Playing the hand you're dealt

On Saturday 1^st November at 5am, Wayne, Tjokkie, Tammy and I launched “Galavant” out of Richards Bay. We wanted to take the boat for a run and check that the tackle was ready to go for the upcoming marlin season.

The weather was overcast with a bit of drizzle. There was a SE wind of around 15Knots and the sea was quite bumpy. Just before the ledge, we put out 5 lures and proceeded deeper to see what the water looked like. The temperature was quite cold at 22,6 degrees. The colour of the water left a lot to be desired as it was a clean green. We could not do anything about the conditions and played the hand that we were dealt.

Wayne with a 10kg dorado

After bashing around a bit, I found a patch of water in 700m where there were a few birds and the odd flying fish. It was the only life I had seen the whole day so I worked this area on the tide change. The birds gathered a bit and as I trolled past them, the right short and right long riggers popped and we were on. Looking back, I saw the blue colours of a dorado. Wayne and Tammy took up the rods and fought the fish to the boat. With the hatch already open, I wrapped the leader and flicked Tammy’s fish over the gunwale and into the hatch. Wayne’s fish was a bit better size so when it was on the leader, Tjokkie gaffed it and put it in the hatch before it could do any damage. With something in the boat, we all felt a lot better. The lines went out and we continued working the area. After the tide had turned, the life disappeared so I headed shallower where we passed through a squall with rain, wind and choppy conditions. It was uncomfortable to say the least. We turned south along the kasteel, trolling home into the wind with the current. Just when the rain started falling properly, the right short and right long riggers popped and we were on again. This time Tjokkie and Tammy pulled the fish in which turned out to be small yellowfin tunny, which were bled before going into the hatch.

Everyone was cold and wet, so we upped lines and headed back to port. At least we knew the tackle was ready for the season. Bring on the warm blue water!

6th times a charm

On Sunday 12^th October at 10am, Tammy, my Dad and I launched “ABF” out of Richards Bay. There was a small weather window for us to fish for garrick and with the season coming to an end, we decided to take every chance we could. There was a strong NE wind blowing, but a SW was predicted for the afternoon, so there would be a bit of a lull… we hoped.

The sea was a bit bumpy on the way out to the pipe but we took it slow and arrived nice and dry. The water was not great and I thought we would really battle for bait. I sounded around a bit and managed to find a bit of a showing. My Dad went down with a sabiki and managed a few nice big maasbanker. At this time of the day, I was happy to have any sort of live bait, so after a few more drops, we headed back to the pier. After all the rain, the water was not a great colour, but the outgoing tide made a bit of a colour line so we had something to focus on.

SW wind about to make an appearance

I rigged up two maasbanker on my 1kg outfits and trolled along the line. Towards the South, there was a front cloud approaching at quite a speed. It was pretty obvious that the SW would be early. When the SW came through, it was not as bad as I had thought it would be so I tacked back to sea along the line. There was a bit of a swell so when the close reel gave a bit of a burst, I was not sure if it was a false strike or the real McCoy. I took uo the rod and felt it pulling to the water… it was a fish.

9.6kg Garrick on ultra light line

 

I freespooled while Tammy cleared the other rod. I made sure I gave it enough time and then tightened up. There was immediate tension and the fish went on a good run. This normally indicates a better size fish. My Dad turned the boat after the fish and got right on top of it, waiting for it to surface so we could get a look at its size. There were a few head nods before it went on another run. Again the chase was on as we tried to maintain close range combat. The wind was causing a bit of a hassle when trying to maneuver the boat a slow speed but luckily the fish behaved. After 20 minutes or so, it surfaced and we could get a look at it. To me it looked like a borderline fish so I put quite a lot of pressure on it. To my surprise, the double line came out the water followed by the leader. I grabbed it as the fish angled to the surface in front of the boat. My Dad was standing poised with the gaff and as the fish turned broadside, the gaff went in behind the head. We were all convinced that the fight was over, but the fish had other ideas and made a few quick shakes came off the gaff!!! I let go of the leader in time and slacked the drag as it took off on a spooked run. The chase was on again. After seeing the fish at the boat, we were pretty sure it was the right size, so I pampered it back to the boat. It sulked a few meters below the surface and only the double knot was out the water. I put a bit more drag on it and inch by inch the fish lifted. With the leader just on the rod, I lowered the rod deep into the water and wound the leader onto the reel where I wrapped it and forced the fish up. It surfaced next to the boat and in seconds it was gaffed and lifted into the boat. Finally, the right size fish!!! This fish had no condition whatsoever and is probably why it came in so easily. I put it on a hand scale which showed around 10kg. We decided to head to the club and quickly weigh the fish.

