On Friday 3rd March,
Hansie, Zander and I launched “Mitsu-Fishi” out of Richards Bay. We were
competing in the Richards Bay Billfish Interprovincial as the Zululand Team.
The northerly wind was blowing about 15 knots so we headed up North in the
backline towards Dawsons.
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| Zander with the 1st marlin of the comp |
We put out the lines in 50m and
trolled deeper looking for signs of life. The water had a green tint to it and
was 25 degrees. As we trolled deeper, the temp dropped but at 800m, there was a
temperature break and shot up to 27 degrees. We worked the area and at around
9am, the centre rigger popped as a fish took the lure. We didn’t see the fish
due to a swell so we were not sure what it was. The lines were cleared and we
put our “first cap” Zander in the chair. After about 10 minutes, the line
angled to the surface and the surface erupted with a good size blue marlin. It
went on a spectacular run down sea, so Hansie could back down on the fish and
Zander retrieved most of the line. The leader came up and I took hold of it but
the fish had other plans and went down deep. There was not much current so it
was difficult to manoeuvre the fish. Eventually, after countless turns and
position changes we found a line that brought the fish to the surface. Being
the first fish of the comp, I didn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on the
leader so I had to let go a few times until eventually the fish gave the right
approach and I could get it under control next to the boat. It was a lovely
180kg fish which was quickly tagged and turned loose. What a great start to the
comp! Better still, this was the 200th billfish that I had been with
and it had taken a while to get that last one, so I was over the moon.
The lines went out again and we trolled the
area for most of the day without another pull, so we started back on a homeward
bearing. The water temp dropped again but in 500m, there was a half a degree
spike so Hansie worked the area. At one stage, there was a big tanker heading for
us, so we altered course to miss it. There also happened to be a few birds
ahead of us and as we trolled through them, there was a massive splash behind
the left long as a big fish missed the lure. Seconds later, the fish was back
and knocked the lure out the rigger without hooking up. I wound the lure back
into position, grabbed the spool and pulled the drag to freespool, anticipating
the strike. It looked like jaws coming down the swell when the fish came in and
engulfed the lure. I fed it a few seconds then went tight. The fish went mental
on the surface and we could see that it was a comfortable 700Lbs blue. It went
greyhounding across the surface to the port side. We cleared the lines and I
had just climbed into the chair when the unbelievable happened… the tanker that
we had seen ahead of us was now right next to us, within 100m, and the fish was
on the other side of it on the surface. Hansie spun the boat around and tried
to get ahead of the ship, but there was just too much line in the water and seconds
later, the line cut off. It was an awkward moment as we knew it was a big fish
that would have taken a long time to fight and we probably would not have made
the weighin, but it was the biggest fish I had personally had on the line in
South Africa and I really wanted it. It was just not meant to be I guess. We
rerigged and trolled for the rest of the allotted time before heading home.
There was no other fish caught
for the day, so we were in the lead with 2 days to go.
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| Team Zululand Red |
On Saturday 4th March,
Lucas joined the team and we launched at 5:30am and decided to head straight
out the harbour and work the dropoff near where we dropped the big fish the day
before. There was a lot of bait in the area and every now and again there would
be a 30kg yellowfin jumping in the area. We worked the ledge and it didn’t take
long to get a pull. The centre rigger popped and the reel took off. A 100kg
marlin made a few jumps out the back but then the line went slack and the fish
was gone. On closer inspection, the fish had grabbed the bird instead of the
lure, so we had no chance…
Trolling commenced and on the
second pass over the ledge resulted in a good fish pouncing on the left long.
It took a fair bit of line and jumped a few times before the hook pulled! It
was now really unlucky! Again, the lures went in and Hansie headed for the next
flock of birds. We had just straightened out from a turn when the right long
popped but then stopped. Seconds later the centre rigger popped and the fish
took a lot of line, jumping as it went. We were clearing the lines by speed,
but before we could get anyone in the chair, the hook pulled. Now it was
getting ridiculous… three fish missed by 9am…
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| Lucas with a 16kg Dorado |
The prime time passed and things
went quiet. So, after a while without action, we headed deeper, but the water
got worse the further we went so we turned back again. In the green water, two
reels went off with dorado. One was pretty small and the other was a good size
bull. I winched in the smaller one while Lucas kept his under control until it
was safe to take his fish. After a few interesting moments on the leader, we
managed to get a 16kg fish into the hatch. A personal best dorado for Lucas.
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| Winning team 2017 |
We arrived back in the area that
had action earlier, and on the first turn, the left long took off with a speed
as a 200kg blue tried to overtake the boat on the port side. In a flash, Hansie
was on the controls and the line took tension again. The lines were cleared,
but again before anyone could get in the chair, the hooks pulled… There are no
words for the disappointment, but we kept at it. Unfortunately, that was the
last strike that we had for the day and headed back with only 2 dorado as a
consolation prize.
On Sunday 5th March,
we launched for the final time in the tournament. After dropping 4 fish in the
one area, we headed back there to try our luck again. Unfortunately the bait
had moved on and the green water had covered the ledge. Despite trolling to
over 1000m, we could not find any more fish and out day ended without a touch.
Luckily for us, there was no
other boat that caught a second fish, so we were lucky to win the tournament on
time. Thanks to Hansie, Zander, Lucas and Herman for making this a great comp.
