Ski-Boat Magazine

Tag: wahoo

  • WHERE TO FISH Part 23

    WHERE TO FISH Part 23

    Ponta do Ouro to Millibangalala

    By Marcus Joubert

    (Originally published in the January 2026 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine)

    TUCKED away in southern Moçambique, Ponta do Ouro is a place that effortlessly blends adventure, relaxation and world-class fishing. This small coastal town hums with life and is a favourite for families, travellers and serious anglers alike. Beyond the rods and reels, Ponta offers everything from dolphin swims and vibrant reefs for snorkelling, to dive sites that rank among the best in Africa. Add in crystal-clear waters, golden beaches, and a lively mix of restaurants and beach bars, and it’s easy to see why this is one of Moçambique’s most popular destinations.

     

    GETTING THERE & PERMITS

    Ponta do Ouro lies just 20 minutes north of the Kosi Bay border and about two hours south-southeast from the Ressano Garcia border crossing. The town sits within the Maputo Special Reserve, a pristine marine-protected area and World Heritage Site – a fitting backdrop for the kind of fishing that keeps you coming back.

    Fishing and launch permits can be arranged through the local Port Captain’s office in Ponta. Fees depend on the vessel’s size and how many days you intend to fish. Remember, because Ponta falls within a marine reserve, bottom fishing and vertical jigging are not permitted – a crucial rule in protecting this incredible ecosystem.

     

    LAUNCHING

    Launching here is relatively straight forward thanks to Ponta’s large bay, but it’s always worth chatting to one of the local skippers before heading out. They’ll gladly share advice on current sandbanks, surf conditions and how to ensure safe launches. Tractors are available for hire, if necessary, to help get your boat in the water.

    While Ponta is the main launch site, other spots like Malongane and Techobanine can also be used. They’re more remote, though, and best suited to smaller boats.

     

    MAP KEY:

    A: Doodles Reef

    B: Texas

    C: Techobanine

    D: Dobela Point

    E: Millibangalala

    F: Atlantis Reef

    G: Pinnacles Reef

    H: Techobanine Deep

    I: Dobela Deep

    J: Millibangalala Deep

     

    The coordinates for the sanctuary are:-26.66585 to -26.55394 and it extends three nautical miles out to sea. No fishing or boating is permitted within these boundaries.

     

     

     

    THE FISHING GROUNDS

    Fishing around Ponta do Ouro can be challenging at times, but the sheer variety of species makes every trip exciting. After 17 years on these waters, I still find new surprises on the sounder and still have days out there that blow me away.

    The reef systems in this area generally run parallel to the coastline, with shallow reefs in 15–22 metres of water offering reliable action. Expect ’cuda (king mackerel), green jobfish and queen mackerel to dominate these waters. The deeper reefs, between 30- and 50 metres, open up the playground for yellowfin tuna, dorado, wahoo and even marlin when trolling or throwing top-water lures.

    Be mindful of the marine sanctuary between Techobanine and Dobela which is clearly marked on all charts. The coordinates are: -26.66585 to -26.55394 and it extends three nautical miles out to sea. No boating or fishing is allowed within its boundaries, and those heading further north to Dobela or Millibangalala must go around it.

     

    REEF HIGHLIGHTS

    Just 800 metres off the beach, Doodles Reef [A] – our house reef – sits in about 16 metres of water. It’s alive with baitfish like maasbanker, mackerel and the occasional red-eye sardine.

    In the cooler winter months, it becomes prime territory for king- and queen mackerel, which patrol the area hunting baitfish. I often get one of my crew to throw a stick bait here in the early mornings while we look for baitfish with sabiki jigs.

    Running north along the same depth contour brings you to some of the most productive and picturesque reefs in the region – Texas [B], Techobanine [C], Dobela Point [D], and Millibangalala [E]. These coral systems light up with colour and life and fish beautifully with livebait, bucktails and drop shot.

    They’re prime spots for GTs, various kingfish species, jobfish and ’cuda. When conditions line up, working poppers over these reefs can result in explosive surface strikes from giant trevally, or even spectacular aerial strikes from ’cuda – the kind of heart-stopping action every angler dreams about.

     

    DEEPER WATER ADVENTURES

    Push further offshore to the 35–50 metre line, and the fishing gets wild. These deeper reefs are where tuna, wahoo, dorado, sailfish and even black marlin come into play.

    The first of these, Atlantis Reef [F], lies just over a kilometre from the launch site in about 40 metres of water. It’s an incredibly productive system, holding a mix of pelagic species whether you’re trolling, spinning, or working bucktails. Typical catches include tuna, wahoo, sailfish, amberjack, bluefin trevally and bludger kingfish.

    A little further north sits the legendary Pinnacles Reef [G], off Federico Bay – depths here range from 35- to 50 metres. Known worldwide as one of the top ten shark-diving sites, it’s also an angler’s dream, though not without challenges. The “tax man” (sharks) are always ready to claim their share, but the rewards are worth it. For some of the bigger fish, allow them to run while pulling in lines; this gives them a chance to get away from the taxman and gives you a better shot at following and landing your catch.

    Pinnacles is home to the famed Golden Shoal –a breathtaking school of more than one thousand giant trevally that migrate through in the summer months. The reef system sprawls across roughly a one-kilometre radius, each pinnacle holding its own mix of species. It’s the kind of place where you can spend an entire day exploring and never drop a line in the same spot twice.

    Further north towards Techobanine Deep [H] and the sanctuary boundary, you’ll find a string of smaller, lesser-known reefs. They don’t get as much pressure and often produce incredible fish when conditions align. Although a bit of a run if one is launching from Ponta, the deeper reefs off Dobela Deep [I] and Millibangalala Deep [J] hold some amazing fish.

    These reefs are best fished with live bonnies or frigate tuna, and you can expect to catch a wide variety of pelagics including the reef master himself, the amberjack. Downrig a live bonnie over these reefs and it’s almost a guarantee.

     

    TACKLE SUGGESTIONS

    Keeping in mind that the water is crystal clear, it is crucial that you keep things “neat”. By this I mean keeping your ’cuda trace wire down to a number 4 or 5 wire, and not having oversized hooks or large dusters. For best results I sometimes only use a small glowbead on these traces.

    When it comes to bucktails or drop shots, I very seldom use wire on these lures, but that means I do get bitten off at times by ’cuda, so it’s very much “tata ma chance”. Like they say, go light for the bite.

    Also try to downscale some of your terminal tackle, like using a power swivel on your trolling lures instead of large snap swivels. At the same time, it’s important to remember that we have a lot of toothy species in these waters, so sometimes it is important to use wire on some of your trolling lures. You don’t want to hook a 30kg wahoo only to have your monofilament bitten through.

     

    SEASONAL HIGHLIGHTS

    Each season in Ponta brings its own excitement. Summer (November to March) is all about warm currents and fast-moving pelagics – wahoo, dorado, tuna and sailfish dominate the action, with marlin making regular appearances off the deeper reefs. As winter rolls in, the cooler waters bring an influx of ’cuda and queen mackerel, making the shallower reefs come alive. The winter months are also perfect for light tackle fishing, chasing green jobfish and smaller trevallies in calm, shallow waters.

    No matter the season, dawn launches are magical – the horizon glowing orange over the Indian Ocean, the air still, and that electric anticipation of the first strike of the day.

     

    TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES

    Fishing in Ponta is all about reading the water and adapting. Early mornings are often best spent along the 15–18m line, mostly at Doodles, scanning for baitfish and bird activity. Live bait is gold here – a fresh mackerel or maasbanker slow-trolled over a reef edge can be deadly for a wide variety of pelagics.

    When the current slows, I often switch to spinning or casting poppers over the reefs. There’s nothing quite like seeing a GT explode through the surface after your lure. Drop shot and bucktail jigging can also produce fantastic results on calmer days, especially for kingfish species and jobfish.

    Those who prefer trolling the deeper reefs need to keep an eye on current lines, bird activity and small shifts in water temperature – and must always be on the look out for bonito action. A live bonito is the ultimate weapon in this area, and can make all the difference between a quiet day and a screaming reel.

     

    CONSERVATION MATTERS

    Fishing in a marine reserve is a privilege, and with that comes responsibility. Catch-and-release is widely practised here, particularly for billfish and large GTs. Local charter operators work closely with authorities to uphold sustainable practices, and respecting bag limits and sanctuary zones ensures these waters stay alive for generations to come. Please respect the rules when you come to visit.

     

    FINAL THOUGHTS

    Whether you’re after fast-paced pelagic action, the thrill of topwater GT strikes, or simply soaking up the beauty of a coastline that feels wild and untouched, Ponta do Ouro delivers it all. For me, after nearly two decades fishing these waters, there’s still no better feeling than watching the sun rise over the Indian Ocean, throttling up through the surf, and knowing that anything could happen once the lines go in.

    At the end of the day, it’s the laughter, the shared stories, and the time on the water with friends and family that capture the real spirit of Ponta do Ouro. Later, you can share stories of the catch of the day or the “giant” that got away, either back at your accommodation or over a meal at Melting Pot while your catch is being cooked.

    If you find yourself in Ponta do Ouro and want some extra info, feel free to contact me at Gozo Azul and Salt & Search Fishing Charters. We are always happy to share a bit of local knowledge and point visitors in the right direction.

  • A FAMILY AFFAIR

    A FAMILY AFFAIR

    Chasing blue marlin across the globe

    By Johan “Bees” Terblanche (originally published in the November 2025 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine)

    SINCE my very first day on the ocean when I was five and we surf launched a 14’ 6’’ ski-boat off Sodwana, the sport of big game fishing has been a family affair and a shared passion for us all.

    I cut my teeth fishing mostly with my family and close friends both competitively (Mpumalanga interclub tournaments, the OET, Mpumalanga junior tourneys, junior nationals, the Billfish 15 000, etc.) and during family vacations, with a month-long annual pilgrimage to Sodwana for marlin season and a few other trips mostly along the South African coastline during my formative years.

    From a very early age, I was fortunate, to have not only the guidance of my parents, but also that of many of the serious Mpumalanga marlin fishermen and a number of the Dorado Ski-Boat Club stalwarts, chief among them Oom Piet Joubert (Bonito). I was privileged to spend countless hours fishing with and learning from a number of the top billfish teams in the country.

    Those early experiences were the sparks that lit a fire that still rages (some might say mostly out of control) almost half a century later!

    PICKING A BASE

    As I built my professional career and my wife and I raised our two daughters in a land-locked country, I fished a lot less than I’d have liked to until I acquired Impi, a 48-foot Ocean Yachts sportfisher, in 2020.

    Having fished in many of the top marlin locations in both the Indian and Atlantic oceans, I then had to decide where I would base the operation. I considered what I knew and had personally experienced, spoke to a lot of fellow fishermen, professional captains and friends, and ultimately decided to base Impi at La Gomera in the Canary Islands.

    There are a number of reasons I made this choice: great fishing throughout the year, relative ease to get to and from continental Europe and the UK, the variety and size of the fish we have there, the natural beauty and incredible diversity of landscapes on the island, the availability of other activities such as golf and hiking, the quality of the food, and last but not least the African weather combined with European infrastructure and security.

    While it is difficult for me to believe, I recently calculated that the last time my folks, my brother Wian and I fished for marlin together was over 25 years ago! In the interim, I have fished separately with my dad and my brother a couple of times, and even did some gamefishing with my mother and another brother in the Caribbean, but Covid kiboshed a trip to Cabo Verde for those based in South Africa, and circumstances outside our control meant that my mom could not join my dad on his previous trip to the Canaries, and my brother’s visits did not coincide with that one either.

    I was determined to get us all together for another roll of the dice.

