Just in the nick of time

On Tuesday evening at 17:45, Andre, Hansie, Tjaart, Terence and I launched “Good Time” out of Richards Bay. There had been the odd daga salmon around and the weather had given a gap to try for them.

We headed out to the pipeline, sounded around until we found a bit of structure and put out the anchor. We went about catching a few shad and maasbanker for live bait. It didn’t take long for us all to have a live bait in the water and the waiting began. The sand anchor was slipping a bit but we decided to leave it so that we could cover a bit of ground. There were about 15 boats in the area, and none had any luck, so we thought this might work in our favour. After a few hours, Hansie had a bump, but the fish only nipped his livie, killing and discarding it. At about 9pm, we decided to up lines and position ourselves again. When Andre and Tjaart retrieved their lines, their livies were also dead with the small pin hole teeth marks on them.

36.7kg Daga Salmon

We rigged up a sand anchor and rock anchor and set it over a likely looking spot. It was absolutely dead and at around 11pm I suggested that we start packing up. Slowly we upped lines and I noticed that Andre, Tjaart and Terence were tangled. While they were sorting things out, I pinned a fresh livie and sent it down. With the tangle sorted, we were about to pull anchor when I felt a solid bump on my rod. I dropped the tip and let the line come tight before setting the hook. The rod keeled over with the weight of a good fish. It went on a short but strong run with big head nods. I could not do much with the 10kg tackle, so I let the drag on the spinning reel do its thing and slowly tire the fish out. After about 15 minutes the fish was on surface in the lights where Andre could get the gaff in the mouth. He struggled to pull it aboard and only when it was lying on the deck could we see the size of the fish. It was a really good size fish, well over 30kg. With a fish on the deck, we were happy to call it a night and headed home. We weighed the fish at the club and it registered 36.7kg. A possible record on 10kg line.

Thanks to Andre and my mates for a magic evening. If you are looking to book a fishing charter, give Andre a call (072 639 9366).

Party poopers.

On Friday 6^th July at 5:30am, At, Gert, Pierre and I launched “Avanti” out of Richards Bay. There had been a number of snoek caught the previous day and the conditions looked identical, so we were hoping to get into some action.

We arrived as it started getting light, so I wasted no time in putting out a few small lures. When the sun was well above the horizon, we had our first pull. It was a snoek of about 6kg that Pierre caught… not a bad start. The lines were just out again when Gert had a strike and caught a similar sized fish. At turned back on the line where we had the pulls and unsurprisingly, we got another fish. This one was about 8kg. There seemed to be some bait balls on the sounder, so we worked the area and picked up single and double strikes. By 8am we had 6 fish, but it was as if someone had flipped a switch and they went off the bite. None of the boats were getting pulls so we assumed that was a wrap for the day. I tacked around a bit looking for the bait and birds, but there was nothing so I worked a shallow ledge that I knew and fluked another smaller snoek. After a few turns without any more action, I headed out a bit deeper to where I thought I had seen a splash. There were 2 terns fluttering about but when I got near them, they vanished. I made a lazy turn in the area and two rods went away. One fish was a nice one while the other was only about 4kg.

A good morning haul of snoek

I had just put the lines out again when we spotted the two birds again. They were dipping over a dark patch in the water. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the fish had pushed a baitball to the surface. We stopped near by and threw lures into the shoal. We all had chases, but nothing committed. The trolling lines were in the way, so we brought them in allowing us to manoeuvre more efficiently. At positioned us upwind of the shoal and we threw lures at it. The fish were quite aggressive and chased the lures on almost every cast. At one stage we were all three on with nice fish. This went on for a while before the first boat spotted us. As always happens, they started spoiling the fun by casting over our lines and just getting in the way. The sight of 2 boats right next to each other caught the attention of other boats who arrived on the scene. What really got to me was when one idiot, who loves the sound of his own voice, tried to tell us that we should move because the baitball kept swimming under our boat! This coming from anglers who can’t find their own fish and must rely on us to find them before they even had a chance at hooking anything! I had a few choice words for him…

With so much boat traffic on a baitball that was only about a meter wide, the fish became skittish, so we decided to pack up and head home. We had caught our fish for the day and knew there was a lot of work to be done cleaning fish. We were back in the harbour at 11am with a tally of 24 fish. There were 11 fish between 7 and 9kg with the rest being shoal fish of around 5kg.

