2016 Mapelane Junior Interclub

On Saturday 9^th July, we launched Tyron Gruar’s “Kaskasi” off Mapelane. We were fishing in the Mapelane Junior Interclub and I was the manager of the U/16 Richards Bay team. Hannes and Gideon Steenkamp and TJ Jacobs were in the team. After a bit of a wet launch, we headed for St Lucia swimming beach where we filled up on live bait and then headed for the 50m ledge.

TJ with a nice Wahoo

Gideon pulling a yellowfin

There had been a lot of small tuna around the previous week, so that was part of the game plan for the day. We put out 3 large halcos, a small kona and a smaller rapala then trolled north into the current. After about half an hour, we went on with a small yellowfin which was quickly boated. I happened to look at one of the lures that we had been pulling and saw some proper teeth marks on it. It must have happened in the last few minutes, as the lure was brand new. Trolling commenced and every half an hour or so we would get a pull from a small yellowfin. By the time we were at the northern tip of the reef, we had 6 small tuna. We were only allowed to weigh 3, so we needed to look for a different species. I suggested that we run back to a mark that we trolled over earlier that had some good showings and make a drift. Maybe for a cuda. Tyron came into the area and slacked off the speed to look for the showing. In the meantime, I put out 2 halcos just in case… As we were nearing the marks, the close lure went away at speed! Hannes took the rod while TJ started retrieving the other far line. Almost immediately, the rod was pulled flat and the reel smoked off as a second fish grabbed the lure! Unfortunately, Hannes’ fish pulled hook while TJ fought his. There were a few good smoking runs along the surface, leading us to believe that the fish was a wahoo. Sure enough after about 20 minutes, I gaffed a really nice one.

Richards Bay U/16 Day 1

Being a species comp, we needed to look for another species to double the points. But even though we tried really hard for a cuda, we never had another pull and headed back to the beach at 2pm. The wahoo weighed 18kg and the small yellowfins were between 4 and 6kg. Enough for 2^nd place for the day.
On Sunday 10^th, we again headed to the livebait spot and caught some bait but didn’t want to spend too much time as the day was shorter than the previous day. Again we headed to the ledge to troll for the yellowfins. Relatively quickly, we got out 3 weighables but then had a shark tax a tax us and take the best halco with it.

 We opted to look for another specie as the 3 yellowfins would not win us the comp. Tyron lined up the boat for a drift and while he checked the GPS, we let out a livebait on surface. While still freespooling, the reel took off and we went on to a better size yellowfin which unfortunately pulled hook at the boat.

Day 2 Mapelane Junior Interclub

With the drift line sorted, we ran to the top of the reef and drifted back. Knowing there were a few bigger tuna around, we put out a fluorocarbon rig with a livebait. While TJ was feeding it out, it was picked up but after a short run came off. On closer inspection, the flouro had been bitten off. Unlucky! We put on a piece of wire and made another drift. This time it took a few minutes to get a pull and after tightening up, the fish made a few good runs before it was at the boat where I gaffed a cuda. Now the hatch looked better. Unfortunately after a few more drifts we only got a shark.

At the weigh in, the 3 yellowfins weighed between 4 and 5kg and the cuda went 12,6kg. There were a few other nice fish that were weighed, and we ended up maintaining our 2^nd place. Thanks to everyone involved.

Tuff Tuna

On Saturday 28^th May, Wayne Ritchie, Lorenzo and I launched “Da Boys” off Richards Bay. The weather forecast was perfect and we were looking forward to a great day on the water. We stopped at the pipeline and looked for bait. There were very few showings around and all the boats struggled to find anything. There were a few shad and the odd Maasbanker but we had to really work for each of them. Finally we happened upon a decent showing and before hitting the bottom, went on with some bait. They turned out to be some really big mackerel which were finally able to move up north to look for some fish.

Wayne with a 20kg Yellowfin.

After a half hour run, I put out a few small rapalas and fillets and trolled north tacking between 15 and 25m. There were no showings or any signs of surface activity. At about 8:30, one of the cd7 rapalas was eaten and the reel smoked off. This was definitely not a snoek… Wayne took the strike while I cleared the other lines. The fish had a lot of line in the water by the time I had the deck clear so I slowly followed the fish to allow Wayne to put some line on the reel. The fish stayed on surface for a while before sounding. Initially we thought that the fish was a cuda, but it was becoming apparent that it was a yellowfin especially when we could see the tail beats on the rod tip. After 45 back breaking minutes, the fish was close to the boat, but it had no intention of coming closer. 

