Blue Water Charters - Fishing Reports from Fat Girl

Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
MONDAY 03-12-2012

Stopped by the Whaling station early to try get some mackies, but no luck. Water was 18 deg.C

Sea was on its head this morning. with a strong NE, then settled nicely when it turned to a SE, later a strong SW cam through so we had it in our face all day. Best water temo we found was 21.8deg.C with 21.4 being teh average for the day, the deeper I went the colder the water got, with 20 deg.C on the 100m.

Although cold the water looked good and healthy for a change.

We got an assortment of small bottoms, but the current was screamin like a wild river in flood.

We landed a nice Yellow Tail (Amberjack) close to 5kg.

I was grumpy on the water today with the lumpy sea and can feel it in all my muscles, and eventually we got a really good hook up, a YFT in the 20-25Kg class (I saw the fish)

Just imagine what 4 letter word I shouted at the top of my voice when the client dropped the lever on the drag causing a crows nest that took me 30 minutes to cut out the reel this evening. Eventually I tried to hand line the fish, but the hook pulled and then he went jumping like mad.
Kinda feel bad for shouting like that but man after all the effort.......to loose a good fish in that way.

See the mother of all crows nests
 

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Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
TUESDAY 04-12-2012

We had a late start yesterday and only got going just after 05h00; the sea was flat with the slightest of a SW breeze. I ran about 20km or so out and then dropped lines, the water was greenish and coldish and then eventually when about 30km out I found some crystal clear cobalt blue water with a temperature of 23.5deg.C
We packed away the 50’s and brought out the 80’s and decided to see if we could find a Marlin. No luck with a getting a bill into the spread but we got some nice Dorado.
 

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Aquafan

Senior Member
Awesome fish there Mike! Again well deserved considering the amount of time and effort put in recently without results!
 

Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
benniejordaan wrote:
Great report. Where is the pic of the Amberjack? Where did you get it?

Amber Jack/Tropical Yellowtail, same thing. Got it on the deep side of No. 1 in about 50m

We released the bigger one without bringing it in board, I usually always release these fish, we kept the smaller one casue he took the hook in the eye.
 
Same family but different species. Amberjack, Tropical YT and Cape YT. Tropical YT don't get that big at all and are very common here. We use them as bait up in Moz, plentiful on the reefs.
 

Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
Woke up at 01h00 this morning to the sound of a massive thunder storm and heavy rain.


I went out today on Nauticat a Tomcat 747 doing a Fishing College practical. Nice boat, but a hard ride.


I used a Garmin with Chirp today, the definition and separation is incredible, even saw bonnies swimming under the boat, at 500m we could see what was happening right to the bottom and the thermocline was as clear as daylight including small pockets of fish. Have never seen anything so clear.


We launched at 05h00 and shot out to the 300m and dropped lines, water was calm but geen and cold at 21.4deg.C

By the time we got to the 500m the water had warmed up nicely to 22.8deg.C, and I had to make a safety call as the swells were huge.


We came back inshore, were the water was calmer, but green and cold avergaing at 21.4deg.C. I tried all my usual places and more with no luck.


Eventually I found a pinnacle that had good showings and we worked it landing 5 huge Bonnies all over 9Kg, I think 2 were well over 10Kg. We also dropped another 4.
 

Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
Launched at 05h00 and were on our way out deep when I spotted some nice water on the 90m, investigated it for an hour and then moved on out deep.

As we got out the harbour water was 22.5deg.C but it cooled off as we went out. Saw Richard out on the 300m where the water temp was 22.7deg.C, but it was dead.

We continued out to the 500m, and the water was colder at 22deg.C, eventually at the 800m we found some water full of life at 23deg.C and we worked this area for some time.
The water was so calm and flat out in the deep was almost like a dam, light SE blowing which eventually became a SW wind

Ended up dropping 2 Dorado and landing 1.

Guys if you on the boat and the reel goes when it’s your turn, don’t finish your sarmie and coke before you grab the rod, you will lose your fish as was the case 2 times today.
It’s frustrating as a skipper when the fishing is hard and then you eventually get a hook up only for the fish to be unnecessarily lost. Plenty time to eat sarmies and drink coke.
 

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Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
Launched at 05h00 and headed south.

Was so nice to go out in some flat seaswith warm clean water without having to run deep. We ran along a current line, small bits of life, water temp 23.4deg.C and a light SW wind

Saw 1 whale and a monster Zambezi.

We had several on/offs and in the end we landed 5 very small YFT.
 

Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
Launched at 04h00 this morning and started heading South, about 1km from the harbour mouth in the dirty water (around 04h30) we had a Black Marlin come steaming after something around the boat. Sea was flat an virually no wind.


Found the colour line about 12km out, water was 22.7deg.C, we worked the colour line for sometime with no result and then headed out deep to 600m. On our way out we got a nice Dorado of around 8-9Kg.


I worked a pinnacle for a while with no success and then headed back in, running niceley in a following sea, with the NE starting to blow hard. On the 400 we got a hot on the 50lb tackle off the shot gun, but the fish spooled us, we could not stop it. I re- routed and worked the same track again, but nothing.


I had set the heading to a nice pinnicle about 20kms out, but before we got there we cam accross the colour line which had by this time moved out deep, I ran along it in a South direction for some time and the water warmed up to 23.4deg.C, when the temp dropped we crossed the line and started heading N back home. The water was now dirty but was reading in at 23.9 deg.C. I changed all the lures to be suitable for this green/yellow water and as we came over the 250m we got hit again. This fish stripped us before we even got the rod out the gunnel.
 

jock0

New member
Fishing Adventures wrote:
TUESDAY 04-12-2012

We had a late start yesterday and only got going just after 05h00; the sea was flat with the slightest of a SW breeze. I ran about 20km or so out and then dropped lines, the water was greenish and coldish and then eventually when about 30km out I found some crystal clear cobalt blue water with a temperature of 23.5deg.C
We packed away the 50’s and brought out the 80’s and decided to see if we could find a Marlin. No luck with a getting a bill into the spread but we got some nice Dorado.

Believe it or not I bumped into these guys in Victoria falls just before they went to Durban - that camo suit is unmistakable :) From Kazakhstan, surname is "Tox......"?

I reckon they had a great time out though as they battled for tiger and bream on the Zambezi so it's nice to see they got some good Dorado.
 

Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
jock0 wrote:
Fishing Adventures wrote:
TUESDAY 04-12-2012

We had a late start yesterday and only got going just after 05h00; the sea was flat with the slightest of a SW breeze. I ran about 20km or so out and then dropped lines, the water was greenish and coldish and then eventually when about 30km out I found some crystal clear cobalt blue water with a temperature of 23.5deg.C
We packed away the 50’s and brought out the 80’s and decided to see if we could find a Marlin. No luck with a getting a bill into the spread but we got some nice Dorado.

Same guys

Believe it or not I bumped into these guys in Victoria falls just before they went to Durban - that camo suit is unmistakable :) From Kazakhstan, surname is "Tox......"?

I reckon they had a great time out though as they battled for tiger and bream on the Zambezi so it's nice to see they got some good Dorado.
 

Cpt. Hook

Sealiner
This weekend saw some very ugly seas, nasty winds and cold water. Persistance however does pay off.
 

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