Perseverance sometimes pays

On Saturday 30^th June, At and I launched “ABF” off Cape Vidal. The beach was hectic after the spring high tide as a 1-meter berm had formed along the whole beach in the bay. All the sand that had washed into the see made the bay very shallow, so we had to box smart to keep the boat floating. Eventually we made it into deep water and through the surf. The idea was to pull some lure around until about 9am then look for some livies and maybe a cuda.

I had 3 lures out and At trolled around the lighthouse area but we only managed a small yellowfin tuna. There were a lot of small bonnies around, so we caught one and rigged it. It took a surprisingly long time for it to be eaten, and when it was, it ended up being a shark. With no fireworks, we headed back to the point and looked for some livies. There were rugby field size shoals of bait on the surface, but they were almost impossible to catch. After almost an hour, we had a few livies in the well so headed up north, pulling lures as we went. Other than a small yellowfin, we didn’t have much luck so we stopped at vegetation and rigged up 3 baits. After an hour, we had a pull on the mid water bait. The fish swam to the boat and gave about four massive head shakes before coming to the surface. It was a sailfish, but unfortunately it was bill wrapped and the hooks slid off the bill quite quickly. We tacked south and worked the bait shoals. I saw the big spearo rubberduck heading our way and the skipper drove straight over my far line, then almost road into us trying to fix his cockup. We were getting pretty frustrated so wound in the lines and put some distance between us and them.

 I put out 3 lines on Oscar and while I was making the last few adjustments, the surface bait went off. At took the rod but as he started fighting it, the line parted. It must have been a nick where the boat road over it. While this was going on, the deep bait was eaten but the hooks pulled quite quickly. We regrouped and put out fresh lines and baits. I lined up a small pinnacle and as we approached, the showing came through. We missed a fish on the whip spoon, then the deep line went away on a relatively fast run. At took the strike and I followed it. Just then the surface rod went away with what I could feel was a tuna, so I slacked the drag and left the rod in the holder while At fought his fish. Eventually the fish came up where I gaffed a really nice 12kg cuda followed by an 8kg yellowfin. It was getting late and I didn’t want to battle on the beach so we headed home.

Maasbanker over bonnies

On Saturday 16^th June, Jurgen and I launched “ABF” off Richards Bay. We were hoping to catch an amberjack and maybe a cuda later in the afternoon. Reports from the previous day were that there was no livebait on the pipeline or the usual spots, so we spent some time looking around the bay and managed to get about 10 big maasbanker.

I headed out to the ledge and on arrival, I saw there was a good showing on the reef. The problem is that it was a bit high off the bottom. We rigged up a live maasbanker and Jurgen sent it down. It did not take long for a pull but unfortunately the hook turned into the bait and missed the fish.

The reverse current had pushed up off the reef, so I took us back to the mark. As I stopped, there were a few bonnies splashing near us, so I put a cast in with a spoon and managed to get one. We rigged it up and sent it down expecting a good pull, but after probably 20 minutes and 3 or 4 drops later, the bait died without and bite. Jurgen rigged up another maasbanker and sent it down. Sure enough, he got the pull and went tight with a fish that gave him a bit of a fight before coming to the surface. IT was a blacktip kingfish of about 8kg. Unfortunately, it was hooked in the stomach, causing considerable damage. At least we had a fish.

