ADVANTA NEWS 2005

TRIPLE SLAM REWARDS THE FIRST BILLFISH HUNT

All sea anglers must have some ambition when they first put baits into the ocean. For a four year old on a trip to the coast with Dad, it is to catch a fish - any fish, and my grandson with his first, about the size of a small cigar, is a picture he will never forget!

But as the angler progresses, the ambition soon becomes to catch a billfish, if he is lucky enough to be able to fish in the warmer waters round the world where sailfish and marlin can be found.

Thus when three anglers from South Africa came up to Kenya, having fished the north-eastern coast of their native country for many years without ever achieving a billfish catch, it was to do just that.

Coene Roux, Piet du Toit and Boesmann Bubb chose to try an overnight trip, and with skipper Rob Hellier and crewmen Peter, Anthony and Tabu in Ol Jogi, they set off from Hemingway's Resort in Watamu on the Kenya north coast on the 50 mile ride to the North Kenya Bank.

This offshore ledge rises from the depths of the Indian Ocean to only a few hundred feet beneath the surface, and the steep drop-offs where the azure blue waters swirl across the canyons and ledges must be one of the world's great fishing spots.

Arriving in the afternoon, the 33ft Bertram sport-fisherman slows down and puts out the lines, with small lures sweetened with belly strip baits for sail and some bigger lures for marlin, as no-one knows what might appear behind the lines. Between 4pm and 6pm they soon found out, as first one angler, then the next and finally the third of the trio all hooked into sailfish, and all three tagged and released their first billfish.

Mission accomplished - but there was much more to come. Resuming the trolling pattern, a reel soon screamed and a much bigger fish was grey-hounding across the surface as Coene Roux struck the rod and proceeded to play the fish to the boat, where it was seen to be a black marlin estimated around 120 kgs, which was duly tagged and sent swimming on it's way, with the anglers elated by their good fortune.

But as the crew were putting the lines back into the water, with only two lines out and ready, again a reel screamed off and this time it was Boesman's rod, with another marlin on the end! It was dark by the time this second one, another black of 83 kgs came beside the boat, and had to be boated as it had been damaged.

Night time now, and with the moon almost full not the best conditions for swordfish, which tend to come near the surface on the dark, moonless nights, but the baits were put out for broadbill, special lures with light sticks attached to the leaders, some on the surface and others on the downrigger. An hour passed without action, then suddenly a strike and the fish was on - indeed a broadbill swordfish, the most difficult species of billfish to catch and every angler' dreams. This was released, and action slowed for most of the rest of the night, but in the early hours clouds built up and obscured the moon, triggering a rash of strikes. four more broadbill tagged, as dawn rose, with two anglers already notching up a grand slam of three different billfish!

Lines were set again for marlin, as the boat prepared to head for home, with Piet watching all the rods like a hawk, and the gods were with him when he was rewarded with the last strike, a striped marlin eventually tagged around 55kgs!

A marlin, a sail and a broadbill swordfish for each of the three anglers on a trip, a triple grand slam for the team and the boat - has this ever been done before anywhere in the world?

FANTASY SLAM

Many will know of the grand slam, and there are a few recorded Super Grand Slams, that is, four different species of the major billfish in one trip on a boat during the 24 hour period. But to catch all five of the major billfish species was pure fantasy, wishful thinking, an angler's dream!

So here is the story of the very first Fantasy Slam.

Every year, a group of fishing enthusiasts sponsor a tournament out of Hemingway's Resort that runs from the afternoon of one day, fishing all night until the afternoon of the next day. It is called 'The Friends of Kenya', and this year ten boats entered.

The boats sped off in the early afternoon, mostly aiming at the offshore banks, with each skipper having his own ideas as to where the 'hotspots' were, and once lines were out in the water Peter Lockwood, fishing on Simba, a 35' Cabo sport-fisher owned, skippered and fished by Mark Allen, was first into action when a black marlin took a lure and sped away on a leaping run. With the fish subdued beside the boat, it was tagged and released, and the the lines reset.

For a while it was then quiet, when a reel suddenly screamed and this time a striped marlin was bounding away in the wake, with Mtawali Zia on the rod. This fish was duly brought to the boat and tagged, and by this time night was falling as the sun fell below the horizon. Night comes quickly in the tropics, and with the moon not due to rise for several hours, baits were changed to target the broadbill swordfish, arguably the most difficult to catch amongst the roster of billfish.

Kenya is one of the few venues in the world where broadbill can be caught trolling lures, and local skippers pioneered this technique, attaching light sticks on the leaders to attract these fish up behind the lures, as they are nocturnal feeders and remain very deep down during the daytime. Indeed, as even moonlight keeps them down, the moonless dark of the night, with faint illumination from the stars, was ideal conditions, and so it was to prove, as from eight strikes, five swordfish were caught, all tagged and released, Peter catching four and Mtawali one during the night.

Dawn broke, light sticks removed, and marlin lures again set in the wake as the boat increased speed from the slow troll for the swordfish to a fast eight knots for marlin, and before very long Mtawali was in action again, this time another black marlin, tagged and released.
Then the clincher, as Peter struck yet another marlin as it seized a lure, and hooking itself on the strike, giving a spectacular display of aerial acrobatics. As the line cut the water down near the boat all eyes focussed on the shimmering outline of the fish as it rose from the depths beside the boat.

