MAZEPPA BAY AUGUST 2016

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One of the Sponsors of Sealine... All Out Angling approached me with a request to take 2 of their staff on a hands on fishing trip to the Kei and being a fishing opportunity and they being good wholesale clients I just couldn't say no.

They wanted to do a mix of fishing so that they can better serve their customers when advising on tackle, bait, lures etc, etc

Total Catch for the 5 days.

Hound Shark x 1
Blacktips x 2
Greys x 5
HIDINGS x 4

We also got to test some awesome fishing tackle from Okuma and I got to use the Horizon and a Grinder setup DC 8-10oz

 

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We arrived late Thursday and with 1 hour of daylight left we decided to put a bait in.... 40 min later and I was on with a +/1 120kg Grey off Shark Point, Trying to get it to a good place to land in the dark we wrapped the leader on a rock and it was 1-0 to Mazeppa

Next morning it was the Island..... First bait in while we setup was a Mackie throwbait on the Metaloid 90, 50lbs HMP (600m) and a long cast with the Assassin Horizon by Kobie. Nathan was holding the rod when a dolphin wrapped in the line and was screaming off to the Horizon.... Nathan being a Carp Angler with a PB fish of 16kg was running after the fish... sure he had hooked a Blackfin...... on;y to be told it was a Dol-fin. Crank up the Metaloid's dual carbon drag till the 50lbs breaks. Well if you ever want to see how smooth or strong a reel's drag is..... Go tangle with a Bottlenose Dolphin....

 

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No Kob and no Garrick and there hadn't been any for the last 2 months.

So we scratched and got a number of Gallies for the pan as well as some fair sized Blacktail..... Mandla proved to be Gallie king with the Loomis 5oz

 

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WE kept feeding the crabs off the island and a short while into the day Kobie re-caught his throwbait trace with a lot of Cracker/Steenie bait wrapped up in the leader

 

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With the crabs being pests and the water Gin Clear I convinced Justin (a Client who when he heard we were at Mazeppa made a Sho-Left on his way to Port Alfred and landed up at Mazeppa) to launch his Aquacat from Tiny's rock and drop a bait 300m off the island..... Mandla went back to the beach to collect the Aquacat.

Nathan made acquaintance with either a Mother of All Thorntail rays or a Black Ray.......

2 hours later it was still 450m out and it cut him off on some reef, front Left of the Island

Feeling the Burn and wondering what on earth he let himself in for

 

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All day fishing with no success and just as the sun is setting. I'm trying to watch WP being hammered by the Cheetahs on Supersport's live Streaming on my phone when my Absolute shark is nearly pulled out of my hand.

Another fight in the dark and a very stubborn Grey that had me Praying, Cursing, Bending and on the verge of tears as it hugged the right of the Island holding in the current and then occasionally swimming into the bay.

It never once gave me the choice of heading to the beach, the tid was nopw pushing strongly and the fish was almost under the bridge when I handed my rod over to Kobie and jumped down and into the water under the bridge and leadered it up......

Kobie was high and was keen to see what it was, with the bridge in the way and me working below he only saw the fish on the far side of the channel and he couldn't quite understand why this shark had kept me busy for over 2 hours and was being so stubborn.

I got the fish in behind a large rock and calle them to get down and help me haul it out to tag, unhook and release the fish.

As he came down and around the Bridge his words summed it all up...... "Dis nie 'n klein Grey die nie, dis 'n F'n GROOT Grey...... His previous biggest grey he had dealt with was 50kg and this one was 188kg

 

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Mandla had worked hard with one in the Dark and I was glad he was there to help out and prevent me from breaking my neck or ankle again

 

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Next morning while Nathan was trying to take a Pic of the Makaira 20'000 in the Sunrise he was pulled flat and found out how irresponsible it is to fish Braid on a Grinder without a fighting bucket....

He quickly tamed the 68kg Grey that picked up his bait but getting it into position to land behind Cable Rock was tricky and he learnt the hard way of how hard you can and have to pull a fish on 75lbs HMP when no quarter is asked or given

Plenty tired and hurting with his PB saltwater fish

 

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While they're on I hook into a good fish and it takes me around to Shelley beach off of Boiling Pot.......

All of a sudden it run North East and around Boiling Pot, some newbies are spooning in the bay and catch my braid and drop it in the rocks while unhooking the line.

Mandla is like a Jack Rabbit off to the front to unhook the line but I'm sure there's no chance now. I ease off on the drag and hope for the best.

The fish is thankfully high in the water and the braid blows up the other lines we have in the water and I get a chance to head around the point as the other lines keep my line and braid out of the water.