There were a few more bonnies on the surface, so I made another cast and caught one. IT was a bit smaller than the first, so we hoped that we might get a fish on it. Unfortunately, nothing was interested, and the bait ended up in the coolbox. Jurgen rigged up another maasbanker and went tight again. This time it was a big kawa-kawa. After that last fish, the showing dissipated and despite putting another live maasbanker down, there was no action, so we headed back to the harbour and tried for Garrick around the pier. Again, the fishing was slow and only produced two small sharks. 

First cuda for the season

On Friday 8^th June at 8:30am, Zander and I launched “ABF” out of Richards Bay. The SW wind was supposed to improve in the afternoon, so we decided to take the punishment in the morning and head south into the wind and come back with it in the afternoon.

We first battled for about an hour to get live bait before making the 18km trip. This took us quite a while in the small boat as we headed straight into the wind and waves. It took over an hour to get there and to say we were wet and shaken was an understatement. To make things worse, as I slowed down on arrival, the one motor died and would not start for the love or money. A bit frustrating considering it had come back from a service the previous day! We decided to fish on with one motor and later when the weather settled, we would try to fault find. In the meanwhile, it was time to fish. Zander put out 4 rods and I trolled around the wreck looking for a cuda. There were some good showings but no action on the baits.

Time passed and at about 3pm, I trolled over a good showing. I suggested that Zander put down a bucktail on the spinning rod to see what it was. On the second flick, he went on with a fish. While he was tussling, I noticed the one rod with a big bonnie on it bump a few times. I wound the reel a bit and I could still feel the bait there. The leader was on the rod so I stopped winding. Suddenly a long black shape came speeding in and hit the bait. I freespooled and let the fish start moving off before I tightened up. The line melted off the reel as the fish went on a long fast run. We were in a bit of a pickle and Zander was still fighting his fish and I needed to chase after mine! Zander put max drag on his fish and managed to land a blacktip kingfish which was unceremoniously released. With the lines cleared, Zander followed the fish and I put line on the reel. The fish came up to the surface where Zander put the gaff into a good size cuda. It was a great fish, but unfortunately had no condition.

A late weigh-in of cuda

With high spirits, the lines went out again. The sea was improving and there was a bit more surface activity around. As I was approaching the marks, the deep wala had a quick pull, but didn’t stick. Normally a sign of a smaller fish. I worked the area a bit more but it was quiet. Zander changed out the live bait to bigger, fresher one and on the next pass over the mark, that rod keeled over as another good fish ate the bait. The fish made an incredible run, so I had to chase it down while clearing the other lines. Finally things settled and Zander could fight his fish. The fight had changed however… there was not much tension and Zan had to wind like mad to keep a bend in the rod. The leader came up and we both expected to see just a head or possible a smaller fish, but we got a surprize when the fish popped up next to the boat. It was another good one which I gaffed and loaded. It was a similar size fish, but it had swallowed the bait and one of the hooks was around a gillraker so the fish could not breathe once it had finished its long run, so it didn’t fight after that.

It was after 4pm and knowing that it would get dark soon, I suggested we try to sort the motor out. With the jumpers connected, we tried to start it, but no go. After pull starting and trying every other trick we knew, it would not start so we upped lines and made the long trip home on one motor, returning well after dark. At least we were safe. The fish weighed in at 25kg and 27kg. Not bad for our first cuda for the season.

Just FYI, the motor was sorted the next day. It was a plug that was not reconnected, causing the battery to drain to a point where the computer could not start up…

Hooked on Fishing

On the 26th May, At and I launched “ABF” out of Cape Vidal. The launch was one of the easiest that I have seen in a while. Once on the backline, we sounded around looking for some live bait. There were a lot around, but most were tiny. We struggled for over an hour to get a decent supply of bait before we headed north. We put out a few lures and trolled along the ledge hoping for a wahoo, but we only managed to catch a big bonito and a small yellowfin tuna.

