Catch Base Archives - Page 7 of 10

Posted on May 7, 2014November 9, 2014 by Sean Lange — 1 Comment

Zambezi Shark on Rapala in the Umzimkulu

A Zambezi Shark freshly caught and released in the Umzimkulu River

It was a beautiful afternoon and with our crew of 6 tourists from the Mantis and Moon Backpackers in Umzumbe, were in high spirits as we trolled two little Strike Pro Rapala imitations through the rising and jumping fish on the Umzimkulu River.

At one stage, a huge tarpon, about a metre in length tailwalked across the bow of the boat. After getting a few chases and a missed strike, we stopped off at the big hole up near Roystons Hall, and started to cast the lures around the place. The water was clean but the river still flowing quite strong. After a hundred casts, and much egging on from the travellers, the green and yellow Strike Pro got hit. A strong fish that fought well, doggedly staying out of sight until at the last minute it broke the surface and showed itself to be a beautiful little Zambesi Shark!

Luckily the boat was full of camera wielding touro’s and we got a heap of great pics and a video clip (coming soon), before releasing it with a kiss, very alive and well, back into the Umzimkulu River. Since this is the second similair sized Zambezi caught in the river this year, with many more of the same shape and size being encountered, we can only deduce that a big momma might still be cruising up and down, after having given birth in the estuary. Maybe there are a few!

To fish with us on the Umzimkulu River, email Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com or call +27 79 326 9671

Posted on May 4, 2014October 29, 2014 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

Catch ‘n cook: Kingfish ace out…

20140503_100938 — Catch ‘n cook: Kingfish ace out…GT caught by Brian Lange

Launching on a whim earlier this year out of the Umzimkulu, and therefore ace out – “I’m just going fishing in the river…”, Brian Lange came back with this monster GT (Giant Trevally / Giant Kingfish) caught on a live bonito on the backline off Port Shepstone. It was too difficult to release fishing on his own and we needed fish for the fridge, so it came home and fed everyone.

Marinaded chunks grilled on coals for not too long are delicious, and shallow fried battered slices will get the kids crazy for it. It’s easy to flavour the batter with your favourite herbs and spices. Don’t cook for too long!

However, the GT is normally released – in fact most of the kingfish species are best thrown back, some also carry ciguatera poisoning.

What we shouldn’t tell you though, is that the Bluefin Kingfish is the one to eat. Succulent, full flavoured…it just melts in your mouth. Luckily they are hard to catch and hard to find, mainly further north. They swim in shoals and so are susceptible to over fishing by netting, sometimes in the fish markets up north, someone brings in a bakkie load. They get quite big, a 10kg bluefin is one helluva fish. And here is a real treat, an underwater video clip of two beautiful adult Bluefin Kingfish…enjoy…

And then finally…the biggest Giant Kingfish I have ever seen was this one we caught off Tofo in Mozambique. It was estimated at 60kg plus, it was a full 6ft long and had eyes like golf balls. I was on Meida van Wyk’s boat fishing with his son Richie, who just had enough battery for this one photograph. It was a smooth release – the kingfish chowed a 5kg live bonito and the brand new heavy tackle outfit gave a good performance bringing the fish healthy to the boat in an hour or so.