Lorenzo with a slinger

The long rod and big swell made it extremely difficult for Wayne to gain line on the fish and after an hour, he relinquished the rod to me. It seemed like a fresh pair of arms is what was needed and after another 10 minutes of circling, the fish came within range and Wayne managed to gaff a good size yellowfin. We could not believe that a fish could be that strong, but when we took a closer look, it all made sense. 

The fish had been hooked in the top of the head making it very difficult to fight. No matter, we had some fresh tuna steaks on the menu. The fish pulled a 20kg hand scale flat, so we were pretty chuffed.

Trolling resumed but without any more action. Lorenzo was keen to catch a few fish himself, so we stopped on one of the shallow reefs and sent down a light bottomfish rig. For the next hour, we had a ball with the many bottomfish species. We kept 5 fish for the pot and released the rest.

The wind started picking up so we decided to head back home. All in all, it was a great day on the water. 

Lekker fresh fish!

On Sunday 15^th May, At and I launched “Avanti” out of Richards Bay. We were hoping to get a snoek or so with the perfect weather conditions. We stopped at the pipeline and caught a few maasbankers and shad before heading north towards Dawsons. On the way up, I rigged up a few rods with small rapalas and feathers. When At throttled back, I let out the lines and we trolled north in the backline.

It was stone dead so we made a deep turn and saw a few shoals of redeyes on the surface. Knowing that these primo baits were in short supply, I upped the lines and spent some time filling the bait box. After a while, the shoals disappeared and we continued trolling. The radio was silent and no one had seen good fish yet so we sounded around in the shallows and found a small reef to try for some bottoms. We were in luck and managed some nice rockcods, including a yellowbelly, and some other species.

With some fish to eat, we slowly trolled south and about an hour later, we had a pull on the fillet on japan. I pulled in a snoek of around 4kg. Great, mission accomplished. I rerigged and At made another turn. Again we had a pull on the same bait but pulled the hook. After a few more turns without another pull, we headed shallower into the backline and were rewarded with another pull. This time it was a good snoek of around 7kg. It was getting late, so after another turn without a pull, we upped lines and headed back home with some Lekker fresh fish.

Air Jaws

On Saturday 14^th May, we left Richards Bay harbour aboard “Galavant”. We were looking to fish for marlin one more time to see if they were still around. On the way out, all the anchored ships were facing the wrong direction which indicated that there was a reverse current… not a good sign. We pushed on past the ships and in 150m, set the lines.

The water colour was horrible and to make it worse, the deeper we went, the colder it became. The temp dropped from 23 degrees in the harbour to 21,4 degrees at 750m. Just before deciding to turn around, far out to see, we could see a bit of a colour change. Finally there was a break and the temperature rose to 24 degrees and the colour improved dramatically. There were a few birds and flying fish around, so we felt a lot better about our chances.

A feisty Mako Shark of around 70kg

The day wore on without any action. Other boats fishing in the vicinity also saw nothing. At about 1pm, I was sitting in the fighting chair, watching the teaser off the starboard stern cleat when without warning, a blue and silver shape rocketed out the water with the teaser in its jaws, landing with a big splash. It was an agro Mako shark that seemed intent on destroying the teaser. This was like a scene from the Air Jaws documentary. It attacked the hookless lure a few times before fading off to the left short lure. This was a Marlin Magic Ruckus, so I was not keen to have a toothy critter bite it off. It popped the rigger and I wound like hell to avoid hooking it. Luckily the shark faded back to where it smashed the left long and got stuck. We cleared the lines in a hurry and Willis jumped in the chair. The Mako didn’t take much line and soon I had the leader in hand. As soon as I had a chance, I grabbed the lure and slid it up the leader so that if it did bite off, I still had it. On closer inspection, I saw that the hook was only through the skin of the jaw and that I small slice with a sharp knife would free the hook, so I very carefully made a small cut and the hook came out. The shark took off to parts unknown. It was not a marlin, but it did give us a bit of a show and made a rather uneventful day much better.

Not long after, we headed back to port hoping that the next trip would be more successful.

