Light Offshore Fishing.....
- Thread starter Serra Moz
- Start date
Depends what you call light, LTB is 4kg/8lb, I fished a lot of 12lb for shoal couta in Mozambique, good fun but there are more fish there, the lightest I fish here now is 15lb for snoek but mostly 20lb as I can use the same rods for couta.
Reels are SL30's and TLD 10's on 8'0" rods (Kingfisher Snoek Ski)for snoek/couta and Speedmaster IV's and TLD 15's on 8'6" rods (Kingfisher Dorado Ski) for couta/dorado/YFT/sailfish.
Reels are SL30's and TLD 10's on 8'0" rods (Kingfisher Snoek Ski)for snoek/couta and Speedmaster IV's and TLD 15's on 8'6" rods (Kingfisher Dorado Ski) for couta/dorado/YFT/sailfish.
I will share from a Cape Perspective,
When moving here I only had 20-30kg boat rods with TLD/SL50SH type reels. They still have their place but just outright boring. Last year I bought a Daiwa Seagate 3500QD spooled up with 30lb braid and paired it with a Travella 7ft H. For Snoek /Yellowtail it works super and made fishing fun again
Longfin - still looking for some
this little combo should handle any fish in the sea up to 10KG OK in General any bigger will depend on the situation.
When moving here I only had 20-30kg boat rods with TLD/SL50SH type reels. They still have their place but just outright boring. Last year I bought a Daiwa Seagate 3500QD spooled up with 30lb braid and paired it with a Travella 7ft H. For Snoek /Yellowtail it works super and made fishing fun again
Longfin - still looking for some
this little combo should handle any fish in the sea up to 10KG OK in General any bigger will depend on the situation.
dugongboy wrote:
Thanks, cool info.....yes I want to try it later in the year at the moment I got the following "light" gear as suggested: Some KingFisher rods as mentioned x 4, Reels I have 2 x TLD 15s, 1 x SL 30 and a Penn Defiance 30....line is all 10kgs and less.
Sounds like great fun, something I will certainly take on!
Thanks, cool info.....yes I want to try it later in the year at the moment I got the following "light" gear as suggested: Some KingFisher rods as mentioned x 4, Reels I have 2 x TLD 15s, 1 x SL 30 and a Penn Defiance 30....line is all 10kgs and less.
Sounds like great fun, something I will certainly take on!
BFC wrote:
That's what I got or are using on other people's boats (My boat should be ready in Feb) ... Penn rods/Sensation/KF rod from 15kg up 37kgs various, TLD 25s, Penn Squalls 50s and 60s, I see your point in getting boring, thus later in the year I would love try lighter stuff or make a going "light day" once in a while. I am sure a Yellowtail provides you with a decent fight on those tackle you are using. Once I am back home, I will post some pics of what I got or intend using for this light venture.
Thanks for you input, however my concern is say for example I use the 10kg/20lbs line and I am trolling....and get a strike/hook up on a nice Cuta/Dorrie....depending on my drag settings will the fish not out right bust me up? Do you guys put on leaders?
BTW, I have caught nice Cuta on drift bait with light line and a SpeedMaster - great fun.
That's what I got or are using on other people's boats (My boat should be ready in Feb) ... Penn rods/Sensation/KF rod from 15kg up 37kgs various, TLD 25s, Penn Squalls 50s and 60s, I see your point in getting boring, thus later in the year I would love try lighter stuff or make a going "light day" once in a while. I am sure a Yellowtail provides you with a decent fight on those tackle you are using. Once I am back home, I will post some pics of what I got or intend using for this light venture.
Thanks for you input, however my concern is say for example I use the 10kg/20lbs line and I am trolling....and get a strike/hook up on a nice Cuta/Dorrie....depending on my drag settings will the fish not out right bust me up? Do you guys put on leaders?
BTW, I have caught nice Cuta on drift bait with light line and a SpeedMaster - great fun.
