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Posted on April 1, 2018April 1, 2018 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

Nicky Momberg Yellowfin Tuna 77.7kg makes it two in a row off Shelley Beach

Nicky Momberg Yellowfin Tuna 77.7kg makes it two in a row off Shelley Beach.

Unbelievably another outsized yellowfin tuna by Nicky Momberg on Nitro. And I get the very rare chance of apologising for reporting that it was a charter boat that caught yesterday’s fish of 101kg’s. Nope, it was Nicky Momberg! On the good ship NITRO.

Congratulations again to Nicky and his crew.

Thank you to Craig from The Tackle Box in Shelley Beach for the photos and weight details of today’s remarkable yellowfin. Maybe the lucky boat Nitro will go out tomorrow and make it three in a row. A hat-trick that no-one would believe without photos that’s for sure!

And here is yesterdays groundbreaking fish all over again…crew in full glory…historical moment for all Shelley Beach deep sea anglers…dreams do come true.

Here’s to hoping these fish might have recently made KZN a place to come and show off their size. These are huge fish, double the size of anything anyones come with before.

At this stage, these fish were reportedly caught on lures trolled with 80lb gear.

STOP PRESS!

This in from Nicky Momberg, on the fish he caught the day before – the 101kg yellowfin tuna…

“Thanks a lot. Was on a Pulsator Marlin Magnet Kona and we got it on the 1800 meter mark. Took 1h:45 to land it. Was my dreamfish for the past 10 years I’ve been fishing there and knew the fish would be there one day”

You can get your Pulsator tackle right there at the base. The Tackle Box have the best location ever for a tackle shop. Loads of parking. And just on the hill overlooking the launch, as you turn in from the north entrance. Signs everywhere.

Keep tabs on things at The Sardine News here…https://thesardine.co.za

Or Facebook page here…http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

Saving the Seas: Marine Reserves are the only way

Marine Reserves are the only way out of this mess

Saving the Seas: Marine Reserves are the only way

Marine Reserves: Dr. Callum Roberts even features in this classic Attenborough style documentary, by National Geographic (written and presented by Joanna Sarsby), called…

“Deep Trouble“.

The script follows Dr. Roberts’ comprehensive summation of the state of our oceans, in well…”The Unnatural History of the Sea”. A thoroughly disturbing, but very well presented book, that Roberts’ takes us through history with. Back to when there was 100% of the ocean life still living. And traces the demise of our marine fauna and flora, through the ages, and into our current technological and destructive fishing practices.

You can watch the whole documentary below, or click this link – https://youtu.be/gmt_eRXBZrw?t=2549 – to get straight to the point, in the movie, of what we can do to save our ocean and it’s residents.

Facebook itself has shown to be a great platform where you can air your views and concerns, and assemble people into more unified collections. This impetus can be channeled into momentum and public voice.

As our new president and team ( and hopefully whole new government soon one day), have to pick up the pieces of wanton destruction caused by Zuma and his cronies and their fiscal shenanigans, perhaps it’s time to start putting real pressure on the decision and policymakers. For Marine Reserves. And to bring back the highly qualified Ezimvelo. The decision to hand over the thankless and huge task that Ezimvelo was doing so well (the policing and maintaining order on our shores), to the totally inexperienced and non-cohesive DAFF officials, was a government level budget decision, as the coffers were being emptied so very effectively by the government.

AT the moment, it is literally a free-for-all as the DAFF crew just don’t seem to be able to find purchase with their new task at all. Many places have not even seen an official since Ezimvelo were fired. Without reason. All those years experience now totally wasted.

So even though we have the semblance of a Marine Reserve ideology and policy and have a few dotted up and down our vast coastline – without effective policing, what good are they?

Bring back Ezimvelo! Give us more Marine Reserves!

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Post by The Sardine News

Posted on March 31, 2018April 1, 2018 by Sean Lange — 2 Comments

100kg Yellowfin Tuna by Nitro off Shelley Beach

Mustbyt Charters of Shelley Beach hauled in the biggest yellowfin tuna ever seen in Natal today

100kg Yellowfin Tuna by Nitro off Shelley Beach

For years down on the lower Natal South Coast, a few lucky (skilled) anglers got to wear a special jacket, from Shelley Beach Ski-Boat Club. It was awarded to club members who brought home a yellowfin tuna of 100lbs or more. Only very few qualified for the honour.

There was a similair bench mark set in Durban, where very few tuna over 30kgs every made it back to base. But recently, a 50kg yellowfin tuna was weighed in there, setting a brand new club record.

And two years ago, Captain Duarte Rato fishing out off Bazaruto, got a 72kg fish. Bigger than he had ever encountered up there in Mozambique, by double almost. Also in the shallows.

Dave Phillips and I were fishing the Umzimkulu a while ago, and he noted this increase in size of yellowfin caught off Natal, over the last decade. Dave got his own 32kg fish off his ski, off Durban, and noted that many fish in this size range were being encountered. Right in the shallows too.

We both had to agree, there have been many more bigger yellowfin up for the fight, along the backline reefs and deeper too, over the last few years. Right in our home waters, this is happening.

