Ski-Boat magazine March 2024

Seacat 565

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CONTENTS

March/April 2024 Volume 40 Number 2 COVER: GOLDEN DELICIOUS Mark de la Hey with a solid bull dorado caught off KwaZulu-Natal.There was an unprecedented run of these big bulls off KZN this summer. See page 43.

FEATURES

7

Where to Fish Part 13:Tongaat to Tugela, KwaZulu-Natal — by James and Dylan Westoby

16

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 2023 Billfish 15 000 Tournament — by Blyde Pretorius

22

Fantasy Becomes Reality Billfish 15 000 winners share their journey — by Henry Gouws

27

7

Sprinbok vs All Black Juba tackles Bazaruto’s grander marlin — by Erwin Bursik

30

Quest for a Grander History of the mighty black marlin catches in southern Africa — by Erwin Bursik

37

Terminal Trouble Sorting out the business end of your gamefishing gear — by Craig Stubbs

47

Fortune Favours the Brave 2024 CMI Juniors and Ladies comp — by 3HEENA #ARNIE

50

16

Blood, Sweat and Tears Earns the Prize 2024 CMI Top Lady Angler tells how it’s done — by Nikki Thoresson

60

Coming Across Loud and Clear How to improve your communication out at sea — by Jan Otto

DEPARTMENTS

47

4

Editorial — by Erwin Bursik

57

Mercury Junior Anglers

34

50 lb+ Q-Fish ’Cuda Club

58

Bell Reel Kids

43

Kingfisher Awards

62

Marketplace & Ad Index

52

SADSAA News

63

Business Classifieds & Directory

55

Subscribe and win

64

Rapala Lip — Last Word from the Ladies

The official magazine of the South African Deep Sea Angling Association

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Publisher: Erwin Bursik Editor: Sheena Carnie Advertising Executive: Mark Wilson Editorial Assistant: Lynette Oakley Contributors: Erwin Bursik, Sheena Carnie, Henry Gouws, Hilton Kidger, Jan Otto, Blyde Pretorius, Craig Stubbs, Nikki Thoresson, Dylan Westoby and James Westoby.

ADVERTISING – National Sales: Mark Wilson, Manager — 073 748 6107 Lyn Oakley, Sales — 082 907 7733 ADVERTISING – Gauteng & Mpumalanga: Lyn Adams — 083 588 0217 Publishers: Angler Publications cc PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 Telephone: (031) 572-2289 e-mail: angler@mags.co.za Subscriptions to SKI-BOAT: R220 per annum (six issues).

New subscriptions and renewals: SKI-BOAT Subscriptions Department Telephone: (031) 572-2289 • e-mail: angler@mags.co.za • Through www.anglerpublications.co.za, or E-zine through <www.issuu.com> Printing: Novus Print, Cape Town Distribution: On The Dot <Portia.Nguyuza@onthedot.co.za> Full production is done in-house by Angler Publications & Promotions on Apple Macintosh software and hardware.

SKI-BOAT Magazine, ISSN 0258-7297, is published six times a year by Angler Publications & Promotions cc, Reg. No. CK 88/05863/23, and is distributed by On the Dot, as well as directly by the publishers to retail stores throughout South Africa.

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Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers, the managing editor, editor, editorial staff or the South African Deep Sea Angling Association.

4 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

EDITORIAL

BELATED APPRECIATION FOR THE GOLDEN “GOOSE”

D

ORADO, or mahi-mahi as the fish is known internationally, have been on my mind a lot over the last few months. Not only is this the gamefish species that heralds the start of the gamefish season on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, but it’s also a species that has shot to prominence over the last decade or two as a prime target species. Dorado is now so popular as a table fish, that it’s even called the “chicken of the sea”, but it wasn’t Erwin Bursik always so ...

Publisher From the late 1950s, and right through till the mid-1970s, dorado – regardless of their spectacular fighting powers and stunning beauty when coming to the boat – didn’t rate at all compared to the ’cuda (king mackerel) that was by far the primary target of all ski-boaters off our coast.

Indeed, ’cuda was king, and by far the premier table fish according to all the anglers in this part of the country.

During that period, dorado and yellowfin tuna were considered to be an undesirable catch and a waste of prime ’cuda baits. So much so – and I’m talking from personal experience – that when the shoals of yellowfin tuna and/or dorado came onto the pinnacles of No. 1, our primary ’cuda area of that time, we would pull in our ’cuda baits and move away as we were not wasting our precious “boneys” and time on “trash fish”.

We called them trash fish because, quite simply, no-one wanted them as nobody would eat them. In fact, they were so despised that if one ended the day with a few tuna or dorado, it was a real problem to get rid of the carcasses. I even tried offering them to ORI (then based at the end of West Street), and they only reluctantly took the odd tuna to feed their sharks. Dorado ended up in the Umgeni River for the crabs.

Unbelievable as it may now seem, this was the case in those days. If you don’t believe me, look at all the old photographs of Natal-caught fish and you’re unlikely to find any species other than ’cuda and the odd Natal snoek.

During those early years I tried to establish why it was that no-one wanted dorado and tuna, and the answer I got from friends and associates alike, was why should they take those species when they much preferred ’cuda which were plentiful.

When it came to dorado, one of my staff said, “No thank you, it’s got ‘snake skin’ and Africans won’t touch it.” My Indian associates said the flesh of the dorado was useless in curry because it just fell to pieces, and they didn’t like the dark meat of the tuna which is not white like ’cuda.

The only person I knew of who would take yellowfin was a Mauritian expat who crewed for me. His aunt made curry with the tuna which everyone raved about.

Although I’m still not partial to eating yellowfin tuna, I now consider dorado to be one of my top-rated table fish species and have joined the “herd” rushing all over the ocean hoping that a dorado or two ends up in my fish hatch.

I think a large part of the reason no one wanted the dorado back then was that we didn’t treat them well after we landed them. On one occasion I caught a good one at Vidal and left for Durban straight after beaching, so I wrapped the fish in a black bag and hit the road. When I got home I tried to fillet it, but it was “pap”, so I stuck it in the freezer to use for chum the next time I went out to sea.

Bear in mind that back then we couldn’t just stop at the local garage on our way to the beach to pick up a few bags of ice. In the early days, all the fish I caught were stuck into a “streepsak” on the foredeck of my open S128 and the only cooling they got was the occasional bucket of sea water tossed over them. The thrashing fish that were later added to the sack wouldn’t have helped their condition. No wonder the soft-fleshed dorado ended up as pulp.

Needless to say, I now put all my fish on ice and dorado has gone from zero to hero. A quick glance at the Kingfisher Awards page of this issue will show that some really spectacular bull dorado have already been caught off KZN this season, and the anglers’ smiles are further proof of their popularity nowadays.

With the advent of a new year, our sincere hope is that 2024 will bring you all not only a year of health, wealth and happiness, but also some incredible days on the ocean.

Erwin Bursik

BACK TO BASICS

by James and Dylan Westoby

W

E are truly blessed with great fishing spots north of Durban, although our seas can be challenging at times with surf launching and the renowned big “shorey”. Unfortunately we don’t have the luxury of a sheltered or harbour launch site, so we cannot get out as much as we would like to and hence our fishing days are restricted, but the silver lining is that this restricted access is Mother Nature’s way of conserving our reefs.

We have been launching and fishing out of Tinley Manor for many years and are happy to share some of our experiences on where to fish between Tongaat and the Tugela, as well as share some advice on tactics for this area. It’s amazing how techniques can vary from one place to the next.

One always should always be mindful of conditions – surf, tides, current, water temperature, colour of water, current etc. – before deciding on the day’s plan of action.

Fortunately our weather apps nowadays help us pick our preferred fishing days well in advance.

Fishing has many variables which, I guess, is what makes it so interesting as there are seldom two days which are exactly the same.

Being in tune with the elements is essential, not only from a fishing point of view but also from a safety point of view. We generally try to avoid launching on a spring high tide as the shorey is such a big factor in that area. We also prefer fishing a pushing tide, so that will sometimes influence the timing of our launch.

Like with any area, you’ll target different fish at different times of the year. We have a broad spectrum of gamefish and bottomfish we can target and this can sometimes cause a lot of indecisiveness when it

Dylan Westoby with a beautiful Cape yellowtail caught off the northern KZN coast. This species has been much more prevalent in these waters this year than in previous years.

Part 13:Tongaat to Tugela, KZN SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 7

A good haul of daga salmon caught off northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Species Yellowfin tuna

Best time of year December to July

’Cuda

December to July

Snoek

April to July

Dorado Cape yellowtail Garrick

December to July July to January August to October

Bait

All year

No. 1.

2.

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Name Zimbali Salmon Bay Wreck Silver Mine Salt Rock Nets Tiffany’s Yellowtail Rusty’s Umhlali River Mouth Tinley Backline Zetene Jex Mvoti River Mouth SHP Zinkwazi High Point Mids Zinkwazi High Point North Prince’s Grant 1 Prince’s Grant 2 SOS Zinkwazi Sandy’s

Best Areas Tiffany’s, Zimbali, Umhlali River Mouth, Zetene, Prince’s Grant Zetene, Jex, Prince’s Grant, Sandy’s, Zinkwazi High Point Umhlali River Mouth, Jex, Prince’s Grant Yellowtail, colour lines and FADs Yellowtail, Zinkwazi high point Tiffany’s, Umhlali River Mouth, Mvoti River Mouth Salmon Bay wreck,Tinley backline, Rusty’s, Salt Rock Nets,Yellowtail, SOS, SHP, Zinkwazi HP Co-ordinates [S; E] 29 34 074 31 12 961 29 32 963 31 12 977 29 32 635 31 25 642 29 30 482 31 14 554 29 30 257 31 14 741 29 30 391 31 22 167 29 28 310 31 17 537 29 27 832 31 16 950 29 26 615 31 17 776 29 25 371 31 19 281 29 24 074 31 20 359 29 23 470 31 20 921 29 25 111 31 29 352 29 23 834 31 32 965 29 22 960 31 35 010 29 20 702 31 23 699 29 20 352 31 23 963 29 18 585 31 26 586 29 17 624 31 27 624

Another solid yellowtail caught off KZN.

comes to preparing tackle ahead of a fishing trip.You have to have a gameplan the night before and be prepared to be flexible if need be.

The general perception has always been that we target pelagic gamefish in summer and bottomfish in winter, but that’s definitely not always the case. It’s usually a big point of discussion on the beach before launching and is always interesting listening to the conversations. Sometimes our plan will be to head straight out into the deep to target dorado, but then we hear that the snoek were wild inshore the previous day and we begin frantically rummaging for snoek traces and spoons in the dark.