Fish of a lifetime!

After a very busy few months, I finally managed to get onto the water…

On Monday 2^nd May at 8am, Hein, Wayne and I left Richards Bay harbour aboard “Galavant”. There had been a few marlin and tuna around so we wanted to see if we could find anything that would bite. We opted to fish strait out the harbour behind the ships. On the way out, we stopped to troll over small high point but a large container ship had anchored directly on top of it so we headed deeper. At around 100m, we slowed down and set the lines. The water was a bit green, 24.2 degrees and no current. Wayne trolled deeper to look for some better conditions.

Hein and his first Blue Marlin

In 900m, we saw a few flying fish and a bird or two. A short distance away, there was a piece of floating debris so Wayne made a turn towards it. We passed by it but there was no growth on it so we just carried on past it. A few minutes later, without any warning, the right short rigger popped and the reel took off. I flew down stairs to clear lines. Out the back, a small blue marlin of around 60kg tore up the surface. Wayne kept the line running off the reel while Hein and I cleared the other lines. The fish had a lot of line in the water by the time the deck was cleared so Hein had a job to put it all back on the reel. The fish had done a lot of jumping and was pretty docile when it was near the boat. I took the leader and after a few photos, removed the hooks and turned it loose. This was Hein’s first marlin so we were all really happy that we could check that box for him.

Jono and Wayne with a massive Spearfish

The lines went out and trolling resumed. The surface activity slowed down and soon there were no signs of life so we headed a bit shallower to work the dropoff. The wind swung to the SW and puffed at about 5 knots. Being nervous that the wind would strengthen, we opted to stay shallow and not make another deep turn. After tacking over the dropoff for a while, we found some more flying fish so I made a turn into the area. I looked back and saw a splash on the left long. The rigger popped and the reel screamed off. A feisty bull dorado of probably 18kg bounced around the surface a few times but soon threw the hooks. I was busy retrieving the lure to check it when the centre rigger popped and the 130lbs reel started running at a constant pace. We all assumed that it was a second dorado so casually went about clearing the lines. The reel picked up the pace and at the same time, there was a big splash out the back. Wayne shouted that it was a billfish so Hein and I cleared the deck double time. The fish jumped again and this time we got a good look at it, but something was different about this fish. It looked like a massive spearfish… I took the strike and hopped in the chair. I had never personally caught a spearfish, so I eased the drag off a bit to prevent the hook from pulling. This meant that the fish could take a lot of line, which it did. Slowly Wayne backed up and I could put line on the reel. About 20 minutes later, the leader came up. Wayne came to assist and take the leader. With the fish at the boat, we could see that it was indeed a spearfish and a monster at that. We decided to load the fish for the record books, so I gaffed it and helped Wayne pull it into the boat. Only then did we see how big it really was! But something still seemed off… the bill and dorsal fins looked a bit odd, but no matter, we could worry about that later. I was just over the moon with my first spearfish!

Once in a lifetime fish!

We trolled for about an hour longer without any more luck, so we headed back to the harbour. The fish weighed in at 40,6kg. This is the biggest spearfish weighed in Africa. DNA samples confirmed that the fish is indeed a longbill and the first of its kind in the Indian Ocean. It is indeed a once in a lifetime catch and I'm glad to have shared it with a great crew.

Roaring Current!

On Saturday 5^th March, we launched “Seaduction” out of Richards Bay. We were hoping to find a cuda for the boys from Theunissen. Our first stop was at the pipe where we caught a couple of mackerel. With the live well full, we headed south to high point. On arrival, we put out 3 small bait lures to catch bonito for livies. It did not take long to get 2 small bonnies which I rigged up, one on surface and one deep.

There was no wind, but the current was probably the strongest I have ever seen it there. With both motors a bit above in gear, we were going backwards at 7km per hour! This proved to be a huge challenge, as there was almost no time to work the pinnacle. 

Every 20 minutes, we would have to up lines and run back to the pinnacle and look for another bonnie. When we had one, it went into the tube and we would run almost a kilometre north to rig baits. We were then swept over the marks in seconds. It took 2 attempts to get our timing right, but finally presented 2 baits over the showing and went away on the deep bait. Unfortunately, the fish missed the hooks and we got half the bait back. It looked like a knife had sliced it off.

