PLACES
Fishing at Mount Vema, where
Mike Russon and Ryan Nienaber with a 35kg yellowtail caught at Mt Vema.
By Ryan Nienaber
W
HEN you mention Mount Vema to Cape Town yellowtail fishermen, it’s akin to mentioning a unicorn to a small child.This is the place where everything is possible. Dreams of 50kgplus yellowtail can easily become a reality, and from what I have now seen this area may well hold the biggest yellowtail in the world. The sea mount is located 525nm due west of Cape Town, and rises from 5 000m to 26m in a matter of metres. The bank itself extends for several miles and holds lots of ground between 40and 120m, with areas of pinnacles that come shallower. The water is bluer and
clearer than any I have seen before, and the water temperature averages 21.5°C. The currents are more confusing than any I have ever encountered before, with drifts that you simply could not replicate. Our trip was planned on the spur of the moment — a team of seven of us would head out there on a converted 84ft racing yacht (now fitted with a motor and with the mast removed).The goal was to explore Vema and set the bounds of recreational fishing possibilities. The first weather gap was predicted to be between 15 Februar y and 15 March 2021, so we had to be on standby for a day’s notice. On 24 February we saw the weather was looking
promising for calm seas on Vema in three days’ time, and although strong south easterly winds and big seas prevailed around Cape Point on 25 February, we set off. 25 FEBRUARY We departed from Simons Town. Swell was 3.5m and there was a 25 knot south-easterly wind gusting at 30+ knots. 26 FEBRUARY Cruising at a speed of around 8.5 knots we pulled lines from the get go. We got one strike of a tuna, but the hook pulled near the boat. We were not phased and spent this time prepping tackle and talking big stories of what SKI-BOAT July/August 2021 • 27