Hi Serra
Your setup is perfect!when we use to fish interclubs it was all IGFA rated 10kg class,our setups were kingfisher dorado ski's, purglass tiger special and some other custom made rods. Reels were TLD 15's an SL30's? If one can afford to i would change the reels to toriums or tyrnos. We spooled our reels wit triple fish igfa rated line, nowadays i spool my reels with Kingfisher Giant Abrasion line in .40 and one reel with .55 just in case. Lightish setups are great fun but can as lead to a lot of frustrations, just remember on these thin diamiter line to add a leader. It helps a lot
Hope this helps
Regards
Makaira
Your setup is perfect!when we use to fish interclubs it was all IGFA rated 10kg class,our setups were kingfisher dorado ski's, purglass tiger special and some other custom made rods. Reels were TLD 15's an SL30's? If one can afford to i would change the reels to toriums or tyrnos. We spooled our reels wit triple fish igfa rated line, nowadays i spool my reels with Kingfisher Giant Abrasion line in .40 and one reel with .55 just in case. Lightish setups are great fun but can as lead to a lot of frustrations, just remember on these thin diamiter line to add a leader. It helps a lot
Hope this helps
Regards
Makaira
makaira wrote:
Thanks, so I am on the right track, I do have an array of Toriums ect.... but I do use them for land based fishing only, some of them are upgraded and I don't want to "wasted" them getting hammered at sea. What diameter leaders did you use with your light set ups?
Thanks for your input buddy.
Thanks, so I am on the right track, I do have an array of Toriums ect.... but I do use them for land based fishing only, some of them are upgraded and I don't want to "wasted" them getting hammered at sea. What diameter leaders did you use with your light set ups?
Thanks for your input buddy.
You welcome!
I think it was 30lb but nowadays i use Maxima marine green .67 line. Bit expensive but works very well. I still have my TLD's that belonged to my father and he bought them in the 80's. Just changed a bearing here and there and they still running as strong as the day they were bought. The new tyrnos is just great, nice gear ratio etc but the TLD's still stay king imo. Maybe one day when i win the lotto i will buy new ones.
Good luck and tight lines
Regards
I think it was 30lb but nowadays i use Maxima marine green .67 line. Bit expensive but works very well. I still have my TLD's that belonged to my father and he bought them in the 80's. Just changed a bearing here and there and they still running as strong as the day they were bought. The new tyrnos is just great, nice gear ratio etc but the TLD's still stay king imo. Maybe one day when i win the lotto i will buy new ones.
Good luck and tight lines
Regards
Herewith an article I wrote last year for the Cape guys. Some of it may be relevant. Pics not included - and it omits the latest 10kg YFT record.
LIGHT TACKLE GAMEFISHING.
With the recent yellowfin run and the number of people hooking tuna on yellowtail tackle (and in many cases failing to land them) I thought it may be appropriate to put down some thoughts for those who want to try this deliberately. At the same time it is encouraging to see the number of SL50’s that became 8000 size grinders and that are now4/5000 size – this is the next step!
It is worth stating at the outset that this is not the best way to catch a fish for the table, nor is it conducive to releasing fish. Simply put the build up of lactic acid makes for an unsavoury meal and a low survival rate in the case of a release. Light tackle fishing is also not a numbers game – at least not in terms of landed fish as each fight may take some time.
DEFINITION.
Let’s keep it simple. Light tackle is relative to the size of fish. In general terms any tackle that is rated one third or lighter than the quarry, qualifies as light. This means 3kg line on a 9kg fish, a 3:1 catch. Or, for skilled anglers, 5:1, 10kg line and a 50kg catch and then the ultimate a 10:1 or better.
There have been some truly remarkable catches over the years and some genuinely skilled anglers who have made them. Leo Cloostermans, Stuart Campbell and Enrico Capozzi are some of the names, and their catches - Respectively 573lb blue marlin on 4lb test, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 30lb records for atlantic blue marlin and a 735lb black on 6lb test amongst 100 other records (incl marlin on 2 and 4lb).
You will note that I often use both metric and imperial measurements – not just because of age, but because many records were set before IGFA settled on metric. I will try and stick to metric from now on!
SPECIES.
As the topic is gamefishing, I will leave out bottom fishing (probably because I still struggle to catch kob and ‘bek!) and concentrate on yellowfin, longfin, yellowtail and snoek. Of the 4, we can realistically expect to target world record fish for the first 2 and for snoek. Although we get plenty of yellowtail, they do not get to record size in our local waters, but they should certainly be right up there as a light tackle target. In general, the cleaner a fish fights, the easier it is to land on light tackle, and this is one of the reasons why the billfish records are so high and the records for our chosen quartet are so low – they are dirty fighters. This means that we should be happy with any size fish we land on the light gear even though the real test is on the bigger fish.
