First post for first Blue Marlin!

[ColinBhoy]

Hi All,

I haven't posted on this forum yet, so bear with me if I screw anything up!

Saturday 26th September we set off from Clube Nautico, Luanda Bay (Angola) for a day's fishing.  I have fished here several times, but without the benefits of having anyone with me who really knew what they were doing.  Following some research here and in other forums, I got in touch with Pargo Man, who seems to be a bit of a legend here in the Angola fishing circles.  He very kindly gave up one of his family or fishing days to come along with me and a couple of friends who were really keen to go after the Big Game here (my previous sea fishing experience has been limited to the North of Scotland catching cod!).

Although we were told by many others that it was way too early in the season to be catching anything like Marlin, we ignored them and set up the gear accordingly.  60 kms west of Luanda we started trolling, and within an hour or so my reel was screaming!  800 metres stripped from the reel in a couple of minutes had Pargo Man declaring that we had a marlin on.  No more than a couple seconds after he said this, my beautiful Blue Marlin shot out of the water to display itself for us!  We knew we had a big one!  6 times in total we got the fish alongside the boat, and 5 of those times it decided it wanted to play some more and proceeded to empty the reel again!  I have never had an experience like this in my life, and I am now completely hooked (pun intended!)

Summary: 170 kgs Blue Marlin, 2.50 metres in length (excluding bill).  Very gratefully aided and abetted by Skipper Jose, 1st Mate Jan (Pargo Man), 2nd Mate Xico and deckhand Sacha (Xico's son).  I like to think I helped a bit by breaking my arms and back to bring her in  Fish was Tagged and Released according to IGFA Rules :sha  Photo and full video evidence will be available soon (when I get off my butt and edit it!).  I will provide links for anyone who wants to see them.  STOP PRESS: JUST RECEIVED INFORMATION THAT THE FISH WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE 225 KGS, BASED ON LENGTH!  It was certainly a beauty

The boozing session in Clube Nautico when we landed just helped to finish off what was a great day for me, and hopefully the start of a new regular weekend passion 

If any of you guys plan to come up here and fish out of Luanda, you should speak to Pargo Man ...a real Gentleman of the sea and one of the most knowledgable guys I have ever come across

Colin. 

 

[Pargo Man]

Thanks straight away, BIG Colin, for everything and a happy birthday to you!!

 

Our beautiful sport fishing is under so much criticism, no wonder BIG GAMERS are an endangered species themselves.

 

In this context it is a duty of this ardent BIG GAME adept, privileged with a beautiful fisheries in Angola, to pass on the game, educate and spread the word on technique, tactics, safety and conservation. SEALINER and friend Gerhard only had a brief taste of Angola, too short for a decent Sail or Marlin. Now it is your turn SEALINE friend Colin Bhoy. A seasoned sea and shore angler in the rough Northsea, your'e prime material to become a BIG GAMER quickly… just how quick? Done already!

 

Me and my team mates of the "Malta da Kianda" fishing team in Luanda had been invited by the "Scottish Heavy Brigade" for a test fishing deep offshore Luanda in the yet cool (22°C) Equatorial Atlantic 8°South. We happily accepted Colin's invitation and boarded their 25 Magnum Cat on Saturday… not knowing yet that it would become a 100% day.

 

Having given all the 50 and 80 standup gear a good overhaul, we were anxious to put our friends onto realy big fish. I couldnt help to brag even before 09h00 a.m., that we had an 85% chance to link up with Marlin...

85 turned 100 around mid day. Colin's turn on the reel and were we happy that we had done a dry run on the stand up harness that morning while still moored in the NAUTICO boat club in Luanda.

The fish grabbed out of the abyss a 11inch Williamson Cavitator barely 30 feet behind the transom and ran for the 150m topshot and almost all of the 650 m braid backing, then stood on the tail once, sounding all the way through till 30 minutes later hot fighting and cool manoeuvring brought he still pretty "green" fish to the boat.

