Early Season Cuda Session

On Sunday 31^st January, My Dad and I launched our boat “Selfish” off Richards Bay. There had been quite a few marlin around and every boat was out in the deep looking for them. We on the other hand were tired of doing the same thing every day so decided to look for some gamefish.

We headed for the pipeline and caught two full strings of maasbanker. It was still early so I suggested we head for small high to catch a few bonnies before looking for cuda. Arriving at small high, I put out 4 rods with daisy chains and My Dad trolled over the pinnacle. Two rods went on with beautiful bonnies. One went into the tuba and the other into the coolerbox and ice. We made a few turns and caught bait on every pass. By 8:30 we had about 15 baits and headed to Petingo.

The water was 25.6 degrees with a slight reverse current. There were a lot of reeds in the off green water which meant I would be clearing lines often. I put out 2 wala wala, 2 bonito (one live) and a live maasbanker. We trolled up and down the wreck and on the second pass, the live maasbanker was eaten by a small fish which just flicked the rod tip before getting off. I rerigged as my Dad turned and crossed the wreck again. On the Northern point, the same rod bent and the reel ran a bit before the hook pulled. It went quiet for a while until the water temperature climbed a bit to 26.2 degrees and cleaned up to a green colour. On top of the wreck, both bonito were eaten. We both grabbed rods and tussled really strong fish. Each of us brought a 70 odd kg blacktip shark to the boat where we broke the leaders. After sorting out the chaos, I reset the lines. As we moved off the southern tip, the livie was eaten again. This time the fish picked up the nylon leader before the trace, biting it off! This was not acceptable so I climbed into the tackle box and built another trace with a slightly different hook rig. The next pass on the wreck resulted in the rod bending with a small fish. My Dad pulled in a small cuda of around 3kg (perfect for a weber!) Finally we had something. In high spirits, I put out the lines again and while I was letting the last line out, the reel took off in my hand. I put up the drag and the fish took off running. After a quick fight, my Dad gaffed a 10kg cuda ... NICE! Things were happening. Again the new baits went out and we trolled over the wreck. As luck would have it, the livie was eaten yet again. This time by a smoker! I passed the rod to my Dad who had a good fight before I gaffed a cuda of about 15kg. At this stage I had 2 livies in the water, hoping to double our chances. A short while later, we had a pull on the closer livie but the hooks missed. The water temp was now over 27 degrees and the water was quite clean. We had no further action for an hour. At just after 1pm I started pulling lines. I had one livie to go when the rod bent a bit and the reel gave a short burst. I grabbed the rod and winched the fish in. It was another weber size cuda which went into the coolbox for supper that night. That was a wrap and we headed for the harbour with the first cuda trip for the year under the belt. Now the fish just need to get bigger!

Third Time Lucky!

On 22 January 2011, Divan and I launched my Dad’s boat “Selfish” off Richards Bay. The plan was to go and catch bait for the upcoming cuda season. I had packed the boat with 5 bait rods rigged with daisy chains and just in case, I put the 130Lbs on as well. We headed off to Small highpoint and by 6:30 we were trolling for small bonito. I had just set the lines when Divan trolled over the pinnacle. Almost immediately three reels took off. A few seconds later, the other two also went vas. Both Divs and I grabbed rods and started pulling in the fish. I managed to bring in 3 small yellowfin of about 3kg. One went into the lunatube while the others were released. Meanwhile Divan tussled with his fish and after 15mins had it near the boat. It was a nice yellowfin of about 12kg. It was bled and spined before going into the hatch. Nice! We regrouped and set the lines again. We had just turned when 4 rods went away, this time with small bonitos... perfect bait.

By 8am we had a about 15 baits. There was a great showing on the sounder and bait crashing on the surface. The area was alive! I made a wide turn and started approaching the pinnacle. Two rods went away and I winched in a small skipjack while Divan fought his. His fish was almost at the boat when the rod gave a few heavy jerks. A few seconds later, a maimed skippie came to the surface, with a marlin following it! Panic stations!! Divan held the skippie in the water to keep the marlin around the boat. I flew into the hatch and pulled out a livebait trace. My hands were shaking as I tried to untangle the trace and clip it onto the 130Lbs rod. The fish kept coming up to the skippie which would be pulled away just in time. I was frantically looking for a bait needle but had to settle for a piece of copper wire. The yellowfin in the tube was rigged in record time and popped over the side. Instantly the marlin switched on his lights and high-tailed it after the bait. I fed the fish while Divs cleared the deck and went to the controls. I increased the drag and Divs upped the revs but nothing! I could only feel the bait. I pulled it in slowly in disbelief ... how could we miss that! The yellowfin was still swimming even though it had been beaten up pretty badly. We looked to the back and saw the marlin still following the bait. We tried everything we could think of to get it to take the bait again, but the fish lost interest and faded off. Bummer!

