Ski-Boat November 2017 by Angler Publications

CONTENTS

November/December 2017 Volume 33 Number 6 COVER: OCEAN COMMOTION A beautiful 200 lb Atlantic blue marlin puts up a strong fight on 30 lb line off Cape Verde. Photo by Stuart Simpson. See page 11.

FEATURES

Blues Galore! Cape Verde delivers on your dreams — by Stuart Simpson

Exceeding Expectations The fishing in Cape Verde is simply phenomenal — by Lance Clever

Daga, Daga, Daga Dogged fighters on light tackle — by Quinton Edmond

Boat Review: Butt Cat 25 Yellowfin Edition A solid, well-built craft for tuna hunters — by Erwin Bursik

Catching the Barotse Express 30

Africa’s best at Matoya Lodge — by Rod Wyndham

Motor Review: DF350A Dual Prop Suzuki unveils the ultimate 4-stroke outboard — by Erwin Bursik

The Last Great Smash Will there be more big hauls? — by Mush Nichols

Eyecare Essentials Add a secret weapon to your fishing gear — by Maui Jim Sunglasses

Queen of the Tigers Jozini Tigerfish Bonanza 2017 — by Mark Wilson

Reel Skidmarks Tuna fishing in the 1980s — by Sean Lange

Here’s to the Tuna! Keep your eyes peeled for AOTTP tagged fish — by Stewart Norman

Tasty ’Tail Yellowtail on the braai — by Earl Fenwick

Scientists Unite Global meeting on recreational fisheries — by Bruce Mann

DEPARTMENTS 8 43 44 45 71

Editorial — by Erwin Bursik Subscribe and WIN! Kingfisher Award Rules Kingfisher Award Winners Mercury Junior Anglers

39 75 79 80 81 82

Reel Kids Marketplace and Ad Index Business Classifieds Charters & Destinations Directory Rapala Lip — Last Word from the Ladies

The official magazine of the South African Deep Sea Angling Association

Publisher: Erwin Bursik Editor: Sheena Carnie Advertising Executive: Mark Wilson

EDITORIAL

Editorial Assistant: Vahini Pillay Advertising Consultant: Joan Wilson Accountant: Jane Harvey Executive Assistant: Kim Hook Boat Tests: Heinrich Kleyn Contributors: Erwin Bursik, Lance Clever, Quinton Edmond, Earl Fenwick, Sean Lange, Bruce Mann, Mush Nichols, Stewart Norman, Stuart Simpson, Mark Wilson and Rod Wyndham. ADVERTISING – NATIONAL SALES: Angler Publications Mark Wilson cell: 073 748 6107 Joan Wilson (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 ADVERTISING – Gauteng & Mpumalanga: Lyn Adams — 083 588 0217 Paul Borcherds — 082 652 5659

Erwin Bursik Publisher

SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP CLASS FISHING ADDS TO OUR TOURIST APPEAL

Publishers: Angler Publications cc PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 Telephone: (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 Fax: (031) 572-7891 e-mail: angler@mags.co.za Subscriptions to SKI-BOAT: R180 per annum (six issues). New subscriptions and renewals: SKI-BOAT Subscriptions Department, PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016. Telephone: (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 Fax: (031) 572-7891 • e-mail: safety@mags.co.za • Through www.africanangler.com, or • E-zine digital subscriptions — visit www.africanangler.com > SKIBOAT > SUBSCRIBE, then choose your option. • Click the E-zine short-cut on the magazine’s home page, www.africanangler.com, or visit www.zinio.com/SkiBoat. Reproduction: Hirt & Carter, Durban Printer: Robprint (Pty) Ltd, Durban Full production is done in-house by Angler Publications & Promotions on Apple Macintosh software and hardware for output directly to plate. 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 RNA, as well as directly by the publishers to retail stores throughout South Africa. • Copyright of all material is expressly reserved and nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without the permission of the publishers. • While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this magazine, the publishers do not accept responsibility for omissions or errors or their consequences. 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.

8 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

ITH the arrival of summer, a large sector of the South African offshore angling fraternity focuses their efforts on two very separate styles of fishing. A large contingent targets the mighty billfish off the north KwaZulu-Natal coast, while other anglers get their ultimate thrills fishing for and catching world class yellowfin tuna in the deep off Cape Point. These days anglers are bombarded with magazine articles, photographs, YouTube videos and Facebook posts of global destinations which all brag of the magnificent catches being made in that area. Of course the main aim of these posts is to draw our anglers to spend big bucks to obtain similar experiences. While there certainly are incredible encounters to be had at some of those venues (including at Cape Verde which we cover in this issue), there are still plenty of opportunities for great fishing closer to home in South African waters. They too will fulfil any eager angler’s aspirations. On page 55 of this issue Mush Nichols tells us of one incredible outing he had recently. The top international fisheries all boast professional skippers and top class charter operations, but South Africa is no different. There is an emerging class of very professional offshore charter operators who have top quality craft rigged with first class tackle, and whose boats are run by professional skippers with extensive local knowledge. These operations can be found all along our coast, from Sodwana Bay, Richards Bay, Durban and Shelly Beach in KZN round to those tuna-orientated operations based in the wider Cape Town area. They all offer great fishing experiences and the opportunity to make world class catches. South Africa’s reputation as a good fishing destination is growing, and these charter operators are catering for an ever increasing number of international tourists who, while visiting our incredibly diverse country, will seize the opportunity to go offshore fishing. Some of these international visitors specifically look for the thrill of surf launching and rate it as highly, if not more highly, than catching a good fish. I recently received an email from an American angler who particularly wanted to catch and release a big red steenbras. His internet search to find out where and with whom this could be achieved yielded little useful information, so he turned to SKI-BOAT magazine for advice. Fortunately I was able to point him in the right direction. Enquiries like these, and the number of professional charter operations which have developed along our entire South African coast over the last decade, augur well for this distinct sector. There’s plenty of opportunity for it to expand and offer a facility to both South Africans as well as overseas tourists. South Africa’s extremely good offshore fishery certainly is adding to our reputation as a world class tourist desination. Till the next tide.

Erwin Bursik

PLACES

BLUES GALORE!

Cape Verde delivers on your dreams By Stuart Simpson, West2East Charters

HE Atlantic Ocean is truly an amazing fishery for blue marlin. Some of the top island hot spots that come to mind are Ascension Island, Madeira, Azores and Bom Bom island ... and then there is Cape Verde. Each island mentioned is unique and all of them have great fisheries, but if we had to look at the figures across

the board realistically, Cape Verde always walks away with the trophy in numbers and especially with regard to the number of chances you get on large blue marlin. Hook Haremling, founder of GranderWatch.com and the man who does the Billfish report, states that Cape Verde is the only fishery in the world were one can get up to ten blue marlin bites in a single day and have a true shot at a grander. Seventy percent of the reported blue marlin over 500 lb-

plus caught worldwide come from the Cape Verde islands. The 2017 Cape Verde season was a very special one for me as I had the pleasure of fishing with my long-time friend Ryan Williamson from Pulsator Lures. Ryan crewed for me aboard Nha Cretcheu and was a great part of our achievement in catching 23 blue marlin over 500 lb — plus all the others. Going into a new season one never knows how it’s going to turn out or

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 11

how good or bad the fishing will be as no season is the same as the previous one. The number of large blue marlin our clients got to catch this season just proved yet again that Cape Verde truly is the home of giants and consistently produces quality size fish. Theo Daily’s article in the November/December 2016 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine told of the big fish that he and Rudi Muller caught on their trip aboard Nha Cretcheu in 2016. Theo was hooked and returned this year for another trip to see if it was luck or if the fishery really does hold up to its name. Is Theo an especially lucky man or does he just know how to choose the right destination? There is a huge element of luck when it comes to fishing, but choosing the right destination and time of year gives you a much better chance at getting “lucky” and creating some magic. Yet again Theo chose his destination correctly and his timing was perfect. He caught yet another fantastic blue marlin on a 50W stand-up rod — this one weighed 812 lb — and released another eight fish on his trip with another 500-pounder to add to his list. Well done, mate! Looking at our figures we averaged 1.5 blue marlin over 500 lb per week fished. If we had to add in the 200kg (440 lb) fish — still a big marlin — we would have averaged 2.1 fish over 200kg per week, with 80% of them taken on the pitch bait. I wish I could mention all of those who caught a blue marlin over 500 lb with us this season, but this article would just turn into a list of names and not a story to tell. There were two or three anglers whose catches are particularly worth mentioning, notably Lance Clever and

NHA CRETCHEU’S BIG FISH TALLY FOR THE SEASON 900 lb — two 800 lb — four 700 lb — seven 500 lb-plus — thirteen his family who fished with us in late July, Piet Nel who had a 900 lb-plus fish on 50W stand-up gear and Bobby du Plessis from Soolyman Charters who had a 850 lb-plus blue marlin on 50W stand-up gear. Lance’s goal was purely to get his two boys and his wife a marlin each. Well, he got a little more than he bargained for; the Clever family got to see the true magic of blue marlin fishing. On page 14 of this issue Lance tells the story of the magical marlin that his son caught — a 972- to 1 036 lb beauty which did quite a bit of damage to our boat. But that was only after Lance’s wife caught a very decent 700 lb-plus blue marlin. Around 8.30am on our way out to the Noreste Bank, Ryan called out to me, “I think there’s a mako on our dredge, and if it’s a marlin then she’s a beauty.” I turned around just in time to witness the most insane thing I have ever seen in my 13 years at sea. All I could see was this messy white water — fins, belly, tail — I wasn’t actually sure what was going on. My outrigger was bending like a rod and the electric reel was singing. Three seconds went by and this fish stuck her head and shoulders out of the water and shook her head like a giant black marlin trying to throw a 60 lb yellowfin, but instead this fish had our dredge attached to her face. She managed to free herself, leaving us with a fair amount of damage — a

Another beauty tagged and ready for release.

12 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

busted $400 dredge and seriously bent outrigger. I wasn’t that worried about the damage; it was the size of the fish we were annoyed about. We wondered if she was still following in the deep and we silently marvelled at how she’d out smarted us, leaving us with nothing but confusion and our jaws on the floor. I thought she was spooked for sure. We brought in the dredge, still annoyed at losing her, and continued to travel forward for another three-quarters of a mile, growing more and more anxious wondering whether she was still in our wash. Eventually I started a slow turn to get back to the area where we first raised her. We were nearly one mile back at this point and, to our great excitement, halfway through the turn she showed herself on the long rigger. She was huge and gave a 10/10 classic blue marlin bite from the side with her body out of the water, eagerly taking the Pulsator Marlin Magnet on our dredge. We were hooked up to a good one! To see a 500-pounder or even a 999 lb blue marlin hot on your teasers with her tail kicking, dorsal up (even busting up your dredge), lights turned on, and trying to keep yourself calm at the same time is a challenge for any fisherman. It’s also addictive. This is why Cape Verde is the place to fish for blue marlin. Dreams come true here every season and I am living in one for sure thanks to the Verde islands. If you’re a keen marlin fisherman and you are patient, don’t think twice before booking your next trip; Cape Verde is your answer to everything. For further information on fishing Cape Verde email <capeverde. bluemarlin@gmail.com>.

PLACES

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

The fishing in Cape Verde is simply phenomenal 14 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

Article by Lance Clever; photos by Stuart Simpson

HEN I first decided to take my family marlin fishing there were many options to consider in terms of destination and time of year, and even more to plan with regard to travel routes and hotel bookings for a family of four. I also invited my brother from Nelspruit to join us because, despite many years of fishing in Moçambique, catching a marlin had always eluded him. So, we needed five fish in six days of fishing and they had to be big and they had to be blue marlin — Makaira nigricans — the Atlantic variety. That’s a tall order for any fishery in the world! I considered the world’s well known marlin fisheries like Mexico, Madeira, Canary Islands and Australia which are all famous for their noteworthy billfish catches, but when I stacked up their respective catch numbers against my needs I found a problem with each one of them. Madeira fish are big but scarce, in Mexico the fish are abundant but not big. I needed to find a fishery that produces large fish in abundance. Enter the November/December 2016 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine and the article titled “Cape Verde — Blue Marlin dreams come true”. I had found my destination! I did my research and reached out to Stuart Simpson who runs West2East Marlin Charters out of Mindelo Harbour on Sao Vicente Island. Sao Vincente is the second most northerly island of the Cape Verde archipelago which consists of nine mostly volcanic and semi-forested islands located around 700km off the western coast of Senegal. I told Stuart exactly what I wanted. Essentially I live in Mauritius, have my own big game fishing boat and can fish for black marlin on any day of the year — and I do — but that in this case I wanted big blue marlin, and one for each of us, and he had one week to deliver. Stuart was up for the challenge. Next we discussed dates and it seemed that April through June are the months when the fish are plentiful (Stuart has released ten blues in a single day over this period). However during that time the fish tend to be smaller, although “small” still refers to fish in the 250- to 400 lb range! All the same, I was looking for a higher concentration of large blues and because I was bringing my youngest son on the trip I was also looking for calmer waters. In the end we decided on mid-July which is late in the April to early August billfish season, but is a time when the marlin shoals start to move off, migrating with the baitfish, and the bigger fish tend to stay behind to build condition with less competition for food before following the migration routes. The sea is also calmer in July than earlier in the season. Although Stuart’s boat, Nha Cretcheu, a 33ft Bertram rigged out for heavy billfish, only fishes four anglers, I reasoned that my youngest son,Wyatt, counted as only half an angler because of his size and my wife Jurina would mostly be in the cabin reading a book, so Stuart agreed that we could all fish together as a family. But don’t hold him to this, as his charter fishes four anglers and he only agreed to fish five because I had younger children. With the destination and date determined I then turned to the logistics. Although it’s not the most direct route, I settled on flying from Mauritius to Jo’burg where we would meet up with my brother, Darrell, before travelling on to Lisbon, Portugal, via Madrid, Spain. From Lisbon we would catch a TAP (Air Portugal) flight to Sao Vicente and meet with Stuart at the floating restaurant in Mindelo Marina. We arrived in sunny Mindelo, the capital of Sao Vicente, on 15 July after an enjoyable detour taking in the sights of