Dewald with some sushi

We put out the bait rods and almost immediately went on with two small yellowfin which we bled and put on ice. Again the lures were put out and the search continued. Things went dead for a while but eventually we caught another 2 baits. They were rigged and trolled over the numbers. The bait lasted a whole 5 minutes before the reel smoked off. The lines were cleared and Christo took the rod. The fish went on a sudden long run then came to a sudden halt and there was only a heavy weight that could not be budged… obviously a conversion… Everyone took turns fighting the shark and after 45 mins, we had drifted so far that it was not feasible to waste any more time on it so we broke it off.

Christo fighting jaws

The wind had picked up in the past hour and now the difficult conditions were almost impossible so we abandoned the cuda fishing and put out the marlin lures and trolled north, hoping to make the run home shorter. After about an hour, I saw a strange shape coming straight towards the prop wash from the port side. When it was a few meters away, I saw that it was a mako shark. It stayed in the white water for a while before fading off and launching itself at the left short lure, completely missing it. Moments later, it exploded on the japan lure and the reel took off. A few seconds later, the fish was off as it bit through the nylon leader.

The current was relentless and after two hours, we had not made much head way so we decided to call it a day and head back.

Two Oceans Marlin Tournament

On Monday 15^th February, Tim, Ross, Gareth and I launched “Tyler” out of Struisbaai. I was invited by Brendan Davids to fish the Two Oceans Marlin Tournament, but adverse weather had resulted in the comp being called off for a few days. The Westerly wind that was blowing resulted in a sheltered bay just outside the harbour, so we decided to have a go at catching a Garrick in the afternoon.

Gareth with a tagged Leerie

Gareth had caught a few mullet for live bait and we had a few other rods rigged up with chisel nose plugs. We worked the southern point of the bay, but there was no action so we moved into the bay. While we were slow trolling, Tim was casting a plug off the nose. Gareth spotted a few dark shapes off towards the breakers and Tim’s next cast resulted in a few Garrick chasing the lure but did not connect. We worked the area for a bit and finally found them again. Ross cast his mullet into the shoal and went tight almost immediately. While he was fighting, my live bait was also eaten and we were hooked up to a double! Both fish were pretty close to the boat when mine threw the circle hook, but Ross managed to get his fish onto the leader where it was boated, tagged and released. Things were quiet from then on, so we headed back to the harbour.

Feeding the locals

On Tuesday 16^th February, the comp was called off again, but with the wind settling, we decided to make a midday launch and headed out to the 12mile banks. We put out a few marlin lures, and within a few minutes had a small yellowfin eat one of them. It was rigged up for a livebait, but unfortunately, after about an hour it was eaten by a mako shark. 

The lures went in again and trolling continues. There were big shoals of skipjack and small yellowfin that attached the swivels of the lures whenever we got near to them. Every now and again, there were bigger yellowfin that smashed the lures and we were kept busy for most of the afternoon. There was a lot of bait around, but no billfish so we headed back to the harbour.

On Wednesday morning the cold front came through with vengeance and the comp was again called off.

On Friday 19^th, he wind had finally subsided and all the boats put to sea. We headed out towards the 45’s but on route, the water colour got worse and worse so we made the call to turn around and head 5 miles back towards the Halfway House as the water looked good there. The lures went out and Gareth trolled the area looking for signs of life.

Ross with a WP Wahoo

After a while, the centre rigger popped and the reel ran for a bit. Ross took the strike and managed to bring a 12kg wahoo to the boat. This was an exceptionally rare catch for the area so everyone was very surprised to see it. The lines had just been reset when I saw a small marlin grabbing the left teaser. I shouted from the tower to get the pitch bait in the water, but the fish faded off as quickly as it appeared. At least we were in the right area. Some time later, we came across a big hammerhead cruising on the surface. Apparently also a rare sight. I was glad to see it, as from my experiences, the hammers and the marlin usually frequent the same areas. As luck would have it, we had just turned to work the area when Brendan saw a marlin come in on the left long lure. It followed the lure for a bit and when it finally attacked, it bill wrapped the leader and spooked without hooking up. Despite making a few more turns, the fish never came back.

