Big Sickles and Spinning reels… Taming big Yellowfin Tuna in a less conventional way – RSD 2014

Yellowfin tuna 95kg

I was recently invited to come and challenge some of Cape Town’s super powerful fighters, and I’m talking about the ones 30 miles out to sea and not the ones you find on the Cape flats. Besides for being one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities in the world, Cape Town also offers access to one of the best Yellowfin Tuna fisheries in the world. When the weather allows it, you can have a shot at not just large volumes of fish, but also some seriously big specimens.

I took the long drive from Durban down to the Cape with one plan; to land BIG tuna on my Spinning outfit. I was never in doubt that my tackle could overcome the task at hand, but I was a little nervous about my body being able to last against one of those Yellowfin gladiators that just never seem to tire. Generally the fishing conditions 30 miles off Hout Bay is not for sissies, but I was fortunate enough to find the Cape weather doctor in an especially good mood and I enjoyed incredible weather for my couple of days fishing.

Catching any fish in excess of 60kg on a spinning reel without a harness is no easy task, regardless of the weather conditions. And one thing is for certain, out there in the deep where the monsters roam is Shimano Stella country. It’s a place where only the best will do and thankfully that’s exactly what I had armed myself with. Loaded on my Stella 18000 was 300m of 120lb braid which would hopefully be enough. Stories of guys getting spooled on their spinning reels is commonplace out there.  It’s not hard for a 80kg fish to pull 300m of line off a reel and because it 1km deep there he can empty you heading straight down so there’s no chance of following him with the boat unless you have a submarine. Initially I had planned to use my popping rod but luckily common sense prevailed and I paired my Stella with a Shimano Trevala XXH jigging rod. Throwing any type of distance isn’t a prerequisite at all as the fish will come right up to the boat so a long rod has no benefit. Fighting a large fish on a 5’8ft rod is also a lot easier than on an 8’0ft rod.

My first day I headed to the tuna grounds out of Hout Bay with Sean Todd from Hooked on Africa Charters. A large, comfortable, walk-around boat like Sean’s was certainly going to make my challenge of taming a big tuna a whole lot easier. After an hour and a half’s run we put out a couple of Rapalas to try locating some fish. It wasn’t long before we heard the screeching ratchets on a few of the reels as we went through a shoal of Longfin Tuna. I decided that the small 8kg – 12kg Longfins would provide me with a nice little warm-up and tackle test for the Yellowfins I’d hopefully encounter a little later. After catching them on vertical jigs, Rapalas, poppers and baits all on my spinning outfit I was ready to take on something a whole lot bigger and stronger.

We had been enjoying the sport provided by the Longfins round the boat for over an hour before the first couple of Yellowfin showed up in the chum line. It didn’t take myself or Mark long to get  hooked up and within twenty minutes I had caught and released a nice 40kg fish. While it provided a far stiffer challenge than the Longfin, a “smallish” Yellowfin like that was no match for the tackle I had. We managed a few more in the same 40kg – 50kg class before Mark got a nice 70kg plus specimen. As the day drew on I noticed a few bigger fish showing up in the chum and after having a few fish under my belt I was a bit more selective on what size fish I threw my bait to. Being selective was rewarded as one of the bigger fish engulfed my bait a couple of meters from the boat.

It’s amazing what an extra 20kg can do to the strength of a Yellowfin Tuna. Its initial run is quite something to behold. Against a drag that a 10kg fish can’t even budge, he managed to pull a comfortable 150m before settling into his slow circular fighting pattern. The fight time doubled from the fish before and after just under an hour I had a beautiful 65kg fish beaten next to the boat. I released him to fight another day and was really chuffed that I had achieved what I had set out to do. My tackle had stood up just as expected but my body could feel the effects of my outing. We decided to call it a day and save some strength for my next day.

The following day I headed out with ex-Protea and Cobras cricketer, Justin Kemp and the team from Two Oceans Charters. Justin had been catching the Yellowfin on spinning tackle for a while and was the main influence of me going down to do the same. Our task of finding fish was made much simpler when Sean, with whom I had fished the day before, gave us a call and told us where they were. Once arriving, it was a matter of seconds before we had ten decent-sized Yellowfin around us. Justin hooked up straight away and bullied the 50kg fish to the boat. Mark and I wasted no time in landing our first few for the day either. After continuously battling tuna I decided to watch the action from the fly bridge. Seeing huge Yellowfin just about getting hand fed is a sight to behold especially coming from KZN where a 25kg Tunny is considered a big one. These look colossal and just glide in the water as they slowly eat all the pieces of chum.

