Ski-Boat July 2020

CONTENTS

July/August 2020 Volume 36 Number 4 COVER: BACK ON THE WATER You can’t tell because of course he’s safely covered in a buff, but Brett Bartho is smiling at landing this king soldier off Zinkwazi.

FEATURES

10

Catching Them Deep Tips for deep sea bottomfish tournament fishing — by Francois Beukes

15

Bait Up! How bait availability has changed over the years — by Erwin Bursik & Bruce Mann

20

Crafting Boats Development of the early Mapelane ski-boats — by Ian Coates

20

25

Reel Repairs Done by the Pro Part 1: Restoring a corroded Penn 130ST — by Jonathan Williams

32

Cancelled by Covid-19 Memories of previous Guinjata Bonanzas

34

Understanding Your Boat Part 2:The right angles and height make all the difference — by Rob Naysmith

46

Mayhem in Madagascar You’ll think you’re in sailfish heaven — by Duarte Rato

10

57

Titan Takes the Win Two Oceans Marlin Tournament, Struisbaai 2020 — by Gary Maas

60

Mr Carpetbagger Catching marlin then and now — by Erwin Bursik

46

DEPARTMENTS 8 40 42 44 61

Editorial — by Erwin Bursik SADSAA News Subscribe and WIN! Kingfisher Awards Reel Kids

63 64 64 65 66

Mercury Junior Anglers Marketplace Ad Index Business Classifieds & Directory Rapala Lip — Last Word from the Ladies

The official magazine of the South African Deep Sea Angling Association

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

EDITORIAL

SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

Editorial Assistant: Vahini Pillay Boat Tests: Heinrich Kleyn Contributors: Francois Beukes, Erwin Bursik, Ian Coates, Bruce Mann, Gary Maas, Rob Naysmith, Duarte Rato and Jonathan Williams ADVERTISING – NATIONAL SALES: Angler Publications Mark Wilson cell: 073 748 6107 ADVERTISING – Gauteng & Mpumalanga: Lyn Adams — 083 588 0217 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: angler@mags.co.za • Through www.anglerpublications.co.za, or E-zine through <www.issuu.com> 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 On the Dot, 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 July/August 2020

T

HE recent Covid-19 lockdown gave me a lot more time to delve into the statistics we as publishers have available via Issuu of SKI-BOAT’s digital publication than I have had in the past, and delve I certainly did.

The first thing I noticed was the number of people who actually read the editorial. For years I queried the value of the editorial Dave Rorke wrote and which I took over following his passing. My question was always “Who reads an editorial?” Well, to my surprise at the time of writing this editorial over 50% of the 5000-odd reads recorded since mid-April read the editorial. In addition a large proportion spent a good deal of Erwin Bursik time on that specific page, presumably reacting Publisher to my ramblings. Our editor now wields the stick even harder to get me to write this page!

Surprise No. 2 Since an early age I appreciated that fishing was an addiction, but just as an alcoholic swears he has his vice under control so do I. I believe that fishing is a way of life, and while I at least accept it’s an addiction, it’s one I’m (mostly) able to keep under control. But I never realised there were others out there who are even more addicted than I am. Facebook has, during this lockdown, proved not only to me but also to my wife, that I am not nearly as bad as so many purport me to be.

Sitting at home looking out at an absolutely stunning ocean on a beautiful May day while getting numerous WhatsApp messages from my mate on a legally licensed commercial boat nearly killed me. There he was holding a magnificent ’cuda while I sat itching to get out on my boat.

During this trying time Facebook was flooded with old fishing photos from recreational deep sea anglers in South Africa who were desperate for the opportunity to make new catches. Their posts conveyed their intense dismay at being unable to go fishing and gave an indication of just how much the ban tormented them — and how much their desire to go fishing controls their lives.

I too was cajoled into joining the groups nominated to share photos of ten of my significant fish catch pictures on Facebook. “Yikes!” I thought when I was nominated. I’m not big into sharing on Facebook but I didn’t want to be seen as a dropout so I commenced the daily postings of uncaptioned photographs.

Finding these significant pictures provided me with many walks down memory lane and exposed me to the thousands of pictures of a lifetime of angling. Those wanderings gave me much pleasure in the long and dismal days of lockdown.

Over and above my personal feelings at the moment of capture, looking at all these photos induced me to look more carefully at other people’s posts. I began to try — through analysing facial expressions and taking note of the fish itself — to comprehend the magic of the moment that the angler captured to provide himself, if no other, with a record of a special moment experienced in his or her lifetime of angling.

Surprise No. 3 My third surprise — and considering the business I run it shouldn’t be a surprise I suppose — was the realisation that there is an intense, insatiable demand for knowledge by fellow anglers. Perhaps it’s just better hidden during “normal” times when we’re all too busy working and fishing to open our minds and show a blatant desire for increased knowledge.

During lockdown it was obvious that any “how to” post, video or digital article generated enormous interest and discussion. I sincerely hope that this thirst for knowledge will continue long after the lockdown ends; we at SKI-BOAT will certainly do our best to feed that desire.

Like all of you, I have been longing to put Mr Ski-Boat back onto the water and couldn’t wait for the powers that be to allow us to do just that. I was more than a tad tired of revving my outboards on the muffs, cleaning and polishing her, prepping tackle, and repairing things all in anticipation of the long awaited day that I could once again go to sea to catch fish. Lo and behold, the day before we sent this magazine to print that wish came true!

Till the next tide.

Erwin Bursik

TACTICS

Daniel Hughes, John Luef and Gary Truluck with a 38.3kg red steenbras caught by John at the 2018 Bottomfish Nationals held in East London.

The bait used was a dikbekkie flapper.

Inset: Francois Beukes with a 23.85kg red steenbras caught off Port Edward.

10 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

Tips for deep sea bottomfish tournament fishing

Louis Becker, WP and SADSAA angler, with a beautiful daga salmon caught on 10kg line at the 2019 Bottomfish Nationals fished out of Durban. Louis used a live mackerel as bait.

Brandon Aspden shows off his 6.7kg Scotsman caught using a soft bait of soldier fillet. The fish was caught on 10kg line at the 2019 Bottomfish Nationals and is a Zululand record.

Seth van den Berg, a junior SADSAA angler, was thrilled with this 23.4kg black steenbras caught on 10kg line at a Natal Bottomfish Zonal event. Seth was using a live bait.

By Francois Beukes

tomfishing for those who are keen to participate.

classes up to and including 20 lb (10kg), the double line shall be limited to 15 feet (4.57m). The combined length of the double line and leader shall not exceed 20 feet (6.1m).

Double lines are usually used by the angler to improve the knot strength when tying mono to leader or braid.

EEP sea bottomfish tournament fishing in South Africa is alive and well and is growing from strength to strength.

SADSAA tournaments are held regularly (except for during the Covid-19 crisis) and include Nationals, Inter-Provincials, All Coastal and club events which are fished annually at the various venues along our coastline.

These tournaments include categories for Juniors, Ladies and Men and are fished according to IGFA 6kg/10kg line class and SADSAA tournament rules using the SADSAA points scoring system for multiple species.

SADSAA have also introduced catch and release of certain species into competitions. Only fish caught on single hook traces are allowed during these tournaments, therefore limiting the chance of multiple fish hook-ups.

Provincial, SADSAA and Protea colours are also awarded to participants in the sport of bottomfishing. Anglers who aspire to represent their country are advised to join a club and get involved with competitive fishing.

Draw up a CV listing all your competitive fishing events and catches as this (in addition to you competing in a specified number of inter-club, provincial and national tournaments), is a requirement for selection.

In this article Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve given some details of various aspects of competitive bot-

D

THE WEAK LINK SADSAA have made a ruling in line with IGFA rules that a minimum of 5 metres of line of the line class to be fished in the various tournaments is required.

This is known as the weak link. Braid or any stronger line may be used as backing. In reality it is advisable to use more line than this if the angler would like to claim a record for any specific fish caught, as a line sample is usually requested for testing and 5 metres is not enough.

Anglers can opt to fish totally with the line class as requested by the tournament or use the weak link. Anglers usually opt to use the weak link when angling takes place in relatively deep water or strong currents due to the stretch in mono line. The backing is usually braid which gives the angler a better chance of feeling the bites.

DOUBLE LINE If a double line is used it must meet the following specifications: 1. A double line must consist of the actual line used to catch the fish.

2. Double lines are measured from the start of the knot, braid, roll or splice making the double line to the farthermost end of the knot, splice, snap, swivel or other device used for securing the trace, leader, lure or hook to the double line. In all line

LEADERS If a leader is used it must meet the following specifications: 1. The length of the leader is the overall length including any lure, hook arrangement or other device. The leader must be connected to the line with a snap, knot, splice, swivel, or other device. Holding devices are prohibited.

2. There are no regulations regarding the material or strength of the leader. In all line classes up to and including 20 lb (10kg), the leader shall be limited to 15 feet (4.57m).

3. The combined length of the double line and leader shall not exceed 20 feet (6.1m).

Leaders are mostly used to help prevent line breaks close to the trace when fighting a fish on a rocky bottom or even by chafing off on the fish itself.

BASIC KNOTS There are numerous knots that anglers can use and most anglers have their own preferences. If you are using knots that you are comfortable and happy SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 â&#x20AC;˘ 11

with, continue to do so.

In order to fish confidently you need to know you have good, solid knots in linking the following areas: Leader or line to hooks or swivels, leader or line to line, leader or line to braid and double line knots. All these knots are demonstrated in detail on You Tube.

Always remember to wet any knot (usually with saliva) before pulling it tight as this lubricates the knot and will prevent heat from friction which may damage the structural strength of the knot.

With the old saying of “keep it simple”, the following basic knots will get you by ...

Uni knot

The Uni knot shown above is generally used to tie leader or line to hooks or swivels. For step by step instructions on tying it read Paul Borcherd’s article which appeared in the July 2014 issue of SKI-BOAT. Double Uni knot

The Double Uni knot shown above is used mainly to join leader or line to line. For step by step instructions on tying it read Paul Borcherd’s article which appeared in the July 2014 issue of SKI-BOAT. Albright Special

The Albright Special shown above is a good knot to use when tying braid to leader; you can also double the braid.

For step by step instructions on tying it read Paul Borcherd’s article which appeared in the November 2014 issue of SKI-BOAT. It’s available on issuu.com at <https://issuu.com/sheenacarnie/ docs/skiboat_201411/37>.

