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Duarte Rato in Cape Verde

Duarte Rato in Cape Verde

Captain Duarte Rato checked in with us, all the way from the Cape Verde Islands, where he is working a blue marlin season this time of year.

First day out we started with hooking a double header 20 minutes after we set the spread and the action was hot the all day. We ended up raising a total of 6 Marlin, with 4 strikes, 4 hookup´s and 3 releases.”

More to follow as the season in Cape Verde gets underway…

“Man this place is insane…. yesterday had 5 up, got 4 bites and released 3.

This morning only fished 5 hours ´cause the clients catching a plane and got 3 bites and released 2, all on pitch baits.

Will send you reports and photos of last two days later.”\

Many thanks Duarte! Keep it up man!!!

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Fresh in from Cpt. Duarte Rato: Marlin Black ‘n Blue

IMG_5640Tim and Ross from CT had been here on a 3-day trip three years ago and in that trip released three Blacks up to 450 lbs in horrible conditions. Still today I talk about it as the absolutely more shity crappie water I have ever caught a Marlin. The water was not green, it was brown!!!

 

It is uncommon and not to such an extent but, three days before they got here the water went completely off-colour. The night they arrived it finally turned SE but not knowing the water had seriously moved in we spent a couple of fruitless hours in the early morning on the inside catching bait.

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We had enough of it and set a spread of lures and planned to go deep for Blues but as soon as we got to 90 meters the water turned an electric Blue (which seriously put a smile on my face). Fifteen minutes later a dark shade materializes behind the long corner lure and after trailing it for a while finally inhales it properly and stuck. Ross made short work of it and in no time at all we had this very frisky Black to deal with by the boat. We released it and called it 150 LBS.
IMG_5643The second day was alive at Lighthouse. We released a bunch of Yellowfin and bonnies and got a nice wahoo. Everything looked in place and early morning Big Bob hooked up and released a nice 600 pound Black just to the outside of us. An hour later we got a 350 come on the spread, knock the long corner and then come snake like billing the long left and fade away. Later we live baited and got sharked by a massive bull.

 

The third day started with a big YFT and a dorie. But it was nowhere as alive as the day before although we did get a lot of YFT on the blind. At 11am we decided to go deep for a couple hours and worked the 300-line counter for a while. I got a call from Steve on Wave Walker about a drifting commercial FAD they were working on a few miles down. When we got there it was gamefish mayhem and the boys had an hour of fun on bonnies, YFT and wahoo. We left to go shallow and work the afternoon incoming tide. On the way in 240 meters a very aggressive fish took the long left lure from the inside out and went off for the races. This Blue did all it was supposed to do, that is go absolutely insane after the bite, warping off at lighting speed, then turning and jumping towards the boat like Hell and then just decide to dash away into the horizon. This hysterical behavior soon settled down and we quickly got on top of the fish and released it at probably a dash over 550 LBS for Tim Bacon.

Very cool to catch a Blue as we, for good reasons, do not normally venture into their territory…

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Dorado bite

Up in Southern Mozambique, and right down the coast into Southern Natal, the seasonal “Dorado” are coming out regularly. Local boats in Tofo are getting 4’s and 5’s interspersed with the usual small couta and the odd sailfish. Yesterday Jose Rungu hooked a big marlin that towed him and his rowboat around the bay for a few hours.

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In the photo…Alan Ngobo and Themba hold up their catch, made off the Umzimkulu River mouth area.

Because they are so delicious, cooked any way you prefer, seafood chefs worldwide refer to Dorado as The “Chicken of the Sea”. It also goes by the name “Dolphinfish”…and in the Pacific – “Mahi Mahi”.

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Black Marlin for Aaron Atkins

Aaron Atkins strapped in to a Black Marlin (c) Duarte Rato
Aaron Atkins strapped in to a Black Marlin (c) Duarte Rato

450 lbs Black Marlin for Aaron Atkins

Aaron Atkins and his son Andres come for a second visit to Bazaruto to fish with us. Their first visit three years ago produced 3 Black Marlin for Aaron in as many days. Given the conditions this time they did not get so many fish but amongst all the yellowfin, sharks, wahoo and other game fish Aaron did manage to release an estimated 450 lbs Black, his biggest Marlin to date….well done Aaron!!!

Marlin tagged and about to be released off Bazaruto (c) Duarte Rato
Marlin tagged and about to be released (c) Duarte Rato
Father and son battling it out with the yellowfin of Bazaruto (c) Duarte rato
Father and son battling it out with the yellowfin of Bazaruto (c) Duarte rato
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The Roystons

A Royston tagged black marlin!
A Royston tagged black marlin!

Brother,

Fishing continues to be exceptional and four days ago finished a 7 day charter with father & Son, Dave and Duncan Royston.
It was going to be hard to beat their trip last year when they caught 5 Marlin in 7 days including two over 850 lbs.

Anyway to cut a long story short it was EPIC to say the least
….besides all the wahoo, dorado countless yellowfin etc etc in these last 7 days we raised 20 Marlin which materialized in 15 strikes, 10 hookup’s and 7 Black Marlin releases.