bale tightened up. The fish stayed down for a bit before coming to the surface. On the first jump, we were shocked at the size of the fish. We were expecting fish around 30kg, but this fish was well over 50kg! It gave a great fight with countless jumps before I could get hold of the leader. I let go a few times but eventually got it under control and released Brendan’s first white Marlin.

The lines went back in and moments later there was another fish in the teaser. Wayne and I pitched livies to it but the fish was not interested and faded off. We made a turn in the same area and the fish popped up on the teaser again. Unfortunately, it still ignored the livies that were pulled in front of its nose and faded off. A short while later, a fish swimming under the right teaser. I pitched a livie but the fish just faded away. Only then did Brendan and the Captain say that it was a blue of over 200kg! Luckily it didn’t decide to chow. There seemed to be a few fish in the area but they didn’t commi

t to the small livies they were offered. Out of desperation, I rigged up the biggest mackerel we had on a 10/0 circle and 130Lbs leader. This bait was like the monster mackerel we used in Canada for Bluefin Tuna. This was either going to work or end in tears…

When the next fish came up, two baits were pitched at it. The fish swam past the small bait and smashed the big mackerel. I fed it for quite some time before tightening up. The fish took some line then made two jumps. On the last jump, the bait came flying out of the fish, pulling the hook with it. Immediately I started retrieving the bait. When it was close to the transom, I saw two electric blue fins behind it. I opened the bale and the fish grabbed it again. After feeding it, I tightened up. This time the fish stayed down for about 5 minutes before its first jump. Again, the bait went flying, but the hook stayed put. I was shaky on the rod, just praying that the fight would go my way. There was a huge sense of relief when the leader came onto the tip. The deckhand leadered the fish and after a few more jumps, the leader parted. White Marlin… Tick!

Wayne and Tim were up next but despite having another 2 whites and a blue in the teasers, none would switch to the bait. On arrival at the mooring, we received word that our bags had arrived at the airport. This meant we were in for a long night! Brendan and I made the 2-hour trip to the airport, battled queues, customs and lost baggage agents for another 2 hours before an hour and a half trip back to the hotel… But at least we had our luggage.

On day 3, things went a bit easier. The 10 hook sabikis reduced our bait catching time significantly and we were off to the grounds in record time. We put out the upgraded dredge and daisy chain teasers and stood by with an arsenal of proper pitch rods. Having caught my target fish, I took residence in the tuna tower hoping to spot a few fish for Wayne and Tim. We had just turned along the current line when two fish came up on the teasers. One ate Wayne’s live bait but spat it before he could hook up. We turned over the same spot and this time three whites came up. Tim threw a stick bait at one which had a good swat at it but no hookup. The other two half-heartedly chased the baits before turning away. On the next turn, the three fish came up again. One of them charged at Wayne’s bait at high speed and jumped clear of the water, missing it totally. They seemed to be more interested in the larger lures behind the teasers than the live baits presented to them. We had a bit of a brain storm and decided to pitch only dead baits at them rigged with chugger heads. After about 10 minutes, a fish came up on the teaser. Wayne pitched a bait and the fish switched perfectly and ate it. After feeding a bit, he hooked up to his first white marlin. The fish gave a great show before subduing it.

Trolling commenced and it was not long before Tim had a shot at a fish. It moved back and forth between the teasers just glancing at the pitch bait. Finally, it keyed in on the mackerel and ate it. Tim did an excellent job and hooked up perfectly. This fish was very strong and did not want to give up. It sounded between jumps and made a few good runs but eventually Brendan got it on the leader. Now the pressure was off as everyone had their fish. Now we could relax a bit.

Brendan was up for round 2 and this time it seemed too easy. The fish came up on the teaser, a bait was pitched and the fish came straight onto it and chowed. The hookup was good and after 15 minutes, Bren had his second white on the leader. I was now in the hot seat and reluctantly left my perch upstairs. As my luck would have it, 2 more fish came up in the teasers in the next hour but both faded off before seeing the bait.

