I spent the easter weekend at my place in the kei with the family. I only went down there on Friday morning due to the carnage that happens every easter on the East London- Umtata road.
The east was pumping and the sea was a lovely gingerbeer/ maybe a bit more muddy colour. Maybe the R&S guys would ahve liked it but not me.
I spent the afternoon on the river with my dad, my wife and 2 kids trolling lures hoping for a few little guys for the kids, but the water was very muddy from the rains during the week. watching the fish eagles soar overhead whilst ahving a beer with the people I love made up for the lack of action, and seeing my 20 month old son being facinated by putting his hands in the water as we trolled was pricelss, and made me very happy.
sat am we were up early and hit the launch by 6am for 1st light. The sea still had the nasty east chop and short period to it, but we were 1st boat out. The forcast wasnt great so we decided againt looking for live biats and heading deep for coppers and instead decided to look for reds etc.
The ist spot produced imediatly with a size scotsman and a very decent soldier. After 3 drifts we had our quota scotsman having released 3 size ones as well but had to leave as the scotties was all that was hungry there.
We scratched around and it was slow for all the boats so we tried deeper. All we were rewarded with there was 2 74, one a very decent 65cm one that went back sporting a yellow tag.
We ran south to Coffee bay area to look for some dagarad. The water was an awful grey colour. My old mad missed 4 "proper dagarad' just not setting the hooks properly. Old age i guess. he did manage a 8kg yellow belly rock cod however. we never got the wagon wheel dagarad we were after but got our quota (3) dags up to about 4kgs and another brown rocky of about 3kgs and a few soldiers, but had to move. We had a beautiful sun fish playing behind the boat for ages. It just finned right behind us. Not a huge one but an awsome sight. Sometimes its the little things we can take gfor granted that make a special day out at sea.
We moved closer to home and anchored in 40m of water. I put a sun dried big eye flapper on my 6/0 vmc live bait hook (stupid idea to use small hooks with flappers) and sent it dowen. Other than about a dozen barbel (soem kept for the local population) all was quiet. I had just said to my dad and brother that in 30yrs of deep sea i still havnt got a black steenbras over 15kgs. The words were hardly out my mouth when the nod started. If you have caught blacks before, the bite is unmistakeable. crank and VAS. This fish took off towards the shore under the boat. I had to palm the scarbourough and had to dip the rod tip to clear the keel. I could not clear the motors to get around the other side of the boat. I was being taught a proper lesson. I could feel my braid rubbing the keel from time to time but i wasnt applying huge pressure. I gained contol and eventually it came up through the green murk. a proper Black stenbras. The one I have waited for for 30yrs of deep sea, having been taught a lesson by many others in the past and lost.
I decided to keep it. i still feel a bit bad about it and next big one will probably be tagged and sent back down.
We called it a day there and then.
At the launch it went 25kgs on the button. My PB by 10kgs. All boats came home at the same time and we had by far the best catch, so all in all a good day out.
On easter sunday we decied not to fish and went across to my other brothers new house at Hole in the wall. Now to visit him there for a fishing trip.
On the down side, the 2nd starter motor on our 85 yamahas packed up in 3 trips. WTF. They are 4 yrs old so out of warantee but why both so close together?
