Unfavourable Conditions

On the morning of Saturday the 21^st August, Michael, Divan and I Launched “Lihann” to fish for Garrick. The SW had blown for most of the week and there was a lot of rain. This resulted in very dirty water in the backline and unfavourable conditions. Knowing it would be a difficult days fishing, we decided to give it a try regardless. The NE was predicted to blow 16-19 knots.

We headed for the south pier to look for some shad, but they were not interested and we were forced to try another spot. Other boats were on the pipeline but were battling for bait so we stayed shallow and managed to get a few shad and pinkies before heading north to fish the rips in the backline. After pulling baits around for about an hour in dirty water without a strike, we made a call to move about 10km north to Hlobane mouth. The closer we got to the mouth, the better the water conditions became. When we arrived, there were a few good rips and working water with a few birds dipping over the area. Divan and I rigged baits and had just put out the second rod when the first bait was eaten. I fed the fish for a few seconds and then set the hook. The fish splashed around on the surface for a while then came within gaffing range where Divan lifted the +- 7,5kg garrick into the boat.

We went back to the start of the drift and set the lines. On the edge of the rip, we saw a Garrick clear the water while chasing baitfish. A few minutes later, a Garrick ripped into a shoal of bait under one of the dipping birds... something had to happen. Near the end of the drift, as we were coming out of the rip, the deep bait revved and I freespooled the reel. Something ate the livie and I fed it for quite a while before setting the hook. As the line came tight, the Garrick came to the surface splashing trying to throw the hook. I handed the rod to Divan as the fish thrashed on the surface throwing a lot of blood because the fish was in the gills which made it an easy fight. As the fish came close, Michael gaffed the 6kg garrick and lifted it aboard. Again we headed to the start of the drift and set lines. After about 30mins, the pinky on the Scarborough started revving and was eaten. Divan fed the fish for a while but the bait was dropped before he could set the hook. There were no more strikes on the rest of the drift so we headed back up and rerigged. As we entered the area that we had dropped the previous fish, the Scarborough bait was eaten. Divan fed the fish for a few seconds then set the hooks. The fish took off at speed while I cleared the other lines. The fish fought hard and deep with big head nods and when it came to the boat, we saw that it was a nice kingfish of about 11kg. I quickly put the gaff into the fish’s head and lifted it into the boat. This was Divan’s biggest kingfish.

The wind was now blowing about 20 knots and we decided to make one last drift. We had no further strikes and at 2pm we upped lines and headed back to the harbour. There were no other fish caught at the club and we felt satisfied with a good catch in unfavourable conditions.

Picture Perfect Conditions

On Saturday the 14^th of August, my Dad and I planned to go Garrick fishing with Wayne Ritchie and Hendrik McCarthy. The forecast looked promising and at 6:30am we launched “Selfish” and headed off to the pipeline to get bait. We stopped at the coordinate and Wayne and I sent the jigs down into a good looking showing. Before we hit the ground, the rods doubled over as the baitfish climbed on. We brought up two full strings of mackerel. My Dad repositioned us and again we brought up strings of mackerel. I cut one up for bait and put a few pieces on the jigs, hoping for a shad. On the next drop, Wayne brought up a few maasbankers and I managed to get two shad and a few mackerel. We moved a short distance away and found a few red eye sardines which we kept for snoek bait. After filling up on bait, we went shallower and caught a few pinkies before heading to groenkop.

We wanted to fish the low tide for Garrick, but this was only at 11am so we had some time to kill. I rigged up a few redeyes and a live mackerel and we slow trolled a ledge at 12m. Apart from a half hearted strike, it was quiet. At 9:30 we headed for the backline.

There was almost no swell and the water was crystal clean.

I rigged two mackerel, a shad and a pinkie. My Dad slowly trolled into the shallows and headed for one of the rips that was forming with the outgoing tide. We had gone about 100m when the shad was eaten. I fed the fish for a long time then struck the fish. It took about 30m of line before the hook pulled. Unlucky! I rigged the last shad and as we went into the rip, it was eaten. I fed the fish for a while and set the hook. This time the fish was on properly. Hendrik took the rod and fought the fish to the boat where it gave a good account of itself before I put the gaff into a 7,6kg Garrick. We went back to the north side of the rip and set the lines again. I had no more shad so I put another pinkie out. Again, as we went into the rip, the pinkie was taken. I hooked up and gave Hendrik the rod. The fish came to the boat quickly and turned out to be a nice rockcod. We carried on south to the next rip and as the baits came out of the turbulence, the pinkie was eaten. I fed the fish but before I could strike, the fish dropped the bait. We did not have any more action for half an hour so we upped lines and went back to where we had started the day. We had the baits in the perfect spot when the pinkie was eaten again. I fed the fish and hooked up before giving the rod to Wayne. This Garrick took a lot of line and gave Wayne a good go. Wayne decided to tag the fish so I traced it and lifted it into the boat where it was measured, tagged and released. Great!