The gamefish we generally target on this stretch of the North Coast are ’cuda (king mackerel), dorado, yellowfin tuna, Natal snoek and garrick. We also target bottomfish such as daga salmon, geelbek, musselcracker, rockcod and reds. Lately we’ve caught an unprecedented number of Cape yellowtail which is very pleasing to see.We also occasionally get billfish and wahoo, but they are generally not our target species.

The key to fishing on the KZN North Coast is, without a doubt, livebait. Unless you’re targeting Natal snoek, it’s always good to invest time in catching decent livebait, preferably mackerel.

Trolling artificial lures for hours on end is not the best form of attack in this area.

There are several good bait spots like Salt Rock nets,Tinley backline, Rusty’s, Ballito wreck, SOS and SHP. Shark nets tend to be a good spot for livebait, especially if they have drum lines which are effectively big baited hooks.

Catching livebait is sometimes the biggest challenge and is almost worthy of a separate article purely on this aspect.

There are various types of bait jigs and some work well on some days and not on others; some work well for mozzies others work better for mackerel, so always have more than one type of bait jig onboard. We like to use a 4oz sinker on our rig so we can cast the bait jig if we see bait on the surface. It’s a lovely feeling seeing full strings of mackerel coming up.

One never knows how much is “enough” livebait, but you don’t want to run out, so I always try to load as much bait as possible and as quickly as possible. One obviously doesn’t want to waste too much of the early morning prime-time fishing for bait, though, so the sooner you get your bait back in the water, the better. It’s always good to have a few decent frozen baits like mackerel, bonito or walla walla as backup as well.

Once the live well is loaded with a decent number of livebait, it’s time to start fishing.

If we’re targeting ’cuda or tuna, our go-to will normally be Zetene, Jex Estate, Prince’s Grant or Sandy’s off Zinkwazi depending on the colour and temperature of the water. Don’t be concerned if the water inshore is a bit green – big ’cuda don’t mind it.

These areas we fish are inshore areas and are renowned for big ’cuda and tuna. There are some big sharks there too, though, so you must look sharp. It’s usually a good idea to persevere in the shallows (15- to 35m) before making the next move.

The water colour and temperature can vary drastically between all these areas, and the Mvoti River is a big factor for this so keep in comms with other boats.

Keep your VHF on channel 69 and listen to what the other boats are saying. Anglers on all areas along the coast should actually agree to use the same channel, but for some reason each area seems to use a different channel and Channel 69 is what we use on the North Coast.

TROLLING We normally prefer to slow troll livebaits at various depths for ’cuda, tuna and dorado, and either throw a spoon or a popper while we’re slow trolling.We never really drift for ’cuda in this area as we find slow trolling to be more effective because you

Dylan Westoby caught this yellowfin tuna on a popper while slow trolling for ’cuda with livebait on Zetene, Umhlali. cover more ground and your live baits behave better.

Advancements in technology like the autopilot is a huge advantage when slow trolling; it’s like having an extra crew member, so make sure you use your technology to the full.

I find that even if we don’t get a hit on the spoon or the popper, having this action drastically improves the strike rate on the livebaits; it calls the fish like a dinner bell. Have a small spoon ready at all times, as the areas shown on the map alongside are good snoek areas and these fish often start surfacing within casting distance of the boat.

We used to catch a lot of tuna around the dolphins, which led us to start charging all over the ocean looking for dolphins, but this method has not been as productive for the past couple of years.We now find it’s more productive to set your livebaits in good areas which also gives you a chance of catching other species like ’cuda.

River mouths can be very interesting places to fish as you may also discover a definite colour line which is always a SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 11

billfish, wahoo and GT.These reefs also give you the option of good bottomfish such as kob, musselcracker, rockcod and reds.

For the guys that enjoy jigging or working a bucktail, Silvermine and all the deeper reefs mentioned will produce good fish like amberjack, tropical yellowtail, bonito and kingfish.

Tom de Charmoy with a nice dorado and ’cuda. good option for dorado and snoek. Mvoti River mouth and Umhlali River mouth often produce distinct colour lines, so be on the lookout when fishing these areas.

If the inshore areas prove to be unproductive or conditions aren’t great, we may out to the deeper reefs like yellowtail or Zinkwazi high points.

Again, communication is key and it is always an advantage if you can speak to skippers from some of the other boats before you rush out there. Fuel is expensive and fishing time is valuable, so you never want to waste too much time charging all over the ocean for no good reason.

Sometimes the conditions are worse in the deep and you are better off staying in place. You can’t be in two places at once, so don’t be in too much of a hurry to rush off.The guys on the fishing ski’s tend to do very well for a number of reasons, but one of them is they stay put and they spend 99% of their time with a bait in the water. Sometimes you just need to sit tight.

The deeper reefs are generally good for gamefish such as ’cuda, tuna, dorado, bonito, Cape yellowtail and the occasional 12 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

LAUNCHING Launching from any launch site on the KZN North Coast is not for the fainthearted and it is always advisable to speak to one of the local skippers before attempting to launch.

There many do’s and don’ts specific to each launch site, hence each launch site would have adopted their own unique protocol in the interests of safety. You will also need to produce your skipper’s ticket, seaworthy certificate, VHF radio licence etc. to the safety officer prior to launching.

Tides are a major factor at all launch sites, and the conditions can be completely different between high and low tides and from one day to the next, so it is imperative that you speak to a representative from the local club to advise you on the current conditions for that day.

Here is a list of the launch sites with contact numbers and a bit of info on each: • Umhlanga (Granny’s Pool) Rob Shepard 079 1777 380 No visitors’ launch fee; R200 tractor fee for visitors. First time visitors will need to do three “in & outs” with the safety officer before being authorised to launch on their own.There is a relatively safe protected area in the bay of Granny’s Pool, and rocks are probably the biggest hazard here.

• Umdloti Anthony Malgora 072 434 0360 No visitor’s launch fee; no tractor service available. Only small boats and jetskis that can be pushed in by hand can launch here. It’s quite a steep beach usually with a big shorebreak at high tide.

• Westbrook Denver Maistry 073 186 0000 R200 visitor’s launch fee; no tractor service available.Only small boats and jetski’s that can be pushed in by hand can launch here. It’s quite a steep beach usually with a big shorebreak at high tide, and submerged rocks so beware.

• Ballito (Salmon Bay) Kallie Schultz 083 236 8368 Tractor/visitor launch fee is currently under review.This is also quite a steep beach usually with a big shorebreak at high tide, and rocks north and south of the bay.

• Tinley Manor James Westoby 082 558 6805 R300 launch fee; no tractor service available. Again, only small boats and jetskis that can be pushed in by hand can launch here. It’s quite a steep beach usually with a big shorebreak at high tide • Blythedale Neels Berkhuizen 082 554 0052 R250 launch fee; limited use of tractor • Zinkwazi Roy Salvesen 082 449 3943 R200 launch fee plus R50/crew member; tractor service available for pushing in and retrieving at R200/launch Shorebreak is also a factor on high tides and there are rocks to the south. The launch can be tricky when the river mouth is open.There are restrictions on certain public holidays.

• Tugela Jan du Plessis 084 549 8210 R200 launch fee; no tractor service available. Conditions vary drastically here – sometimes you launch through the Tugela River and sometimes from the beach.

Tight lines out there.

COMPETITION

STANDING ON THE

John Pledger from Down South Trading, one of the Billfish 15 000 sponsors, with a few of the founder members – Tini van Rensburg, Phillip Conradie, Neil Steyn, Jan Hendriksz and Doors van Rensburg.

The hard working organising committee of the 2023 Billfish 15 000 Tournament.

16 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

SHOULDERS OF GIANTS 2023 Billfish 15 000 Tournament

By Blyde Pretorius Photos by Kiki Corner Photography

I

N 1987 the first Billfish 15 000 took place and had 60 boats competing for R15 000. That’s where the Billfish 15 000 got its name from. Founder member Piet Joubert from Northern Transvaal Ski-Boat Club started with a prizegiving in a marquee which gave the tournament the island feeling that everyone loves.

In 1997, Dorado Ski-Boat Club bought the Billfish 15 000 from Northern Transvaal Ski-Boat Club and have been hosting it for the past 27 years. At the tournament in 2000, 179 boats competed for prizes to the value of R1.5 million.That’s quite a step up in prize value and the number of participants!

The number of billfish released has also varied substantially each year. In 1987 virtually no billfish were released, but fortunately the anglers didn’t give up. During the 2009 tournament in which there were only two days of angling due to bad weather conditions, four marlin were caught and weighed and 14 billfish were released. The Billfish 15 000 made headlines with a new world record in 2011 when 133 billfish were successfully released in five days.

The 37th Billfish 15 000 held at Sodwana Bay from 12

to 17 November 2023, left in its wake both elated and disappointed anglers who all fought their hearts out for the coveted top spot. In total, 36 billfish were released – 20 blue marlin, four black marlin, eight striped marlin, two short-billed spearfish and two sailfish.

Dorado Ski-Boat Club and their incredible team worked tirelessly, from long before the start of the event and throughout the following week to make this the prestigious event it is on the fishing calendar.

As always, the atmosphere in the tent was electric, and over 400 anglers gathered on the Sunday evening to socialise and attending the skippers’ briefing which kicks off this popular annual competition.

This was the last time the Billfish 15 000 was to be hosted in the marquee, as the 2024 Billfish 15 000 will move to the newly built giant venue at Sodwana Ski-Boat Club.

Special tribute was paid to the founder members of the Billfish 15 000 – Jan Hendriksz, Doors van Rensburg,Tini van Rensburg, Philip Conradie and Neil Steyn.Those who couldn’t be there in person were still able to get a tast of the gees thanks to B-Promotions who live streamed the whole event throughout the week. Likes and comments streamed in on social media from all corners of the globe.

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 17

The weigh-in area outside the tent – Castle Corner – was also an immense success when Happy Hour started and everyone could see details of all the daily releases displayed on a big screen and by-catches that were weighed. As always, the MC, Jaco Hendriksz was very entertaining, when he gave a rundown of the day’s happenings each evening.

When the fishing started in earnest, tension could be felt each evening as new catches changed the face of the leaderboard and those lucky enough to make their mark waited in anxious anticipation of what would happen the following day.

The first day’s launch went smoothly despite the rough sea. By 5.10am the first hook-up had been reported and by 5.25am Fanus Momberg on Viskoors had released the first billfish of the day – a black marlin.

The biggest bycatch that day went to Francois du Toit who landed a 15.9kg wahoo on C-Cruiser. Eight billfish were released on the first day including a blue marlin for Malcolm van der Merwe fishing on FantaSea. Day two was a bumper day for blue marlin with ten of that species being released along with one striped marlin, one black marlin and one spearfish.

Tielman Roos, fishing aboard Climax, had the catch of a lifetime – his 97.2kg yellowfin tuna was the second biggest bycatch in the history of the Billfish 15000! Team Viskoors led the charge for the competition for the first two days.

