Fin-S

Also some excellent news out of Hemingways in Kenya. The boat Simba registered a first ever tournament fantasy slam, 2 blacks, one blue, 1 stripey, 5 (!) broadbill and 2 sailfish in a 24 hour session - all released. One angler achieved super grand slam (4 species) whilst one got a grand slam (3). Awesome fishing, and even better to see them released. This was in March but I only heard about it now - apologies if it has already been posted.

As Dave said, should be no problem provided you are using a decent reel with a high capacity. Due to the exponential cost of good line and large reels, we now tend to drop down a size in reel and main line and add a top shot of 200m of the heavier stuff. ie, TLD 50/2 with 400m 50lb and then 200m 80lb.

7 for 5 is excellent fishing in anybodys book, well done, I can just imagine the grandstanding in front of the hotel! Gary Cullen still runs the place although it is now much more 5 star tourism than just fishing, and White Bear is still around although I haven't fished off her. I've had a baby blue and stripey on fly and have hooked and lost 4 sailies so far, but still looking for the elusive 1st T&R. (Managed 2 longfin tuna and a yellowfin of 73LBs last week from home waters off CPT, and a baby blue shark of 10lbs all on the fly - one of those awesome days). I fully agree about the cowboys and Kenya, although northern Mozambique is looking good (and Tanzania) and Angola has plenty of potential which I hopefully will be looking at in October. I guess the hotspot now is Guatemala and that area, 20 shots / day is normal! Where do you travel to nowadays?

Hi argyll, quite correct on the stripeys but re the blacks: Pemba Channel (and hence the island) are about 1000kms north of Pemba in Moz, which is another 1000kms north of Beira. It is now thought that due to the shallow water (in the vicinity of Beira) and lack of serious bottom structure, the blacks stay well offshore beyond reach. It appears as if they come in at the Bazaruto archipelago and then head offshore until the Quelimane area. In mid summer there have been a few caught but it is not really known as a marlin fishery. And no, in 1993 I was a deckie in Guam and the Marshall Islands. I heard that there used to be an open tournament fished up there (how did you do by the way?)but I guess that was before Sodwana / Richards Bay opened up. Most of SADSAA (our governing body) tournaments are now held locally bar the sailfish nationals (still in Kenya, although with diminishing catch returns) and they are all release based. I was up at Hemingways in November trying for a sailie on fly and really battled to tease them. Plenty around but very few hook ups even on conventional gear. For a mind like a steel wassitsname, you've got a good memory.

Agree pretty much with Argyll, bar the billfish. Bear in mind that August is mid winter (affects sea temp more than land, should still be 26 degrees or more)and hence species will be limited, also that Beira is a port city and some access is limited. This would mean that you either go the gamefish route for trevally, runners, king mackeral and queenfish, or go the bottom route for sharks, rays and barracuda. For gamefish concentrate on rips and estuary mouths (presuming you'll be on the shore) and you should find trevally (known as kingfish locally) and queenfish. The king mackeral (known as barracouta, or simply 'couta) tend to be in deeper water and you may pick one up from the port piers if you fish them. Try a 10ft plus spinning rod and a 6500 size reel, 25lb line, 50lb leader and throw spoons, poppers, Rapalas etc. For bottom fishing 12ft heavy rod, 9000 sized reel, 40lb line, 100+lb leader and 10/0 hooks. Either a large deadbait (1lb) or a livebait on a slider rig. Cast into gullies or rips off the beach. If you really fancy a decent shark, try beaten mullet or mackeral head wrapped in squid. Mostly we fish with the reel down the butt as it is easier to play big fish and use a rod belt. If you post more specifics as to exactly where you are going, I may be able to give more pointers - ie north to the Zambezi mouth, Paindene Beach etc.....

Hi Grant, Try www.lynski.com ctc Tom, or Casea ctc Kit Case. Hotels will have all the brochures. The first is a larger sportfisherman with an excellent reputation for billfish who will also game fish, whereas Casea is a general purpose surf launched charter who really look after their clients. If you get a chance head an hour south and try Sensational Charters, ctc Denise for a day on Protea reef for some small (10 - 30 kg)yellowfin - more action and great fight on light gear. As for the safety, stay away from the city and south beachfronts at night. North beach and Umhlanga are quite safe. Take all the normal precautions, ie do not go off the beaten track alone, do not carry large amounts of cash, passport, all your cards etc and you should be fine. In general you should find it safer than Goodison Park on a Saturday.....

Snatcher, You have PM. Get tying! Cheers, Fin-S

Cape Town? Weathers good, fish are biting and plenty for the other half to do.

I recall speaking to Trevor Housby back in the 80's after he started trips to Madeira. He was of the firm opinion that there was no way a 50+ year old grandmother (with apologies to Ms. Yallop) could handle a 500lb mako, especially on the limited tackle available in the UK at that time. Having fought a number of large sharks including some sizeable makos, I guess it is possible, although I would be dubious. Re the link to NewEngland, sickening stuff, and that is why they need protection.