     

    TWO MORE CONVERTED

    Things finally fell into place this past July/August and I had not only mom and dad with me, but also my brother (Wian), my wife (who I met on a fishing trip to the Seychelles many years ago), my two daughters and their boyfriends who all descended on La Gomera to finally chase blue marlin together again. Not only did we manage to do it together for the first time in a long time, but we also added the next generation, and I’m pretty certain that we have converted both of the boyfriends to lifelong marlin fishermen too. My apologies for the certain and significant negative impact this will have on the collective finances of both couples!

    While the fishing was excellent, the older two generations also revelled simply in the nostalgia of being able to do this together again after such a long break. I smiled when my mother frequently referred to the house we had rented as “the camp” and used the phrase “boat packs”, a term I had not heard in many, many years!

    For those who are not familiar with the Canary Islands, the islands (which oficially belong to Spain) are located in the Eastern Atlantic, west of the southern part of Morocco. This is north of Cabo Verde and south of Madeira, and is therefore slap bang in the middle of the annual migration path of the Atlantic blue marlin. La Gomera is the second smallest of the seven main islands that make up the Canary Islands and is recognised as the prime location for marlin fishing in particular because of the topography, the currents and the abundance of baitfish and tuna.

     

    JURASSIC PARK

    When it comes to fishing, I think of La Gomera as the Jurassic Park of bluewater fishing. For just about any species that we catch, the average sizes are enormous. In just about every season we catch as many blue marlin of 500 lb or larger as we do smaller ones, and granders are caught each year. Giant bluefin tuna pass by in March and April each year and range between about 600 lb and 900 lb for the most part. Bigeye tuna range from about 140 lb to well over 300 lb, and skipjack tuna get up to 45 lb. The all-tackle world record was caught there. Massive amberjacks abound on the reefs, bluefish/shad of sizes that not even the Durban old-timers will believe are frequent in winter, and we can literally fill the boat with decent (35- to 50 lb) wahoo year round. White marlin, spearfish and dorado also show up from time to time, as do longfin tuna (albacore) during our winter months. There is also excellent jigging for snapper, bream, grouper and other bottomfish – if the amberjacks don’t get to the jig first. I still get excited just writing this all down!

    PAYDAY

    The marlin season lasts from mid-May to early October, with the largest fish typically caught at the beginning and back end of the season, although August usually produces plenty of fish in the 500- to 750 lb range.

    This year, in ten days of fishing, we released eight blue marlin from 17 bites (and saw a bunch more), and went one-from-one on white marlin – despite “wasting” a couple of hours to get some wahoo for ceviche.

    For some reason the fish were generally a bit less aggressive on the bite, leading to a few more pulled hooks and missed hook-ups than we usually have. On one afternoon everything fell squarely into place and it seemed that there were marlin everywhere! We had two from five (including two double strikes) in a matter of about three hours or so on the tide change. Adrenaline aplenty!

    However, more important even than the amazing fishing we experienced was the opportunity to do it with three generations of the family.

    We have shared these special times since the early 1980s when my dad acquired Shani (a name shared by my eldest daughter) and it was a true privilege to be able to do it all together again.

    When all is said and done, it is the experiences (and the passionate people we meet along the way) that make life special. Who better to share it with than family and friends? I feel truly blessed to be able to still do this together with those I love, and this recent trip will live on in our individual memories for as long as we all live.

    We’re not all able to take luxury trips to international destinations, but I  encourage SKI-BOAT’s readers to continue to relentlessly pursue their passion with good friends and family, wherever they may be.

    • If anyone is interested in finding out more about our fishing adventures and charters in La Gomera, they can follow my Instagram account impi_fishing.

  • WHERE TO FISH Part 22

    WHERE TO FISH Part 22

    Santa Maria Peninsula, Moçambique

    By Charles Hayter (originally published in the November 2025 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine)

    THE Santa Maria Peninsula in southern Moçambique is steadily growing in popularity. In the previous issue of SKI-BOAT we carried an article focusing on fishing the northern section of this coast from Santa Maria home reef up to the Inhaca reefs, and in this issue we cover the section of coast from Santa Maria down to Milibangalala.

    This area is part of the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, so anglers must be aware of the regulations pertaining to this. To start with, bottomfishing and vertical jigging are banned. Make sure you go to the Maritimo police office (either in Maputo or Santa Maria) to obtain a fishing licence and a map showing where you can and can’t fish. You will be fishing inside a marine reserve, so if you’re caught doing something illegal, you will be in trouble.

     

    COORDINATES OF FISHING SPOTS

    A:         Santa South S26 07.308 E033 00.249

    B:        Mucombo Pinnacles S26 16.209 E032 58.472

    C:         Reef 23 S26 07.916 E032 58.840

    D:        Mucombo Shallow S26 14.252 E032 56.972

    E:         Mucombo Pinnacles S26 16.543 E032 58.486

    F:         Jao Reef North S26 21.494 E032 58.352

    G:         Jao Reef South S26 24.057 E032 57.773

    H:        Chemucan Shallow S26 20.065 E032 56.833

    I:          Milibangalala Shallow S26 26.459 E032 56.412

     

    There’s no shortage of variety off Santa Maria, including amberjack like this one caught by Warren Bennett.

    REEF SYSTEMS

    This stretch of coast is characterised by a section of reef ledge which basically runs parallel to the coast at a depth of 15–25m. Then there is a more prominent coral reef which runs along the 50m contour. In places, pinnacles rise up from the deep to as little as 13m. If you take a look on your charts, you’ll notice this mostly tends to happen off the prominent points on the shore.

    On the deeper 35–50m line, you have some pinnacles just south of Santa Maria main reef, then again off Mucombo you get some pinnacles. Further south towards Milibangalala, you reach the northern pinnacle of the Jao/Joao Reef system just off Chemucane, and then you’ll find the main southern pinnacles of Jao.

    Jao Reef is a pristine coral reef, and you will find shoals of fusiliers, scads, garfish and other species on top of these pinnacles which come right up to about 10m deep. The main pinnacles which rise out of the depths, and their associated steep walls and drop-offs, tend to be where the bait fish come to feed on the small plankton and fry that sustain them. Wherever you find the bait is generally a good place to start fishing and looking for the pelagic fish which hunt here.

    The shallower ledges of reef tend to be found around the 15–25m contour, and basically run all along this section of coastline. At certain times they tend to sand up, and then they’re not as productive as usual.

    The most prominent shallow areas to fish are in front of Hell’s Gate, then just south of Ponta Abril at an area we call “Reef 23”, then on the scattered reef approaching Mucombo Point. Off Chemucane you again get shallow reef, and there’s also a very prominent reef structure off Milibangalala, about 18m deep.

     

    LAUNCH

    Be very respectful of launching through  Hell’s Gate, especially when you have an outgoing spring tide against a northeasterly wind. It can get very, very ugly, and many skippers have had bad experiences in this treacherous piece of water, with some paying the ultimate price. Speak to some locals and do extra research about the expected conditions at the time you’ll be visiting, and take the local skippers’ advice on the launch. If there is any doubt, wait for the tide to change, as the water usually flattens out reasonably well with an incoming tide.

     

    Charles Hayter with a beautiful dorado caught off the Santa Maria peninsula.

    FISHING STRATEGY

    The pinnacles and deeper reef structures tend to hold bait in the form of eastern little tuna and frigate tuna (bonnies). These bonnies are key in the food chain for the pelagic fish which we focus on catching. In shallow sections off Hell’s Gate entrance, Mucombo Point, and other patches of reef, you will also find baitfish like mozzies, red-eye and mackerel from time to time.

    The tide and current definitely affect when the pelagic fish will start to feed, so you’ll need to put in some effort and watch your sounder and the surface to see what is happening when and where.

    If you mark some bait deeper down on a pinnacle, make a mental note of it and return at the change of the tide when this bait may have been forced up by the pelagic fish beginning to feed. These reef areas with pinnacles generally fish well on a pushing tide with the prevailing north to south current.

    When the tide turns and begins draining, it’s generally a good idea to start focusing your attention on the areas on the land side of the reef systems. Ideally, you need to find some ledges and structure which can create a upwelling. These areas where a upwelling forms will start to hold bait, and then the pelagic fish will move in to hunt around there.

    When the current starts to run from south to north, this can be a finicky area to fish. You then need to search for upwellings and bait on the southern sides of the reef structures.

    Our plan is generally to try and catch some bonnies to use as livebait. If they don’t survive, we swim them dead around these pinnacles and reef structures. We also do a lot of old school ’cuda-style fishing by drifting or slow trolling with normal ’cuda-style rigs with live/dead baits. We make sure to cover the whole water column by downrigging some of our baits.

    When we are drifting or slow trolling, we also always have two rods working the top of the water column with a combination of poppers and stickbaits.

    When things go quiet or we are moving from place to place, it’s a good time to carry on fishing, and we then put out a spread that gives us a good chance at catching something.

    Generally that will be a spread consisting of two or three Speedpro lures or Nomad deep divers, with two Ilander-type lures with either a stripbait or a halfbeak inside, and then we always have a daisy chain out to try and snag a bonnie.

    You often get a surprise in the middle of the “bush” between spots when you least expect it, with one of these lures screaming off.

    Alistair Swartz caught this GT on a top-water lure while targeting ’cuda.

    On the deeper reefs, you are mainly going to be looking to target wahoo, yellowfin tuna, sailfish, marlin, ’cuda, greater barracuda and GT’s. On the shallower reefs ’cuda, prodigal son and various kingfish species make up the majority of what’s targeted.

    If you are not having luck with swimming a bonnie or other live bait, then it’s a good time to maybe pull some “plastic” around the pinnacles. Often a slight change in tactics results in a bite. It is not a hard and fast rule that a bonnie will always get a bite; very often you find the fish get triggered by a reaction bite created by a lure.

    When we fish shallower, we tend to mostly target ’cuda, so our techniques focus mostly on slow trolling dead and livebaits while still casting poppers, stickbaits and dropshot/bucktail which are also very effective. Here we have found that the last bit of the pushing tide seems to be most productive as that’s when the fish move into the shallower waters to feed.

     

    Peter Adams caught a sailfish on a bucktail, off Reel Tite.

    TACKLE

    As the water is mostly very clean and visibility is good, we tend to fish fairly light. When we’re fishing with bonnies, it’s generally on 30–50 lb outfits with 60/80 lb leaders and No. 5/6 lead wires with heavier between the hooks. We usually use good quality size 2 treble hooks.

    In this area black marlin often pick up our live bonnies, and it’s nice to then have a 50 lb setup for this with the assurance that you have quality tackle.

    When we’re targeting ’cuda with dead- and livebaits, we mostly use 20/30 lb setups with 40/50 lb leaders and we go down to No. 3/4 wire.

    When it comes to popping setups to target the brute GTs on these reef systems, we fish heavy and use 80/100 lb braid with heavy 100/120 lb leaders.

    Before you target the gamefish, though, you need to stock up on bait.  To catch bonnies, you need to outsmart them, and they can be very finicky. This calls for 10–20 lb fluorocarbon leaders and small bait presentations.

    Catch up on previous articles in SKI-BOAT magazine written by the likes of Mark de la Hey and Justin Paynter on various bonnie rigs and ’cuda rigs as well as general techniques for targeting wahoo and ’cuda to get a refresher course on techniques and traces.

     

    CONSERVATION AND ETHICS

    As you fish this amazing stretch of ocean, you’ll notice that the further south you go on this section of coastline you will begin to catch a lot of fish which are usually an indication of an exceptionally healthy reef system that is not over fished.

    In this line, you will get a lot of different jobfish, Bohar snapper, swallowtail rockcods, and the big old bucketmouth himself, Mr Potato Bass. Please treat these fish with the respect they deserve. These fish are super aggressive and it’s very evident that wherever there’s a lot of fishing pressure, they are the first to be missing in action.