 

Possible World Record Garrick on 1kg line

When we got to the club, the official weight was 9,6kg. A possible SA, All Africa and World Record! Finally, after catching 6 Garrick on 1kg line this season, I found the right size fish! After a few pics, we got onto the boat and headed back to the pier. I rigged up 2 livies on 2kg line for Tammy and trolled around. The tide had turned and the colour line had dispersed. The water was now just a mix of brown rubbish. I trolled across the channel and just before we were about to clear the lines, I saw the close bait revving. Looking back, we saw a garrick surface, chasing the maasbanker. Tammy picked up the rod, anticipating the strike, but after 3 missed attempts, the fish disappeared. That’s fishing I guess. After a few turns with no action, we packed up and headed home.

From one extreme to the next!

On Sunday 5^th October, At, Pierre, Tammy and I launched At’s 17ft Yeldcat “Mozanti” out of Richards Bay. We were looking to catch some bait for a fishing trip to Namibia. Popular word had it that maasbankers were the best thing to use for the kob there so “Operation Maasbanker” commenced.

We headed to the pipeline and sounded around. There were not too many showings around and we scratched to find anything. When we did find the odd showing, it was a mix of maasbanker and small shad with the odd mackerel in between. There were probably 10 boats milling around and all were battling. About an hour later, most of the other boats had left and only a few were still milling around. To make things worse, a proper rain cloud had pulled in and for 20 minutes, we were drenched. Not the best time to have forgotten your raincoat…

Putting "Pressure" on 1kg line

I took over the controls and moved off to one of my other nearby spots. It took a bit of searching, but eventually I found a proper showing and At, Pierre and Tammy all went on with full strings as they hit the ground. We sat on top of the shoal for a while, filling the bait stocks. With a few livies in the live well, it was back to the harbour. As we come closer to the mouth, the rain and wind abated. The water was a nice colour around the south pier so we thought it a good idea to pull a few baits around for Garrick. There were a few boats there that had caught fish earlier so it was worth a shot. I had brought two of my 1kg outfits with just in case so I rigged up 2 livies and trolled through the working water. One of the baits was eaten by a shark so I rerigged and At made another pass. As the baits came out the rip, one was eaten. I fed the fish and tightened up. The fish took some line into the middle of the harbour mouth and then out to sea. It felt very strange to be using this ultra-light tackle after fishing with 200Lbs line for Bluefin tuna on my last fishing outing. Talk about going from one extreme to the next! At kept the boat close to it hoping to get a quick gaff shot. I was on for about half an hour when the line angled to the surface. We moved towards the fish to intercept it, but just as we were getting close, everything went slack… the hook had pulled! I could not believe it. It is very seldom that we pull a hook on a Garrick, let alone on 1kg line. This was a first for me.

Small Garrick on 1kg line

Pierre had some work to do so we dropped him off at the club and returned to the pier. Most of the shore anglers and other boats had left as things had gone quiet. We persevered and at around 3pm, I had another pull. After feeding and tightening up, I was on to a Garrick. The fish took a bit of line then surfaced. At charged it down and we were able to get a look at the size of the fish. It was one of the smallest Garrick I have seen off Richards Bay! I put as much pressure on the whispy line as possible and only on the third attempt, I managed to take a few wraps on the leader and lift the fish to the surface after only a 20 minute fight. At grabbed the tail and boated it. After a few pics, I released the roughly 4 or 5kg fish.

It was getting late, so we opted to head home. This season, I have managed to catch five garrick on 1kg line, unfortunately none of which have been big enough for the record. Hopefully the next Garrick will be the right size. 