Striped marlin pipped the blues on day three, with six stripey releases to three blues. Three black marlin were also recorded, and the first sailfish of the week hit the charts. Team FantaSea moved into top position overall with 505 points thanks to a black marlin caught by Mario Els. Team Viskoors was in second position (490 points) and Tail Walker a close third (487 points).

When day four dawned, most anglers thought it was not worth launching, but almost all braved the potential hazards anyway. Organiser and compere Jaco Hendriksz said the sea was the best it had been all week, though it got rough and choppy between 8 and 9am.

The fish weren’t worried by that, though, and there were nine strikes, seven hook-ups and two releases. Team FantaSea was among the few teams who threw caution to the (strong) winds to launch on day four; they were rewarded when Henry Gouws released a blue marlin just after 8am. Team Bakgat had already released a sailfish at 7.38am. Eventually fishing was called off after only a few hours due to the poor conditions.

Henr y Gouws on FantaSea said they went out knowing the water

Stats from the 2023 Billfish 15 000 Tournament showing the fishing spots and depths at which fish were caught (above) and the days on which different species were caught.

One of the beautifully conditioned marlin that helped Team FantaSea take top spot.

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 19

Team FantaSea and their support crew celebrate winning the 2023 Billfish 15 000 and taking home a magnificent Yamaha-powered Kozi Cat 17.

Team Bakgat took second place and a brilliant haul of prizes.

Team Viskoors took third place in last year’s hotly contested tournament.

20 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

would be unfishable, but they headed for Rondekop where they hooked four fish and by 8.03am he had caught and released a blue marlin. This lucky strike increased their overall points to 799 and ultimately sealed their victory.

Team Bakgat’s sailie catapulted them from seventh to second place overall! John Minnie congratulated them at the final prizegiving and handed over their prize – a Lowrance HDS12 Live Autopilot Bundle from Lowrance SA, an M260 Transducer from Airmar and a Navionics Mapping card.

Day five was a blow out, but Team FantaSea had screamed ahead of the field on day three to grab the overall lead, and managed to hold that position and their collective breath for the rest of the week.

Congratulations to Team FantaSea – Henr y Gouws, Malcolm van der Merwe, Mario Els and Rian van Vuuren – who clinched the title and took home the first prize of a fully rigged, Yamahapowered Kosi Cat centre console skiboat on trailer, one year’s insurance from CMI and other fabulous prizes sponsored by Yamaha, Pulsator, Fishing Pro Shop, Mias, Rapala, Shimano, Jacks Paints, Buddy Cool, McGee Ford and Lowrance.

What a momentous week – great company and great fishing! It has been such a privilege to be part of the organisation of this tournament for the past 11 years – there’s never a dull moment and every year just grows from strength to strength. No doubt many teams are already booking their spots for this year’s competition which will be held from 10 to 15 November 2024.

Till then, happy fishing!

FANTASY BECOMES REALITY

by Henry Gouws

A

FTER 14 years of competing in the Billfish 15 000, our team has finally taken top honours.What a privilege and honour!

Although preparation for a tournament like this takes many months, the assembled team, consisting of myself as skipper, Mario Els, Malcolm van der Merwe and Rian van Vuuren, really only got to prepare the final tackle, boat, lures and baits for the coming days on Saturday 11 November. On the Sunday afternoon, just before registration I looked over the tackle and, much to my surprise and dismay, saw less than five lures, two large teaser lures, a dredge and some pitch baits! This was going to be very different to previous years. So this was the game plan – swim three hooked lures, two teasers and a dredge, wait for Mr Marlin to show himself and pitch. Simple!

On the Monday morning we launched among the first wave of boats at daybreak. On a hunch, we headed north towards Rondekop, fishing all the way on the ledge, targeting marlin.

Our spread consisted of a Marlin Magnet on the left long rigger, a Swazi on the long right rigger and an Islander Black Hole with a strip bait in the shotgun position. We had a monster tube on the left teaser close in, and a Brasiliano on the right teaser swimming slightly behind the Pulsator dredge.This spread was deployed for the entire competion, with the only exception being that the the Black Hole was changed to a Pulsator Tube on Wednesday.

Late on Monday morning we arrived in an area off Rondekop in 600m of water where we have had some success in the past. It wasn’t long before a blue marlin jumped onto the Swazi, and Malcolm successfully released the fish. FantaSea was on the scoreboard in seventh place.

On Tuesday morning, buoyed by the previous day’s success, we again headed for the deep off Rondekop. Same spread, same place, no result and we drop to 11th place.

Undeterred, on Wednesday we again headed to Rondekop deep. Around midday, the Black Hole on long got some attention.A nice blue was hooked and peeled a couple hundred metres of line before getting off! Choice words were spoken, the mood turned black and the slack line was retrieved. We soon realised tackle failure was responsible for the lost marlin!

It turned out the crimp on the hook had pulled.

Closer examination revealed the crimp was not crimped! Some really choice words were spoken and everyone was seriously depressed.

The spread was reset and the Black Hole replaced with a Pulsator Tube.We had just decided it was time to light the braai, and then off went the tube! Mario was in the chair and successfully releases a black marlin giving us species bonus points! Perhaps the tackle failure was a blessing in disguise because we jumped 22 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

from 11th to first place!

Despite threats that the weather would deteriorate early in the morning, on Thursday the competition was a go.

We again headed to Rondekop, but decided to run to our spot as we fully expected the fishing to be called off early in the day. We again deployed the same spread, and soon thereafter the Swazi got some attention and I successfully released a blue marlin.

Around 9am fishing was called off, but our points had jumped to 795 with the next nearest team on 495 points. At that stage, there were four or five teams that could still win the competition, but due to our bonus points each of those teams had to either get a very early fish, get one on circle hook or a different species to their previous catches. Some teams would require a combination of all three of those criteria to beat us.

On Friday morning we were one of the first boats on the beach. We prepared the boat to launch and then waited. The weather was threatening, the surf conditions were concerning and the tide was dropping. Shortly after daybreak a vote was called on whether we should launch and the 28 boats assembled on the beach proceed to vote with flags on the riggers. The vote was a tie.

Safety considerations prevailed and the day was called off.We had done it Team FantaSea had won the Billfish 15 000!!

In the final analysis, our spread worked, but ironically, we never got to take the pitch bait out of the cooler because we never saw a fish on the teasers. This scenario was, however, completely reversed the following week during the Billfish Nationals, when all the fish my team saw came on the teasers! Marlin angling is indeed a game of taking your opportunities, whichever way they come.

The Billfish 15 000 is without doubt the premier angling competition in South Africa, and we are extremely proud to have won and honoured to have competed against arguably the best marlin anglers in Southern Africa.

We thank the organisers, competitors and, most importantly, the very generous sponsors, all of whom make the Billfish 15 000 such an amazing competition. Rest assured, we will be back in 2024 to defend our title!

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 23

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WHY CHIRP WHEN I YOU CAN SING? Nou weet hulle wat ons weet!

24 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

F there’s one thing that makes Furuno stand head and shoulders above all others, it’s their fishfinders, the benchmark in sport and commercial fishing.

Upgrading to get the best out of your CHIRP transducer is money well spent, and this is where FURUNO’s TruEchoCHIRP technology fishfinders are game changers.

Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse (CHIRP) has been used by the military, geologists and oceanographers since the 1950s, and subsequently became available for widespread use on personal vessels. It has taken the sportfishing world by storm. CHIRP transducers employ unique waveforms with a pulse frequency that increases or decreases linearly through each pulse.

These transducers are typically available in three bandwidths: Low (40-60kHz), medium (85-130kHz) and high (150-250kHz). Output power ranges from 300Watt to 3kW, and there are various mounting options from transom mount to through-hull and in-hull.

CHIRP transducer elements vibrate across a range of frequencies, and a single CHIRP fishfinder will transmit and receive information across as many as 90 different frequencies; a dual channel doubles that!

To get the best out of a CHIRP transducer, the head unit (fishfinder) needs to have the technology and features required to reach CHIRP’s full potential.

Furuno’s latest fishfinders and multi-function displays have built in TruEchoCHIRP technology that is capable of processing either single channel or dual channel i.e., two CHIRP channels and/or dual frequency 50/200 all at a powerful 1kW or 3kW output power (3kW has an optional DFF3-UHD sounder module).

Using FURUNO’s unique preset frequency feature that is available on most models, the operator can finetune the CHIRP transducer to use its full frequency spectrum tuned specifically for the different fishing grounds and targeted fish species. Quickly set your transducer to CHIRP on the desired fishing grounds and get busy targeting your favourite prey.

Set to “auto fishing” and let the automatic gain find the best settings, or fine tune with the advanced manual settings. Pro anglers often use both TruEchoCHIRP and the standard 50/200 kHz frequencies to find their winning catch.

With three preset modes, the press of a button changes your fishfinder transducer to your preferred preset frequency range – from “auto CHIRP” where the full frequency spectrum of the transducer/fishfinder is utilised, to “manual CHIRP” where the selected centre frequency and bandwidth is used, to “CW” (normal pulse transmission) where you select the spot/fixed frequency.

All these features are available from a CHIRP transducer and FURUNO fishfinder with built-in TruEchoCHIRP functionality.

Furuno’s TruEchoCHIRP really is advanced fishfinder technology made easy.

BILLFISHING

Juba tackles Bazaruto’s grander marlin

By Erwin Bursik

A

S the 2023 black marlin season was drawing to a close, two buddies from KwaZuluNatal, Andre “Juba” Joubert (renowned Springbok fullback of the 1990s) and Ricky Jacobs (quite possibly the South African angler who has fished the waters off Bazaruto more than any other person alive or dead)

set off to Bazaruto, Mocambique, to target the area’s big black marlin.

It would turn out to be a noteworthy test for Joubert – one that would require strength and stamina and splitsecond decision making, much like the countless rugby matches in which he earned his stripes.

Ricky,Andre and a number of other anglers were fishing Ricky’s annual “Bazaruto Marlin Jol”, a week when

friends and acquaintances come together to target marlin in the tropical waters of the Bazaruto archipelago off Moçambique. It’s an event Ricky has organised for the past 25 years, but this one would be extra special.

On 3 November 2023, the eastern horizon turned a beautiful red as Ricky Jacobs,Andre Joubert and Ricky’s son – Shaun, boarded their 28ft craft, Bazaruto Explorer. Expectations were

Andre “Juba” Joubert and gilly Shadreque were thrilled with Andre’s 950+ lb black marlin caught off Bazaruto in November.

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 27

Juba, Ricky Jacobs and Shaun Jacobs celebrate another brilliant release of a potential grander from Bazaruto Explorer. high, not only for a great day on the ocean, but also the ardent hope that the day had arrived on which they would get a strike from a large black marlin.

