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Umzimkulu Leopard

Fishing the Umzimkulu River off Spiller’s Wharf yesterday afternoon, local angler Ahmed, pictured, hooked into a beautiful Leopard Ray. It took him a solid 10 minutes on ultra-light tackle.

Fishing the Umzimkulu is made very comfortable at Spiller’s Wharf. There are a choice of restaurants – Bela’s Mozambican themed diner is most popular.

There is safe parking, grass, chairs and 50 meters of river frontage to choose your spot from. This night there were 11 rods in the water, catching grunter and perch.
It costs R20 per angler to fish on the premises.
Many species can be targeted. Catfish, kingfish, grunter, perch, eels, rays, oxeye tarpon, rockcod, shad, garrick, rock salmon and even sharks!

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Violence on Protea Reef!

The first drift yielded not a touch on our awesome spread of live baits. Until we reached the southern pinnacle on Protea Reef, off Shelley Beach. Funnily enough the first beating was taken on a plug with the drag set to 8kg’s the yellowfin swam around the boat as if it was still hunting. Only when it went right around us and behind the motors did it take off. Mike Stubbs and I wrestled the rod between the other sticks with the huge Finnor spinning reel smoking and screaming blue murder. The hooks pulled out on that blistering run and all of a sudden the bait sticks started screaming.

We were three sticks away dancing around the boat each with his own set of problems. Luckily mine came off and I was able to help gaff and boat the fish my Dad (Brian Lange) and Stubbs were fighting.
The moon was silver bright and we never needed a light as the sun disappeared in a sky of red and the fish went wild. Free jumping and swimming tuna all around the boat but the bigger ones were just being so violent as rod after rod screamed.
I was beaten up by a monster eventually handing the rod to Stubbs who in turn gave ot to my Dad until the line parted.
We hooked and battled many big tuna and luckily a few small ones which were easier to boat.
Protea Reef is an incredible place but very difficult to fish with a 3 to 4 knot current prevailing, huge sharks and jagged reef – not to mention the outsized fish. Even though the yellowfin seldom get over 35kg’s here, they fight double as hard in the shallower waters and tackling up is the only solution.

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Grouper savaged by Shark at Praia do Conguina

Check this massive grouper found flailing in the low tide pools at Praia da
Congiana near Tofo this morning.

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The young fisherman who fortuned upon the spectacle made even more of a show as he dragged it the full 3kms along the
beach to the Tofo market!
It’s value is about equal to 2months salary at minimum wage here (R1000 or thereabouts), so the exhausted young fisher was over the moon.
The story is told in the photographs.

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That’s a Shark bite! The puzzle is…how did the grouper make it to the shallows after his tail was bitten clean off?
Or did the drama unfold right in the shallows before first light and just after the scant moon?
Hunting time.
Fishing time.
This is how I have found fishing to be Mozambique.
And most places.
The tide turned and started coming in during these early and dark hours. Mr Grouper might
have been chasing kingfish and stumpnose (Porgy) and bonefish when Mr Big Teeth
ambushed him and bit his tail right off!
Shoulda…coulda…woulda…didn’t have a solid bait out there!

 

As to the grouper species…any offers? There have been a number
of smaller ones in the market coming out of 36m plus water and one local claims
that there are many of these fish this time of the year.

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New road for Tofo?

During President Guebuza’s visit to China it was announced that they are looking to rebuild the Lindela to Tofo road.

(Courtesy AIM)

The road from the EN1 to Tofo is often flooded, and some sections are in need of repair. The road is heavily used by business, locals and tourists. When the road floods, it cuts off Barra, Tofo and Inhambane – and the only way out is by boat or aircraft!

The roads in Mozambique have improved dramatically since the end of conflict.

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Scuba Report by Jamie Edwards

The latest diving update covering the last few days here in Tofo. Visibility has been an amazing 25meters plus with just a slight hint of current! Water temperature has been a steady 25 degrees with the occasional warmer dive of 26 degrees. The wind has also been behaving itself lately thus allowing us some calmer and smoother boat trips. Some even better news however is that the Mantas are still up and about, with regular sighting on all of our reefs! Our Northern sites have been providing us with a couple of Sharks as well! Have had Whitetip Reef Sharks, Grey Reef Sharks and the occasional Leopard Shark. Once again there has been a large variety of Rays about and we have started seeing our amazing Smalleye Stingrays again! Manta Reef has also provided us with another Juvenile Ribbon Eel, always great to see some new ones out. Another discovery was made at Robs Bottom of two more Giant Frog Fish which then lead to an incredible experience with a Blue Marlin during our safety stop! On top of those magical encounters the Reefs themselves have been teaming with a large variety of marine life. Everything from schooling bannerfish, Snappers, Barracudas and Bigeye Trevally to Leaf Fish, Peacock Flounders, a few Banded Pipefish, the odd Stone fish and the rare Seagrass Ghost Pipefish! In other words the diving at the moment has been nothing short of spectacular so head on down to Diversity Scuba and enjoy a few days of diving with us! 🙂

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