Buckled and Bent

On Monday 22^nd September 2014, Rian Chalmers, Wayne Ritchie, my Dad and I left Johannesburg on a 10 day fishing trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada. The goal of the trip was to each catch a Bluefin Tuna. We had booked the trip through “Bruce Brothers Charters” based near North Lake. After many hours in airports and in the sky, we finally arrived at Charlottetown at around 6pm local time on Tuesday. After collecting the rental car, we did some grocery shopping before heading East to North Lake. The weather was terrible. The wind was blowing almost 40 Knots and the temperature was around 6 degrees. Things did not look good.

Our first day was a rest day. We took the time to ride around the eastern shore of PEI stopping at the very few shops in Souris. We met up with Troy, Jamie and Craig at the harbour and discussed the next morning’s plans. The weather forecast was still not looking good, but we would give it a try regardless.

On Thursday 25^th, we headed to sea out of Souris aboard Jamie’s boat “Tuna Clipper” accompanied by deckhand Blair. With the strong wind, Jamie could not get to where he wanted to go and had no choice but to fish off North Lake. The conditions were not great and by the end of the day, we had no luck on Bluefin. We did however release two small sharks to the boat. One was a blueshark but the other was a meter long porbeagle. This was the first time I had seen one in the flesh and was quite excited to see one.

On Friday 26^th we again headed out of Souris Harbour. This time we headed 20 miles into the Northumberland Strait towards Nova Scotia to an area known as “Fisherman’s bank”. As we were setting up the rods, one of the boats next to us went tight, followed by another. Things were happening. We marked 2 fish on the first two drift but had no bites. On the third drift, we marked a few fish. Blair chummed a few mackerel and the fish came up higher. Despite feeding a few baits down to the fish, we had no pulls. 

Wayne fighting an 800Lbs tuna

While Jamie was repositioning the boat for another drift, I rigged up a whole mackerel, hiding the crimp and most of the hook in the bait. I was hoping that this would tempt a shy fish to eat. It was not long before we were marking fish again. Blair chummed up three fish and Jamie sent down the newly rigged bait. The sounder showed a fish streaking up to 25 feet and it was no surprise when the line was ripped out of Jamie’s hands. “He’s got it!” Jamie shouted as the fish took all the 200Lbs topshot off the reel in a flash. Wayne jumped into the chair and Blair transferred the rod to the gimbal. There was a lot of line in the water and so Jamie chased after it. Wayne retrieved most of the line and had the fish straight up and down after 40minutes. Slowly the drag was pushed up until it was over the button on 50Lbs. With the reel in low gear and Wayne being lifted high out the chair, the fish circled below us not giving an inch. Leaning back into the harness, Wayne managed to gain half a turn at a time until Blair had the leader. Rian and I got some footage of the fish before it made a sudden turn and the hook popped out. We were happy to claim the fish as it was on the short 5m leader. The fish was estimated at around 800Lbs. What a start!

The wind started to settle but so did the activity around us. At around noon, Capt Craig on ”Lady Dawn”, had set a herring net a few days prior, was marking a few fish and hooked up to a fish. Both Jamie and Troy got the call to move to that area and a short while later, we had tied up to the net. Sometime later, we started marking fish. Blair started chumming and the fish came higher in the water column but we could not get a pull.

On with a 900Lbs BFT

I took over the chumming operation while Blair fed a bait down. On his second drop, a fish engulfed the mackerel and we were on. I took the strike and the fish absolutely took off! The line went under the boat and the herring net, but thanks to excellent boat handling and team work from the crew, the line was cleared and the fight continued. After about 30minutes, the fish had settled into its deep circles and I could put some serious pressure on it. With the drag up high and me leaning back into the harness, I slowly made headway and 20 minutes later, the swivel was at the tip. Jamie inserted a tag while Blair kept the fish under control on the leader. It was an exceptionally fat fish and they estimated it at 900 to 950Lbs! Awesome! After a few quick pics, Jamie cut the leader off short and the fish swam off. We had caught our 2 fish limit for the day so we headed home, looking forward to the next day.