We rerigged and trolled to the next rip. Wayne had also put on a pinkie because this seemed to be the bait of the day. A short while later, this bait was eaten. Wayne fed the fish and then tightened up. The fish was on for a few minutes but then threw the hook. We were now out of pinkies and so we had to use mackerel and maasbankers. Again we rode to the north of the rip and rerigged. I put out new baits on all the rods and as the last bait was in the water, the mackerel was taken. Wayne fed the fish for quite a while and then tightened up. Hookup! The fish was on a spinning rig and Wayne wanted Hendrik to feel what it was like to fight on a coffee grinder, so he handed over the rod. Hendrik fought the fish to the boat and after a good tussle, I gaffed a 7,4kg Garrick.

With a renewed faith in the other baits, we reset the lines. We decided to up lines at 2pm and at 1:55pm, the deep bait with the maasbanker was taken. I fed the fish but unfortunately the line tangled with another and the fish spat the bait before I could strike. We were happy with our day and headed back for a cold beer.

Don't believe the forecast!

On Saturday the 7^th August, we had planned a fishing trip with my sister, Julie, brother in law, Carl and my Dad. We wanted to target the ladies 3kg line class record for Garrick. The weather forecast did not look good. There was supposed to be a small window of good weather in the morning before the NE wind would get up and blow us off the water. We decided to launch as early as possible to get in what little fishing we could.

At 6am we headed for the ski-boat club and were in the water by 6:30. We then headed out to the pipeline to catch livebait. The sea was beautiful with no wind and almost no swell. Carl and I dropped the jigs down on a good showing and immediately went on. We brought up strings of maasbanker, shad and pinkies. By 7:30 the live well was full, we headed off to the backline to look for Garrick. We had decided on an area between 5 mile and groenkop where the low tide created a few strong rips. I rigged up 2 shad and a pinkie on the 3kg spinning rigs and my Dad worked from south to north through the rips. After about an hour, we had just turned to work back south when one of the shad was eaten. Julie rushed to the rod and fed the fish while Carl and I cleared the other lines. After we were happy that the fish had swallowed the bait, my Dad increased the speed and Julie started winding. The line took tension and ran off the reel. Hookup! The fish ran straight fot the backline which indicated that it was indeed a Garrick. The current record is vacant so we knew that this was the fish we were looking for. My Dad moved the boat into deeper water out of the surf zone so that we could fight the fish in open water. Julie brought the fish to the boat and had the leader on the rod after 15 mins. But this is where our progress came to a grinding halt. The fish turned broadside and stayed just out of reach. Every now and again, it would make a run along the surface breaking surface, trying to throw the hook. After the leader had been through the tip guide about twenty times, I managed to get the gaff into the fish and haul it aboard. Mission accomplished! It was a nice size fish and it had given Julie a good rev.

It was still early so we decided to try for another fish. I put the 3kg away and put the three 6kg spinning rigs out. The Garrick record on 6kg is just under 10kg, so we needed a relatively big fish. Again I put out 2 shad on the surface and a pinkie on the bottom. We worked the same rip for a while without a strike so moved further south to try another rip. As we moved into the turbulent water, the far shad was eaten. Again Julie fed the fish and after a while, my Dad opened the motor and the line came tight. The fish came to the boat quickly and as it made a pass at the boat, I put the gaff in.

It was not big enough for the record so we continued trolling along the rip. The lines had been in the water for a short while when the deep pinkie bait started revving. The rod bent and the reel freespooled. Julie took the rod and fed the fish for a bit before tightening up. Hookup! The fish fought in the surf and gave a good show on the surface. After a few minutes, the fish was at the boat. We decided to tag the fish as it was once again not big enough for a record. Carl put a wet towel on the deck and got the tag ready. I traced the fish and took hold of the tail. The fish was still very strong and I battled to keep hold of it. Eventually, I took hold of the tail with two hands and lifted it into the boat. I inserted the tag, measured it and then cut the leader. We took a few photos and then sent the fish on its way.

