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.

Swording is fun ... but its hard work!

On Tuesday 20^th March, Wayne Ritchie, Hansie van Wyk, Herman Olivier and I boarded a plane headed for Kenya. We wanted to focus on broadbill and learning the techniques used to catch them.

We landed in Mombasa at noon on Wednesday 21^st and had an eventful trip up to Watamu where we checked into Ocean Sports. Our charter captain Rob Hellier from “Unreel” met us there for a welcome drink and we discussed the plan for the week. The festivities carried on into the night but luckily, we had some time before we would head to sea.

On Thursday 22^ndat around 3pm, we hopped into a tender made our way to Rob’s boat. From there we headed out to sea for about 10 miles before putting out a few lures and trolling the rest of the way to the rips. Unfortunately, the water colour did not look good on the drop-off, but as we approached the seamount, the water cleared up and looked beautiful.

My Royal Billfish Slam completed!

At around 6:30pm, the lures with squid strips and light sticks were deployed. Two on the outriggers and one on the downrigger at about 30m down. Rob trolled south at about 3-4knots along an underwater ridge that went from 1700ft to 1300ft and back to 1700ft. There were several boats on the water and at 8pm two had released fish. We headed south to where they were fishing and at 10pm, the downrigger rod went away with a speed. There was a commotion on the surface and a big glowing foam as the fish thrashed on the surface. I was on strike and after backing up on the fish and getting it close, it took off on a 200m run straight down. After a further 20 minutes, it was back on top where we could see the light stick just inches from the rod tip. As the Daddus the deckie prepared to take the leader, the worst imaginable thing happened … hook pulled! We had no option but to try again.

Herman's 1st Broadbill

We had caught a few big squid on the surface lures earlier in the evening, so the fresh strips were rigged up. About an hour later, we had a pull on the long rigger, but it never stuck. It came back twice but never hooked up. Rob made a turn and we slipped back a small whole squid. I was busy feeding it out when it was hit. I fed the fish for a while, but again it didn’t connect. Trolling commenced and at 1am, the downrigger rod took off again. The lightstick raced across the surface as the fish went on a fast run. I took the strike and Rob backed up on the lightstick. There were a few tense moments as the fish violently shook its head and made short runs, but eventually it settled down and I could get it under control. Daddus took hold of the leader and brought the fish alongside. Hansie grabbed the bill and they lifted a feisty broadbill swordfish into the boat. After a few quick pics, it was released. I was over the moon! This fish was the last one I needed for my Royal Billfish Slam of 9 billfish species. My trip was made, and it was only night one!

Wayne with a broadie

Without wasting time, the lines went out again. Herman was up next and an hour later, he was hooked up to his first broadbill. This fish came to the boat quickly and after a few pics, was also released. What a night it was!

Things went quiet and apart from a quick on-off on the downrigger at dawn, there was no further action, so we trolled back to Watamu where I celebrated my Royal Billfish Slam and Herman’s first swordfish.

On Friday 23^rd, after a long afternoon / evening snooze, I woke up to the sound of the boats diesel motors idling along. The celebrations had obviously taken their toll on me, but I was glad to be back on the water. After 10pm, there was a hit on the downrigger. After a short run, the fish unfortunately pulled hook. At around midnight, the moon went down and we had a solid take on the downrigger. Wayne was on the rod and made short work of his first broadbill which was also released.

The night wore on with only a few squid bites, and at about 3am the downrigger rod went away again. Hansie took the strike but he immediately felt the heavy shakes of a fish that was wrapped in the leader. It was not surprising when the hook unfortunately pulled. This was the last swordfish bite for the night. When the sun came up, the lures went out and we trolled back. On the way, we managed to get a wahoo and two dorado. 

After two back to back nights, we decided that we needed a day off to recuperate. With all our sleep caught up, we were ready for another two nights.

Hansie "Polu Kai" van Wyk

There were a few fish down south of Kilifi on our off day, so Rob suggested we head there and work our way north if it was quiet. With the lures out, it didn’t take long for us to get a dorado. Not long after, a stripey came in and hooked up on the left short. Wayne was on the rod and after 20 minutes released a feisty marlin. 

There was a ship drifting near the seamount so we trolled around it and caught 3 more dorado. Just before dark, another stripey charged down the lure, but didn’t commit. It seemed there was some daytime action so we hoped that it would continue into the night, but it was anything but. Apart from a few squid, it was very quiet. At about 10pm, while checking the downrigger bait, the rod shook violently and the reel took off as a sword grabbed the lure. Hansie had the rod in his hands when this happened so he was fighting straight away. The fish took some line, but before we could clear the other lines, the hook pulled!

Trolling commenced and at about midnight, the short rigger popped and the reel ran a bit. The light stick hopped in the air as the fish jumped, but it didn’t fight like a sword. It ended up being a small dorado!