Releasing a Mako Shark

I was up on the tower for a bit, when I saw a commotion on the left teaser. Through the foam, I could make out that it was a mako shark that seems adamant to destroy the squids. Brendan pitched a bait on the spinning rod and went tight with the fish. At about the same time, the right long came down and both lines ran to the same fish. After some commotion on the surface, the one leader was cut and Tim was left to bring the mako to the boat where it was released.

Again the lines went out and after a few tacks, the centre rigger popped. The reel ran for a bit, but then the fish as gone. We did not see anything, but on closer inspection, there were bill marks on the leader. It must have been a shy fish that was not keen to feed. The predicted front came through at 1pm and picked up to 20knots. We turned for home but kept the lures in the water. In the next hour or so, we caught two yellowfin and a skipjack before we upped lines and headed back to harbour. Unfortunately none of the boats competing caught a marlin, but considering the conditions…

Being a tourist...

The weather forecast for the Saturday (last day of the comp) was terrible and called a blowout. What was surprising was that on the Friday evening, the tournament committee sent an sms out to the competitors stating that the tournament was extended by an extra day and that Sunday was now also considered a tournament day. Unfortunately many of the upcountry teams could not take part as travel arrangements had been made months in advance, based on the dates supplied by the organisers. This was in my opinion a bad call and a bit short sighted. Never the less, a great time was had by all.

First 2016 Marlin

At 5am on Sunday the 10^th January, Frans, Deon, Barney, Annette, Andries and I launched “Trinity” out of Richards Bay. We were hoping to find a marlin for the first time anglers. The water was clean from the shallows so while we ran out, I put out a high speed lure… just in case.

When we were near the ledge, Frans slowed the boat down so that we could drop the riggers and get the lures out. I started retrieving the hi speed lure I had out and felt that there was quite a bit of weight on the end of the line. There was a fish on it. Deon took the rod and after a bit of an awkward fight on the heavy rod, he had a 7kg dorado on the boat. Not a bad start to the morning. 

Barney with his first Blue Marlin

We went about setting the 5 lures spread while Frans trolled deeper. We headed out to about 600m then turned shallower. There were a few interesting readings on the sounder at 250m to 350m so we headed back to that area. 

In 375m, I had just finished adjusting the left flatline Ruckus when a bill and dorsal fin came up behind it. The lure disappeared in a ball of foam as the reel took off. Everyone grabbed a rod to clear the other lines. The fish came flying out the water and started greyhounding away from us. The line looked as if it was melting off the reel and by the time everything was cleared, we were into the backing. Barney was on strike and was quickly fitted with the standup harness. Frans backed up the boat and most of the line was put back on the reel. The fish sounded for a short while but soon came to the surface where I could get hold of the leader. The fish was pretty tired and so it was tame on the leader. We took a few pics of the +-130kg blue before the hooks were removed and the fish was turned lose. Great stuff!

It was still early, so we were confident that we would have some more action. The spread was reset and trolling commenced. Frans went into the cabin to rustle up some breakfast so I took over the helm. I tacked over the area where we had found the showings, hoping to find more life. I was busy with the inward tack when Frans came out the cabin with a scrambled egg and toast breakfast. I scanned the area in front of the boat to check for other boat traffic so that we could sit down to eat without having a collision. 

Deon fighting standup

Deon's first Blue Marlin

I took one last at the lures when I saw a big splash on the centre rigger lure. As I shouted, the rigger popped and the reel smoked off! Breakfast was put on hold as everyone dashed for a rod and cleared lines. The fish started tailwalking in a big arc behind the boat and ended up running parallel with us. There was a big belly in the line which kept tension on the fish. Deon was the next person in the hot seat and got strapped in to the standup harness. After explaining the drill to him, he went to work putting line back on the reel. Frans backed up slowly and soon the reel was pretty full. The fish sounded and sulked down deep for a while, taking a bit of line as it went. Deon was taking a lot of strain and so I put the reel into low gear for him. After some moral support, Deon got a second wind and started to inch the stubborn fish to the surface. A short while later, the bird came out the water and I grabbed the leader. The fish behaved itself while we took some photos. Deon took the bill from me and turned his first marlin lose. We all guessed the blue at around 110kg. Just a bit smaller than the first one. What t great day!