Hi Alan, Could be me you're thinking of from Cape Town. No one here will target them although they are an incidental bycatch. Probably the best bet now would be Cuba, although to hook one in preparation for release is rather difficult as they tend to gulp their food, and unless the bait is large (over 60lbs) the chances are it will be gut hooked. Cheers, Fin-S

Snatcher, Those are very good imitations and I'm sure will catch plenty. Dunno if sandeels live around the bottom in the sand or midwater, but if it's the former maybe an idea to tie them with a heavy dumbell set of eyes so they swim upside down and kick up the sand without hanging up? But those above are very impressive!

Thanks guys, Good idea re the braid, will give it a go. I think a longer rod will be a disadvantage due to the lack of lifting power, but will have a look at the Ugly Stiks. Perhaps it would be best for you to get sponsored by a tackle company? Yeah, but Shimano is taken, Penn are not keen and we tried Okuma but honestly the kit was c..p. Will give Daiwa a shout though. Thanks for the help.

Hi All, One of our most productive offshore techniques here in Cape Town is spinning for albacore (long fin tuna) and yellowtail. The former are normally spun for when you have them under the boat in the chum line, and the yellowtail by casting ahead of a feeding shoal. The problem is the lures / spinners weigh between 1 - 4 oz, are fished on 30lb line to a quarry between 15 - 60lb, and the cast often needs to be 50m plus. We normally use a 7'6" - 8' rod, 12 - 30lb test, with a decent spinning reel (9000/SL50) in the reel up position. Unfortunately I can no longer find such a rod locally, as all the South African rods are reel down and I have enough problems stopping birds nests with my good hand! Are there any strong uptiders around that would fit the criteria, or any other solution that may work? The rods are used for charter purposes so need to be good quality and price is not really a criteria. Thanks in advance, FS

Hi All, 90% certain it's a juvenile bigeye, very dificult to be sure with the babies and very sad that if it is a bigeye, it will only be 18 months old. Perhaps one of your local conservationists could check out the rules of sale in the UK, but under ICCAT (covering Atlantic tunas) the sale of juvenile fish is prohibited. On another note our local rag here in Cape Town has as a coincidence, the following: "According to boat anglers who have been fishing off Cape Point, the warm water in the deep still shows signs of plenty of different kinds of bait fish around. These fish should attract the Marlin and Dorado and other types of warm water game fish. In fact, there was a Marlin strike in the deep water off Cape Point. Mike Casserley of the Gordon's Bay Boat Angling Club hooked and played a large Marlin for quite some time during the weekend and had the pleasure of seeing the fish leap out of the water a number of times, before it parted the line. This Marlin strike apparently occurred a short distance off Cape Point. Fin-S had a charter on Monday morning and fished in the deep off Cape Point where they managed to catch three smallish Yellowfin, a number of Longfin Tuna, a few Skipjack and their quota of Yellowtail coming back past Cape Point. Also on Monday Wicked Lady, fishing 37 miles west of Hout Bay, had an excellent haul of Longfin Tuna - the count for the morning was 83 fish." Firstly it is rather late for us to pick up so many longfin and also blue / black marlin strikes are very rare. Maybe I must swop the tuna gear for some 80lb marlin sticks

I guess much depends on your definition of big game. If you really want to tangle with a big blue then the current hotspot would be Ghana, Averaging 2 strikes a day and the average weight is over 600lbs - try Johan Zietsman on Karma. However, there is not much else to do and fishing is limited to big marlin and the newly discovered big yellowfin and big eye. If it is a big black, then Cairns although I am not sure for how much longer. If smaller but more billfish are the target then Venezuala, St. Thomas, Costa Rica, Guatamala would all be on the list with the latter being the best bet for sailies (try Brad Phillips on Pelagian)and St.Thomas the best for learning about blues. (bear in mind that the September moon is the best for blues with up to 20 fish a day). If general gamefishing is acceptable then Hawaii, States, Kenya or Mozambique would be on my list. You will be spoilt for choice on the first two but in Kenya I would also recommend Hemingways (Capt Ali), or Pat and Simon Hemphill in Shimoni who actually have a better marlin record. In Moz, stick with Marlin Lodge, great 5* spot and good fishing. November is also a good month. Personally I would stay away from Mauritius (overpriced and overfished) and Maldives, but the Seychelles may be a good option on a liveaboard going to St. Josephs atoll. Anyway sounds like an awesome trip, good luck.

I think he would have been safe enough without the cage, cannot imagine any shark being hungry / inquisitive enough to nibble on that skinny, drug infected body. As an aside, he mentions he was on a boat with a mate a mine (Chris, local photographer / diver) and they saw 11 seal attacks in 1 day - just shows how few fish there are around at the moment as the sharks would definately prefer fresh yellowtail / tuna rather than the seals. So now we protect seals and sharks (which is good) but leave their food source to be exploited by all and sundry....go figure.

mmm, methinks more of a marketing gimmick than a real attractor. Sure, it may work some of the time on some of the fish but if it were that good why arn't longliners using it and why haven't IGFA banned it as per F.A.D.'s.? Also if the sound is supposed to imitate baitfish in distress, why have three different models, surely a mackerel sounds like a mackerel to a tuna, marlin or shark.