These anglers had fished this event for many years and released a number of these magnificent fish, but so far a really big mama approaching the mystical 1 000 lb mark had not “played ball” to test the mettle of this accomplished team.

Around mid-morning, while trolling a 5kg bonito in the renowned 65–70 fathom area south-east of Bazaruto lighthouse reef, the “whistle” blew for Andre’s big “test” to begin.

It was Andre’s turn in the chair and, tackled up with 130 lb class tackle and a 400 lb nylon trace attached to a BKK circle hook, the anticipation was immense.With the big Shimano reel set on 35 lb drag, a sudden swirl, a bowed rod and a screaming ratchet indicated the game was about to commence.

Seconds later there was that sickening feeling all anglers experience when the line goes slack. In this instance Andre was left holding a slack rod.

However, feeling there was still some drag on the line indicating the live bait had not been lost, he started reeling it in very quickly to reposition it behind the boat. Just then the rod was nearly pulled out of his hand as it jerked forward and the Shimano again started screaming.This time Andre’s spirits rose as he watched line peeling off the reel 28 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

at an alarming speed.The game was on, with “Juba” attached to a yet-to-be-seen monster of the deep.

With the deck cleared and Ricky taking the helm, the fight settled into the grunt and grind of heavy tackle marlin fishing.

Ricky was convinced it was a good fish even though the marlin never showed itself during the initial strike when it whisked off 100 metres of line, or during the second take when it took a lot more line on its first real run.

Ricky reckoned that, seeing as there was little or no current running southwards, if they could persuade the fish to go north and in towards the shallow water near the sand spit on the north point, there would be less chance of them losing it to a shark.With this tactic in mind, the fight continued as they headed toward the designated area.

The first real sighting of their giant black marlin was some three-and-a-half hours after hookup when the trace was taken. On feeling this additional direct strain, the mighty beast stuck the bulk of its torso out of the water.The big circle hook was clearly seen firmly imbedded in the upper right-hand side of scissors of the beast’s jaw.

Although it was perfectly hooked, while bringing it alongside the starboard side of the craft, the leader wrapped around the marlin’s head. In its attempt to escape, the fish shook its head forward and away from the pres-

sure point, causing it to bang against the boat.

When it gets to this point, all marlin anglers need to make the call as to whether they think a huge fish will go the full 1 000 lb and they can justify killing it, or if they think it will fall short and could end up weighing 900-odd pounds.

It’s always the angler’s personal decision, and although everyone aboard was convinced that this magnificent fish would tip the scales to at least 970 lb, Andre cut the leader almost at the hook and watched his fish of a lifetime glide back into the azure waters off Bazaruto’s northern sand spit point.

A true sportsman.

Although he cut the line before many photos could even be taken, Andre later said that he was concerned that the fish would injure itself seriously considering the force with which it was knocking its head against the boat and he didn’t want it to endure any more stress. As it turned and glided off into the deep, Andre Joubert’s dream of releasing his biggest black marlin was realised.

One might well wonder at the thoughts that ran through his head at the time – perhaps recollections that although his last big challenge in 1995 with a bunch of big (All) Blacks was only 80 minutes long, this mighty Black (marlin) had him going for 210 minutes!

History of the mighty black marlin catches

Ralph Hullet caught his 1 002 lb black marlin off Bazaruto in 1960.

By Erwin Bursik

S

ANTA Carolina – or Paradise Island as it was known by most ardent offshore big game anglers from Moçambique, Rhodesia (in those days) and South Africa during the 1950s and ’60s – was the ultimate destination to pursue ambitions of hunting for black marlin on the seaward side of the Bazaruto archipelago.At that stage it was the only area along the southern African coastline where it was believed the black marlin came to breed from September to November each year.

Situated in the lee of the very substantial island of Bazaruto was the idyllic island of Santa Carolina. Joaquim Alves, a Portuguese businessman who had already built a hotel on the mainland, developed a holiday resort on Santa Carolina in the early 1950s, including a substantial upmarket hotel.

He started sportfishing from his own craft and, after achieving a degree of success, followed this up with other craft designated for sportfishing, giving big game anglers from Moçambique and neighbouring countries the opportunity to target these mighty fish.

During the early 1950s, through the Central African Deep Sea Angling Society (CADSAS) and the South African Game Fish Association (SAGFA), a number of seasoned offshore sportfishermen who had the financial resources to pursue the sport of heavy tackle big game fishing from international destinations in North America and South America were tempted to test the waters off Bazaruto. Of course the price tag for fishing there was far lower than 30 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

to fish in the Americas.

Even while fishing from far less sophisticated craft than they might have been used to, these seasoned billfish anglers quickly established that there was indeed a black marlin fishery in the waters off Bazaruto Island.

The earliest photographs of these pioneers showing off their catches hanging from the resort gantries proved that big marlin were being caught in reasonable numbers. These photos also whet the appetites of a broader base of sportfishermen who were keen to try their luck at an affordable destination that was a short f light from either Salisbury or Johannesburg. In turn, this encouraged Joaquim Alves to upgrade his basic sportfishing craft. A few sportfishers designed to American standards subsequently travelled from Durban to Bazaruto for the marlin season or were imported into Moçambique and then based at Santa Carolina.

Santa Carolina blossomed as a sport-

fishing destination and as a very popular tropical island holiday venue for South Africans, Rhodesians and Mozambicans themselves. This venue thrived right up to the early 1970s when hostility between the two rival political parties closed Moçambique to tourists for the next 20 years.

The hotels on Santa Carolina were abandoned in about 1973 and the island was subsequently occupied by Frelimo forces and became a no-go zone. After the war, a number of lodges based on Bazaruto, Benguela and Magaruque flourished. This, along with the introduction of well-maintained and equipped large ski-boats, spearheaded the targeting of billfish and the abundant gamefish in the area. Better boats also meant a much shorter ride from the lodges to the recognised gamefishing grounds.

History can be boring to many of our younger deep sea anglers, but the Bazaruto archipelago will always be

in southern Africa

Monty Smith and his 1 109 lb black marlin caught off Bazaruto in 1973.

Jerome Segwick’s black marlin, caught aboard Vamizi, was mutilated by sharks next to the boat, but the remains still weighed 1 107 lb.

Photo by Carl Jankowitz. famed for its big black marlin and the number of “grander” black marlin – those in excess of 1 000 lb – that this fishery has produced.

Reviewing this history reveals the incredible development of the sport itself. It also shows how this particular fishery affords true sport anglers who don’t have the financial resources to fish famous hotspots like the Americas, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef or Cape Verde the opportunity to accomplish the thrill and lifetime achievement of catching a big black marlin.

I say black marlin specifically, because until the 1990s, even in South African waters, it was the black marlin that were primarily targeted, both with live- and dead baits.To date, as far as we know four black marlin over 900 lb have been landed in South African waters – three off Sodwana and one off Cape Vidal.

However, ever since the majority of South Africa’s marlin brigade began

pulling lures, black marlin catches have substantially decreased off KwaZuluNatal and blue marlin have taken centre stage. Many magnificent big blues have been caught off Sodwana Bay and Richards Bay, the vast majority of which have been released, and two have exceeded the 1 000 lb mark.

Although many billfish were killed in the early days, it’s worth noting that almost every billfish fought from Cape Town to Bazaruto from the early 1990s to now has been released – a highly commendable accomplishment.

Sadly, as I was penning this article I was advised that Mervyn Thomson who recorded one of the biggest black marlin ever landed out of Santa Carolina – a fish of 1 067 lb – passed away on 28 December 2023. Rest in peace, Mervyn, a true legend of the sport of billfishing in Southern Africa.

Early records of this fisher y are scant, but Ricky managed to obtain a photocopy of Santa Carolina Hotel’s

fish record book from 1960 to 1988 and below we’ve listed some of the noteworthy historical catches of these exceptional beasts of the ocean, highlighting some of the doyens of our sport who have achieved this “impossible dream”.

The dream hasn’t faded, though and numerous anglers still try to attain it every year. Duarte Rato runs a charter operation around Bazaruto and has kept up to date with the more recent catches including a number of fish that could well have been granders but were released, and some fish which were mutilated by sharks and even the remains weighed more than 1 000 lb.

Duarte shared some info on some of the more recent big catches: “I have no record of any grander black marlin caught in Bazaruto between Johnny Harrel’s fish in 1998 and November 2009 when Jerome Sedgwick caught a fish with us aboard Vamizi which would have probably been the new African record had it not been sharked by the boat. We could get girth and length, and based on the formula, measurements on the fish come out at a weight of just over 1 400 lb.

The weighed remains came in at 1 107 lb,” Duarte said.

“This fish was caught on the last day of the Bazaruto Ricky Jacobs Invitational in 2009.

“We then caught another in December 2009 that we released and estimated at around 1 000 lb but it was borderline and, as we always do in such cases, we called it 950+. Carl du Plessis was the angler and the marlin was caught on an Iland Express lure. The SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 31

Above, main photo: Carl Jankowitz caught this 1 098 lb black marlin on Vamizi in November 2010. It died before coming to the boat. Photo by Duarte Rato.

Inset: Mervyn Thomson with his 1 067 lb black marlin caught off Santa Carolina in November 1967.

Above: Stephanie Choate caught this 1 008 lb black marlin while fishing on Big Bob in October 2013. This fish was also tailwrapped and died. Photo by Kevin Hodgson.

32 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

fight lasted five hours and 40 minutes.

“In 2010 we caught a number of big fish, including two in a week when we fished with Dave and Duncan Royston.

Both fish were released and were estimated at around 1 000 lb, but again borderline, although I think Dave’s fish was very close if not over 1 000 lb.This fish was also caught on a lure – a Black Bart Super Pro Jet, blue and pink.

“Then on 12 November 2010 we caught another big fish which got tailwrapped and died and weighed in at 1 098 lb; this fish was also caught on the last day of the Bazaruto Ricky Jacobs Invitational. Carl Jankowitz was the angler, and the fish was caught on a Pulsator Bonito Smoker lure.

“In 2011 Alex Zivane, my deckhand, was captaining Vamizi on 9 May when Mark Tennishood caught a fish estimated at over 1 000 lb on a Top Gun lure.

The interesting fact was that this fish was caught in May after we caught another big fish about 850 lb in March.

That year we had a lot of above-average size yellowfin tuna between February and June which might have been the reason we caught a number of bigger marlin outside the traditional season. In June of that year we caught another two fish estimated at 600 lb.

“In the proper marlin season of 2011 our biggest fish was caught on 3 November; we estimated the fish at over 1 000 lb but it was also sharked right by the boat after two hours “In 2013 Stephanie Choate, fishing on Big Bob, caught a fish that got tailwrapped and died on them, but which weighed 1 008 lb. That one was also caught on a lure.