Finally, when doing a double line there are generally two knots to use — either the Bimini Twist or the Spider Hitch.

For step by step instructions on tying the Bimini Twist read Paul Borcherd’s article which appeared in the March 2015 issue of SKI-BOAT. It’s available on issuu.com at 12 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

Bimini Twist

Spider Hitch

Of course even if you’re not fishing competitively you want to maximise your time on the water so it always pays to prepare in advance.

BAITS AND BAIT PRESENTATION USED FOR DIFFERENT SPECIES Bait and presentation are both especially important. The more natural a bait presentation, the better your chances of a strike. There are a lot of different types of baits that can be used, and usually but not always you can use a certain bait or presentation to target a specific species. Some of the more common baits are explained below.

<https://issuu.com/sheenacarnie/docs/ skiboat_201503/44>.

I much prefer the Spider Hitch as it is so quick and easy to make and is an extraordinarily strong knot, especially when you’re making it on a boat out at sea. For step by step instructions on tying the Spider Hitch read Paul Borcherd’s article which appeared in the January 2015 issue of SKI-BOAT. It’s available on issuu.com at <https://issuu.com/sheenacarnie/docs/ skiboat_201501/40>.

TRACES The most common question asked, is how long your hook and sinker line should be and that is difficult to answer as there are quite a few variables to consider including area, depth, and target species.

Generally when we’re shallow fishing (less than 20m deep) relatively short hook and sinker lines are used — approximately 12” for hook and slightly shorter for the sinker as most fish are hooked close to the bottom. As you go deeper this is lengthened to up to 36” and even longer with a longer sinker trace.

In some areas such as the KZN coast anglers generally use much longer traces, especially for dagga kob and geelbek. When certain of the larger species such as black and red steenbras are targeted using live baits, generally a longer and thicker trace is used.

It is important, though, that you prepare all your traces and tackle for the various fish you want to target before a fishing trip and keep them in readiness in a trace bag. During competition angling you need to maximise the time you’re actually fishing and do not want to be making traces on the boat while you could be catching fish.

The same applies to having a few made-up trace rigs containing the required length of weakest link joined to your leader. The trail of thought behind this preparation is that if you miss a drift or a down, you miss the opportunity to hook a fish and that fish could be the one that makes all the difference either as a species multiplier or added weight overall.

Squid is a very popular and versatile bait which produces good results.

SQUID Squid is a very versatile bait and almost all deep sea anglers will use this bait in some way or another. Squid is most effective when fresh, but that’s not always available.

To prepare your squid defrost it, cut it open along the length, then skin it and wash it. Then cut the squid into thin strips or elongated triangular strips and weave it onto the hook. Always try to leave a long dangling strip below the hook, as this moves about in the current and attracts attention.

Always make sure your hook point is sharp and well exposed to avoid missing your bites. Do not discard the squid head as this is also an extremely good bait.

Squid is also commonly used with pilchards as a “mixed grill” bait.

Anywhere along the coast a nice strip of squid woven onto the hook and a thin fillet of pilchard tied onto the outside of the squid with cotton will the trick. Coppers, Miss Lucy’s, soldiers, scotsman and dageraad all love this bait.

PILCHARD Pilchard is the most versatile bait and almost all species of fish will take it freely.

This bait can be used in many ways and presentations. The pilchard can be used whole, where the hook is put through the lower jaw between the eyes and out through the top of head or even just hooked through the eyes.

This is extremely successful when targeting geelbek.

Pilchard can also be sliced and tied onto the hook with cotton or used with most other baits as a mixed grill.

A very popular presentation is to cut the head and tail off, then to slice the pilchard lengthways almost through, turn the pilchard inside out and wrap it around squid, fish fillet or any other bait put onto the hook. This is then tied on nicely with cotton.

LIVE BAIT When targeting geelbek, dagga salmon, black steenbras, coppers or rock cod, among other species, sometimes the only bait they want is a live bait. Most small fish can be used for this, including mackerel, shad, maasbanker, big eye, steintjie, butterfish, dikbekkie or carpenter. For the best results use the bait straight after it’s been caught.

Live bait can be caught using Yozuri bait rigs which are available at all tackle shops.

off; this will cause the bait to swim haphazardly also putting out distress signals which will attract other fish.

A large hook, preferably a 10/0 or bigger, can be used on a lengthened snoot line trace to give the bait more movement.

Jono Booysen with some freshly caught live bait ready to be rigged.

The live bait can be rigged up by pushing the hook into the mouth and up through the head just below the eyes or pushing the hook through the fish just above the spine. One of the live bait’s lateral fins could also be cut

FLAPPERS If a live bait fails, sometimes the fish will take a flapper. Flappers are small fish that are prepared by slicing down on each side of the dorsal fin and removing the backbone and tail. You can then squeeze or bash the head of the bait to soften it and release some of the fish scent that will be picked up by your target species.

Again a 10/0 or larger hook is pushed in through the mouth and up between the eyes of your bait.

I hope this information will be useful to anglers targeting bottomfish. I have also posted a video on the SADSAA Facebook site where I cover 6kg/10kg competition fishing and what has worked for me up and down the coast of South Arica. Here’s a link to that video if readers would like to see it <https://www.facebook.com/sadeepsea anglingassociation/videos/5119861561 63558/>.

My thanks to John Luef for assisting me in supplying the majority of the content for this article.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 13

BAIT

How bait use and availability has changed over the years

By Erwin Bursik and Bruce Mann (Senior Scientist at ORI)

W

HEN the ver y first “Crocker” ski was launched off the Durban beachfront with a determined angler on board, drawn to the abundant fish activity out beyond the reaches of a shore-bound angler, he relied on bait as one of his few methods of tempting a gamefish to strike. The only bait available to anglers at that time was frozen pilchards, aka sardines.

The sight of the long, beautiful “silver fish” lying on the deck of the few Crocker skis when they beached soon persuaded more and more anglers to venture out beyond the breakers. Back then the silver fish was called barracuda — incorrectly as it later turned out — and it became known as a magnificent fighting and table fish. Today we know it as a king mackerel or ’cuda.

Those who opted to go to sea did so on ver y basic, homemade ski-boats powered by 2.5hp Seagull motors or any other small outboard that started to become available in South Africa after the end of World War II. Their methods for targeting ’cuda were rudimentary, to put it mildly. Tackle consisted of either cotton hand line the commercial line-

fishermen used for bottomfishing, or the then popular centre-pin or Scarborough reels on bamboo rods which the surf fishing fraternity of that era used.

Albie Upton, a doyen of the early days of boat fishing, related some of their methods to me: “We took a single 9/0 Limerick hook tied onto a length of baling wire, then attached this ‘trace’ to either the cord or flax line which was all that was available at the time.” Of course this was long before the advent of nylon line.

A whole pilchard was then impaled — sideways through its head — on the 9/0 hook, and then was either drifted or trolled. The trolled pilchard spun like a propeller behind a slow-trolling skiboat. The strike by a ’cuda was very exciting as they smashed the pilchards being trolled four- to five metres behind the boat. A hookup, especially on the cord handline, resulted in an incredible fight — essentially a tug of war. The few ’cuda landed were shoved into a hessian sack (streepsak) and pushed to the bow deck area where buckets of sea water were thrown over them periodically to keep them cool.

These old timers’ feedback was very minimal regarding other types of baitfish that were available to the “offshore”

anglers. It seems they mainly caught fish off the beach (shad) and froze them to take to sea or else secured bait from the seine netters who pulled their nets in the Durban back beach area — around today’s Vetch’s or Addington beaches.

Shad were big in those days and trolling a 1.5-2kg shad on a single 9/0 hook didn’t land too many ’cuda but resulted in huge numbers of bite offs.

You must also remember that because shad was a valuable food source for many people, they were difficult to obtain as bait.

The other fish the netters caught in fair numbers was the bony (glassnosed anchovy). In the old days they were caught from August to November in discoloured water.

Now visualise sticking a 9/0 through the head of a four-inch bony and trying to troll it! It didn’t make a very attractive ’cuda bait. With the sort of tackle available at the time one just could not target baitfish as we do these days.

Now let’s take a leap forward in time to the point where tackle selection improved and nylon line became available during the early 1950s. Things began to change dramatically in so far as trace make up and bait presentation was concerned, and that enabled offSKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 15

The only image of a bony (glassnosed anchovy) we could find, courtesy of A Guide to the Common Sea Fishes of Southern Africa by Rudy van der Elst. In the early days these fish were plentiful off the KZN coast and became the bait of choice in the 1960s and ’70s.

Nowadays redeye sardines like these are found in huge shoals off the KZN coast and are popular as livebait. This photo clearly shows how the eye turns red after they’re caught which accounts for their common name.

Mackerel like this never used to be caught off Durban but suddenly around 1990 they seemed to arrive in large numbers and have since become a well-used bait. shore anglers to make up much more elegant terminal tackle. A “skelm” trace for ’cuda in those days was a single 2/0 tuna hook with two 4/0 trebles attached by marlin wire, the only trace wire available at the time. That became the standard ’cuda trace, a trace which is largely still used today by most offshore anglers, although in a much more refined format.

Back to bait … the frozen sardine/pilchard was still king, but with the redesigned ’cuda trace a large bony could be trolled very effectively and a lot faster than a sard could. In addition, the bony didn’t break up when defrost16 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

ed and retained its very silver colouration. Thus, when the netters got a nice haul of bonies all the members of the ski-boat club descended on them and purchased huge numbers. They froze well provided they were well packed, and thus became the bait of preference in the 1960s and early ’70s.

In the early ’60s ’cuda were few and far between, resulting in most of the Durban Ski-Boat Club boats anchoring off Natal Command on the Durban beachfront and fishing for snapper salmon which were plentiful. Two or three “trap sticks” were deployed with a small live shad under a big red cork

(bung) float. If one was lucky, a ’cuda or two could also be caught while fishing for snappers.

This all taught us anglers the art of catching small fish on much lighter bait rods, reels and line, and a Paternosterstyle bottom trace with a 1kg or 2kg sinker and No. 7 longshank hooks.

This technique and variations of it produced a large variety of bait-sized fish including shad, maasbanker, bonies, sea pike, wallawalla and the odd “sand mackerel”, but neither I or any of the others who fished during that era ever caught the mackerel we catch these days. As far as I can ascertain it seems there were no mackerel in the area from Durban to Cape Vidal in that period, and to my knowledge none were caught on the lower KwaZulu-Natal south coast then either.