In terms of what tackle to what species, tail and snoek should be chased on 1,2 and 3kg line, whilst longfin would include 4 and 6kg as well. Yellowfin can be tackled on 3, 4, 6 and 8kg line.
MAIN TACKLE
This is very much a personal issue and the crux of the issue is that you do not need the best, latest tackle to compete. Whilst a custom rod with a Stella or similar may be very nice, it won’t help you unless you have the feel for your tackle. This is very difficult to teach but it means knowing by feel how much pressure you have on a fish, and how much extra you can put on if you need to. Good anglers can do this in increments of 50gms or less – just by feel.
For the rod I would go slightly longer than customary with a more forgiving tip action. My favourite 2kg stick is a 5 weight fly rod cut down to 8 feet.
It is light enough to handle during a long fight, is forgiving, but has enough backbone to pressure a fish when you have the leader. I have not yet found a perfect off the shelf light tackle rod, but the Shimano bass rods in the longer range (7-8feet) and ringed for grinders do pretty well. I would be happy to use them for 2 and 3kg classes.
When you get to 4 and 6kg classes, the choice is a bit wider due to the different reels that are available in this group. I have 2 x 7’3†Daiwa Inshores, one rated 6kg that I use on 4kg and one rated 10kg that I use on 6kg. Apparently Daiwa and I disagree on ratings!
The lighter one is built for a grinder, whilst the heavier is for a multiplier. Both fit the bill pretty well and apart from re-ringing with roller tips, are still original.
For 8kg and above, I like conventional style gamefish rods. Both Daiwa and Shimano make good ones, although try and get the longer versions, not our standard Cape 5’6â€. It is also critical here to get a roller tip.
For all rods make sure you get the most comfortable handle material, a decent large, flexible butt pad and that the distance of the butt from the reel seat matches your reach and likewise from the reel to the foregrip. I prefer a shorter butt section of about 30-35cm, and a foregrip between 20 and 30cm from the reel. I still prefer to use cork for the lighter rods but EVA for the 6 and 8kg sticks as a handle material.
If you do decide to the custom route or indeed look at re-ringing a rod, look at the new PacBay minima 4 guides or the Fuji SiC. For the rollers, look at AFTCO or PacBay, just make sure the tolerances are very fine for thin line – those braid compatible ones with a deeper “V†will be fine.
Eish, now for reels. There has been so much written about drag smoothness and abilities and materials that it can be quite overwhelming. The nice thing about light tackle is that the only thing that matters is smoothness. You will not even get close to maximum drag so that is not an issue. As you will be winding for some time, a comfortable handle is a must. I have found the “egg†shape to be the best, although you may need to retrofit it to most reels. For the lighter classes (1 and 2kg) I prefer to use a centre pin or KP or Scarborough reel. You have much better control of the drag by feel, have a good line capacity and have lightweight to balance the rod. I am still using a small wooden flyreel built in 1922 for this and it works well. Just to assuage any doubts, the 2kg outfit has landed snoek to 5.1kgs and a 6.7kg tail. (I am still practicing with the 1kg……)
For 3kg class I use a small Daiwa Exceller 3000. It has a perfectly adequate drag that can be fine tuned by greasing the washers with a high temperature airplane grease. It is lightweight and reliable and has had many fish to its credit.
For 4kg I am using a small Penn. Like the Daiwa it does a good job but has a slightly higher capacity.
With the higher line classes and bigger fish, the capacity of a conventional multiplier makes it a logical choice. Because of light drags and light weight, a carbon framed reel is adequate. I use a SL20 and an old TLD 10. (BTW, if anyone has any TLD 5’s or 10’s around I am looking!)
In all cases and whatever reel you use, it needs to be serviced after each trip. Make sure the handle turns freely, the insides are dry and free from corrosion and sand, the main bearings are sufficiently lubricated (annually is normally OK), and that the drag washers are well lubricated. I actually add 3:1 oil to the washers, not grease. This is because I want them to be slippery and to have a finitely adjustable drag. You can play around with the drag stack but I have found that after a big fish, it will need to be redone completely. I also change the drag completely every season. Whenever you have serviced and oiled the drag, give it a good test prior to hitting the water.
