QUEST FOR A GRANDER

History of the mighty black marlin catches

By Erwin Bursik

SANTA 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

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 flight 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 famed for its big black marlin and the number of “grander”black marlin –those in excess of 1000lb – 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 900lb 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 1000lb 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 1067lb – 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 fishery 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 1000lb.

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 1400lb. The weighed remains came in at 1107lb,”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 1000lb 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 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 1000lb,but again borderline,although I think Dave’s fish was very close if not over 1000lb.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 1098 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 1000lb on a Top Gun lure. The interesting fact was that this fish was caught in May after we caught another big fish about 850lb 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 600lb.

“In the proper marlin season of 2011 our biggest fish was caught on 3November;we estimated the fish at over 1000lb 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 1008lb.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 1000lb;that fish took a live yellowfin tuna.

“In 2017 we caught one estimated at 1100lb 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 1000lb.The fish was sharked close to the boat.

“In 2021 we had another big fish season with a number of black marlin above 900lb and one estimated at well over 1000lb.On 2 November 2021 I was fortunate enough to be the angler on an estimated 1100lb 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 1000 lb mark,but it’s clear the big fish are still around,and the quest to catch a grander black marlin is neverending.

Obviously we’ll never know how many of these black marlin would have reached the 1000 lb mark,but it’s clear the big fish are still around,and the quest to catch a grander black marlin is neverending.

THE 1000LB BLACK MARLIN CLUB

•28 October 1960

Ralph Hullet;1002lb

Caught while skipping a kingfish south-east of the lighthouse;eight-hour fight

•14 November 1967

Mervyn Thomson;1067lb

Caught while trolling a king mackerel;55-minute fight

•24 November 1969

A.N.Allen;1064lb

Died after four hours and was hand lined

•23 November 1970

Sandy Sandeson;1139lb

Caught on bonito bait; disqualified for a record because rod tip was broken

•11 November 1972

T.P.Goosen;1135lb

•15 November 1973

Monty Smith;1109lb

Caught on a bonito; 90-minute fight

•3 November 1974

John Steed;1052lb

Caught on a bonito

•November 1998

Johnny Harrel;1298lb

Current All Africa record; caught on a kona

•12 November 2010

Carl Jankowitz;1098lb

Caught on a Pulsator Bonito Smoker lure

•18 October 2013

Stephanie Choate;1008lb

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.