    It’s very much a gentleman’s agreement that we release all billfish, amberjacks, queenfish, GTs and other kingfish species caught in this area, so please adhere to that even if you’re just visiting.

    As I said before, this area forms part of a marine reserve, so it is very important that we manage these resources carefully and do our small part to ensure they remain healthy. The local residents are very reliant on tourism for their livelihoods, and the more sustainable it is for them, the better it is for everyone.

    If you don’t have your own boat and find yourself visiting Santa Maria, there are a few good charter boats to make use of, and some very knowledgeable guides who operate in the area.

  • WHERE TO FISH Part 21

    WHERE TO FISH Part 21

    Hot spots around Inhaca and Santa Maria

    By Dirk Venter Jnr

    (Originally published in the September 2025 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine)

    THE stretch of coastline from Ponta Abril on the Santa Maria peninsula up to the northernmost tip of Inhaca Island in Moçambique is a truly special region to fish. This area offers a huge number of species to target, with unique structures harbouring some of the best gamefish in southern Moçambique. The area is overflowing with huge numbers of little eastern tuna, also known as bonnies, which of course draw vast numbers of gamefish. This article will give you some advice on how to target these species when travelling to this beautiful location.

    GETTING THERE
    Santa Maria and Inhaca are situated roughly 35km from Maputo as the crow flies across the Maputo Bay. There are two ways of getting to Santa Maria. The first option is to drive through the Elephant Reserve, but this requires a 4×4 vehicle. The sandy road through the reserve offers breathtaking scenes of natural wonder, but can be challenging at some stages, especially in the rainy season which usually is from November to February.
    The second option is to head all the way into Maputo – the city that never seems to sleep – then make your way to either the marina or Clube Naval which are both situated in the harbour. From there you will load up the boat with your clothes, tackle, food and some cold 2M beer to keep hydrated, and head across the bay to your accommodation of choice.
    You’ll need some local knowledge to get across the bay and will need to watch the tides carefully to ensure you don’t get stuck on the sand flats. If you don’t have your own boat, you can charter one from some of the locals.

    ACCOMMODATION
    Santa Maria and Inhaca both offer a number of accommodation options, from five-star guest lodges to self-catering chalets. The vast majority of the houses overlook the breathtaking Maputo Bay, providing sunset views that are truly unmatched. You will truly feel as if you are on a tropical island somewhere in the world, cut off from the rest of society, giving you a much-needed break from the world’s chaos.
    Some of the accommodation venues closer to Hell’s Gate are less affected by the tides than those situated near the southern mangroves and the Santa Maria market.

    Joe Nell caught this monster wahoo while trolling deep for marlin.

    BAIT IS KEY
    The first thing to keep in mind when fishing this area is that live bait is key, and when we talk about live bait, we’re generally talking about bonnies between 25- and 35cm long.
    The gamefish seem to think they are candy, and you are almost guaranteed to get a pull of some sort when slow trolling one of them on a live bait trace behind your boat.
    We have also used dead baits like karapao, mackerel, wallawalla and the occasional halfbeak rigged on a stiff rig with a lure swimming in front of it, but live baits are still our first choice.
    You can find the smaller live baits around the 20m mark just outside Hell’s Gate (26º4.868’S · 32º58.191’E). There is no reef that they would be shoaling around, but for some reason they stay in the murky water coming out of the channel mouth from Maputo Bay. Other places to target them are just off the lighthouse on Inhaca’s northern tip. There they can be found in 16m of water.
    When targeting bonnies, there are a few methods to try. Firstly, you can pull a variety of daisy chains behind the boat; our favourite colours are white and blue or white and pink. Darker colours work better in low light conditions and lighter colours during the day when the sun was up high and bright.
    A great tip is to always put in up to three Rapalas while trolling for bonnies, depending on the size of your craft and its capabilities. We have had many ’cuda and wahoo eat our lures when trolling for bonnies.
    The second method you can try is to throw small surface lures into the schools of bonnies when they come up to feed. The Halco 10g sprat spoon and the 20g anchovy spoon from Kingfisher have worked exceptionally well for us over the years.
    You are most likely to find bonnies on the northernmost side of the reefs where the current creates an upwelling of nutrients for them to feed on.

    Dirk Venter with a beautiful big GT caught during the 2025 Santa Maria Challenge.

    WATCH THE TIDES
    Knowing your tides is extremely important in this area, not only because of the channels you have to navigate on the shallow side of Inhaca and Santa Maria, but also to ensure you’re fishing at the best possible times.
    Just after spring tides have always been a great time for us to head up to the island. Over the years we have found that the fishing is best on the change of tides, meaning on the push (low to high tide) or pull (high to low tide) of the tides. When the current is slow, the fish seem to become sluggish and do not feed.
    On a pushing tide we usually target the inside of the reef because the current pushing up from the land and going out to sea causes an upwelling of nutrients which attracts the bonnies and the toothy creatures trying to eat them. The exact opposite would be applicable when the tide is pulling.
    These extreme tide shifts are responsible for the nutrient-dense water surrounding the island and its nearby reefs.

    Dirk Venter senior caught this queenfish while slow trolling a maasbanker.

    BAIXO DE SANTA MARIA
    (26º5.735’S · 33º0.470’E)
    Also known as home reef by some anglers, Baixo de Santa Maria is situated only 5km straight out of the infamous Hell’s Gate. This 500m wide channel between Inhaca and Santa Maria sees great rushes of water urging into and out of Maputo Bay every time the tide changes, and it can get very rough.
    Baixo de Santa Maria is home to vast numbers of ’cuda, wahoo, GT and the occasional dorado. This reef is also popular for sailfish that come and eat your live bonnie that you’re swimming in the hopes of landing a croc ’cuda.
    The depth varies from 20.5m to 50m at some of its deeper drop offs, making it the ideal environment for big gamefish.
    This is usually our first stop of the day when targeting gamefish. Throwing a big popper early in the morning while you wait for the sun to come up and spot the baitfish (bonnies) has proven to be very successful when targeting giant trevally.
    Depending on the time of day, we would usually swim two of our baits in the top of the water column, and the other baits we would downrig using sinkers or a downrigger.
    The main thing to keep in mind when approaching these reefs is bird- and surface activity. Early in the morning you will struggle to find the bonnies, but as soon as the sun is fully up you will start to see them feeding. They are usually a good indication of whether the reef is going to be active on that day or not. If you do not find any surface activity on the reef, move on to the next spot.
    JERIMIAH
    (25º56.393’S · 33º3.466’E)
    This is a long, elongated reef running down the north-eastern side of Inhaca Island, and is by far one of the most popular fishing spots in this area. The reef is over 9.5km long, with an average depth of 35m.
    We have found that, during the summer months, this area produces a lot of young shoaling ’cuda and wahoo. These fish predominately take slow-trolled maasbanker and karapao pulled behind the boat.
    Early in the morning when the light conditions are still low, we usually have our baits swimming in the top of the water column. Later in the day we will downrig our baits using a 5–8oz sinker, depending on the depth of the reef, or a downrigger that can be adjusted to our liking.
    During winter months this reef produces massive numbers of 15kg-plus ’cuda and big tuna that hold on the outer lip of the reef.

    Riaan Steenkamp with a solid rainbow runner caught on a live maasbanker.

    BAIXO DANAE
    (25º54.175’S · 33º2.941’E)
    This reef is extremely productive during the summer months, especially if you’re looking to find a giant 35kg giant trevally. I still believe these are some of the hardest and dirtiest fighters in the sea. They come up and grab your popper, and then head straight down to the nearby reef to try and break you off!
    Target GTs at Baixo Danae by throwing poppers that create a big splash early in the morning. I like to use the 180g Heru Darkstar popper, especially the classic purple. Otherwise try 150g diving poppers.
    You can also put out some live bonnies to target them, but I suggest you use some of your heavier tackle when doing this so that you can stop the fish from running you into the rocks when it has grabbed your bait.
    When throwing poppers and stick baits, I suggest putting a piece of wire in front of the lure because the ’cuda in the area are also very fond of poppers and tend to come up and grab them when you least expect it. Poppers are great at bringing the fish up and enticing them to bite when the day is slow.
    Dropshotting is also another productive way to target the smaller kingfish species. I like to use chartreuse jigs as there is always a chance of a ’cuda smashing it mid-column.

    BD POINT
    (25º53.023’S · 33º3.983’E)
    This reef is situated just north of Baixo Danae. It forms part of the same reef structure but does not have the sudden rise that the other reefs have.
    We have had plenty of success here while targeting ’cuda on the change of tides, especially when Baixo Danae hasn’t been active.
    The only problem is that you won’t find many bonnies around here to use for live bait. If you plan to head north from Hell’s Gate and target ’cuda at BD Point, first stop at Jerimiah and fill up the luna tubes with as many bonnies as you can fit in.
    Using dropshot at BD Point also produces a large number of kingfish species such as greenspot trevally, bludger and the occasional GT.

    SAND FLATS AROUND INHACA
    Vast sand flats lie to the west and south-west of Inhaca, in depths varying from 8- to 18m of water. These areas are extremely productive from October through to January, producing large numbers of dorado, shoaling ’cuda and queenfish.
    Cobia are also often found in these areas, especially more on the northern side of Portuguese Island. They can be targeted by putting out dead- or live karapao. Bonnies seem to be unproductive in these areas.
    Early mornings and late afternoons on these banks have been extremely productive for queenfish which give an amazing aerial performance when trying to throw your bait or lure. You can target them by throwing GT Ice Creams, small stick baits or poppers. While throwing lures, try putting out a live karapao in the hopes of hooking a ’cuda amongst the chaos.

    BAIXO CHAIMATE
    (25º59.369’S · 32º52.973’E)
    This is one of the only inshore reefs in the area, and is situated between Inhaca Island and the city of Maputo on the mainland. This reef has an average depth of 12m.
    From early November to January, you’ll find queenfish feeding in this area. This reef also provides opportunities for anglers to catch a variety of younger species of kingfish and even the occasional bonito. Young shoaling ’cuda have also been landed successfully around here.
    Small baits such as karapao or mackerel are usually successful, otherwise try throwing a 7” chartreuse dropshot.

    MARLIN GROUNDS
    (250m-400m)
    While not covered in depth in this article, the offshore waters in the 250–400m range offer solid marlin prospects during peak season. Always be ready with rigged bonnies, skip baits or kona heads when trolling deep water.
    When targeting blue marlin, it’s best to follow a contour line along the 300m mark. If you notice a change in current that will also be a good area to target them.
    Black marlin tend to feed in water ranging from 15- to 50m deep and they are often hooked when fishing for gamefish in shallow water around reefs.
    That should be enough to get you started on fishing this magnificent location. If you take the time to head up to Inhaca and Santa Maria, you may just find you don’t ever want to fish anywhere else!

    My sincere thanks to Wynand Ravencroft and Duarte Rato for their help with this article.

  • WAHOO!

    WAHOO!

    Nailing the ocean’s speedsters

    By Mark de la Hey

    (Originally published in the July 2025 issue of Ski-Boat magazine)

    ARGUABLY the fastest fish on the planet, and definitely one of the most sought-after and difficult customers to catch, wahoo are found abundantly all over the world, both inshore and offshore. With their blistering speed and seamless changes in direction, they’re also one of the most exciting and challenging fish to keep under control right to the end of the battle.
    In South Africa and Moçambique we find wahoo all year round, with the bigger fish generally making an appearance in the winter months.
    There are a few different ways to target them, but my two personal favourites are on the Nomad DTX minnows and live bonnies. Both methods have their pros and cons, so depending on the area, you can come up with a game plan to suit your conditions.