Good for the creature:

we leadered on the second attempt and had in under a minute the hook out of the lower jaw, spagetti tag in the shoulder and released to fight again!! My estimates might be faulty, but it certainly was 95 plus inches (250cm) lower jaw to fork and holding her bill she was well past the 400 lbs, 180kgs I would say.

Excellent fighting BIG Colin! Top skippering Gabri! "Boas Entradas" he said to your fish Colin! Top team game All!

 

32 Minutes? How can be?

Well:

1. An absolutely fearless angler, giving it all! Dunno what heart rate you were on MAN! Cranked her full throttle at all times… and kept her under full pressure! One more jump… and who knowes?! The hook came out of her lower jaw just using two fingers…

2. Your masterful skipper Gabri, who has put all his experience into the circling manoeuvre! I learnt a big lecture about handling a big game boat that day!

3. Ideal 80 lbs stand up Rod/Reel Combo. The DAIWA sealine tournament is a sturdy 50/2 reel. Preset at 23 lbs "strike". We filled her with 650m 110 lbs power pro backing and 150m 80 lbs topshot hivis yellow momoi IGFA. HiVis yellow, so the skipper at the helm can at all times see where the line enters the water!!

 

Room for Improvement:

(semi) fearless Pargo on the leader… the first time I tried to bring her in I sh!t my pants and let go... so many fish get lost that way… and even the second time around I was very unsure if I should hold her… lots of room for improvement Pargo!

Proven for the time being, that the fish are here, we are all looking forward to the BIG BLUE CUP in Luanda starting next weekend. Report to follow!

 

Thanks again to generous Colin and ESCOSSE crew, the skipper Gabri and my team mates of the "Malta da Kianda".

 

[shagnrelease]

nice one guys, great to sea a fellow scotsman on sealine and have them releasing such worthy fish!!!

 

well done to all and good on you Pargo for freeing up your time.....it must have been awfull for you!!!

 

[Pargo Man]

Ahoi Shag n Colin,
dont you call Pargo or the Malta Team legend. This is the third season of "Malta da Kianda" rookies.
Wish us luck, but dont call us Legend again.
It^s still pretty straight forward what we do.
Magic was the performance of Colin!

 

[Pargo Man]

a nice shot of pure standup action:

BIG ColinBhoy 25 Minutes into his Blue Marlin.

 

 

[Pargo Man]

... and this is the Lady on the business end

 

[tkei]

Awsome Guys. Congrats on a great catch and release,
Now sitting green with envy in the corner of my office. LOL

 

[Pargo Man]

tkei, relax. Have one on us. Prost!

 

[Marlinmoz]

 
 
 
Hey Colin,
 
& hhbbdd:...thanks for the post and congratulations on your first Marlin and especially for T&R it !!! For a first timer you seem to have done a brilliant job, bringing that fish quick for a healthy release.                                                                                                                                   In my books all fishing is great & being on the Ocean is where the soul speaks louder for me...but there is nothing out there remotely like Marlin fishing – like you say ``it is a unique experience!!!
 
That Angolan fisheries looks absolutely awesome and I hope to to experience it sometime in the near future. Did think September was way to early as well, but it just shows you. In my neck of the wood our peak season primarly runs from September to December, but over the years I have released Marlin in every single calendar month...you won´t get them if you don´t got out there!
 
I run a 25 Magnum Cat a few years back. “Macaloe“ [/i]was a fish raising machine. Unfortunetly she was destroyed during cyclone Flavio in 2003 (pic below) and she now rest in 18 meters of water in font of the resort making for a interesting dive site!!!
 
 
``In this context it is a duty of this ardent BIG GAME adept, privileged with a beautiful fisheries in Angola, to pass on the game, educate and spread the word on technique, tactics, safety and conservation``.[/i]
 
Cheers Pargo men, that´s the spirit of it all...
 