We put the bait rods in again and continued catching bait. At about 9am we caught another small yellowfin and put in the tube. By 10am we were itching to rig it and so, without much convincing, we left the bait expedition and changed to marlin fishing. We headed out to the 350m mark and then headed back to the shallows. The wind was picking up so I suggested we pull the bait over the pinnacle where we caught it ... maybe we can at least catch a shark. We watched the sounder as we trolled over the pinnacle. At 36m, the bait revved. I grabbed the line out the clip and waited for the bite. I felt a heavy jerk then the line pulled tight. I fed the fish but nothing happened. We retrieved the line to find the bait had been hit off the bridle by a marlin ... Unlucky! Divs and I turned to each other and both said “Bait sticks” at the same time. The third rod went out when two took off. I popped one bonnie in the tube and rigged the other. We both agreed to stay on the pinnacle and hope that the fish was still hungry. On our third or fourth turn, the bait revved and the rigger popped. I fed the fish and Divs went to the wheel. We tightened up and this time the rod bent and the reel started running. The line came to the top and a black marlin broke the surface. I climbed into the chair and strapped in while Divs got out the gloves and tag pole.

After a few jumps and short runs, it was at the boat. I leaned out the chair and tagged it (Yes ... our tag pole is long) while Divs wrestled it on the trace. After removing the circle hook, we released a healthy +-100kg marlin. Great! Third time lucky ... probably on the same fish!

Our day had come to an end and we headed back. What a great end to a great day.

Starting the new year with stripes

On 8^th January, Joe Martins, his wife Kim and I launched their 20ft Glacier Bay “Aqua Joe”. Joe had been slowly getting his marlin tackle ready and desperately wanted to catch a marlin. He had asked me for advise with regards to rods, reels, lures etc. After a few weeks, he finally had everything he needed and we were ready to try it out. We left the mooring at 6:30am and headed north off Richards Bay. The sea was a bit rough due to a storm that had passed the previous day. After dodging logs and masses of reeds, we found clean water in 100m and could start fishing.

I set the spread with a Moldcraft Widerange and Bobby Brown on the long riggers and a Pulsator Bonito Smoker and Stripey tickler on the short riggers. With the lures swimming beautifully, I trolled deeper towards the 500m line. We were in about 350m when the port short rigger popped and a nice Dorado jumped out the water. Joe had the rod in seconds but due to a bout of seasickness, he handed the rod to Kim who brought it in without too much fuss. The lines went out again and trolling commenced.

The sea slowly got better and better and at about 8:30 it was quite pleasant. We came into an area where there was a lot of bait. The small skipjacks and yellowfin were jumping everywhere. This was definitely the place to stick around. Kim had bought a Moldtech lure the previous day and asked me if I could rig it up for her. It was a similar shape to the Bobby Brown, so I swapped the lures. Now Kim was also confident in the spread. At about 9am I was looking back at the lures when I noticed a strange swirl behind Kim’s lure. Moments later, a bill and dorsal came out the water and crashed the lure. I shouted as the rigger popped. The reel took off and a +-100kg Blue marlin launched itself out the water. It gave two or three jumps and then the reel stopped running ... it had thrown the hook! Unlucky! At least we had seen a marlin for the day. I checked and reset the lures and continued trolling. I heard over the radio that a few boats had strikes in 250m so I worked shallower. The sea went dead from 10am until 12pm but then the birds started dipping and the bait came up again. At around 1pm, I saw a fish come up behind the starboard long rigger and engulf the lure. The rigger popped and the reel took off. Joe and I cleared the other lines before Joe donned the harness and took up the rod.

The fish jumped probably ten times before it settled. I slowly backed up on the fish while Joe gained line. The fight lasted about 30 minutes and Joe had it next to the boat. When it came to the boat the colours had faded due to the hooks forcing its mouth closed. After explaining the drill, I took the trace and brought the striped marlin closer. Joe asked to load the fish because it was his first marlin and a dream come true. The fish did kick at all so I pulled the fish over the gunwale and into the boat where Kim snapped off a few pics. Joe was over the moon! Mission accomplished.