Ok sure, Richards Bay get some big sickles. But nobody would believe anybody, who said they saw a 100kg tuna anywhere near Protea Reef back in the eighties or nineties. But they have been seen in the past, and Brian Mackenzie once lost a 2 metre long yellowfin tuna, right under the boat, when I was 15 and fishing aboard Allison Anne. Off Port Shepstone. Denise Milton, also down at Shelley, once reported a shoal of tuna over 100kgs. None of us believed her.

The thing is, we have been stripped my many, many fish, on Protea Reef, and surrounds, over the past three decades. We were always stuck with Daiwa Sealines and Penn Senators. Slow retrieve and terrible drags. None of our tackle would have been up to a 100kg tuna back then.

But nowadays, everyone seems to have a few International W’s or their ilk, packed with line, and tied up proper. Stick a Kona on one of these outfits, and you are actually in with a chance.

So, either the big yellowfin have read the Sardine news about the mackerel and bait proliferation we have experienced on the south coast over the last decade or so. Or, they have been here all along, but now people finally have the tackle to stand up to the beasts..

Muchos Respect!

Keep tabs on things at The Sardine News here…https://thesardine.co.za

Or Facebook page here…http://facebook.com/thesardine.co.za/

And check out the Umzimkulu Marina if you want to get in on action like this.

https://www.facebook.com/MustBytFishingCharters/

Posted on March 30, 2018April 1, 2018 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

Wahoo vs Spearos this autumn – by Jason Heyne

Wahoo included in this weeks KZN spearing news by MasterWaterman Jason Heyne

Wahoo vs Spearos this autumn

Spearing report by Jason Heyne

Wahoo are around in fair number as is reported by spearos up and own the KZN coast. The blue water has been coming right close in often, last weekend the water was a toasty 25.19 degrees. Just the way the Wahoo and Billfish like it. Yep, with the Wahoo come the Sailfish, and the Striped Marlin. The stripeys around here this time of year come in shoals.! And we can expect the second showing of dorado anytime soon. Especially with the recent downpurs and resulting brown water line.

Over to Jason…

Diving conditions have been average this week with one or two day’s being excellent. Autumn fish are here with shoals of 10kg spannish mackerel around and wahoo putting in an appearance . Saturday a light southwest blows early switching to a light to moderate northeast later in the day with a negligible swell of 1.3m running. Sunday a light to moderate offshore blows in the morning switching to a moderate onshore in the afternoon with the swell running at 1.6m. So Saturday gets100 percent green light for a dive with game fish switching on as the onshore starts to blow. Fish of the week goes to Luke with a slab of a wahoo and club merit fish goes to Garrett with a bus Queen Fish. As always dive safe and straight spears.

Thank you Jason!

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Posted on March 30, 2018 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

Video: Croc couta caught off Southport – KZN Lower South Coast

Deep-sea Port Shepstone: Sean Lange 25kg couta on the Niteshift

Video: Croc couta caught off Southport – KZN Lower South Coast

Croc couta caught off Southport – KZN Lower South Coast. See the video after the story below…

It was a lekker early launch with little comparable drama as the Niteshift plowed her way over the sandbar, bashed a few waves, and got us out the back. Captain Brian Lange (my Dad) has done this before!

Soon we found ourselves sounding around for bait – there were very many other boats out there this Sunday 24 March 2018. Louis Posthumous, his son Shawn and Noel Allchin already had bait they were so early. And were slow trolling comfortably in position. Boats were up and down this normally quiet piece of water.

But the bait eluded us and for a while, and we wandered around the usual mackerel hangouts but got only little useless orange fishies and a few cigar shaped maasbankers, or karapauw if you are up north. But then our lady crew on board, Ansie van Biljon (she was meant to bring the luck too), had her rod buckled over as a whole shoal of mackerel jumped onto her hooks. A full and tangled line later the mackerel were swimming lekker in their new home. Our live bait hatch. Ansie went down again and straight away got into it on the way down. She pulled and pulled and next thing three tiny little bonito come flying through the air. Bang! This was our ticket.

We pinned the first one onto a Mydo #1 with two solid 5X trebles and a new trace, and as Dad dropped the anchor to hold us where the baitfish were, I let the bait out the back. The current was winding and I set the Mydo at 10 metres deep, and turned to work on the other two bonnies. But as soon as I started, the TLD 25 screamed blue murder and we sprang into action.

Ansie cleared the lines and tidied the boat. Good crew that she is. And my Dad fired up and jammed the boat into reverse to pop the anchor. It all worked for a change (most times when we try this, the anchor holds stubbornly) and next thing we were loose!

But the fish had taken a steam train run first off and the backing was in sight. And next thing, as we get into the backing – a crossed line! I just backed right off as my Dad got us going, let all the line go, to the spool, and then started again properly. I got all the line back on the first chase, but when the fish saw us, he bolted again. All the line off the reel, even though we were motoring after him. But we got the line back again. We had drifted about 3 kms so far, the current was so strong.

The second run tired the couta out and we closed the deal with little fuss, and the gaff went in!

Ansie caught some nice reds and a few barbel, and then the second bait screamed. Not quite as fast, but fast enough to get all excited again, pull the anchor a second time, and give chase. What a fight! It was too strong to be a couta, we realised after 10 minutes. It might be anything the way it darted around and ran so fast.

Then all of sudden there was a blacktip shark. Or spinner shark, as they spin their way into the sky in amazing leaps. We got away with a clean release,

Then a hammerhead took our third bait…and it was time to get back in the mouth before the tide dropped too low.