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.

Richards Bay Billfish Interprovincial 2017

On Friday 3^rd 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.

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 200^th 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.

Team Zululand Red

On Saturday 4^th 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…

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.

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 5^th 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. 
 
 

Bait Bycatch

On Saturday 25^th February at 6:00, At and I launched “Avanti” off Richards Bay. At wanted to catch some bait for the upcoming Top 10 Species Tournament at Cape Vidal. We stopped at the pipeline and found a good showing. Both of us went down with jigs and came up with full strings of maasbanker which went into the live well. The current was running strong so we drifted off the spot quickly. I took us back to the numbers, but the shoal had moved so I sounded around to find another showing. Every so often, there was a nice showing and we would get a string of two. In about an hour, we had enough bait, but they were all maasbanker. I suggested we go to the 45m marks to see if we could get some mackerel.

At with some bycatch

On arrival, there was a small showing a bit off the bottom so At went down and quickly hooked a few baits. About half way up. The rod keeled over as something ate the string of bait. While At was rerigging, I took us back to the start of the drift. Being a bait fishing session, we did not have any gamefish tackle or gaffs with us, so when I rigged up a live maasbanker on a small spinning rod, I knew I was looking for trouble. I passed the rod to At and he let the bait out while I sent down the jigs. Just as At wanted to put the rod in the holder, the line flew off the reel. He fed the fish for a bit then tightened up and went on to a strong fish. I cleared my line and sat back to enjoy the show. The fish came in surprisingly easily so we both thought it to be a bonito or small tuna. It had not taken any line and soon we had colour under the boat. As the fish came closer, the shine got bigger and bigger until we could make out the shape of a nice yellowfin. With no gaff, I had some fun on the leader and eventually managed to grip the tail and lift the fish aboard. It was a hefty 12 or so kg fish. A surprise to us both. It was bled and put on ice. After a few more drifts without any more bait, we headed back to the harbour.

Vidal Shoalies

On Friday 17^th Feb, at 3:45am At and I left Richards Bay to meet up with friends Lambert, Eric and Hannes at Cape Vidal. We arrived on the beach at around 6am and quickly got the boat “Garfield” prepared for the day. After a quick surf launch, we were on the backline looking for livies. After about an hour of searching, we found a few maasbanker. While Lambert and I caught the bait, At pinned a small bait and fed it out. It was only a few meters from the boat when it was eaten. After a quick feed, he tightened up and handed the rod to Hannes. The fish started on a run but unfortunately quickly bit through the nylon leader. With a few livies in the water, we headed north to the greens.

On arrival, I put out two surface livies, 2 deep livies and a halfbeak on Japan. I had just finished setting the spread when one of the surface livies went away. Lambert took the rod and brought in a shoal cuda. The fish was just in the hatch when one of the deep baits went away and Eric got another shoalie. I rerigged and At tacked back into the area. Almost immediately the surface rod bent but straightened again as the fish missed the hooks. We had just turned shallower when a deep bait went away but again the hooks pulled. I increased the drags a bit hoping that the extra pressure would set the hooks. Not long after, the deep line went away again. This time Hannes caught a shoal cuda. Followed by another for Eric. There were a few rain squalls around and at one stage it was bucketing down! In that rain, the fish seemed to switch on and in a few minutes, we had four strikes and managed 2 more shoalies. There was only one livie still in the water and didn’t take long to get eaten. Unfortunately, another fish swam into the line and it parted. Lambert looked at the rod in the T-Top and saw that it was bending. He took the strike and brought in a big 8kg kawa-kawa. But what was strange about this catch was that it had the previous strike’s trace in its mouth. Greedy fish I suppose.

When the squall passed, the bite slowed and so Lambert started throwing a stickbait. On his fourth or fifth cast, a cuda exploded on the lure but missed the hooks. Lambert kept winding and again the cuda chowed the lure. This time it got hooked and found its way into the hatch.

We trolled for about an hour without another pull, so decided to try at Oscar so we brought in the lines. Lambert was busy retrieving a dead maasbanker when it was chopped by a fish but missed the hooks. When the Japan halfbeak was retrieved, that bait had also been chopped. We were in two minds whether to stay or continue, but decided to go to Oscar so we put on a few trolling lures and headed there. There was no showing on the pinnacle, and aside from a whale shark, we didn’t see any life so we trolled shallower and put out the last 2 livies and 2 dead baits and trolled towards the point. After about half an hour, the deep bait went away at speed as a big bull dorado grabbed the bait. Almost at the same time, the surface livie went away with a second dorado. Hannes and Eric took the strikes and had their hands full with two fish that were very stubborn. Eric’s fish came in first followed about 20 minutes later by Hannes’ fish. The bull was a good fish of about 14kg.