“In 2014 there were a lot of big fish, and besides two which we called 950+ we released one well over the mark. In 2016 we caught a very nice fish aboard Vamizi for Emmet O’Brien which was estimated at well over 1 000 lb; that fish took a live yellowfin tuna.

“In 2017 we caught one estimated at 1 100 lb for Andrew Carrick – his first ever marlin. Then we have no record of any grander black marlin from 2017 all the way to December 2020 when we got a fish that we called 900+ but when we measured the girth it could have made 1 000 lb. The fish was sharked close to the boat.

“In 2021 we had another big fish season with a number of black marlin above 900 lb and one estimated at well over 1 000 lb. On 2 November 2021 I was fortunate enough to be the angler on an estimated 1 100 lb black marlin aboard Big Bob.That fish took a bonito skipbait.”

Obviously we’ll never know how many of these black marlin would have reached the 1 000 lb mark, but it’s clear the big fish are still around, and the quest to catch a grander black marlin is neverending.

THE 1 000 LB BLACK MARLIN CLUB • 28 October 1960 Ralph Hullet;1 002 lb Caught while skipping a kingfish south-east of the lighthouse; eight-hour fight • 14 November 1967 Mervyn Thomson; 1 067 lb Caught while trolling a king mackerel; 55-minute fight • 24 November 1969 A.N.Allen; 1 064 lb Died after four hours and was hand lined • 23 November 1970 Sandy Sandeson; 1 139 lb Caught on bonito bait; disqualified for a record because rod tip was broken • 11 November 1972 T.P. Goosen; 1 135 lb • 15 November 1973 Monty Smith; 1 109 lb Caught on a bonito; 90-minute fight • 3 November 1974 John Steed; 1 052 lb Caught on a bonito • November 1998 Johnny Harrel; 1 298 lb Current All Africa record; caught on a kona • 12 November 2010 Carl Jankowitz; 1 098 lb Caught on a Pulsator Bonito Smoker lure • 18 October 2013 Stephanie Choate; 1 008 lb With the general policy nowadays being to release billfish, it’s highly likely that many of the huge black marlin released off Bazaruto would also have met the grander mark.

MARLIN CAUGHT OFF BAZARUTO 1960 to 1974 YEAR 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 TOTAL

100-300 lb 14 17 12 20 24 14 16 12 22 23 15 26 20 15 18 268

301-600 lb 15 18 20 16 20 24 16 22 27 30 25 22 18 13 15 301

601-1 000 lb 18 15 11 10 17 14 17 19 18 20 14 16 21 11 20 241

Over 1 000 lb 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 11

Total 47 50 43 46 62 54 50 55 68 74 55 64 60 40 53 821

Duarte Rato caught this suspected grander-plus black marlin from Big Bob in November 2021.

Photo by Kevin Hodgson.

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 33

BACK TO BASICS

Sorting out the business end of your gamefishing gear

By Craig Stubbs

W

ITH no disrespect or prejudice intended, I have to wonder at the world of “marketing inf luencers” that has arrived on our local fishing shores in a big way.With the rise of social media, some anglers have become mainstream pundits of hooks, swivels, rods, reels and electronics, among other things.

I have no real problem with any of this, but when one starts to feel that you cannot catch a ’cuda without that brand new “special treble hook” costing R200 for a small box, or can’t catch a Natal snoek off your paddleski without a

R10 000 lever drag reel, then it starts to concern me a little.

Don’t get me wrong, there are guys out there who have built great reputations and careers in our local angling world and really have done some thorough product testing over the years, and when they speak, I listen. However, there are also loads of guys out there who have become supposed “experts” and who share their opinions far and wide without much credible testing, all for the sake of a few “free” bags of hooks or a little discount on their purchases.

The point of this article is not to knock the people, products or brands that follow this trend, as it forms a critical marketing element for their businesses. Instead, I want to give some perspective on our “terminal tackle” and what we should be looking for – or avoiding. Given how expensive angling has become, how do we spend wisely and make sure our tackle boxes are filled with the right products rather than a bunch of wasted rands?

Absolutely everything I need for a day’s gamefishing fits neatly into this 1 Plano Tackle Box. This is for a charter operation, so for the average recreational I cannot see the need to carry more tackle.

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 37

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LINE CHOICE This is the critical connection between angler and fish.

For nearly all spinning reel requirements, braided line is unbeatable and well worth the price tag. Its multiple advantages grossly outweigh traditional monofilament, so it is what I would suggest for your spinning reels.

Even though it does not come cheap, it can last a long time provided you consider a few things. Firstly, don’t overfill your reel. Overfilling will lead to nightmare casting knots and you having to throw away a lot of line. Secondly, make sure you spool your reel correctly. There are loads of Youtube videos and online tips, so watch a few before you spool up to make sure you are doing it correctly.

Finally, service the line roller on your reel regularly. It’s a simple enough task, but if your line roller stops turning freely your braid will quickly cut a groove in the roller and damage the braid fibres beyond use.

If you do these basics correctly, your braid will last years, giving you a good return on the outlay.

On multiplier reels, straight mono is preferred, and for general gamefishing I like to use 32- to 38 lb line. I prefer natural coloured lines in clear, blue or greens, and stay away from those high visibility orange and yellow lines. On top of that “main line” I tie on a clear leader approximately 8 metres in length, sometimes of a slightly heavier breaking strain, but often the same as the main line.

When it comes to leaders, I used to swear by fluorocarbon, but that has changed over the years, and I now rely on a decent quality clear monofilament in its place.

There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, fluoro has become ridiculously expensive, and with the number of sharks around these days, losing metres of fluoro to them repeatedly is extremely frustrating.

Literally all the line you will ever need for the majority of your KZN general gamefishing. The bulk spook is my line of choice for filling my multipliers. The leader line is good quality, knots well and is well priced, and I do keep a spool of heavier fluorocarbon in the box for those days where you really need to bully yellowfin away from sharks but know that thicker diameter standard mono would be a little too visible.

Secondly, I began to notice that after I had caught a fish or two, or put any significant pressure on my fluoro leader, it became more opaque than transparent, and seemed to lose its much fabled “invisibility”.

I did some research on this, and it is now widely accepted that fluoro should be replaced after each fish if you wish it maintain its visual characteristics.

On top of this, I did not notice a drop in catch rate at all when I switched to mono, provided of course you don’t go slow trolling a 60 lb piece of mono in gin-clear water.

Naturally I also use trace wire for certain applications like ’cuda fishing, but the market here is generally dominated by two brands, both very similarly priced.

HOOKS The world of hooks has exploded massively over the last few years in terms of range, finishes, point technology, bend and shank shapes and price points. but there are a few things that are still more important than rushing to the shop to buy hook “X” that you saw someone using on Facebook and banishing your current hooks to the corner of your tackle box.

Firstly, buy the right size hook for your application. A treble hook the size of an anchor is not very appealing embedded into the side of your mackerel when trolling for ’cuda, and you don’t want a huge J hook impaled into your mozzie’s head when you’re drifting baits for tuna, so pay attention to that sort of detail rather than brand.

A 3x or 4x strength hook will be fine for your general gamefishing needs, so again there’s no need to go ridiculously heavy here. Size wise, when it comes to treble hooks something around the #2 or #4 mark will be just fine depending on your bait size, and for J hooks a 4/0 to 6/0 hook will work perfectly for most tasks.

One of my preferred treble hooks. As you can see, for under R40 you get a decent strong Mustad hook that will serve you well.

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 39

Nearly all hooks these days are chemically sharpened, so they come out of the box or bag pretty sharp, but keep a hook hone on board to make sure your hooks are always razor sharp. For me, this is one of the most important fundamentals of offshore fishing, but it’s something I hardly ever see anglers doing.A few quick scrapes with the hone will definitely land you more fish.

Also make sure you look after your hooks. Don’t get saltwater into your tackle box and expect them not to rust; keep your hooks well sealed and away from the elements and they should last quite a while when they’re not in use.

When it comes to brands, I feel like the well established Mustad and VMC ranges are pretty well priced and offer good quality for the price; they have also stood the test of time in our waters and for our fish. Some of the newer brands hitting our shores look really amazing, but given that you can go through a box of hooks pretty quickly when fishing, I simply cannot bring myself to pay a few hundred bucks for a handful of hooks.

If you can, then that is awesome, and I don’t think it’s wasted at all, but my point is that we do not need to spend that sort of money to catch a fish.

Swivels are also a pretty important part of your terminal tackle, and most will agree a “power swivel” is far superior to an old school wrapped swivel. I do, however, see that a lot of guys fish with excessively big swivels. I hardly ever fish with anything bigger than a No 5 or No 6 power swivel, and cannot see any reason to go any heavier except for big game applications obviously.

COMMONSENSE TIPS FOR FREE Now let’s have a look at a few things that are really important to me that come relatively free of cost.

KNOTS Learn to tie a range of proper knots – knots that seat tightly against hook and swivel eyes in a non bulky fashion, and some strong mono-to-mono knots and mono-to-braid knots.

There is tons of information available online on knots, and I recommend you do the following: grab two pieces of rope, string or heavy diameter old line and practice your knots until you can tie them proficiently.

GEARING UP Look after your gear, especially rods and reels. Get to know your reels and, if possible, how to service them yourself. Make sure they are always smooth and functioning well.

Rods should be regularly checked for cracks on the guides as this is certain heartache of 1) lost fish, and 2) loads of frayed line that has to be thrown away.The best way to do this is to beg your wife (or most likely, grandmother) for a pair of her old stockings, and run a piece through each eye on your rod.A cracked eye will quickly snag and fray on the fine stockings.

On this topic, I recall a session off Aliwal Shoal where a little ball of candy floss rapidly appeared and grew on my tip guide when a dorado took off with my bait. This candy floss

40 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

was my line fraying on a nicked guide that I hadn’t spotted, and after a few more seconds the line parted.

A few choice words ensued, but then I noticed my balloon still hopping across the ocean surface a few hundred metres away. Realising there was still a fish connected to it, I rapidly gunned the engines across to the balloon, grabbed the last few metres of trailing line attached to the balloon, and began the process of handlining a now aggressively cartwheeling bull dorado.

Unfortunately there was no happy ending, and the line soon parted again on a weak point. Lesson learned!

BAIT Get your hands on the best quality bait you can, look after it, and take some time properly preparing your baits before tossing them into the water to get them looking as lifelike as possible.

If you are limited to dead bait, buy the best you can find and keep it in the best possible condition onboard. Do not just toss a solid frozen bait into a bucket of water for a minute and, as soon as it is slightly pliable, stick some hooks in it and toss it into your wake. I guarantee that within a few minutes, as it thaws properly, your hooks will fall out.

Get your first few baits out the ice early while you’re on your way down to your launch site, ideally wrapped in a little moist newspaper, and let them thaw naturally so that the skin remains firm and strong.This will give your hooks something to grip into, and will give you the best possible presentation.