There were a few Big fish around the boat and I watched as one of them swallowed Mark’s bait and sped off into the deep at a million miles an hour. It was a good opportunity to see things happen from a different angle and also to see the difference in power from 70kg model and an 80kg plus one. Once again the Stella did its job without missing a beat but Mark got put through his paces and after an hour and a half of burning he had the beaten fish to the boat. Seeing such an incredible fish had definitely energised me again and I was ready for another battle. I had the back of the boat all to myself as Mark was recovering in the cabin. I looked into the water and there were still a few big tuna in our chum. One in particular had long, bright yellow sickles and seemed comfortably larger than the others in the spread. He came up towards the surface towards some chum pieces and I threw a bait into his path. Without hesitation he engulfed it off the surface literally two meters from the boat.

I clicked the bail arm over and watched 200m of line get ripped off my Stella at a speed I’ve never seen before. Experiencing the visual take and then feeling that raw power will stay with me forever. Having just seen Mark battle a big fish and seeing his condition at the end of the fight I knew what I was in for. It’s definitely a marathon fight and not a sprint and resisting the temptation to pull as hard as possible in the beginning in order to save some strength for later paid off. After about twenty minutes the fish came and surfaced about 50m from the boat, almost just to show me what I was dealing with before boring back down to the depths. What followed was just a slow and painful tug of war that lasted about another hour. With my entire body burning when I finally brought the beaten monster to the surface. At 95kg it was a real giant of a tuna, and that on a Spinning reel!

Battered and bruised I had accomplished more than I dreamed I would when I first decided to go to Cape Town. The world-class fishery had produced like it often does and I thoroughly enjoyed a truly memorable fishing experience. It certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea to try and tame them on spinning tackle but it was something I really wanted to try. In hindsight I may just have changed my braid from 120lb down to 90lb for in case you hook one that decides to go on a really long run. And secondly I would probably change my reel from a Stella 18000, which has a high speed retrieve, to a Stella 20000 which has a slower retrieve and will give you more torque. That would certainly aid you in getting those big fish up from the depths as they do those circles.

Having travelled to some amazing exotic locations in the pursuit of big fish, like many others I have often overlooked what we have right here in our own country. As South Africans we have an incredible Yellowfin Tuna fishery off Cape Town, unbelievable rock and surf angling along the Transkei coast and some trophy Marlin and Sailfish off northern KZN. Maybe it’s time to focus on what we have right on our doorstep…

 

 

 

Going small to win BIG… A look at “Micro Jigging” – RSD 2013

A phrase you’re going to hear more and more in saltwater fishing circles is micro jigging. Ultra-light jigs and braids to target some of the lesser targeted and caught species available on our coast. While this can be taken to the extreme, this article is going to focus more on the light jigging than the ultra-light. Africa isn’t a place for sissies so going to less than 10lb braid and targeting fish in our conditions will more than likely end in a hard luck tale.

Much has been written on vertical jigging over the past few years and the general minimum tackle is an 8000 size reel spooled up with 50lb braid but more often than not it’s a 20000 size reel with 80lb+ braid. What I’ll be discussing in this article will be far lighter, where 30lb and a 5000 is on the heavy side and 15lb – 20lb braid on a 2500 or 4000 size reel is the norm. This is by no means anything new but it is certainly gaining a bigger following around the world as fish stocks are under more and more pressure.

Many of the fish we catch on light or micro jigs aren’t the most common lure caught species. Many gamefish feed almost exclusively on tiny baitfish, prawns and small squid. They are found deeper down in the water channel so invariably you can’t actually get a small lure down to them unless you are jigging. Generally they also tend to be slower movers and aren’t very aggressive. Having said all that I am by no means implying that these are small fish or weak fighters. You will be pleasantly surprised on what you find down there in the depths.