327kg Bluefin

On Saturday 27^th we again headed out to the bank where we had started the previous morning. Things were very quiet but at 8am, there were reports of fish around Craig’s herring net. Again we sped towards the net and tied up to one of the buoys. A short while later, we started marking fish at 100 Feet. After chumming for a while, the fish came streaking up to 30ft and the bait, that Jamie was feeding back, was engulfed. The fish took off while Jamie buoyed off and followed it. My Dad was in the chair and was put through his paces on a “school size” tuna. After almost an hour, the fish was on the leader and after measuring it, it was released. The estimated weight was 650Lbs.

The net was obviously the place to be and since we had a fish for the morning, we gave two other boats a turn to tie up and hook fish. This did not take too long and by 2pm we were tied up and marking fish. Jamie had a live mackerel out on a balloon while we were waiting for the fish to rise in the chum. The sounder came alive with big marks and before we could feed a bait down, the livie was taken and we were hooked up to our second fish for the day. Rian jumped into the chair and had to hold on as this fish nearly emptied the reel. Again, expert boat handling skills and team work between the captain and deckhand resulted in a smooth fight and successful release of a 750Lbs Bluefin. This was a very stubborn fish and took just over an hour. With our 2 fish limit reached, we headed back to Souris where another boat had brought in a similar size fish to the one we had caught so we took the chance to pose with it.

Wayne's 450Lbs Jube-Jube

On Sunday 28^th, the race was on to the herring net. We were lucky to get a spot but only started marking fish after about an hour. I assisted with the chumming operation while Blair and Jamie fed baits down to the rising fish. Blair hooked on a herring and fed it down. Just under the boat, it was snatched out of his hands by a greedy fish. Wayne had his second chance at fighting a bluefin and after forty, the fish was on the leader. Jamie and Blair had a good chuckle at the size of the fish as it was the smallest one they had seen for the year… all 450Lbs of it!

Seared Bluefin Tuna steaks

Jono's 700 pounder

We waited our turn to tie up to the net again and it was not long before the other boats were on to fish. Jamie moved in and tied up. Almost immediately we started marking fish. I took up one rod while Blair took the other. We worked baits down the chum line and when a pack of fish came through on the sounder, Blair had the line ripped out of his hands and we were on. I was on strike and had a very unorthodox fight with the fish staying on the surface for most of the time. This allowed me to gain a lot of line in a short time and when the fish tried to sound, it was already near the boat. I put some mega pressure on the fish and managed to keep it from getting its head down. The pressure was immense and the only way I could lift the rod was to pull myself back using the chair handles. I inched the fish up and Blair grabbed the leader, holding the fish for a few photos before releasing a 700Lbs fish. It was 1pm and we had our 2 fish limit so we headed back to port.

On Monday, 29^th, our last day, the weather turned and was blowing at least 25 knots. The whole fleet’s Captains made a call to try a few close spots but it was too dangerous to head out into the Strait. By 9am, the conditions were terrible and so we headed back to port.

PEI Bluefin Tuna 2014

In the 3 days that we could get to the hot fishing spot, we caught 6 BFT from 450Lbs to 900Lbs. Everyone had the chance to pull on a tuna and could tick off  an item on their bucket list. This was one of the best trips I have been on and can only thank Jamie and Troy from Bruce Brothers Fishing Charters for the well run operation. I would highly recommend fishing with them next time you visit PEI looking to catch a Bluefin Tuna.

www.peibluefintunacharters.com

So near yet so far

On Wednesday 17^th September, my Dad and I launched “ABF” out of Richards Bay. I had reports of a lot of Garrick coming out so I was keen to try for the 1kg line world record again. The night before I had put on some new line and set the drags. This is quite a delicate procedure as you can imagine…

 