When we arrived at vegetation, I rigged up 3 livies and At tacked us between 24 and 30m. There seemed to be some life on the 28m depth. We saw several big manta rays, a few shoals of bonnies and what looked like a big shark. We had worked the area for about an hour when the surface bait went away. At took the strike while the fish took a fast run on the surface. I turned the boat to follow the fish and saw a bunch of dolphin heading towards the fish. We were 100% convinced that they would eat the fish, but by some miracle, they swam straight past it and left us alone to fight it. Soon At had a nice 9kg cuda on the boat. We were pretty chuffed and went about resetting the lines.

About an hour later, At was busy throwing a stickbait when we saw a big dark shape behind it. It faded off before we could get a good look at it, but it looked to be a billfish. On the next throw, the fish rushed up and grabbed the stickbait but didn’t hook up. We now knew it was indeed a sailfish, not only that, but there were three of them in the water. I ran to the back, retrieved the mid water line and removed the sinker, just as a fish came in and grabbed the bait. I gave it a bit of line then tightened up. There was a bit of tension, but then the hook pulled. I cleared the line and retrieved the deep line to try the same move, but on closer inspection, the bait was missing… I still had a far surface line out, so I brought it closer, but nothing came up to it. The fish had faded off so At turned the boat back to the area. He threw the stickbait again and again the fish followed it. 

A movement behind the boat caught my eye. There was a fish on the surface bait. I held the reel in freespool anticipating the strike, which came almost immediately. I fed the fish then tightened up. It hung in the water just shaking its head a bit before slowly moving off. It was almost as if it did not know It was hooked. A few minutes later, the reel smoked off and the sea erupted as the sailfish made a series of jumps. It was beautiful to see especially at such a close range. After the excessive jumping, the fish had tire itself out, so it behaved next to the boat. I passed At the rod and took hold of the bill. The one hook was a bit deep, so I opted to cut the wire and leave it in. After a quick pic, I revived the fish and sent it on its way. Very cool!

I'm hooked on fishing!

We regrouped and put out fresh baits. I was busy attaching a sinker when the line was ripped out of my hand. I was on with something… After a strong fight, I had a big bonnie on the leader. I didn’t want to take the fish out the water and tried to pop the hooks out with the long nose pliers. I had one hook loose and was busy with the other when the bonnie shook its head and the treble went into my hand. Luckily, I could get the fish off the hooks before it shook some more. A quick snip with the sidecutter and we were back in business.

In the next two hours, we had 3 cuda pulls, but they just chopped the bait in half. We worked the area and soon had a proper smoker but unfortunately it bit the wire off. At that stage, it was getting late, so we opted to up lines and head home after a great day on the water.

Late season dorado

On Saturday 19^th May, At and I launched “ABF” off Vidal. The Cape Vidal Ski Boat Club was hosting their annual junior competition so there were quite a few boats that had launched. We were lucky to be able to use their tractor, so launching was a breeze.

The SW wind was blowing a bit, and there was the odd raincloud that dampened the party, but other than that, the sea was not bad. We sounded around a bit and managed to get a few nice livies in the well. We still didn’t have much of a game plan so we put on a few lures and trolled around. It didn’t take long to get a pull and soon we had a yellowfin bled and on ice. Trolling commenced and in the next hour we had a few more pulls and released 2 kawakawas and 2 more yellowfin.

We were still off the point so decided to switch over to bait and see if there were a few other species around. I had one line out and was busy with the second when I saw a big splash behind us. The rod in the holder next to me keeled over the reel smoked off. At took the strike and fought the strong fish. It gave him a run for his money and finally had a 14kg yellowfin in the hatch. There were a few bait shoals on the surface in 30 to 35m so we made a few turns through them. We missed a fish on the midwater bait and a few minutes later had a pull on the surface bait which stuck. I wound the line tight until the fish started taking line, then passed the rod to At. The fish surfaced and jumped a few times. It was a bit strange to get a dorado this late in the season. We loaded the fish and were excited at the idea of having freshly caught dorado fillets for supper.