With 10 fish in the hatch, it was time to head in. Thanks to all for a great day.

Boy oh Buoy!

On Saturday 17^th December, Terence, Oom Andre, Willem and I launched “Boy oh Buoy” off Richards Bay. We were hoping to find a few dorado for Terence’s family from up country. At 4:45, we left the harbour mouth and headed for the pipe. On the way, Willem spotted a large flock of birds working a shoal of fish. When we got close enough, I fired a small spoon at them and went on immediately. It turned out to be a nice shad. Terence sent the jigs down to the bottom and pulled up a string of massive maasbanker. Almost every cast resulted in a shad and every down resulted in big maasbankers. It didn’t take long to fill the live well and soon we were off to the deeper water.

A good Tropical Yellowtail

Passing over the ledge, the water was 22 degrees and green with a reverse current. Not ideal conditions for dorado, so we continued deeper. In 100m, the temp went up to 24 degrees, so we decided to put out a few small lures. We came across a few birds that were hovering over an area and when we went through them, we went on with a fish that took quite a bit of line in a hurry. The bumpy conditions made it difficult for Oom Andre to fight but eventually managed to get a big skipjack tuna on the boat. We continued trolling, but things were very quiet. After an hour or two, we trolled shallower towards the 50m ledge. I found a good showing a few meters off the bottom, I stopped and the guys went down with vertical jigs. On the second down, Terence went tight with a good fish that had him pinned to the gunwale for a while with a very heavy drag. After an exceptionally strong fight, the fish came up and Willem could gaff it. It was a really good tropical yellowtail of close to 15kg.

Jono's Amberjack

Everyone scrambled to get their rods ready while I went to the top of the drift again. While the guys went down with jigs, I pinned a live bait and let it out some ways. I was still letting it out when the line pulled tight and line flew off the reel. I fed it a bit and went tight with a dorado. I made short work of the fish and had our first dorado of the day in the hatch. We upped lines and went to the start of the drift again. As the showing started, I let out another livie, hoping for a dorado. I had let the bait out a fair distance when it started revving and I felt a fish eat it. I fed it for a while before tightening up. The fish gave a few big head nods then took off on a strong run. I was feeling a bit under gunned but put as much drag on as I dared. Terence went to the controls and followed it for a while until I was vertical with it. Slowly but surely, I lifted the fish, still not knowing what it was. After about 15 minutes, I saw colour. It was a nice amberjack. Willem put the gaff in and hauled the fish aboard. Great! What an awesome fight, especially considering the light tackle it was on.

A good haul for the day.

We made a few more drifts over the showing, but the fish went off the bite. It seemed to be the effect of the easterly wind that had come up. I suggested we put the lures on again and troll along the current lines and see if we could get lucky. I trolled deeper to 300m and found the water at 26 degrees but with very little life so I headed shallower to work the temp break. It was almost home time and we were about to call it a day when another dorado grabbed one of the lures and soon we had two dorado in the hatch. After that, we decided to head home.

Early morning bite

On Saturday, our last fishing day at Vidal, John, Amanda, Tash, Kye and I launched. The previous few days, there had been a lot of early action from dorado by guys fishing with dead bait, so I decided to leave the early live bait catching session and focus on deadbait for a while. I rigged up 2 swimbaits and 2 stripbaits and trolled south along the same current line from the previous day. It took all of 5 minutes to get a double strike, but unfortunately pulled hook on both. I made another turn and went on. Amanda got a dorado in the hatch to open the account and trolling continued. In the next half an hour, we managed another 5 dorado from 6 pulls before the bite slowed. By then, I was pretty close to the bait spot so pulled lines and caught a few livies.

Kye with his first dorado

There had been quite a few fish on the point so I headed back there and set the spread. Things were very quiet, so I headed a bit south of the crowd and tacked deeper to see if the fish were out there. In 30m, we went on with a dorado and then again in 25m so I worked the area a bit. At one stage we were on to a dorado and when it was near the boat, I saw a big fin of a shark making a b-line towards the fish. I put the reel into freespool and let the dorado get away from the shark. When it had settled, we brought it in but unbelievably, the shark came in for a second try at the dorado. We followed the same protocol and this time it worked and the dorado was safely on board.

With the unsettled sea, Kye got a bit seasick and we decided to head back. We had one line left in the water when a dorado came swimming behind the motors. John threw a stick bait at in and went on immediately. The fish put up little resistance before being loaded. We headed back to the beach by 10:30 with a good haul of fish.