    TROLLING
    The most obvious advantage with trolling is that you can cover a larger area and there is no time taken up trying to catch livebait. It’s also a lot less complicated and easy for everyone to do. You can basically take a Nomad out the packet, tie it on, let it out and you’re fishing!
    A few adjustments that you can make are to the colours and sizes of the lures, their position in the spread, and the speed at which you troll them.
    These are my personal favourite sizes and colours that work for me:

    The Nomad 145 DTX HPM
    (Hot pink Mackerel)
    This is a medium sized, high speed, shallow-diving lure that we have had endless success with over the past few years. It works for a huge variety of pelagic species, not only wahoo.
    With it being a shallow diver, we like to pull it further back in the spread – usually 30m-plus. It works well at low and high speeds.

    The Nomad 140 DTX MT (Mac Tuna)
    This is another medium sized lure, but a deeper diving version of the 145. With a bigger lip, it pulls a lot harder than the 145 and dives much deeper. This is a very natural colour and has been successful for a variety of species.
    We have had a lot of success pulling it close and further from the boat, with the most common place being about 25m away.

    The Nomad 165 DTX HP (Hot Pink)
    This is a larger lure that pulls really hard, dives deep and swims true. We have found it to be most successful when pulled close to the back of the boat just under the wake, about 10m back from the motors.
    There’s an age-old argument of whether to fish these lures with straight nylon or with a bite trace, and we have been using both methods with equal success. The only thing we would recommend when using wire is to join the wire to the leader using an Albright knot and not a swivel. This minimises the bubbles the swivel can cause and makes it look more natural.

    Lures work well, but using a bonnie as live bait is the author’s favourite way of targeting wahoo.

    LIVE BAIT
    Although the lures work well, for me the most effective and exciting way to target large wahoo is by using a live bonnie as a bait. There are, however, many complications when doing it this way, none bigger than finding and catching the bonnies to start with!
    So, where do you find them?
    Bonito and other tuna species are commonly found around large offshore pinnacles that occur in depths between 40m and 60m of water. These shoals and reefs can cover vast areas, which can make them quite tricky to find. Luckily there are a few patterns that can make the job slightly easier.

    When the plan comes together perfectly, this is the result. Mark de la Hey with a beaut of a wahoo.

    Step 1 – Where?
    You will almost always find them on the up-current side of the northern most side of the reef. You can also often find them on the up-current (or northern) side of the largest pinnacle on the reef system. This will at least give you a good starting point.
    Step 2 – How ?
    This is the million dollar question. On a good day, they will feed on anything – lures, spoons, daisy chains and surface lures. On a bad day it feels like a shot gun would be the only way to catch one!
    These are the two most successful methods we have found:
    A. The daisy chain
    A daisy chain is a string of soft squids (normally between three and five) with a hook in each one. These can be trolled at a variety of speeds and in different place in the spread for different results. The location and conditions will dictate what colour to use. Some colours that generally work well in many different locations are white, pink, glow and clear.
    B. Spinning
    Throwing small spoons on light braid is often an effective way to target bonnies when you can see them on the surface. Three of the most effective spoons that we have used are:
    • The Halco twisty in the 20g
    • The Iron candy couta-C #1 28g glow
    • The Nomad ridgeback 20g LC Pink Sardine & Chrome

    THE LIVE BAIT TRACE
    There are many different traces that work for rigging live bonnies, but this is the one that has served us the best to date:
    1.5m #7 lead wire
    No 4 power swivel
    2 x No 2 SSH Predator trebles 20cm apart on #7 wire
    The reason we use a treble as a lead hook instead of a single hook, is that most of the time if a wahoo gets snagged on the back hook of the trace and then speeds off, the front hook gets pulled against the fish. Nine times out of ten, that hook goes into the soft flesh around the gills or head of the fish. Once it goes in there the fish becomes hard to lose!

    RIGGING THE BAIT
    This is a crucial part of the process. It’s really important that the front treble goes through the bonnie’s top jaw from the top down, avoiding any chance of the mouth being closed by the other two hooks. It’s also very important that the second hook goes underneath the bait and just through the skin. When the wahoo chases the bait, when the second hook is underneath the bait, it avoids the hook getting caught up on your lead wire and “boxing” the bait.

    THE TACKLE
    When trolling lures or livebait, I use a Penn Fathom II 40 NLD with 500m 50 lb Berkley X9 backing and 100 Maxima 50 lb IGFA top shot. When I’m trolling lures, I pair this with a Seeker Hercules 7ft H, and when I’m using livebait, I pair it with a Seeker 7ft Hercules M/H.
    My spinning set up is a Penn Authority 4500 with Berkley X9 20 lb braid, paired with a 7ft Penn Battalion M spinning rod.
    When targeting wahoo, one of the most important things to remember is that wherever you find the bait, is usually where you’ll find the fish. Stick, stay and make it pay!

  • CHASING BILLS OFF SANTA MARIA

    CHASING BILLS OFF SANTA MARIA

    A marlin fishing dream come true

    By Hailey Harris

    (Originally published in the May 2025 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine)

    THERE are fishing trips that are good, some that are great, and then there are those that change the way you see the ocean forever. My recent adventure in Santa Maria, Moçambique, was one of the latter – an electrifying journey filled with adrenaline, learning and sheer fishing magic.
    After boarding Malakas with skipper Branden Brodell, I set out with one goal: to catch a marlin. Not only did that dream come true, but we landed four!
    The trip started at The View at Santa Maria, a fitting base for an experience that would be nothing short of spectacular. As we made our way in and out of Hell’s Gate – a treacherous passage known for its shifting tides and strong currents – Branden navigated it with a confidence that only comes from years of experience. His knowledge of the waters, the fish, and the conditions was beyond impressive.
    The first day started with a bang! At 8.30 a.m., we saw a fin chasing the first lure; no bite. We held our breaths as the marlin fell back, chased the outside long kona, and ultimately hooked on that – my first striped marlin!
    The fight was intense, the adrenaline coursing through me as I worked to bring in my dream fish. This was a tough fight – one that tested my endurance right from the start. The marlin, put up an incredible battle, peeling line off the reel. Every time I made ground, it would dive again, forcing me to dig deep and keep my composure.
    After an exciting fight, I finally brought it in – a truly unforgettable first marlin. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. That single moment alone would have made the trip a success, but the ocean had more in store for us.
    Over the next few days, we hooked three black marlin, each one a lesson in power and endurance.
    The second marlin was a completely different fight to my first with the stripey. This time the marlin was hooked on a light setup with 50 lb leader. I had to fight it differently, knowing that with 20 lb mainline onto light leader, the line could snap at any moment. This time it was not only a physical challenge, but one that would test my technical skills too.
    Whilst reeling it in, I could feel this marlin had a different energy to the previous one – it was agile, making sharp runs that kept me on my toes. Compared to the first, it was a fight of speed as well as brute force, forcing me to adjust my technique to keep up with its unpredictable movements and immense power.
    Finally, after about a 40-minute fight, I landed an estimated 120kg black marlin. The excitement aboard Malakas was unimaginable – not just marlin number two for me, but a black marlin, the fastest and strongest fish in the world!
    We made sure to celebrate with a well-deserved local Mozambican beer.
    The third marlin was the smallest of the blacks we caught, but it was just as fierce. Hooked in shallower water at 6.30 a.m. on the fourth day of my fishing trip, it surprised us with its acrobatics, leaping multiple times and giving me a chance to test my reaction times. Just because it was smaller didn’t mean an easy fight, though; it still had that relentless marlin spirit. However, after a shorter battle, we successfully brought it in, and it was wonderful to have another boat nearby, with those anglers screaming in excitement for us.
    The last marlin of the trip, however, was the one that truly tested me. At 5 p.m. on that fourth day, Branden had just put out a live rainbow runner in the hope that something would bite, as we’d had a long, quiet patch. Just as we were thinking of calling it, the line screamed, and we knew we had something big.
    Both Branden and I had seen a splash as we hooked it, but we couldn’t quite tell what it was. For the next 15 minutes I battled the fish, still unaware it was a marlin, making me wonder if I was just lacking strength from the last few days of hard fishing, or if this was something really big. My back was sore, and eventually we both started to wonder if it might be another marlin.
    Just as the thought crossed our minds, the marlin breached the surface! It erupted from the water in a display of power, its body twisting and thrashing against the setting sun. The moment was mesmerising, but I had no time to admire it – I continued to reel furiously, knowing that every second counted.
    Branden spoke me through the fight, his voice like a lifeline, reminding me to stay calm, to breathe, to keep fighting. For an hour I battled that fish, every muscle in my body burning and my mind locked in focus. Every time I thought I was making progress, the marlin would make another deep dive, stripping away all the line I had just gained, emphasising that this was a give and take relationship. The sweat dripped from my forehead as I pushed through the burning fatigue, refusing to lose this battle.
    This marlin was the biggest of the trip. Estimated to be around 150kg, it was an absolute beast that pushed me to my limits. By the time we brought it alongside the boat, I was trembling from exhaustion, but the satisfaction of that final, massive catch made every aching muscle worth it. It was a moment of pure triumph and exhaustion.
    Unlike traditional marlin fishing from a fighting chair, I fought all four of these giants on stand-up tackle, my legs bracing against the gunnel, my core locked to maintain balance, and my arms burning with every turn of the reel. Each fight felt like a marathon, pushing me to the edge of my physical limits; it was a test of willpower as much as it was a battle with the fish.
    By the end of the trip, my hands told the full story – raw, blistered and sore from gripping the rod and working the reel, a testament to the sheer effort that went into landing every marlin. But every blister was worth it for the experience of fighting those fish, feeling their power through the rod, and ultimately witnessing them swim off strong after the release. It was brutal, it was exhilarating and it was unforgettable.
    Beyond the marlin, the trip also delivered a bounty of gamefish – ’cuda, wahoo, dorado, GT and yellowfin tuna, each one adding to the thrill of the experience. The ocean seemed to be on our side, rewarding our efforts with incredible catches time and time again.
    Fighting marlin is unlike anything else, and with Branden’s expert guidance, I learned the nuances of handling these magnificent fish – reading their movements, adjusting my technique, and enduring the physical challenge. It was a masterclass in big game fishing, and I relished every moment, including releasing the marlin and watching them swim away as the adrenaline rush in my body slowly turned to an overwhelming feeling of euphoria.
    Many anglers go years chasing one marlin, and yet I managed to catch four in a single trip of four days. That kind of luck is something I will never take for granted. Fishing around Santa Maria with Branden gave me memories that will last a lifetime, and reinforced why I love fishing – the unpredictability, the challenge and the ultimate reward of landing a dream catch.
    Beyond the thrill of the catch, staying at The View @ Santa Maria was an experience in itself. Every time I visit, I’m left in awe of its breathtaking beauty – the endless ocean views, the peaceful surroundings, and the way nature seamlessly blends into the adventure. It’s a place that never fails to amaze me.
    As a woman who discovered a love for fishing only two years ago, I’ve been fortunate to land some remarkable gamefish off Santa Maria, including a 40kg GT, a 13kg green jobfish and a 24kg ’cuda.
    I am still at the start of my fishing journey, and there is so much I have yet to learn, but Branden has been an invaluable teacher, guiding me through each trip and slowly helping me understand different techniques, read the ocean, and improve my ability to handle big game fish.
    Branden’s expertise, instincts, and deep understanding of the ocean made this trip unforgettable. Every time he had a gut feeling about what we were going to catch, he was right!
    As I look back on this experience, I know one thing for sure: the ocean has so much more to teach me, and I can’t wait for the next adventure.