We launched at 6am and headed to the pipe. We battled to find shad but there were massive shoals of mackerel, maasbanker and redeyes. After scrounging around, we happened upon a small reef that had the right showing on it. I went down with the jigs and brought up a full string of shad… Perfect! There were already a few boats around the pier so we opted to head to the backline to be on our own. I rigged up 2 livies on the ultra-light line and we trolled around the rips. It did not take long to get a pull and after feeding it a bit, I engaged the reel. The line started taking tension but before the reel started turning over, the line parted… What the hell! I put it down to the fish swimming into the line of something like that. I had a spare rig ready to go so I in no time, I had 2 baits out again. About 15 minutes later, we had a pull. I fed some line then tightened up. This time the line held and the fish headed into the backline. Luckily the surf was very small so my Dad could keep the boat close. After 10 minutes or so, we had the fish close to the boat and we could get a look at it. It was a shoal size Garrick. My Dad said it looked big enough, but I was not convinced. We decided to fight the fish as if it were the right size … just in case. It swam north towards the pier staying in the surf. All we could do is follow it until it decided to come out. We were on the fish for half an hour when it made a move out of the surf and into deeper water. It sulked around the boat for a while before heading south to where we had hooked it. As it went through the rip, it surfaced near the boat but I could just not get the leader in hand. It had now spooked and ducked back into the breakers. This made our lives hell as every wave pulled 10m or so of line off the reel. At one stage we were in 1.5m of water surrounded by foam and swirling sandy water. The fish was buggered and was being rolled around in the shore dump! By some miracle the line held and the rip pushed the fish back out to deeper water. An hour and 20 minutes after hooking the fish, I had the leader on the rod. I wrapped it about 4 times and pulled it to the surface where my Dad gaffed an exhausted fish. I quickly weighed it on a hand scale but it did not look big enough. Back to the drawing board.

I rigged up another two rods and trolled livies in the same area that we had the previous pulls. It was only 10minutes before we had a pull and again, as I tightened up, the line parted under almost zero pressure! I was livid! 1kg line is so difficult to get hold of in South Africa and the line that you do get is of a shit quality. If anyone knows of a place that can get 1kg IGFA rated line (that does not over test or under test by a mile!) please let me know.

8.0 kg and 7.8kg Garrick on 1kg line

So not I had lost all faith in the Ande and Platypus line that had let me down. Fladen was obviously the best line so I had no option but to only fish with 1 rod. Trolling this 1 bait around, I had 2 pulls, both from small sharks which just bit the bait in half. By now the tide was changing and the surf was picking up. We ran to the point of the pier and drifted the bait as we moved towards the backline. The rod tip bumped as the shad revved and then the reel ran. I fed the fish and tightened up. Everything held and the line angled towards the pier where there were about 30 rock and surf anglers with their lines out. My fish swam around one of them and then headed away from the pier. I told my dad that it was going to cut me off, but we could try follow the fish and lift the line over the boat. We did this and it worked! We were in the clear. After 20 minutes, the fish surfaced near the boat. Again, it looked a bit small. I increased the drag a bit and put as much pressure on it as possible. To my surprise, the leader came out the water and onto the rod. I wrapped it a few times and pulled the fish up. It popped up on the top where my Dad put a gaff into it and lifted it into the boat! Nicely done! Unfortunately it also looked a bit small.

The sea was getting big with the strengthening wind so we headed back to the club. The fish were 7,8kg and 8,0kg, just 1kg short of being a record. I have now caught 6 garrick on 1kg line and all were between 7kg and 8kg. Im just hoping the next one is big enough for the record!

Record breaker!

On Sunday 14^th September, Tammy and I launched “ABF” out of Richards Bay. We were looking to break the ladies 3kg line class SA record of 9,2kg (currently held by my sister). We headed out to the pipeline to catch bait but after an hour, we had not caught a single shad. There were plenty mackerel, maasbanker and pinkys but not what we wanted. By 7:30 we decided to go and pull for Garrick with the bait that we had so we headed off to the pier and started trolling.

We were fishing two 3kg spinning outfits that had produced a fish the previous day. After an hour, apart from one Garrick chase next to the boat, it was quiet. The conditions were perfect though so we persevered. I received a call from friends that found a big shoal of shad close to where we were so we immediately upped lines and ran to them. On the first down with the jigs, I brought up 5 nice shad. In 3 downs, there was enough bait in the hatch to last the entire day… Just shows you how important it is to have good friends on the sea!