When it comes to livebaiting, don’t over handle livebaits during capture. If possible, avoid touching them at all. Gently shake them off over the livewell, or grab the hook, turn it over and gently shake your livey off into the well.

Make sure the livewell water is well oxygenated throughout the day, and when you rig them, do so in the most lifelike and natural manner you know.

PERSEVERE You know that old saying that 10% of the anglers, catch 90% of the fish? Well, the truth is that the 10% of the anglers who seem to catch all the fish are the ones who are getting out onto the water and trying for a bite more than most.

Obviously we all know that limitless fishing time is not within everyone’s reach, but the moral of the anecdote is that people often look at these guys, their hooks, their rods, their reels, traces and tackle and social feeds, and believe they need to replicate that to get a fish. Let me assure you that these guys also have many fishless days, so the pics that you see aren’t always a true reflection of the status quo, and they will be the first to admit it.

To end off with, I reiterate: there is no need to fall into the latest and greatest marketing trap in order to catch fish. If you have the budget, then go wild because we all know how much fun a trip to the tackle shop can be, but get the basics right, and don’t get suckered into believing that you need to have 500kg of tackle to catch a fish.

See you on the water!

Kingfisher Award Application Form I hereby apply for the Kingfisher Award in the category:

Meritorious Fish

Outstanding Catch

Tick the appropriate box and supply us with the following information.

Please remember to print clearly.

Applicant’s Details: Name: ...................................................

Address: ............................................... ............................................................... ...............................................................

Code: ....................................................

Tel No: ...................................................

E-mail: ...............................................................

Club (if member): .................................. ...............................................................

I, the undersigned, agree to abide by the rules of this award.

Signature: ..............................................

Meritorious Fish Species: ................................................

Weight: ..................................................

Date of Capture: ....................................

Where Caught: ......................................

Skipper's Name: ....................................

Outstanding catch Category applied for (tick appropriate box): 3:1

5:1

7:1

10:1

YOUR favourite offshore angling magazine, SKI-BOAT, in conjunction with The Kingfisher and the South African Deep Sea Angling Association, is proud to offer all South African ski-boaters the unique opportunity to win awards for excellence in angling.

All deep sea anglers who achieve laid down standards of excellence will be entitled to apply for the KINGFISHER AWARD. Upon ratification by a panel of adjudicators, the angler will receive a handsome digital certificate, suitably inscribed.

The Kingfisher Award will be made for fish caught in two sections:

a personal best, and is not confined to the species listed below.

Tackle used is of no consideration here, the fish's weight being the main criterion.

2) Outstanding Catch To satisfy the requirements for this award, anglers can catch any recognised fish species. As a guideline, the weight of that fish must equal or exceed the suggested weights below, or certain laid down fish weight:line class ratios.

Awards will be made in the following ratio categories: 3:1 – Bronze Award 5:1 – Silver Award 7:1 – Silver Award

1) Meritorious Fish This award is for a fish that’s a memorable achievement for the angler, if not

10:1 – Gold Award.

Applies to IGFA line class 1kg , 2kg, 4kg, 6kg, 10kg, 15kg, 24kg, 37kg and 60kg.

RULES: 1) There is no restriction on the number of awards which can be applied for.

2) Award applicants must submit a photograph of the relevant fish with the application form and a photograph of the angler with the fish.

3) SKI-BOAT reserves the right to use the photograph as it sees fit.

4) Entries must be on the official form which is included in all issues of the magazine.

5) Entires must be received within 45 days of capture.

6) No witnesses of the catch are required.

The award is made in the true spirit of sportsmanship and relies on the integrity of the angler to make a just claim.

7) A selection of award winners’ names will be announced in future issues of SKIBOAT, along with relevant photographs.

8) Award applicants should allow 30-45 days for processing of applications.

9) There is no charge for Kingfisher Awards.

SPECIES: Barracuda Dorado Kingfish (Ignobilis) Garrick (Leervis) King Mackerel (’Cuda) Black Marlin Blue Marlin Striped Marlin Prodigal Son Sailfish (Pacific) Spearfish (Longbill) Spearfish (Shortbill) Tarpon Tuna (Big Eye) Tuna (Longfin) Tuna (Yellowfin) Wahoo Yellowtail

SUGGESTED WEIGHT: 15kg 12kg 20kg 12kg 15kg 100kg 100kg 60kg 15kg 25kg 20kg 20kg 45kg 50kg 25kg 50kg 15kg 15kg

Email applications to: angler@mags.co.za

RELEASED BILLFISH AND GT (Ignobilis) KINGFISH

Species: ................................................

Weight: ..................................................

Line class: .............................................

Date of Capture: ....................................

Where Caught: ......................................

Skipper’s Name: ....................................

With the strong trend towards releasing these and other fish, we have decided to amend the Kingfisher Award rules to provide for acknowledgement of all released fish. All we need is a photo of the fish being released or prior to release (e.g. GT held next to the boat) and the approximate weight of the fish which should fall in line with the stipulated weights set out above.

Digital emailed photographs should be high-resolution.

In line with this trend we will not be carrying photographs on the Kingfisher Awards page of any billfish or GTs aside from those that are released.

42 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

Never in all my years of angling in KwaZulu-Natal, have we seen so many big bull dorado caught during one season! This phenomenon is seen from Moçambique all the way down to the KZN South Coast.

— Erwin Bursik

COMPETITION

2024 CMI Juniors and Ladies Comp

By Sheena Carnie

T

HE inaugural CMI Juniors and Ladies Comp had to fight its way through some rough weather to be born, but what a triumph for organisers and competitors alike!

Kendall Coombes on her first ever day out fishing, with her 12.42kg yellowtail.

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 47

Originally scheduled to take place in October 2023, the event was moved to the first weekend in December 2023 because horrendous weather had been predicted, and the idea was to build a love – not fear – of fishing in the participants. As it was, the first weekend in December was also beset with rough, windy conditions, but all 70 anglers on the 27 competing boats were determined to give it their best.

The Saturday started off windy, but all the anglers put on their brave faces, despite a number of the skippers looking dubious about taking novice anglers out in that weather. Fishing aboard Mr Ski-Boat with the legendary Erwin Bursik as our skipper and Mark Manning as our gillie, Lynette and Daemen Oakley and I were eager to get out to sea and get something solid in the hatch.

Initially we battled to find livebait, but when we finally had four decent fish in our well we headed north trolling a Rapala in the hopes that something would bite on our way to the fishing grounds around the anchored ships off Umhlanga.

The sea was hectically bumpy, and a number of anglers in the competition who don’t normally get seasick succumbed to the dreaded malaise, ensuring there was plenty of extra “chumming” going on.

Once we reached the ships we released our livebaits to draw in the prey while we drifted alongside the huge vessels, but there was nothing biting.A sighting of a pod of whales nearby brought some excitement

48 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

for our crew while the fish stretched our patience to its limits. After a while it was clearly time for a change of tactics.

Rapalas with wire traces were let out behind us and we picked up speed as we headed back south, this time trolling for wahoo. Still we got no bites, and eventually had to admit defeat and head back in.

Thankfully this was not everyone’s experience that day, and some of the skippers clearly had a good pin on the hot locations.

The dodgy weather drove everyone in early, but back at the weigh-station at Umhlanga Ski-Boat Club, a number of very decent sized fish were brought to the scales including some very respectable yellowtail and daga that gave a few of the women and pintsized anglers a run for their money.

At the Saturday afternoon gathering when the lucky draws were done the organisers really put on a show! Justin Paynter did a brilliant job as MC, giving all the sponsors plenty of exposure as he got those in attendance to look for specific items in Ski-Boat magazine in order to win prizes, in addition to handing out countless other goodies corresponding to lucky numbers drawn.

The following morning a strong northeasterly was already blowing by 5.30am which meant it would be another bumpy day on the ocean, but the eager anglers were not to be deterred. Many of the experienced skippers were surprised at their crews’ enduring enthusiasm in the face of more sub-optimal conditions.

This time Mr Ski-Boat turned south after leaving the harbour and quickly landed some baitfish.

With our livewell fully stocked, we headed around the Bluff looking for some hungry gamefish to take our liveys.

Before long we had a strike.Action at last! I was first up and pulled up and reeled, pulled up and reeled, wondering what would come to the boat. Sadly it was just a baby shark, but at least we knew there was some life in the waters beneath us.

With loads of dolphins around us and more whales nearby gleefully slapping their tails on the water, we relished being out on the water surrounded by nature. We also hoped we might hook some yellowfin tuna, but when a reel next screamed and Daemen fought the fish to the boat, it turned out to be a small hammerhead shark.

Despite trolling up and down along the Bluff we had no more bites and eventually headed in early. Again many of the other anglers had better luck than us, and at prizegiving that afternoon the marquee was choc a bloc, with the crowd buzzing in excitement. There were huge smiles when Byron Kane started calling out the names of the winners and the enormous pile of top quality prizes was dished out to all the anglers who had landed fish.

Top lady of the event was Nikki Thoresson who literally shed blood, sweat and tears to get her 15.36kg yellowtail to the boat. She shares her own story below.The youngsters also hauled out some incredible fish, with Jack McCulloch taking the prize in the 10 to 16 age category with a 22.16kg daga, and Keaton Gamble taking the prize in the 0 to 9 age category with a 15.52kg daga.

In addition to the official prizes there were loads more lucky draws and goody bags for everyone, so no-one went home empty handed. Well done to the organisers on a fantastic event – we’re looking forward to the 2024 competition.

PRIZEWINNERS LADIES 1. Nikki Thoresson, 15.36kg yellowtail 2. Kendall Coombes, 12.42kg yellowtail 3. Tash Joyce, 7.64kg bonito

JUNIORS AGED 10 to 16 1. Jack McCulloch, 22.16kg daga 2. Karl-Werner Luderitz, 13.52kg daga 3. Claire, 8.48kg bonito

JUNIORS AGED 1 to 9 1. Keaton Gamble, 15.52kg daga 2. Max De Robillard, 15.46kg daga 3. Jed Fulton, 9.82kg bonito

TOP SKIPPERS 1. Byron Kane on Hurrikane 2. Richard Jones on Tails Up 3. Paul Shepherd on SMG Winner of the R15 000 cash prize was Gabriel Landzanakis PHOTO: Nikki Thoresson holding her winning yellowtail, the most Meritorious Fish caught in the CMI Juniors & Ladies Comp 2023.

BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS EARNS THE PRIZE

by Nikki Thoresson

O

N the morning of 2 December, myself and skipper Douglas Slogrove launched at Grannies Pool, Umhlanga, at 5am on Butt Nuttin. The weather conditions started off very favourable for fishing.

Fortunately, I had an extremely experienced skipper and our launch was pretty smooth. We were one of the few boats to launch at Granny’s Pool with most skippers opting for Durban.