And then suddenly around 1990 not only did the Cape mackerel (as we called them) start to be caught when we were targeting livebait for both ’cuda and bottomfishing, but so did the redeye sardines that arrived in large shoals that boiled on the surface. This specific finding has been discussed at length among a number of us who fished the KZN coast from 1960 onwards and ever yone concurs ... things have changed..

The art and practise of using livebait to target the predatory gamefish off this coastline saw the transformation of the old drum livebait container into a kind of livebait well. This was done either with an aerator or else the constant replacing of the water in the drum with a bucket to keep the livebait swimming happily. Nowadays of course most skiboats have a built-in livebait well that’s fed with a constant flow of sea water by means of a deckwash pump.

The net result is that today the anglers who target pelagic gamefish off South Africa’s coast predominantly use livebait as their bait of choice, especially when targeting ’cuda.

It’s great to have more baitfish in the area rather than less, but many of us wanted to know why these two specific species (mackerel and red eyes) suddenly appeared when they had never before been along the KZN coast, or certainly not in these numbers.

Dr Bruce Mann, senior scientist at ORI, is an offshore angler himself and he too had noticed this change in bait catches. During a number of coastal aerial surveys conducted during 2018 Bruce noticed more evidence of large shoals of baitfish than he had ever seen before. “Sometimes on quiet, windless days you could see patches of baitfish extending from Kosi to Port St Johns,” he said.

Bruce also wondered what had caused the change and subsequently contacted Dr Carl van der Lingen and Dr Stephen Lamberth who are both

Left: A clear red-eye showing just below the surface. Above: A showing clearly indicating the prescence of mackerel and maasbanker. Photos: Jono Booysen fisher y scientists at Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE). Following lengthy correspondence of a highly scientific nature with many scientific studies referenced, the general consensus was that there are three basic plausible reasons for the change in baitfish numbers and movement.

1) An increase of nutrient loading from rivers i.e. fertilizer runoff. This has stimulated phytoplankton growth with zooplankton following suit. As

this is the main food source for filter-feeding fish like redeyes and mackerel, they have responded to the increased food availability.

2) That the high fishing pressure experienced over the period referred to, especially of pelagic gamefish such as ’cuda, Natal snoek/queen mackerel, garrick/leervis and demersal migrants such as dusky kob and geelbek, has reduced the number of predators in the area and there has been a resultant exponential growth

of the bait population (known as “prey-release” by the scientists).

3) A general reduction in the pilchard (Natal sardine) biomass which results in less competition for available food, thus allowing other species in this niche to thrive.

Sadly, there are no clear answers to our original question, just theories, but we’ll take the positives where we get them, so let’s enjoy the access to the larger number of baitfish and pray that it lasts.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 17

HISTORY 1952 — George Coates’ first flat-bottomed “ski-boat”. Note the small Seagull outboard hung on the transom, as an emergency “get-you-home” device!

By Ian Coates

T

HE last time that I was at Mapelane was in 1995 while my dad, George, was still living at Monzi.

I feel the regulations outlawing any beach driving have killed Mapelane, where these days only skiboaters have realistic access to the beach and launch site.

My memories of those very early days when we had our clubhouse and shacks on the beach and then later in the bush overlooking the bay will always stay with me as the best days of our lives.

One thing I vividly recall is the way the skiboats changed over time.

This article is an attempt by me to record the metamorphosis of the Mapelane skiboat from the early ’50s as I recall the progress through the years ...

Around 1951 or 1952 the serious fishermen at Monzi, with help from some friends at St Lucia, decided to build themselves an enclosed deck, unsinkable boat, for fishing behind the surf back-line. They had seen similar boats going to see off Durban and wanted to do the same off Mapelane.

David Cork (who was operating the Estuary Hotel in the early ’50s) had previously worked for the Royal Navy in the UK as a marine architect. He had some basic designs, suitable for a small f lat-bottomed skiff, based on the RN landing craft design. To keep it

light, and since aluminium was, at that stage, available, George Coates and some others including Walter van Rooyen, decided to build this 14ft mini landing craft, based on David’s design.

This new “ski-boat” resembled one of the already famous swamp boats that were used in the Everglades, USA. However, instead of an aero-engine and propeller, it had a raised transom that could accommodate a small outboard motor — very small by our standards today!

The largest motors available back then were Johnson and Evinrude 15hp, 18hp and 25hp which were definitely better than the old, nonenclosed “chugg-a-lugg” Seagull of some 2hp!

The original boat had a single 16hp motor, was tiller-steered and the motor was open to the sea from underneath, with obvious consequences in the surf.

The open motor design meant that even the slightest hint of a sea water splash would extinguish the ignition. That was quite a challenge when launching into the incoming surf, but still we went to sea. Our only other “back-up” was an anchor, rope and a pair of oars.

This flat-bottomed boat could plane quite easily with a 15hp motor but its acceleration was not sufficient to run ahead of a following, incoming surf breaker when coming ashore.

20 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

1953 — Eileen Coates and Sarah Badenhorst.

George Coates, on his flat-bottomed “David Cork-design; early ‘50s.

1953 — Mapelane kids playing on the boat.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 21

1958 — Flat-bottomed aluminium ski-boats based on the Sonny Evans designs.

1959 — George Coates, Graham Balcomb and Pat Peddie on Wallaby.

y ‘60s.

ane in the earl

Denny

na at Mapel van Rooyen’s Ti

1960s — Rare aerial view of Mapelane.

1968 — George Coates beaching Tandamanzi at Mapelane.

The consequence of that was that we did have some tumbles on the incoming ride, inevitably losing all our fish in the process and of course the fishing tackle too. The next “improvements” to the boat were tackle fixing brackets which were fitted to the deck, and several used 100 lb hessian sugar pockets, into which we would insert the catch before attempting to come ashore.

We also learned that we could use the anchor rope to tie up these sacks full of fish, and ditch them overboard immediately before coming ashore. The unladen boat was a lot less likely to flounder in the surf. The snchor rope would then be hauled in, by the shore-men. The fish catches were thus recovered almost every time, but not always.

On one occasion, just before we abandoned that early hull design for David Cork’s next “invention”, we had gone to sea at 5h00 and by 7h30 had caught over 1 000 lb of fish! We came ashore (using the technique mentioned above) and then turned around and went back to sea again, to catch a further 1 000 lb load before enjoying breakfast on shore at 09h00!

Those fish were carted off some 40km to Kwambonambi where we sold them to cover the cost of the petrol for the 22 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

1976 — Pat Peddie’s boat Bambaduze. outboard motors.

David’s next idea was to take a standard dinghy design, cut it in half lengthwise, then re-join the two half-hulls back-toback to form a crude catamaran design.

The boat had suitably raised gunwales and a raised transom, so a 25hp Evinrude with an extended shaft was mounted on the transom. This set-up raised the motor well out of the way of any wayward splashes.

The increased deck area was very useful. Some of these early designs then also incorporated closed hatches for the fuel tanks and tackle, with one hatch reserved for caught fish.

The hessian sacks were no longer needed!

However, we were still stuck with only 25hp motors. To get around that they mounted two motors and then linked the two tillers together so that tiller-steering the boat became reasonably possible. No-one had got around to installing steering gear at that stage.

The problem with this design was that when we were coming down the forward slope of the following wave, depending on which half-hull’s prow dug into the wave front, the boat would unexpectedly veer off to the side that had

1959 — Mapelane.

1959 — George’s not-so-deep-vee boat named Wallaby, a precursor to the later deep-vee designs from Ace-craft, named Gibelamanzi and then Tandamanzi I followed by Tandamanzi II. oyen beaching Jitters.

1964 — Denny van Ro

1968 — George Coates launching at Mapelane.

1968 — George Coate s’ shack on Mapelane beach.

The author around 1958 with a grouper and bonnita.

Note the boat-launching trailer design used in those days.

Old Club

In convoy, on the way to Moçambique, towing a David Cork semi flat-bottomed design semi-catamaran. ploughed into the wave front and the boat was in danger of flipping which happened on a few occasions.

Consequently, it became very important to not come in at an angle to the wave. The skipper had to be sure to be heading exactly in line with the wave’s chosen direction, to avoid the dreaded “flip”!

Alternatively we had to only come ashore slowly, on the back of an incoming swell. Things got tricky if the next swell overtook the boat and swamped the motors!

Larger motors of 40- then 50- and then 65hp eventually became available, and these early boats then developed better manoeuvrability and acceleration. That improvement enabled them to outrun the following waves to safely get to shore.

About the same time that the original f lat-bottomed swamp-boat design came about, the Preen brothers, neighbours of David Cork, built their-own widened deck surf skis.

These craft did not have motorised assistance but were paddled out to sea quite successfully off Mapelane. The Preen brothers were often seen to catch their full quota of fish — as much as they could store on their small deck-area, in hessian sacks, of course.

The Preen’s home-built, wide-decked surf paddle-ski, was built on a wooden skeleton framework, covered with canvas (like a kayak), and then sealed with aircraft dope. Rips or tears were, of course, the bane of their lives.

This development led to the debate about catamaran versus deep-V design, with refined versions of both of these now being standard design choices some 70 years later.

Boat-builders like the Yelds, Ace-craft, Tomcat and others then began to flourish.

Times have certainly changed since then. Larger boats, fancy launching trailers, high-powered (and now 4-stroke) motors, huge 4x4 vehicles and tractors needed to tow and launch these very much larger boats, have all changed the face of the original intrepid ski-boating fraternity of Mapelane, Vidal, Sodwana and places further to the north in Moçambique. I’m glad we have memories of how it all began For more about the development of fishing at Mapelane see George Coates’ story which was published in the July/August 2012 issue of SKI-BOAT and which appears on our website.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 23

24 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

TACKLE TALK

Part 1: Restoring a corroded Penn 130ST

By Jonathan Williams

T

HE weakest link theory — “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link” — is something all anglers pay homage to every time they cast a line, swim a bait, troll a line or drop a bottom trace to the ocean bed.

All that stands between your trophy fish and the open ocean is one “I’ll take a chance” knot, trace or blunt hook.

When you take that chance and your weak link fails, you’ll be left with the sound of your curses echoing in your ears instead of cheers of jubilation.

Your fishing reel is one of the most important links in the tackle “chain” between you and the fish. The modern fishing reel is extemely complex, espe-

cially the ones used in the extreme aspects of the sport such as marlin and tuna fishing and deep jigging. With dozens of moving parts being put under extreme strain in these situations your reel can let you down if it is not in perfect working order.