Hansie's Swordfish

The moon went down at 1am and we were hoping for the swords to come up, but nothing happened. Rob decided to troll north with the current to the ledge where we had fished the previously. He worked the area for an hour or two and began marking fish. At 4:30, the downrigger rod went away and Hansie was into a broadbill. It went on a deep run and Hans said it felt different, almost as if it was a dead weight. He fought the fish for about 25 minutes before the light stick hit the rod tip. With the fish next to the boat, we could see it had totally wrapped in the leader and was DOA so it was loaded. We were over the moon as all of us had caught a broadbill for the trip!

Grand Slam Blue

With very little time left, the lines went out again and Rob made a turn over the same spot. The short rigger popped and the reel gave a short burst before the hook pulled. I held the bait there and sure enough the fish came back. It missed the hook twice before fading to the long bait which it crashed and hooked up. I could feel it was a small fish so Rob backed up on it and Daddus grabbed the leader. While he was trying to calm the fish down, the hook came out and the fish was released. By now the sky was light so the marlin lures went out. Rob trolled through the rips and over a few seamounts on the way home. First we got a nice dorado and a 20kg wahoo. 

Shortly after, the centre rigger popped and Herman was hooked up to a 300Lbs blue marlin. The fish made several jumps then sounded. After about 45 minutes, it came up and Daddus grabbed the leader and brought the fish along side where it was released. Only then did we realise that we had caught a boat grand slam of 3 billfish species in 24hrs … a first for all of us! Awesome! Despite looking for a black or a sail, it was not to be and we headed back to Watamu. It goes without saying that there was a bit of celebrating that went on that morning…

On our last night, we fished aboard “Tarka” with Cullem. The conditions were a bit bumpier than the previous evening and we rocked and rolled quite a bit in the rips. Things were quiet in the early part of the evening but at 10pm, the short rigger popped. Herman was on the rod and was hooked up to what seemed to be a small sword. Before the other lines were cleared, Herman had the lightstick right next to the boat. We were ready to take the leader when it turned and made a bit of a run. This run then accelerated with big head shakes. Realising it was not that small, the deck was cleared and the fight started in earnest. An hour later, with the line now straight up and down, we got Herman into a harness so he could put some heat on the fish. Unfortunately after only a few minutes, the harness straps ripped off and Herman just managed to grab the rod in time. With another harness on, he fought on into the night. Finally the line angle came up and we could back up on the fish. The light stick was on the surface only meters from the boat. 

Herman after 2 hours

The fish moved out from under the boat’s shadow and obviously did not like the bright moon as it got its head down and made another 100m run straight down. Two hours into the fight, the fish shook its head and shot to the surface. We all thought it had come off, but the rod then keeled over again as the fish changed direction. Again the lightstick was close, but we just could not get the leader and again the fish sounded. This time it swam just below the thermocline and would not budge. There it stayed for another hour while we tried every trick in the book to get the fish to change its mind. Eventually the angle increased and the fish came up. The lightstick was clearly visible 20m from the stern. Cullem backed towards the fish but when it was only meters away, it shook its head and took off on a run that was as strong as its first one more that 3 hours earlier. With the fish still on surface we again slowly backed up on the fish. Herman was gaining line steadily and all was under control when the hook pulled and the fish was gone! 

Wayne with Broadie #2

It was enough to make one cry. After 3 and a half hours, we were so close yet so far. We had drifted 7 miles with the fish and it took us a while to get back to the area we hooked it. By now it was 3am and we were in position again on the ledge. I heard the rigger pop and then the reel took off. Wayne was on the rod and the deckies were clearing the downrigger, so I cleared the long rigger rod. The swivel hit the rod tip and I leaned over to lift the lure into the boat when there was an almighty splash just 2 meters from the transom. The leader ripped out of my hand the rod keeled over. We had a double! I just managed to hold on to the rod as the lightstick flew under the boat and out to the side. The fish went on a mental run on the surface while Wayne’s fish sulked near the boat just under the surface. I let my fish run while Wayne fought and eventually released his second swordfish. By that stage, I was into the backing with 200m topshot off the reel, but we took it calm and soon had the fish just below the boat. Just as the deckie was reaching out to grab the leader, the hook pulled! Nuts!

Jono Boosen Tours

With just an hour of darkness left, the trolling commenced. As the sun came up, the downrigger popped, but when the fish jumped, we saw that is was a dorado which quickly threw the hook. That brought our Kenya Broadbill trip to an end. The aim was to tick a sword off all our boxes and we had done just that … and more. Thanks to the guys for a great trip.