We reset the lures and trolled for about an hour longer. It was getting late and there was still a lot of work to be done so we upped lines and headed home. The fish weighed in just under 60kg.

Wrapping up the year

On the last day of 2010 at Cape Vidal, I awoke to the sound of relatively heavy rain. We had planned to fish for marlin with Mike Buyskes on “Thresher One”, a 21ft Tomcat. After checking out the sea and weather, we decided to give it a skip. Back at camp, we made breakfast and lounged around. By 10am we could not take it anymore and decided to launch ... come hell or high water!

At 10:30 Mike and Mearl Buyskes, Bryant Beukes and I were through the surf. There was a light SE blowing but the sea was great. Mike had found a likely looking are on the GPS along the 500m contour that he wanted to work so we headed straight there. Twenty minutes later, we were at the spot and we went about setting 4 lures on 50Lbs and 80Lbs rigs. Mike then worked the contour from 450m to 600m. There was a great upwelling and temperature break along the edge of the contour and after trolling for about an hour, we started seeing flying fish, skipjack and spinner dolphin.

We had just turned at the 450m mark and were right on the edge of the rip when I saw a fish coming into the spread on the starboard side. The short rigger popped but nothing. Mike kept his course for a while when the short port rigger popped and the reel ran for a bit before stopping. By that stage I had the pitch bait amongst the lures but the fish was not having it. It wanted the big lures. I told Mearl to wind the lure to its original position and after retrieving 5m of line, the bill and dorsal of the fish broke the surface behind the lure and smashed down. This time we were hooked up! After a scramble to clear the other rods, the deck was cleared. Mearl took the chair and strapped in. The marlin stuck its head out the water showing it to be a small stripey ... Mearl’s first. The fish was a bit out gunned with the 80Lbs rig, and was at the boat in 8 minutes. It was cleanly hooked so we got the hooks out and turned it loose. Great!

The lures went out again and Mike continued to work the area. At about 2pm, another small stripey came up on the short starboard lure. I pitched a halfbeak to is but the fish was just window shopping and after a half hearted look, it faded off. Despite working the area for another half hour, we could not raise the fish again. At 2:30pm we upped lines and headed for the beach. What a great way to spend the last day of the year!

Twas the day after Christmas

On 26^th December, Alan and Bryant Buekes and myself launched Allan’s 19ft Yeldcat “Baccus” at Cape Vidal. By 5:30 we were through the surf and headed for Oscar. When we arrived at the southern pinnacle, Bryant and I rigged a few small halcos and daisy chains and started putting out the lines. Before I could place my line, Bryant’s rod went away. After a quick fight, he brought a beautiful little yellowfin of about 2kg ... a perfect bait! I rigged it on a 20/0 circle hook and bombed it back into the water, keeping it close to the boat and away from the sharks. Allan took a course deeper and we waited until we were in 60m before I let the bait out.

The sea was very uncomfortable with the SE wind of around 15 knots and we bumped our way out to 500m before turning. In 400m, I saw a small swirl between the boat and the bait. I went to the back to see what it was. There were two Dorado cruising with us. I quickly grabbed a bait rod with a daisy chain on it and cast it out. The Dorado came over to look but lost interest very quickly and swam off. I took out a mackerel and hooked it onto the back of the daisy chain and left it to wallow in the wake. We continued shallower and at 300m, the bait rod with the mackerel took off. I fed the fish and tightened up. A small Dorado climbed out the water a few times before coming to the boat where we loaded it. At least we had something to eat. After turning in 60m, I headed out towards the ‘hole’ off Vegetation. The sounder showed the bottom falling away and minutes later, the rigger popped. I fed the fish and tightened up. We were on for a few seconds then nothing. I fed the bait back with no result. After retrieving the line, we saw that it was a small shark and only the head of the bait was left. It was back to Oscar to look for bait.

Bryant and I set the bait sticks and Allan trolled over the pinnacle. Allan had just passed over the deeper pinnacle and was moving shallower when one, two , three, four ... five rods went away ... a full house! I grabbed the closest, shortest rod and quickly pulled in a small frigate tuna. It was badly hooked so I put it into the hatch. By then, Bryant had a small yellowfin next to the boat which I grabbed, unhooked and bombed into the luna tube. Bryant grabbed another bait rod while I readied the two marlin rods. Alan brought in another small yellowfin that I quickly rigged and bombed into the water, keeping it within a few meters of the boat. Alan headed deeper off the reef and away from the sharks while Bryant pulled in another beautiful yellowfin which I rigged on the 50Lbs rod. The last rod also had a yellowfin on it and this one we released ... our good deed for the day. With 3 beautiful baits, we were pretty confident.

