WARBird's 1st outing @ Cape Vidal

[Werries]

You all know the drill... after endless preparation of sorting, sourcing and buying tackle , packing and repacking and building traces etc etc etc we set of to Vidal Suturday morning, 30June. We arrived in great weather with tales of good fishing from the 2 boats and 2 jetskis that were fishing  there during the week.
The launch site was a bit interresting, to say the least, with the bay sanded up largely closer to the reef and a miriad of opened rocks in the shallows and the beach... the spring low in the early morning didnt help with the launch either. You had to dump your boat in ankle deep water, push her for about 100m over the sandbanks almost right to the pole , jump in and launch.

[Werries]

towards the corner of the bay

[Werries]

Warming WARBird up at the washbay...ready for action

[Werries]

Had a great 1st surflaunch with her and I must add that my initial worries about the power of her motors are unfounded. She jumps onto the plane in a flash and runs very well ...and her consumption is just unbelievable! For an almost full day on the water , running up to Leven point and back and trolling in between she only used an average of 30lts for the day...that is in total, both motors!!
The 1 st day was a pearler...flat seas ,no wind, almost no current to speak of ...but we did manage 2 couta on Oscars . Russo caught his 1 st couta ever, on dropshot nogal! We then got stuck into the small bonnies with the flicksticks and duplex lures. I quickly rigged a livie and dropped it down to about 25m and unfortunately got picked up by a large shark( not the intended croc couta I was hoping for). I had it on for a about 10 mins and then said to Aniza I'm going to tighten up the drag on the Tiagra 50 cause I didnt have a time for a 2 hr fight as it was getting close to  springhigh in the bay and I dont like running in with foamies running over the reef broadside and I still had to negotiate all those newly opened rocks...so I broke her of and back we went...

[Mussel Cracker]

Congrats on the New Boat...hope you have many happy hours of fishing...


Vidal is very interesting at this time of year...it is good to hear that you had a safe launch...last time the sand bank was so big I drove in The sea till we got deep water ..it was a bit risky but it worked...


So how did your boat handle on the big blue?.what size are your motors

[jaenswart]

fantastic. well done

[Werries]

The evening the wind picked up and monday was a blow-out. Tuesday morning looked fine again , but with a higher surf at the launch and a bit of a chop on the water we set of to Leven Point. We arrived ther an hour after another mate of mine on his boat. By that time they had already boated 9 YFT...so we also got stuck immidiatly into the tuna. not big , around 5-6kgs but lekker for sashimi. We quickly got 4 and lost another 2 larg ones. Then the Tica 20 started screaming once again    but this time with a vengeance and I thought ..."yeahaaa BIG TUNA!!" It took about 300 m of line by the time the other lines were cleared and Russo got stuck into the fish: " Okay my Boy, pump and wind, thats it ,  pump and wind! You're doing good Son... now dont loose this fish my boy...its a nice one"  All in a very calm and controlled voice . I got the gaff ready for this "BIG tuna"  and thats when I saw the number plate... " This is not a TUNA!! Its a @%$#$% moeroffa Sailie !!! " My tone of voice then amplified my viskoors... I quickly stowed the gaff, grabbed my leadering gloves, got the one on ...with shaking hands my wife had to help me with the left one as I then had Viskoors of note!
I quickly leadered her broadside with me shouting( not very calm and controlled... I actually learned this from Greg) instructions to my wife at the helm . I grabbed the sailies bill with both hands palming down with a dangling rapala between my hands. Aniza tried to remove the lure with the hook remover but with the fish still in the water she couldnt reach  and then the Rapala came loose and hooked into my glove!
The valuable lesson here is, and that is also something I learned on ShagNRelease, is to invest in proper gloves. I bought AFTCO's WireMax gloves and if it wasnt for them those hooks wouldve driven into the back of my hand! You can never be to carefull.
Anyway, back to the story... we lifted this magnificent fish into the boat for a quick pic and then I spent the better part of 10 minutes to revive her properly and of she swam! Big whoopwhoops and high fives alround! My boy's 1ste evr sailie and WARBirds 1st ever billfish!
So we flew  the flags coming into the beach!! I had to eat 6 lemons later on in the day just to get the smile of my face!