Early morning wake up call

On Saturday 7^th January, Hansie and I launched Mitsufishi off Richards Bay. The weather forecast was great so we decided to fish for marlin. After a short run to the ledge, we put out a spread of lures and worked out way south. The water was a good colour and there were a few good showings on the reef. At about 6:30, I trolled over a good showing in 80m. There was some bait down about 30m so we were pretty sure there might be a fish around. Probably within a minute, Hansie saw a marlin grab the right long lure. The reel took off and the small black went mental on the surface. It greyhounded for a few hundred meters then doubled back straight towards the boat, almost joining us on the deck. The fish turned away from us and too

k some more line while the deck was cleared. Hansie was a bit hesitant to get into the chair, but when he saw that I had no intention of doing so, he had no choice. The fish stayed on the surface and I could back up on it so that Hansie could gain line. As we got closer, we could see that the fish was tailwrapped and belly up on the surface. I quickly grabbed the leader, unwrapped the tail and grabbed the bill to revive it. Hansie got the boat going forward and we could get some water moving over the gills. After probably 20 minutes, the fish started kicking and shaking. When it was released, it hung in the water for a bit before righting itself and swimming off. It was a black marlin of about 70kg.

It was a great way to start the day, but unfortunately other that a window shopping marlin later that afternoon, there was no other action.

Painful end game!

On Saturday 6^th January, Terence and I launched “ABF” off Richards Bay. We were hoping to get a few gamefish. At 5am we were on the pipeline and found a few decent size maasbanker and one mackerel. With the well full, we headed to the ledge. 

On the mark, there was a good mid water showing so Terence send down a live bait on a jigging rig. The bait was on the bottom for a few seconds when it was eaten. Unfortunately, the hook turned into the bait and missed the fish. On the next drop, Terence went tight with a fish that pulled line off the heavy drag as if it was nothing. There were big head nods and strong short runs before it started to tire. Terence had it about half way up when for no apparent reason, the hook pulled! We made a few more drops but had no more luck so I put out a surface bait. It did not take long to get a pull and I went tight with a tuna of some sort. The fish was very stubborn and after a strong fight, I had a big kawa-kawa next to the boat, where we released it. We made several more drifts but the fish seemed to have vanished. I suggested we head into the deeper water on the drop-off and see if we could find some dorado or possibly a marlin. 

We ran out to 100m and put out 2 big live maasbanker and the mackerel and trolled them deeper. Things were very quiet after 2 hours so when I heard that there were a few dorado in shallow I suggested we move. Terence slowly cleared the teasers and two nearby baits. As he was retrieving the far bait, there were a few flying fish that spooked and took to the air. Moments later, Terence shouted he was on and fed the fish bef

ore hooking up. The fish’s first run was hectic, taking a lot of line in a hurry. I chased after it, allowing Terence to gain some line. The fish sounded very deep and settled into big circles. It was obvious that it was a tuna. The long rod took its toll on Terence and after an hour, he passed the rod to me. I pulled as hard as I could and soon it was on the leader, but after 20 minutes, I put Terence back on the rod with the fish still in sight. After a further 20 minutes, I was back on the rod. This was getting ridiculous, so I upped the drag a bit and used what little strength I had left to get the fish on the leader. Terence was able to get the gaff into the 35kg fish and end the pain. The fish was bled and spined before being boated. Both of us were pretty over catching tuna so we called it a day and headed home.

Ending the year with a blue

On 31^st January, Herman, Quinton and I launched Mitsufishi off Richards Bay. We were hoping that the last day of 2017 would be good to us. We worked the drop-off straight off the harbour but despite finding some bait and current lines, there was no action. The day wore on and out of desperation we headed shallower to see if there was a black marlin that would be interested.

We were in about 80m when I saw a fin flash behind the ruckus on the left short. The rigger popped and the 130 took off. The fish never jumped and just made a constant run on the surface. This gave us a chance to clear the other lines and get Quinton into the chair. It was the first time he had fought a fish on the big tackle and was lifted out the seat a few times. After a few minutes, he settled into a good rhythm and had the fish near the boat. The fish was on the leader, but by no means tired! It made a few big head nods, turned 180 degrees and took off on another good run. Thee heavy drag took its toll on the fish and it was soon on the leader again. It was extremely stubborn, and I struggled to get its head out from under the boat. At one stage, it touched the boat and went mental, ripping the leader out my gloves as it took off straight down. All we could see was the electric blue tail kicking hard as it swam into the depths. After a few minutes though, the fish was on the leader again. This time I managed to get a few wraps on the leader and pull the fish up against the side of the boat. We were all surprised to see that it was in fact a blue marlin of about 120kg and not the black we were expecting. This fish was hooked in the top of the eye socket which is probably why it gave us such a tough time. On closer inspection, there was also a longliner hook in the corner of the mouth, so the fish obviously had some experience. Herman removed the hook and sent the marlin on its way.

With the new years festivities happening later that evening, we decided to head back to port, ending off the year in a good way.