I’m going to start with the business end of what you need and by that I mean the lures that you will be using. After that we will look at the various rod and reel options that will suit your needs. Many of the jigs we use are available in tackle stores around the country. Because of their versatility they are often cast and retrieved and are rigged with a hook on the back instead of an assist hook. I’m talking about the spoons that are used for shore fishing for species such as queen mackerel and the many types of kingfish that call our coastline home. We also use them offshore for targeting queen mackerel, small tuna and bonnies for live bait. Generally they weigh anything from 20g – 60g and topping out at around 100g or just over 3oz.

Williamson lures have a couple of lures that are lethal both in the cast and retrieve as well as jigging scenario. The first is the Williamson Slick Jig. This is a slim, slightly elongated jig that is one of the best queen mackerel spoons I have ever seen if you rig it to be cast and retrieved. It is very stable in the water (it doesn’t spin at high speed) and can be retrieved very quickly which often triggers more bites. As a jig its slim profile allows it to sink quickly and it is a perfect sprat and anchovy imitation. So no matter how you intend to use it, it certainly has to be in your tackle box and its versatility makes it an obvious winner. The Williamson Thunder Jig has a deeper body than the Slick which means it will give off a lot more flash when retrieved. It needs to be worked slightly slower but is great for attracting fish in slightly off-colour water. The Thunder is available in a number of sizes up to 60g and the heaviest Slick is 40g. Small squid jigs are always winners and on this light tackle you can’t go heavier than the 50g (2oz) model. Those who have used squid jigs will agree that very few lures account for as many species of fish as the squid jig does. Thin pencil jigs are also great fish catchers although it is rather difficult to find them less than 100g.

Rigging these lures for jigging is pretty simple if you have access to the right things. Firstly you need to find assist cord in around 100lb to 200lb. Sufix have a great one that comes in 110lb and 180lb for a 5m length and comes with the needle to splice and make your own assist hooks. There are plenty of small jigging hooks on the market to choose from that have price tags to match any budget. The VMC 9260PS is a very good all-rounder and you will use sizes from 2/0 – 6/0 depending on the brands and models you choose. Generally the assist lengths once your hook is tied up is very short (1cm – 5cm) simply because your jigs aren’t very long. I rig them onto a Centro Crane swivel that’s around 200lb (#5 or #7). You need it to be big enough to take the Kevlar cord and a split ring yet small enough not to be conspicuous. You can also use a small solid ring if you don’t want to use a swivel. A small trick that can yield big rewards is to put a small glow skirt on the assist hook. It increases bites and hook-ups exponentially in many situations and is definitely worth a try.

Leaders also vary greatly depending on the environment you fishing in, but there is no denying the advantage that fluorocarbon gives you when targeting fish on tiny jigs. A general rule of thumb when selecting a leader is go 30% – 50% heavier than the braid. So when using 10lb braid use 15lb flouro, 20lb braid use 30lb flouro and 30lb braid use 40lb – 45lb flouro. Knots are crucial when using light line and leaders so make sure you use a good one such as a PR knot. Knots like Albrights just don’t give you the strength and will almost always end with the angler being the loser. When selecting the braid for jigging you will most often want a braid that is multi coloured so you can see the depth your lure is operating at, but in this case because you only fish in 10m – 35m the colours make little or no difference as they generally only differ every 10m. Make sure you get a good braid in X8. Cheap braid = heartache later…

The greatest challenge in kitting yourself out for this type of fishing is finding a suitable rod. For your “Heavy” 30lb outfit it’s simple; you get a Shimano Trevala TVS 70 Medium Light. This rod has proven itself in the harshest environments and is unbeatable in its price range. As you go lighter so it becomes more difficult as you are actually looking at heavy freshwater/bass rods. The best choice is either the Shimano Crucial 72 MS or the very impressive Shimano Aerocast 21XH. I have been using the Aerocast range for a few years now and the 7ft (21XH) is a winner for light jigging as well as being very versatile for many other applications.

Reels have many choices so it’s more just a case of getting one that suits your budget. On the 30lb Outfit you can go as big as a 5000 reel. Buy the best that you can and you won’t regret it. Shimanos range is substantial and starts from the top with a Stella SW, Twinpower SW, Saragosa SW, Sustain and Stradic all offering a 5000 size. When you go to a 4000 or 2500 you lose a few models but it will still be available in a Stella, Sustain and Stradic. A 5000 takes a full roll (300m) of 30lb braid, a 4000 takes 300m of 20lb and a 2500 takes 300m of 15lb and I would suggest using those breaking strains on those reel sizes. Remember that the breaking strains indicated above are what the reel is generally designed to use. Going lighter often means not using your reel to its full potential and going significantly heavier can put additional strain on certain of the reels components.