[Werries]

Tuesday evening the front came through and the rest off the week everyone was beachbound...no launches were possible . What a pity as we were just getting settled into the fish. But it was a great warm-up for our 3 week Dec holiday at Vidal.

The best part of the trip for me was when I had Russo fill in the Billfish Register himself in the launch control room. A very proud moment for both father and son!
 The rest of the week we klapped the shad on the beach and had some sushi and braaied mussles
(and yes I do have a permit for those mussles  )

[Werries]

So how did your boat handle on the big blue?.what size are your motors

MC , she's fitted with twin 60 Mercury Bigfoot 4 stroke EFI's.

[CAPTAIN MORGAN]

Hallo daar Werner,
Baie geluk, eerstens aan jou seun met sy Sailie maar ook aan die hele crew!! julle het mooi gemaak en ek laaaik daai sleepvoertuig van jou. Ek was laas by die see toe ons uit gegaan het maar ek gaan volgende Donderdag af vir die naweek en dan gaan ons bietjie groot YFT soek daar op die 1000 by Dawsons ek het al vergeet hoe lyk Makhulu Tom!!!


Weer eens welldone!!!!


Groete
Juan

[Werries]

Dankie Juan! Ek het gedog jy was ook nou af RB toe...maar ek sien jy was darem in die jagveld! Sterkte met daai YFT's hoop julle kry hulle!
Ek wil self dalk bietjie later in die jaar 'n langnaweek maak en weer Rb toe skiet...ek sal bietjie by jou hoor wanneer jy later in die jaar daar is dan kry ons mekaar dalk daar?
Groete vir Juan jr ook

[Rory mundy]

was it fun and games getting of the beach at high tide bit of a lip to get over and not much beach

[CAPTAIN MORGAN]

Dankie Juan! Ek het gedog jy was ook nou af RB toe...maar ek sien jy was darem in die jagveld! Sterkte met daai YFT's hoop julle kry hulle!
Ek wil self dalk bietjie later in die jaar 'n langnaweek maak en weer Rb toe skiet...ek sal bietjie by jou hoor wanneer jy later in die jaar daar is dan kry ons mekaar dalk daar?
Groete vir Juan jr ook

Thanks pel, laat weet my net dan maak ons 'n plan.

[Werries]

Rory , not really..we beached right in the corner where the beach flattens out , so not to difficult. There is a huge wall of sand about a meter high forming from there to right passed the front of the campsites. If it wasnt for the flat beach in the corner it would be impossible at high tide!

[Werries]

Dankie Juan! Ek het gedog jy was ook nou af RB toe...maar ek sien jy was darem in die jagveld! Sterkte met daai YFT's hoop julle kry hulle!
Ek wil self dalk bietjie later in die jaar 'n langnaweek maak en weer Rb toe skiet...ek sal bietjie by jou hoor wanneer jy later in die jaar daar is dan kry ons mekaar dalk daar?
Groete vir Juan jr ook

Thanks pel, laat weet my net dan maak ons 'n plan.

Sal bietjie kyk hoe lyk my program hier om en by einde Sept/okt rond

[MIKE PIKE]

  ... awesome stuff Werrie's , great to see a plan come together , and all running smoothly on Warbird ,    on the  and huge pat on the back for Russo ... and crew ,  .

[John F]

Great stuff! That's the proper way of doing it! 

Congrats to Junior as well! 


Nominated for report of the month!
 

[REEFMAN]

Brilliant stuff Werner! Great report and nice pics!

Give Ruan a big High 5 from all of us... huge 

[Capt. Hook]

    Congrats on the new boat

[Rory mundy]

i had a look last week and could just see hard work getting off the beach that 1m lip as you come off and carried on at st lucia