Gone are the days when a 12/0 Penn Senator was periodically doused with a bucket of cold sea water as its leather drag washers over-heated and began to smoke when the angler was fighting a beast of a marlin. Thanks to their space-age drag systems and the technologically advanced materials used in their manufacture, todays reels are both user friendly and reliable under all conditions.

There is a proviso, however, and that is that, like any other perfectly made

machine, your reel needs a regular complete service and not just an after-fishing spray down with freshwater.

Every angler has experienced the nauseating feeling when he’s onto a big fish and his reel seizes, the drag becomes very rough and temperamental, an anti-reverse pawl fails to work or some other small part in its inner workings does not do what it’s supposed to do. It’s a horrible feeling!

Even if one stays attached to the fish under those circumstances, the enjoyment derived from using a well-tuned reel during a lengthy fight is lost. The difficult task of staying attached and somehow retrieving line becomes a stressful exercise and not the joy it was supposed to be.

Most anglers have tried the DIY SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 25

Jonathan Williams’ workshop has seen many well-worn reels returned to their former glory. exercise of servicing their reels which includes squirting a bit of Q20 onto the visible moving parts and then crossing fingers that they can get it back together again without a few leftover parts.

Or if they can’t put it all back together again the reel and accumulated parts get put into a bag and taken to a reel repairer like me with an ardent plea to put it all together again as good as new.

As with servicing motor vehicles these days, ser vicing fishing reels requires someone with the knowhow, correct tools and access to necessary parts. Taking your reel to a professional reel repairer will give you peace of mind that when the reel is next put to use and you’re attached to a prize fish you’ll feel the smoothness of the drag, hear the clear scream of the ratchet, and when you turn the reel handle the line will wind on beautifully, leading to you landing the beast — provided you do everything else properly and there are no other weak links.

MY PROCESS I have been repairing reels since I was in my 20s — first my own and then friends’ reels; this hobby eventually grew into a full time passion. This is what sets my work apart from the rest — reels are my passion, and this is evident in the manner I work on them.

I am now over 50, and over the last 30 years I have honed my skills and finetuned the process, gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience along the

way. I can assure you that there is no substitute for experience when it comes to repairing reels.

Of course reels and technology constantly improve, so I have to adapt to keep up or get left behind the technology curb. Stagnation is therefore never possible as nothing stays the same.

I’m based in the Western Cape but service and repair reels from all over South Africa and the neighbouring countries, so reels are delivered by courier services or Postnet if clients are not close enough to drop them off.

When I get a reel it’s tagged with all the owner’s details and noted in a register so it does not get mixed up with anyone else’s reels. Being organised and having a working process is very important. It’s vital that the reels are stored on neat, clean shelving and do not lie on the floor as I often see. Keeping them free from dirt and dust is vital.

The first thing I do is assess the reel, then it’s stripped and checked for function or failure of parts. Each reel is fully stripped down to the bare shell, then the first cleaning process starts, after which it undergoes a second process in the digital ultrasonic cleaner. Once the reel is dried and totally cleaned fine checking starts, I replace any worn or damaged parts and finally it’s reassebled.

Each client is sent pictures of their reels when they’re stripped and again on assembly, and inbetween any problems are communicated and the cost of

parts relayed. I am a firm believer in transparency and in keeping clients informed.

I also have accounts with the major reel agents in South Africa — Shimano.

Penn and Diawa — to enable me to effectively and efficiently put reels back into commission wherever possible.

Once it’s all back together each reel is tested before getting a final clean being bagged before being dispatched to their delighted owners.

REVIVING A CORRODED REEL BODY There are a few trade secrets I have learnt over the many years of removing corrosion and rust, and then treating that correctly. There are two items used to treat corrosion, both imported, which I regard as best practice for doing this and which remain trade secrets.

Over the years I have spent a small fortune on oils, greases and lubes testing to see what works best for me and my clients. Along the way I found the happy medium in terms of which products offers the very best performance and protection to my clients and their reels.

When servicing reels only the best oils, lubes and greases will do. I do not believe in using anything but the best products and best work methods too as these are expensive items and the commercial vessels and charter reels I maintain constantly take a beating as they work hard constantly.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 27

1.

2.

3.

4.

7.

8.

28 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

5.

6.

9.

STEP BY STEP REFURBISHING ...

1. A very corroded, salt damaged and neglected Penn 130ST reel.

2. Drive plate outer.

3. Right side plate assembly.

4. Left side plate assembly.

5. Spool with ratchet plate and rusted spool bearing.

6. Cleaned spool and floating drag washer.

7. Cleaned right side spool and pinion gear.

8. Cleaned left side plate assembly with the anti-revese dogs and bearing.

9. Final cleaned and assembled 130ST. REFURBISHING A PENN 130ST Although they may look badly damaged a lot of it is just surface-deep and it’s amazing how well good quality reels like this can be restored.

On arrival the reel is checked for the general condition, then for damage, malfunction, possible failure wear of parts as well as corrosion damage. In other word a comprehensive assessment is done prior to stripping, and then further assessment is done once it’s opened up.

If the stripped reel’s parts are badly worn they are replaced on assembly to ensure reliable functioning.

Corrosion, and specifically galvanic corrosion, is always an issue on reels, especially on the areas where stainless steel parts are mated to aluminium parts such as the reel seat areas and screw areas. These are most prone to galvanic corrosion which is a reaction caused between dissimilar metals when saltwater ions react with the combination of these two different metals.

When saltwater gets into the inside of a reel one can expect the same scenario, especially when the saltwater (corrosive by nature) has dried in place.

Saltwater intrusion into the carbonfibre drag stacks will create problems when it’s left to dry there as it forms salt crystals once dried. This can damage the carbon weave and score the stainless steel drag plate they mate with, affecting the butter-smooth drag needed to reel in big fish.

Left unchecked and not correctly addressed, this will require replacement of the drag stack and possibly the drag pressure plate — an expensive exercise. Often, over time, this corrosion migrates into the left side plate of reels, causing more damage there also.

I find that the most neglected areas on tuna and marlin reels are the insides of handle knobs, the insides of the drag areas and the insides of the spool assemblies and gear shafts. The latter is not easy to access and requires a full strip-down to lubricate it.

Once the reel is fully stripped it’s cleaned with the ultrasonic cleaner. I find this weapon in my arsenal indispensable, along with my Myford precision lathe.

I use a double process of cleaning

for every reel to remove as much of the dirt, corrosion and rust as possible. It is more time consuming and labour intensive, but I’ve found this is the best way to service them.

PREPARING YOUR REEL FOR USE AFTER SHORT-TERM STORAGE If your reel has been serviced within a year you are fine to just take it out of storage and fish it — provided it was serviced correctly. Oil points such as the handle post (knob), clutch lever assembly and the clicker; they can always benefit from a drop of oil if the reel has been standing for many months on a boat or in storage.

If it’s a brand new reel you shouldn’t need to do anything to it before going fishing as manufacturers do their best to ensure reliability straight from their factories.

PREPARING YOUR REEL AFTER LONG-TERM STORAGE When reels have been stored for six or 12 months inbetween marlin seasons, for instance, if saltwater has been left on the spool this will weaken the line, possibly causing the loss of a trophy fish. I would recommend replacing this line or at the very least the top shot, especially if it was exposed to any sunlight. There’s nothing worse than incurring the cost of going to sea, hooking a trophy fish and then losing it due to line failure.

If reels have been stored for this length of time one would need to check that the drag functions correctly from strike to sunset and then back to

In the next issue Jonathan will discuss refurbishing some badly damaged smaller reels.

free spool.

The spool and main shaft have to be free turning when in free spool, just in case corrosion or rust has gotten to the bearings or the main gear shaft has become dry. This is especially true on most Tiagras (20 to the 80W models) and Penn Internationals (normally up to the 70 models and some older 80 models) where the main shaft turns inside a gear sleeve and not bearings alone.

PREPARING YOUR REEL FOR STORAGE Before storage rinse the reel lightly with the clutch lever (drag lever) engaged so water does not get into the carbon washers and drag stack. Do not use a high pressure hose to wash it down as this pushes salt and debris into the insides.

After rinsing it fully back off the drag lever (free spool) so you do not weaken the drag tension washers. Let this air dry for three to four days in a place where it gets a breeze to dry the insides fully.

After this the reel seat area can be sprayed directly with some silicon spray. The rest of the reel can also be sprayed with this or some Tackle Guard and then this can be wiped off by cloth. Do not wipe the silicon spray off the reel seat area; you want to leave it on there to help prevent corrosion.

A reel cloth bag can be used to protect the reel from dirt and dust; the cloth bag is better than a plastic bag as it allows any moisture to evaporate and will not keep it trapped, thus encouraging corrosion.

Even when your reel looks dry often the abour or bottom of the spool under the line is still wet with moisture, and if it’s covered in plastic this will encourage corrosion.

A little bit of care goes a long way towards keeping your reel in good working order, but if it’s fallen into a state of disrepair don’t just throw it out — most of them can be rescued.

For specific reel repair questions feel free to contact Jonathan Williams on <jjfishmore@gmail.com> or visit his FaceBook page: Jonathan’s Reel Repairs.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 29

BOATING BASICS The chine and strakes are clearly visible on this monohull. Strakes should provide lift and spray deflection in the bow to mid-section areas where it is needed, and a reduction in water-drag on the aft planing area.

Part 2: The right angles and height make all the difference

By Rob Naysmith Down South Marine

a planing hull, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discuss other contributing factors ...

I

STRAKES Strakes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; those ridges running parallel to the keel, lengthwise along the underside of a ski-boat hull â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are designed to serve two purposes. Firstly, they aid lift as the water pressure on the flat surfaces forces them upwards, and secondly, they help deflect the spray when the boat is planing.

The problem with strakes is that they create drag due to their increased surface area, and if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not perfectly in line with the water flow, their drag effect increases still further.

With this in mind, many designers make use of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;stagnation lineâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

N the last edition of SKI-BOAT we discussed hull types and the effectiveness of the chines on a planing hull. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all food for thought as we wait in anticipation of a time when we can all go fishing again. In this issue we will look at other important features so that the next time you are scolded for gazing lovingly at your boat, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to say youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re studying the chines, strakes or deadrise. And believe me, just using those words will stop any further questioning.

We finished the last article looking at features that give a planing hull lift, and as lift is the fundamental feature of 34 â&#x20AC;˘ SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

theoretical waterline under the hull when the boat is planing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for determining the ideal number and lengths of the strakes, all in an attempt to minimise this drag. This is evident on many hulls where the strakes end a third of the way before the transom, usually in a V formation due to the hull shape and stagnation line.