Madrid and Lisbon on the way. We felt rested and ready to fish the next day. I met Stuart at the marina and, to my pleasant surprise, he introduced me to none other than Ryan Williamson, the owner of Pulsator Lures who had been fishing with Stuart for the season. Ryan’s reputation for his extensive knowledge of big game fishing precedes him, so we were off to a good start with some of the most experienced guys in the industry to guide us. My family and I had embarked on one of the most remarkable fishing trips imaginable, with plenty of marlin action, many laughs, great company and of course cold beer. On the first day we fished the Sao Pedro Bank with live baits maybe 15 clicks to the west of Mindelo. It was mostly a reconnaissance trip for the week ahead to see where the fish were feeding. Our baits were quickly scissored off behind the head by what were probably tuna and wahoo, but we saw no marlin for the day. When you fish with Stuart and Ryan they have a onetrack mind fixed on blue marlin which is fine by me as we came with the objective of catching blue marlin and I can catch tuna, wahoo and black marlin back home in Mauritius. That afternoon we went back to Mindelo to pack and check out of the hotel because the following day we would cruise to the northern-most island of Santo Antoa, 20km to the north. We left for Santo Antoa around 7am, pulling two Pulsator lures with hooks on the long, and two Pulsator lures with no hooks on the short. These are used to entice marlin to come to the back of the boat where a beautifully prepared bait with a single hook is presented as a substitute while the teasers are pulled out the water and left hanging in the air from the outriggers. The lit up blue marlin, which changes to a deep indigo blue colour, then attacks the bait in a demonstration of speed, agility and power that will get even the most experienced angler’s blood running. The fish literally bunches its shoulders out of the water and crashes down on the bait in a spray of water as it vents its fury for having the teaser removed from right in front of its slashing bill. This is an amazing thing to witness just metres behind the boat. Although we had a few marlin enquiries on the lures on the way over to Santo Antao there were no hard takes until we were just off the island when the long right reel started screaming. My youngest son, Wyatt (12), jumped into the fighting chair because he was quicker than the rest of us and got to battle with a fast, aggressive blue marlin that he fought for 40 minutes. It was spectacularly airborne during the fight and it was a remarkable achievement for “Junior”, as Stuart calls him, to land this 300pounder after a tough battle. The marlin was in prime condition, keen to demonstrate its raw power, but youth and determination persevered and the fish was cleanly released, tired but healthy. That afternoon we moored in the small bay of Montrigo and checked into our accommodation on Santo Antao — a double storey inn above a rocky beach dwarfed by volcanic cliffs rising high into the clouds behind it. The accommodation is basic but clean, with a demonstration of ser vice and genuine care for his clientele by the owner/manager that I have not experienced in five-star hotels. This is not a retreat for pampered types looking for opulence and creature comforts, this is a fishing destination on the edge of one of the world’s best marlin waters and is geared for fishermen who are content with clean beds, good food and cold beer; they do this very well. On day three we were up at 7am, and after breakfast we took the short trip in the local skiff from the pebble beach through a small shorebreak to meet the captain and crew who spent the night aboard Nha Cretcheu, in the

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 15

You can spend hours at sea watching the teasers and waiting for a fish to strike, but off Cape Verde when they strike they stike hard and the wait is well worth it.

calm blue waters of the bay. The lures were placed immediately as we headed out the bay and trolled north. Within the hour we got a strong pull on the long right and my wife Jurina took the chair and applied pressure as the big fish nearly spooled the reel and took a big jump about 700m out. After a fierce fight lasting an hour my exhausted wife was very proud to see her 750 lb blue alongside. I was talking on the satellite phone in the cabin, looking towards the back of the boat, shortly after the release of her fish when I saw a sight that will remain with me forever: A massive marlin came out of the water with the full spread of the dredge teasers hanging off its bill and crashed back with an enormous splash not five metres behind the boat. After breaking free of the downrigger the fish swirled around and attacked the far right lure, a green/black Pulsator Marlin Magnet. All hell broke loose as we cleared the deck and my 17-year-old son, Cynan, took the chair, preparing for the fight of his life. After a long and dirty fight lasting twoand-a-half hours, the fish came to the boat exhausted. I knew when I saw the fish jump the first time that it was around the magic mark. We discussed it with the crew, and I was given the option of taking the fish out, with the only objective

being to weight it. I decided to do that and, using its dimensions, we subsequently calculated the fish to be somewhere between 972- and 1 037 pounds. Not bad for a teenager! The discrepancy in calculated weight can be attributed to the method you use. If you take the girth (74 inches) and square that, then multiply that figure by the length (174 inches) and then divide it by 800, you get an approximate weight of 972 lb. If you do the first part of the calculation and then divide by 750 (instead of 800) you get an approximate weight of 1 037 lb. Either way it’s a spectacular fish. I must stress that Stuart and Ryan are avid marine conservationists and the decision to keep a fish is not taken lightly. It really needs to be an extraordinary fish for them to support keeping it. They have released literally thousands of marlin in these waters, all tagged and healthy, so that tells you the type of guys that they are. On the way back to the mooring we raised another fish that looked north of 900 lb but she didn’t take. We were secretly relieved, as we were exhausted after having two very large fish straight after one another. There were some very tired and sore muscles that night. The following day we headed out to the Noreste Bank about 20 clicks north of Montrigo Bay and experienced an

Lance Clever, his son Wyatt, wife Jurina, son Cynan and brother Darrell pose with the grander caught by Cynan.

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 17

The magical black and green Pulsator Marlin Magnet. amazing day of fishing that I am not likely to ever forget. My brother and I were on the reels for that day, and through a combination of stand up and chair raised eight marlin and released three, Darrell’s being the biggest at 650 lb. We had three fish well over the 500 lb benchmark in two days! Day five was quieter; we trolled for the morning and picked up a smaller marlin late in the day, also raising two or three others. On our final day we headed back to Mindelo and right outside the harbour on the North Bank I pulled in a very healthy 450-pounder after raising three others which trailed behind the teasers but did not take the pitch bait; it happens. That’s also where you see the Ryan and Stuart’s experience come to the fore. In those circumstances they reduced the number of teasers and lures in the spread, changed the colours and positions of the remaining skirts and that was when I got my fish.

18 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

These guys really know what they are doing. In conclusion, I took my family blue marlin fishing in the hope that they could each get a marlin in six days of fishing. We achieved that and more, with 20 fish raised, seven fish caught, my youngest son joining the marlin club with his first fish, my other son landing a grander, and my wife catching a much bigger fish than me! Not a bad week of fishing you could say. It was a truly rewarding experience fishing with Stuart and Ryan who are both gentlemen, exceptional fishermen and great company on a boat during the many hours spent cruising crystal clear waters looking for exceptional fish. Hurry up and book for 2018 before the schedule fills up. Get hold of Stuart he will give you all the advice you need to get there and he only fishes when there are lots of fish and big fish to be had, the rest is up to the angler. Tight lines!

BACK TO BASICS

By Quinton Edmond

OTHING thrills a bottomfish angler more than when his predetermined plan comes together. Setting out to target daga (aka kob — Argyrosomus Hololepidotus), the largest of all the kob family found in South African waters and have been recorded to attain weights as much as 73.5kg (SA angling record) here in KwaZulu-Natal is, in my opinion, the ultimate in bottomfishing adventures. Why? You may well ask. Because for these fish one has to tick all the boxes in one’s experience to eventually bring at least one big daga to the boat. You have to fish at the right place and at the right time with the right tackle and, above all, the right bait. To achieve this I intend to give you my opinion of what fulfills the right requirements for each of these aspects and how I go about targeting daga with the 10kg line we now use during competition bottomfishing. Before I commence, all anglers — whether or not they are targeting daga salmon as we have called them since time

immemorial here off the KwaZulu-Natal coast (Port Edward to St Lucia) — need to familiarise themselves with the gazetted laws relating to the capture and retention of this species. The scientists have warned that this species is being overfished along the entire coastline of South Africa. The law states that for kob caught from a boat at sea between Cape Agulhas and the Umtamvuna River, the minimum size is 50cm, and the bag limit for each angler is five fish per pay, with only one of those five able to measure more than 110cm.

For kob caught from a boat at sea in KZN, the minimum size is 40cm and the bag limit is again five fish per angler per day, with only one of those five measuring over 110cm in length. With that put to bed, you’ll see that it’s made targeting a large kob more exciting as one is hunting a specific trophy fish to add to one’s CV, rather than judging the success of your daga hunt-

If you’re going to release daga make sure you use an appropriate release rig similar to this to ensure they get back to the bottom.

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 23

Russell Hand shows off two beauties caught off Umgodoyi — one weighed 20kg and the other 8kg.

ing trip in terms of numbers as was always the case in the past. (See Mush Nichols’ article “The last great smash” on pg 55 of this issue.) Now it’s a case of climaxing a day’s achievement out on the ocean by fishing for, hooking and landing a 40kg daga on 10kg line on a seven-inch Scarborough reel. The first sight of this huge fish showing its brown colouring with a white underbelly or, if you’re fishing at night, the line of evenly spaced “diamonds” along its lateral line picking up the ref lected light from one’s head torch will remain in your memory for a long time — as will the immense satisfaction of having a plan come together. Most bottomfish anglers get lucky now and again when fishing the deep reefs off our coast here in KwaZuluNatal and a really good and heavy “pull” and fight eventually ends with a daga coming to the surface. “Luckshot” it’s called. However, what I am attempting to advise is completely the opposite. It’s the dedicated preparation for a day at sea with one aim in mind: “Today I am going to sea to target daga.” TICKBOX 1: WHAT IS A DAGA? This shoaling predator y species is thought to breed, spawn and grow up in the estuaries and shallow reefs of the south and eastern Cape where their numbers, especially in the old days, were plentiful and made up the bulk of both commercial and recreational linefish catches. The smaller kob are extremely good eating whether fried, pickled or curried, and formed a major part of the diet of the inhabitants of those parts of South Africa. Huge “boer kabeljou” — very dark in colour — move up the estuarine rivers of the Eastern Cape. These include the Breede, Gouritz and Kowie rivers to name but a few of the major river systems where these colossal kob supposedly come to spawn and where they have been caught over the last century, with some weighing as much as 68kg (150 lb). Some anglers believe these fish have such dark backs because they’re sunburnt from swimming in the shallow waters. See the September 2008 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine for more details of the inshore kob fishing from the southern Cape to well inside the Wild Coast where these fish are found in the shallow waters. Here off Durban and most of the KZN coast, the daga caught by skiboaters are usually found in much deeper waters — 20- to 50 fathoms. TICKBOX 2: WHEN TO TARGET DAGA It is said that the big daga — fish between 15kg and 40kg — move into the KZN waters following the sardine run which follows the colder Cape

24 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

Diagram 1 — Kob (daga) may be found up to 50m away from a wreck, living close to the sand. waters moving up our coastline from the beginning of June each year. When the sards have passed and their influence on all types of offshore fishing is over, then I fish for daga. July through to October is when many of us target these big bottomfish. Daga, like their smaller cousins the geelbek, feed more prolifically during the night than during the daylight hours. A lot of anglers thus target these fish during the hours of darkness. It is

said that the kob’s keen sense of smell and the information gleaned from its sensory receptors along its lateral line enable it to forage in murky and turbulent water conditions, so they don’t have to rely on sight. In saying that, since the laws promulgated to curtail the heavy commercialising of these fish were passed, the night fishing has reduced quite significantly, thus allowing fish numbers to increase and those anglers who target

them during the day to enjoy a higher rate of success. TICKBOX 3: WHERE TO TARGET DAGA The daga in our area (KZN) seem to like to frequent the wrecks along our coast and areas where there are substantial pinnacles with dropoffs that have very steep sides. Some of these in the Durban area are wrecks like the Griqualand, those off Bluff lighthouse,

Diagram 2 — Generally, kob move onto the reefs under cover of darkness to feed on smaller fish such as pinkies and sand soldiers. SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 25

Diagram 3 — Kob often hunt on shallow reefs or artifical structures at ±20 fathoms, especially at night. Dumping Ground and Welkom north of Tongaat. These areas are all producing good daga this year. Another factor to consider and something I’ve certainly noticed over the last 20 years spent targeting the species, is that daga frequent specific reefs and wrecks every year. In saying that, there are a number of deep reefs off the Flats area in 45 fathoms where these fish can be targeted and which produce a number of good specimens every year. They also frequent Middle Reef which runs from south of Umhlanga to north of Umdloti and ranges in depth from 24- to 29 fathoms. These are a few reefs that have worked for me during the daylight hours: 29° 43.400’ S 31° 11.799’ E 29° 44.425’S 31° 14.589’ E 29° 43.709’ S 31° 14.589’E The following wreck reefs are normally only productive at night. Welkom: 29° 35.814’ S 31° 13.491’ E Griqualand: 30° 04.561’S 30° 56.523’E 29° 48.375’ S 31° 09.416’ E

mark with my sounder switched off. Yes, indeed, the effects of the sonar pulse on some fish species is hotly debated and I am not convinced either way, but to be on the safe side I switch off my sounder when I’m targeting both daga and geelbek. If I feel I need to re-anchor and change my position by shortening the rope or by letting out more rope, I do so using my GPS and leave the sonar off. Obviously if I get no pulls from the spotted daga I may up anchor and use my sounder to find out whether the