We slowly tacked south and whenever we intercepted a bait shoal, we would get a pull. Unfortunately, none were cuda, but it was fun to get pulls from a skippy and a few more yellowfins, the majority of which were released. By 1pm, we decided to call it a day and went in to beach with a tally of 1 dorado, 1 skipjack, 2 bonito and 6 yellowfin.

A Royal Treat

On Sunday 29^th April, I launched with Dewald and Andre Smit, and the boys on “Seaduction”. We were hoping to get a few of the GT’s that were around. The SW wind had blow through the night and the sea was pretty uncomfortable. We battled to get livies, but eventually had enough to fish with. The ride out to the reef was bumpy so we took it slow and after about an hour, we arrived.

There was still a good showing like the previous day, so I was confident that we would get a few fish, despite the big swell. 

I rigged up a bait and explained to Dewald what to expect on the strike. No sooner had we started marking the fish on the sounder, the rod bumped and pulled down. Dewald fed the fish and tightened up. He was on to a fish, but it was not pulling like the previous day’s fish. When he had it at the surface, we saw why… it was a small GT of only about 10kg.

We headed back up to the mark and rigged another livie. Almost as soon as it hit the water, Andre went tight with a GT. This fish gave more of fight and after about 10 minutes, we had a fish of about 15kg. Dewald and Andre took turns on the rod and the next 2 fish were a bit better size, about 20 and 25kg each.

As the day went on, the sea settled beautifully and the showing on the sounder just got bigger and bigger. There were about 8 boats on the reef and most were getting pulls, but these strong fish were testing their tackle to the max. I witnessed a few rods snap, reel handles break, and countless knots pull. We were lucky as the only fish we lost were due to pulled hooks or being reefed. It was amazing that the bite could be so consistent. Every time the bait was positioned correctly, we had a pull within 30 seconds! It was however very concerning to see a lot of these fish being gaffed and boated.

By the end of the day, we had caught 15 good size GTs. The average size fish was however smaller than the previous day, but still respectable at around 16-20kg.

Over the next 2 days, the SW blew 20 knots and the conditions changed. The strong reverse current came in and the fish faded away. We launched "Ohana" With Jannie and Andre on the Tuesday the 1^st and only caught 1 GT and got reefed by another.

Kings of the reef!

On Saturday 28^th April at about 6am, Jurgen Putz and I launched “ABF” off Richards Bay. We were hoping to find some of the amberjack and kingfish we had caught the previous weekend. Our first stop was on the pipeline to catch some bait, but there was nothing to be found. After puzzling around on a few spots, we managed to find about 10 maasbanker. With a few livies in the well, we headed out to the reef.

GT released (100cm)

When we arrived, the water was a dark green colour and 23 degrees. Not exactly ideal, but I slowly drove over the reef and saw a really good showing. The other boats were trolling around and none of them had any action, so I quickly rigged a livie and put it out. I passed the rod to Jurgen and was still busy explaining what to expect when the rod was almost pulled out of his hands by a fish! He locked up and the heavy jigging rod buckled over. The reel was set on 12kg drag and it made little impression on the fish’s first run. Jurgen had to thumb the spool to eventually get the fish under control. I positioned the boat on top of the fish to keep the line vertical to prevent being cut off. The big head nods continued for most of the fight and after 15 minutes of extra heavy pressure, the fish was next to the boat. It was a beautiful GT of about 20kg. After a few pics, we speared the fish back into the water and it swam off strong. Not a bad way to start the morning!