In practice what is achieved is lift and spray deflection in the bow to midsection areas where it is needed, and a reduction in water-drag on the aft planing area.

One final aspect to check on the strakes is that they do not come to an abrupt, square type end before the transom, and if they do then the strake should not be in line with the engine.

Unless a strake has been tapered off in a neat transition to the hull, air bubbles will be generated. This stream of bubbles can play havoc with your engine by increasing prop slippage and, in severe cases, causing the engine to overheat.

Another important point is never to position echo-sounders or water speed transducers in line with a hull strake because the turbulence coming off them will adversely affect the readings.

DEADRISE Unless the boat has a completely flat hull from bow to stern, it has a deadrise. Deadrise is the angle of the V from the keel to the chine and is found on both mono- and catamaran hulls, usually quoted at the transom. The deadrise angle of a hull determines the way the boat rides. The sharper the deadrise, the easier it knifes through the water, also making the re-entry into the swells more comfortable. The shallower the deadrise angle, the more stability the boat has and the easier the hull will lift out of the water, but the re-entry into the swells will be harder.

This is where differences in boat design really begin to come to the fore.

Let’s start with the most evident use of deadrise, the deep ‘V’ hull. A deep V has a sharp deadrise running the entire length of the hull. As they run deeper in the water, using the sharp hull to slice their way, these boats are great for use where the sea conditions are often rough there are big swells to contend with. This hull type is well suited to travelling long distances as the ride is softer and more comfortable for the crew. A deep V will commonly have a transom deadrise of around 21 to 26 degrees.

A planing or semi ‘V’ hull is better suited to less rough conditions where it can use the lift of its relatively shallow deadrise to ride and stay up on the plane. These hulls are more manoeuvrable and can run in shallower water than a deep V, making them perfect for surf launching, estuaries, rivers and inland waters. These hulls have a much shallower deadrise from midships towards the transom, while still making use of a sharper deadrise in the bow section. Commonly the transom deadrise will be around 12 to 20 degrees.

Cats have a clever design — with the narrow hulls they can make use of the best elements of both designs. Here you can have a nice sharp deadrise in the bow for cutting into the water and either retain the sharp angle to the transom for use in rougher conditions or flatten it out to a shallow transom deadrise for manoeuvrability and shallow water work.

Cats mainly rely on tunnel lift to get the hull out of the water to allow the sponsons to do their work. This is the

The deadrise angle of a hull affects the way the boat rides. As can be seen on these three examples (see red lines), most boats have different deadrise angles. This angle changes from the bow to the stern of the boat.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 35

Nowadays most boats have a standard transom angle (see red line below) but sometimes boat owners need to make adaptations to ensure their motors fit well and can be properly trimmed to suit their ride.

clever bit — cats still make use of the deadrise effect in their tunnels, although it’s not called that, nor would a scholar be associated with anyone proposing that notion. But yes they do, and that is determined by the height of the tunnel relative to the water line.

Cats with a shallow, round tunnel have the semi V, low deadrise characteristics and make good use of water pressure for lift ,while those with big square tunnels, with less internal water resistance, rely more on air for lift, ride deeper in the water and have more of the deep V, sharp deadrise influence.

TRANSOM ANGLES Transom angles are measured from the bottom of the hull to determine how far off a 90 degree vertical the transom leans out. This angle will determine the attitude of the bow of the boat when powered along. Most outboard transoms are around 12 degrees off vertical; this allows the skipper to trim the engine in to bring the bow down while also using less outward trim to bring the bow up once planning. The greater the angle of the transom, the more the bow can be controlled.

To help compensate for a low tran-

Bulkheads (supports that run from side to side across the hull below the deck) and stringers (supports that run from bow to stern) give the hull enormous strength and reduce flexing on the water.

som angle where extreme weight is situated aft due to engines and fuel, boats often make use of trim planers to get the bow down and help level the ride.

Trim planers, those plates that protrude off the back of the transom, work by raising the transom whilst on the plane, forcing the bow down, and helping the boat run with a more level attitude.

BULKHEADS AND STRINGERS Bulkheads are those sturdy supports that run from side to side across the hull below the deck. Their function is to give lateral strength to the hull, create watertight compartments to contain flooding and give support to the deck.

Stringers are found attached to the top and bottom of the bulkheads and run from bow to stern, with their function being to give longitudinal support to the hull. Much lighter than bulkheads, the bottom stringers are fixed to the inside of the hull for strength while the top stringers are used for supporting the deck.

This combination of bulkheads and stringers gives the hull enormous strength and reduces flexing on the water. During the production of resin boats, the bulkhead and stringer combination is fixed to the inside of the hull while it is still in the mould; this stops any distortion when it is removed.

WATERLINE AND FREEBOARD The waterline is the theoretical line at which the water will come up the sides of a boat while the craft is floating on the water. Often a boat builder will calculate the position of a waterline based on weight, design and size, and include this marking in the finish. This line is particularly important over time when you notice your boat “lying deeper” in the water which is usually a good indication of compromised flotation and water in your hull.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 37

and fish (on some boats) are stored below deck level. Everything stored above water level will cause the boat to rock more and be less stable, and the higher it is above the waterline, the more unstable things become.

The nature of the wet deck is to be able to take on water without too much concern, but there is always an urgent need for it to drain off as fast as possible. This requires large drain holes, usually through the transom, to allow a quick outflow of water.

However, as these holes are subject to submersion and thus allowing water back into the boat, scuppers are fitted on the outside. They take many forms with the most common being a cage with a ball that floats on the water and rises to block the hole each time the water threatens.

This boat has decent height gunwales so that anglers can lean against them while fighting a fish. Rod holders and railings are also attached to the gunwales.

Freeboard is the measurement between the waterline and the gunwale. Skippers who frequently venture out in bad weather rely heavily on a decent freeboard height to stop water coming in over the side.

DECK HEIGHT AND SCUPPERS Ski-boats have what we term “wet” or “self-draining” decks — that’s where the deck is able to take on water and drain off without causing any serious issues.

The height of a ski-boat deck, determined in relation to the waterline, can be perfect on an unloaded boat, howev-

er, this may not be the case once the boat is loaded. If the deck level is below the waterline, water will rush in and swamp it.

How often do you hear folk complaining about their scuppers not working? That’s because water is coming in and not draining out which indicates that the deck, or a portion of it, is below the waterline.

Deck heights are important as they form the boat’s centre of gravity, determining balance and stability. A low centre of gravity will give better stability, which is why heavy items such as fuel

Rub rails along the outer edge of the boat, from bow to transom, protect the boat when it’s alongside a jetty or another boat, and also cleverly disguise the join between the sides and the gunwale.

38 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

GUNWALES, RUB-RAILS AND BOW RAILS A gunwale (aka gunnel) is the flat surface that runs round the boat, on top of the sides. These add shape, support and strength to the hull while providing a place to mount all kinds of necessities such as railings, rod holders, etc.

Gunwales are so named from the old sailing ship days where the crew would rest their guns on the sides of the boat in the fury of battle. This battle fury at sea is still evident today, displayed by the skipper when the crew cut bait on the gunwales!

Running all the way along the outer edge of the boat, from bow to transom, are what we term “rub-rails”. Not only to they protect the boat when it’s alongside a jetty or another boat, but they also cleverly disguise the join between the sides and gunwale.

Then we have “bow rails”, those shiny stainless-steel rails on top of the gunwales in the front of the boat which, as aesthetically pleasing as they may look, serve a number of very useful purposes.

Primarily a safety feature designed to keep the anchor man in the boat, the rail is also used to hold on to the bow at the dock or in the surf and, as we all know, if you have control of the bow, you have control of the boat.

Although mono- and cat hulls look different in every way, they employ the same basic principles using the same basic features, all that changes is how.

Next time you look at a boat you’ll have a clearer vision of how her features will affect her performance, making your buying decision that much more precise. And, as I said in the previous article, we all need two boats.

Should you have any questions or require assistance regarding any boating issues, please feel free to contact Rob Naysmith at Down South Marine on 083 235 9550.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ 39

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Phillip Marx, SADSAA President

W

ELL 2020 is certainly proving to be a year filled with challenges and uncertainty. For many of us day-to-day life nowadays is

anything but normal. Working from home, online schooling, and not being able to socialise in person definitely takes a huge adjustment. We as South Africans are a social nation at heart, and as much as anything, this mind-set needs a huge adjustment.

While we wait for the government to make final decisions that will allow us to get back to the extended family, friends and the sport we love, we can only wait, and appreciate the blessings this lockdown affords us.

SADSAA and SASAAC are hard at

work in consultation with the relevant parties, submitting proposals that may assist with fast tracking our return to fishing, and hopefully, by the time of publication, will have had some success. Our thanks go to all those involved for their continued efforts on our behalf.

In the interim, we encourage you to be patient, and to abide by the current laws in place. We will notify you as soon as we have any new information.

Be safe.

TOURNAMENTS

SAMSA

ADSAA, with agreement from all provinces, has taken the decision to postpone all SADSAA tournaments, both inter-provincial and national, until next year due to the current economic climate and because of the increased risk of anglers being infected by the Coronavirus.

We will host all 2020 tournaments in 2021 at the same venues that were due to host in 2020 and hope the timing will be similar to what we would have had this year. We believe that this will give all the provincial associations time to host the best possible tournaments in 2021, and will give the anglers time to recover financially from any extra burdens they’ve had to bear.

With the current uncertainty as to international travel and general safety concerns, all the international competitions our Protea teams were due to take part in during 2020 have also been postponed until 2021. This includes those hosted by FIPS, the Hawaiian International Billfish tournament, ILTTA as well as EFSA. SADSAA has confirmed that all SADSAA and Protea teams will remain the same for the tournaments next year so as not to prejudice any of this year’s chosen anglers. We hope that the provincial selectors will follow our lead.

In the case of junior anglers who may not qualify due to their age when their tournament is eventually held, we shall follow the example set by FIPS and allow those anglers to participate as this is truly beyond anyone’s control.

We hope that once the severe travel restrictions are eased we will see you all on the waters again with a new appreciation for the sport we love.

Once large group gatherings are allowed, social competitions can be attended with enthusiasm, paving the way for the 2021 tournaments.