TICKBOX 4: FINDING DAGA AND ANCHORING When I’m searching for daga I don’t even stop on a “daga mark” if I don’t see some good showings of this species on my sonar. These fish have huge swimbladders and, as a result, show up extremely well on an echo sounder. If I notice good showings on a daga mark on my first pass over it, I mark the position and carry on until I can anchor upcurrent of the position where I spotted daga. I then drift back onto the 26 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

daga are still there or where they’ve moved to. TICK BOX 5: WHAT DAGA EAT AND WHAT BAIT I USE Daga are sluggish, predatory fish that hunt small baitfish, crustaceans, squid and cuttlefish and it’s my view that these fish use wreck structures and heavy reefs to ambush their prey. Considering their diet it is not surprising that I’ve caught daga on most types of bait — especially if they’re feeding strongly. all the same, whole sardines, live maasbanker or, preferably

live mackerel are definitely my top choices of the best bait for daga. Many anglers underestimate the eating habits of daga. Considering their size they can be extremely delicate feeders. The showings may be great, the tackle perfect and the bait superb, but for some reason the daga don’t feed. When holding his rod a good angler will be able to feel some enquiries from down below, but many of these slight knocks don’t end up with a pull one can strike at. Frustrated, the angler may pull up his bait to check it, and at first glance it appears perfect. But look more closely, especially at night, and you will be surprised to see the telltale pinholes made in the bait’s flanks. That indicates a big daga has mouthed the bait and then dropped it. This is extremely frustrating, especially if your live mackerel now has pinholes in it but is still alive. One then has two options — move or use desperation techniques like putting down terminal rigs with bunches of mushy or mushed up sards to start a chum base, followed by a “skelm” trace with a juicy fillet of sard and a sliver of chokka beneath it to coax the daga to begin feeding properly. I have also found that reducing the diameter of the hook snood often works and that a 40 lb snood gets the pull that the thicker snood doesn’t. Once a daga has been hooked on a light skelm rig and bait you might well find that the big dagas start feeding on your live bait or whole sardines. TICKBOX 6: TRACES FOR DAGA Accompanying this article you’ll find photos of the traces I use for daga, whether I’m fishing 10kg tackle or my big sticks. In the Eastern Cape where small kob predominate, anglers use a ball sliding sinker above a swivel, then a metre or so of soft leader to a 6/0 hook. They fish it right on the bottom with minimal tension on the line. Depths usually range from 6 to 12 fathoms. This doesn’t work for us in the deep water where we have to set our baits in depths between 20- and 45 fathoms. In addition, I like to have a bait right on the bottom and then stagger other baits rising up the water column. Depending on the structure and where the daga were seen holding, I arrange for my crew to cover this whole area to determine where we get the first pull and on what bait. We then focus our efforts on that area, mostly using the bait the daga first took. TICK BOX 7: FIGHTING A DAGA Many say fighting a daga is like pulling up a wet sack. My reply is that those anglers have never pulled a good-sized daga or else they were using 100+ lb braid, a heavy rod and a 14-inch

This magnificent specimen of a boer kabeljou of 45.5kg which Rikus De Beer caught on a sardine bait, at Struisbaai, Agulhas in January 2004. The majority of these big fish are released these days. Scarborough on a 10kg kob. In my experience daga, especially the big ones, are dogged, fair-fighting, head-nodding fish that fight up until barotrauma sets in around six metres below the surface. They certainly don’t have the speed of pelagic gamefish, nor the desperate fast takeoff of yellowtail, and they seldom look for structure to try and cut the restricting line, but they still give a good, dogged fight. When a daga gets alongside it’s usually totally spent and can be lifted aboard by sliding one’s hand under the gill plate or gaffing it. If you want to release these fish you need to take a lot of care to revive them

and get them swimming the right way up. Then you’ll need to return them to the bottom using the appropriate release rig. TICKBOX 8: BE A GOOD SPORT Guys, please, once you have caught your trophy daga limit your catch — don’t catch your limit. Rather move off the reef than persist in catching these magnificent fish and trying to release them. You have achieved your goal, and one good sized fish will give you ample fish fillets to fill your freezer so there is no need to pull up another daga in the hope it may sur vive when released.

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 27

ADVERTORIAL

POETRY IN MOTION

HE Cannes Yachting Festival saw the launch of a number of amazing yachts into the world of boating and, according to the team from luxury boat broker Boating World, which attended the show, Riviera’s two new sport yachts sure do stand out from the crowd. After making its world premiere at the Sydney International Boat Show at the beginning of August, the Riviera 68 Sports Motor Yacht was showcased alongside the elegant 4800 Sport Yacht, with both boats making their European premiere at Cannes. Designed to offer exhilarating performance combined with all the creature comforts you could want when out on the water, the totally redesigned luxury Riviera 68 Sports Motor Yacht is the smaller of two options in this range which also includes the 72 model. Allowing superior comfort and offshore capabilities, the 68 Sports Motor Yacht is ideal for extended cruising with plenty of space for relaxing as well as all the amenities the sportfishing enthusiast could hope for. An elevated

alfresco dining area sits forward of the cockpit and offers a great flow through to the U-shaped galley area through a stainless steel door fitted with a large window, making the vessel perfect for entertaining. The entertainment area flow continues to the large f lybridge area with penthouse appeal, complete with large loungers, a rear deck, alfresco dining area, and even a hidden fold-out double bed. Then, on the foredeck, a fantastic eight-seater sunken entertainment lounge with fold-away bimini awaits. When it’s not in use, the tender is stored here and is easily launched with a hydraulic davit. Inside the vessel the saloon’s plush lounge and dining area can also seat eight people and provides an ideal spot for quiet dinners, a relaxing evening with a book or catching up on the game thanks to the stowable TV. The Riviera 68 Sports Motor Yacht offers two stunning stateroom options which include the classic four-cabin option or a three-cabin design with large master cabin featuring a queen

28 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

size walk-around bed and private ensuite bathroom. A day head and shower are also easily accessible for guests while an additional cabin with direct access to the engine room can be used for crew or as a utility room. “The Riviera Sports Motor Yacht collection has been designed to offer the exhilaration of sports performance with the luxurious comforts for which Riviera is internationally recognised,” said Riviera owner and chairman, Rodney Longhurst. “The initial sea trials have proved the motor yacht’s whisperquiet performance and super-smooth running at speed. It really has exceeded everything we wanted to achieve.” On the other side of the coin, the newly revealed Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht also made its European debut at Cannes. This impressive vessel is designed with Riviera’s innovative approach to yacht building and provides an amazing option for clients of the Sport Yacht range, with the larger 6000 and 5400 models being in high demand worldwide. The Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht’s sleek

Riviera unveils new sport yachts

Riviera 68 Sports Motor Yacht

Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht

styling offers single level living and entertaining, combined with superb performance and manoeuvrability. She features a brand new robust and responsive hull design while owners can enjoy the benefits of Riviera’s IPS system, joystick drive system and glass cockpit navigation. “Riviera has created a highly responsive new hull for the 4800 Sport Yacht that perfectly matches the Volvo Penta IPS800 propulsion,” says Chris McCafferty, Riviera’s International Sales Director. With two staterooms and two bathrooms, an aft galley, elevated lounge and spacious dining area, the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht is an entertainer’s delight. You won’t want to leave it at the end of a fabulous day on the water. With the launch of these two fantastic new boats, Riviera has reset the bar, providing great multi-functional vessels and thrusting the company into the big league of luxury long-range motor yacht manufacturers. Contact the team at Boating World today to realise your Riviera dreams: <info@boatingworld.co.za> Cell: 082 881 2607 • Office: 021 418 0840 <www.boatingworld.co.za/riviera> SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 29

BOAT REVIEW

FUN DAYS Reviewed by Erwin Bursik

HE “ode” to the Butt Cat goes right back to 1955 when Stan Butt built his first Butt Cat on the banks of the Bushmans River near Kenton on Sea on the Eastern Cape coast. Primarily targeting the commercial linefishermen, Stan built his craft to take on the notably choppy seas off the coastline with a full complement of crew and often a large catch of fish. The craft had to be able to carry a lot of weight, but be stable, take heavy seas and negotiate the surf, yet needed to be within the price range the commercial operators could afford and should ideally be powered by relatively small motors. Stan’s Butt Cats worked, and although they were “rough and ready” during that period, they proved extremely popular in the Eastern- and Western Cape and had the reputation of being extremely seaworthy craft. It was not till the 1980s and 1990s that the Butt Cat started to be considered by a few recreational ski-boaters specifically because of their renowned seakeeping capabilities. During the first decade of the 21st century the Butt Cat’s future hung in the balance because of the trials and tribulations the business experienced. However the Butt Cat’s solid basic design eventually saw this brand enter much calmer waters under the control of Nauti-Tech’s Warren Rachman, Len van Kempen and Ian Burrell. Today Butt Cat is making waves in the sportfishing arena where its performance on the water is being appreciated along with its overall finishes and modern construction methods which put these craft into the upper echelons of the great offshore sportfisher craft on the South African market today. During lengthy discussions with Warren and Len at the recent Johannesburg Boat Show, I was asked to go to Port Elizabeth a week after the show as Nauti-Tech had three models of their Butt Cat range that were available to be reviewed prior to delivery. I was very keen to keep this date as the opportunity to ride three models of the Butt Cat range and find out for myself how they handled the ocean, was too good to pass up. Surprisingly, prior to 2015 I had never been aboard a Butt Cat. That year, after a Marlin Seminar that Ryan Williamson of Pulsator Lures and I hosted at Suid Punt Hengel Klub at Struisbaai, I went to sea with Danie Jacobs aboard his Butt Cat 865, Le Boss, which was rigged for serious big game fishing. Since that day I have spent two weeks aboard Le Boss fishing the infamous waters off the southern tip of Africa during the 2016 and 2017 Two Oceans Marlin tournaments. I experienced beautiful conditions and horrendous conditions aboard Le Boss and really appreciated how this craft’s hull handled those seas. Before setting out my views on the Butt Cat 25 Yellowfin edition that I have chosen to cover in this issue — the Butt Cat 930 and Butt Cat 660 will follow in the next two issues — I need to provide some background information. After Nauti-Tech acquired the rights to finish, distribute, install and market Butt Cats, a number of features came into being. The first was the manufacture of the hull and the top deck which John Butt and his daughter, Kerry, were contracted to continue building at Kenton on Sea, but utilising

30 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

LIE AHEAD Butt Cat 25 Yellowfin Edition By Nauti-Tech

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 â&#x20AC;¢ 31

the most modern construction methods and composite materials to ensure maximum strength and a much lighter finished craft. The basic sponson design below the chine line has been religiously adhered to, but the height of the tunnel has been increased to release the water build-up that was restricting performance in the earlier models. They then restyled the top deck and deck layout with new tooling to ensure that the incredibly high demands of the top end of the recreational sportfishing market were attained. Once a basic hull with its basic top deck and furniture assembled — and fully foam-filled with polyurethane — is complete, it’s transported to NautiTech’s Port Elizabeth factory where the final finishes together with fitting of the stainless steel, motors, electronics and other niceties are undertaken under the watchful eyes of Warren and Len. The Yellowfin edition of the Butt Cat 25 is the latest of Nauti-Tech’s many models they produce aimed primarily at the Cape market where yellowfin tuna is the main target species. The boat can, however, be customised to accommodate the KZN gamefishing application. When designing a boat for this market, the most important requirement was for a craft that was big enough to travel the long runs to the tuna grounds in comfort using 140hp motors and that was economical on fuel. Of course it also needed a large fish hatch. The day we had chosen to do the reviews was calm — an unusual occurrence for Port Elizabeth — and as such all the trials performed had to include a fair deal of presumption about its performance based on my experiences of the Butt Cat 865’s performance in the horrible seas off Cape Agulhas. When you’re loading and running a boat it’s critical that the on-deck structures, crew, fuel and fish weight are distributed evenly, with slightly more of the weight aft of the craft’s “see-saw” point. I found this craft to be ideally balanced, thus requiring very little bow up or bow down trim during all the various manoeuvres I put her through. I was intrigued by the almost total lack of lateral torque of all three craft I reviewed and spoke at length with Warren and Len regarding this. From what I worked out, the aft sponson design that largely controls the craft’s ride and speed is so designed that its planing surface and shape overrides the craft’s tendency to react to the torque of the motors. I found this very interesting. Not only did I not have to trim against lateral torque, but it also seemed to hold the offside sponson from dropping during long runs in a quartering sea. Over the years I’ve heard many people say that the Butt Cat gives a soft 32 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

ride, but only now that I’ve experienced it myself can I fully appreciate that. Again I spent much time thinking about my experience on the Butt Cat 865 off Cape Agulhas and remembering that craft’s ride and ability to track evenly in a big following sea which I couldn’t experience on the day of the review. What I really appreciated on the day of the review was the boat’s high speed performance over small chop, especially when I was photographing. I particularly noticed just how smooth her ride was and also how little water was thrown at these speeds. A look at the accompanying photographs will show this, especially the one of the craft following the photo boat at over 20 knots where the cleaved water is spread low and wide and there’s marginal build-up of hard water in the tunnel. Even though this 25ft hull was designed to target tuna way offshore, there are plenty of applications for this size craft off the rest of the east coast of South Africa and Moçambique. For this reason I put her through a vigorous routine of tight turns and out-the-hole trials in order to ascertain how I feel she would react to being beach launched off sites such as Sodwana Bay. Every craft has its idiosyncrasies and I needed to see how she fared. Throughout the sea trials I had experienced her out-thehole acceleration and ability to get up and running very quickly, but what I needed to feel was how quickly she would do an abrupt about turn and then dig in her aft and climb up onto the plane. She performed with ease and I found the previously mentioned stern stability had no hindering effect in bringing her around in a tight turn. During this manoeuvre I used the outside motor under major thrust while the inside motor was just used to control the thrust until the turn had been completed. All worked very smartly with no indication of cavitation nor any tendency of the inside chine to bite. I did this many times swinging both to port as well as to starboard.