The tide was now starting to turn and the rip was dissipating so we quickly put the lines in the water to work it before it was gone. A few minutes after entering the rip, Carl shouted that there was a commotion on the surface just behind the boat. I saw the rigged shad jumping out the water trying to get away from something. Then a Garrick came up behind the shad, turning the water into a ball of foam and spray. When the shad landed, it disappeared in a big swirl. We all expected the reel to start running, but nothing. Julie retrieved the line to find the shad had been hit off the bridle and we were left with a bare hook. Moments later, the other surface shad was eaten. The reel free spooled and Julie took the rod. After a short while, we struck the fish and again the hook found it’s mark. This fish came to the boat very quickly and we saw that it was also quite small so again we decided to release it. We had the fish on the leader and Julie put some pressure on it so that I could get my hands on it. It was on the surface, next to the boat when it gave a last kick and the hook came out. Oh well, it was probably better that way in any case.

By 12:00 the rips had frizzled out and we were left to work the backline blindly. The sea was still beautiful and the strong wind that was predicted had not arrived. About an hour passed without any luck so we trolled south towards the harbour. Just in front of 5 Mile lighthouse, the deep bait revved and the reel freespooled. Again Julie fed the fish and then tightened up. The rod dipped for a bit, then came back as the hook pulled free. Oh well, 4 out of 5 is not bad. We decided to call it a day and packed up and headed home. We weighed the two Garrick and the smaller one was 7,2kg. The fish on 3kg line was 9,2kg, a new Ladies SA record.

A slow start but strong finish

On Saturday the 24^th July, Michael ,Divan, Heindrich and I launched “Lihann” off Richards Bay to target Garrick. There had been a number of fish caught during the week and we were looking forward to an action packed day.

Our first stop was at the end of the pipeline where we normally catch bait. Divan and I went down with sabiki jigs hoping for shad, but instead came up with full strings of maasbanker. I am not personally a big fan of a maasbanker as a Garrick bait so we continued looking for better bait. After moving around a bit, we happened upon a shoal of mackerel. I handed the bait rod to Heindrich so that he could fish for a bit. While they were loading the mackerel, I rigged up a game rod with a bottom trace, pinned a live mackerel and sent it down. At the end of the first drift, I retrieved the bait to find it had been chopped. I rigged another bait and sent it down on the next drift. After a few minutes, the rod bumped and I fed the fish for a short while then struck. The fish ripped off line at a fast speed before I turned it. We all thought it was a shark, but the deep hard fight with constant tail beats suggested otherwise. I got the fish to the boat where Michael lifted it into the boat. It was a yellowfin tuna of about 5kg which we released. After catching quite a number of mackerel, we decided to head shallower to look for bait at a different spot. In 12m off the caravan park, I sent down the sabiki. It had just hit the bottom when I hooked something that felt like a shad. I quickly lifted it into the boat and saw that it was a tiny cuda of around 35cm, probably the smallest I have ever caught. I kept this as a pitchbait for the coming marlin season. We managed to catch several large pinky’s and then headed for the south pier to look for Garrick.

We rigged 2 mackerel, 1 maasbanker and a pinky and slow trolled along the backline toward new mouth and then turned back towards the pier. By 12:30 we had only had 1 half hearted strike on a mackerel so the decision was made to up lines and run north between 5 mile lighthouse and groenkop hoping that there would be a few fish holding in the rips. The baits went out and the trolling continued without a touch. After checking the baits, Divan opted to change his bait to a sand mackerel hoping that this would trigger a strike. About 15mins later, I saw a big swirl between the lines. Divan’s scarborough reel started spinning as something ate the sand mackerel. Divan fed the fish for a while before setting the hook. The fish headed straight for the backline which was a sure indication that it was a Garrick. The fish came to the boat where I gaffed Divan’s first Garrick of about 5kg.

The lines went out again and we trolled slowly north. At 16:15 the deep line with the pinky had a strike. I fed the fish but the line didn’t pickup. After a few moments, I put up the drag and wound the reel to check what had happened. The line started cutting through the water to the front of the boat and I realised the fish had taken the bait and swam toward me. I set the hook and passed the rod to Heindrich. The fish gave us a hard time around the boat, but eventually we managed to load the 7kg Garrick.

The lines went out quickly again to use what light was left and not 10mins later, the deep line with a pinky was taken. Divan fed the fish and hooked up. Michael took the rod and fought a 6kg Garrick to the boat where Divan gaffed it.

We were hopeful to get a fourth fish so that we all could have caught one, but it was not to be. At 17:00 we upped lines and headed for the harbour. After a slow start to the day, it ended off with a bang. We are all looking forward to the next day’s Garrick fishing.