Tuesday was our last day’s fishing. We caught our livies and headed for the grounds. A 10know SW wind was blowing and there was a bit of rain around. This made visibility into the teasers terrible. To make things worse, the Captains all agreed that a SW was this area’s poison wind… After about 2 hours of trolling, a fish came up on the hookless lure where it was switched to the teaser and it then crashed my pitch bait. After a short feed, I hooked up. The fish went mental on the surface but this gave us a chance to get a quick release. The acrobatic fish almost ended up in the boat on one occasion, but luckily veered off at the last second. The fish was tipped within 5 minutes.

The skies cleared throughout the day but the fish were very quiet. At about noon, a fish came up on the right teaser and Wayne made the perfect pitch. The fish immediately ate the bait and when the line came tight after the feed, the fish took to the air. It made three hectic jumps and as we were beginning to backup on it, the hook pulled! Unlucky.

With that, our Moroccan trip came to an end. The goal was to each catch a white marlin and we achieved that, so we were happy. The trip back was thankfully far less eventful than the trip there and everyone made it home safe with more stories to tell.

A Lazy Sunday

On Sunday 20^th August at 6am, At, Hendry and I launched “Avanti” off Richards Bay. There had been a few Garrick around so we decided to give them a try. Our first stop was at the pipe line to catch live bait. We managed to get a few maasbanker and shad before heading to the South Pier. When we arrived, the dredger was working there so the water was a bit brown so we moved into the bay where the water was cleaner.

The outgoing tide caused a nice colour line to form so we trolled along it. Hendry had rigged a fresh shad on his light spinning rod and was busy letting it out when Hendry announced that something had eaten the shad. After a long feed, he tightened up to a nice fish. It took quite a bit of line and gave Hendry a good pull. Around the boat, it did as all Garrick do and stayed just out of reach until finally I could get it on board. It measured out to 10kg. Not a bad start.

The baits went out again, but there was no further action along the colour line. The dredger had left so we headed back to the pier. We worked the area for quite a while without success so we decided to try on a rip forming by the incoming time. As we entered the rip, the deep bait went away. After a short feed, Hendry hooked up and had a short fight with a smaller fish of about 7kg.

That was the last action we had despite putting in a long day.

Stock Taking

On Saturday 12^th August, Wayne, Steven and I launched Wayne’s new boat off Richards Bay for the first time. We were hoping to catch anything just to break the ice on the first trip.

We stopped at the pipeline and very quickly got a few strings of bait before heading deeper to the ledge. The water was not great and there was a cold reverse current. I put out a few lures and trolled around for a while without any luck. We tried drifting a few live baits on the reef for a while, but also didn’t get anything. I noticed that there was a strong current line a few hundred meters out and moving in quickly. We decided to wait around until the current and clean water were over the reef. About half an hour later, the life started appearing. There was a nice midwater showing and a few small bonnies cleared the surface every so often. Knowing our jube-jube stocks were running low, I suggested we pull a few daisy chains for them. I put out 3 chains and made a turn on the reef. All 3 rods went on and we hauled in a few beautiful baits and set the lines again. Every time I went over the reef, we would go tight with bonnies. At one stage, Steven was bringing in a few bonnies when a big dorado of around 15kg charged in and grabbed one of them. Unfortunately, it didn’t get hooked and swam off before I could get a live bait to it.

With the jube-jube stocks on a high, we rigged a few livies and drifted over the showings, but after 45mins, we still didn’t have a pull so we decided to head back to the harbour and try for a Garrick around the pier.