By not, there were 6 boats around the pier so I moved away from the area. After a few hours without a pull, I heard a report that there were two Garrick caught off the pier. We upped lines and headed back to the area but did not want to contend with all the boats. I noticed that the water in the backline was beautiful with nice rips and colour lines so I ran a bit south to work them. The second line was just out when we had a pull. Tammy fed the fish but when she tightened up, she got the head back. It was a shark. Two fresh baits went out and I trolled on the edge of the rip, just in the clean water. I had just trolled through good looking water when I saw 2 garrick chasing razorbellies on the surface. I made a sharp turn and moved through the area where they had been. Nothing happened… I made another pass but still nothing.

Beautiful Garrick on 3kg line

I was beginning to think I was doing something wrong as I knew the fish were there but we were not getting the pull. I was about to move on when something told me to make another turn. The lines had just straightened out when the close bait started revving. Tammy picked up the rod as the bait was eaten and started feeding it. I cleared the other bait by speed, making sure nothing was going to eat it on the way in. I put both motors in gear and Tam started winding. It was a textbook hookup with the tackle loading up and the line racing into the backline. I headed out to sea to get out the surf zone while the Garrick tore up the surface between the sets of foamies.

Possible World Record Garrick

 After 10 minutes, it moved out the backline and I could get close to it. The leader came onto the rod and just when I thought I would get a quick gaff shot, it took off on a strong run. This happened about 5 times and only then did we see why the fish was acting so strangely… There was a second Garrick with it. Every time they would get close to the boat, the freeswimming fish would get a fright and take off. The hooked fish would see the freeswimmer spook and would do the same (adding to the stress levels)! This caused some tension between skipper and angler. Considering the trying conditions, Tammy did an excellent job on the rod and after an hour, the fish finally surfaced near the boat. Tammy presented it well and I managed to get a gaff into it. We were ecstatic! The fish was the biggest one we had caught for the season!

We headed back to the club to get the official weight. It came in at 13,6kg!!! If everything is approved, this fish will beat the existing Woman’s SA, All African and World Record! Well done Tammy! 

Joint effort

On Saturday 13^th September, Tammy, Tjokkie  and I launched “ABF” off Richards Bay. There was a small weather window in the morning before the NE was supposed to pick up so we were keen to try for Tammy’s first garrick… and we were using 3kg line to do it.

At 6am we left the harbour and stopped at the pipe. Tammy and Tjokkie went down with jigs and a small bottom rig hoping for some shad. The first few downs produced a mix of pinkys, maasbanker and mackerel. Finally we managed 2 shad on one string but as they came to the surface, the rest of the shoal followed them up. Tjokkie went down and got a full string. This went on for 2 drifts before we had more than enough bait for the day.

We headed for the south pier, but the water was brown so I ran further south into the backline where the water was a bit cleaner. We rigged up 2 shad on light 3kg spinning rigs and trolled north into the wind. After an hour, the water at the point of the pier started to improve with the outgoing tide so we opted to troll through the dirty water to get there. I happened to be looking back at the lines when there was a big boil as a Garrick chased one of the baits, in the brown water. Tammy fed the fish for a while but when we tightened up, it spat the bait. Talk about unlucky. I made a turn in the same area but had no pulls so continued to the point.

Tammy and I both fighting the same Garrick on 3kg line

The water was much better, but by 10am, we had still had no more action. Plan B was not working, so plan C came into play and we ran north, into the wind, to 5 mile. The water there was like mud and so plan D took action. We entered the bay and slow trolled along the channel dropoff working into the harbour. The wind was not pumping and we had little time left. I turned around and trolled into the wind and white horses not expecting anything to happen.

Tammy releasing a 10,5kg garrick

As we trolled over a nice bait showing, the deep rod went away. Tammy fed the fish while I cleared the far surface line. As my shad neared the boat, a Garrick came flying in from behind and chased the bait. I tried to keep it away from it, but my fisherman instinct kicked in and I opened the bail of the reel to let the Garrick eat… I mean, how bad could a double hookup really be? Both Tammy and I tightened up and went on. There was a big commotion as the Garrick shook its head on the surface. The 2 lines crossed over and we tried to untangle them before burning off, but no matter what we tied they stayed twisted. Only then did it dawn on me what was happening... we were hooked up to the same fish! From then on we had to work together to pull the fish. After 20 minutes, Tjokkie took both leaders, grabbed the fish by the tail and lifted it into the boat. The hooks were removed and a tag was inserted. I took a quick weight on a hand scale before releasing a healthy 10,5kg fish.