Garrick Galore

At 7:30am on Sunday the 18^th July, Jacques Spence (Tjokkie) and I launched “KC”, a 14ft ski-vee to fish for Garrick. We headed for the end of the pipeline to catch live bait. This is always the hardest part of Garrick fishing because without livebait you are dead in the water. I sounded around the marks for a few minutes to locate the bait shoals. After about 4 drifts, I found a spot where the showings looked good. Tjoks and I caught a few pinky’s, razorbellies and maasbankers but not the shad that we were looking for. I filleted a few of the razorbellies and both Tjoks and I baited up with this. We both dropped on the showing and immediately went on. Tjoks lifted 6 shad into the boat while I had 3 shad and 7 missing hooks... Game on! Tjoks had a heavy duty sabiki rig on so I held the boat on the spot while he caught bait. With the live well full, Tjoks and I headed for the south pier to look for garrick.

We arrived at 9:30 and I rigged up 3 shad, two on spinning rods and one on conventional tackle. There were a lot of people fishing off the pier and I could not get close enough to be productive. I opted to make my was along the pier working south towards the New Mouth area, along the backline. At just after 10am, I saw two Garrick chasing baitfish near the surf. This was exactly what I was hoping for. I headed for the area and a few minutes later, I saw a fish surface near the baits. I picked up the rod and held it in free spool anticipating the strike. I felt the bait rev and then there was a heavy pull on the line. After feeding the fish, I set the hook and passed the rod to Tjoks. The fish surfaced in the surf shaking its head violently. On the second breach, the hook and fish parted company and we were left with a mauled shad and 0-1 score to the Garrick, but we knew they were there. I rerigged the bait and continued along the backline and as we approached a good rip, the far bait was eaten. Again I fed the fish and hooked up before passing the rod to Tjoks. The other lines were cleared and the fish was brought to the boat. There was a second fish with it, but it refused to eat the bait that we offered it. I gaffed the fish and rigged up again.

Tjoks and I both agreed that the area we had just been through had a number of fish in it, so I turned around and headed north. We had not gone 100m when the bait on the spinning rod was eaten. I fed it and tightened up as the fish surfaced some distance away. Again Tjoks took the rod and fought a nice fish to the boat. He wanted to release it and so I traced the fish and when it was close, I cut the leader and it kicked away strongly. 2-1 to team “KC”... much better!

By now I was itching to get my first Garrick of the season and I didn’t have to wait long for a chance. We were nearing the pier when the close bait revved and then disappeared in a big swirl. I fed the fish and hooked up. At this stage, there were two other boats next to us and I am sure they were a bit envious that we were hooking up at such regular intervals (I know I would be!). As the fish neared the boat, I noticed that it had a tag in it so we put the fish on the deck, measured it, cleaned the tag and released it. 3-1 team “KC”. Great stuff.

By now, we were seeing a pattern and most of the fish were being caught on a colour line formed by the outgoing tide. I rode back to the beginning of the rip and put the baits out. We had just settled when a fish swirled between the lines. One of the shad jumped out of the water and when it landed, a Garrick engulfed it. This fish was on a light spinning rod and after I fed the fish, I set the hook. The fish ran for a short distance and then spat the bait. 3-2 ... we were slipping! Again I went back to the start of the rip and put out the baits. After about ten minutes, the far bait on the spinning rod was eaten and after feeding it, I hooked up. The fish fought strongly and after a good tussle, Tjoks gaffed a nice Garrick for me.

The other boats had moved away by now and we had the area to ourselves. Again the baits went in and 20 minutes later, when baits were in the same area as the previous strike, the close bait was eaten. I handed the rod to Tjoks to feed the fish himself. He did a great job and set the hooks like a pro! I had left the other lines in while I headed out of the danger zone and next thing the far bait was eaten again. I hooked up and we were on a double! Both fish fought away from each other any making it easy to handle. Tjoks brought his fish in first and after it was gaffed, he returned the favour and gaffed my fish. 6-2 team “KC” ... Awesome!

We had a shad and a pinky left so we rigged them both and made one last turn. Like clockwork, the shad was eaten and Tjoks fed the fish. I was clearing the other line and when the pinky was about 5m away, a Garrick came flying up behind the bait. I stopped winding and opened the bail of the reel to feed to feed the fish, but it just circled the bait and in a flash disappeared. Tjoks tightened up on his fish and I helped with the motors. The fish took about 30m of line before it spat the bait! Unlucky. 6-3 Team “KC”. It was 14:30 and we were now out of bait and the see was picking up due to a 15 knot NE wind, so we decided to call it a day. The fish were weighed and they ranged from 8-10kg. The information on the tagged fish was astounding. It was tagged 323 days prior off Richards Bay and had grown 20mm. What made it unbelievable was that it was tagged by me! What are the chances - Classic! What's more is that this was the fish that I won the Captain Morgan Challenge with! Needless to say, Ihave entered it again and who knows, maybe my ticket #13 comes up again!