The water at the pier was beautiful with a good current line formed by the outgoing tide. I rigged up 2 shad and a maasbanker while Wayne held us in position on the rip. About 20minutes later, I saw the one shad jump out the water. As I ran to the rod, a Garrick exploded on the bait and the reel took off. While I was feeding the fish, it slowed down to nothing. I waited, hoping that it would come back, but nothing. I started retrieving the slack line and noticed that the line was arcing towards the nose of the boat. The line came tight perpendicular to the boat and we were on to a nice fish. I handed Wayne the rod and cleared the deck. After a great fight, I lifted the fish into the boat and tagged it before Wayne set it free.

We had drifted a fare distance from the area and had to ride back and set the lines. I had the far and deep baits out and was busy rigging the third when I noticed the deep bait revving. I picked up the rod just as something ate the bait. Mindful of the sinker on the line, I fed the fish for the shortest time before tightening up. The fish went on a run and I passed the rod to Steven. This fish also gave him a great fight before I managed to tail it and insert a tag before Steven released it.

We went back to the same spot, but unfortunately the dredger had moved in and the water had gone to mud so we made the call to pack up and head home after a great first day on the new boat.

Date with a Daga

On Saturday 29^th July at 3pm, Hansie and I Launched off Richards Bay. There was a stiff NE blowing so we had a bit of a bumpy ride up to groenkop. We put out a few rapalas and trolled the area hoping to get a pull. After a while, the close rapala went away and I managed to get a small snoek. Trolling continued but there was no further action.

We headed a bit south and deeper to a reef in 24m to check if we could catch a few small salmon that had been coming out. On our first drift, Hansie caught a few small rockcod and soldiers. There were however a lot of small fish pecking the bait. With a good showing, we decided to put the anchor down and see if we could get some better fish. Once the anchor had set, we went about bottom fishing but the small fish were relentless. At one stage Hansie came up with a small mackerel that got snagged on one of the big hooks. Immediately I pulled in the bottom rod and went down with a few old jigs. Before they hit the bottom I was on and brought up 3 mackerel and a maasbanker. After another two successful downs, I handed Hansie the rod and rigged up a new sabiki on a second rod and went down. It was absolutely ridiculous how much bait there was. Operation bottomfish very quickly changed to operation bait fishing and soon the live well and coolerbox were filled with mackerel.

I was busy bringing up a string of bait when one was converted about half way up. I picked up Hansie’s bottom rod and pinned two livies on the small hooked bottom trace, sent it half way down and put it into the rod holder. I did the same with my bottom rod, but sent it to the bottom. The sun went down and the baitfish went off the bite on the bottom so I put the bait rod away. Things were strangely quiet but we were hopeful that the bait would have attracted some fish. Hansie had just lifted his bait to check when I noticed my rod keel over into the water. I struggled to get the rod out the holder and in that time, the line jumped off the back of the reel and wrapped around the shaft of the KP. Luckily the fish didn’t make any sudden moves and I could spin the reel backwards and sort out the mess. When I tightened back up again, the fish was luckily still there. I was pulled flat to the gunwale and tried to get the fish under control. There were big head nods and strong, short runs. All the time I was worried about the small hooks I had on the trace, so didn’t over pressure the fish. Eventually, the fish began to tire and I could bring it to the boat. It was a good size daga salmon, probably 25kg or more. My first in probably three years! The hook that it was on had all but opened, so it was just lucky that I got it out.

I rerigged the rod with a big single hook and pinned another livie, hoping for a cracker. Hansie in the meanwhile had rigged up his bottom trace with two big dead baits hoping for a rockcod. His bait was not down too long when he hooked a nice fish. It gave him a bit of a go before he could get it to the surface. It was a lovely catface rockcod. One of the biggest I had seen in a long time. It was just over 800mm long so about 6kg. Hans was pretty chuffed with himself and quickly sent another bait down. This time the bait soaked for a while before he hooked up… and boy was it a proper fish. Hans was also pinned to the gunwale under heavy pressure! I decided to lift my line and watch the fight from a safe distance, offering moral support and running commentary. After a few laps around the boat, the fish was close enough to see what it was. A big old skate came to the top, whipping its tail about furiously. I grabbed the leader and cut it off, narrowly missing a lashing as it took off.