The wind was blowing 25 knots by then, so we headed back to the club. It took a long time and perseverance to get that fish, but it was worth it. 

Upcountry Success

On Saturday 6^th September at 7am, At, Danie, Les and I launched “Avanti” out of Richards Bay. Danie and Les were visiting from upcountry for the day and they were keen to fish a bit. The wind was a good 15 knot Northerly and the sea already had a few white horses. There had been a few Garrick in the area, so we decided try and tick this species off Danie and Les’ list.

Les' first garrick

After a bumpy ride to the pipeline, three of us went about looking to catch livebait while At held us on the spot. There were massive showings almost to the surface and it was no surprise when all three of us went on before hitting the bottom. Danie had a few maasbanker, which we released, while Les and I had full strings of mackerel. This seemed like a great time to stock up on bait for the coming summer months. Over the next hour or so, it was operation mackerel and the cool box quickly filled up. These prime baits would later be vacuum packed and stored for when the gamefish showed up. 

By 9:30, the mackerel had dispersed and we headed to the pier to look for a Garrick. The water was quite dirty so we slowly trolled south along the backline towards the New Mouth area. There was a nice colourline that had formed and At slowly worked alone it. On the first pass, we never had a pull so At turned into the wind and headed north, back up the line. This slower speed seemed to do the trick as the far surface bait went away. I fed the fish before tightening up and going on. The line angled into the backline, a tell tail sign of a Garrick. I passed the rod to Les and he fought his first Garrick to the boat. It did not put up much of a fight and only when it was in the boat did we see that it was hooked in the gills.

Danies first garrick

While the lines were in, At ran back to where we had turned. I quickly put out the 3 lines and just as I set the last line, the far surface bait was eaten. Again I fed the fish and tightened up on another Garrick that also headed straight for the surf. This time Danie took the rod and had a good tussle around the boat. After about 10mins, I managed to get a gaff into Danies first Garrick.

 

Upcountry boys with garrick

The wind was slowly picking up and the backline started building. At suggested we make one more pass before heading back. After setting the 3 lines, we sat back and had a bit of boat pack. I was looking back when I noticed a swirl a short distance behind the boat. When I shouted, everyone turned to look as the Garrick surfaced and chased the close surface mackerel. Despite the mackerel’s best escape attempts, the Garrick got hold of it and before the reel ran, I was ready to freespool. The line picked up and ran off the reel at a good speed. I tightened up and went on to a really solid fish. It went on a good strong run and I passed the rod to Les. The fish gave him a strong fight for nearly 20 minutes before I got the gaff in. It was the biggest fish of the day by far. With the lines already up, we decided to call it a day and headed back to harbour to watch the rugby.

Back at the club, the fish weighed in at 7kg, 8,2kg and 12,2kg respectively.

Cotton Brigade

Dirty water along the pier

On Saturday 23^rd August, my Dad and I launched “ABF” out of Richards Bay. The mission for the day was to try and get a world Record Garrick on 1kg line. The conditions were not great as there had been a strong SW wind the previous day which had built the swell to over 2.5m. The brown water had pushed in along the backline and piers from the resultant reverse current. Things were not looking good.



We stopped at the pipe and took some time to get good live bait before heading off to the pier. There was a good colourline forming from the outgoing tide and one boat had just boated a 9kg Garrick. There was hope. I rigged up 2 live baits and we trolled the area looking for a fish. An hour, we had not had a touch so we moved south towards the backline, working along the colourline. I had checked the close bait and was busy letting it out when there was a strong pull on the line. I fed some line out but nothing happened. I decided to check the bait again and while retrieving, the line came tight and the reel started running… I was on! The other line was cleared before chasing after the fish, which had ran into the dirty water. After 10 minutes, the fish surfaced near the boat and I could get the leader onto the rod. I grabbed the 50Lbs line and tried to pull the fish into gaffing range, but it was way too green and took off running. We did however get a good look at it and estimated it at around 9-10kg… the fish we were looking for! The cat and mouse game went on for about half an hour before we had the double on the rod again. Due to the big swell, it was difficult to keep the fish close and whenever the leader came up, the swell would take it 2m further away without the fish making any movement. 