Mapelane Junior Interclub

On Friday 2^nd July, Willem van den Berg and his wife, Divan Coetzee and I headed for Mapelane for the annual Junior Interclub. Willem and I had fished in the tournament for many years when we were juniors and now we attend each year to assist with the logistics such as the weighin, catering and bar duties. Willem’s boat “2Ling” went with us this year we were going to try and squeeze in some fishing while the teams were on the water and we were off duty.

The briefing was held on Friday evening and all the teams were keen to get on the water. Most of them turned in early while we tried our best to support the bar and prevent it from going bankrupt.

At 5:30am the wakeup hooter sounded and everyone made their way to the beach. After all the competition boats launched, Willem, Divan and I put to sea. We stopped on the backline and Divan dropped the livebait jigs into a good showing in 9m of water. As he hit the bottom, he went on with a full string of big maasbankers. These went into the livewell and we headed for the 50m ledge. When we arrived, we were the only boat there. Divan and I put out a few rapalas and halcos and I trolled north into a screaming current, crisscrossing the ledge as we went. After about 10mins, two reels took off. One was a small bonito and the other was a small yellowfin tuna of about 4kg. The tuna was hooked in the gills so we bled it and continued trolling. There was alot of activity on the surface with small bonito jumping and birds working the area. I made a turn through some dipping birds and 4 rods took off! We each grabbed a rod and tried to prevent burnoffs. I took the closest rod and managed to get a small yellowfin to the boat where I released it. I had just picked up the next rod when Divan pulled hook on his fish. I pulled in another yellowfin which I released, followed by Willem who tagged a yellowfin. The lines went out and I worked back north as the current had pushed us far south after hooking the fish. I managed to get about 100m north of when again, 4 rods went on! We all grabbed rods and enjoyed the short but strong tussles. I managed a yellowfin and a bonito on the same daisy chain and Willem tagged a yellowfin. Divan had again take the rod with a poor hookup and lost his fish after a few minutes. We decided to up lines and head a few kilometres north and put out some cuda baits. We put out 2 livies, one deep and one on surface, a bonito on surface and a wala-wala deep. The current was pushing us south very quickly so I opted to slow troll into the current to slow us down and to work the ledge a bit more. About 20 minutes later, the deep livebait was eaten and the reel smoked off. Willem took the strike and managed to get a 12,6kg cuda to the boat where Divan gaffed it. By now we were far south so we ran up north and reset the lines. I had just put the surface livebait out when I saw the tip bump a few times and the rod bend a bit. I opened the one motor to tighten the line and the reel ran for a few meters. Divan took the rod and after a few minutes the hooks pulled (unbelievably bad luck). There was obviously some action in this area so we ran up north again and put the lines out. As the boat passed over the mark, the surface livie was eaten and Willem took the strike. The fish fought deep for a few minutes before Willem brought it to the boat. It was another yellowfin which Willem tagged. By now it was 11:30 and we needed to be back on the beach to arrange lunch for the teams so we upped lines and headed for the beach.

At 14:00 the teams weighed in their catches and a few good fish were taken. The fish worth mentioning were a 23kg GT, 19kg cuda and a 14kg cuda.

We did not launch the next day but there was a 22kg cuda and a 7kg kaakap weighed.

The Winds of Change

On Saturday the 26^th, Michael Duvenage, Divan Coetzee and I hitched Michael’s Dads boat “Lihann” and headed off to the club to launch. The forecast for the day was for a NE of 10 knots swinging to a light SW at midday increasing to around 18knots in the afternoon. We were planning to head south to go deep dropping for swordfish in the morning and then when the wind turned, we would fish for cuda and come back with the wind.

We headed out to 550m about 30km from the harbour mouth. The NE wind was causing some good white horses which was going to make the drift difficult. We attached a 7kg weight and sent a squid down to the bottom. We drifted for about an hour before we saw the rod bump a few times then it lay still. Michael and I retrieved the bait and found it to be mauled, probably some kind of small bottomfish. I rigged another bait and Michael repositioned us for another drop. The wind was tapping off so the drift was a lot better. I put on a 5kg weight and sent the bait down. Near the end of the drift, there was another bump on the rod. We left it for a while before deciding to check the bait. Again the bait had been chewed up by something with teeth as the 300Lbs trace had some good nicks in it.