  • ISLAND OF DREAMS

    ISLAND OF DREAMS

    Rodrigues Island will fulfil all your fishing fantasties

    By Jaco Visser

    [Originally published in the September 2023 issue of Ski-Boat magazine]

    ERNEST Hemingway famously said: “A man is never lost at sea” and “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
    Hemingway was on my mind as my short flight from Mauritius crossed the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean en-route to Rodrigues Island. An awful lot of ocean surrounds this little rock that would be our home for the next couple of weeks.
    About 650km north-east of Mauritius, isolated on a ridge between Hawkins Bank and the Eastern Bank, you’ll find an island several million years older than its siblings, Mauritius and Reunion. Isolated from the world and stuck in a time warp, the island provides an interesting and authentic cultural experience for any adventurous traveller – and even more so adventurous anglers.
    More famous for wind sports and dried octopus, the island’s big game fishing is one of the best and worst kept secrets of the sportfishing world. A quick page through IGFA’s book of world records soon reveals the illustrious reputation and potential of this destination.
    Disguised as a digital nomad, and fully intending to use the island as a temporary home while working and maintaining a life–work balance, my wife and I booked one of the many available self-catering establishments scattered all over the island.
    Walking distance to Port Mathurin, sparkling pool, steps from the beach, air-conditioning and good Wi-Fi sealed the deal for The Beach House to be our abode and island office for some weeks as we justified our reason to elope to a place as unique and tranquil as Rodrigues. Of course the main reason for being there was the incredible fishing the island has to offer.
    But, before we get to the fishing, some more about the island.
    Time truly seems to stand still on Rodrigues. With unique charm and a simple, unhurried ease, friendly people, varied cuisine and striking natural beauty, the island is surely one of the best places in the world to spend a quiet, calm and isolated holiday. There are several categories of accommodation so there will be something for every pocket.
    Unlike Mauritius, there are no major resorts, and small family-owned establishments and B&Bs are the order of the day. Taxis, busses and car rentals are all available, but the preferred and most fun alternative is affordable scooter hire. There are numerous activities available, including visiting the many walking trails, beautiful beaches, caves, secret sensual gardens and spas and ancient tortoises. Visitors can indulge in beach braais, scuba diving, surfing, bungee jumping, zip lines and gorge swings.
    A volcanic island along the edge of the Mascarene plateau, the island is surrounded by coral reefs that are uniquely self-seeding as it receives no coral zooplankton from elsewhere. This led to the development of a unique ecosystem for many marine and afcoral species and adds to the excitement for any diver or angler who wants to explore the bio-diversity on offer. Outside of the coral barrier, the island is surrounded by a basaltic plate varying in depth from 40- to 60m and between 5- and 16km wide, before a drop-off in steps up to 1000m-plus deep.

    Dgini Visser added a wahoo to her species tally.

    Hemingway noted that “anglers have a way of romanticizing their battles with fish” and “it was considered a virtue not to talk unnecessarily at sea”. There is, however a great deal to say about the fishing off Rodrigues while reflecting on the incredible time we spent with Captain Yann Colas of Rod Fishing Club aboard Black Marlin.
    The waters around the island, especially at the end of the season, are not for the faint hearted as a consistent south-easterly wind and varying currents make for fairly big seas most of the time. However, this did not pose a major challenge for Black Marlin as her full 50ft, 30 tonnes sportfish hull was specially designed to keep anglers and crew safe. Captain Yann’s 20 years of experience working the unpredictable waters off the island also helps to land any angler their dream fish.
    Rodrigues is a true multi species destination and will have something to offer any style of angling, with numerous world records to her name. It’s not by chance that one operator has collected so many records over the years. The operators of Rod Fishing Club pride themselves on careful preparation that only requires the motivated angler to be matched with the right opportunity to make his dreams come true. Captain Yann is also an IGFA approved captain and operates an official IGFA weigh station for anglers wanting to chase a world record.

    Devin Klein was thrilled with his golden trevally.

    Trolling, baiting, jigging, slow jigging, livebait fishing, bottomfishing, pitching and light tackle methods are employed to target exciting bottomfish and reef species like coral trout, red snapper, blue emperor and various groupers. These are complimented by the true warriors of the deep like dogtooth tuna, giant trevally, golden trevally and jobfish as well as the speedsters like yellowfin tuna, wahoo and dorado. That’s without mentioning the trio of billfish, with giant Indo-Pacific sailfish, black- and blue marlin available almost all year round.
    Overnight and multiple day trips are also possible to Hawkins Bank or the Eastern Bank to explore these hardly-touched waters, where anglers can experience the thrill of being completely alone fishing rich waters where few have ventured before. These trips also allow for experimental bottomfishing at night and during low light hours for those targeting multiple species. Two overnight trips for us resulted in more than 30 different species collected, with every take a veritable lucky packet.
    Apart from general big game fishing, we were particularly interested in slow pitch jigging and targeting big dogtooth tuna on lighter tackle. Not only did Rodrigues deliver, it exceeded all expectations with regard to quantity and variety.

    Your chances of catching a dogtooth tuna are good during their peak season from October to April, as Jess and Dgini proved.

    Smaller blue runners used as livebait produced lots of doggies and smaller GTs, while bigger livebaits were the ticket for larger doggies and a marlin as a bonus. Slow jigging in depths of 50- to 80m over structure either on the plate or near the drop-off accounted for lots of decent size GTs, bluefin trevallies and a particular run of exceptionally good sized golden trevallies. Whenever we needed a break, trolling along the drop-off produced several sailfish and some really good wahoo.
    The golden ticket for this destination, and especially Captain Yann and his team, remains the big dogtooth tuna. Rod Fishing Club has recorded over 250 doggies over 50kg with theirclients over the years, and your chances of catching these monsters are very good during their peak season from October to April.
    During the season, smaller boats and operators also take anglers on day trips near the coral barrier, and these outings often account for incredibly good GTs caught while popping and stick baiting in the surf zone. There’s also very good general gamefishing around the island and even as far as the drop-off if the conditions allow.
    I was especially privileged to join Jean-Marc of GlobalRodrigues for just such an outing by ski-boat and managed two decent GTs on surface popper within spitting distance of Ile Aux Cocos, one of the region’s main attractions.
    As with any fishing excursion or trip, there are always one or two particularly memorable fish that prove Hemingway’s point of anglers’ tending to romanticise their battles with fish. After a dozen or so excursions to secret marks around the island, we have several of those life-time catches that stand out and will be etched in memory forever and will probably be romanticised in fishermen’s yarns as we re-live all the detail with every telling.
    In the months of anticipation leading up to the Rodrigues stay, Dgini, my better half had only one wish: ‘I want to catch a big red fish!”
    On our first shake down outing with Captain Yann she was drifting a bonito cutlet, weightless, over some structure on a light spinning outfit; suddenly she was on! Under-gunned and still finding her sea legs, Dgini held on for dear life and, through sheer determination, won the 30-minute tug-o-war to land her “big red fish” on our first outing. Trip made!

    A huge red fish for Dgini Visser.

    The 30kg-plus coral trout was promptly released after a few pictures. While Dgini followed that up with several other red species and some impressive red snapper, doggies and wahoo in the following weeks, that first fish will forever be memorable.
    Another yarn-worthy fish belongs to Devin Klein, a friend and boat partner, who joined us on Rodrigues for a few days with Jess and three-year-old Connor. Armed with a wish list including monster GT and a “real” doggy, Devin’s day came soon after Dgini’s.
    We’d spent an afternoon catching several good size doggies in the 15- to 30kg class on both slow jigging and live blue runners when Captain Yann sounded “Good activity near the floor for jigging” from the helm. The only rod loaded and ready for action was one of Rod Fishing Club’s left-hand drive Stellas on a custom jigging rod. No sooner had Devin cast than he was on with a real fish!
    When you’re accustomed to a right-hand drive outfit and are suddenly faced with a Herculean battle on a “French outfit”, all co-ordination relies on pure adrenalin. To make matters worse, the reel seat dislodged mid-fight.
    Every angler who has had the good fortune to battle a real doggy will know that the fight is all determination and little finesse. Relief and exhilaration were the overwhelming emotions when the near 50kg dogged gladiator finally hit the deck.
    I also had many memorable catches, and one of the highlights was catching a good black marlin on stand-up tackle while swimming a live bonito at a very lively spot called the Escalier. This catch was on 50 lb tackle on Williamson’s new Reef Donkey rod that Captain Yann is testing in conjunction with Williamson.
    To say that the rod impressed is an understatement, as it soon became the crew’s favourite as well and definitely earned its place among all the custom rods available on Black Marlin.
    The fish, or rather, series of fish that will, however, be recalled with most fondness was caught on my penultimate outing, when several drifts over a rock just near the drop-off east of the island resulted in a run of particularly good size golden trevallies. It was the proverbial “every down a vas!”
    All of them were caught while slow pitch jigging with a baby blue Goofish rod, affectionately nicknamed “jelly” by the crew. These strong fighters with their thick lips and aggressive takes, on a jelly rod, on a continuous loop, is as much fun as any angler could wish for.
    Now that we’re back to reality and the grind of daily life, reflecting on our remarkable experience, there are lessons to be had:
    1. Do not go in under-gunned!
    Like most operators and charter skippers, Rod Fishing Club and GlobalRodrigues, as well as the other operators on the island, provide excellent quality custom tackle for trolling and general big game fishing. Black Marlin also carries an impressive array of custom jigging rods, all equipped with Stellas.
    Personal taste and preference, however, dictate that for jigging, popping and light tackle outfits it is best to take your own, and herein lies the lesson of not going with tackle too light to do the job. You might just lose the fish of a lifetime and, unless you are planning to chase specific line class records, rather err on the heavier side.
    We found that 80 lb braid and jigs between 120- and 200 grams on a 100 lb leader would be the minimum for jigging, and 200 lb leaders with heavy gauge hooks the minimum for baiting and bottoms. After all, if you are planning on releasing your catch, this is kinder on the fish.
    2. We have a world class fishery on our doorstep.
    After spending six weeks on the island, we have yet to explore all the delights it has to offer and, even less so, the incredible fishing Rodrigues has to offer. Hawkins Bank, Eastern Bank, broadbill fishing, jigging and deep slow pitch jigging, deep trolling and other modern methods of angling currently developed and refined across the globe have yet to be fully explored around Rodrigues Island. Her captains and crews could just be the opportunity that an innovative angler is looking for to make their angling dreams come true.
    Fishing is our drug of choice, and as Rodriguez, in his famous song Sugar Man, said: “For a blue coin, won’t you bring back all those colors to my dreams?” Rodrigues Island will do that for you.

  • WHERE TO FISH PART 14

    WHERE TO FISH PART 14

    Angling around Algoa Bay

    By Wayne Gerber

    [Originally published in the May/June 2024 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine]

    WHEN you’re talking fishing around Algoa Bay, there are two things synonymous with this area – chokka (calamari) and big kob.
    We have one of the most stunning coastlines which has a unique beauty of its own, with its beautiful rolling sand dunes along the Woody Cape area in the north of the bay and sandstone cliffs off Cape Padrone. The ocean around here explodes with its bounty and has the most unique and diverse range of species found along the South African coastline.
    The shallow reefs to the north of the bay are known as “The Bushes”, but they have now mostly been incorporated into the Addo Marine Protected Area (MPA) which was promulgated in 2020.
    The Bushes reefs are home to Scotsman, poenskop (Black Mussel-cracker), dageraad, red Roman and by far the greatest number of basterman (soldier or santer) all around South Africa’s coastline. We are also blessed to have some great tuna fishing offshore, and some spectacular specimens have been caught over the years. The Port Elizabeth club’s current yellowfin record stands at an impressive 102kg, and this year we are already up to a 76.3kg fish.
    The controlled fishing area in the northern sections of the bay still holds some good fishing and, with the spill over from the restricted fishing areas of the MPA, there are some good specimens of dageraad and kob and some beautiful red romans among other species in this area.
    Due to the odd shape of the MPA care must be taken to ensure you stay in the areas where it’s legal to fish. Unfortunately most of our historical kob grounds have been swallowed up by the MPA restricted zone, but there are still some good specimens to be found in and around the Sundays River mouth area.