WIth it being mid tide and the fish heading off to the Island I decide to try get around Cable Rock..... Damn the line is on Cable Rock, I head up to the Tower with the drag loose and Mandla scrambles to Cable Rock and frees the line, line blows back and tangles on Cable Rock's pole.

Then it's out but into the next rocks. Friendly local lifts the line Clear.

Shark swims into the bay and I can't clear Submarine Rock....... Only 1 way now, freespool the fish, give Mandla my rod and swim out to Submarine rock and then the reef in front of Submarine rocks

Eventually everything is clears and the fish is in the bay.

I get to the beach and realise the fish is right out near the front of the Island so I lock up and hold..... She swims left and into the rip alongside the Island.

I'm thinking, man the worst's over, it has to go better now....... Mandla starts shouting and waving..... There's a surfer surfing over my line and then he's riding out over the rip...... Man o Man I can't have gone through all this to be cut off by a Surfer......

Next minute the shark surfaces almost right next to the surfer..... quickest Rocky point exit of the swell I've ever seen from a surfer......

20 minutes later she's on the beach..... Lovely Dusky

 

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This gives better perspective off the shark

 

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Get back and Kobie is on with my other rod....

Not much coaching needed with Kobie, he's an accomplished angler in his own right.

Up and down, hills and dale, this fish has the measure of him.

I take duty to watch the rods and Kobie, Nathan and Mandla head off to Shelly beach and 3.5 hours later land a 223kg Beast of a Dusky

 

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They kept her in the water because even in the water the 3 of them were struggling to move the fish.

 

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Anyway's while they're busy I go tight with the 10oz DC and Makaira.....

The poor fish is no match for the Makaira's drag and is quickly off to the left.

Over Cable Rock and with the water pushing I clear all the reefs.

Let me now say one thing..... The grinder and braid hammers the fish but it also HAMMERS the fisherman......... and although the Grinder has no problem handling the fish I will personally not target big fish ie 100kg+ with a Grinder if I can do it with a multiplier

160kg Grey

 

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Somewhere I missed an Island session but Prior to the 223kg Kobie landed an 81kg Grey on the Island

 

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Next port of Call.... Shark Point....

First Fish on is for Justin.... Turns out to be a 80kg+ Blacktip

He hooked another and it swam around Steenbras rock toward the Island and came back to Steenbras rock where it cut his 1.6mm leader

 

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Next fish picks up and is toying with the bait.... I can feel him eating the bait and I tighten up setting the Circle..... Acrobatics start and it's a huge Blacktip.... jumping, thrashing and all over the place..... Drop the rod tip and ease off the drag.....

Hand over to Nathan and he starts the long fight.......

Melvin and Akshay are fishing off to our right and we don't see our fish is over their lines..... They have a pickup and Melvin hit's the fish.... it comes up to jump and his braid slices straight through our mainline...... Damn...

Start retying and the other rod goes down..... Fish thrashes on the surface and swims right, straight over Steenbras rock.

I send him high and it works, we clear the reef and land it between the flat rocks and Steenbras rock... another Blacktip

 

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Last day dawns and it's isn't looking to promising....

Set the lines and with 4 baits in we are anxious for an early morning bite. A whole pod of dolphins takes station in the Boiling Pot and they just Chill Out.... I've got a BAD feeling about this....

Pickup..... I feel the fish.... not that big but big enough to take to the beach. I start climbing to get the line out the way and move to the beach..... Disaster strikes. Dolphins swim into my line, long story short, I almost get spooled, dolphin drags my shark out to sea and my braid get's cut off.

Get back to the rods and I get a bit on the next rod..... Luckily the dolphins move off in the direction of Wavecrest and I move safely to the beach with my shark

 

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Next bite is on Justin's rod and it's a beast, heads off to the deep and all of a sudden slack line..... he didn't re-spool after the Blacktip reefed him..... found some damage on the line and only got the coils of his bimini back.

Weather got really bad so we set about testing the casting ability of the Metaloid 90 (600m 50lbs HMP)and Makaira 20'000 (600m 75lbs HMP)

Rod for casting Assassin Horizon XL

I can still get a rod to bend.....

 

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Kobie on the other hand folds the rod in half

 

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All in All I'd say it was a successful All Out Angling trips

The AoA staff learnt a lot and taught me some as well. They now know a lot more about what to sell you to catch monster fish

Thanks to Trophy Tackle Den and specifically Riaaz for helping out with the right baits at short notice.

The Makaira after run 1 of the Grey