There is only one type of line for this fishing and that is mono. Whilst there are many IGFA rated brands available, I tend to stick with ANDE. It has stood the test of time and offers the ideal blend of strength, abrasion resistance, knot strength and elasticity. Other brands that are recommended are Stren and T-Line if you feel like shopping around. Also, rather ask your tackle store to order you in a bunch rather than buying off the shelf. Mono exposed to light loses strength and deteriorates, and not many spools of 2kg line will get sold, hence the dusty one on special may not be such a good deal.
In summary of the above, whilst you can easily spend 10k on an outfit, you can get kitted up with a decent 3kg set up for about R1500 including the line. I would recommend the 3kg range to start with as it allows you to tackle some big fish and is still slightly forgiving.
RIGGING
There is only one word – perfection. If you have the slightest doubt about any part of the set up, then redo it. IGFA allows you to fish a double line of up to 15 feet and a combined double and leader of up to 20 feet. I recommend keeping the leader (no restriction on class) as long as possible, and the double only as long as needed to join the leader. I like to use home made windons and have found that a range in 15, 24 and 37kg suits most applications with the 15kg being the most popular. Simply double the main line with a bimini and then double loop the wind on Dacron to the main line. Just a point on the windon – make sure the mono insert butts tightly against the Dacron insert and that there is no stage of single Dacron that will create a weak spot.
Also remember to whip and glue all connections.
METHOD
Forget trolling and blind baiting (except for snoek) or blind casting. Your tackle will not stand up to a strike when trolling, you most likely will not land the average 50kg yellowfin on bait on 3kg, and it is difficult to cast a heavy snake on 2kg line. The critical thought is that you need to find the right size fish to cast to – not just cast to any fish. This is where having a good fishing buddy comes in.
You need to tease the fish into range and then pick the line class and bait to match the fish raised. If you have read this far then you will have seen a shoal of tuna under the boat and had countless occasions when yellowtail have followed your spinner to the boat but have not committed. These are the times you want to replicate and take advantage of. Let’s start with longfin.
The 3kg record is just shy of 11kgs, a very reasonable target. Tackle up with your 3kg outfit, tie on 15kg flouro leader and a 6/0 bait hook of choice – I like to use a 4 turn nail knot or a uni knot. Go to the deep, find the normal areas in the normal way and when you know you are in the fish, keep chumming until you have the fish in sight. When you see a 12kg fish, drop the bait in and away you go. Simple! In all reality you will get 10kg fish and 20kg fish, blue sharks, the odd yellowfin etc, but that right sized fish will prove elusive. You will lose a lot of line, probably replace a reel or two, watch your buddies land fish after fish, but, when you do manage to pull off the catch, you will know why many consider it one of the peaks of our sport. The more patience you have, the luckier you will get (with apologies to Gary Player!).
The method for yellowfin is much the same – although they are even more difficult! It would be adviseable to start with 6 or 8kg tackle and I would up the leader to 24kg and the hook to an 8/0. You will find that most of the pro’s will always have the light tackle on board but will not fish it unless the opportunity arises. It is difficult enough for us to get out there and get into fish, let alone wait and be choosey! However when the time is right, everyone has had a fish and the fish are still there in the line, then is a good time to get excited. I believe that a 5:1 catch in our waters is something to be proud of, a 7:1 shows really good skill and anything better demonstrates that you deserve a record! In fact only one 10:1 record exists in this fishery, Nic de Kock’s 60kg on 6kg line.
(since added to by the 110kg on 10kg).
SOME ADVICE
Practice on snoek when they are thick. Anchor downcurrent of the comms so that you do not interfere.
Keep the line to rod angle at 90 degrees. (The angle of the line coming from the rod tip).
Let the rod act as a shock absorber. I try and only give line once the rod tip is past 45 degrees.
Keep changing the linear angle that you are fighting the fish. (the angle that the line enters the mouth of the fish).
Use the boat to change and put pressure on a fish. This is especially useful if it dives on you. Motor away so that you can get a better angle to pull the fish.
If it really dives and you are going to get spooled, slacken off completely and give fee spool. Often the fish will feel less resistance and will stop. You can then try again!
Use the engines to scare the fish away from danger if relevant. SW reefs is a good example!