The lines went in again and trolling continued. This time we were able to eat breakfast without and interruptions. The day wore on without any more action so we aimed for the harbour and trolled shallower. We were just passing over the 50m ledge when I noticed a movement to the starboard side of the long rigger lure. All of a sudden, a black marlin of abound 300Lbs came hurtling out of the water towards the boat. As I shouted, the fish jumped again, this time under the rigger line and landed just short of the flat line. With the distance and trajectory of the previous two jumps, we all expected the next jump to be into the boat and Frans had already ducked in anticipation. Luckily the fish decided otherwise and disappeared under the wake. Everyone was on alert, scanning the lures but unfortunately the fish never came back. Oh well, that’s how it goes. My congrats go to Barney and Deon for joining the marlin club.

Slow Start to the Year

On Saturday 2^nd January 2016 at 4am, John and I launched “Drifter” off Richards Bay. We stopped at the pipe and filled up with livies before heading north along the ledge.

The conditions were great with a light off shore wind and crystal clean warm water with a good current. We pulled lures for a few hours working our way north, but things were very quiet. We decided to switch to bait in the hope that we would find something. I started retrieving the lines one by one while the boat was still moving at trolling speed. There were two rods left to clear when the far lure was eaten and the reel took off. John took the strike while I cleared the last line. The fish was not putting up much of a struggle and came to the boat relatively easily. When it was close to the boat, we saw that it was a wahoo. I quickly gaffed the fish before it could bite off the nylon leader and lifted it into the ice box. This was also John’s first wahoo.

I rigged up 4 livies and tacked over the ledge. Unfortunately the wind had swung to the East and things went stone dead. We trolled the livies for several hours without so much as a bump. When we reached the end of the ledge, we pulled up and headed home.

Running out of bait

On Saturday 26^th December at 4:30, John and I launched “Drifter” out of Meerensee Boat Club. There was a 15knot SE wind blowing with a bit of rain. The sea was exceptionally uncomfortable and the ride out to the pipeline took a while. Eventually we arrived and started looking for bait. With the difficult sea conditions, we struggled to get bait. After an hour, we had about 10 livies and decided to head off to the current.

Once we were in the strong N-S current, the swell picked up and we were thrown around properly. Somehow I managed to get 4 marlin lures out and we worked our way north. There was a good current line in 85m so I spent some time working along it. We were rewarded with a dorado of around 8kg. With only 2 people on the boat and shitty seas, it was tough going to clear the lines. We were going to battle if a marlin climbed on…

We fished through the prime and at 11:30 decided to switch to live bait. John and I were slowly clearing the rods when the far lure was eaten by another nice dorado which we loaded. We were pretty close to the ledge, so I rigged up a livie and put it out on surface. As I put the rod in the holder, the reel smoked off… we were on! I pulled the fish to the boat and could make it out to be a yellowfin tuna. All of a sudden it took off and a big electric blue shape charged after it. It was a marlin trying to eat it. Knowing that we were under gunned, I did not let the marlin eat the tuna and pulled it to the boat where it was gaffed and bled. I managed to rig up 3 livies, 2 on surface and 1 deep. No sooner had we started trolling, the far surface bait went away with a good dorado. John fought the fish and when it was close to the boat, the other surface rod went away with a second dorado. We both fought fish to the boat and managed to land them both… not bad. I rerigged and trolling continued. I tacked back over the ledge and the close surface bait went away. I was busy fighting the dorado when John went away on the deep bait that he was retrieving. Both fish gave us a good fight and we managed to land both again.

A good haul of gamefish in a terribly bumpy sea

Our bait situation was looking bad and we only had 3 livies left. I only put out 2 surface baits and made another turn. Sure enough, the close bait went away. I fed the fish a bit and tightened up. A small dorado bounced around out the back and managed to throw the hook. I pinned the last livie and put it out. This time it took about 20 minutes before we had a pull. The reel smoked off and I battled to get the rod out the holder. The fish took a lot of line but unfortunately the hook just fell out. Unlucky… 

We trolled the last livie around for a while but it just felt wrong fishing with one rod, so I suggested we switch to lures and troll with the current and head home as it was getting late. I put out 4 lures and trolled south along the ledge. It was not long before we were on with another dorado.

The current was running very strong and pushed us along at 16km per hour. So we could not work the area properly and only now and then we would pass over a high point. We were just getting ready to up lines when we went away with a big skipjack which took off so quickly that it had us thinking it was a wahoo. That was the last pull for the day and we headed back at 3:30pm.