We proceeded to go and catch livebait like mozzies, mackerel and shad at the Fonteo, then we went to a reef off Umdloti in about 50m of water. Doug put down the anchor and I immediately put on a live shad and let it down to the bottom of the sea. Within a few minutes I got the fright of my life when the rod nearly got pulled out of my hands, marking the start of a loooooong battle.

All I could hear was Doug shouting at me:“WIND! KEEP WINDING!” I was using a Saltist coffee grinder on a Dorado ski rod with 50 lb braid.The fish came to the surface quite quickly the first time and Doug saw the fish but wouldn’t tell me what it was.The fish went back to the bottom four 50 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

times, taking all 50 metres of braid each time. By the third time my hand was cramping and the skin had come off my thumb, but all I could hear was Doug shouting “WIND!” The fourth time the fish came to the surface Doug was ready with the gaff and dragged the fish over the side of the boat. When fell onto the deck Doug couldn’t contain his excitement and I just burst out crying. It was a HUGE yellowtail! A first for me.

In my emotional state Doug forced me to hold the fish to take a photograph while the fish was still kicking in my arms wanting to go back into the sea. The 45 minute fight was the most gruelling fight I’ve ever had with a fish.

On the Sunday we launched from Granny’s Pool again in horrendous weather. The sea was upside down, with massive swells and strong winds.We didn’t manage to catch any fish on that day and we eventually called it a day and beached early.

At that afternoon’s prizegiving I was thrilled to win the most Meritorious Fish Prize and it was a great surprise when I’d heard I’d won Top Lady too!

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

T

HE year has started on the run, THANKS TO COMMITTEE MEMBERS and we are already well into Sadly, we will be saying goodbye to Vikki both our national and internaBezuidenhout who has served this organtional seasons. This year will isation so well over the past few years. prove to be one of the busiest in recent Vikki leaves behind one of the greatest history, with SADSAA hosting two interholes to fill, and she will be sorely missed nationals – more details of that are furby all. She has been integral in the setting ther down in this article – and a full proup of new and better systems and procegramme of domestic competitions. dures that are so vital for an association The SADSAA Billfish Interprovincial such as SADSAA to be able to function was recently held at Sodwana Bay and effectively. Vikki, we thank you for your was hosted by Zululand Deep Sea and service. the Sodwana Bay Ski-boat Club. It was Also leaving us is our PRO, Justin wonderful to see the enthusiasm with Paynter, who has been responsible for the which Zululand Deep Sea hosted this face of SADSAA on social media. Public event and we would like to thank them Relations Officer is a tough portfolio and and SBSBC for stepping up. requires diplomacy and tact, and we are Chris Schorn, The SADSAA Gamefish Intergrateful that Justin was able to walk this SADSAA President provincial will take place in Natal from 7 tightrope with skill. We wish him well in to 10 March and will hosted by the his future endeavours.

Pennington Ski-Boat club. Natal will also be hosting the I hope to be able to give you a little more information SADSAA Gamefish Nationals from 17 to 21 April, based at on the profiles of the new council members in the next edithe Umhlanga Ski-Boat Club. tion of SKI-BOAT magazine, and we will then officially welWe wish the participating anglers and the organisers all come them to the family. the best for these tournaments.

On the international side, we had a team angling in the The SADSAA annual council meeting and AGM will take 2024 El Gouna IGFA Red Sea Championship in February. place on 12 April, and we will be electing a few new coun- This was a three-day, two-night competition that tested the cil members, not the least of which will be a new SADSAA skills of all the anglers as a variety of fishing styles were Secretary. needed in order to attain the best results. Everything from

52 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

bottomfishing to gamefishing and even some billfish- and tuna fishing skills were called upon. I was proud to captain that team and congratulate my fellow team members – Michelle Richards, Brad McClaren and Martin du Plessis – for representing South Africa so well.

Heading off to Kenya soon to compete in the second Swahili Blue Marlin Open Tournament from 15 to 17 March, is the team of Robin Vermaak (captain), Riaan Claassens, Mario Els and Pierre Botes. Last year our Proteas took Gold in the first edition of this international, and we look forward to this strong team continuing in a similar vein. We know that they go with the backing of all our members and South Africa at large.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS Coming back to the two internationals that we are hosting here in April and May, the first will be the SADSAA Struisbaai Bottomfish International which runs from 27 April to 1 May. This will be hosted by the newly formed Struisbaai Deep Sea Angling Club and will be overseen by Western Province Deep Sea. The event will be combined with our SADSAA Bottomfish Nationals.

This competition will see Protea anglers and SADSAA anglers competing against both international and local provincial teams and should prove to be an incredible festival of angling with the best of the best going head to head.

We wish all our guests and our own anglers, tight lines and fair seas.

Representing South Africa, we have a Senior Mens and Ladies team.The mens team consists of Allen Ford (captain), John Luef and DP Burger, and in the ladies team we have Michelle Richards (captain), Jaqueline Luef and Belinda Fischl. Both Jackie and Belinda are first caps and we congratulate both. In another first, we have a father and daughter both competing in the Green and Gold in the same competition.Well done to John and Jackie!

We also have a SASACC team competing; that team consists of Francois Beukes (captain), Kevin Clarke and Kobus Koekemoer.

In addition, we have been asked to accommodate international anglers who were unable to fill a full team, and so we have a Barbarian team with two Protea anglers – Wayne Gerber (captain) and Gary Trulluk – competing with an angler from Iceland.Tight lines to all.

The next week – 6 to 10 May – sees Western Province and SADSAA proudly step up to host the annual EFSA Big Game Tournament out of Hout Bay.We will be guests of the Atlantic Boat Club and we are looking forward to an incredible week of some of the best tuna angling in the world, where the big yellowfin and bluefin tuna that we find in the Cape waters will be targeted.

The Cape fishery is easily one of the premium tuna angling destinations of the world, and we are so privileged to be able to share this with our friends from EFSA. South Africa has a nine-person team competing – Daniel Hughes, Chris Pike, Brendan Davids, Okkie Theunissen, Albert Burger, Marius Coetzee, Nishaad Ibrahim, Francois Bezuidenhout and Pierre Westerveld.

Tight lines, gentlemen.

To round off May, we have our Tuna Nationals which will again be hosted from the beautiful town and harbour of Hout Bay with Atlantic Boat Club once again offering us their incredible facilities. This event is fast becoming the premium event on the SADSAA calendar. I cannot stress enough how, through the efforts of WPDSAA, this event has grown in recent years.Well done and thank you,WP! As you can see, we have a few busy months ahead, and we are really looking forward to some incredible angling and camaraderie. If you find yourself in the area where any of these tournaments are taking place, we invite you to come down and enjoy the weigh-in and to have a drink or two with some of the world’s best anglers.

Keep up to date with all the SADSAA news by visiting our website www.sadsaa.co.za or our facebook page @sadeepseaanglingassociation

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 53

NEWS

DSBC Festival ups its game thanks to sponsors

By Hilton Kidger

I

T is with great excitement that the organisers of the 2024 Durban SkiBoat Club Festival announce that Yamaha have committed to sponsoring two 100hp Yamaha four-stroke engines as part of the first place prize at this year’s event. The twin 100hp Yamahas will be paired with the first prize boat – a superbly finished Seacat 565 – and will go to the angler who catches the heaviest ’cuda at the 2024 competition which takes place on 27 and 28 April.

This is a huge step up from last year’s 70hp Yamahas and 520 Seacat, and a giant leap from the 40hp Yamaha tiller arm configuration we gave away nearly 20 years ago. The 2024 main prize will be a massive drawcard and a

54 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

prize to really value, with a retail price of R950 000. The Yamaha F100hp motors have a cubic capacity of 1 832cc with a 16-valve SOHC, whereas the previous models were only 1 596cc.

These motors weighs 11kg less and come out the hole like a bullet. I can also vouch for their fuel efficiency.

We take this opportunity to thank Yamaha not only for this fantastic prize, but also for their support from day one.

They have been with us every step of the way! Thank you, Yamaha, for the support you have given our ski-boating and inland fishing fraternity over the years.

Thank you also to Seacat for their unwavering support over many years.

The 565 really is a boat with sea manners of note, and is in a class of its own.

The boat will be a forward console con-

figuration which many offshore anglers prefer, and the twin Yamaha F100hp four-strokes will perfectly complement this, creating a ski-boat package many will desire.

This festival is enjoying more and more support each year, with our regular sponsors increasing their generosity.

The event is also attracting support from other companies who produce new and interesting products for anglers.The end result is a superb prize offering.

With what we have on offer, we are expecting a record turnout at the 2024 DSBC Festival, and 300 boats is a real possibility.

For further details visit <www.durbanskiboatclub.co.za>, phone 031 0300 190 or email <accounts@durbanskiboatclub.co.za>.•

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SUPPER SORTED!

by Grayden Webb (9)

O

VER the Christmas holidays I went camping at Kosi Bay with my family and friends. I was so excited to go, because this time I was planning on catching one of the legendary Kosi Kingies! I packed my tackle and rod on our boat, Hillbilly, and off we went.

The first morning, my dad, my brother (Riley) and I woke up at 4 o’clock so we could get on the water early.

We fished really, really hard but caught nothing. The next morning we fished really, really hard and caught nothing.

This happened every morning for five days!

On the sixth day when I woke up it was a cold and rainy day. I nearly didn’t go, but my dad told me “Fish don’t feel the rain!” so I jumped out of my tent and into the boat with my dad, my brother and some of our friends.

I put out a tilapia as a livebait, and

almost immediately the reel went Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! I was so excited I could feel my heart beating. I grabbed the rod and set the hook. The fish felt so heavy I was sure it was a kingie.

It felt like I fought the fish for hours, but my dad told me it was only a few minutes. My arms started to ache, but I didn’t give up. Eventually a glimmering red fish came to the surface. I couldn’t believe it – I had finally caught a fish! The first fish of the holiday!

My dad rushed over to help me. It wasn’t a kingie like I’d hoped, but I didn’t mind because it was a HUGE rock salmon! We carefully unhooked it and then decided to keep it for supper. Riley and my friend Phillipa were really excited for me and kept congratulating me.

The rock salmon was delicious around the campfire that night. I was so happy that I didn’t give up. I didn’t catch a big kingie that holiday, but I will be back to catch it next time!

EQUIPMENT

How to improve your communication out at sea

By Jan Otto

C

ONSIDERING the times that we live in, I think it’s almost appropriate for cellular communication and wi-fi to be listed on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Nowadays most people feel the need to capture life as it happens and share their experiences in real time, or as close to it as possible, and ski-boaters are no different.

Then of course there’s also the safety aspect of having reliable communication channels that enable you to contact someone if trouble strikes.

So what happens when you catch that absolutely magnificent fish far out at sea and you can’t wait to share the pics with your family and friends back on land? Or your VHF radio is playing up and you urgently need to contact someone?