Right, so now you’re kitted and you’re off to fish. Jigs are rigged and you can’t wait to test it all out but not sure what to expect. Let me put your mind at easy, you will get plenty of bites from a large variety. On the KZN and Mozambique coastline you will encounter many kingies, from the usual suspects like Blacktips, Bigeyes, Greenspots, Yellowspots and GT’s, to the not so common Goldens, Shortfins and Threadfins and Mirrorfish. Plenty of shad in all sizes will also hound you especially early in the summer season on the KZN coast. Then some other unusual fish like bonefish, grunter and small kob. When I first started jigging I thought of them as a fluke but I’ve seen way too many caught on jig for it to be a fluke. And they are suckers for small 40g jigs especially with that little glow skirt on the assist hook. You will also catch bottom dwellers like Jobfish and emperors and occasionally get properly stretched by tropical and greater amberjacks.

So next time you want to go and seriously enjoy an angling session, try light jigging. I guarantee you will have loads of fun and get plenty of bites.

Kayak fishing in Mozambique – Mozmag 2013

Mozambique has an incredibly beautiful coastline that is very conducive to kayak fishing. Not only does Mozambique have fantastic fish populations but many of the reefs are within easy paddling distance of the shore making it a kayak angler’s paradise.

There are a number of kayak fishing hotspots along the Mozambique coast that are well worth taking note of. Way down south between Ponta do Ouro and Santa Maria is always popular as it is very close for SA visitors to go to. The Milibangalala camp in the elephant reserve is a favourite hunting ground especially for Couta and is a great place to hone your kayak fishing skills. Heading up from Maputo there are plenty of suitable destinations with close fish-rich reefs. Places such as Chidenguele are always popular. In the Inhambane province around Guinjata and Paindane you will find a kayak anglers mecca. Deep drop offs and warm clean water offer opportunities to catch some truly incredible fish. Everything from kingfish, Couta, tuna and billfish are a common occurrence along this stretch of coastline. Heading up towards Pomene you tend to find less and less kayak anglers but there are plenty of uncharted waters which are teaming with gamefish. Heading north from there passed the Bazaruto archipelago right through to Pemba you will encounter incredible places offering exceptional fishing. Just be warned that paddling in strong offshore currents alone is a recipe for disaster so make sure that there is someone close at hand to help you in case something goes wrong. Let’s move on to the hardware you’re going to need…

If you’re looking to get a kayak then look no further than Stealth Fishing Kayaks. They have the largest choice of models to suit any kayak anglers needs. From the entry level to the very best Pro Fisha models. The new Pro Fisha 525 is simply the best all-round kayak I have ever used. The mixture of speed and stability is unrivalled and it has all the features you could wish for. However everyone is different and choosing which kayak you want varies from person to person and you need to get something that you are comfortable with.

So let’s say you have bought the ski and you need some tackle. Rods and reels for trolling are fairly simple; if you are on a budget then get two Shimano TLD 20/40 reels with Shimano Talavera 6’6 or 7’0 rods and fill them with 30lb line. You are going to need a spinning outfit which I will talk about later in the jigging section. Trolling lures that you’ll need can vary a lot but make sure you have Rapala XRap SXR10 in Silver and Ghost, Rapala Barra Magnum 11 in Red Head and CG, Rapala XRap 15 Yellowfin Tuna and Halco Laser Pro 120 in R15, Red Head and Sardine.

Part of this article that I wanted to emphasise is Jigging/drop shotting from a kayak. Mozambique offers some of the best artificial lure angling anywhere in the world. And it is just something you really have to try if you decide to fish off a kayak in this beautiful part of Africa.

Much has been said about the topic of vertical jigging over recent years. The incredible effectiveness and high by catch has seen it banned in the Northern KZN Marine Reserves, but it can still be done in Mozambique. Indiscriminate release techniques led to very high mortality rates for most of the bottom fish that are caught and that was the main reason for it being banned. However that cannot eliminate this as a highly effective method of catching fish.