A big swell making things difficult

It also seemed like the fish would stay further away from the boat in the clean water but when we went into the dirty water, it would come within 3m of the boat… just out of range. Almost an hour later, in the dirty water, the leader came up infront of the boat. My Dad kicked the boat forward, then neutral and I got the leader on the reel where I wrapped it and tried to lift the fish into range. Just as the gaff was going to go in, I felt the fish pulling away from my and the leader started cutting into my hands. As I let go, the double line ran through my hand. Almost immediately, the doubled 1kg line parted and it was game over. We tried to figure out what happened and came up with two issues. Firstly, I let go of the leader too late and secondly, the boat was not left in neutral, but in reverse (by mistake) causing the boat to pull away from the fish. We knew we were 1 crew member short, relying on the skipper to also gaff the fish, and we had now paid the price. Well, that’s how it goes…

I rerigged two baits and continued trolling. About an hour later, the far bait went away. I fed the fish while the other line was cleared. I tightened up and went on with another Garrick. This fish also ran into the dirty water and when it surfaced, we were right on top of it. The fish was not very big and would only go about 6-7kg. While it went off on another run, my Dad and I agreed that it would be better to break the fish off and save an hour fighting a small fish and rather use that time to look for a bigger one. When the fish surfaced again, the boat was on top of it and the leader came onto the reel. I wrapped it again and when it took off, the leader pulled through my hand and the double line broke in my hand as planned.

The lines went out once again and we continued trolling. The wind was picking up and the colourline dissipated into a gradual gingerbeer mix. It was time to head back. With the peak of the season coming up, I am pretty confident that there will be a few more long battles as the “Cotton Brigade” takes to sea…

Moenie jou 'bek hou nie!

On Thursday night at 6pm, we launched “Ohana” off Richards Bay. There had been a number of geelbek being caught and we were keen to get into some of the action.

Danie's PB 7,7kg Rocksalmon

The sea was like glass so it was an easy ride to the pipe where we caught a few shad before running north. The fish had been coming out off Dawsons, which was a long run. Reports were that there were already 20 boats there and the fish were not exactly thick. We decided to take a different approach and run deep and then north along the ledge, looking for a shoal on the sounder. We had gone for about 40 minutes when a showing came through. Jannie slacked off and sounded the area. The marks looked good so both Danie and I went down with live shad. As we hit the bottom, we went on. I pulled hook and Danie got a nice 6kg bek. The current was ripping at 4 knots so it was difficult to stay on them. Jannie ran up again and we sent 2 more baits into the shoal. Same result… one pulled hook and one fish in the hatch. I was beginning to get a complex as the next 2 drifts produced the same result. Danie would hook up on the spinning outfit and pass the rod to the boys who each managed a bek. I changed my trace a bit and on the next drift, I joined the ranks with a bek in the hatch. Danie and I had doubled up and he brought up a lovely rock salmon of almost 8kg!

 

Over the next few drifts, we took turns catching fish. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. It did not take long for the word to get out and within half an hour, there were 7 boats around us. One of the skippers had zero fishing etiquette or consideration for others and on several occasions made dangerous maneuvers, narrowly missing the other boats. I suppose it should be expected from this skipper who was more concerned about putting another fish in the hatch than the safety of others! This same person took well over his boats quota and had done so for the last 4 nights! It’s an embarrassment to the sport!

Ohana with a few geelbek

Knowing that the bag limit for these fish is 2 per person, I took my tagging kit along. When we had our legal limit of fish, we changed to circle hooks and fought the fish as slow as possible. In 4 drifts we managed to tag and release 4 geelbek.

It was getting late so we stopped fishing and headed home. There was a lot of work to do and it was after 1am when the last fish was filleted. It’s not something I often say, but with the boats abusing the resources like they are, I hope the weather turns bad for the next few weeks and keeps them off the water until the shoals move off.