Keep another heavy rod baited up to discourage sharks as well as a seal scaring device.
There are more smaller longfin at the end of the season.
Smaller fish stay closer to the current line.
There are more smaller yellowfin in the middle of the season.
Stop fishing for yellowfin at 15.00 – you don’t want to fight a fish in the dark!
LIGHT TACKLE GAMEFISHING.
With the recent yellowfin run and the number of people hooking tuna on yellowtail tackle (and in many cases failing to land them) I thought it may be appropriate to put down some thoughts for those who want to try this deliberately. At the same time it is encouraging to see the number of SL50’s that became 8000 size grinders and that are now4/5000 size – this is the next step!
It is worth stating at the outset that this is not the best way to catch a fish for the table, nor is it conducive to releasing fish. Simply put the build up of lactic acid makes for an unsavoury meal and a low survival rate in the case of a release. Light tackle fishing is also not a numbers game – at least not in terms of landed fish as each fight may take some time.
DEFINITION.
Let’s keep it simple. Light tackle is relative to the size of fish. In general terms any tackle that is rated one third or lighter than the quarry, qualifies as light. This means 3kg line on a 9kg fish, a 3:1 catch. Or, for skilled anglers, 5:1, 10kg line and a 50kg catch and then the ultimate a 10:1 or better.
There have been some truly remarkable catches over the years and some genuinely skilled anglers who have made them. Leo Cloostermans, Stuart Campbell and Enrico Capozzi are some of the names, and their catches - Respectively 573lb blue marlin on 4lb test, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 30lb records for atlantic blue marlin and a 735lb black on 6lb test amongst 100 other records (incl marlin on 2 and 4lb).
You will note that I often use both metric and imperial measurements – not just because of age, but because many records were set before IGFA settled on metric. I will try and stick to metric from now on!
SPECIES.
As the topic is gamefishing, I will leave out bottom fishing (probably because I still struggle to catch kob and ‘bek!) and concentrate on yellowfin, longfin, yellowtail and snoek. Of the 4, we can realistically expect to target world record fish for the first 2 and for snoek. Although we get plenty of yellowtail, they do not get to record size in our local waters, but they should certainly be right up there as a light tackle target. In general, the cleaner a fish fights, the easier it is to land on light tackle, and this is one of the reasons why the billfish records are so high and the records for our chosen quartet are so low – they are dirty fighters. This means that we should be happy with any size fish we land on the light gear even though the real test is on the bigger fish.
In terms of what tackle to what species, tail and snoek should be chased on 1,2 and 3kg line, whilst longfin would include 4 and 6kg as well. Yellowfin can be tackled on 3, 4, 6 and 8kg line.
MAIN TACKLE
This is very much a personal issue and the crux of the issue is that you do not need the best, latest tackle to compete. Whilst a custom rod with a Stella or similar may be very nice, it won’t help you unless you have the feel for your tackle. This is very difficult to teach but it means knowing by feel how much pressure you have on a fish, and how much extra you can put on if you need to. Good anglers can do this in increments of 50gms or less – just by feel.
For the rod I would go slightly longer than customary with a more forgiving tip action. My favourite 2kg stick is a 5 weight fly rod cut down to 8 feet.
It is light enough to handle during a long fight, is forgiving, but has enough backbone to pressure a fish when you have the leader. I have not yet found a perfect off the shelf light tackle rod, but the Shimano bass rods in the longer range (7-8feet) and ringed for grinders do pretty well. I would be happy to use them for 2 and 3kg classes.
When you get to 4 and 6kg classes, the choice is a bit wider due to the different reels that are available in this group. I have 2 x 7’3†Daiwa Inshores, one rated 6kg that I use on 4kg and one rated 10kg that I use on 6kg. Apparently Daiwa and I disagree on ratings!
The lighter one is built for a grinder, whilst the heavier is for a multiplier. Both fit the bill pretty well and apart from re-ringing with roller tips, are still original.
For 8kg and above, I like conventional style gamefish rods. Both Daiwa and Shimano make good ones, although try and get the longer versions, not our standard Cape 5’6â€. It is also critical here to get a roller tip.
