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Jimmy Bonefish!

Jimmy Bonefish!

Anyone who has fished the point at Tofinho, in Inhambane, Mozaambique, will have been impressed by Jimmy Bonefish’s skills. Fishing with a rod and a handline, he consistently produces  the best catches…sometimes hauling in two fish at once. I have seen Jimmy coming back from fishing at night with 2 queenfish, 2 kingfish and a huge couta!
Subsistence fishing rock n surf must be one of the biggest challenges available as far as career choices go. But Jimmy handles it with aplomb. Targeting big gamefish at night, off a 20ft high point made of razor sharp rock! On his own!

Jimmy Bonefish with another potential world record bonefish, that frequent his local fishing spot at Tofinho
Jimmy Bonefish with another potential world record bonefish, that frequent his local fishing spot at Tofinho often

These huge bonefish weigh around 10kg’s are are readily encountered, and caught, in the surf zone, all around the Tofinho headland.

Other subsistence guys fish off the cliffs right into broken and foaming white water, where they pull out smaller bones by the bunch. Perfect live baits for kingfish and other mean backline predators. These guys only have handlines.

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Barbel Frenzy

A nice fish taken by Frenzy pictured here with guest at the Umzimkulu Marina, Jacques. Jacques also caught two Paling (eel) a bit later in the evening… Summer time in the river is characterised by these muddy fish…winter time is when we encounter the kingfish, rock salmon, grunter and even Garrick (leervis). The perch (up to 3 or4 kilos but averaging about 1kg) are year round and don’t mind the brown floody waters of summer.

And then another the next evening…this one took only a few minutes to jump on The Frenzy’s hook…

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Roger Davidson’s Cracker!

Roger Davidson
Roger Davidson
Roger Davidson

Fishing off Karl Gous’ boat – Roger Davidson brings home a real “Skomolo”, while Marc Lange shows us a real nice bull dorado. Fishing seems to be really good down south.

Marc Lange
Marc Lange

Note the Umzimkulu River’s brown/orange colour in the background – characteristic of these summer months. By about April the river returns to a clear green and on the stronger high tides – the blue Indian ocean water comes right up the river. The Umzimkulu is a great estuary to fish, even when it’s brown like it is now. Perch, rock salmon (mangrove jack), grunter, kingfish, catfish / barbel, garrick (leervis)…feed on the mullet, prawns (mudprawns, tigers, pink) and crabs (all sorts) that live in the mangrove associates and along the muddy banks.

In winter, in the clear water…and especially at night time…anything can happen! For estuary fishing, the south coast of Natal still has a few surviving tidal/semi-tidal lagoons.

Check out http://www.umzimkulu.co.za for more information on fishing these waters…

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JIGGING MADNESS

by Captain Duarte Rato in Bazaruto

We had some pretty good sessions all along this last week fishing light tackle spinning but one was really awesome with the boys releasing over 10 species of fish in two crazy hours of jigging at Alladin´s!!! Here´s some pictures of the action…

Green Jobfish. Also known as Kaakap. And Kakaap?! Great eating! (c) Rato
Green Jobfish. Also known as Kaakap. And Kakaap?! Great eating! (c) Rato

Oey! Sharks are surviving fine in the Bazaruto Archipelago Reserve (c) rato
Oey! Sharks are surviving fine in the Bazaruto Archipelago Reserve (c) rato
Baby GT ready for photo and release (c) Captain Duarte Rato
Baby GT ready for photo and release (c) Captain Duarte Rato

Yellowfin like this jump on the jigging style of fishing (c) Rato
Yellowfin like this jump on the jigging style of fishing (c) Rato
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