There are a number of reasons why this is such a successful way of catching fish but it’s primarily because those fish had never ever been targeted before so it is like fishing in the Garden of Eden for deep water fish.  Another big contributing factor to success is the ability for the angler to work the water column. This allows you to fish for a fish that is right on the bottom, sitting mid water or just below the surface all in the same ‘cast’. Fishing with a good sounder can make all the difference and is a prerequisite for becoming successful in the jigging department.

From a kayak you really will often have one outfit for casting, popping and jigging so it needs to be versatile. Included in jigging is drop shotting as the tackle is the same, a drop shot is really just a different type of jig. The bulk of your fishing will be done in depths from 30m to 50m of water, but if you venture to depths of 70m+ you will need to up your gear because the fish you encounter are bigger and stronger on average and you will need reels with large line capacities of heavy braids as it’s a long way to get your jig down there. I’m going to start with the medium set up (which is normally the only one you need on a kayak) because it’s something that I believe you will use a lot more and it also adds a different dimension to your kayak angling.

Generally this outfit will be around 50lb braid class together with a reel that can hold roughly 300m and a rod that can handle a 200 gram jig. When choosing a line, try and buy one of the multi-colour ones. They have a different colour every 10m so you can see exactly how much line you’ve let out and more importantly where you are getting the bites. The reel needs to be around a Shimano 8000 size. This will take about 300m of 50lb. Models to go for are Stradic, Sustain, Saragosa, Twinpower and Stella. They will range from R1500.00 right up to R9500.00, but a word of advice, don’t take a shortcut in the reel department. One of the advantages of the Shimano reels is its throwing ability. It will generally cast better because of the spool design and line lay and on a craft where you are limited for space, having a reel that is versatile is a major advantage. Shimano have a range of rods called Trevalas. They are exceptional in the performance department and come with a very attractive price tag compared to other jigging rods. The 7’0 Medium Heavy is the one to go for, but they aren’t always easy to find.  If you can’t find one then don’t stress because the 6’6 Medium Heavy has long been the standard for kayak fishing anglers and is now available in a two piece version which is great for travel or limited hatch lengths.

Now that you’ve gone and splashed out at your favourite tackle store it’s time to put your new investment to the test.  You will probably have some gps co-ordinates for places where guys get kingfish, amberjack and all sorts of other jigging favourites. But knowing what to do with that information isn’t always as simple as it seems. Generally your target fish are found up current from the structure. This means that they actually sit in front of the pinnacles and not behind them. And the stronger the current, the further ahead of it they will be. There are always exceptions but generally that is what happens.

So position your kayak up-current of the mark you want to fish on. I will throw the jig towards the mark and drift on to it so that I retrieve the lure vertically and not a 45 degree angle. You can impart a lot more movement on your lure this way so keep it in mind. Make sure your jig hits the bottom, this is vital! When fishing waters less than 50m work it right from the bottom to the top. In the beginning work the jig slower because you are really targeting things like Kingies and Kakaap. Then as your jig moves higher up, move it faster because your target will change to things like Bonnies, Couta and Tuna which prefer a faster retrieve. People get in to a rhythm when jigging and forget that they are targeting different fish in the same cast. Obviously when you are getting strikes don’t change what is working, but never be afraid to experiment.

The main target when jigging are kingfish. A kingfish showing on your fish finder will show up as a red ball about 5m-15m above the bottom. There are many types of kingfish so don’t give up if you don’t get a bite on your first drop, some require a bit more subtle presentations. Often when they won’t eat a jig they will eat a dropshot. Jigging and Dropshotting work exactly the same and your tackle is the same too. Always carry dropshots with you as they are exceptionally effective when the current is not racing. When selecting your dropshot or jig, try to fish with the lightest weight that will still get to the bottom. The lighter the lure the more action it will have in the water and the more successful it will be. It’s a catch 22 because you have to have something that hits the bottom, but try and fish as light as possible.

When choosing a leader, this is one of the areas where flouro carbon can be a huge advantage. I fish a flouro leader of between 35lb and 60lb depending on what I’m targeting. Lighter leaders often mean more bites, but it can be a problem when trying to stop the fish from making it into the reef.  Make your leader about 2m-3m long so if you do get reefed, it will often only cut you off close to the lure so you’ll have enough leader to keep fishing without having to re-tie your braid to leader knot each time.

Hopefully this sheds some light on the wonderful sport of kayak angling. Now get out on the water and screaming reels won’t be far away…