It was 11:30 and the wind had dropped to almost nothing. We decided to abandon the swordfish hunt and headed for High Point. When we arrived, the SW started blowing lightly. There were three other boats there and they had a cuda or two. Divan and I put out some small halcos and feathers to catch bait and on the first turn over the reef, we managed a small bonito which we put in the tubes. As we pulled away, another rod went off and Divan released a yellowfin tuna of about 4kg. We put out the lines again and trolled south along the reef to see if there were any other bumps worth working. Michael saw a showing on the echo sounder in mid-water and said we should get a strike here. His words were not cold when 3 reels took off. We each grabbed a rod and started pulling. My fish pulled hook and as I was retrieving the lure, another fish grabbed it and smoked off. In the mean time, Divan loaded a 2kg bonito and Michael pulled hook on a similar size bonito next to the boat. When my fish finally stopped, I turned its head and pulled it to the boat. It turned out to be a yellowfin of around 4kg which was released. Michael worked the rest of the reef without a strike so he headed back north to where the other boats were. Again, as we went over the main pinnacle, two rods went away. Divan and I each pulled in another yellowfin which were both released.

By now the wind was doing about 12 knots and the see was getting a bit bumpy. Two boats had left and the other boat had not had a strike since we had arrived. We decided to head toward the harbour. We still had the live bait in the tube so we decided to pull it over a reef called Danies, which was about 7km from high point, on the way home. Michael slowed us to a trolling speed and Divan rigged the bonnie while I rigged some wala-wala and a dead bonnie. On our second pass, the live bait was eaten. I was told to take the rod and after a 15 min fight, I had a 14kg cuda next to the boat which Divan gaffed. It was 14:00 and we upped lines headed for the harbour. Our baits were still rigged and when we came near to the Petingo, Michael slowed down to give the wreck a try for a short while. Divan and I rigged some baits and we trolled around the wreck in a figure of eight. On out third turn, the bonito on the surface was taken but after a short run, the hooks pulled. The bait was rerigged and we continued trolling. At 17:00 we started pulling in the lines to go home. Divan retrieved the deep bait and was busy removing the sinker when the line was ripped out of his hand! We were on. The fish took quite a lot of line and once Michael and I had cleared the remaining lines, we chased after it. The light was bad so I had to direct Michael up the line while he battled the wind which was close to 20 knots by now. Divan pulled hard and after 15 mins, I managed to get the gaff into the 17kg cuda. After that, we headed for home and cleaned fish and boat in the dark. It was a really enjoyable day on the water. Thanks to all.

Mapelane Cuda Derby

Wayne Ritchie, Divan Coetzee and I planned to fish the annual Mapelane Cuda Derby on the third weekend in June. Wayne had just put two 40hp Yamahas on his 15ft Mallards and was keen to try it through the surf. On the Friday afternoon, Wayne and I packed all the essentials, hitched the boat and left for Mapelane. We arrived at around 17:45 and unpacked. Divan arrived about half an hour later and after a quick team talk we headed for the clubhouse for the briefing where a good time was had by all.

The alarms went off at 5am and we reluctantly left the warmth of the tents. We packed our tackle, hitched the boat, warmed the motors and headed for the beach. The surf was relatively small, but there was a strong side wash and nasty shore dump. One by one the boats were launched with the help of the club’s boat pushers. After a slightly wet launch, we stopped on the backline. Our first stop was at the livebait spot where we caught a few maasbankers. With the livebait tank full, we put out some halcos and feathers to look for small bonito. About 45mins later, we had 2 small jub-jubs. We had decided to fish the home reef area which is straight off the launch at mapelane in 17-21m. There had been a few fish there the last while so we were confident that we would get some fish.