For this application I would have preferred a larger diameter steering wheel and not as direct a hydraulic lock-to-lock turn. These are great for this particular craft’s application but if surf work is envisaged I would change it as mentioned. It is always interesting to test the wake pattern a specific hull generates when trolling throughout various fishing manoeuvres. Slow trolling with only one motor was effortless, but it got more interesting trolling with both motors and watching her wake develop as I increased the revs to 900rpm for 5 knots, to 1 400rpm for 7 knots, and on to 1 800rpm for 9 knots. She produces a very flat wake which is tight up to just on 8 knots and thereafter slowly spreads out. I was very happy with the wake and the ample clean water she produced where I could run lures in the typical pattern we use. The power source provided on the Butt Cat 25 was a pair of well-used 140hp Suzuki four-stroke motors swinging threebladed 20-pitch stainless steel props. They provided as much if not more power than I required, and even when running her with one motor with the other trimmed right up I got her to plane at close to 20 knots using maximum throttle, but was able to back off the throttle to 4 500rpm and still plane at 16/17 knots. As I stated, this craft was designed and made for a specific use and its owner was very definite in what he wanted in the way of deck layout and cubby-cabin interior design fitment. “Suitable for tuna fishing” was the only criterion. With this in mind a number of changes were effected apart from the Butt Cat’s hull itself. The major changes included increasing the height of the gunnels and stepping up the deck at the forward end of the cabin, and the inclusion of a huge, insulated, abovedeck fish box and twin 140 litre fuel tanks which were incorporated in the false transom. The extra high gunnel height was to suit the owner’s physical stature and his preference and style of stand-up fishing when attached to a large tuna. A small step in the walkaround space to the front deck area makes it easier to move

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 33

forward when harnessed to a big fish. In designing this gunnel height the owner, Ian Burrell, and Nauti-Tech made provision within the moulding to very easily lower the gunnel height if other prospective owners would prefer that configuration. The internal layout of the cabin is clinically efficient for the skipper with a maximum of electronics selectively positioned for all-out visibility. The “bumbox” seating is wide, extremely comfortable and practical, whether you’re standing behind the wheel or sitting during those long hours of trolling. It’s certainly a very practical helm station in my opinion. The lockable forward cabin capable of storing all the yellowfin tuna tackle when Fundays is not out fishing is also a great idea. Some of the outstanding aspects of the final finish of this craft need to be noted as they’re an indication of the effort Nauti-Tech puts into the craft they deliver. Firstly the quality and sturdiness of all the fitted hardware and especially the stainless steel work is superb. It’s made and fitted in-house by people that have spent time on the ocean fishing the heavy Cape waters. Secondly the accessibility to and neatness of the extensive electrical wiring needed in this size craft is impressive. It’s all numbered and scheduled in a manual for easy maintenance and trouble shooting. The deck area, both up front and right aft to the boarding platform, has been laid out to be user friendly for the tuna angler who will be fighting his quarry from her deck, often under heavy sea conditions. This craft has been designed to not only look stunning, but also to provide her owner and those that hunt the big tuna off Cape Point with him, with a dedicated platform on which to ply their sport. The Butt Cat 25 Yellowfin Edition is a craft that needs to be thoroughly scrutinised to be fully appreciated. Indeed, Fundays’ beauty is much more than skin deep. 34 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

ADVERTORIAL

INDABA LODGE RICHARDS E By Rob Mickel

ARLIER this year my wife and I agreed that we needed a quick break down at the coast for a long weekend. I’d just taken delivery of my new boat and we didn’t really want to “schlep” all the way to Moçambique (our usual spot), so we decided to head to Richards Bay as we’d heard the locals brag of the rich fishing waters between Mtunzini and Mapelane. It turned out to be a great decision. A quick web search for suitable accommodation highlighted the newly opened apartments at Indaba Lodge Richards Bay. Described as “family and fisherman friendly”, and ideally located in Meerensee, we decided to book one of their twobedroomed self-catering apartments. It was a wonderful find. We coerced another couple to join us on our little adventure, and after an early start from Gauteng, and a quick stop in Harrismith to re-fuel and enjoy a Wimpy breakfast we made good time, arriving in Richards Bay around midday. On arrival at the Indaba Lodge we were met by a friendly security officer who showed us exactly where to park the bakkie and boat — fantastic service and a great start to our long weekend. He then directed us to reception where we checked. We were very happy with the rates — R1650 per night for the 2-bedroomed apartment and a further R100 per day for the secure boat bay and tackle storage locker; in total it cost R5 250 for the three-night stay for four. The receptionist explained what the hotel had on offer and even offered to order us boat lunches for the next day. EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS After quickly offloading the boat and tackle we made our way up to the Mediterranean-style apartment which proved to be spacious, modern and well equipped. Each bedroom has an en-suite bathroom and the common area is an open plan kitchen and lounge, complete with a large flat screen TV. Large sliding doors lead out to the patio which boasts a teak table and chairs, a Weber braai and a very comfortable hammock — the perfect spot for an afternoon snooze. Towels and linen are also provided and the apartments are serviced daily; what a pleasure. The apartments at Indaba Lodge also have an on-site fishing tackle shop, Fish Zone. This fisherman’s paradise sells 36 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

absolutely everything you might need for your fishing trip. We met the owner, Quinten, and he gave us a few tips on where to fish for large Natal snoek and croc ’cuda. With this inside info we stocked up on snoek traces and spoons and also added fresh bait to our basket. Fish Zone even had specialist baits like individually wrapped red eye sardines. Quentin mentioned that we could pre-order bait and he would have it all boxed and ready to go. The next port of call was the Richards Bay Ski-Boat Club which is only 500m away from the Indaba Lodge. After producing my seaworthy certificate for my boat and my skippers ticket, I purchased a harbour clearance disc (R175 — valid for 12 months) and took care of the launching fees (R60 per day). Incidentally, a week’s membership at the club is only R300 and two weeks’ membership is R350 — perfect for longer stays as this allows you and your family full use of all the club’s facilities including launching. The club’s facilities are really great and we were made to feel very welcome by the locals so we stayed for a couple of sundowners; the sunset over the bay and harbour is nothing short of spectacular. As we had not made any plans for dinner, we decided to go the hotel’s Trevally’s Restaurant to enjoy a quick bite to eat. We opted for the reasonably priced buffet with the highlight being the delicious Durban Lamb Curry washed down with local craft beers on tap. My wife loved the local cheese board on offer which we discovered was from Chane Cheese Farm in Mtubatuba; we were very impressed that the hotel supports local industry. During dinner we met the GM, Mike Oliver, who is also an avid ski-boat fisherman. After enquiring whether we had settled in okay he confirmed that snoek were coming up north of the harbour at Groenkop. On hearing that this was our first trip to Richards Bay, Mike kindly gave us a map to the most common waypoints and bait marks.

OUT ON THE WATER The next day my fishing mate and I snuck out at 5am, leaving our wives sleeping. After collecting our boat lunches from reception, we loaded our tackle and bait, hooked up the boat and made our way down to the ski-boat club. All this in 20 minutes tops. The weather was good so we had to contend with a

BAY HAS IT ALL... queue at the slipway, but boats were launched quickly and we were on the water just before 6am. We immedately set course to the bait marks that Mike had shared with us. We dropped our sabikis and the second bait mark produced two nice strings of maasbankers and some mackerel. On arrival at Groenkop, we baited up three rods with fillets and pulled two small Rapalas under the fillets. We hadn’t gone far when two rods went away at once. After a short fight we landed a nice 6kg snoek, and in the space of two hours we caught another nine snoek (queen mackerel) all between 6- and 8kg. The great morning of fishing made us hungry, so we broke out the lunch. Indaba Lodge had made us two delicious chicken wraps each, plus they had supplied packets of crisps, chocolates and Liquifruit all packed in a soft cooler. Perfect! By this time the weather had deteriorated and the wind was up so we decided to head back to port. Just before we entered the harbour, I noticed a few boats working the South Pier and guessed they must be trolling for garrick, so we decided to have a bash too. We rigged up two rods with flurocarbon leaders, a circle hook and a small live mackerel. We started a slow troll with the reels set on the lightest drag possible and didn’t get far before the reel started screaming. After a long clean fight, a beautiful garrick was brought alongside the boat. We quickly netted the fish, tagged it and released it to fight another day. What an absolutely awesome day! Back on land we loaded the boat on the trailer, filleted the snoek at the club and made our way back to the Indaba Lodge. After washing down our boat we went looking for our wives, but they were nowhere to be found. Eventually we discovered they had treated themselves to a relaxing afternoon at “The Retreat” spa. This wonderful facility at the Indaba Lodge specialises in hair, beauty and massage — the perfect spot for some “me time”. While the ladies enjoyed a well-deserved pamper, my mate and I headed out for some provisions. Indaba Lodge is ideally situated within a one kilometre radius of Pick n Pay, Spar, the bottle store, Dischem and the BP garage. Our wives returned just before 5pm, waxing lyrical about their day. After a long lie-in and a lazy brunch ordered from room service, they did a short work-out at the gym and enjoyed a little sunbathing at the pool before deciding to

book themselves into The Retreat for the afternoon. I have been on many a fishing trip and I can truly say that this was happiest I ever saw my wife. It’s true what they say: happy wife, happy life! As the sun set, we cracked open a bottle of wine and got dinner on the go — freshly braaied Natal snoek with buttered baby potatoes, avocado and a green salad all enjoyed on the outdoor patio. EXPLORING THE NEIGHBOURHOOD The following day Windguru ruled out fishing as a strong 30 knot south-westerly wind was forecast for the whole day, what a disappointment. We sat around chatting and drinking coffee and feeling totally sorry for ourselves until the wives suggested that we pack up a picnic and go to HluhluweImfolozi Game Reserve for the day. The reserve is an hour’s drive from Richards Bay and we paid R95 per person to get in. Our time there was very rewarding with an abundance of game, and the highlight was seeing both black- and white rhino. We had a wonderful day and got back into Richards Bay quite late. None of us felt like cooking dinner so, we drove to the waterfront and found a street curry restaurant called KNK — KwaZulu-Natal Kerrie’s. Sitting outside with all the locals on wooden benches was a new experience for us! The curries were super-hot but most enjoyable. We were up quite early again the following morning to pack up the apartment and boat, but were done in an hour so we decided to have a quick breakfast at the hotel before the long drive home. The Indaba Lodge excelled themselves again and the breakfast was top class. On the way home we skipped the tolls by taking a different route — Richards Bay, Pongola, Piet Retief, Ermelo, Middleburg,Witbank and then home. This road is shorter but the travelling time is much of a muchness. We had a fantastic long weekend and I will be back at the Indaba Lodge for a week over the Christmas holidays. To top it all, the fishing was just as good as it is in Moçambique. No wonder they have such a good rating on Trip Advisor. • For further information on the Indaba Lodge, Richards Bay, phone (035) 753-1350, email <gm@indabarichardsbay.co.za> or visit <www.indabarichardsbay.co.za>. SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 37

PLACES

Africa’s best at Matoya Fishing Lodge

CATCHING THE

BAROTSE EXPRESS

Simply spectacular. The night sky above Matoya’s pool area. Photo by Rod Wyndham. SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 39

By Rod Wyndham

HIS fishing trip started unlike any other I am sure. It was 5pm and I was about to be wheeled into theatre to have a kidney removed when Dr Conradie popped out to chat with me. He immediately told me that he liked the picture on my Facebook page of me holding a decent tigerfish caught at Kasane a few years ago in the Kasai Channel. He went on to tell me how he would love to go and fish for tigers. “Well, Doc,” I said,“if you don’t hurt me too much I’ll put a trip together.” We shook on it. Incredibly I was back at work just four days after having that kidney out and set to work planning a tigerfishing trip for the good doctor and a few mates. Over the last decade I have pretty much fished the larger portion of the Zambezi from Cahora Bassa all the way to the Caprivi, excluding places like Mana Pools, but pretty much the rest. There was some fantastic fishing and some not so great fishing but maybe great game viewing. The Zambezi is my holy river and its magic is just incredible. One day spent drifting on this river and watching the world go by is just so healing and enjoyable, just like that perfect day out at sea looking for a marlin or any gamefish for that matter. Probably my most disappointing trip in recent times was a return trip to Kariba a couple of years ago where fishing was terribly tough. I have also fished the Barbel Run on the

Okavango panhandle many times and that’s always good fun but lacks the huge tigers that the Zambezi offers. I had heard many stories of the Upper Zambezi and the Barotse Flood plains — stories of regular large trophy tigers with real power and much less netting and fishing pressure than on the rest of the river. So the destination was set and the team put together — Matoya Fishing Lodge would be our home for five nights. Before our arrival Marvin Sissing, one of the owners of the lodge, and Mark Stephenson, the manager, were in regular contact providing us with a comprehensive list of what to bring with regard to our fishing gear. One of their offers was to arrange livebait on request. This is sourced some 60km downstream, but is a real must and is how you catch the really big tigers; lures just are not a good substitute. Having fished so many different venues over the last 14 years, the one thing I have finally learnt is that you often end up with the wrong lures and gear for a particular venue. Each part of the Zambezi seems to do better on different lures and techniques. And in way too many cases I would have the wrong tackle or lures. One year I had orange braid and my mate Colin thrashed me six to one. It was a hard lesson learned and Colin reminds me of it every year. The gear that was perfect for one trip is not always perfect for the next venue and so on. The list of fishing gear that they recommended

was fairly simple and I will detail it all below, but I couldn’t help thinking that everything sounded so heavy and was surely overkill. I purchased every item that that they recommended — and much more because I thought I knew better. A very excited group of six flew out of Lanseria and touched down in Lukulu, Zambia, about five hours later where we were met by Mark and the Matoya Fishing Lodge team. The lodge staff really are absolutely fantastic and go out of their way to make sure you have a great time; nothing is too much trouble. You fish as much as you can (and want to) and catch big fish with some of the best guides I have ever fished with. The food and the rooms were also just perfect. Hats off to this team; I am no easy customer, but I had not a single complaint. Flying in over the upper Zambezi we were amazed at how clear the water was and how shallow it looked as well. The river is very wide in places but also very shallow. There are lots of incredible drop offs but none deeper than 4-5 metres, so deep diving Rapalas were definitely not going to work. The bottom is largely sand, really fine white sand with the odd obstruction in the form of a tree or reed bank. This was all clearly visible from the air. In fact, when we flew out again we could actually see the underwater trees that we kept snagging. We arrived fairly late on the first afternoon but still immediately rushed off to our first fishing session upriver of

