Category: Inhambane

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Bonefish, bluebottles and easterlies in summertime Tofo

Jimmy Bonefish regularly catches these world record potential bonefish in summertime

Bonefish, bluebottles and easterlies in summertime Tofo

Surfing Tofinho in the predominant easterly winds of summertime can still be a blast. The sand on the point still sends little wind swells reeling along just fine.

The clean warm water has also enticed shoals of bonefish and blue-tailed mullet. They were swimming right into us as they porpoised down the face of the very waves we were catching. Chasing hapless little anchovy looking fishies all over the place. The boneys use the free power of the wave to ambush with. Spectacular.

Bonefish are a staple in this place. Using handlines and small hooks baited with prawn or squid, local anglers know exactly when and where to get a bag full of footlong boneys. They get really big here. World record size. See featured pic of Jimmy the local angler from Tofinho with a bus. Sometimes they vie for attention with the magnificent milkfish. Chanos chanos. A slab of muscle adorned with a huge tail. Which can be seen as they hunt right on the surface. They seem to enjoy the same feeding conditions as the bonefish. Small creatures right on the surface.

Both species will chase your spoon or dropshot. But they always turn away at the last minute. But they will gorge your tiny white fly.

Best have at least a 9 weight for this battle…

Rounding off…this is officially the details of the largest ever bonefish caught…just down the way in Zululand…

Weight: 19 pounds

Line Class: M-30 / All Tackle

Angler: Brian Batchelor

Location: Zululand, South Africa

Date: May 26, 1962

Fight Time: N/A

Lure/Bait: Prawn

Tackle: Atlas line; Penn 49A reel; Sealey Heavy Surf rod

Courtesy IGFA / igfa.org

74_bonefish_at_batchelor.jpg

Some more bonefish stories from Tofo…

https://thesardine.co.za/2017/12/21/bonefish-southern-africa/

https://thesardine.co.za/2013/02/27/jimmy-bonefish/

If you would like to come and target your world record sized bonefish this summertime or next…

Fishing Packages

 

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Bazaruto Fishing News

The GT 's of Bazaruto

Bazaruto Fishing News

Fresh in from Captain Duarte Rato of FishBazaruto.com, right from Bazaruto Island and the Archipelago that surrounds it…news this 10 February 2018. Bazaruto Fishing news…

The GT’s of Bazaruto

Duarte and his team have been operating the Bazaruto waters since forever. Duarte actually grew up fishing Mozambique. He has been doing marlin and sport fishing charter trips, ever since he was in school in Maputo! Right in the most hectic times around here!

Duarte mainly targets really big marlin (I’ve heard him say – “I hate light tackle!”, a number of times). And he has caught them! Over a thousand pounds is the mark, and Duarte has had many fish over that size off the famed Bazaruto Island. Including one released this season. You can read all about that fish right here…

First time angler catches grander Black Marlin…

FishBazaruto work with the lodges and hotels in and around Vilankulos, to arrange all sorts of excursions. It’s not only about fishing around here. Get in touch via http://fishbazaruto.com to arrange…

  • Dhow and Island Picnic Trips
  • Ocean Safaris
  • Fat bike rides
  • Mangrove tours by canoe
  • Cultural experiences
  • Whale watching (winter time)
  • Snorkeling

Vilankulos Island Cruises and Snorkeling trips

The next time you plan a trip up to the Bazaruto Archipelago or Vilankulos, get in touch with FishBazaruto first to assist you in making the best arrangements and plans for your time here. Weather and tide are factors so the more in advance we can plan, the better.

Catch us on Facebook at…

https://web.facebook.com/fishbazaruto/

https://web.facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/

More about FishBazaruto…

Welcome to Vilankulos & the Bazaruto Archipelago, one of World’s best Giant Black Marlin fishing destinations. With 16 years experience in the area our experienced crew invites you to step aboard one of our fully rigged sportfishers, for a fishing experience of a lifetime. We have continuously been the archipelago´s top billfish charter boat for well over a decade and have caught more grander (1000 pound plus) Grander Black Marlin than any other in Africa. Blue and Striped marlin can also be caught out wide and the by-catch of other species such as sailfish, wahoo, Yellowfin tuna, dorado, cuda, Kingfish and other’s makes this an extremely versatile and exciting destination. We cater for experienced and novice anglers alike and for those interested in making the most of the Archipelago’s diversity we happy to combine & package for other forms of fishing such as plugging for GT´s, vertical jigging, drop shot, fly fishing, light tackle spinning & conventional light tackle trolling.”

And a gallery of their latest news post…

So click on over to FishBazaruto…

http://fishbazaruto.com

Post by The Sardine News

 

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“Eating an oyster is like french kissing a mermaid” – Tom Robbins

Oysters on the menu at ZanziBeach in Tofo

“Eating an oyster is like french kissing a mermaid” – Tom Robbins

Or. “Oysters on the menu at ZanziBeach Restaurant in Tofo”.

Mermaids in Praia do Tofo are really ocean breeze beautiful. And then I found out that there were oysters right on the menu at ZanziBeach!

Taking the latter approach, with my lovely mermaid close at hand, a grand serving of oyster was requested. Fresh from the sea. Just the way I love my mermaid too. At this great new little seafood spot right on Tofo Beach.

The dish of regal looking oysters soon glided onto our table. Along with twin pinacoladas. A couple of lemons. Hot chilli and pepper sauce.