ADSAA have been in constant communication with SAMSA and receive the new Marine Notices any time changes are made. These notices are published on the SAMSA website, as well as on the SADSAA Facebook page <www.facebook.com/ sadeepseaanglingassociation> and emailed to our members as soon as they are received. The situation is fluid, so please keep yourselves up to date with the latest changes.

S

S

SADSAA CONTACTS: Email: <info@sadsaa.co.za> • Website: <www.sadsaa.co.za> 40 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

GREAT CATCH Karla Rautmann caught this 106.8kg bigeye tuna off Cape Point in May. She was fishing aboard Seekat owned by her proud dad, Gus, pictured here alongside her. He has a commercial skipper’s licence.

Karla is living proof of the saying that “The harder you work the luckier you get”. Congratulations on the fish of a lifetime, Karla. We’re sure that with your tenacity you will go on to land many more exceptional fish.

READERS’ QUERIES SADSAA’s President, Phillip Marx, has undertaken to answer a limited number of readers’ queries regarding SADSAA in each issue. If you have a question you would like answered, email him on <president@sadsaa.co.za>.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 41

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FREE DIGITAL E-ZINE ON WWW.ISSUU.COM 42 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

PLACES

By Duarte Rato; photos by Duarte Rato and Gretha de Wet

I

T was another sunny, flat calm, winter day on the banks, but at these latitudes that means little. The sun was merciless; the speed and intensity on the boat was extreme.

With all the tackle and bait rigging, hookups and releases weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d done I overlooked ensuring I had enough water and shade. For the first time in thirty-odd years of fishing the tropics I experienced sunstroke.

However the 22 sailfish we released out of 42 raised for the day made up for it. Multiple, triple and even an insane quintuple hookup filled our day. We also released many other gamefish including big wahoo, dogtooth, GTs and yellowfin tuna up to 35kg.

Worn-out, we finally headed back to the yacht for a shower and a well-deserved drink. We watched the sun set from the bow, light spinning outfit in one hand and a GT-ice cream in the other. First cast and I had a hookup on yet another saily... I thought I had died and gone to sailfish heaven!

A few years ago a regular client-friend who has fished with us at Bazaruto aboard Vamizi for over fifteen years told me about the remarkable numbers of sailfish they were seeing on their annual winter popping trip to Madagascar.

He promptly invited me to join him and guide them to target sailfish specifically, but due to other commitments I was only able to do so in July 2018.

Less than ten minutes into that trip we had a pack attack

and it never really slowed down. My client certainly hadn’t been exaggerating, and the numbers we racked up were well beyond our expectations. Despite being woefully unprepared, with a substantial lack of bait and with the other anglers still getting acquainted with the our system, we still released well over 200 gamefish including 61 sailfish in the five fishing days.

We headed back there in winter 2019 and this time we were as ready as we could possibly be. Unfortunately conditions were not as agreeable as they’d been the previous year.

With unseasonal wind and green water, the first five days were inconsistent, producing only 42 sailfish. Thankfully the weather improved for the last five days when we released 63, making it a total of 105 releases for the ten-day trip.

Overall, in the 15 days we fished the banks we released

166 sailfish, not to mention all the other hundreds of gamefish we caught and released!

DIVERSITY As impressive as these sailfish numbers are, they are substantially deflated by the vast diversity of other species that proliferate on the banks. When you’re exclusively using circle hooks on light mono leaders (which increase cut offs), one still loses considerable time fighting an array of other species.

These include great barracudas (which are a pest), bonitos (which are welcome for strip baits), wahoo, dorado, yellowfin tuna, dogtooth tuna, skipjack, green jobfish, rainbow runners and giant trevally. They’re all sought-after gamefish, but we were really there for the sailies.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 47

48 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

LOGISTICS The Castor Banks start roughly 45 miles from Nosy Be so a live aboard operation is the only realistic way to fish there. The best times to target these fish, which we experienced to be in the 20- to 65kg range (30-35kg average), is during the southern hemisphere winter months — between May and August. This is also when the weather is at its best on the banks.

We used Bossi Adventures, with our motherboat being an exceptionally well maintained 53ft Royal Cape Majestic. The yacht provides very comfortable individual berths and heads for five anglers, along with a comfortable dining area. The fishing boat is a 38ft Supercat; with its ample 16ft beam, it’s the ideal platform to set a wide spread and handle the regular multiple hookups. The minimal white water its wake creates allows for the short baits and teasers to work at their best.

Fishing there is an adventure of a lifetime which we highly recommend to any angler, especially from South Africa, as getting to Nosy Be is a breeze with Airlink’s weekly direct four-hour flights.

This is one trip where team work is critical; taking as many mates with as possible not only makes it more affordable, but also becomes a huge advantage. You’re still going to catch heaps of fish and the extra hands make all the difference.

The five Malagasy crew are professional, friendly, helpful and willing — really great guys. However, they lack the appropriate tackle and finesse to run our set up which gives you the best opportunity to tap into the area’s incredible sailfish potential.

To make the most of it, be prepared to carry lots of tackle along and carefully plan all the logistics. Do your homework, talk to the operation managers and crew beforehand, pre-rig as much as you can, take along all the essential tackle (which is most of it) and the duty free booze you’re allowed. Make sure the crew pre-buys enough local fresh bait, brines them in coarse salt and freezes them in stacks of ten before your arrival. Nothing must be left unattended.

If you’re not comfortable with all the prep work and this style of fishing, hiring a specialised guide will take most of this weight off your shoulders and maximise your chances when fishing.

I could tell a hundred stories of our trips, but let’s rather look at the preparation, setup and techniques that have worked for us ...

PRE-RIGGING On the first trip all the chaotic bait and terminal rigging on the boat sort of spoiled it for me. Catching, cutting and rigging a hundred plus strip baits a day plus snelling hooks, tying leaders, releasing fish and everything else leaves little time to actually concentrate on the fishing, and sailfishing is all about visual awareness…

Pre-rigging before your trip is paramount to enjoying and making the most of it.

To start with spool 30 lb braid backing on to four spinning reels (Stellas, Sagarosas 12– to 20 000 or similar) with a 100m, low diameter, high vis 30 lb mono top shot. If you have one or two extra spools fill those up too and take them along. Extra braid and especially extra mono is advised as the top shots get abused quickly and we tend to change them regularly. Spinning reels have the disadvantage of line twist, so make sure to dump, stretch and untwist your line at the end or beginning of each day. To help on multiple hookups we prefer to use two different hi-vis color top shots on the four outfits.

Pre-rig 200 sailfish leaders for a week and take spare hooks and leaders. This might sound excessive for a weeklong trip, but believe me it’s not!

Our circle hook of choice is the 8/0 Eagle Claw Billfish and we use a 3m #100 mono leader. We tie an additional 2m leader from the short double line to the swivel (or use a wind-on). We prefer to use the long leader so that our top leader (wind-on) does not chafe and frequently need replacement. We also do that so that after the numerous toothy cut offs one can just tie another hook on to the leader. Our ball bearing snap swivels are size #4 Centros.

We rig three different colour daisy chain teasers (one spare) and have an additional Squidnation Flippy-Floppy on hand. Then there are all the Halcos, Speedpros, bait and daisy chains to remember, as well as all the spinning and jigging outfits with spoons, bucktails and dropshot gear to use while fishing on the mothership at night.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 49

50 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

Buy lots of #30 lb wax thread, thin but strong and short rigging needles, at least 100 oval chin weights, a couple of pairs of scissors and a long sharp knife.

You’ll also need sixty squid skirts to put over bellyshine — Big-T lures makes a number of good ones to use in different conditions. Basically you must get everything you need to make bait rigging fast, effective, smooth and easy.

OUR SETUP We tweaked and changed small things according to wind, sea conditions and fish behaviour, but our program and spread was invariably the same. This setup works for us at Bazaruto and did well off Madagascar too.

We run two extra-long lines from the outriggers on pre-distance-set, dacron rigger loops. It’s crucial to use those as it speeds up the process of setting the lines; elastic bands stretch on a bite, making them impractical. The rigger clips must be set as light as possible so that they open up at the slightest pull. We use black clips as they work better with the loops and are more sensitive than roller trollers.

We use our bigger reels and 7’ 6” rods on the longs and the baits are staggered. The left — small to medium size swimming ballyhoo (halfbeaks) — is on a longer line with a 12⁄ to 34⁄ ounce chin weight (depending on bait size and sea conditions). The right is a similar bait or a lure and strip-bait combination.

There are numerous internet sites showing how to rig these swimming ballyhoos. We prefer to use the cross above the head method. It’s practical to rig and easy to use, as one only has to insert the circle hook point across the center of the X and the pre-rigged bait is ready to go. (See pics A and B.)

Pic A

Pic B

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 51

Pic C

Pic D

52 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

The two short lines are on the smaller reels and short jigging rods, also with pre-set dacron loops. I like the short rods so one can fish off the rod tip. On bad weather days (rare) we put the dacron loop on a piece of wire attached to the transom (pic C).

Again the left is set slightly longer with a chin-weighted medium- to big swimming ballyhoo. This is set just before the left teaser — a green Moldcraft reverse-rigged squid daisy chain trailing a black/purple Iland Express rigged on 400 lb mono.

The right short line is run very short, with a skipping lure/strip bait combination just before our right teaser. For this teaser we use an electric pink Squidnation Flippy-Floppy with a blue/pink Express.

The teasers are run from the boat’s #80 Tiagra reels which are bracketmounted on the bridge. The lines run through the rigger’s middle halyards on a solid ring and are operated by the captain. It’s important that those teasers are short enough to hang from the outrigger or put inside the boat as soon as possible when a sailfish is in hot pursuit. It can prove very difficult for a fish to switch to a bait if any of the teasers are still in the water. We prefer using the Iland lures for teasers as the skirts are not easily chopped by the ever-present razor gang. However, make sure you take spares for cut offs.

Using a dredge on a downrigger down the middle certainly gives you an edge, but they are heavy and cumbersome to take with and, again, toothy critters do become a nonsense.

The drags are set fairly light at about 8 lb. The reel’s bail arm is left open, with a short piece of wire tied to the reel seat and holding the line in place while trolling (see pic D). There are clips you can buy and cable tie to

your rod just above the reel for this purpose, but we have found the wire pieces work just fine.

The theory is that once there is a strike the wire opens and creates an automatic drop back. The angler then picks up the rod, slowly counts to four, closes the bail arm, winds leisurely and voila — the circle should set right in the corner of the mouth. It’s a KISS (keep it simple stupid) technique that works even for the most inexperienced angler. No backlashes or heavy thumbs.

