LANDING A GIANT

Port Alfred gives up two big yellowfin

By Colin Fletcher

"JASCOMAT, come in for Running Wide.”

“Go for Jascomat. ”

“We just landed a giant!”

Let’s rewind the clock 18 hours.

The beasterly easterly had been cranking for two weeks, and the coastline around Kleinemonde where I grew up fishing was cold and miserable.

Cabin fever had set in properly, and as soon as the weather gave us a gap I seized the opportunity and made my way to the rocks. This particular spot was nothing more than just that – a spot. Nothing special, just somewhere to wet a line and enjoy the sound of the breaking waves while soaking in the evening sun. After admiring the sunset,I decided to pack it in and slowly head home.

I passed a few familiar faces and shared greetings.Around Smelly Corner, I met Dave Duncan and Megan McCallum – great family friends who are keen on their fishing.

“We want to head out deep tomorrow to make the most of the weather but are struggling for crew.Are you in?” asked Uncle Dave.Without a second’s hesitation,I gratefully accepted the offer.

Not much sleep was had that night, and when morning came I was up with intent.I love heading out deep in search of warm water, because it is something different from the traditional fishing in our area.A fresh double shot of Masterton’s Morning Patrol coffee and some oats porridge, and I was off.

After a short walk,I met Uncle Dave and Megan on the side of the R72,and we were soon joined by their friend Andrew Thomas.Everyone was in high spirits as the weather was holding well. We made a short trip to Port Alfred to top up supplies, and then headed for the Port Alfred Marina.

The mouth was dead calm, making for a straightforward exit followed by a smooth hour and a bit’s trip filled with conversation, anticipation and preparation peppered with stories and jokes.

Running Wide, Uncle Dave’s Supercat 38 Custom Sport, is the most comfortable gamefishing platform I have ever fished on.Built by Supercat in South Africa, it is powered by two 100hp Suzuki DF100B motors.The twin hull design is incredible, and the hulls cut through swells like a hot knife through butter.

But back to the fishing…

We hit warmer temperatures around 28 nautical miles offshore, and the first task was to look for life.We spent around 20 minutes searching the horizon for birds that looked to be flying against the wind or making an effort to follow what we hoped to be tuna under the surface.

From the flybridge, a promising group of birds was spotted around half a mile away.As we neared, we saw more and more birds, and proper excitement kicked in.Time for action! As we passed through the back end of the flock of birds, the familiar and dreamy sound of a Tiagra 30W shattered the droning of the motors.Uncle Andrew was first up and got settled in on the rod.After a 29minute fight, a 42kg tuna hit the deck.A beautiful yellowfin indeed.

“You’re next,Col,”said Uncle Dave.

After taking photos and dropping Uncle Andrew’s fish in the hatch, we got the lines straight back out.A hard hour of trolling, picking up and looking for birds went by painstakingly slowly, especially as I knew I was next on the rod.

All of a sudden I heard a shout from the flybridge:“Fish are busting ahead,I just saw a big splash!”I felt that warm feeling in my chest that comes when the adrenaline is just about to kick in, and the second I heard that reel screaming my heart went ballistic.

On,Dad! It’s game time!

When I tightened the drag on the Shimano Talica 50 and the fish didn’t slow down,I knew I was in for a proper boxing match with a proper fish.

As the line peeled off the spool, the tuna began to dive.Megan got the fighting harness setup, and I tied myself to this fish for good; if it wanted to go down, I would be going down with it.

The harness made a massive difference, taking some of the weight off my arms and allowing me to fight the fish with my knees, leaning back and forth as I cranked in the slack.

After ten minutes I got its head pointing towards the surface and made back a good amount of line, only for it to be lost again in a fraction of the time as the fish dived again and again and again!

Eventually, the tuna started to circle as it neared the surface.When I saw colour for the first time I realised how special this fish was, and after some clinical gaff work from Uncle Dave and Uncle Andrew the fish was finally on deck.

Elation swept over us all when we realised this was the biggest fish to be landed on Running Wide to date – a yellowfin tuna tipping the scales at 50.2kg and the experience of a lifetime!

After a few photos we popped the fish onto the ice and continued the search for life.Two hours later, after trolling with no luck, we packed it in, satisfied and counting our blessings. Back at the ski-boat club we were greeted by wide eyes and congratulations for a successful day out.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Uncle Dave and Megan for the amazing experience.That day could not easily be repeated, especially in our part of the world.

To watch the video from this trip, visit Colin’s YouTube channel: East Cape Hunting .