I put on a fresh live bait and went down while Hans caught his breath. The rod was in the holder again while I checked on the livies. I happened to glance at the rod and again saw it keel over with the weight of a fish. I grabbed the rod and managed to keep the line under control as it made a run. It felt like another daga so I gave the rod to Hansie who had by now recuperated. The fish gave a great account of itself before I could gaff another good daga of over 20kg.

I was still hoping for a cracker so rigged another bait. Hans was still keen on getting that big rockcod so went down with another big dead bait. It was about 10minutes before he jammed a fish that had big head nods in the beginning, but then started making slow strong runs. I again lifted my line and watched the fight. Eventually the fish was close and the tell tail big bubble popped the surface. It was no surprise when a big raggie came to the surface. I reached over and cut it off as close as I could and it swam off.

Things went very quiet after the shark and the wind had dropped totally. To the south, we could see the predicted SW cloud bank building, so we pulled the anchor and headed back home after a great evening’s fishing.

The calm after the storm

On Sunday 9^th July, we launched “Mitsufishi” off Richards Bay. After a great days fishing, we were keen to see if the fish were there again. We started off trolling some lures around the backline and it didn’t take long to get a few pulls. We did however loose quite a few fish near the boat when the hooks pulled. There were a lot of birds and bait shoals around, but there didn’t seem to be many fish around them. I saw a few birds hovering a short distance out. As we approached, the snoek surfaced and boiled a bit. We all threw lures at the fish. I went on but after a short run, the fish pulled hook. We had drifted out of range so I reversed towards the shoal. When we were in reach, Hansie and Werner cast at the fish. Werner hooked a good snoek and had a good fight before Hansie gaffed an 8kg snoek. Again, I reversed up to the shoal and Hansie got another nice fish. Before I could get back to them, they sounded and we were left to find another shoal.

Werner with a nice snoek

The bite slowed down and we spent the day milling around the area without too much action.

At about 4pm, we turned towards the harbour and trolled a lazy pattern through the area. Hansie saw a splash a bit deeper out so I turned towards it. We saw another and another. It was like someone threw a switch and the fish started splashing around us. We all fired lures in their direction and I managed to go tight with one. It was also about 6kg. With the fish onboard, we rushed towards the next shoal and as I throttled back, Hansie cast and hooked a snoek. The fish were very skittish and when a boat came close, they would vanish. For the next half hour we moved from shoal to shoal without another fish. By 5pm they had sounded again and we headed back home with 8 snoek for the day.

Change of Plans

At 8:30 on Saturday 8^th July, we launched “AVANTI” off Richards Bay. There had been a few Garrick around and we hoped to get a one or two. The Northerly wind was blowing about 15 knots and the sea was uncomfortable. Our first stop was at the pipe but all we could find was maasbanker. After puzzling around for more than an hour, we moved a bit shallower. I changed up my rigs a bit and started getting some shad. With a few in the live well, we headed north and into the backline. I put out 3 shad and At trolled along a beautiful rip. Emil was throwing a stick bait and had a Garrick chase it to the boat without eating. There had to be some action… but after 2 hours of trolling without a pull, we were getting a bit concerned. There were a few birds dipping in the backline near us. I had 2 rods rigged up with small spoons just in case and when we came within casting range, Emil and I both threw the lures under the birds. To our surprise, both of us went on with snoek! Mine unfortunately pulled off but Emil managed his first snoek. The birds moved a bit north so At turned around and trolled in their direction. We saw a few fish in the swells and were busy casting to them when the far shad was eaten. But because I was busy throwing spoon, I could not get to the rod in time to let the fish eat. The shad came back with the tell tail signs of a Garrick. By now the snoek were smashing sprats in the area so an executive decision was made to abandon the Garrick and focus on snoek. 