    Beautiful yellowbelly-, catface- and brown rockcod are found in this area, and although ours are not the largest, they certainly can be plentiful at certain times of the year.
    Our waters also shelter red steenbras and geelbek that are found everywhere from the shallow reefs and warmer water all the way out to the deeper reefs on what we commonly call the south-west grounds, up to depths of 80m. Good class linefish such as dageraad and Miss Lucys are also found all the way from 12m depths up to these 70m deep reefs.
    We also have the amazing Bird Island area where some of the best yellowtail fishing is to be had. These fierce warriors or reef donkeys putting up an awesome fight and, pound for pound, I rate them as the strongest fish in the sea. They are certainly not gentlemen, and will happily bang their heads on the reef (and in the process injure themselves) to cut the line, rather than give up.
    They are beautiful fish to boot, and by far my favourite fish to target. They usually enjoy a livebait or a mix of a whole pilchard and a strip of chokka, and if you can keep your squid alive to use as bait then that would be first prize.
    Our fishing area extends all the way up to Boknes, Cannon Rocks and includes Port Alfred, but to concentrate on the area we fish predominantly we will, for the sake of this article, stick to the Algoa Bay area.
    Algoa Bay or Port Elizabeth (now officially Gqeberha) has two deep sea angling clubs, but only Port Elizabeth Deep Sea Angling Club is affiliated to the national body, SADSAA. The email contact for any enquiries is <denise@pedsac.co.za>.
    For anyone wanting to fish these areas, note that only club members may launch out of the Port Elizabeth commercial port, as it is governed and managed by Portnet and their rules and regulations apply. There are, however, temporary and seasonal December memberships available for visitors to the area.
    The next area that is very popular for our anglers is called the Rye Banks. This set of reefs 12 miles east-south-east of the port is frequented by a lot of the local boats from all clubs. It is not a long run in Algoa Bay fishing terms, and is a set of immaculate shallow reefs or banks that holds some yellowtail and a wide variety of other species.
    The most commonly fished area is on the deeper southern side where some good quality carpenters and romans are found, along with the odd geelbek that frequents the area in the autumn to winter time.
    The geelbek usually make their appearance from March through April and May, and used to be prolific in earlier years. Some very good size fish are still to be found after a good south-westerly wind with some long rolling ground swells. The banks also holds a fair number of Miss Lucy’s and even some Scotsman and the odd nice basterman.
    The Western Grounds are, as the name suggests, found on the western side of Algoa Bay and start from the point at Cape Recife stretching all the way up to Sea View. A myriad species can be caught there, including poenskop, romans, Scotsman, Miss Lucy’s, kob, geelbek and rockcod on the shallow and midwater reefs. Hake (stock fish), gurnards and the odd kingklip are found on the deeper shale and muddy bottoms. Carpenters are a pest at the best of times, but some really good quality carpenter can be found on the deeper banks which we commonly refer to as the Crayfish Banks.
    Take note that there is an MPA in front of Sardinia Bay which protects a few shallow water reefs and the shallow water reef fish. In the deeper waters there are pretty good stock fish to be found, and although it’s not a great fighting fish, it surely is one of the best eating fish in our waters.
    Our deeper waters, all the way up to 120m, can be found up to 22 miles offshore, after which you hit the continental shelf drop off and the Agulhas current. This is where our tuna area starts, but they are not limited to this area and have been found as close as one mile off Cape Recife.
    Tuna frequent our waters almost all year round, and we have some amazing tuna at times, with most shoal fish being in the 20- to 25kg range. The larger gas bottles all the way up to a 100kg-plus are usually found in late autumn and early winter.
    The tuna fishing is hard work, as they are usually far off shore – up to 40 miles – and one always needs to take the sea conditions into consideration as the warm Agulhas current sweeps around the corner at Bird Island. The edge of this current is where most of our tuna fishing is done and is the most productive.
    Port Elizabeth also has an area we call The Canyon which is very popular with the locals. As the name suggests, it is an area where the ocean floor drops from 200m all the way down to over 1000m deep.
    This obviously causes some challenging sea conditions but also brings great rewards. The area holds a number of pelagic species such as dorado, marlin and, recently, even some wahoo.
    The weather patterns seem to be changing generally, and in this part of South Africa we are getting a lot more of the tropical conditions in our offshore current area. I believe this is the reason we’re also seeing a change in the species we find in the area.

    TACKLE
    The most popular reels we use for bottomfishing are KP or Scarboroughs, and grinders in the shallower waters. Some anglers still prefer multipliers, but I only use those when I am targeting either yellowtail or yellowfin. My preference is KP or Scarborough in the deeper water from about 50m. I like a grinder on the shallower reefs and, as mentioned, a multiplier on the stronger, bigger fish.
    The most popular line, of course, would be braid, and we mostly use 50 lb line on our grinders, possibly going up to 80 lb when targeting yellowtail.
    I can only tell you what I use, so please don’t take it as gospel. I use a 60 lb fluorocarbon bite trace on the shallow reefs and 80 lb fluorocarbon when I fish deeper. My leader line is monofilament, predominantly 80 lb and up, but I do use 100 lb on the yellowtail.
    My sinkers are 6- or 8 ounce on the shallow reefs up to 35m, and I’ll then switch over to a 10- or 12 ounce sinker when fishing deeper. However, I sometimes go as heavy as a 16 ounce sinker when fishing deep due to the strong current and tide we have from time to time.
    Hooks? Well, that depends on each angler’s preference, but I use circle hooks – 7/0 mainly – and 12/0 Kendal round hooks for stock fish and deeper water species including geelbek and kob.
    I pair my KP 7.5 inch reels with an 8ft Kingfisher Poseidon dorado rod for reef fish and the Poseidon geelbek rod for the kob and geelbek. These rods have a great action and I enjoy fishing them in the deep. I also like an 8 000-10 000 size grinder on a 7ft Okuma jigging stick or flick stick for the reefs.
    For the yellowtail I use a Maxel Transformer 60 multiplier reel on a CT Craftsman Power Rap rod. The rod is high specialised, but the equivalent would be a Jigrex, I guess. These rods are short – 1.2m in length – and are built to put huge pressure on the fish to pull them away from the reef. Yellowtail are dirty fighters, so you need to bully them back.
    The tuna rods are standard, as used anywhere in South Africa, with the Tiagra 50w being the go-to reel. Most of our tuna are caught on the troll, with a few exceptions, and when the stars align and the weather and current play along, we have caught some beautiful tuna on bait as well.
    Marlin are not as prevalent here as they are on the east coast but we do have a couple of them around and they’re caught fairly often. Our biggest marlin caught in these waters was a black marlin caught in 2005 which weighed in at a hefty 425kg. It was caught when it decided to eat a 27kg yellowfin that had been hooked by an angler.
    So yes, when I say we have a wide variety of fish, I mean we have the best of both worlds – bottoms and game fish – and we are spoiled for choice in Port Elizabeth.

  • WHERE TO FISH PART 11

    WHERE TO FISH PART 11

    Umkomaas to Pennington, KwaZulu-Natal

    By Craig Stubbs

    [Originally published in the September 2023 issue of Ski-Boat magazine]

    THE 22km long beautiful stretch of coastline from Umkomaas to Pennington on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast has long been renowned as a holiday haven for those who love spending time on the ocean. The area is tremendously popular with divers, shark cage enthusiasts, lovers of coastal living and – most importantly for us – anglers.
    From a fishing point of view, as productive as this stretch of coastline can be, and as much as it offers in terms of reef structure and fishing opportunities, it is also a piece of water that is highly affected by environmental conditions which are often a primary factor in the success of a day’s outing.
    There are some big river systems in the area, the largest being the Mkomazi River at Umkomaas and the Mpambanyoni River at Scottburgh. There are also numerous smaller blind rivers which periodically open and close.
    Heavy rain inland can quickly dirty the inshore waters. A large amount of silt is deposited in the shallows by these rivers, and any large swell quickly stirs up this sediment and creates a cloud of tainted water that affects fishing.
    This piece of coastline is also subject to quite a lot of varying and often heavy currents, both inshore and, even more so, on the deeper reefs.
    However, it’s certainly not all doom and gloom. These conditions also contribute in a positive way to a fishery which, when it’s firing, is extremely productive from a bottom- and game fishing point of view.
    The popularity of this piece of coastline is highlighted by the fact that it has four launch sites along its length. Starting from the north, there’s one at Umkomaas, Scottburgh, Rocky Bay and Pennington. Each of these launch sites is overseen by well established clubs, with both Rocky Bay and Pennington having some lovely facilities and a restaurant/bar where you can enjoy a good meal and a cold beer after fishing.
    Each launch has its own idiosyncrasies, so I would encourage any visitors to this area to touch base with some of the local skippers to gain insight into the prevailing conditions and to pick up relevant launching tips before pushing into the surf.

    ALIWAL SHOAL
    On to the fishing … The biggest and most renowned piece of structure in this area is the Aliwal Shoal. This huge reef structure lies a few kilometres offshore between Umkomaas and Scottburgh, and from a fishing point of view it can be a gamefisher’s paradise.
    The summer months are the most productive when it comes to the variety of species that can be caught there. When the conditions are good you can expect to catch dorado, tuna, king mackerel, kingfish and often surprise billfish, particularly sailfish and smaller black marlin. The winter months usually see fewer species, but that’s compensated for by the arrival of wahoo and big yellowfin tuna.
    The shoal and its surrounding areas are popular with divers, shark cage operations, spearfishers, ski-boaters, and even paddle ski anglers who venture far offshore. At times the ocean here can be very busy, which means fish do get “put down” with all the activity. However, when the conditions are right, even if the fishing gets slow, it can pay dividends to “stick, stay and make it pay”, because the fishing often picks up again when traffic subsides.
    Pulling lures early on can result in good action from tuna species, but I prefer fishing livebaits around the shoal, particularly small live bonito (jube-jubes). At certain times of the year they are relatively abundant, and although they’re not always easily caught, when one gets a few live bonnies, it’s the closest thing to a guaranteed bite you can get.
    Fishing success at the shoal depends largely on current, and this area is most productive when the current is running north to south, often the harder the better. When this north to south current streams hard and brings with it clean, warm water, the fishing can be red hot.
    Don’t be scared to fish a bit further away from the shoal, as gamefish often congregate a few hundred metres away from the structure and not directly on it.

    GREENPOINT/CLANSTHAL
    Inshore of Aliwal is Green Point/ Clansthal. The shallower reefs between Green Point and Scottburgh can be a productive fishery for king mackerel and tuna as well as quite a few “surprise” GTs which are not specifically targeted, but are a bycatch of slow trolling livebaits.
    This is not an easy area to fish, and even a few kilometres offshore the water can be rather shallow, particularly as one moves closer to Scottburgh.
    Many small bottomfish species quickly devour your dead- and livebaits, even those running only a few metres below the surface. I recommend that you regularly check your baits and make sure they are in good condition.
    This area used to be famous for its fair share of massive winter ’cuda (king mackerel) and, in my opinion, was one of the best places to look for that 20kg-plus ’cuda, but in recent years it hasn’t really produced that quality of fish. I put this down to the extraordinary amount of late autumn/early winter rain we have had for the last three years which has created a lot of dirty water. I believe that as these seasonal patterns change, the good fishing will return.