Rod Wyndham was more than happy with this beautiful 17 lb tigerfish. 40 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

the lodge at Banana Rocks. Our guide said we should put out some livebait and throw Effzet 22g spoons with extra assist hooks. He helped make the livebait traces and rigged the first bait; I could not believe how big the livebait was. For livebait they use “bottle nose”, an oily, strange-looking fish ranging in size from 24cm to about 35cm. They are big and pretty tough fish, and our guide assured us they were the right fish for the job. Small bream are also good but are hard to come by and they don’t last long at all, and baby tigers are a big no-no; everything is catch and release when it comes to tigers. It was not long before Colin Wainwright was connected to his first tigerfish of the trip. The take on the Effzet spoon was breathtaking and would seriously challenge substandard fishing tackle. Colin later commented that it was as exciting as fighting a billfish which we have often done on my boat, Silver Dawn. Colin soon had a hefty 10 lb tiger alongside — a prize fish anywhere on the river. I now finally understood the need for the heavy tackle and the upgrades on hooks, split rings, and the 40- and 50 lb braid. The sun eventually set on a perfect start and we spent a wonderful evening at the bar talking tactics and strategy with very high hopes for the days that lay ahead. Over the next four days we were tested to our very max with many large and extremely powerful fish taking our lures and livebaits. Setting the hooks and holding onto these powerful fish was another matter. Time and time again we failed. It felt just like marlin fishing all over again; trying to get that hook to set in that bony jaw was no easy feat. We would go from the most beautiful tranquil environment in Africa to an explosion of power and total chaos in a fraction of a second, and if everything didn’t line up correctly it was all over as quickly as it started. The only evidence of the episode would be the

Dr Marius Conradie shows off a magnificent 8 lb humpback bream.

really rattled angler holding a shaking rod and cursing a lot. Mark told us repeatedly that a onein-ten rate for hook-up and landing is to be expected. It became part of our ritual every day:“Well, that’s hook up number four, so I’m six away from getting

my Barotse Express Tiger Trophy.” I even tried changing the hook setup to be more like a ’cuda trace, but that didn’t help as the tigers instantly release the bait if they feel a hook, so you get huge teeth marks in your bait but little run at all and setting a hook is almost impossible. Again I had to keep telling myself to trust the guide as he has seen many anglers like us before. We saw plenty of very large tigers breaking the surface and throwing themselves into the air, in most cases leaving our looks behind, with half a livebait flying in the other direction. Seeing these huge fish just makes you want to fish harder and you will not want to give up. Fortunately we eventually managed to land a few of these trophy fish. The biggest was a 17 lb beauty caught by me, but we also managed a good few between 10- and 14 lb. One of the mem-

A hefty tiger for Colin Wainwright — almost as exciting as fighting a billfish, he declared! SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 41

Some of the most effective Rapalas used.

Livebait rig.

Effzett Copper Spoon Rigged with Extra hood and split rings.

bers of our group, Dr Phillip Pretorius, would not count fish under 10 lb. Although he caught more than all of us, in his mind he had not caught a fish until it was over 10 lb. At the end of each day we were all broken and looked forward to a couple of cold ones at the bar to ease our aching bodies. Luckily Mark has a fines meeting with a few Jagermeisters and a video of the day’s action to lift the spirits — a very nice touch I must say. Each evening involved lots of long fishing tales and lots of strategy talk on how to beat these monsters the next day. There were very few late nights; after a good dinner and some good wine we usually headed to bed early. Another highlight of our trip was that the stars at night were incredible and you knew you were in the middle of nowhere. Dr Conradie thoroughly enjoyed the trip and caught the fish of a lifetime while spinning — a nice humpback bream weighing in at over 8 lb. I did not know they got that big. Some other highlights included Dawn Wainwright catching her first tiger — a nice 6 lb

fish. I was also able to catch a 14 lb tiger on a Parrot Fat Rap, a new record for the lodge. All in all there were many personal bests and many personal battles fought over the week. WHAT WE LEARNT • The guides know what they are doing — trust them. They will fish as much as you want and then some; they want you to catch fish and are on the river almost every day. • Each month of the season fishes differently and you need to fish for the month. Again the guide knows what to do and when. • October, we are told, although it’s the hottest month is the best month as the river is at its lowest, fish are concentrated and there are a lot of really big fish. During May to July you will catch lots of fish, but the really big fish are scare. TACKLE • Fish heavy — heavier that you would expect. Use 40- to 50 lb braid Suffix 836 in green. Don’t use lumo colours because they can

been seen by the big tigers. • Change split rings and hooks on all your lures. We used VMC Stinger Hooks 4/0 to 7/0 • For livebait use 4/0, 6/0 to 8/0 Gamakatsu or Mustad Big Game hooks. • Wire — American fishing wire #7, #8, #9; Mad Mullet Clips — 60 lb; split rings 60- to 80 lb. • Effzet spoons 22g and 30g double clappers are great. Take lots of them — you can’t have enough all — in copper, with a few copper and silver. • Also take Rapalas and Fat Raps in Fire Tiger, Red Head, Goldfish, Crawfish and Parrot colour schemes. • Top water lures like Rapala Skitters and Zara Spooks are great for early morning rises and action. This was truly a trip of a lifetime and one worth making the effort to do. I would highly recommend the extra travel and the stay at Matoya Fishing Lodge. The thrill of finally landing one of these so-called Barotse Express tigers is truly incredible.

The ladies enjoyed relaxing around the pool while the men took a break on the river bank. 42 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 â&#x20AC;¢ 43

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

Meritorious Fish

Outsanding 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

Species: ................................................ Weight: .................................................. Line class: ............................................. Date of Capture: .................................... Where Caught: ...................................... Skipper's Name: .................................... Digital emailed photographs should be high-resolution.

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: 1) The Kingfisher Award - Meritorious Fish To satisfy the requirements for this award, anglers are required to catch a fish included in the list detailed hereunder, equal to or better than the nominated weight. Tackle used is of no consideration here, the 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, preferably a photograph of the angler holding 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) Certificates awarded will be as follows: Meritorious Fish - Gold Outstanding Catch 3:1 - Bronze; 5:1 and 7:1 - Silver; 10:1 - Gold 7) 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. 8) A selection of award winners’ names will be announced in future issues of SKIBOAT, along with relevant photographs. 9) Award applicants should allow 30-45 days for processing of applications. 10) There is no charge for Kingfisher Awards.

fish's weight being the main criterion. The different eligible fish and their corresponding minimum nominated weights are as per the list below. A gold digital certificate will be awarded for this achievement. Complementing this section is the second award category: 2) Kingfisher Award - Outstanding Catch To satisfy the requirements for this award, anglers can catch any recognised fish and the weight of that fish must equal or exceed 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 10:1 – Gold Award. Applies to IGFA line class 1kg , 2kg, 4kg, 6kg, 10kg, 15kg, 24kg, 37kg and 60kg.

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

NOMINATED WEIGHT: 15kg 12kg 20kg 12kg 15kg 100kg 100kg 60kg 15kg 25kg 20kg 20kg 30kg 25kg 50kg 15kg 15kg

RELEASED BILLFISH AND GT (Ignobilis) KINGFISH 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 on boat) and the approximate weight of the fish which should fall in line with the stipulated weights set out above. In line with this trend we will not be carrying photographs on the Kingfisher Award Page of any of the billfish species nor GTs other than those that are released.

Submit application to: Kingfisher Awards, PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 or email angler@mags.co.za

MOTOR REVIEW

By Erwin Bursik

Mr Yukio Sato (centre) unveils The Suzuki DF350A together with Tanja Maes and Errol Quan Chai. 46 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

UZUKI South Africa decided to expose, for the first time, their innovative and biggest horse powered outboard motor to their Southern African dealers on the evening of 17 August 2017 at Jozini Tiger Lodge in KwaZulu-Natal. Under the watchful eye of Mr Yukio Sato, Managing Director of Suzuki South Africa, and orchestrated by Tanja Maes, Suzuki’s Marine Manager, music and lighting accompanied the drawing back of the black curtains that had surrounded the magnificent machine. Gasps of wonder and much cheering and clapping came from the 40odd Suzuki Marine dealers who were coming face to face with Suzuki’s Ultimate Outboard Motor for the first time. The pomp and ceremony and above all the stunningly beautiful machine standing in all its glory in front of us could but not help but make an impression on all of us.

One’s eyes alone cannot fully appreciate the wonder of this “beast”, only touch and reading the details of the mechanics/electronics hidden behind its stylish shiny black exterior and, above all, the eventual experience of feeling her work on water will do that. And so, with a 350hp throttle lever nestled in my right hand, her six cylinders throbbed almost inaudibly as I moved out of Jozini Tiger Lodge’s moorings. The anticipation, excitement and all my senses were heightened as I nudged forward the fly-by-wire electronic control system. My mind sped well past the 6 000 rpm limiting this mighty beast as I envisaged the twin-bladed dual props I had inspected so cursorily during the unveiling, take their first real bite into Jozini’s waters. Nick Landzanakis of Natal Power Boats, who handed over the controls to me, just cautioned me about the instant reaction the controls had on the 23ft Classic on which he had mounted the Suzuki DF350A. Thankfully my basic nature of skip-

pering craft is not “zero to hero”. I eased the throttle forward, feeling the dual prop’s maximum grip of the water as we almost instantly climbed onto a plane. After a few minutes of getting the feel of the power and the ride of the craft itself I just couldn’t resist the urge to push the throttle lever forward as I controlled her speed, relishing the experience as the rev counter edged up into the 5 000 rpm range. At about 80km/h my lust for speed diminished and I pulled back on the throttle. Exciting? Hell yes! Invigorating? Without a doubt, and I was pleased I had done it, but what had I learnt about the Suzuki DF350A? Very little. A new motor such as this is not merely a tweaked up version of previous models Suzuki has marketed worldwide over the last decade. It is a totally redesigned, reengineered machine that has taken many years of design and testing by a large technical staff at Suzuki Japan to get to this point of launching the final product. A number of innovations incorporat-

ed in this unbelievable machine need to be itemised in broad terms so that readers understand the why’s and how’s of these changes. Amongst many other considerations, Suzuki wanted to produce a high powered performance motor that would provide maximum out-the-hole thrust and high top-end speed, but would be sleek in profile, would have the desired weight needed for dual installations and would be as smooth and quick as possible for the comfort of all aboard a craft powered by either one or two Suzuki 350hp motors. Without a doubt the first aspect that one notices when looking at the motor is the dual prop system. With the two props moving in opposite directions, “prop slip” is reduced to nil, and prop torque is cut out. You thus no longer require counter rotating props in dual installations, and there’s noticeably more drag i.e. stopping ability when power is reduced. They also provide exceptional prop efficiencies at low speed for trolling and docking.

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 47

48 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

Dual injectors get 100% of the fuel into the cylinder at a precise time. Apart from the propeller and overall sleek appearance of the motors, all the other innovations incorporated are hidden under the stylish exterior mouldings and cover. Each cylinder has dual injectors that supply just the right amount of fuel at the right time into these high compression ratio engines. Huge motors such as the Suzuki 350s require large amounts of colder and drier air which is provided by the direct intake system through Suzuki’s dual louvre system incorporated in the innovative engine cover. Then, for the highly technical minded, there’s the dual prop’s high speed gear case and gear configuration and the offset drive shaft (see diagram) that allows the manufacture of a smaller, more streamlined engine with its centre of gravity moved forward. Full design and benefit details are available from any of the Suzuki dealers in Southern Africa. At this stage I confine my review of the Suzuki 4 stroke DF350A outboard motor to aspects that would apply to the bigger offshore sport fishing craft we have in South Africa, primarily those with dual engines. The extreme high speeds and wake production that are required by the recreational water-ski-

ing/wakeboarding fraternities are not within my scope of appreciation, so I’ll refrain from commenting on those aspects.

The offset drive shaft streamlines the motor and moves the centre of gravity forward. My limited experience with the Suzuki 350hp was confined to a couple of hours on the f lat, fresh water of Jozini Dam in the gorge area and out of the major chop created in the dam itself by the howling south-westerly wind that was blowing at the time of the trials.

