TACTICS
’Cuda cowboys show how it’s done By Justin Paynter
E
ASTER is done and dusted, the winner of the Durban Ski-Boat Club Festival has taken their brand new boat home, and the stories of the big one that got away still linger in the air. It’s now time to put on your jacket and beanie and brave the cooler weather as the next three months will test your hunting skills, looking for the elusive crocodile ’cuda. Getting a fish over 20kg is a commendable achievement, but if you get a fish over 30kg, well you’ll have bragging rights up and down the coastline. You will gain instant social media creditability, your follows will jump a few places, and your name will definitely make it onto your club’s brag board. So, what’s the big deal? Well, the only analogy that comes to mind is like watching Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton going head to head on the final race of the 2021 season. Just when you think it’s done and dusted and your trip was uneventful and a big zip is on the score sheet, all hell breaks loose. Your rod is doubled over and your reel is screaming louder than Max’s car on the final straight. As you glance down, the spool is getting smaller and smaller (just like Lewis in Max’s rear view mirror) and 300m of line has been dumped into the Indian Ocean. Screams of “I’m getting spooled!” echo around the boat as your crew scurry to clear lines, turn the vessel and try to gain some line back. This is the moment we live for. That moment that nothing else matters —where you zone out, the world slows down and you feel that immense weight of a fish on the end of your line. All your focus is now on ensuring that you convert that pull into an IDB (in da boat). Hunting these big fish is not an easy task, and in most cases your tactics, preparation, traces and area will differ from your normal summer ’cuda game plan. In saying that, it is not impossible to get a 30kg fish off the fence on the Bluff or Number 1 on a standard ’cuda trace, But when you’re going out to target these monsters specifically, things do change. Hopefully some of the tips below will increase your success rate as we move into crocodile hunting season.
Right: Kyle Loumeau with a proper king ’cuda.