And there it was, a chunky fish, blue stripes, blue tail, pectorals folded beside the body, a blue marlin to make up the third of the three marlin species that swim in the Indian Ocean.

Each of the marlin species was now tallied up, a blue, a striped and two blacks, and the five swordfish - already this was the coveted super grand slam for the team, and there was only one course of action.

Mark the skipper motored closer in across the bank, to different waters where the sailfish were, none having been seen further out. Smaller lures spiced up with belly strips of bait were set, and the crew breathlessly waited - and waited......

In fishing, Lady Luck can be a fickle friend, but when the gods are with one, she can smile indeed, and suddenly two sailfish rose behind the baits and struck. Mark, on his 'shotgun' top rod, and Mtawali both free spooled the rods, the sails swallowed and a pair of these beautiful aquatic acrobats spun up from the waves in a double header, and were tagged to complete the Fantasy Slam - black, blue and striped marlin, broadbill swordfish and sailfish - the big five of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Mtawali had achieved a super grand slam with four different species, Peter a grand slam with three species and the added distinction of four broadbill in a night, while speaking as a long serving professional skipper, we all know whose skills are really behind these great fishing days and Capt Mark Allen must be 'The Man !'

There was no doubt which team won, but the anglers on Ol Jogi, Alan Sibley, Phil Revett and skipper Rob Hellier also had great fishing, and came in second with three striped marlin, two broadbill and a sailfish to register a grand slam, while third placed Seyyida, fished by C Harrison, P Francombe and M Rutsay had a black and a striped marlin, four broadbill and a sailfish, a super grand slam for this boat.
Fourth came Alleycat, fished by John Andrews, Joss Taylor and Vernon Ayton with two stripies and two broadbill, while all the boats had from two sail upwards.

One blue, 5 black and 8 striped marlin, 15 sailfish and 22 broadbill was the total from all ten teams, an incredible tally. Fishing like this does not happen every day !!

SAILFISH ARRIVE FOR THE WATAMU TOURNEY

Following two days after the very successful 'Friends of Kenya' competition, the Watamu SFC two day Festival saw the auction and draw hosted at Ocean Sports on the Friday evening. Many were wondering where to fish, as all the action seemed to be on the far-off North Kenya Bank, and indeed one boat was to try there on the first day, as they could start from any port.

The 'Rips', twenty miles out, have not been productive this season, but the more adventurous skippers decided to try their luck out there anyway, and as the boats sailed in at 5pm it was Simba, with ten red flags, and Mehbooba with nine, which proved that was the right choice.

But Lady Nana, fishing down from Malindi, was lying third having tagged a black marlin, giving them points equivalent to six sail, and Tarka with five sail was also in contention.

Seahorse and Usuri had also caught black marlin, but these came in dead, so only scored their weights, at 90 and 84 kgs respectively, instead of the 150 kg equivalent for a tagged and released fish. Similarly, sailfish score the equivalent of 50 kgs when tagged, a great incentive to release them.

Dawn on the second day saw nearly all the boats racing to the Rips, except for the diehard marlin men who chose to live bait for these in the Banks and Boiling Pot areas - without success. but full marks for effort!

As the day went on the two lead boats appeared to have lost their touch, and it was Instedda, who only found two sail the first day, which looked to be stationary with fish on all the time! And so it proved, as Imran Moosa and Daniel Sheni tagged sixteen sailfish for their days' total, to give them a big lead and pushing the fishers on Simba, Alan Sibley, Peter Lockwood and Mark Allen with their four sail, into second place.

Mehbooba, fished by skipper Jim Robertson, Anthony, Nick and Phil, added two sail to come third, while Phil Revett, Sue and Callum on Tarka, with a steady five sail each day, were fourth.

Tasha, whose run far north the first day had found little, was second highest scorer the second day with nine sail, enough to put them fifth overall.

A total tally of 79 sail, three black marlin, and mixed bags of tuna, wahoo and dorado kept the anglers busy in an enjoyable competition with, for a change, the fish cooperating!

There have been good fish caught outside the competitions, with Kingfisher reporting Neptune having a black marlin of 120 kgs at Ngomeni, and later another day with two released and a third missed - a good day this. Eclare reported a black marlin over 400 lbs released fishing out of Lamu, while Snark had one each of two days around Malindi, and Tina found one also - everyone in the action.

At Watamu, Tarka had a notable day with 24 sailfish, flags all the way down all three outriggers! And JimGin took Andy Thomas and Dick Chater out - an overnight trip to the NKB was the plan when an inch of rain as they got into the boat combined with a howling gale caused a change in tactics. Out in the Rips, the weather was fine, and by the time they had tagged thirteen sailfish they decided a good dinner and a comfy bed was the better option, so the broadbill were spared!

Ol Jogi also had a thirteen sailfish day, obviously a lucky number for them, while Bamara ran north for an overnight, returning with a tally of seven broadbill, two black and one striped marlin and a rare mako shark.

So should we start aiming at adding the mako to the big five billfish for a 'Super Fantasy Slam'?

Advanta Angling Ltd
2 Station Road, Verwood, Dorset, BH31 7PU
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)1202 827220