    OUTSIDE THE SHOAL
    Deeper off Scottburgh and outside the line of the shoal is a long piece of reef that breaks up and re-forms along its length. This line is colloquially referred to as “19 fathom”, and runs from there, all the way to offshore of Rocky Bay, where it forms a large piece of structure known as Landers Reef.
    The 19 fathom line can be extremely productive for ’cuda and tuna species, and a host of surprises awaits in the form of wahoo, GTs and billfish.
    Much the same as when fishing Aliwal Shoal, a live bonnie is first prize, but many great catches have been made on traditional live- and dead baits. When the toothy species are not around, drifting or slow trolling livebaits without wire traces is the best way to go for tuna species and dorado. Although they can be caught on wire traces, these species definitely more readily take baits without the wire.

    INSHORE REEFS
    Moving back inshore, between Scottburgh and Rocky Bay there is a lot of shallow, broken and scattered reef lying in water between 12- and 20 metres deep.
    In the late summer, autumn and early winter months these shallow areas can be very productive, particularly for king mackerel.
    This stretch is the preferred area for local baitfish species such as maasbanker, red eye and, at times, mackerel, so it makes sense that where the food is, the predators will be too. On days when there is a lot of bait, try to fish around it for a while before racing off to further spots; you may well be surprised at how productive the fishing can be.

    UMZIMAI REEF
    The final big piece of reef in this area lies offshore between Rocky Bay and Pennington and is known as Umzimai.
    Sitting on a line virtually parallel to the Aliwal Shoal and rising from around 35m of water to around 22m at its shallowest, this can be a really productive spot for all the usual suspects.
    Umzimai receives less pressure than some of the other areas as it is further away, which means that you can spend a good deal of time there and wait for the fish to turn on. Drifting live baits in this area can be really good for catching yellowfin tuna.

    BOTTOMFISHING
    In this article, I have focused mainly on the gamefishing available in this area as they are the primary targets for most visiting anglers. However, there are also some fantastic bottomfishing spots which yield everything from good quality red- and linefish to rockcod, mussel cracker and the odd copper steenbras.
    Covering individual bottomfishing areas would be an article on its own, so if you would like to get to know some of the potential that this area has to offer from a bottomfishing perspective, I recommend joining one of the clubs in the area and, over time, getting to know the spots via some local insight and time on the water.
    Other articles I have written for SKI-BOAT covering specific species will give you an idea of how to target them individually.
    When it comes to bottomfishing techniques, my four-part series that appeared in the July 2021, September 2021, November 2021 and January 2022 issues of SKI-BOAT covers most aspects of bottomfishing. Reading these articles may also help shorten the learning curve for you.

    MARINE PROTECTED AREA
    A final note on this area: As can be seen on the accompanying map, it is home to a rather large Marine Protected Area (MPA) that extends all the way from Umzimai in the south to far beyond Aliwal Shoal in the north.
    This MPA has three distinct zones, namely Green, Orange and Red, each with their own set of restrictions. With the exception of Aliwal Shoal itself, gamefishing is largely unaffected, and even on Aliwal itself, if you refrain from fishing right on top of the reef, you are in the clear.
    My best advice is to visit https://www.saambr.org.za/marine-protected-areas-mpas/ which has a host of information on these MPAs and even a digital map that you can download onto your smartphone and link via Google Maps.
    Also bear in mind that both Umkomaas and Scottburgh launch sites fall within MPA zones that have restrictions on what tackle you may launch with. This means that from those launch sites you may not launch with bottomfishing tackle on board even if you plan to fish outside the MPA.
    See you on the water!

  • WHERE TO FISH PART 8

    WHERE TO FISH PART 8

    Testing the waters at Cape Vidal, St Lucia and Mapelane

    By Mark Cockcroft, Johan Lange and Erwin Bursik

    [Originally published in the March 2023 issue of Ski-Boat magazine]

    WITH the development of offshore boating off the KwaZulu-Natal coast during the 1950s and 1960s, the offshore anglers who started fishing off Durban began to develop a beach launching fraternity that moved further south and north along the coast.
    These brave ski-boaters with their 14- to 17 foot craft, mostly powered by one motor, started looking for semi-protected launch sites from which to venture out to sea to pursue their love of deep sea fishing.
    Among these were many North Coast and Zululand sugar farmers who had the tenacity, resources and staff to explore what were then the northern beaches of Zululand, stretching from Mapelane in the south up to St Lucia and Cape Vidal to start with.
    Initially they saw these as surf fishing venues, but soon they began to tow their ski-boats through long stretches of riverine bush, coastal dunes and inland swamp areas to access this stretch which boasted pristine beaches and close offshore reefs, to test the warm tropical waters for the presence of gamefish. What they established, was that the area offered arguably the most prolific sportfishing opportunities available on South Africa’s eastern coastline.
    St Lucia was the most accessible of the three spots. With its immense tidal estuary, existing land infrastructure and top class estuary fishing, St Lucia soon became the epicentre of the spotted grunter and kob fishery for ski-boaters. As beach launching from the northern side of the vast river mouth was deemed extremely difficult, ski-boaters found a way to Cape Vidal via forestry tracks.
    Cape Vidal soon became the jewel of the Zululand coast. Its history, combined with the protected bay created by the substantial reef which extended to the northeast, drew the boating pioneers to set up camp and shacks to use as a base for this exceptional venue for beach- and boat fishing, as well as family holidays.
    Initially, the Department of Forestry controlled this area, but they subsequently handed it over to the then Natal Parks Board (now Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife), which managed the camping, beach access and chalets which were later built.
    From the earliest days Cape Vidal became an extremely popular destination. Not only is it an outstanding beach venue, but its fishing from the shore is also revered by that fraternity and the offshore abundance of the full range of tropical pelagic gamefish and billfish provides some of the best offshore sportfishing in South Africa.

    Anglers have been towing ski-boats to Mapelane since the early 1950s to enjoy the region’s bounty.

    Jumping to the southern extremity of the area under review, we have Mapelane which is situated on the southern banks of the Imfolozi River. The estuary enters the ocean virtually alongside the St Lucia estuary.
    The beach, sheltered by the immense Mapelane dune and substantial reef, was initially inaccessible to man and vehicle, let alone a vehicle towing a ski-boat. Again, it was the sugar farmers of the area who carved a track through the dense coastal forest abutting the Imfolozi River. They then built wooden shacks on the beach, some on stilts at the base of the high dune, to create the Mapelane Ski-Boat Club.
    Access is now under the control of iSimangaliso Wetland Park authorities, but launch access to the beach should only be undertaken by ski-boaters after they’ve done a great deal of homework and have taken advice from the local operators.
    The Mapelane Ski-Boat Club was later forced to abandon its beach facilities and relocate a kilometre or two inland, where it carved out a large camp site, clubhouse and boat parking area.
    Mapelane has traditionally made a name for itself as the Natal snoek Mecca of the northern South African coast. Immense shoals of these fish frequented the area off the Mapelane lighthouse from May through to August before the annual rains and the off coloured waters from the Imfolozi River made fishing south of the river unproductive.
    During this period really big king mackerel could also be targeted, with fish in the 20- to 30kg class frequently being caught. During the summer months, boats launching from Mapelane had to travel northwards to find clean water, and this is still the case.
    St Lucia’s ski-boat club came into its own in the mid-1970s when the boats started launching in the lee of the estuary’s northern breakwater. Offshore anglers made use of St Lucia’s centrally situated accommodation and ease of access, which provided them with offshore fishing up the coast to Cape Vidal, as well as southwards to Mapelane lighthouse.
    The 1984 floods caused by Tropical Storm Domoina changed the estuary completely and after that it was often completely closed to the ocean, forcing boats launching from St Lucia to locate other viable launch areas. These sites enable an active fleet of both commercial and recreational craft to put to sea in pursuit of the pelagic gamefish and bottomfish of the region, as well as the marlin and sailfish the northern Zululand coast has become known for.
    As the accompanying map of this area’s recommended fishing spots clearly shows, this section of the coast is extremely productive. Depending on how adventurous the ski-boater is, one can either base oneself at St Lucia and launch from there, or tow one’s boat up the eastern shores seeing as there is now a good tar road up to Cape Vidal. A popular option is to camp at Cape Vidal or book one of the EKZN Wildlife chalets situated just behind the primary dunes, although it’s best to check current reviews of these before booking.
    Mapelane is by far the most inaccessible of these three venues, but it is a unique destination that offers an incredible experience. Unfortunately, with the heavy rains experienced since April 2022, the estuary prevents access from the beach, and high water on the “forest road” makes it largely inaccessible, even to 4×4 vehicles. Presently, towing a boat is practically not feasible.
    The once popular cottages on the beach are no longer maintained by iSimangaliso and the Mapelane camp is exclusively for club members or by invite only. With the estuary being open constantly for almost a year now, anglers are therefore limited to the St Lucia and Cape Vidal launch sites.
    St Lucia town has developed over the years and boasts a vibrant foreign tourist trade. There are numerous guest houses, lodges and a hotel, three supermarkets, more than its fair share of liquor stores, and a number of good restaurants and watering holes including the St Lucia Ski-Boat club which is open to the public for meals and a beverage on most days.
    For those wishing to hire a fishing charter, there are a handful of very experienced charter operations in the area including the Wave Dancer and Free Spirit charters. Our sincere thanks to Barend Verster and Walter Leibrand who both kindly assisted with valuable insight on the area and confirmation of the information in this article.
    The details provided below are for the benefit of skippers with their own boats who wish to venture to Zululand and experience the exciting fishing in the southern portion of the iSimangaliso nature reserve, namely St Lucia/Cape Vidal/Mapelane fishery.
    Firstly, please note that if you plan to launch at Cape Vidal or St Lucia — and even more so at Mapelane — proper planning and homework needs to be done by the skipper to ensure that when you get there you don’t incur any unforeseen obstacles which could put a damper on what should be a fantastic experience. Some things to consider are launch permits, tractor fees and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
    Launch permits (for both sites) can be purchased at the entrance to the Vidal nature reserve, and recently increased from R110 to R150 per launch.
    The launch site at Cape Vidal enjoys the protection provided by the reef, thus making it possible to reverse launch. However, during peak seasons there is a private tractor that will push you in (provided you have a push plate) and retrieve you for a fee, making life a lot easier. Investigate this as part of your planning.
    The St Lucia club tractor has become an essential feature of the St Lucia launch on account of the open sea beach launch. If you are new to the area, talk to the locals and Wiseman, the tractor operator and beach controller; they will explain the line and provide any guidance you need. As with all launches, patience is the key.
    Wiseman is an old hand at this job and it is best to put your faith in his ability to read the swells and any shore dump, rather than to try and tell him when to push you in. He knocks off at 2pm, so don’t get caught on the ocean expecting a pull up out of the water unless you have an alternative plan if you beach after 2pm. Tractor vouchers can be purchased at the St Lucia ski-boat club and cost R250 for visitors and R200 for members, a small price to pay for the convenience.
    The Mapelane, St Lucia, Cape Vidal fishery falls within the same marine reserve as Sodwana, stretching from the Mapelane lighthouse in the south, to Kosi Bay in the north. Be aware that no bottomfishing or jigging is permitted in the area.
    Furthermore, a small area south of Vidal known as The Barges, and the much larger area north of Leven Point have been declared no fishing zones. These no fish zones are demarcated by white stakes on the beach and Ezemvelo officials have been known to monitor these from a vantage point in the dunes.
    Notwithstanding the no jigging policy, there are sufficient other means of targeting the wide variety of gamefish and billfish. Drifting live- and dead baits has become more popular each time the petrol price increases. Hand in hand with this go popping, drop shotting, and spinning with stick baits and spoons while on the drift. On occasion, when the wind and current are not favourable, a slow trawl is necessary to maintain course.
    There are of course still those die-hards who like to trawl a full spread with teasers for marlin, sailfish and wahoo, and others who are content to go to The Ledge (shown as the dark 50m contour on the map alongside) and pull Rapalas and Speed Pros. On any given day success can be achieved in each of the methods described above.