Dorado on the line

On Friday 9^th December, John, Chuck and I launched “Drifter” off Vidal. The live bait had been scarce off the point so I ran straight to bighill and found a good supply. There had been a few dorado on the dead baits in the morning, but by 7:30, it went dead so by the time I had livies, we missed the early bite. I decided to troll from the bait marks and see if we could find anything. The water temp had dropped 2 degrees over night and was sitting at 22. 

All the boats in the area were battling, so after two hours without a pull, I headed deeper to look for a temperature or colour break. I had just crossed over the 50m ledge when the far surface bait went away. Chuck hauled in a small skipjack that we released. In 75m, there was a current line so I trolled along it. Not long after, there was a big commotion on the surface and the long rod keeled over. I could feel that the fish was heavy, and there were some big head nods. I increased the pressure and the line angled to the surface where a big shark twisted out the water and luckily popped off the leader. About half an hour later, along the same line, we went tight with a dorado. While it was jumping, I could see a follower with it so I left one of the other lines in. sure enough, when it came into range, the second fish ate the bait and we managed a double. I let out another bait while the deck was being sorted out and just as I put the rod in the holder, it keeled over and we were on. Chuck took the rod on a deep fighting fish which turned out to be a 9kg yellowfin. 

Another dorado along the current line

The wind had picked up from the south and with the strong n-s current, I knew the sea was going to pick up quickly so we ran to the point and put out lines along a good looking current line in 25m of water. I worked the line for about half an hour and went tight with another dorado. Things seemed to be changing with the change in wind. Not long after, the close rod went away. While John was fighting that one, I saw a follower and flicked out a livie on a spinning rod. Almost immediately I went tight to a good dorado which gave me a hard time before I could boat it. The current line moved shallower and I just followed along the edge. In 18m, we managed another dorado on the live bait. Our time was a bit limited as Chuck needed to leave that afternoon, so we started pulling the lines. Just before the last line was in, there was a blue flash next to the boat as a dorado flew in and chowed the livie. Chuck had a quick fight with a shoal size fish before heading back to the beach.

I'll have another Double!

Chuck and his 1st Sailfish

On Tuesday 6^th of December, Chuck, Kyla and Tash launched “Drifter” off of Vidal. It was the first time the girls had launched through the surf and first time fishing for gamefish. There was a light NE wind and almost zero surf, so it was an uneventful launch. I didn’t even stop on the point and headed straight to where I got bait the previous day. After a bit of a run to Bighill, we managed to catch a hatch full of bait and set about slow trolling. There was a current line on 23m with some bait shoals on it, so I focussed my efforts there. We had trolled for about an hour when both far surface baits went away. Tash and Kyla took the strike and both caught their first dorado. I continued along the line and had another dorado eat a dead bait close to the boat. Chuck made quick work of it before trolling further. One of the boats next to us went tight on a sailfish so I tacked deeper to get out their way. When we were clear, I turned back to the current line and saw the far surface rod starting to load up. I fed it a bit then tightened up to a heavy fish. It bumped its head a few times and the line angled to the surface. I was pretty sure I knew what was about to happen and like a dejavu moment, a sailfish stuck its head out and tore up the surface giving us a great show. Chuck took the rod and had a good tussle with his first sailie before tagging it. Two sailies in 2 days… not bad.

Things went a bit quiet for an hour or so I moved a bit further south to get away from the other boats. This move seemed to work and we went away with a really nice bull dorado that gave Kyla a hard time before it was boated.

Chuck with his 2nd Marlin

With the lull in the action, a few boats left the area. The NE picked up a bit and the dorado went quiet. I decided to let one of the lines out further and a few minutes later, the reel went away. Chuck fought the fish which turned out to be a cuda of about 8kg. I repeated the exercise and again we hooked a cuda that Tash boated. One of the other boats also had two cuda pulls, so it seemed like they were in the area. I was busy setting another bait when the line pulled out my hand. I put up the drag, but the hooks missed the fish. I quickly rerigged and just as I got the rod in the holder, it keeled over and we were onto another cuda that Kyla caught. We fished for a bit longer without another pull so I suggested we head closer to the launch so that the increasing wind did not catch us far south. I stopped off the point and put out 4 lines. I was busy heading out to sea when the far rod keeled over and the reel took off. Looking back, I saw a marlin launch itself full length out the water and start greyhounding away from us. The lines were retrieved double time while I chased after it. Chuck had the rod and survived the first run. We managed to get on top of the fish after about 10 minutes and got a quick tip on the leader. The fish took off and made countless close range jumps, almost ending up in the boat a few times. After about 40 minutes, the fish made a last jump and lay quiet on the surface close to the boat. I swung the stern next to the fish and managed to grab the bill of a 70ish kg black and pop a tag into it. Chuck posed for a quick pic before reviving the fish and releasing it. What an awesome end to the day. Two doubles in as many days! That’s great fishing in anyone’s book.