You may think you can do that using your cellphone’s data connection, and that might be true in some instances, but the built-in antenna on a cellphone has limited reach and ability to send and receive signals.

Fortunately there are tech solutions available that can change this situation, and the simplest option is to install cellular communication infrastructure on your boat. This will provide a cell connection on the vessel and, as a result, wi-fi coverage which provides an interactive connection that can be used and enjoyed by everyone on the vessel.

Apart from the fun part of sharing memorable moments on your trip – or watching YouTube videos of marlin jumping

60 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

when you’re waiting for them to strike – the cellular communication infrastructure gives you an added safety net.

Although all boats venturing out to sea are required to have working VHF radios, the VHF is fallible and sometimes loses signal.When the radio has technical issues or bad reception, a cellphone or smart device with a proper connection can still communicate via text or through an IM voice call like on WhatsApp. So how do you achieve cellular connectivity on a marine vessel like a ski-boat, and how is it better than using a cellphone on its own?

It’s really quite simple.

To start with, let’s clarify the restrictions on your cellphone’s ability to send and receive signals. First, a lot depends on its antenna’s capabilities.A cellphone’s built-in antenna has about 2dBi gain, whereas a proper marina antenna can be rated 6dBi, so the marine antenna is better able to send and receive signals. Second, an antenna in free space, like those mounted on boats, perform better than cellphone antennas that are partly shielded by a person’s body or other obstacles.

Third, although a cellphone may receive the signal from a cellular tower, its restrictions in power and design may limit its ability to send a signal back to the tower.

This is all further complicated by other variables like the cell tower’s distance from the boat, and rough seas which may influence signal quality.

In short, installed marine antennas have a much better ability to receive and send cellular signals than cellphones do.

So, what does a marine cell connection involve? Basically, it starts with a specialised multi-functional, high gain omnidirectional antenna and an industrial router. The router is a small device securely installed on your ski-boat, and purposebuilt to withstand the rigours of the open seas environment.

Such antennas are built to withstand UV light and saltwater spray.

One physical housing can include multiple antennas, so there’s no need to have more than one antenna visible on your vessel. In that one housing you can have a cellular antenna which receives the signal from the network of cell towers on the shore, as well as a wi-fi antenna which can transmit and receive wi-fi signals. This will give you wi-fi coverage on your vessel, and will receive and boost wi-fi communication from a wi-fi service at the marina where you might dock your boat.

A third antenna which can also be included in the same housing is a GPS/GLONASS antenna which enables you to track your position accurately through satellite positioning.

Owners of high-end craft might worry that these antenna installations will detract from the beauty of their vessel, but generally they’re good looking and neat and can be installed to be as unobtrusive as possible.

WHAT WILL IT COST? The costs of having this kind of communications infrastructure on your vessel fall into two categories: first, the initial hardware and installation costs of the antennas, the commercial router, and the connecting cables, and second, the operational costs of regularly buying data for the SIM card installed in the commercial router.

HOW DOES IT WORK? It’s really a simple system:The marine antenna on your vessel receives the GSM (cellular) signals from the network of cell towers on land, and those signals then go through a commercial router which processes these signals for a cellular connection through its internal SIM card from your cell service provider. This router also sends out a wi-fi signal which people on the vessel can pick up on their smart devices.

Once it’s fully installed, this communication system is plug and play, depending only on cellular reception, with minimal maintenance needed.

PICKING AN ANTENNA The marine antenna you choose for your boat will depend on your functional needs and your budget. The maximum dis-

tance you operate from the shore and the nearest terrestrial cellphone towers, as well as the aesthetics of marine antennas preferred, will also influence your choice.

While a cellphone can probably receive signal up to around 10km offshore, a marine antenna can generally pick up the signal 15- to 20km out to sea. However, some of the high end models like the Poynting WaveHunter antenna can pick up terrestrial cell tower signals from as far as 100km offshore.

There’s a wide range of antennas out there, so it can be confusing, but one that I find suitable for ski-boats is the MIMO-4 Poynting Marine Antenna. It works well for smaller vessels and looks good too.

This specific antenna is suitable for applications requiring broadband cellular to wi-fi distribution for marine boats and other transportation vessels.

A consultant at a reputable communications network company can tell you more about the pros and cons of various options and help you choose the ideal antenna for your needs.

WEIGHING UP THE OPTIONS When considering equipment for a system like this on your vessel, please ask the following questions: • Was the equipment tested for marine environments?

• The quality and functionality of the equipment will determine the longevity of your installation in the harsh environment of the open sea. Did your supplier provide you with proof of this quality?

• Does the installation comply with your requirements?

• Are the equipment suppliers and installers reputable?

Please take these considerations into account when making your choice, and don’t base everything on the cost factor, otherwise you might end up having to replace it all before too long.

The world around us is changing, and so are our communication needs, but cellular communication will still be prominent for a long time to come due to its affordability and accessibility, so the investment you make in improving your communications infrastructure won’t be wasted. After all, having constant and consistent communication is no longer considered a luxury, but rather a necessity.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at the Inteto Connect/Inteto Networks Cape Town office on 021 551 6397 or email <jan.otto@intetonetworks.co.za>.

Inteto Connect is the official distributor for Africa of the world class brand of Poynting antennas, and are providers for a myriad of other quality communication products and communication solutions.

SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 61

AD INDEX

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“We are both very passionate, active anglers and spend a lot of time fishing offshore,” said Scott. “This is what ignited the need for good quality fishing tackle. Our business is based on the following motto: ‘Where quality meets expectations.’

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“We are firm believers in the philos62 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

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SKI-BOAT March/April 2024 • 63

Last word from the ladies

RAPALA LIP

YOUR MODERN GUIDE TO SPEAKING

E

“ANGLER”

ACH year, various dictionary publishers choose a word or term of the year, and as word usage so heavily affects and reflects culture, I thought I would have a look to see whether these words actually apply to the culture and language of fishing ...

Oxford University Press, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary, named “rizz” the Word of the Year for 2023.

Rizz, a word apparently widely used online, is defined as “style, charm or attractiveness, or one’s ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner”. The word is believed to stem from the word charisma. Rizz can also be used as a verb: to “rizz up” means to attract, seduce or chat up a person.

In our angling world, the man with the biggest boat, tackle or catch of the day immediately thinks this equates to him having a high “rizz” factor.And the more he slakes his thirst at the bar after an outing on said boat using said tackle to catch said fish, the more rizz he thinks he has.

Sorry to burst your bubble, fellas, but the opposite is quite often true.And if it’s the rizz factor of your big boat that landed you the hot chick, beware ...

Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2022 was “goblin mode”, another slang term describing “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly or greedy” behaviour. Now this is a phrase we really can see reflected in our anglers! There’s never an apology for spending the weekend indulging in their favourite pastime for the tenth week in a row; their boats may be in prime condition with everything perfectly in its place, but that certainly doesn’t hold true for their homes; and if someone asks for the coordinates of the reef where they caught last week’s catch of the day, they are likely to get a very vague answer while arms wave all over the ocean.

“Quiet quitting” – the practice of doing no more work than one is contractually obliged to do – was one of the top ten terms for 2022 according to the publishers of Collins Dictionary, and that too is appropriate to the angling culture.

It applies equally to the angler in his home environment who can spend days polishing his boat but doesn’t see the need to clean the kitchen, and to those crew members who get invited out on the boat only once. It turns out that if you want to be invited fishing on a regular basis, you have to show your willingness to go above and beyond, whether that involves providing top quality lunches and beverages, supplying the bait, swabbing the deck or washing the boat afterwards.

Collins Dictionary chose “artificial intelligence” as their term of the year for 2023.You might think this applies to the anglers’ use of an expensive autopilot or GPS/fishfinder unit, but in fact, quite often it is more applicable to the user of that technology.

Have you ever hung around the ski-boat club after the anglers have been there for a few hours re-hydrating after a long day on the ocean, to the point where they’re sharing

their opinions on how to put the world/country/city/neighbourhood to rights? Do I really need to spell out how “artificial” this alcohol-aided intelligence is?

Merriam Webster’s word of the year for 2022, gaslighting, is also often seen in action around the ski-boat club.

According to Wikipedia, gaslighting is “a colloquialism, loosely defined as manipulating someone into questioning their own perception of reality”.A bit like when the club’s newest member, a rookie angler, launches for the first time and catches the biggest gamefish any of the regular anglers have ever seen, and is conned into thinking it’s not a big deal and he should share the coordinates so the regulars can check he wasn’t fishing in the MPA. “Permacrisis – an extended period of instability and insecurity, especially one resulting from a series of catastrophic events” was another top ten word for 2022 according to the publishers of Collins Dictionary. Now although the publishers might have been thinking more of the war in Ukraine when they noticed the increased usage of this word, any long term angler also suffers from these occasionally.

We’ve been subjected to a few permacrises in my home when my man goes out on the sea week after week and comes home empty-handed and starts to think he might never again catch a fish. The dogs, the cat, the children and I are all relieved when the crisis turns out to be temporary and he finally comes home with a decent haul of fish and order is restored to the world.

Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year for 2023 was “hallucinate” ... and yes, that pretty much describes the situation when said angler stumbles home after a long day on the sea and a longer night at the club, feeling amorous, convinced he has tons of rizz, and thinks he spies a willing partner in his bed. It doesn’t take long for him to realise how far he’s strayed from reality.

“Beige flag” was another of Oxford Dictionary’s top phrases of 2023. It means “a character trait that indicates that a partner or potential partner is boring or lacks originality; (also) a trait or habit, esp. of a partner or potential partner, viewed as extremely characteristic, but not distinctly good or bad”. For those guys who only talk about fishing and their latest catches/fishing trips, take heed, especially if you’re still looking for a partner.

There is some redemption for our men of the ocean, though. Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2023 was “authentic”, and that anglers most certainly are. There’s nothing fake about their love of the ocean and her bounty, and frankly (even though it may equate to an equal loss of money), I would rather my man spend his weekends on the ocean fishing than in the casino trying his luck there, even if he doesn’t have as much rizz as he thinks he does and if he engages goblin mode far more frequently than I like.

YOUR CHANCE TO TELL A TALL TALE LADIES — are you an angling widow? Are you a frustrated crew member? Do you outfish the men on the boat and have to deal with their Rapala Lips? Do you bite your lip at the comments coming from chauvinistic male anglers? Or do you just have great support from the skipper and anglers around you who want to help you catch a new PB? We’re looking for new writers for our Rapala Lip column. All contributions are gladly accepted and they will appear anonymously if necessary to protect the writers from divorce suits, cold shoulders, banishments, cut up credit cards etc. Come on ladies, share your fishing stories with us — you know you want to. Email them to <sheena@mags.co.za>.

64 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024

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