Bring on those BIG BLUE CUP reports &

 

[Pargo Man]

Ahoi n BIG thankyou, MOZ,

it's a terrible sight, the crafts smashed around the beautiful camp. Hope you recover well and have plenty repeat-buiz clients to savour the Mozambique style tropics.

I've only ever been to MOZ twice, Maputo, but taken a spin on a heli... just to dismiss some sites for an industrial port and never come back with the developers... good for the coast South of Maputo. We actually were taking soundings off the hoovering heli in a dunes lagoon and almost tipped the hippos on the head with the lead... what a fantastic nature.

I envy MOZ for the stability and smooth development. Angola is far more boom and bust. One thing we definitly dont have here is the hefty natural cathastrophies like cyclones and such. We are much more arrid than your neck of the woods. Only when the rains come they innundate quickly half the capital and make life miserable for 3mn people.

Living is incredibly expensive, which makes Angola the least likely place yet in Southern Africa to travel to as a tourist. Not even the special fisheries we call our frontyard can actually fully make up for that. Good for the fisheries, I feel, because for some time to come we will see the very low level of "hunting pressure" prevail.

SEALINER Colin comes at the right time, I feel, so he can fully absorb the little BIG GAME experience that we have to share after our first t&r in 2007. Let me make that clear: I was ever so happy for that "unseasonal" fish, for Colin and for the crew. We worked like an "old couple" and that is very much due to Colin's humble character. The 'Ta Fixe MAGNUM 25 is definitly a fish magnet, with it's two 150/4 Yammies and an expert skipper to maneouvre us to the fish.

What concerns our Team Ride, the sturdy "Djamila2" (pic below), we're still trying to get the new single Suzi 200/4 fixed before Saturday... wish us luck... but should we go out, I will post on each of the four days fishing in this event.

 

 

[Marlinmoz]

Aloha Pargo Men,
 
That was back in ’03, at the time travelling in Thailand & India and just got a sms telling me my boat was gone...since then, when in Bazaruto, been running a 31ft Gulcraft Vamizi [/i]with twin 150 yammies (pic below) and she´s been giving me loads of joy!!!
 
I hear you about Angola. Three years back I worked in Bom Bom for 8 months (now, that’s another stunning Blue Marlin fisheries) and when I left I had to transit for three days in Luanda. First I could not get accommodation anywhere and the prospect of getting to Luanda´s airport with my girlfriend and 78 kg’s of luggage not knowing anyone was a bit worrying. Three days before departing St. Tome I mailed all my client base list asking for urgent help and kindly, Dave Stephen, a guest and friend who had fished with me in Bom Bom  had mates there who he arranged for me to stay with.
 
My father lived in Luanda and down in Mocambes for a good few years in the 60’s and 70’s and I had seen loads of amazing photos and fish. Not the citu I come to encounter...however it was extremely interesting but an eye opener for sure! The booming & money and energy in there is just insane!                                                                      ``Life is expensive is a huge understatement``...the guy I was staying with was all happy he just moved to a new house which according to him was well below market value...           at us $ 15 000 a month!!!!


The second day myself and my girlfriend went down to Ilha Luanda and sat at this Cafe del Mar Restaurant. I almost choked when I saw the menu, asked for a coffee and quietly walked out. Ended up eating on a street side shack by the beach...one small plate of calamari & salad plus three beers still put me down at $ 40.00...it was Chinese take away from then on !!!!!
 
It certainly is good for the fisheries thought. Bazaruto is still very off limits and has little pressure, but I feel other places in southern Mozambique (such as barra, guinjata & jangamo, morrongulo etc) are seeing a lot of pressure and it can be seen in the fisheries. Its sad that both, local, but most importantly visiting anglers do not practice more tag & release as well and that some of the tournaments still have a archaic mentality!!!
 
Good luck for you & Colin for the tournament and keep us posted...

 

[Tboyd1]

Pargo Man I am still looking for a charter for 12 people in the next couple of weeks. We went out last week and didn't get anything. We were surrounded by about 2 or 3 hundren dolfins for about an hour and we also saw quite a few whales but we didn't catch anything. I will be flying back to Houston for a week and then returning and would like to set something up for Oct. 23rd or 24th. Can you help?