Suzuki dual prop system. I tested the motor on two boats — Nick’s 23ft Classic and Andre van Helsdingen’s 26ft Sensation Deck Boat which is much bigger overall and more in keeping size- and weight wise with the offshore craft I generally skipper. On both boats I experienced enormous thrust getting out of the hole and the obvious incredible bite the dual prop system provides. I did not have to throw the throttle levers wide open to get out the hole and onto the plane, all that was required was a controlled easing forward of the fly-by-wire throttle to acquire the fast up onto the plane, after which I had to ease back the throttle to retard the incremental thrust as the craft freed themselves of the water drag. Obviously if I was to compare this take off on the two boats it would be nonsensical. Even with the Classic I was able to control this from out the hole to being on the plane. When trying to emulate surf manoeuvres I was also easily able to control the power generated to my advantage when coming out of a tight turn to effectively take on an incoming wave or taking a break in the surf line. On the Sensation I got a much better feel of the Suzuki’s effective handling of the surf manoeuvre as there

Suzuki dealers delighted with the on water trials with the DF350A

was a lot more boat — size and weightwise — to react to the power. On the Sensation I was also able to stand up at the controls as I do on all offshore craft, so I could really match both my comfort and ability to put the craft in a virtual 360 degree turn, experiencing the retardation just before the swing and getting out of the hole and onto the plane. Both Nick and Andre agreed that these big engines appear to require a stronger hydraulic steering/helm system as the strong directional hold the dual propeller system provides made it quite hard to pull the craft both into and out of this style of turn. I feel this is because there is literally no prop slip. This was again evident when I put the craft in an ever decreasing circular turn, slowly increasing speed to induce cavitation. Making the turn as tight as I could and increasing speed to an above limit point, I still could not get any cavi-

tation whatsoever. When doing this with the Sensation I even tried to trim her up which should have caused a lot of cavitation, but I achieved none until I had the prop breaking water. My “sweet spot” in all craft at sea is the mystical 20 knots. Not only did both these craft reach this speed within a few seconds, but they also held it perfectly regardless of whether I set a course into the chop, had it on the beam or was running with the wind. The dual prop system gives an unusual feel to the craft in that, much like cruise control on a motor vehicle, once these motors were pushing these craft at a set rpm at the same SOW regardless of surface water and conditions, it took an actual throttle change to alter the ride. A further aspect I noticed was the lack of lateral torque which made skippering these high speed craft extremely easy. I found none of the negative steer-

50 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

ing pull one normally has on a single bladed prop. At idle speed on the Sensation the SOW was a tad high at 2 knots, but then when I was looking for an SOW of 6 knots for pulling sailfish baits/lures the revs were much lower than I would usually use — only about 1 500 rpm not the 1 800-2 000 rpm that’s usually required. What really grabbed my attention was that to stay at 20 knots, 3 8004 000 rpm is normally required, whereas on the Sensation it was around 3 200 rpm and obviously even less on the Classic. I presume therefore that the fuel consumption required to retain this speed for considerable periods must also be less. Finally, when I tried reversing/backing up which is generally difficult with outboards, I found that the Suzuki DF350A’s pull was excellent and, provided it was trimmed correctly, it tracked beautifully. I could not “push the revs” on this manouevre as neither boat’s transom was high enough to test that, but on most offshore boats it will be advantageous. During docking, using the electronic controls — in and out of gear, forward and reverse — was effortless with minimal feel of gear selection and none of the audible “clanking” that’s usually experienced, thus making this aspect of boating a cinch. I am exceptionally honoured to have been welcomed at the Suzuki launch of the DF350A and sincerely thank Suzuki South Africa for the opportunity.

MEMORIES

By Mush Nichols

N fishing terms a “smash” refers to an extraordinary occurrence of many fish concentrated in an area and being caught. The slang word originated from the rock and surf fraternity in Natal many years ago; whether or not it’s still used I cannot say. It may have gone with the fish! The measure of what constitutes a smash is also relative to when the occasion took place. Today five ’cuda off Durban would probably constitute a smash, whereas 25 years ago 50-plus in a day may have been considered a smash. Call them freak days, wonder days, extraordinary days, whatever, they did occur from time to time.

Let’s go back to the beginning — my beginning — 1957. I was a ten-year-old kid living on the South Coast of Natal — Kings Rocks at Turton. My late dad owned an old house on the hill overlooking Kings Rocks, not far from the old Benders Club. It was in this area that my brother Hilton and I grew up fishing with the locals. It was June; there was a slight land breeze and a flat sea. A large shoal of sardines was pinned against the rocks by all sorts of predators. They could not escape, and the dozen fishermen were having the time of their lives. I was totally under-gunned with my four-inch Scarborough, so I was assigned to net sardines in the little pool half way along the rocks. The adults would simply pin a sardine on a hook, flick it out and would immediately hook up to daga salmon, geelbek or ’cuda in the close deep water that this place is famous for. The chaos continued for most of the morning.

Meanwhile our gillie busied himself gaffing huge kob which were wallowing against the rocks, so full that they could barely swim! The rocks were strewn with these large fish and thus was I introduced to my first real “smash”. The fishing years that followed were seriously impeded by schooling, but the holidays allowed us to pursue our sport and many a fine day was had on the rocks and beaches of the South Coast. The shad came through in large shoals and it was not uncommon to catch over 50 of these fish in a morning. Post-school I began my offshore fishing career and, other than the normal ’cuda fishing off Tongaat, nothing extraordinary occurred until I upgraded to a larger boat and obtained a boat house at the Durban Ski-Boat Club. Now we were mixing with the elite! The first few years were trying as we were rookies in a strange place. Most of the stalwarts were helpful, but many were secretive and I did not blame them, for the majority were fishing part time commercially. No one would admit to this, of course, the general comment being “we SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 55

Now and then... Centre pic: Mush Nichols (right) with a portion of a daga smash surrounded by a 2017 smash with the vast majority released. sell some of our fish to cover fuel costsâ&#x20AC;?. Considering the size of some of the catches made back then, the sale of the fish would generate enough cash for fuel to steam to Cape Town and back! There were some exceptionally memorable days both gamefishing and bottomfishing that are impossible to forget, covering a span of about 20 years. Other than 1 000 pounds 56 â&#x20AC;˘ SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

of geelbek and seventy-four on several occasions, we nearly sank our boat, Fraulein, a 21 foot Coronet, with a catch of daga salmon. The boat was seriously overloaded, so much so that we cut the anchor rope, being too afraid to pull the anchor up lest we go under. The fish were so numerous and ravenous that it took only three hours to haul in the 3 000 pounds of fish.

The late Alby Upton and I had some very special days on Fraulein. On one particular day we had Brian Dunsterville on board and we were targeting yellowfin tuna as we had established a good market for them — to pay for our fuel costs, of course. At this stage they would bait ball the anchovies at precisely 13h00. Using the normal ’cuda spoon, seven-inch Scarboroughs and 50 lb nylon, we had great sport with these 15kg tuna. There was no talk of “Pass the gaff”, you gaffed your own fish as we were all bending simultaneously. It was a hectic few hours of really fun fishing and produced over 60 tuna. During this period the ’cuda often came in large numbers and the boats took advantage of these runs. A particular day I recall was strange in that the water was deep blue and warm, but the current was running south to north. The ’cuda were in a large area around the Number One fishing ground. It would be interesting to know how many fish were in this area as the boats were well spread out and all were catching at a staggering rate. This was truly a smash of note. There were no restrictions at this stage, although in hindsight there should have been. Many of the prominent skippers of that era have passed on, but just for old times’ sake I would like to mention some of them: George van Reenen, Alby Upton, Nick Loesch, Erwin Bursik, Charlie Detman, Pat Loyd and the Hook family always stood out for their consistent quality catches. There were many others, but those are the ones that come immediately to an ageing mind. Zululand had more than its fair share of special days, especially around Cape Vidal and Mapelane. I was fortunate enough to be present on several occasions at both places when the fish were there in huge numbers spread over large areas. They were unforgettable experiences of very special angling which I was able to enjoy with some really lovely people. This was in the 1980s, and sadly since then the angling has deteriorated considerably. All is not yet lost, though, and for this reason I wish to share with you an unusual experience that took place earlier this year. In early 2017 an old friend and hunting partner of Hilton’s, Pete Fick, who resides in Bulawayo, called me with the intention of setting up a fishing trip in southern Moçambique for March. Pete had only his young hunter, Andries, to accompany him, so I invited young Steven Walker to join us. We decided another boat would be great, so I made a quick call to Jeff Richmond who immediately responded: “I’m in!” Jeff would bring along his son-in-law Richard and friend Paul De Villiers, a strong team indeed. The first cyclone had passed through about ten days before our March trip and the sea had settled into a fisherman’s dream. Wind Guru predicted six days of gentle breezes and they were spot on. On the first evening, Pete had an unfortunate sober fall which resulted in a broken foot. He was in terrible pain that lasted well into his hunting season, nonetheless he was determined to fish every day. We would carry him onto the boat and off; a seriously stubborn character! Bradly Kidd attended to him on our return and he is now finally back to normal. The launch was simple and stayed that way for the entire week. I was to skipper Pete’s newly acquired boat Bismark so as to guide him through the surf, but that never actually materialised because there simply was no surf! The first morning we decided to fish half a day to get a feel for what was happening and try to get some fish for the camp and staff. Jeff and his crew jigged up a bucket full of carapau in no time at all and proceded to drift, with Paul spinning with his light stick and Scarborough. The ’cuda were coming out at fairly regular intervals when suddenly Paul’s small tin spoon was devoured. Out the water came a small marlin; it entertained us in the most spectacular fashion for about ten minutes before throwing the spoon. We were slow trolling with baits about three clicks

north of Velapi, still getting regular strikes. It was a great first morning, and with more than enough fish we were back on the beach by 10am. We’d noticedseveral shoals of baitfish being chased by terns, totally normal activity for this place, so all looked good for the days to come. Little did we know what was in store for us. Both boats were launched a little before 6am the following day and, on clearing the surf zone, we steamed into absolute chaos. The sea was frothing with splashes, and thousands of terns were darting and screeching, busy filling themselves on the millions of anchovies that were spraying to avoid the hungry gamefish cutting through them. The sound was unbelievable! Out came the spoons, with almost every cast a hook up. In the first half-hour I had no chance to flick my KP as the other three guys were all on at the same time! This was most unusual so early in the morning; normally the anchovies are raised by the gamefish a few hours later. The Natal snoek we caught were of exceptional size, as were the kawakawa. The ’cuda were normal shoal size, as were the many species of kingfish. I called Jeff up and suggested we beach and take care of the fish — it was 7am. One hour of fishing and we were done for the day! Jeff ambled over and, in his normal jocular way, shouted,“And now what, Nichols?” “It’s a wonderful time to practice and improve our catch and release skills,” I retorted. And so we did. For three days we released more fish than I have ever released in my entire life. Running out of spoons, and in dire need of a change, Jeff and his crew decided to hunt down some GTs in the surf line. Both Jeff and Richard landed very respectable fish by casting their plugs from the boat into the surf. Paul continued with his 1:1 reel and landed two monster springer which I estimated at around 10kg. It was good going on such light tackle. All were successfully released. We then went deep in search of other species, but could not get away from jobfish and ’cuda. We kept one large kaakap to eat and released about a dozen. We also released four wahoo whilst trying for dorado which were surprisingly absent. Most of the fish we caught in deeper water were taken on the drift while using live carapau, a really fun way to fish. Trolling lures has never been my or Jeff’s forte; Jeff refers to that type of angling as “septic fishing”. The only time I resort to septic fishing is during competitions when it’s sometimes necessary. We headed back to shore and discovered the Anchovy Circus was still in full fling! Two particualarly noticeable points about this phenomenon was firstly that the anchovies at times would crowd against our boat, obviously to take refuge from the gamefish. Secondly, the anchovies never formed bait balls whereas they often do. I think the huge number of predators and the sheer intensity of their constant onslaught meant the little baitfish could not do what they would normally do. After four days of this hectic activity we needed a break, so on day five we packed gear and food for the day and had a great time fishing off the beach. The smaller gamefish were busy attacking the anchovies in the surf, so the younger contingent — Stephen, Richard and Andries — busied themselves catching a variety of species, nearly all of which were released. Only the wolf herrings went straight into my ice box. The ghost crabs had a great feast on all the washed up little baitfish, many of which were still alive. As the offshore frenzy continued on the backline, I drove northwards to ascertain where these shoals would eventually diminish. I drove for ages, but eventually, suddenly, there were no more terns or fish visible, so I set my trip counter on zero and we headed back to camp. The length of the shoals was a staggering 38km! That was five months ago, and it’s often on my mind as I ask myself:Was this the last great smash? SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 57

FEATURE

EYECARE ESSENTIALS

Add a secret weapon to your fishing gear Article supplied by Maui Jim Sunglasses N often-overlooked and underestimated item in an angler’s arsenal — one that’sjust as important as the rod, reel, line and lure — is the pair of sunglasses chosen for those long days out on the water. The right pair of shades can help enhance fishing results, improve all-day comfort and, most importantly, deliver vital protection from the sun. So, for an all-round better, safer and more comfortable fishing trip, add a pair of quality polarised sunglasses to your must-have gear list.

BETTER FISHING RESULTS It may seem an unusual addition to your fishing tackle, but the right pair of sunglasses can deliver better fishing results by providing enhanced depth perception, colour, clarity and detail.

One of the ways polarised sunglasses do this is by eliminating the glare reflecting off the water. By eliminating glare, an angler’s ability to see what’s happening above and below the water’s surface is enhanced. This enriched view leads to better decisions and more hook-ups as the angler is better equipped to accurately read the water and locate feeding fish. Keep in mind though that not all polarisation is created equal. Some sunglasses block only 20-30% of glare. Make sure you select a premium polarised sunglasses brand that eliminates 99.9% of harsh glare to fully swing the advantage in your favour. Another important consideration in selecting your perfect pair of fishing shades is the colour of the lenses. Matching the colour of your sunglass lenses to outdoor lighting conditions will deliver an added advantage by increasing the visibility of movement and objects, not only on the surface, but also

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 59

below the water line. Certain colour lenses perform better on certain days, depending on the amount of light present. A darker lens colour, like a neutral grey, offers the highest available light reduction and is a natural fit for bright, direct sun days. However, when light conditions vary between overcast and sunny, bronze or rose coloured lenses would be more ideal as they offer great contrast for everyday variable conditions. Early mornings, late afternoons and foggy days are best suited to green lenses which offer the highest available light transmission providing incredible depth perception in lowlight settings. It is also important to consider the front lens finish of your polarised sunglasses to safeguard sightlines and ensure optimal eye comfort. Lookout for a Bi-Gradient mirror lens finish which reduces the brightest light from above and below, allowing your eyes to relax. This enhances vision and eye comfort so you won’t have to worry about reduced sightlines from squinting whilst out on the water. VITAL EYE PROTECTION A pair of quality polarised sunglasses is also a long-term investment in the protection of your eyes from exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays during the long hours on the water. UV light is intensified when it is reflected off the surface of the water. Exposing your eyes directly to UV rays can lead to photokeratitis, which is essentially sunburn of the cornea that causes burning, irritation and, in extreme cases, temporary loss of vision. Prolonged exposure can also increase your chances of developing cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma or skin cancer around the eyes.