We had just settled when I saw another 2 dorado cruising in our wake. I grabbed a baitstick, hooked a mackerel on and flung it in their direction. Immediately the smaller one grabbed the bait. I fed it for a bit then hooked up. It came to the boat very quickly and it had a follower ... a nice bull Dorado. Bryant flicked a frozen mackerel at it and hooked up. The bull went mad, jumping over my line and burning me off. Unlucky! Bryant managed to get his 12kg fish to the boat where I gaffed it for him.

At about 2pm, I saw the spare bait rev. Seconds later a shark appeared behind it in hot pursuit. I grabbed the line and pulled the bait away. Bryant did the same with the main bait while Alan opened the motor and sped away. Both baits were fine so after about 200m, we slowed down and put them out again. We had just settled when the main bait was eaten. After feeding the fish for a while, we tightened up but there was nothing. Just the head came back. We transferred the spare bait to the main position and continued trolling. Our bait in the tube had died due to being badly hooked so this was our last chance. In 120m the rigger popped. I fed the fish but when we tightened up, there was nothing. Again just the head came back. That brought our day to a close. It was obviously not our day ... maybe next time.

Raising the Dead

On 24^th December, I joined Frans van Rensburg, his son Jako and two of his friends on “Trinity” for a day on the water. We left the dock at 4:30am and headed straight out until the water was a deep blue colour. The lures went out and Jako trolled the area for a while. It was very quiet and so we headed north. The sun had broken through the clouds and the lures were looking great. Something had to happen! About an hour later, at 9am, the flatline was eaten by a hungry Dorado. This was brought to the boat and unceremoniously gaffed. Jako worked the area and soon after, we had a small marlin chasing the long port lure. It swatted the lure a few times, but never hooked up.

Jako found a current line and trolled north along the deep edge. At 11:45, there was a huge splash on the long starboard lure and the rigger popped. The 80Lbs rig took off and a big Blue marlin took to the air. We all grabbed rods and cleared the deck as the fish absolutely smoked off. Jako backed up hard trying to keep up with the fish, but it was too fast. Moments later, a movement to the starboard side caught my eye. It was our marlin, greyhounding parallel to us ... in the opposite direction! There was about 500m of line out when the fish slowed down and we could regain line.

Hennie regained most of the line, but the marlin had other ideas and sounded. We could do nothing but watch as the fish took more than half the spool of line. After two hours, the fish stopped and we could only assume it was dead. We were in 500m of water with a dead fish lying on the bottom... not a good situation to be in! We tried every manoeuvre in the book, but the fish would not budge.

Out of pure desperation, I put on a pair of gloves and grabbed the line. There was some tension, but I could pull it up. Slowly ... very slowly, the dead fish started to lift off the bottom. I continued hand-lining the fish while Hennie took up the slack. After 100m, Jako took over from me. So we took turns raising the fish until the elastic from the rigger came out the water. There was a huge amount of tension on the line now and almost zero stretch. I handed over to Jako, warning him not to put too much pressure on the line. Everything was going well and the fish was about 15m under the boat when a swell unexpectedly caused the boat and the fish to suddenly pull apart. All I can recall is Jako’s hand shooting towards him as the line popped. The big fish slowly sank back to the depths. By now it was after 3pm and the battle had taken its toll on the entire crew, physically and mentally.

We decided to up lines and head for home. This day showed us how important a good team is. Even though we did not manage to get the fish, we felt we had done our best.

Hard luck prize

On 19^th December, Wayne Ritchie and his two sons, Divan Coetzee, Jacques Spence and I launched “Big W” off Richards Bay. There had been a lot of billfish around and we were keen to catch one. We set off at 5am and were soon in good water. The lures went out and we trolled towards the drop off.

In about 300m, Wayne’s sons started feeling seasick and Wayne suggested we head back and drop him and his sons off. We trolled shallower and in 96m, I saw a fin slicing through the spread toward the teaser. I shouted to Wayne who was closest and before he could react, the short starboard rigger popped. The fish took some line then took to the air showing itself to be a good striped marlin of around 70kg. We cleared the lines and slowed the boat down. Wayne was busy clipping himself into the harness when the marlin jumped again and shook the hooks out. Unlucky! We were still in good water so put the lines out again. In 70m, the long port rigger popped and a Dorado splashed around. I happened to be near the rod, so I winched it to the boat where it unfortunately pulled hook. By now, we were in green water and we upped lines and dropped Wayne off. Wayne suggested that Divan, Jacques and I should launch again, so without much ado, we headed back offshore.