Jurgen with another GT (109cm)

A good GT being tagged

I rigged another livie and drove to the same spot. No sooner had the bait hit the water, another GT grabbed it and the fight was on again. During the fight, I scratched around in my fishing bag and found my ORI tag kit. When Jurgen had the fish on the boat, we measured the length and inserted a tag before releasing another good fish. Again I rigged up a livie and stopped on the mark. This time, when Jurgen hooked up, the fish took a strong, sustained run and I had to chase after it a bit to get the line vertical. The fight was a bit different to the first two and when the fish was next to the boat, we saw why. It was a good Amberjack of about 14kg… Jurgen’s first. Stoked with this good fish, we headed back up to the mark. Two other boats were vertical jigging on the spot so I pulled in next to them. I was busy talking to Terence, the skipper of one of the boats, when Jurgen’s rod keeled over again. I took chase. It was another good amberjack. This was turning out to be a great morning! The other boats had not had a pull yet, so I assumed the bite was slowing. I moved in between the other boats and put a bait out myself while Jurgen took the controls. To the disbelief of the other boats, it took only a few seconds to hookup again! I put on as much pressure as I could and just before my back started to give out, the fish was next to the boat. Another great GT which we tagged and released.

25kg being released (113cm)

It was only 8:30 and we had 5 decent fish. I expected the bite to start slowing but every time we put a bait on the showing, we hooked up. By 10am, we had 4 GTs and 5 Amberjack. A few other boats arrived on the scene and with all the transducer pinging and vertical jigs banging on the reef, the fish became a bit shy. I suggested a slightly different approach to the situation, just to see what would happen. Sure enough, the subtle change saw us hooking up on every pass over the showing. When I finally felt strong enough to take another strike, it was my luck that I hooked a big potatoe bass!

Big pressure on an Amberjack

At about noon the bite finally slowed. The fish had scattered a bit the other boats started moving off. We had almost no bait left so I scrounged a few livies from Jorrie on his boat “Frigate”. I rigged up a tuna trace on a small spinning rod and pinned one of the livie. The showing had moved a bit so it took a while to find it but when I finally did, Jurgen put the bait out and quickly went on with a small yellowfin the we bled for sushi.

At about 1pm, we were the only boat left on the reef. Slowly but surely the life returned to the are with small bonnies on the surface and a proper showing. I put out another livie on the big rod and went on immediately! Jurgen was back in action again. I called Terence and suggested he come back to the area as it had switched on again. The two boats made turns swimming baits and fighting fish off the shoal. Terence had hooked up a fish and were spending a lot of time in it. We had managed 2 more released in that time, so it was obviously a decent fish. Eventually he called me on the radio and told me they had released a GT that measured 129cm… equivalent to 41kg… an excellent fish.

Jurgen's 100lbs GT (133cm)

It was getting late, so I suggested we make one last drop. The bait was in the water for only a few moments and Jurgen hooked up. Immediately we knew this was a bigger fish as it was fighting in a different league. It took us close on 20 minutes to turn it for the first time and from there it was another 10 minutes to get it to the boat. When we saw the GT, we were shocked at the size. It was quickly tagged, measured and released. The equivalent weight was 45.7kg! The tally for the day was 8 GT’s released (All over 100cm, biggest 45kg), 11 Amberjack (biggest 26kg), 2 kawa-kawa, a yellowfin and a potatoe bass. Talk about an epic day!

Buckled and Bent

On Sunday 22^nd April, At and I launched Avanti off Richards Bay. We were hoping to catch a few jube-jubes for bait for the cuda season. The forecast was for a perfect day. The water was warm and clean and just enough current to keep things active.

A 16kg Amberjack 

Our first stop was on the bait marks and it did not take long to get a hatch full of bait. We headed out to the ledge and started trolling a few small lures around. There was not much activity and almost no showing on the reef, so we trolled south hoping to find the bonnies. Eventually we spotted a few splashed and as we trolled through the area, all the rods went on with beautiful small bonnies. We made a few turns in the area and managed quite a few baits and a small yellowfin tuna, but they grey wary of the boat and sounded, so we continued trolling south. A short while later, the big rapala close to the boat was eaten. It came to the boat easily, and in the clean water, I could see it was a wahoo. Unfortunately, it made a run at the boat and the hook pulled. Things were very quiet, so we decided to put some live bait down for bottomfish. The current was just perfect so with one motor in gear and the autopilot on, the boat maintained position and we could both fish. There were no takers on the bottom, so I rigged a live maasbanker and put it out on the surface on my light spinning rod. After about 20 minutes, there was a big splash on the surface and the spinning reel smoked off. We chased after the fish which all but spooled the reel. When it finally slowed, the fish changed direction. I’m guessing the leader pulled across its tooth as the 40lbs leader cut off close to the bait.