Once the fish finishes its first run one can tighten the drag. However, you need to check how much of a turn you can apply on each specific reel beforehand, as different brands of spinning reels differ immensely. We find a light drag works best to wear out these speedsters, and only push it up when they dig in deep.

We also have an additional two standby pitching rods. We use Trinidad 16s, but a spinning reel or a TLD 25 works just as well. They are kept ready in the chair gimbals, ready to go with a strip bait.

It really depends how many anglers and deckhands you have on the boat, but these are extremely handy when a pack shows up, and we have raised well in excess of fifteen fish at a time on previous trips. In many instances one or two anglers failed to hookup, pulled the line in with a sanchoco (bait head), grabbed a pitch rod and baited and hooked a fish (or two) trying to eat the paint work out of the transom.

The deckhand and guide are also there to hook extra fish.

That’s how you’re going make every chance count — and enjoy the total chaos it provides.

MAXIMIZING YOUR CHANCES On very windy days — a rarity in winter — we might take our longs out. The wind can easily make them tangle on the teasers while dropping after a bite. In that case we only put out the two teasers and two short lines, and have four standby

pitch baits. We only deploy those when the sailies show up on the teasers.

You can also choose to put lures with J-hooks on the longs, but those provide a terrible hookup ratio and thus many lost opportunities.

Overall our system has worked very well for us — someone is always ready with more baits on a miss, a single angler can easily hookup two fish in a pack attack and, every angler will be busy and have a go when the sailies come in thick.

And those two extra-long lines regularly make all the difference, picking up fish that have faded from the teasers as well as lots of lonely or double cruising fish that most likely would otherwise not have shown up on the teasers.

The downfall of this system, especially on the Castor Banks where the razor gang are wild, is that one goes through a lot of gear and, more importantly, our most important commodity — bait. We rigged and went through 60 to 100-plus baits a day, but that’s a small price to pay for the frenzy of a lifetime.

BAIT IS PARAMOUNT Bait management should be your foremost priority. On my first trip there we were caught with our pants down, and our teeny bait supply of 50 half-rotten tiny halfbeaks only lasted to the morning of the second day. For the rest of the trip we had to resort to catching bonnies for bellyshine (strip baits), and could not keep up with the bait demand.

We resorted to J-hook lures on the longs and our strike to release ratio suffered immensely — never to be done again!

On the lures we also caught many more doggies, wahoo, barracuda and other species which was extremely time consuming.

On my second trip, we had 500 perfect size, freshly caught halfbeaks. It was not enough for the ten days, but we made it up with the fresh bait we caught on a daily basis.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 53

Always make sure you have ample bait and freeze whatever fresh bait is left over from the day. You never know how much you’re going to need on any given day, and this can be the difference between failure and success.

We constantly ran a flat short rod with a TLD 25 on a Scotty rod holder with a weighted small Pulsator daisy chain to top up our supply of fresh bonito belly shine. If we were desperate we used two, keeping them short, deep and out of the way.

Aside from catching us fresh bait, we had many sailfish come up on this outfit first and foremost. It proved to be a great additional teaser and works like a dinner bell. We have since upgraded the hooks and system and catch many sailfish on this bait rod as well.

THE NEED FOR SPEED… It’s a numbers game and, the need for speed is vital to optimise the biting times. Although you normally have action throughout the day on the banks the sailfish tend to turn on and off twice every day. Unlike most places, and as a general rule, they seem to lull around the tide changes and be at their hottest in between.

A well-organised boat is paramount to keep things flowing 54 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

swiftly. Manage your bait and make sure they’re ready to go as needed. Traces, needles, chin weights, skirts, wax thread, gloves, pliers, knifes (all of which you need to take yourself), need to have a set place in the cockpit and everyone should know their place. When fish are hooked new baits should be rigged on new traces by the deckhands or any other available hands while the fighting is taking place so that they’re ready to go as soon as you can start trolling again.

TEAMWORK This kind of fishing is all about team work and that is what makes it such fun.

As I mentioned earlier, a minimum of three, but preferably five anglers with an additional deckhand is ideal to optimise your chances. With a 16ft beam, the 38ft Supercat provides ample space for six people on the deck.

The numbers help you make the most of your chances, especially when you get those crazy pack attacks. If you want to rack up your catches then achieving multiple hookups is crucial.

In a pack attack the captain needs to work the teasers in quickly, and at the same time work the wheel around the first

hookup to provide ample time for others. Each angler and deckhand should know what to do and work in unison — some watching the long lines, and ideally two anglers holding the shorts on their index fingers, ready to drop when the bite comes and others ready to throw the pitch baits if necessary.

The deckhands need to keep watch over it all, helping where necessary and making sure lines are not crossed when all hell breaks loose. While the anglers are fighting the deckhands must get ready to set up again quickly after the releases, to make the most of the bite time.

ROUND THE CLOCK FISHING Bear in mind that these are hard core, action-packed days that start shortly after a sunrise breakfast on the yacht and finish just before sunset. However, as tired as one is at night, the ocean is all around you and fishing from the yacht in the evening can be just as exciting. After a shower and a drink it’s hard to refrain from throwing a line in the water.

We hooked a wide diversity of species around sunset and sunrise. After dark we would put out some livebait and drift lines while eating dinner, and caught GTs, sharks and big snappers to name a few. Schools of trevally invariably feed

around the yacht well into the night and we had a ball catching them on light spinning tackle.

On many occasions I woke up before dawn and put out a dropshot, jig or bucktail, catching jobfish, snapper, triggerfish and other species that would be a record anywhere else. So make sure to take some light spinning rods (we used Aerocasts with 5 000 Stellas and #20 braid) and plenty of spoons, ice creams, bucktails, drop shots, yo-zuris and the likes for round the clock fishing.

You’ll go home exhausted but fully satisfied after a week or two of surreal fishing.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION On arrival at Nosy Be you will be transferred to the yacht and depart early the next morning, giving you a half day’s fishing. If you book for a week-long trip you fish for four consecutive days plus another half morning on the return day.

If you choose to do two weeks you will get a total of ten fishing days as the boats need to come back for a night to get supplies and refuel.

For reservations or any other information feel free to contact Duarte Rato <dudas7mares@gmail.com>.

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 55

COMPETITIONS

TITAN TAKES THE WIN Two Oceans Marlin Tournament, Struisbaai 2020

By Gary Maas; photos by Amanda Bruwer

A

S with most fishing trips, my visit to Struisbaai in February started off with a phone call.

My son, Craig, phoned me very excited: “Dad, will you come to the Struisbaai marlin comp with us?”

“Sounds good, boy,” I replied. “What’s the deal? It turned out the boat, accommodation and entrance fee were all in — Dad’s coming!

I was really looking forward to fish-

ing with my two boys — Craig and Ryan — who are now both top anglers.

Ryan “Pulsator” Williamson had a very successful Cape Verde marlin season with over 131 marlin to his credit, and Craig was based in Cape Town, catching marlin and yellowfin from Hout Bay and Gordons Bay through his charter company, Big Game Fishing.

Ryan and I flew into Cape Town on the Saturday morning and soon found our accommodation — a lovely house owned by Chris Steyn. Later

that day we were joined by Grant Peddie of Magson Marine who was joining us for the week. In the driveway stood a great big gleaming 25ft Titan — straight out the box.

Hubert Meyer with Team Titan which took first place at the 2020 Two Oceans Marlin Tournament fished out of Struisbaai.

Team Wombat placed second.

DAY ONE On the Sunday we launched at 5.30am and headed straight to Five Mile Reef although it felt like Reef City because there must have been 100 boats there — commercial and competition boats — all catching yellowtail. I went around the edge and we caught one 5.6kg yellowtail on a kona; we won third prize in the Calcutta for this one.

The sea was jumping a bit, so we headed out to the banks about 40km out. When we got to Halfway House the water was just below 21 degrees and the Pulsator lures went out. We were pulling lures because there were no baitfish; the sea was very dead and we returned to base at 4.30pm.

Heading back we were dealing with 25 to 30 knot winds, a big swell and a following sea, but the boat rode like a dream. She’s also very economical and we only used 105 litres while travelling about 40 nautical miles that day.

DAY TWO On the Monday we headed back out to Five Mile Reef where commercials had spotted some marlin. We put out a 7kg yellowtail and ten minutes later we had a hookup. It was a very strong fish and we never saw it — it parted the line on the reef after 30 minutes.

Over the radio we heard that Stompie had a hookup and release of a striped marlin at Halfway House. We continued trolling with Pulsator lures but had saw no other life so we returned to base at 4pm.

On Tuesday and Wednesday there was no fishing because the sea was bad, so we had a good time at the club instead before heading back home to prepare for Thursday’s fishing.

DAY THREE Back at Reef City there were tons of boats all catching yellowtail, but there were none for us. Craig caught an octopus on a jig so we headed to Halfway House. Saw a mako jumping, as well as some sunfish and blue bottles, but no marlin. Alas, the water did not have that Moçambique smell to it, something I always looked for in my marlin days. Wombat took a black marlin on a kona at 12 Mile, but no other fish were reported.

Third placed Team Stompie pose with Garmin’s Chris Gillit.

58 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

DAY FOUR Our plan for the Friday was to hit Five Mile Reef to try for livebait, but we had no luck so instead we set off for 12 Mile pulling konas. The water temp was good at 21 degrees and the colour was blue — good indications.

About 4km before 12 Mile we saw a big pinnacle on the fishfinder, so we put out some small lures, did a circle, and bang — two skipjack onboard.

Craig and Ryan rigged them very quickly and once the livebait was in the water we did a wider circle around the pinnacle. Within five minutes we had a hook-up but did not see fish for 40 minutes until it jumped behind the boat.

It was a black marlin of approximately 170kg. Brad was on the rod fighting what was a very strong fish.

Twenty minutes later Ryan had the leader and the fish was released next to the boat.

We put out some small lures and headed for 12 Mile where all the other boats were. Over the radio we heard of a hookup here, hookup there, but they were mostly sharks. I turned the boat and went back to the pinnacle we found earlier, got another skipjack and put the livebait in the water. One circle around the pinnacle and we were on again. The fish took off too fast to be a shark, but we didn’t see it for 20 minutes. We had to ask for extra time from control and as our time was almost up the fish came to the surface 60 metres away — marlin time! Forty minutes later we had another safe release — Chris Steyn’s first marlin, about 120kg.

With smiles all around we returned to base, hoping that we had won the competition, as Wombat also had two fish.