The same spread went out as we passed over the colour line and almost immediately, we hooked a Dorado. Jacques made short work of it before I gaffed it. There were a few hook-ups on the 500m contour so Divan headed out to sea. It was very quiet, but at about 14:00, the short starboard rigger popped, the reel gave a short burst but then nothing. We continued on our course and were rewarded with the long starboard rigger popping. This was a strip bait so I gave a few moments before setting the hook. The line ran off the reel at a constant speed but after I felt a few good head nods, it took off. We all looked back and saw a nice blue marlin clear the water. Beautiful! I gave the rod to Jacques and Divs and I cleared the lines. I went to the helm and as I was about to start backing up, the line went limp. On closer inspection, we saw that the trace had broken ... who knows why!

At 3:30pm we trolled towards home and in 80m, we had a Dorado take a lure. Divan pulled it in and it had two followers. I ran down stairs and flicked out a piece of belly shine on a spare rod. Almost immediately I went on. Jacques took the rod and I gaffed Div’s fish.

We rigged another rod with a belly shine and slipped it into the wake. It didn’t take long to hookup and we managed to get all three fish. They were not billfish, but they were a hell of a lot of fun and a great way to end the day!

By hook or By Crook!

On Friday 17^th December, I took out Mike Leenstra’s 21ft Yeld Cat “Beluga”. Fishing with me was Mike’s 13 year old son Dale. Dale has recently started targeting SA Records and has accumulated a few impressive fish on light tackle. Today we were looking for a Blue or Striped Marlin record.

We launched “Beluga” at 5:30am and headed North to the Kasteel (50m Ledge). The blue water started on the edge of the reef so I slacked the speed and let out a small kona on a baitstick while Dale let out a halco. I stopped the spool with my thumb to see where the lure was when suddenly the rod buckled and the reel took off! I put up the drag and gave the rod to Dale. He brought in a skipjack of about 2kg (a perfect bait). It went straight into the live bait tube and we headed deeper.

In about 200m, I rigged the skippie on a 20/0 circle hook and an 80Lbs rig. There was a big swell so I let the bait out about 30m and attached the line to the outrigger with a rubber band. Slowly we headed deeper and over the radio, several boats were hooked up in 400-500m. We turned at 600m and headed shallower. At 500m a pod of spinner dolphin cruised with the boat for a while before heading to parts unknown. We also started seeing flying fish and even an ocean sunfish. This was definitely the area to be. Probably 5 mins later, the bait revved and the elastic popped. I fed the fish a few meters when the water behind the boat erupted and a nice blue marlin of about 150kg started jumping. I upped the drag and wound like hell. Dale increased the speed but alas, the reel stopped running and the marlin was gone. On closer inspection, I saw that the fish had become tangled in the line and trace and the bait did not even have a mark on it! Unlucky! The bait unfortunately died and so Dale and I put out 5 marlin lures and headed back to the ledge to look for another livebait.

In 100m of water, I looked back to see the port long rigger bending for the water! Next thin the rigger released and the 130Lbs Tiagra took off. Seconds later, a black marlin of about 100kg exploded out of the water putting up a beautiful display! We cleared the lines and Dale jumped into the chair. He fought the fish very well and had it next to the boat in 15mins where I leadered the fish, removed the hooks and released it. Great!

We were practically on the reef so out came the big rods and in went the bait rods. We trolled around for about an hour and managed to get a nice Dorado and lost a wahoo. At 1pm I suggested we put the big lures out and head for the deep to look for a blue or stripey. We had just started trolling when we caught a 16kg wahoo on a marlin lure in 100m of water.

A short while later, in 500m, a blue marlin came charging in to the port long rigger but turned off at the last second! I worked the area for about half an hour without any action. It was getting late so I told Dale that it was time to head home. We decided to troll shallower until the water turned green before packing up. In 74m, I noticed a splash on the centre rigger, followed by a snap as the rubber bang popped. The 50Lbs Tiagra took off and another black marlin launched itself out the water.