At with a 23Kg GT 

There was a good showing on the sounder, but nothing was eating. There were a few splashed near us, so we put out the small lures again. At one stage, I was bringing in a bonito when something smashed it, leaving only the head. I flicked it back into the water and a wahoo streaked in and grabbed it, biting through the nylon. I quickly grabbed a dead bonnie out the cooler and pinned it on my light spinning rig. As it hit the water, the wahoo grabbed it and streaked off. I fed it a bit, but when I tightened up, the fish made a short run before the hook pulled. Knowing there were a few wahoo around, I rigged up a live maasbanker and put it out on the surface. Moments later, I was onto a fish but it turned out to be another small yellowfin.

A 20kg GT about to be released

At positioned the boat on a nice showing and held the boat there while I put a livie into the showing. As the bait reached the right depth, the rod buckled and the reel smoked off. I had 80lbs braid with a 12kg drag on the fish but it still made an impressive run. About 15 minutes later, I had a hard fighting amberjack of about 15kg in the boat. My arms were tired so I took the wheel while At put down a livie. As the showing came through, he went tight! The fish didn’t make a long run, but it was difficult to lift it. About 20minutes later At had a beautiful kingfish next to the boat. Unfortunately the fish was in the gills so we loaded the 23kg kingie. We had drifted off the showing so a fare was so I put out a small lure while At took us back. Just as we arrived on the mark, I caught a small bonnie which I rigged up and let out on the surface. Before I could get a second bait rigged, the reel smoked off but moments later, the main line parted. On closer inspection I could see that it was cut off. My guess was it was a wahoo that doubled back and swam into the line. I put on a new trace and threw a small spoon into the bonnies. Soon I had another bonnie on the surface. At trolled slowly north and almost on cue, the reel took off. This time it was a slow but strong run and the fish stayed deep. We both thought it was a shark, but I could gain a bit of line and after about 20 minutes, the fish showed itself. It was another big kingfish of about 20kg. Luckily this one was hooked in the jaw and didn’t have any barotrauma so after a quick pic, I released it.

Me with a 27Kg GT

Again we moved back up to the spot and managed to get another bonnie on the spoon so it was rigged and put out on surface. There was a good mid water showing so I sent a livie into it. While I was waiting for a pull, the bonnie was eaten and At took the strike. While the fish was giving him a good pull, my rod was almost jerked out of my hands by a strong fish. It made a strong run big head nods. Both of us were bending on fish so I tried to stay at the back of the boat while At brought his fish closer. We were both surprised when his fish came into view. It was a huge kawa-kawa of about 9kg. With the worry of burning off gone, I could move to the front of the boat and fight from there. Eventually the fish tired and I could lift its head. It started coming up easily and I could see bubbles coming to the surface. Down deep I could just make out the silver body of a big kingfish. When it surfaced, the stomach was hanging out its mouth and it had blown badly. I tried to get it back down but failed so we reluctantly loaded the 27kg fish.

At with his 19kg Amberjack

We had one decent livie left in the live well so I talked At into going back onto the mark. I let the bait down into the small showing and almost immediately went tight. The fish made an incredibly strong run against a heavy drag and extra pressure from me thumbing the spool. After the run, I managed to gain some line, but my hands started cramping so I passed the rod to At. He too started cramping up but managed to pull it off the bottom. The fish fought him almost all the way to the boat before giving up. It was a lovely 19kg amberjack!

That fish was the nail in both our coffins so we packed the rods away and headed home.