Hi Bob, I have noticed the same on the predators and on the small stuff (bait fish etc). I find that we cruise upwind of a reef that has a few fish holding on it, drop the pick and by the time we settle, the same patch of reef looks full up with shoals of the smaller stuff. We often then get hit on the drop. Obviously the result differs depending on the species and depth but generally most warm water gamefish are attracted to movement and disturbance (a la the rest of a shoal following a hooked fish around). One of our more successful ideas this season was to rig up a flasher / chum rig. 50m of 100lb nylon with flattie spoons (just the plain spoon, no hooks) threaded on every 5m and kept separate by a bead and stop knot. Tie a galvanised bucket on the end with holes punched through it and a 5lb sash weight in it and fill with frozen chum. Tie off to the bow cleat and simply replace every hour or so. Our best day thus far was +/- 50 yellowtail all from under the boat whilst the rest of the fleet were scratching to get into double figures. Yesterday however we blanked......still, it has now become part of our routine.

Five Great White sharks spoiled the day on Sunday for hundreds of bathers looking for relief from the summer heat. The alarm was raised shortly after 3pm and caused bathers in the water anxious moments as they tried to get out of the water as quickly as possible. Muizenberg's Surfer's Corner and Sunrise Beach were closed for bathing until 9am on Monday after the sharks were spotted 100m from the coastline. 'When he saw the shark from the air his opinion quickly changed' Nick Reyneke of SA Surf Lifesaving, who was in a patrol helicopter, said "the water was clear and they were definitely Great Whites". "It's uncommon for sharks to be so close to popular beaches. It's cause for concern ... we're worried about the bathers." He said a surfskier at Fish Hoek was lifted out of the water by their rescue helicopter after they spotted a shark following him. "He was annoyed that we had asked him to get out of the water but when he saw the shark from the air his opinion quickly changed and he thanked us," said Reyneke.

Thanks for the welcome guys. It has been popoular for about 4 years now but is growing more and more every year. Generally we view the yak as a glorified surf board rather than as a small boat hence we often spend time in the water, but with a vest and the warm water it is not too much of a problem. Also it is actually quite difficult to get tossed out of once you are familiar with the balance. The local yaks have a reasonable 'V' to help the surf handling and quite a flat rear end for stability. As Newt mentioned, most of us have back rests as well so they are not that bad. With regard to handling the fish, a short leader, a small gaff and a big priest tend to subdue most of them, and as we fish in pairs if the fish is really difficult then we help each other. (Last season some of the guys fishing Mozambique even managed to CAR sailies and a black marlin of about 120kgs!)Unfortunately I live in Cape Town where I do not use the yak due to the shark situation, but when I am next in Durban (about a fortnight) I will hopefully get some early season pics of the launch and some tunny (if that hasn't put the curse on them). Also I have attached a cut out from the local rag....

Starvinmarvin, Yep, easier for both getting out through the breakers with the additional floatation at the front, and for surfing back in when the hatch has got some fish in it. As you can see in the gallery it is not unusual to have a king mackerel and a tunny on board that can add 40kgs or more. Also means you can get the fish with teeth in the hatch without the sharp bits getting near the family jewels!

Hi YY, Have been following the progress of kayaks in your part of the world with some interest, and am really impressed with the effort you guys go to. Kayaks have really taken off here (South Africa) on our East coast where we call them fishing skis, and are now starting to take over from the traditional ski boat as they seem to get some really good catch rates. Have a look at our local site to see what I mean, www.fishingski.co.za How do these kayaks compare to the ones you use, features, price etc? PS 1 GBP = 12 rand Cheers for now.

Thanks for the welcome Newt. Yeah, we are quite fortunate here, but if anyone is heading down this way drop us a line. I run a 25' cat with 2 x 115 4 strokes and am more than happy to put guys amongst the fish.

Hi all, Have been reading the forum for a while now and finally decided to register. I am based at Gordon's Bay, Cape Town, South Africa and am a part time charter skipper for both inshore and offshore species. The fish Bob is catching are very common here in our summer months and are known locally as Geelbek (Afrikaans for yellow mouth) or Cape Salmon, Latin - Atractionscion aequidens. We normally get them in shoals when the water is 18degrees or more in depths of 15m down to 40m and they tend to feed better at dawn and dusk. Bait is a whole sardine or sardine / squid combo on a 8-10/0 direct to 50lb fluorocarbon. Put up a good fight and taste really good. The bones in the ear are known as otoliths and are also popular here for jewellery. Anyway, nice fish Bob, here's wishing you many more. Cheers for now.