60 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

IMPROVED COMFORT A good pair of polarised fishing sunglasses must be comfortable and practical. Be sure to choose a style that is lightweight for all-day wearing and fits well, falling comfortably on your nose with a snug bridge. Choose a sleek shape that wraps your face to provide optimal top, bottom and side protection against glare and UV rays. CHOOSING YOUR PAIR In addition to the performance enhancing tips discussed above, be sure to select a pair of sunglasses that features durable, scratch and solvent resistant lenses that are also waterproof. Look out for an oleophobic lens treatment which will ensure that your sunglasses shed water and repel grease. Take note of the lens and frame material to ensure you choose a pair that is lightweight and durable so they won’t shatter if accidently dropped in the boat or along the river bank. Nowadays some frames have even been designed to float if dropped in the water, allowing you sufficient time to retrieve your much-needed polarised sunglasses. Most polarised sunglasses are also available in single and progressive lens options for those who wear prescription spectacles. This means that you won’t miss out on experiencing the optical brilliance of the world around you whilst also benefitting from the added competitive edge to your fishing. Like the rest of a serious angler’s fishing tackle, a premium pair of polarised sunglasses is a valuable and worthwhile investment. Take time to evaluate the different options to ensure you choose the right combination of features to deliver the desired advantage out on the water. The right pair of premium polarised sunglasses will ensure all-round better, safer and more comfortable fishing trips for your eyes for many years to come.

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 â&#x20AC;¢ 61

COMPETITIONS

Book now for the

2018 FURUNO OFFSHORE CLASSIC

2015 winner — Kobus Wait, Blu Water.

2016 winner — Philip van der Walt, Bad Romanz.

2017 winner — Jan-Hendrik Delport, Artemis.

62 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

HE 2018 Furuno Offshore Classic, powered by Radio Holland, will proudly be hosted by the Gordons Bay Boat Angling Club. Next year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever before with prizes valued at over R500 000! This competition is set to attract over 50 boats and more than 200 anglers from across southern Africa’s shores. On the eve of 28 April 2018, all the teams will gather at the clubhouse in Harbour Island for the opening function. Teams will have the opportunity to meet and greet one another (sizing up the competition), acquaint themselves with the tracking station, rules and regulations and to get a close look at the exciting prizes on offer. While all the competitors are settling in and having fun, the dedicated competition committee will be keeping a close eye on the weather to ensure favourable results for participants but, above all else, to check that the sea conditions are safe for fishing. It has been an exciting journey filled with record breakers for this competition over the last few years. Participation increased enormously from 19 boats in 2015, to 38 and 40 boats in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In 2016 we saw more big eye tuna and bluefins than any other year, and had an Offshore Classic record-breaking yellowfin weighing in at a gigantic 105kg! 2017 was not far behind with an impressive 102kg fish taking the win. The 2018 Furuno Offshore Classic committee challenges its contenders to make the biggest catch yet — one for the histor y books to celebrate the Gordons Bay Boat Angling Club’s 50th anniversary! The prize-giving ceremony will be presided over by Ronald Penninkhof, GBBAC committee member and owner of Smart Fishing Charters, and takes place on the evening of Saturday, 5 May at the clubhouse. The ceremony will begin with exciting video footage and photos from the week spent out on the ocean, then the winners will be awarded their 2018 Furuno Offshore Classic titles and prizes. To register for the 2018 Classic visit <www.gbbac.co.za/events/> where you can download all the forms and information. READY, SET, CATCH! See you there!

COMPETITIONS

64 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

Article by Mark Wilson, photos by Erina Visser

HE Sodwana Angling Club was once again the proud host of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tigerfish Bonanza. This particular angling event draws together anglers from across the country in large numbers, and this year was no exception, with just over 200 boats participating. Yamaha Marine in conjunction with D7 Boating have been the mainstay sponsors at this event and this year the main prize on offer for the heaviest tigerfish weighed and released was an Explorer 465 CC powered by a single 60hp Yamaha motor. The Pongolapoort Dam was at only 33% capacity on the weekend of the competition, so anglers had to modify their approach. The organisers put out a solid warning that structures once well submerged in certain parts of the dam needed to be approached with caution and avoided to ensure the safety of the participants. This might be classed as a dam fishing competition, but the surface area of the dam is immense and, as just like all offshore fishing pursuits, commands respect from those who use it.

Anneke Erasmus with her 4.865kg tiger.

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ 65

Various tactics are employed to catch tigerfish (aka the striped water dog) at this competition; these include using livebait in the form of small bream and tilapia, casting lures, and bait fishing using either chicken hearts or livers, whole sardines or fillets. Anglers can choose to employ trace wire as part of their set up, with the majority opting for this as the ferocious dentures of a tigerfish can make short work of your standard nylon. Massive barbel also inhabit these waters and the sheer size and power of these beasts was showcased when one of our anglers was almost spooled of all his braid, unable to slow the fish’s progress during a session on the water. Weigh-in stations were situated both on the water and at the launch site. Rules stipulated that if the angler successfully revived and released the tiger-

fish — witnessed by the official at the weigh station — then the full weight of the fish would count. Should the angler be unsuccessful in reviving the fish then 500 grams would be subtracted from the total weight. These incentives help drive the catch and release ethic of which the organisers are so proud. This year our 2016 Tigerfish Bonanza team came together again and made the trek from Durban to Jozini — Erwin Bursik, John Frankiskos, Romeo Leone and yours truly. Our tactics were sound, our live-well was stocked, we had fresh bait in abundance and the hooks on our lures were keenly sharpened. All to no avail. Unfortunately the tigerfish didn’t get the memo about our arrival and we didn’t place on the leaderboard. Despite that I have been attending this particular bonanza for over 15 years now on behalf of SKI-

66 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

BOAT Magazine and look forward to 15 more; the participants’ passion for fishing and the challenge of trying to land the elusive trophy tigerfish are irresistible. The 2017 event started with the small armada of boats assembled in front of the slipway, awaiting the setting off of a parachute flare which would signal the official commencement of this year’s bonanza. The excitement was tangible in the cool morning air, as families of hippo kept an ever vigilant eye on proceedings. The rush of hearing a mass of outboards engaging and racing off in every directions still gives me goosebumps. The three days set aside for fishing would prove trying for all the anglers with the low level of the dam affecting things considerably. The level has dropped dramatically over the last cou-

ple of years due to the drought, leading to the eradication of most of the water weed (water hyacinth), which usually hugs the banks of the dam and acts as a natural hiding place for the baitfish the tigerfish usually prey on. Anglers who used to target these areas had to modify their tactics and select structure both beneath and above the water where they hoped the tigerfish would be holding up. The wind, as always, created its own challenge and didn’t let up for the entire bonanza. However, there are some anglers who manage to be in the right place at the right time, and this year was no different. The top twenty placings were closely contested and this year a lady showed all the manne how it’s done. Anneke Erasmus, fishing alongside her husband, managed to best the 4.54kg tigerfish which was caught

on the first day’s fishing and set the benchmark for most of the bonanza. Anneke’s 4.865kg beauty eventually saw her declared her as worthy winner of the Explorer 465 CC, albeit it by just 325g. At this point I would like to take pause and congratulate Stefan and all his committee members for once again putting on a fantastic bonanza. Irrespective of all the challenges they faced as a collective unit, this group of dedicated people work tirelessly to turn adversity into opportunity, hence the great success that is the Jozini Tigerfish Bonanza. To the following anglers, whose fish made up the top ten, go my heartfelt congratulations and envy: Anneke Erasmus . . . . . . . . . . .4.865kg Louis Nel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.540kg Flip Lourens . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.360kg

Horst Klingenberg . . . . . . . . . .4,275kg Wynand Henning . . . . . . . . . .4.060kg Johan Ruitenbach . . . . . . . . . .3.965kg Vic Ollerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.905kg Jannie Jacobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.840kg Estienne Terblanche . . . . . . . .3.700kg Estienne Terblanche . . . . . . . .3.460kg The average weight of the fish weighed in at this year’s Bonanza was 3.439kg. Thank you Sodwana Fishing Club for your amazing hospitality at this year’s Bonanza, I am eagerly looking forward to attending again in 2018. For any queries about next year’s bonanza email <ina@sodwanahengel klub.co.za> or visit <www.sodwana hengelklub.co.za>.

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 67

HISTORY

REEL SKIDMARKS Tuna fishing in the 1980s By Sean Lange

We didn’t even know what a popping stick was back then and those big tuna on our lightweight 7-inch spinning Scarboroughs with light ’cuda whipping sticks would be T was a long time ago ... I was 15 years old and Marc, my absolutely no match. brother, was 14. My dad, Brian, hand-built his 15’6” yellow We quickly dug out the big guns — our bottomfishing submarine and named her Jabula. She was a bright yelScarboroughs. Marc was up first, lightning fast on the boat as low, fish-attracting, wet, centre console, overweight, lucky always. As soon as the first blocks of chum went over the secboat. ond time, Marc had his huge sinker off and was letting a Freshly relocated from Cape Town where my dad had had chunk go perfectly in sync with the trail Dad had just set. us chasing tuna, we were now happily chasing ’cuda again. Marc had that pink line We lived in Durban which goes about before moving to the 100 lb or more, a huge Cape, so being based at swivel and some serious Port Shepstone on the bottom grinding leader KwaZulu-Natal South — probably 200 lb. On Coast felt like we had the end he had a mascome home. The burnsive O’Shaugnessy hook ing sugar cane in the offmeant for steenbras and shore winds, the calm dagas. I think we could almost tropical seas, the get 10/0s back then. All huge range of fish to three of us were well catch, the warm water versed in the use of and the reliable weather these behemoth reels were all familiar to us. and their no give short On this particular stumps which passed day the three of us were for rods. They were fishing Protea Reef on clear fibreglass and the sturdy Jabula. The heavy duty. only boat out, we were It was violent. A gas looking to catch somebottle yellowfin gulped thing cool. There were Marc’s bait down right few sharks around, and in front of our eyes. getting a drift right Marc took up the slack down through and over and wound like he was the pinnacles of Protea Jabula! Happiness is ... a tuna on the boat. striking a cracker down Reef put you in the deep. At 14 years old this was gonna be something. game for all sorts. Huge GTs, ’cuda of all sizes, back-breaking Once that fish felt Marc trying to turn its head, it argued prodigal son and eager jobfish were all regular catches. with some deft manouevres and then just turned around and When it came to tackle I remember we had a trusty but left for Cape Town, accelerating all the way. The reel and its slow old Senator 6/0, two Ambassedeur tinnies carrying 6kg two lethal knob-kerrie handles were spinning in a blur, faster line for light tackle league comps, an Immax 4/0, a Penn 500 and faster; the sound was deafening. Marc had to get it all with Bakelite spool, a Jigmaster — and our Scarboroughs. under control or it would over-wind and that pink line don’t Then we had a heavy bottom stick each and our spinning let go, so it would have gone bad! Marc doesn’t let go either. rods. That was in the days of real spinning, for we had to spin We were not allowed to shove our Scarboroughs on the the reel manually to make any decent retrieves. So slow at 1:1 gunnel to slow it down — rules of Scarborough survival. If gear ratio, but oh so much fun! you do that they shatter and become lethal weapons with We also had a huge Senator 12/0, but using that upset the pieces of fibreglass flying around your head like shrapnel. balance on the boat, and meant we had to bring harness and And leather patches and or gloves were for sissies. But this all on an already small craft. was different. A hundred metres of line disappeared in a blur; Being relatively new in an area and bringing your techsomething had to be done. Both of Marc’s hands were scaldniques learned elsewhere is a good way of opening new ed to blisters and there was no more skin left to use as brakes, doors. That’s what we did that day when my dad piped up, so he turned the reel around upside down and jammed the “Hey, let’s chum like we do in Cape Town.” whirring blurring wheel of fury onto his chest. He proceeded to cut up a few sards and lop them overIt smelt like a pork braai! board in morse code, with a bit of sardine guts juice in Smoke was billowing off his skin as the Scarborough just between to make sure the signal was clear. The oil clears the carved itself in. It stopped the fish though. Marc leaned in, surface of the water around the boat as you drift too, and you turned it around and gave it no quarter after that. Never can see right down into the depths. We could hardly contain allowed it to turn its head again, the tuna was cranked to the our excitement as these huge yellowfin tuna came barreling boat with his ultra low range 12-inch smoking wheel of fire. through and under our chum slick, devouring the freebees in And that’s how we started to catch tuna on bait on Protea startlingly quick underwater dogfights. In a flash they were Reef in 1985. gone; we were completely unprepared.

SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 69

SKI-BOAT magazine, in conjunction with Mercury, is proud to offer all junior deep sea anglers the opportunity to win awards for excellence in angling. If you are 16 years old or younger and you submit a photo of yourself and the fish you caught, you will receive a handsome certificate suitably inscribed confirming the catch. And there’s more ... Once a year the names of all junior anglers whos photographs appeared on the Mercury Junior Angler page will be included in a lucky draw and the winner will receive, courtesy of Mercury, a fantastic prize of a 2.5hp outboard motor. All you need to do is send us a photograph of yourself and your catch, together with the following details: • Your name address, telephone number and date of birth • Species and weight of the fish you caught • Line class used • Date and place fish was caught • Boat and skipper’s name All entries should be sent to : Mercury Junior Angler SKI-BOAT magazine PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 or email your entry to <angler@mags.co.za>. There is no restriction on the number of awards that can be applied for, and SKI-BOAT magazine reserves the right to use the photographs as it sees fit. A selection of five award winners will appear in each issue of SKI-BOAT magazine. Junior anglers, Mercury and SKI-BOAT magazine acknowledge that you hold the future of our sport in your hands. Here’s your chance to show us what you can do!