For all rods make sure you get the most comfortable handle material, a decent large, flexible butt pad and that the distance of the butt from the reel seat matches your reach and likewise from the reel to the foregrip. I prefer a shorter butt section of about 30-35cm, and a foregrip between 20 and 30cm from the reel. I still prefer to use cork for the lighter rods but EVA for the 6 and 8kg sticks as a handle material.
If you do decide to the custom route or indeed look at re-ringing a rod, look at the new PacBay minima 4 guides or the Fuji SiC. For the rollers, look at AFTCO or PacBay, just make sure the tolerances are very fine for thin line – those braid compatible ones with a deeper “V†will be fine.
Eish, now for reels. There has been so much written about drag smoothness and abilities and materials that it can be quite overwhelming. The nice thing about light tackle is that the only thing that matters is smoothness. You will not even get close to maximum drag so that is not an issue. As you will be winding for some time, a comfortable handle is a must. I have found the “egg†shape to be the best, although you may need to retrofit it to most reels. For the lighter classes (1 and 2kg) I prefer to use a centre pin or KP or Scarborough reel. You have much better control of the drag by feel, have a good line capacity and have lightweight to balance the rod. I am still using a small wooden flyreel built in 1922 for this and it works well. Just to assuage any doubts, the 2kg outfit has landed snoek to 5.1kgs and a 6.7kg tail. (I am still practicing with the 1kg……)
For 3kg class I use a small Daiwa Exceller 3000. It has a perfectly adequate drag that can be fine tuned by greasing the washers with a high temperature airplane grease. It is lightweight and reliable and has had many fish to its credit.
For 4kg I am using a small Penn. Like the Daiwa it does a good job but has a slightly higher capacity.
With the higher line classes and bigger fish, the capacity of a conventional multiplier makes it a logical choice. Because of light drags and light weight, a carbon framed reel is adequate. I use a SL20 and an old TLD 10. (BTW, if anyone has any TLD 5’s or 10’s around I am looking!)
In all cases and whatever reel you use, it needs to be serviced after each trip. Make sure the handle turns freely, the insides are dry and free from corrosion and sand, the main bearings are sufficiently lubricated (annually is normally OK), and that the drag washers are well lubricated. I actually add 3:1 oil to the washers, not grease. This is because I want them to be slippery and to have a finitely adjustable drag. You can play around with the drag stack but I have found that after a big fish, it will need to be redone completely. I also change the drag completely every season. Whenever you have serviced and oiled the drag, give it a good test prior to hitting the water.
There is only one type of line for this fishing and that is mono. Whilst there are many IGFA rated brands available, I tend to stick with ANDE. It has stood the test of time and offers the ideal blend of strength, abrasion resistance, knot strength and elasticity. Other brands that are recommended are Stren and T-Line if you feel like shopping around. Also, rather ask your tackle store to order you in a bunch rather than buying off the shelf. Mono exposed to light loses strength and deteriorates, and not many spools of 2kg line will get sold, hence the dusty one on special may not be such a good deal.
In summary of the above, whilst you can easily spend 10k on an outfit, you can get kitted up with a decent 3kg set up for about R1500 including the line. I would recommend the 3kg range to start with as it allows you to tackle some big fish and is still slightly forgiving.
RIGGING
There is only one word – perfection. If you have the slightest doubt about any part of the set up, then redo it. IGFA allows you to fish a double line of up to 15 feet and a combined double and leader of up to 20 feet. I recommend keeping the leader (no restriction on class) as long as possible, and the double only as long as needed to join the leader. I like to use home made windons and have found that a range in 15, 24 and 37kg suits most applications with the 15kg being the most popular. Simply double the main line with a bimini and then double loop the wind on Dacron to the main line. Just a point on the windon – make sure the mono insert butts tightly against the Dacron insert and that there is no stage of single Dacron that will create a weak spot.
Also remember to whip and glue all connections.
METHOD
Forget trolling and blind baiting (except for snoek) or blind casting. Your tackle will not stand up to a strike when trolling, you most likely will not land the average 50kg yellowfin on bait on 3kg, and it is difficult to cast a heavy snake on 2kg line. The critical thought is that you need to find the right size fish to cast to – not just cast to any fish. This is where having a good fishing buddy comes in.
You need to tease the fish into range and then pick the line class and bait to match the fish raised. If you have read this far then you will have seen a shoal of tuna under the boat and had countless occasions when yellowtail have followed your spinner to the boat but have not committed. These are the times you want to replicate and take advantage of. Let’s start with longfin.
