At 5:30 on 21st July 2020, Gary
Heath, At and I launched At’s Kosi Cat “Vamous” off Richards Bay. There were
reports of Snoek up north so we were keen to try for a few. We all had a few
snoek tricks in our tackle boxes as they are notoriously unpredictable. I was
also keen to learn a few new tricks from Gary as he is a good snoek angler.
 |
| Wire line for the win |
While we were running north, we noticed a boat
fighting a fish in the shallows. A short distance later, there were a few
splashes that warranted closer investigation. Gary suggested we put out a few
small lures and make a few turns before moving on. While At and Gary were
getting their rods ready, I had two wire line rods rigged up and ready to go so
I put them out. I had barely put the ratchet of the second reel on when the
first rod went away. In no time, the first snoek was onboard. There was a scramble
to get lines out again and no sooner was the second drone out that both wire
lines went on. At kept the speed up while Gary and I unceremoniously lifted
another two snoek into the open hatch. It was a unanimous decision to make
another turn. As luck would have it, as we went through the area where we had
the action, we went on again, and again and again. Every time, it was the wire
line that went away, despite having small rapalas and feathers out as well.
When the bite finally slowed, we had 12 fish in the hatch.
We made a few calls and heard that there were
still a few fish further North so we upped lines and headed in that direction. There
was congregation of boats in the distance and it was obvious that that was the
place to be. We stopped short and put out the trolling gear before creeping our
way through the boats. Apart from 2 on offs, it was quiet, so we changed over
to bait. It was slim pickings and we got one or two fish an hour before it went
dead. With a hatch full of great eating fish, we headed back for a well
deserved refreshment.