Again we cleared the lines before Dale climbed into the chair. The fish settled and I slowly closed the gap between the boat and fish. The marlin was about 20m away when it shook its head violently and then took to the air then stripped quite a bit of line before settling again. Dale worked it closer and the leader came out the water. I took the trace and waited for the fish to give the right approach. It kept ducking under the boat resulting in a few tense moments. With just two people on board, one in the chair, meant I had to turn the chair, skip the boat and trace the fish ... stressful to say the least! Finally, after letting go 4 or 5 times, it surfaced next to the boat and I could safely pull it closer. I grabbed the bill of a healthy 90kg black and removed the hooks before turning it loose! Unreal, 2 blacks in a day with 2 people on board ... and one on 50Lbs ... NICE! After that, we packed up and headed home.

Fish's day off

On Sunday 5^th December we launched “AVANTI” at Cape Vidal and headed for the bait spot off the point. We scratched around for a while until we found a good showing and went down with bait jigs. As they hit the ground, we went on with mackerel and maasbankers. After the livewell was stocked, we headed for Oscar to pull for marlin bait.

Divan and I set the lines and At trolled over the pinnacles. It didn’t take long to get a pull. Three rods went away with yellowfin tuna and Johan, Pierre and Divan took the strikes. Moments after we hooked up, a pod of dolphin started jumping towards us. Knowing what was about to happen, all 3 anglers put the drags up to maximum and pulled like mad. The inevitable happened and 2 of the 3 tuna were eaten by the dolphins. The one we managed to get went into the livebait tube and we continued trolling. About 20mins later we hooked another yellowfin which found its way into the tube.

The baits were a bit big for our liking so we continued trolling to try catch a smaller bait. A short while later we pulled hooks on a nice size bonito but managed to catch another of about 2kg just after that. One of the yellowfins went into the hatch to make space for the bonito. The current had come in and so we headed about a kilometer north to gain ground and depth. En route we had a sailfish take one of the bait lures we were pulling but unfortunately it didn’t stick. In 60m I rigged the bonito and put it about 20m behind the boat.

Pierre rigged a live mackerel and put it on the other rigger, hoping for a Dorado or smaller billfish. At trolled the bait deeper and turned at 160m before working in shallower. We were hopeful of getting a marlin because the conditions were perfect. But, by 1:30 pm we had nothing so decided to call it a day. I pulled in the bait, cut it free and watched it swim away strongly. It was its lucky day.

Holiday Fishing

After returning from Kenya, I was keen to get on the water and try some of the new tricks I learnt. Close friend At van Tilburg was at Cape Vidal and he invited me to fish for the weekend. Divan Coetzee and I left Richards Bay at 03:45 on Saturday 4^th December and arrived at Vidal round 5:30. The SW wind was still blowing but the forecast indicated that conditions would improve as the day progressed. We decided to fish for halfbeaks on the low tide and launch at midday for an afternoon session.

At, Pierre, Divs and I fished for about two hours and managed to get 27 halfbeaks. After vacuum packing them, we hitched the boat, launched and set off for the live bait spot. The bait was relatively scarce but after 45mins we managed to get about 20 baits. The sea was choppy with a 15knot SW blowing. We wanted to fish south of the launch so we opted to pull lures instead of pounding our way into the wind. About 10mins later, we had a strike and Divan caught our first Vidal Dorado for December. After arriving at the lighthouse, we rigged a few livies and slow trolled north with the wind, tacking deeper and shallower as we went. In 27m Pierre caught a nice Dorado on the surface. A short while later, we had a double strike and Divs and I fought the fish. Mine came to the boat first and turned out to be a hammerhead shark of about 20kg ... not what I was hoping for! Divan brought in a Dorado of around 6kg.

The current had pushed us south while we were fighting the fish and we upped lines and moved further north before resetting the lines. Things were a bit quiet for a while until we moved into the area where the water temp increased. Almost immediately, the deeper bait was eaten and the fish smoked off. I took the strike and while Divs was clearing some lines I saw a Dorado swimming behind us. Divs fed it a livie and it was game on. Another double. I managed to get a cuda of +- 8kg while Divs got another Dorado. We were busy resetting the lines when the far surface bait was eaten. I picked up the rod and took up the slack. After a short run, I felt something break. On closer inspection, I saw that the 100Lbs fluorocarbon leader had been bitten through. It was probably another fish that ate the lure which had slid up the line. About 10mins later, Divan did his magic with a sailfish. Nice Divs!!!

At 15:30 we beached and after prepping for the next day, we enjoyed a fresh fish and chips meal. NICE!