Francois Human from Mercury, along with Gawie Bruwer and Johan van der Vyver of Suidpunt Marine had a great time at the Struisbaai event.

We were indeed successful in taking away the first prize, so that was a great ending to our trip. I must say, as an avid marlin angler I think Struisbaai is a great venue. I would, however, suggest using 80 lb International outfits if you’re targeting marlin in that area because I believe there are big marlin there in excess of 800 lb, and fishing with 50 lb stand-up rigs gave my boys a hard time.

I must compliment the Suidpunt Deep Sea Angling Club for being great

hosts; we hope to be back to defend our title next year.

FINAL RESULTS 1. Titan (Skipper Ernie Magson, Chris Steyn, Craig Maas, Ryan Williamson, Grant Peddie, Brad du Plessis) 2. Wombat (Skipper JB Snyman, Steve Denny, Rudolf Jonker, Div De Villiers) 3. Stompie (Skipper Riaan Swart,Willie Steenkamp,A Nortje, E J v Rensburg, R vd Merwe)

SKI-BOAT July/August 2020 • 59

PEOPLE

MR CARPETBAGGER Catching marlin then and now

By Erwin Bursik MAN and his boat often become synonymous, especially when it comes to offshore angling off the South African

A

coast.

So inextricably linked are man and boat that when history is being relived around a bar or braai fire one hears the words “Oh, Joe Bloggs of Big Fish”, or the even more prevalent: “Remember the boat Wantsfish that used to operate off Cape Vidal? Who was the owner again?” This is often followed by an indepth discussion on both man and boat that leads to many other prominent anglers and their boats being drawn into the discussion.

Gar y Maas and his boat Carpetbagger are prime examples of this, and when I read his report on the Two Oceans Marlin Tournament (see page 57) my mind wandered down all sorts of trails remembering his exploits in years gone by.

The term “legend” in a sporting sense is often loosely used and very often over stated in colloquial arenas, but there are a few deep sea anglers still “playing the game” who deserve that title. I believe that Gary is one of them.

Gary was introduced to offshore angling in the late 1950s by his father Gerry Maas, an ardent member of the Durban Ski-boat Club, and a man with a reputation for knowing how to catch ’cuda.

60 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

Over time Gary became known as the man who knew how to catch marlin off Durban, and when I read his review of catching marlin off Struisbaai during the Two Oceans Marlin Tournament, I thought “Some things never change!”

During the early 1990s, a time when livebaiting for marlin was prominent, Gary and Carpetbagger went all out to prove that using lures — and an inordinate amount of effort — obtained extremely good results.

Gary’s motto was “Pull plastic!” and he proved the effectiveness of lures vs livebait on 23 January 1992, one of the

first times he took out this new 28ft Sea Sport pictured above. On that day he caught three striped marlin in one day off Durban (see picture below left).

Gary was never one of the flamboyant marlin manne of the Sodwana Bay fraternity as his passion was exploring and working local waters targeting this magnificent species.

Eventually Gary sold Carpetbagger when he relocated to the Natal Midlands to become a gentleman farmer and trout breeder. However his deep love of the ocean and all the fish that swim in it has not waned over the years, and when he got the opportunity to fish for marlin off Struisbaai with his son Craig and Ryan Williamson who Gary watched grow up, he jumped at the chance to get behind the wheel of the Triton and experience the excitement once more.

Gary’s style of writing the competition report — direct, to the point with no punches barred — reminded me of his character which I so enjoyed, and many of the other fishing legends I’ve had the privilege of spending time with. The fact that Gary and his team won the tournament is no surprise and just goes to show that the old man of the sea has not lost it!

It seems this fresh taste of success has jumpstarted Gary’s memory and his desire to delve into the historic past of ski-boat fishing off Durban, and he’s promised to share some amazing facts and pictures with the SKI-BOAT readers in the near future.

HUNTING TUNA ON A SKI

by Keira Hunter (11)

M

Y adventure actually started the night of 21 March 2020. My brother, Oliver, was supposed to go fishing with my dad the next day before the lockdown kicked in, but he injured his ankle which cancelled his fishing plans. I saw my chance and grabbed it.

It was 4 o’clock in the morning when I woke up. We loaded the double kayak on the car, making sure it was the lucky car — my mom’s car — and we were off. It was not long before my nerves kicked in, but once we arrived at the beach I was surprised to see the waves were so small.

We waited for a bit for the sun to come up — it was a beautiful sunrise — and then we were off and there was no going back.

We punched through the small foamies and eventually we arrived at the Umhlanga Barge where there were already about ten boats. There were lots of baitfish around and when I reeled in a big mozzie, my dad said:“That’s the one.” We hooked it up and sent it out as livebait for a tuna.

All of a sudden the line on my rod screamed off. It was so fast that there that there was smoke coming off the reel.

I was so excited to hook my first tuna, but also scared that I might lose it.

My dad passed the rod to me, I knew the fish had taken lots of line and I had a lot to get back. While fighting the fish, my line suddenly went slack and my heart sank. After winding like crazy, though,I felt the fish on the end of the line again. After about 30 minutes or so, the fish stared pinwheeling under the kayak. It was HUGE! Eventually, we landed my first yellowfin tuna; it felt amazing! When we tried to put it in the hatch it wouldn’t fit because it was too fat, so we had to paddle back to the beach with the yellowfin’s tail sticking out the kayak. After a few photos on the beach we packed the car and headed back home to see my brother who had a seriously deep diving Rapala Lip. The fish measured 121cm which equates to a weight of approximately 34kg. What a great day and what a great fish; I’m hooked!

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!

62 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

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64 • SKI-BOAT July/August 2020

BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS & DIRECTORY

RAPALA LIP

Last word from the ladies

ORGEOUS George is considered to be a heavyweight in the fishing fraternity, but it has nothing to do with his ability as a fisherman.

To be frank, George is fat and was in denial about it until it became too difficult to hide his exploding condition underneath very large shirts.

George’s condition has also become expensive. His fishing gear no longer fits and his work wardrobe also has to evolve constantly. The grocery and liquor bills have ballooned to eyewatering numbers, keeping pace with George’s accelerating shirt size.

There were other signs which made George realise his weight was becoming a problem. For a start he had to give up cycling, not because his lycra outfit was choking the life out of him, but because he was forced to upgrade to stronger bicycles to carry him. The fact that he also had to repeatedly try and fix punctures while wrestling to move in the lycra eventually proved too much of a challenge.

I suspect he gained a little perspective on his condition when the sales assistant helping with his new cycling outfit remarked: “Jirre mister George, die outfit lyk explosively gorgeous, maar ek dink nie daai bicycle gaan ry nie.”

And I know he was upset when a motorist passing by, while he was fixing a puncture, shouted: “Hoezit ou dikgat!

Die doring moenie jou wiel puncture nie, hy moet jou gat puncture sodat jy kan afblaas!”

It also became dangerous to fish with George on our boat due to his rod-grabbing habit. Whenever a reel screams on the boat George is the first to grab it. Surprisingly, he can move like lightning, but when this happens and there is such a dramatic weight-shift on the boat that we almost capsize.

Eventually George announced he was going to embark on a strict diet. It was obvious to me that he had finally realised that if he didn’t lose weight he would have to buy a bigger boat and the financial implications would then place inconvenient restrictions on his drinking and other habits.

I immediately tried to help George by offering to enroll him in a weightwatcher’s program. When I suggested this George sulked and gave me the silent treatment for days, accusing me of wanting to ship him off to the “fat farm”.

As a compromise George said he would rather that I help him with his diet and monitor his weight on a weekly basis.

While this seemed a fair suggestion, I had no idea how George would struggle to lose weight. Over the weeks that followed I was baffled that George just gained weight and did not lose any. His theory was that he was gaining muscle, not fat, and that the scale was not showing positive results.

In hindsight, there were a few incidents which should

G

have alerted me to George’s lack of discipline and determination to succeed in losing weight.

To begin with George refused to be seen drinking a light beer. He was worried his mates would tease him for drinking a “lady’s beer”, so we went to the effort of pouring a light beer into an empty regular beer bottle. This was particularly important when George was filleting fish in the washbay, surrounded by mates.

After a while I could not understand why we were buying more regular beers and fewer light beers when it should have been the other way around.

A few weeks into the “diet” I weighed George with very pleasing results, and then decided that I ought to check my own weight. To my astonishment I had lost 15 kilos since I’d last weighed myself. My clothes should have been falling off me but they were not. When I asked George to step onto the scale again — after I had reset it — he was suddenly in a hurry to get to work.

Then there was the incident with the chocolates. One day we were fishing in choppy waters when George asked me to help him open the tackle box and find his pliers. I was a little clumsy and dropped the tackle box, and when the top tray fell out the bottom tray — full of chocolate bars — was exposed! When I confronted George with this evidence he fingered our sons as the culprits.

Later it struck me that whenever we were braaiing with friends I kept losing tally of the meat. George’s diet demanded he only eat white meat, and for some reason my count of the chicken breasts was always accurate but a chop or two, a piece of steak or some boerewors seemed to disappear every time George was tending the braai. He blamed my counting.

I also noticed that George developed a new fondness for coffee after the start of his diet. Each time we went fishing he took four flasks of coffee on the boat. George and I would share the first flask but, later George would drink his coffee from the remaining three flasks straight from each flask— without offering me any.

One day when George was busy fighting a fish I decided to help myself to some coffee from one of the flasks. As soon as George saw what I was doing he began to protest, and that’s when I discovered it was full of Coke. When I threatened to open the other flasks and check their contents George demanded that I immediately relieve him of fighting the fish, complaining of a back injury. Miraculously his back was completely healed by the time he had to gaff the fish!

Gorgeous George sulked all the way home from our fishing trip, boasting a beautiful Rapala Lip while I listed the collection of suspicious incidents which had revealed the mystery of his weight gain. But his smile returned when I said perhaps we should just buy a bigger boat.

FAT CAT

YOUR CHANCE TO GET EVEN LADIES — are you an angling widow? Are you a frustrated crew member? Do you outfish the men on the boat and have to deal with their Rapala Lips? Do you bite your lip at the comments coming from chauvinistic male anglers?

We’re looking for new writers for our Rapala Lip column. All contributions are gladly accepted and they will appear anonymously to protect the writers from divorce suits, cold shoulders, banishments, cut up credit cards etc. Come on ladies, share your stories with us — you know you want to. Email them to <sheena@mags.co.za>.