Divan and I put out 2 live maasbankers, a small bonito, a wala-wala and a shad while Wayne crisscrossed the length of the reef. I had just put the last bait in the water when the surface livebait was eaten. The reel smoked off as Wayne and I retrieved the other rods. Divan fought the fish hard but the big circles it was making concerned us. We all agreed that the fish was foul-hooked and after a 20min fight, I gaffed a 7,5kg cuda (hooked in the side). The lines went out again and Wayne resumed his trolling pattern. At about 10am, the small bonito was eaten and seconds later, a large blackfin shark came spinning out the water, wrapping the trace and parting the leader, luckily! Again we put out the lines. At about 12pm, the rod with the wala-wala bent and the reel screamed. This fish fought very strangely and after a minute or so, the line went slack. Divan wound as fast as possible and next thing the rod was almost pulled out his hands as the fish changed direction and the line took tension! The fish gave up quickly and Wayne put the gaff into the cuda. It was 5,5kg and was hooked in the tail! By now the NE wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough. We were the last boat on the reef and so we decided to make one last turn before we called it a day. As we came off the reef, the surface livebait was eaten but after a short but fast run, the hooks pulled. After that, we upped lines and headed for the beach where the fish were weighed and stories of the day’s fishing were swapped. There were only 8 fish weighed between 18 boats and we had 2 of them, so we didn’t do too badly.

The next day dawned with beautiful weather and calm seas. There was a lot of livebait around and the bonito were jumping everywhere. We put out the same spread as the day before and after about 2 hours, the surface livebait was eaten. The fish fought deep and when it was close to the boat, the fish went wild running left then right and taking line at speed. Next thing the leader parted. We all knew what had happened ... a shark had eaten the fish we had on and bitten through the fluorocarbon leader. The rest of the day produced no more strikes and we returned to the beach with a few small bonito. There were only 5 cuda for the day. The biggest fish was 16,5kg. The prize giving followed shortly after the weigh in and after the proceedings were over, we made our way home. Thanks to everyone for a great weekend.

Barracuda in the mist

On Sunday 13^th June, Willem van den Berg, Theuns Potgieter and I launched Willem’s boat “2 Ling” off Richards Bay for day of snoek fishing. There were quite a few around the day before and we were looking forward to a good day.

When we launched, the mist was lying over the bay and continued out to sea. There was not a breath of wind. We headed north to 5 mile and joined about 15 other boats who were waiting for the fish to come up. There had been no sign of the fish so far so we decided to pull some lures around to locate the shoal. I put out four cd7 rapalas and a small green mean machine and started zig sagging between 12 and 20m. The other boats headed north while we stayed in the area where the boats had found them the day before. The sun had just started to break the horizon when the surface lure was eaten and the reel absolutely smoked off! I turned around and picked up the rod and quickly slacked the drag a bit. Willem and Theuns cleared the other four rods as I lost line at a frightening speed. By the time the last line was in, I had already turned the boat toward the fish and increased the speed just to keep from being spooled! Finally I could leave the controls and get to the task at hand. Slowly but surely I regained line and things calmed down. The fish stayed on the surface and Willem maneuvered the boat next to it. The water was very clean and we saw the number plate clearly when the fish turned. It was a nice size cuda. I managed to lift the fish’s head and Willem put the gaff into it then hauled it over the gunwale. It looked over 20kg! Not bad for #3 wire and a 3/0 hook.

The lines went back in and the trolling resumed. The offshore breeze had pushed the mist over the sea and for almost an hour we could not see more than 100m in front of us. We all strained our eyes looking into the mist to avoid collision with other boats. At 9am, we had not had any more action so we decided to rig a few baits and slow troll the area. I rigged up 2 sardines, 2 redeyes and a fillet and worked the same area that we had been trolling. At just after 10am, the sardine on the surface was eaten. Theuns took the rod as the fish went on its first run. We cleared the lines and Theuns worked the fish closer. It was a nice snoek of 7,5kg and after a few short runs around the boat, Willem stuck it with the gaff and boated it.

The baits went back into the water and we continued working the area. About 15 minutes later, the deep bait was taken and Willem took the rod. After a relatively short fight, I gaffed the 6kg snoek and it was 3 for 3. It was apparent that the snoek were not going to come up as they did the day before so at 11:30 we upped lines and headed home. We weighted the cuda at the ski-boat club and it pulled the scale to 22kg. What a great day.

In broad daylight

For the last few years, a small group of anglers have made several attempts off Richards Bay to catch broadbill, but have not been able to land one, despite having several hook-ups. In March this year, we came very close to achieving our goal when we fought a fish for 45 minutes and had it within 20 meters of the boat when the 300Lbs trace parted. This just made us more determined than ever. Hours and hours were spent researching the different techniques of catching swordfish and after many discussions and debates, we decided to try and catch a broadbill in the day.

This was no easy task and required very specialised tackle and a lot of preparation before we could even put to sea to attempt this. First, we needed to obtain the correct line for the job which was 3200m of 80Lbs hi visibility braid. This bulk spool was divided into equally to fill 3 reels. The reels we used were 12/0 Everols with a 2 speed gearbox. Because the braid is so thin, the reels needed backing to allow for the greatest spool diameter to aid in retrieving line at a higher speed. The reel was fitted to an 80Lbs bent butt marlin rod.