There were luckily 3 flick sticks on the boat so I rigged up the third one and At headed for the closest shoal. We fired 3 lures at them and I managed to go on with my first snoek for the year. At the next shoal, Emil and I each got fish and missed a few. The fish were a bit lazy with all the big baitballs so they were not too interested in our lures unless they fell on their noses while they were swimming through the sprats. After countless lure changes and hundreds of casts with many many chases, I finally found a lure that seemed to get more interest and commitment on the strike.

As the afternoon wore on, the action intensified. There were chases and smashes everywhere and all you had to do is get the lure into the boil and you were on. At 16:00, we decided to call it a day. We were almost out of lures and our casting arms were buggered. The fish were still going mental but we knew there was a lot of work to do so headed back.

First Garrick of the season

On Saturday 1^st July 2017 at 5:45, Tjokkie and I launched ABF off Richards Bay. We were hoping to open our Garrick account for the season and be the first boat at our Club to catch a Garrick this year.

Our first stop was at the pipeline where we were terrorized by big maasbanker. We really battled to find some shad but eventually, by changing the rigs and presentation, we started getting some lovely bait. With about 10 shad, I was about to leave to go fish when a friend called and said they were getting quite a few mackerel just a short distance away. I made the quick run and stopped on a big midwater showing. First drop resulted in a full string of mackerel. They went straight into the ice box. I held the boat on the shoal and Tjoks caught a few strings. The shoal moved off a bit so I sounded around to find them again. I noticed a pod of dolphin moving towards us. That was probably why the bait had disappeared so I packed up and headed to the south pier.

Tjokkie fighting a Garrick

The water was beautiful! I rigged up 3 shad and slowly trolled past the point of the pier. There were a few sock and surf anglers on the pier so I made sure I gave them a wide birth as not to irritate them. After I had turned and straightened out, the deep line went away. We thought it was a false strike as we were surging with the swell and I was in gear when it happened. Tjoks tightened up almost immediately to retrieve the bait and reset it when the rod keeled over and there was a fish on. Unfortunately, the hook pulled due to our confusion. This just shows you that you should treat every false strike as the real thing… just to be sure.

I rerigged the bait and made a turn over the same spot. The close bait revved a bit then sounded very deep. I thought it a bit strange so kept my eye on it. Moments later, the clip tripped and line ran off the reel. I fed the fish for some time then tightened up. There was a solid weight on the rod with the line almost straight up and down. I almost thought it was stuck in the rocks but then felt the head nods and the line angled to the surface where a nice Garrick thrashed around on top. I passed the rod to Tjoks who had a great fight before I brought our first Garrick of the season onboard. Mission accomplished!

A good size Garrick to start the season

I rerigged and worked the area a bit, but after half an hour, the dredger moved into the area and I was forced to pick up lines and head south into the backline. The water was a beautiful colour and there was a strong current line forming on the outgoing tide. I put out 3 lines and had only gone about 100m when the surface bait revved and there was a big swirl and chase on the surface. The Garrick chowed the shad and Tjoks fed it before hooking up. This fish also gave him a great fight and we managed to get our second fish of the season.

I rerigged and worked the colour line a bit but only had 2 big shad eat the live mackerel I put out. The dredger had left so I moved to the point again, but had no luck so at 12 o clock, we upped lines and headed back. It was a great day and I’m glad we have our first Garrick for the season.

Vidal Weekend

A healthy cuda to start the day.

On Saturday 24^th June, David and I launched “ABF” off Cape Vidal. We sounded around a bit and found some bait showings. It didnt take long to get some nice maasbanker in the live well. I headed for Oscar but after making a few turns and not seeing a showing or having a pull, I ran in to vegetation and at 30m started rigging the baits. I had one bait out and was busy rigging the second when the first was eaten. The reel smoked off and David took the strike. After a good fight, I gaffed a 10kg cuda.