The 3kg record is just shy of 11kgs, a very reasonable target. Tackle up with your 3kg outfit, tie on 15kg flouro leader and a 6/0 bait hook of choice – I like to use a 4 turn nail knot or a uni knot. Go to the deep, find the normal areas in the normal way and when you know you are in the fish, keep chumming until you have the fish in sight. When you see a 12kg fish, drop the bait in and away you go. Simple! In all reality you will get 10kg fish and 20kg fish, blue sharks, the odd yellowfin etc, but that right sized fish will prove elusive. You will lose a lot of line, probably replace a reel or two, watch your buddies land fish after fish, but, when you do manage to pull off the catch, you will know why many consider it one of the peaks of our sport. The more patience you have, the luckier you will get (with apologies to Gary Player!).
The method for yellowfin is much the same – although they are even more difficult! It would be adviseable to start with 6 or 8kg tackle and I would up the leader to 24kg and the hook to an 8/0. You will find that most of the pro’s will always have the light tackle on board but will not fish it unless the opportunity arises. It is difficult enough for us to get out there and get into fish, let alone wait and be choosey! However when the time is right, everyone has had a fish and the fish are still there in the line, then is a good time to get excited. I believe that a 5:1 catch in our waters is something to be proud of, a 7:1 shows really good skill and anything better demonstrates that you deserve a record! In fact only one 10:1 record exists in this fishery, Nic de Kock’s 60kg on 6kg line.
(since added to by the 110kg on 10kg).
SOME ADVICE
Practice on snoek when they are thick. Anchor downcurrent of the comms so that you do not interfere.
Keep the line to rod angle at 90 degrees. (The angle of the line coming from the rod tip).
Let the rod act as a shock absorber. I try and only give line once the rod tip is past 45 degrees.
Keep changing the linear angle that you are fighting the fish. (the angle that the line enters the mouth of the fish).
Use the boat to change and put pressure on a fish. This is especially useful if it dives on you. Motor away so that you can get a better angle to pull the fish.
If it really dives and you are going to get spooled, slacken off completely and give fee spool. Often the fish will feel less resistance and will stop. You can then try again!
Use the engines to scare the fish away from danger if relevant. SW reefs is a good example!
Keep another heavy rod baited up to discourage sharks as well as a seal scaring device.
There are more smaller longfin at the end of the season.
Smaller fish stay closer to the current line.
There are more smaller yellowfin in the middle of the season.
Stop fishing for yellowfin at 15.00 – you don’t want to fight a fish in the dark!
Fin-S wrote:
EPIC !!!! would love to know more detail on tackle used and duration of the fight...
Ive also climbed on the light tackle bus over the last year albeit targetting vaal bronzies aka Mr Whiskers. I still have my heavy setups (30-50lb braid) but when the 3-5kg shoals move through the area in go's the shakespeare ugly stik UL (4-8lb) , shimano stradic 2500 loaded with 5 lb double x hi vis and a 30lb leader ....I cannot tell you how much sport this provides , but like you say hook a bigger fish and you are in the .... cats love to fight dirty and run for structure.
Thanks again for the informative post! Mana to you
EPIC !!!! would love to know more detail on tackle used and duration of the fight...
Ive also climbed on the light tackle bus over the last year albeit targetting vaal bronzies aka Mr Whiskers. I still have my heavy setups (30-50lb braid) but when the 3-5kg shoals move through the area in go's the shakespeare ugly stik UL (4-8lb) , shimano stradic 2500 loaded with 5 lb double x hi vis and a 30lb leader ....I cannot tell you how much sport this provides , but like you say hook a bigger fish and you are in the .... cats love to fight dirty and run for structure.
Thanks again for the informative post! Mana to you
benniejordaan
Sealiner
benniejordaan
Sealiner
benniejordaan
Sealiner
aquadementia
Sealiner
my dad has been having a jol with light tackle, 8lb braid and a bass rod. Catching various species which from poenskop to grey sharks and even unusual species like gnomefish
he hooked a very large kob and after nearly being stripped they followed it with the boat and as they were directly above it the hook pulled!
he hooked a very large kob and after nearly being stripped they followed it with the boat and as they were directly above it the hook pulled!