The floodgates of flavour opened right up. Like an involuntary spasm, the oysters rained their magic on over and into us. Each one its own fantastical adventure. None two remotely the same. Lime and chilli lubricating and spicing the dreamy and intoxicating sensation.

When they were all lovingly spent, the empty table provided that pure moment of bliss that comes flooding in.

After you have french kissed a mermaid…

 

Catch up with ZanziBeach on Facebook right here…

https://web.facebook.com/zanzibeachtofo/

Stay posted with The Sardine News on Facey here…

http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/

For more information on ZanziBeach Seafood Restaurant in Tofo (video included)…click here to get their official web page – on The Sardine News site.

To get on up to Tofo and to enjoy the life here a while…

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/accomodation/

And other holiday packaged experiences…

Fishing

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/fishing-experiences/

Diving

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/diving-experience/

Surfing

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/surfing-experiences/.

Or get in touch on umzimkulu@gmail.com or http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/ or WhatsApp +27 79 326 9671.

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Surfing Mozambique: It’s cyclone time again

Alternative surfing accommodation in Tofo - in da barrel

Surfing Mozambique: It’s cyclone time again

Surfing Mozambique this time of the is always very interesting. Two cyclones so far, have thumped swell at us this past month. The first, AVA, had us surfing places like Tofinho every day. And the huge dollop of sand there has seen surfing right through the tides. This syclone hit the east side of Madagascar where a huge escaroment of mountains sent it packing. It floated off down south and east, just shy of the exact place we need it to be.

The second was a bit more serious but stayed farther off the coast. On Saturday the ten foot sets arrived closing out the entire Tofnho Bay. On Sunday, Barra went off the scale again. There was no footage shot, nbut this clip of it doing it’s thing last year exactly this time, tells the story.

This clip only features the last third of the first superbank. It starts kilometres further up. The second superbank was also absolutely firing this day. A lot easier but still tubular bells. Top to bottom.

At one point, after my umpteenth wave, I was staggering back only to find my two surfing mates, Aladinho and Dave Charley, lying in a puddle of water, completely spent. I kicked them back both up and out there. Only to hear both of them howl their proverbial lament, over and over – “I just had the BEST wave of my LIFE!”. Over and over again.

I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Barra has one over the other superbanks in the area. It’s easy to get to. Has great pubs and restaurants lining the bay. There are many options, through the tides. It’s all very beautiful too. And very uncrowded. Even if it was, the point is so extensive, you would be surfing alone most of the time.

BUT.

It changes continually. Right now, the second superbank down at the mouth has been replaced by a huge natural swimming pool. As the ocean assaults the bars and establishments along the way.

The first one still exists, but also has a huge swimming pool where the 100metre beach was.

The good news. Is that further up the bay, the original superbank, the one that caused all the fuss way back then, is returning to shape and form. The swell really concentrates on this particular piece of Barra. It breaks real hard and underwater.

And gets 8ft!

And a video playlist of all things surfing Mozambique…

To get on up to Tofo and to enjoy the life here a while…check out our accommodation options at the following link…

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/accomodation/

And other holiday packaged experiences here…

Fishing Experiences

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/fishing-experiences/

Diving Experiences

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/diving-experience/

Surfing Experiences

https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/surfing-experiences/

The Sardine crew have been operating in the tourism world in Southern Africa, for decades. We have assembled packages and options based on these years of experience and contact gathering.

We have tried and tested each option, and the facets therein. We are always on call and/or around.

If you need help with other logistics like travel, we can help.

Get in touch on umzimkulu@gmail.com or http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/ or WhatsApp +27 79 326 9671.

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Surfing Sathanes

Surfing Sathanes

Surfing Sathanes

Surfing Sathanes with an energetic Dustin Volker aka Krusty, and a polished Chris Leppan, this film with camera lady Riz Laine and edit by Xonalanga, tells the real story of surfing the fabled Mozambican point breaks.

A fickle coastline at best, Mozambique surf spots much prefer east swells, which start hammering though as the cyclone season kicks into gear. The swells in this clip were south swells, and as you can see, the wave seems to warble a tad.

It’s great surfing as usual. Krusty kills it on his backhand whilst natural footer Chris is just loving his time up here in the tropics. Right hander after right hander after right hander.

It’s been a good summer so far. And with the first Cyclone, “AVA”, having already caused mayhem on the east side of Madagascar, it looks to be a good season into 2018. This cyclone made landfall half way down Mad, and the steep mountain escarpment that side broke it’s speed from 150kph right down. Where it careened off south-east and out to sea.

But not without sending us some of it’s juices in the form of a punchy east swell, that lit up the Tofo Bay at high tide, with some perfect shore-breaking waves, for quite a few days. It wasn’t big enough for the Barra sand to come alive. But that’s coming soon!

There is a tropical depression way up top, in the cyclone factory right now. Will it form up into a real spinner? The ones we want are not the ones that come into the Mozambique Channel at all. Those randomly cause havoc and chaos, and are literally completey unpredictable. No, the ones we want spin-off and hang around the very tip of Mad. Those are the conditions to watch for.

Get your paddling arms on! These swells are short period and very strong.

Check out our offerings in the Trips and Travel menu at top. Or click here.

And lets go surfing!

Catch us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/

More from surfing this area in Mozambique…

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