David's 1st prodigal son 

I rerigged and managed to get a full spread out. 

I made a turn in 15m and the deep livie went away with a bit of a sluggish fish. I was pretty sure I know what it was and after a 15 minute fight David had his first prodigal son on the boat. About a 6kg fish. This was turning out to be a great morning. This was short lived however as a pod of dolphin moved in and started following us. When they started eating the livies off out traces, I made the call to pick up lines and move a few kilometres south towards Oscar. With no more dolphin in site, I rigged up a few baits. Things were quiet for an hour or so and when I saw the dolphin approaching, I suggested we move again.

David's pb tuna

I was busy retrieving the last surface bait when there was a big splash and the rod buckled. I tightened up and gave the rod to David. The fish took off on a smoking run so I rode after it. At one stage, I was on the plane and we were at a stale mate! Finally the fish slowed down and we could gain line. About 15mins in, the fish was straight up and down doing big circles. The dolphin arrived on the scene and chased after our fish. At one point there were 6 dolphin around the boat harassing what we had on. Eventually the leader was on the reel and we could put some pressure on. I hit the water with the gaff a few times to scare the dolphins and David pulled the fish out from under the boat. It was a big yellowfin… big enough so that the dolphin could not eat it. I took a shot and managed to gaff the fish. It was a good 22kg fish. David’s biggest.

After bleeding the fish and putting it on ice, I headed deeper to the ledge where I rigged some baits. We drifted along the ledge a bit but only had one pull from a big bottomfish before calling it a day and heading back in.

David's 1st Wahoo

On Sunday 25^th June, we launched “ABF” off Vidal. We didn’t have much time to fish as we had to vacate the cabin by 10am. It didn’t take long to find bait and in 15 minutes we had enough. The SW was blowing so I didn’t want to run too far. I put on some big lures and trolled out to the ledge and south towards the lighthouse. I had trolled about half an hour when the close reel smoked off. I continued trolling for a few seconds hoping for a second fish but that didn’t happen so I slowed down and David took the strike. The fish took a lot of line so I followed it for a bit until it settled. The fish went deep for a while before surfacing again. This time I got a shot with the gaff and pulled a good wahoo onboard. It didn’t fit in the hatch so it was wrapped in a wet towel.

The lines went out again but without another pull so I rigged up a few livies. We trolled between 35 and 20m all the way to the point but only had one pull on the surface that didn’t stick. We headed back and weighed the wahoo. It went 23kg. A great first wahoo for David.

The Over 30's Club

On Saturday 17^th June at around midday, Hansie, Terence and I launched “Buoy Oh Buoy” off Richards Bay. The NE had been blowing most of the morning and started showing signs of dissipating. There was a strong SW predicted for the evening, so we decided to chance it and fish the small window.

We stopped on the pipe and managed a few livies before heading for Petingo. The water was a bit dirty so we headed deeper to Danies. We put out 2 livies, a wala and a bonnie. I had just set the bonnie and was still holding the rod when it keeled over and we were on. I passed the rod to Terence and started clearing the other lines. The line angled towards the surface and a blackfin shark jumped out the back spinning the leader off. I rerigged the bait and Hansie trolled onto the marks. I saw a splash in front of the boat and while we were all looking forward, the reel with the surface livie screamed off. I took the strike and had a good fight with a 15kg cuda. Finally, a better size cuda for the season. After resetting, Hansie put us back on the spot and it was no surprize when the same rod went on. Unfortunately, the fish pulled hooks a few minutes into the fight, much to Terence’s disgust.

There were obviously a few fish around so we were confident that there would be a proper one in the area. It was just a matter of time. The wind had settled to only a few knots and the water started cleaning up as the current moved in. There were a few good showings near the bottom and a few minutes later, the bonnie went away with a smoker. I took the rod out the holder and announced that I thought it was a big fish. Hansie asked if he could take the rod, much to our amazement!