With the rod, reel and line out of the way, we needed to look at the terminal tackle. Again, after much debate we settled on a short double line attached to a long 300Lbs wind-on leader. This was then attached to a 4m section of 400Lbs trace via a ball bearing swivel. Two 9/0 longliner hooks ended the trace. A 4 LED multicoloured deepdrop flashing light was attached near the splice and a lightstick was attached near the swivel as well as half way up the leader. A heavy weight was attached to the trace in such a way that it would break free on the strike.

The key with these sacrificial weights was keeping them cheap! We settled on pvc piping filled with cement and tipped with a welding rod for an eye to attach the sinker line. The average mass of these weights was 6kg (the stronger the current/wind, the larger the weight). These worked like a bomb!

Right, with all the ground work done, we needed the right weather to put everything into practice. In June, the winter morning dawned with not a breath of wind and the mist was lying across the bay at Sodwana. This promised to be an exceptional day for deep dropping.

With all the gear packed, my Dad, Denis, Hannes and Michael Duvenage, Divan Coetzee and I launched Hannes boat “Lihann” and headed north to “Big W”. This is an area well known for the billfish that congregate there. Big W is the area where the contours converge creating canyons which result in upwellings that hold bait and we decided that it was the best place to make a drop.

The water was warm and a deep blue colour. The current was not very strong and the swell was almost non-existent. I threaded a fresh squid on the trace and flipped it over the side and fed the rest of the trace out, checked the bait was not spinning and attached the lights and then the 6kg weight. I lowered the weight into the water until the rod took the load. With the rod in the fighting chair, I slowly let the rig down into the depths. It took about 15 minutes to get to the 600m marker. My dad pulled the motor into neutral and the angle of the line changed from a few meters out behind the boat to almost straight up and down providing a good bend in the rod. I dropped the rig a bit further and the sinker hit the ground. I took about 10 turns on the reel to lift the weight to avoid hooking the bottom.

From what we had read, we should expect the rod tip to jiggle a bit and then it would either pull down as the fish moved away or it would come up as the fish swam up to the surface. We drifted for probably 1km and as we neared the 580m depth on the sounder, the rod tip bumped slightly then bent a bit before returning to the original position. We all assumed it was just a swell and continued watching the tip for a bite. Every now and again, the tip would indicate that the weight had touched the bottom and I would take about ten turns on the reel to lift the sinker off the ground. After about 10 minutes of this, the 500m marker came out the water. The rod still indicted that the weight was bouncing on the bottom. We checked the sounder and it read 580m. There was obviously something not right. I told Michael to get into the chair and start winding the rig back to the surface to see what was wrong, but the rig felt strange. I thought it was just the resistance of the 500 meters of line in the water.

After half an hour of winding, with 80m of line left in the water, the line started to angle to the surface. I was expecting a bottomfish to pop up on the surface at any minute. A few seconds later the sinker broke free and there was still some pressure on the other end. The line kept coming up and just when we expected to see the belly of a popped bottom, a long slender bill, followed by the bronze body of a broadbill broke the surface and launched itself into the air! Broadbill! Broadbill! To say there was chaos on the boat was an extreme understatement! There were shouts of joy all round but we still had a long way to go before we could celebrate. There was a mad dash for gloves and gaffs as the fish jumped a few more times. It fought on the surface for a while until the gill hookup started taking its toll.

Michael slowly worked the fish to the surface and finally the start of the trace and deepdrop light broke the surface. I unclipped the light and Michael continued retrieving the leader. When the swivel reached the tip, I took the trace and very gently brought the fish closer. Divan and Hannes both stood poised with the gaffs ready for action. Slowly but surely the fish came closer and eventually it came circling out from under the boat. Hannes and Divan let fly with the two gaffs in the head and the shoulder. With one movement, the three of us pulled the fish into the boat. There was a moment of complete silence as we all stood there looking at the fish in disbelief. Then the silence as shattered by shouts of triumph. Could this really be happening? As we came to terms with reality, we realised we had done it! Our first broadbill ... and in broad daylight! What a feeling!

Words can’t describe how we felt at that moment. All the hours, days and weeks that we spent planning and preparing for this day had paid off. This was an important fish for South African anglers and it has opened the door to daytime deep dropping for broadbill swordfish. This is truly a fish that will never be forgotten.