    BAIT
    If you plan to drift livebait, the popular bait points (depending on where you launch) are as follows:
    Mapelane/St Lucia — Directly behind the Mapelane Reef. If you have no success there, then travel slowly towards the St Lucia swimming beach on the back line. Maasbankers and mackerel are generally found on this line between 9- and 14m deep. Also along this line lies the old St Lucia dredger that was washed out to sea by Tropical Storm Domoina. This is usually an excellent spot for bait.
    Other areas to try for bait going north are: Slides (approximately 22m), Mission Rock (13–25m), Bats Bait (12m) and Big Hill (20m).
    Lately, by far the easiest means of collecting bait is to go to the colour line where the brown estuary outflow meets the blue water, and sound along this until you find the bait balls. Other boats and birds feeding are also a dead giveaway.
    Cape Vidal — Directly behind the reef after you have launched, alternatively slightly south at a mark known as Bats Bait [28 14 248S 32 31 003E].
    If bait is scarce, continue fishing with what you have and, while you are drifting (with one guy popping and another spinning), keep an eye on the sounder. If you see a showing, have the Sabiki stick handy to make a drop.

    Mark Cockcroft and his daughter Terri-Lynne show off her 20kg wahoo caught at the 2017 Snoek Derby.

    GAMEFISH
    The gamefish species you can expect to catch in this area include, but are not limited to, king mackerel (’cuda), queen mackerel (Natal snoek) and a variety of kingfish, all of which I talk about in detail below.
    Other pelagic species you can expect to find are yellowfin tuna, bonito, eastern little tuna (skipjack), dorado and wahoo. These are all mainly caught on The Ledge. On the shallower reefs you’ll find prodigal son and queenfish.
    The species listed above can be targeted all year round, however this article will deal specifically with ’cuda, snoek, kingfish species, sailfish and marlin, and I’ll detail the best locations and times of year to target them. A list of co-ordinates is provided alongside, along with a map to give you an idea of where to find the various areas and reefs I mention.

    King Mackerel (’cuda)
    ’Cuda can be targeted all year round, but are most prolific from February leading into the winter months. From late summer the shoaling ’cuda tend to come through thick and fast, and will take live maasbankers (mozzies), dead mackerel, spoons, bucktail jigs, deep diving Rapalas and Speed Pros.
    Popular areas (starting in the south) are: the Pinnacles opposite the Jolly Rubino shipwreck south of Mapelane, Home Reef in the St Lucia Bay if the water is clean, Mission Rock (between 14- and 28m deep) and in the north between Three Sisters and Big Hill.
    The most popular method of targeting these 5kg to 15kg shoaling fish is to drift with the current or slow troll (to hold your line) anywhere from 10m deep to 30m deep, changing the depth of each drift until you find the depth at which the fish are holding.
    Much further north (from Vidal northwards) the reefs called Vegetation and Leven Point are also popular marks for the shoaling ’cuda. Some might say Oscar reef is good, but my personal experience with sharks — and especially dolphins — stealing your catch drops Oscar off my list.
    From May to as late as December, big ’cuda — those 25kg-plus models that the locals call “crocodiles” — can be found on The Ledge. The Ledge lies approximately 50m deep and then drops to 300m, or in some places to 600m, fairly rapidly.
    With the predominantly north to south current, an upwelling of nutrients is created as water is pushed from the deep up to 50m, creating a healthy food chain of plankton, baitfish and the larger predators. Large ’cuda are targeted at various rocky outcrops along The Ledge including Big Hill Deep, Dingos, the Table Top, Bats Pinnacle, High Point and, my favorite, Scavengers.
    Depending on the speed of the current, a downrigger is advisable; alternatively 12oz to 16oz sinkers are a must to get your bait down to the reef. Don’t be scared to put a livebait out on the surface too — without a steel trace — as there is every chance of a tuna or dorado finding it on The Ledge.

    Queen mackerel (Natal snoek)
    Natal snoek are traditionally early morning winter fish that can be caught slow trolling a skirted sardine fillet or small Rapala on the backline in 5- to 10m of water. They also provide great excitement on light tackle if you throw small sprat-type lures at feeding fish. Iron Candy and Onde Onde lures are deadly, and if you run short then Wave Dancer Tackle Shop in St Lucia stocks all the hot lures.
    Historically Natal snoek have been caught on the backline from Mapelane reef to the Jolly Rubino wreck, with a particularly productive area being Crayfish Point just south of the reef. For the adventurous, Dawsons Creek which is the southernmost extremity of these waters, also produces quality snoek in the prime months. Heading north, each year in the St Lucia Snoek Derby decent snoek are caught along the backline in 9m to 12m of water from Slides to First Rock, Mission Rock, Bats, Big Hill and all the way to the Vidal Lighthouse.
    In most years the prime months for snoek are May to August, with some of the bigger snoek making an appearance in September just after the red eye sardine run. However, since the estuary re-opened, and following good rains and dirty water in the mouth, the snoek have tended to hang around the dirty water well into the summer months. During this past December snoek could be seen jumping in the brown water and there were regular reports of 6- to 8kg snoek being caught opposite the estuary mouth and swimming beach, sometimes as late as 14h00.

    Kingfish species
    A variety of kingfish can be caught in the Mapelane, St Lucia and Cape Vidal fishery. These include the bluefin kingfish, bludger, yellowtail (black tip) kingfish and the big eye kingfish which provide tremendous sport for lure fishermen on light tackle. Then there is the holy grail of tackle busters, the giant kingfish aka the giant trevally/GT/Caranx ignobilis.
    Kingfish are said to be resident on the reefs inside The Ledge, generally up to 20m deep, however, big GTs have been hooked on The Ledge while using dead bonnies as bait. Because they are resident (as opposed to pelagic), environmentally friendly fishing and catch and release of these species is encouraged.
    Kingfish are generally targeted while drifting livebait and spinning with lures, bucktails and drop shot. They can be targeted all year round, but the prime time for kingfish is September to March with November to March being particularly productive along this coast when the baby turtles hatch and are hunted by the larger predators.
    Bluefin kingfish frequent the pinnacles and reefs opposite the Jolly Rubino wreck, and without changing lures there is a good chance of picking up the other kingfish species in this area as well. Conditions permitting, good returns can be realised by casting spoons and bucktails to the wreck itself. First Rock, Mission Rock and behind the reef at the Cape Vidal up to 15m are also popular areas to target the smaller kingfish species.
    In the larger category, impressive GTs have been caught at Crayfish Point and further south on the Pinnacles at the Jolly Rubino, but by far the most popular area for targeting GTs is Mission Rock. Again, livebait and spinning are the most popular methods, but trolling Speed Pros at 4- to 5 knots over the shallow reefs can also be effective. GTs like a full moon in summer, and you are sure to develop a deep burn in the arms when trying to stop one of these freight trains.

    SAILFISH
    Cape Vidal has, in some circles, been labelled as “sailfish central” along our coastline; some anglers maintain it’s even better than Sodwana. Different theories for this have been discussed around the campfire without a definitive conclusion being reached, but one thing is unquestionable: there is an abundance of sailfish from Mapelane to Cape Vidal.
    It is not uncommon to hook a sailfish while drifting for ’cuda or other gamefish; in fact, it is quite a regular occurrence. I have experienced this on five occasions that I can recall. One such occasion helped dispel the superstitions that surround fishing vessels and fishermen. While drifting for ’cuda between Big Hill and Bats with my good friend Carmen Badenhorst, we were enjoying the boat lunch she had packed — including bananas.
    In the middle of a discussion about whether bananas brought bad luck, we had a sharky sounding strike. Carmen politely dodged the “shark” and offered the rod to me. No sooner had I picked it up when the water exploded as a sailfish realized he’d been hooked and breached the surface next to the boat. The sailie was safely released but, needless to say, bananas, eggs, oranges and women are all welcome on my boat.
    Sailfish hook ups are fairly regular all year round in the St Lucia/Vidal area, but the best time to experience the gill rattling thrill of a sailfish strike in our fishery is August to November, with better fishing closer to November.
    The predominant area to target these exciting fish lies between St Lucia and Cape Vidal. My experience is that more sailfish are caught in the 20m to 30m depth range, although I have also caught sailfish and seen others caught on the 50m mark on The Ledge.
    This being the case, I would suggest working between the 20m and the 50m marks in the following areas which are all popular for sailies: Perriers reef, Bats Cave, Big Hill and Cape Vidal lighthouse.

    A striped marlin about to be released.

    MARLIN
    The Mapelane/St Lucia/Cape Vidal area is a prolific marlin fishery holding blue marlin, striped marlin, black marlin and shortbill spearfish.
    The drop off (Ledge) in this area is close to the shoreline, reducing the travel time before lines in, adding to the attraction and making marlin accessible and easy to target on boats of any seaworthy size. Perhaps it is the attraction of the variety of gamefish or possibly the expense that detract from marlin being targeted as much as they could be; however, for the adventurous, there is terrific potential of big fish in greater numbers in this area.
    Blue and striped marlin are usually targeted using konas, mainly on account of the strong currents in the deep water. The prime time to target these fish is November to April.
    Generally, the working depth ranges from 300m to the 1000m mark but is area specific, as explained below. The areas to concentrate your efforts for blues and stripies include, but are not limited to:
    The Canyon at Leven Point which drops quickly from 90m to 500m. Moving south, zig-zagging the 500m contour has proved to be very productive up to Cape Vidal point where the 800m contour is a good area to work.
    Further south towards St Lucia, the Slides hold abundant structure from the 200m to the 600m mark, and this area is popular amongst the St Lucia and Mapelane marlin anglers. Even further south is the Mapelane Gat. This is another canyon that drops from 200 to 600m very quickly and creates a nice upwelling of nutrients and baitfish.
    Black marlin of all sizes can be caught along the entire stretch in varying depths. This past December while fishing for livebait at The Dredger in 12m of water, I (Johan) caught a black marlin on a light tackle flick stick. A few years back, Mark also caught a black marlin in the shallows off the Slides; it was so small that at first he thought it was a dorado. However, the black marlin in the shallows are not always small; within the past five years, a 300kg black marlin was speared in 8m of water off Leven Point. At the time this was a pending record.
    It follows that you can and should target black marlin from the shallows up to the 500m mark using my preferred method of livebait angling. Alternatively, if the current allows, target your black marlin on swim baits and skip baits. Unfortunately, our generally rough sea conditions and the low angle of our viewpoints on our boats, makes the switch bait method very difficult to use effectively in this area. That said, it will not hurt to have a bait ready to switch if you do see a marlin come up on a teaser or dredge.
    The productive areas to work are Oscar from the 50m to the 500m mark and, my favourite, from Mission Rock to Slides between the 50- and the 300m mark. This area is loaded with structure and, as the old adage goes, one should always fish the structure. Further south, the upwelling at the Mapelane Gat generally creates a holding pattern for marlin livebait such as the tuna species, and is also very productive. Keep a look out for the thermocline as that can be a game changer.

    For further information contact the specific ski-boat clubs:
    • St Lucia Ski-Boat Club:
    Peggy Rigby Cell: 073 789 8660 <secretary@slsbc.co.za>
    <www.slsbc.co.za>
    • Mapelane Ski-Boat Club: Lourens (chairman) 083 448 0971
    • Cape Vidal Ski-Boat Club: 083 273 0872
    <rhagemann@telkomsa.net>

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