It was great to see Hansie on a rod as he more often than not just drives the boat. I cleared the other lines quickly while Terence followed the fish. It made several long fast runs and eventually settled into big deep circles. When it came into view, it was obvious that it was a trophy fish and I took the first shot on the gaff that the fish gave me. It took some effort to lift the crocodile into the boat but what a fish! This was without doubt Hansie’s personal best (previously 29.8kg). We had to wrap it in a wet towel as it did not fit into the hatch.

The vibe on the boat was electric knowing this was a fish over the 30kg mark. After a short while, the lines went out again and trolling resumed. Each time there was a showing on the bottom, I dropped a bucktail hoping to lift the fish into the spread. On about the 3^rd drop, I connected to a fish for a few seconds, but unfortunately pulled the hook. There were some serious teeth marks in the lead so I assumed it was a cuda. Hansie worked the marks a bit and I saw the rod with the deep wala bump a few times. I thought it was a bottomfish and started winding the reel. There was something there, but it was not fighting. Only next to the boat did the fish take a quick run and we realized it was indeed a small cuda of 9kg… bonus.

Complete glass off

By now there was no wind and the sea had glassed off totally. The livies had been very quiet so we switched the maasbanker out with a shad and put the rod in the T-Top. Not long after, a reel went off but it took a while to register that the noise was coming from the roof. Terence took the strike and managed a 12kg cuda. All of us had a fish for the day so things were looking good. With about an hour and a half left of light left, we ran a bit north and set the lines again with fresh baits. The last line just went in when the wala was eaten. Terence took the strike and caught another 15kg cuda. 

Hansies 31.1kg Cud

The showing was still on the reef so I quickly rigged another wala and put it in position. A few minutes later, the rod keeled over and the reel smoked off. I took the rod while the other lines were cleared. This was obviously another good fish judging by the sustained fast run. It seemed too good to be true. The fish finally slowed down and just when I was about to start gaining line, the line parted! I was shocked considering the comfortable lineclass. On closer inspection it looked like something had swam into the line, possibly another fish that ate the sinker… but we’ll never know. With the last bit of light left we made a last pass over the reef and to our surprise, the deep bonnie went away. Terence took the rod but it was short lived as the hooks pulled. The bait came back and it had only been squashed on the head where there were no hooks. My guess was a billfish, but who knows. With that, we headed back to harbour in the dark. The SW came through just as we were on the washbay so our timing was good. Hansie’s fish weighed in at 31,1kg. An awesome fish! Welcome to the over 30’s club Hans!!!

Back in action

On Friday 26^th May at 7:30, Wayne and I launched “ABF” at Cape Vidal. We had just gone through for the day to test the boat out. The wind was already blowing about 12knots so there were a few white horses but it was still very fishable. We started off catching livies off the point and missed a small cuda on a trap stick.

With the live well full, I was insistent to pull a few lures around on the ledge hoping for a tuna and after about 20minutes, we had 2 rods go away. They were both big kawa-kawa which were released. We trolled over the structure again and went on with another double. Mine came in pretty easily. It was a 5kg yellowfin. Wayne’s fish on the other hand was a lot more stubborn and gave him a good go before I gaffed a 12kg tuna which we bled and put on ice. I made another turn and happened to look back and noticed line running off the one reel. I had forgotten the ratchet off and went tight without knowing it. Wayne had the task of bringing in a lot of line with what turned out to be a small skipjack which had already drowned by the time we got it. On the next turn, another reel went off. Wayne was again on the rod and had just started gaining line when the rod was pulled flat and the line flew off the reel. Something had obviously grabbed his fish. 