70 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

SCIENTIFIC

By Stewart Norman and Craig Haley

N the May/June 2017 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine we told readers about the Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Program (AOTTP) in South African waters that forms part of Atlantic-wide efforts to investigate the movements, growth rates and population dynamics of yellowfin, bigeye and skipjack tuna. This five-year program initiated by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is the largest of its kind attempted in the Atlantic Ocean to date. The goal is to improve management and conservation of the tuna resources in the Atlantic Ocean. In South Africa the tagging program is being carried out by CapMarine. The first three month tagging period was completed at the end of April 2017. Unfortunately tagging efforts were severely hampered by strong winds during March and April and a general lack of tuna in Cape waters as evinced by poor commercial catches. That the tagging vessel outperformed numerous commercial vessels is credit to the skipper and crew on board the TarrynAmy. The experience of the tagging team ensured that tagged tuna were returned to the water with the best possible chance of survival. Skipjack tagged during the initial three month period ranged from 43- to 66cm fork length and yellowfin tagged ranged from 53- to 176cm fork length. No bigeye tuna have yet been tagged. The majority of the tags that were deployed were the conventional yellow spaghetti tags, inserted to the left of the second dorsal fin. Anglers that come across these tags are asked to please report the tag code, the fork length of the tuna and

HEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TO THE

TUNA! Keep your eyes peeled for AOTTP tagged fish 72 â&#x20AC;˘ SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

the location at which the fish was caught. The retrieval of these tags will enable ICCAT to calculate the growth-rate of the tuna, and get details on fish movement. Some of the tuna were tagged with red spaghetti tags; this indicates that the fish has either been injected with a dye that acts as a chemical marker, or has an electronic archival tag surgically inserted into its abdomen. The function of the dye is to stain the otoliths (inner ears) of the fish. Otoliths are examined by scientists when determining the age of the fish. Internal archival tags that are inserted into the abdomen of the tuna will reveal useful information on the depth and temperature preferences of the fish and how they behave in the vast ocean environment. In addition to reporting length, tag code and location, anglers who come across fish carrying these red tags are asked to please keep the fish and make them available to CapMarine so that a full range of biological samples can be taken and tests may be carried out. Pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) were also surgically fixed to a handful of large yellowfin tuna, adjacent to the first dorsal fins. These tags are programmed to detach after a set number of days and float to the surface. Once the PSATs detach and reach the surface they begin to relay the information they have collected via satellite, again giving ICCAT a better idea of tuna movements and habitat utilisation. Tuna are highly migratory and are known to swim large distances each year in search of favourable feeding and spawning conditions. These migrations may even extend across entire oceans, not just beyond country borders. Some initial indications suggest that the yellowfin tuna tagged off the Cape are swimming up the east coast in the direction of

the Mozambique Channel. There have recently been good signs of yellowfin on the east coast and we are therefore asking all anglers fishing for tuna off KZN to be extra vigilant and to report any tags that are found. The dedicated line for reporting tag recaptures is +27 63 634 2503. Yellowfin are seasonal migrants to the Cape coast each year, though in 2017 the catches have been relatively poor and the season seems to have started a month or two late. Although the first period of tagging has ended there will be more opportunities to tag towards the end of the year. In the meantime CapMarine will seek to deploy tags through the national fisheries scientific observer programme and will hopefully also have an opportunity to take part in the annual large pelagic research survey conducted by DAFF. An additional opportunity to tag fish arises from angling competitions such as the South African Tuna Nationals. Undersize fish are typically released alive during competition, however with proper training and tags onboard it might be possible to earn points for successfully tagging those small fish. This is something of a dream but it would be great to have scientists working alongside some of the best fishermen in the country all with the goal of securing the future of tuna in South Africa for generations to come! ICCAT operates exclusively in the Atlantic Ocean and on top of that has strict tagging protocols and high expectations of data quality, otherwise we would be dishing out tags to anglers up and down the coastline. With this in mind it is important to mention that the AOTTP is distinct from the Marine Linefish tagging program initiated in 1984 by the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) in Durban. That national programme has had major success and sustained support and participation from recreational scientists all along the coast for over 30 years. Through the results of the ORI programme <www.oritag.org.za> we can see how the role of public participation will be crucial to the success of the AOTTP. The AOTTP-linked tags can be differentiated from ORI tags by the tag number, for example ATP0053249. CapMarine is seeking information on any recovered tags and will continue to do so for at least the next three years. As more fish are tagged your chances of finding one will only get better. Remember that these tags have been swimming around in the ocean and will likely be covered in algae and other marine debris; they may even have been bitten in half or chewed by other fish. If you or your crew find a tagged tuna or hear of anyone who has, please text, WhatsApp, or call 063 634 2503. This is a dedicated line for reporting tag recaptures. After providing information about the code number of the tag, the length of the fish and the area or exact location where the fish was caught the tag finders will receive AOTTP T-shirts or caps and also a cash reward. The rest of the crew will also receive a Tshirt each. If you agree, then your name and the name of your boat can also be published in future magazine articles. Please note: All fish tagged with red spaghetti tags on the left hand side adjacent to the dorsal fin will also be tagged with chemical or electronic tags. We therefore request the whole fish back so we can collect the full spectrum of biological data. CapMarine would like to acknowledge the support of the fishing industry during this programme and we hope for continued support moving forward. Thank you to Voyager Fishing and the crew of the TarrynAmy — Jayson, Shaun and Levi — who were kept under control by our skipper Tim Quinlivan. Finally a big thank you to all the anglers out there who are interested and concerned about the health of our oceans; it is up to us all to look after our precious coastline and each one of your efforts is hugely appreciated. Now get out there and catch a tagged tuna! For more information vist <www.iccat.int/AOTTP/en/>, email <iccatrecovery@gmail.com> or phone: 063 634 2503. SKI-BOAT November/December 2017 • 73

JETSKI FISHING IS THE BEST by Brayden Kane (9)

NE of the first times I went fishing on our boat with my dad (Byron) it was on a day when the sea was quite rough. I didn’t feel good and didn’t really enjoy it. Thank goodness the boat had a beanbag and that was where I spent most of the day. When my dad got a jetski he kept encouraging me to go out with him. I decided to give jetski fishing a try and liked that much better. The best part was that I didn’t feel as seasick as I did on the boat and I got to help my dad drive while we were trolling. My dad doesn’t talk much while he’s fishing because he’s always so busy and doesn’t like to sit still for long. We spend a lot of time making traces the night before, but when we go out fishing he seems to want to make even more! I know I have a lot to learn, but I’m quite good at maths so I know there are two of us with two arms each which means four arms on the jetski, so why do we have to take eight rods? When we hook the first fish I have to drive and get the

gaff; Dad’s in charge of all the rest. I think that’s because he doesn’t want to go back with empty tubbies. Once we have fish in the tubby then I get a turn. When I said that my dad doesn’t talk much while fishing, that’s only while we’re trolling. When I’m fighting a fish he talks a lot! Mostly he talks about what I should be doing and what the fish is going to do. Dad knows a lot about fishing and he’s taught me a lot, so I have been lucky to catch some really nice fish with him including an 8.96kg garrick, a 13kg yellowfin tuna and a 17kg yellowfin. It’s fun when I fight a fish on the jetski because it makes the jetski rock a lot! It’s also fun when we launch through the surf. The best part of beaching is when you slide up the beach sideways. My dad has taught me how to look after the jetski too and he gets me to wash it when we get home; that’s one of my not-so-favourite parts! He keeps telling me the same story about when he was young ...

RECIPE

Earl expertly prepares the yellowtail for cooking.

TASTY ’TAIL Yellowtail on the braai By Earl Fenwick

ASTE is a very personal thing and if one has access to fresh fish on a regular basis, not to mention the variety of different species we fishermen have at our disposal, one tends to develop specific preferences. Yellowtail in particular has become one of our favourite species and can be prepared in many delicious ways, be it as biltong, sashimi, grilled, barbequed, smoked, pan seared, deep fried or curried.

BARBEQUED YELLOWTAIL Second only to the traditional snoekbraai, a flecked yellowtail barbequed on open coals has become a hot favourite in the Cape. This is by far the most popular way to cook yellowtail, especially the smaller specimens under 5kg, as it results in soft, moist flesh. There are literally hundreds of recipes for various preparations, bastings and coal temperatures. Many believe that their way is the only way, so there are often heated arguments around this subject. The best way to end such a discussion is the popular statement: “It doesn’t matter what you do man, just braai it!”

PREPARATION • The fish is filleted in exactly the same way as snoek. Make sure it’s thoroughly cleaned, lightly season it with salt, pepper and fish spice, and then place the fish into the fridge to rest for a while. • Make the fire and, whilst waiting for the coals to reach the perfect temperature, prepare the sauce. • Melt 250g butter in a bowl in the microwave, add some salt, pepper and fish spice to taste, and stir well. • Add some squirts of lemon juice to slightly cool and flavour the mix. • Round off the sauce by adding one egg and stir well. TIME TO BRAAI • Place the whole fish on a fish braai grid that has about an inch depth sides, close and smear both sides with the braai mix sauce. • Place the fish (skin side down) onto medium heat coals and when you hear a popping sound turn the fish skin side up. • Recoat the skin side whilst the flesh side barbeques. • When the flesh side starts to brown turn the fish over and coat the flesh side again.

76 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2017

• By repeating the process most of the cooking is done on the skin side. • Test to see if the fish is cooked by taking a small sample of flesh out of the thickest part of the body with a sharp knife. It must still be moist but cooked through; do not overcook or it will dry out. SERVING When removing the fish from the coals place it with the skin side up and remove the top of the grid. Place the purpose-made stainless steel tray that fits into the fish braai grill over the fish, replace the top side of the grill and lock in position again. • Turn the grid upside down and the barbequed fish will neatly come to rest inside the steel tray. • Remove the bottom part of the grid — now facing up — and the meal is ready for serving as is. • Barbequed yellowtail is best served with a well-chilled white wine • Enjoy and remember that although the flesh is fabulous, the head and backbone are considered delicacies and my grandchildren absolutely love them. A Google search will give you loads more ideas.

RESOURCE

SCIENTISTS UNITE

Global meeting on recreational fisheries By Bruce Mann, ORI

HANKS to funding provided by the South African Association for Marine Biological Research, I was fortunate to attend the eighth World Recreational Fishing Conference held from 16-20 July 2017 in the beautiful town of Victoria situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Nearly 400 delegates from 24 countries around the world attended the conference, with most coming from Canada, USA and Australia. Only four delegates were from South Africa, but at least we were there to fly the flag! The conference started with a stirring account of courage and self-determination by Rick Hansen, the Canadian Paralympian who has overcome great challenges and wrote Man in Motion. He told us how important recreational fishing had been in his life. Injured while returning from a fishing trip, he has won a gold medal in the Paralympics and he pushed himself around the world in a wheelchair in 1987 as an advocate for people with disabilities. Rick and his foundation have provided tremendous support for recreational fisheries management in Canada, including successful conser vation efforts for salmon and white sturgeon. The conference focussed on science and management and therefore attracted mainly scientists and fishery managers. There were very few representatives from angling associations or traders in the recreational fishing industry. It was impossible to attend all the talks as the conference was organised with five parallel sessions and a number of themes including Monitoring and Assessment, Understanding Angler Behaviour; Citizen Science; Catch & Release; Stocking-ManagementConser vation; Management-PolicyGovernance; Anglers Driving Habitat Outcomes; Engagement of Fishers; Social & Economic Values; Genetic & Genomic Applications and Vulnerability to Angling. I presented a talk on the benefits of catch and release shore angling in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and made suggestions on how the authorities could zone the Park to accommodate this type of activity. Dr Warren Potts (Rhodes University) presented two talks, one on the effectiveness of improved fish handling in the Rock and

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Surf Super Pro League in the Eastern Cape and the other on the preliminary results of a recent project established to estimate the economic impact of recreational fishing in South Africa. One of Warren’s PhD students Chris Bova gave a talk on how to obtain “honest” compliance data from anglers during creel surveys and Dr Aidan Wood (Gleneagles Consulting) presented a global review of governance structures for recreational fisheries. Although it was a small contingent, I think the South Africans made a valuable contribution to the conference. Overall my take home message from the conference is that recreational angling is a massive industry worldwide involving many millions of participants. By way of simple comparison, our most recent estimates suggest that there are approximately 1.5 million recreational anglers in South Africa; compare this to the estimated 33 million recreational fishers in the USA alone. Some countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia are extremely advanced in their science and application of recreational fisheries management techniques. As a result there are more success stories where improved fisheries management has resulted in improved stock status and better, more sustainable fishing. Chinook salmon, white sturgeon, striped bass and red drum are just a few examples of this. One of the keys to this success is financing. There are many examples worldwide where the money derived from recreational fishing licences goes straight into research, monitoring and management, not into the pockets of government politicians! These funding models have allowed for greatly improved capacity (more and better scientists and managers) with the consequent improvement in fisheries research and management. While our research and management techniques in South Africa are definitely on the right track, we are way behind in enforcement and we face numerous challenges that other first world western countries do not. Nevertheless, with determination and perseverance of the type shown by Rick Hansen, we can and will improve our management of recreational fisheries in South Africa. However, to do this we will need the support of every angler out there working together to achieve the greater good!

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