Marlin would be great but we would settle for tuna or??

 

[Oxeye]

Congratulations on a great fish! Angola really is a superb fishing destination.

 

[Pargo Man]

Ahoi BIG T,

not easy to catch anything this time of the year, that's a fact. The fleet of competition anglers went out Saturday/Sunday full 10hrs each day fishing... but besides a couple of Marlin and a Sailfish... nothing much of by-catchTuna and MahiMahi.

I would try to go small, dark and fast, making loads of splash to raise the tuna from the middle waters. Daisy chains are better than single bird teasers. Our tuna and the mahimahi both had a 20cm teaser bird in front. Distance to the lure is important; dial 14 to 20ft. We were trolling a good 7kn. The lure was a 24cm sevenstrand offset, clear head, black/purple skirt. Add dimension to your spread: put in one or two "bonitas". They troll at up to 8kn/9mph

Naturals are not easy. It's too early yet to get ballyhoo fresh from the fishmarket in the Corimba.

Big chunky marlin "torpedos" dont work just yet. The big 40cm lures i.m.v. are not corresponding to the season. Colour is all important. My suggestion is not too much green or yellow yet, stay tuna style silver/black/blue/purple and red.

If youre stocking up on lures look at the beauties on the foto attached eg MOLDCRAFTs small "whide range" or "chuggers". Have them mounted on not less than 200 lbs leader material... after all the marlin will be attracted...

Have a nice day out!

 

[Tboyd1]

Thanks Pargo Man,

 I am trying to set up something for the 22nd, 23rd or 24th and I appreciate all the advice that you can give me.

We were trolling at around 8kn with clearhead purple skirt but they were around 20M behind the boat. Is that too far? We had four lines out in a reverse "U". What is a teaser?

Thanks, Big T

 

[Pargo Man]

Let's not make Lures Trolling "rocket science"

 

Quote…

… October 22nd, 23rd or 24th and I appreciate all the advice that you can give me. We were trolling at around 8kn with clearhead purple skirt but they were around 20M behind the boat. Is that too far? We had four lines out in a reverse "U". What is a teaser?

... Unquote

 

Top season for hungry sail and careless marlin:

Late October will bring us warmer water and thus a far better fisheries than this first glimps of summer. "Riding" the seasonal advance of the warm current, the Sails in particular will be hungry and fall for softheads more easy. Sails compete with the typical MahiMahi baitfish, so the small 24cm MOLDCRAFTs will find into your kitchen sooner or later.

 

Bait Shoal Image / Distances:

"Stagger" your presentation and fish two more lines in the "empty" spots. Fish 15m the closest direct line. 20 the other direct line. 30 the close rigger, 35 the long rigger. Subject enough gear/tackle aboard, fish the middle riggers too and find a place half way between the direct lines and the outer riggers. To complete a bait shoal image, we take spreader bars with ballyhoo imitation, 15 rigged out of the blisterpack (eg Williamson) and/or mirror teasers (eg witchdoctor PAKULA). Google them up in the web and you'll understand my pics here below.

Tight lines!

 

[Pargo Man]

the added "depth" of a tri-dimensional bait shoal image might come from mirror teasers under the prop wash. Here's an example.

 

[Pargo Man]

and a scetch how to deploy them tightly to the stern:

 

[Pargo Man]

and from the top it should look something like this:

 

[ColinBhoy]

Hi again guys,

I am seeing some fantastic stuff on here and getting a real education, so many thanks to all.  I am off for a couple of weeks now ...down to Jakarta, Indonesia, for a couple of days business and more than a couple of days R&R

Looking forward to getting back though and into my new found love of Big Game fishing.  Considering that previous experience was cod fishing off the north coast of Scotland, this is a big step change I am making ...and loving every minute of it!

Take care all, and catch you again soon.

Colin.