Wayne with a shoal cuda

The drag went up to sunset and I charged after it to try and get line back. The line angled to the surface and in the distance, there was a bit of a splash. It was a dolphin. This was going to be a problem… Every time it surfaced to breathe, it would release the tuna and we could gain some line but seconds later another one would come and grab it. Eventually, we were right on top of one when it surfaced and managed to pull the tuna away. Just a bit of luck… The dolphin followed us for a while so I suggested we head north to Oscar so we trolled all the way up there, leaving the dolphins behind. On the pinnacle, we got another yellowfin which we released. There were a few showings, so I rigged up some livies and trolled over the bumps. Unfortunately, all we got was a pull from a shark. The day was dragging on so we headed shallower to fish for cuda.

22kg Wahoo

I put out 4 livies and tacked between 16 and 25m. Not long after I had the lines out, we had a pull on the surface, but it missed the hooks. I rerigged the bait and was busy letting it out when the reel took off in my hands. I fed it for a few seconds then tightened up. Holy moly! The rod pulled flat as the fish rocketed off behind the boat, in the process burning off the 2 deep lines. After a smoking run, it settled down and I could put some pressure on it. It was a heavy fish that made several circles around the boat before it came close. It took a few more fast runs and after about 25 minutes, came within range of the gaff. Wayne made no mistake and lifted a beautiful 22kg wahoo into the boat. I get excited every time I see the blue and white stripes in the water.

After regrouping, we reset the lines and didn’t have to wait long before the deep bait went away. Wayne managed to get a shoal cuda of about 6kg. The line was just reset when the close surface bait went away with another small shoal cuda. I quickly had it in the hatch with the other one. Other than a few chopped baits, there was no more action, so at 2pm we hit the beach. It was great to be at Vidal again and to have some fresh fish to eat. Thanks to Wayne for an enjoyable day! 

Back on the water at last!!!

 On Saturday afternoon at 2:30pm, we left the Richards Bay harbour and headed south towards high point. There were a few fish the previous day so we were hoping to have some action. The water was quite dirty up to about 10km from the reef when the water turned to a clean green colour.

18kg wahoo

At about 3:45pm we were about 2km from the northern pinnacle, we put out 2 trolling lures to see if we could get a tuna or bonito. There was one boat on the reef sitting right on top of the pinnacle. We trolled as close as possible so that we could also work the structure. As the lines went over the bump, both rods went off. Terence and I took the rods and brought in two 5 kg yellowfins. The lines went out again as Hansie made another turn. The lines had just straightened when I saw the far rod get hit, but the fish missed. I ran to the rod and started winding the reel. Almost instantly the rod buckled and the reel smoked off. The fish took probably 100m on the first run and stayed on surface. I managed to get most of the line back when the fish went on another smoking run on the surface, its tail splashing as it went. Not long after, the fish was next to the boat where Werner gaffed it. It was a good wahoo of 18kg. There seemed to be some action on the lures and the other boat slow trolling had not had a pull so we opted to continue trolling. I was busy putting out the second line when the first went away with another yellowfin. Trolling north back up to the pinnacle, we had an on/off and when we passed over the reef, the same rod smoked off. Werner took the strike and had a strong fight with a nice fish but close to the boat, there were a few big head shakes and the hook pulled. There were some new teeth marks on the lure, so we were sure it was a wahoo. It was getting dark so we made one more turn. Again the far lure went away with a smaller fish. This time the fish was a really big Sarda (stripes bonito) of about 6kg.

Terence's 1st Cracker

With the sun down, we sounded around and threw the anchor. We fished for bottomfish for a while with very little success so we moved a bit shallower. With the anchor set, we put down a few baits. It was not long before Terence got a good 7kg Scotsman. Knowing that there had been a few cracker around, we put down some bigger baits. There were a lot of small fish around, but when they went quiet, we knew there was something bigger down there. Terence got the pull on a whole squid and got bent over the gunwale properly. The fish was very stubborn and made big head nods. Finally the leader came up and the fish popped on the surface. It was a lovely fish of 24kg. a first for Terence. Well done

We fished for a while longer, but the peckers and barble took over so we packed up and headed home after a great trip.