BACK TO BACK SUCCESSFUL TUNA CHARTERS...

Yellowfin Tuna Madness!

On Monday we had two Swedish guests join us on a Offshore Tuna Charter - Skipper, Alan, decided to head into the West of Cape Point after doing research on where the warmer water was situated. It was a decision which our guests would never forget. As we arrived in West, we were boat alone, but Alan said that the water was the right temperature (19-20 degrees), the color was right and the bird life seemed promising. Man was he right! Shortly after putting our back-lines in the water, which consisted of larger size Rapala's (deep-divers) and various size squids, we had our first hook-up of a 45 kg Yellowfin Tuna! Our guest Fredrik was first to take charge of the rod and impressively landed his fish in under 20 minutes. With utter stoke on his face, he handed the harness gear to his friend Katrina and she waiting anxiously for her turn to take on the mighty Yellow-fin Tuna! 

About an hour later, the ratchet went off and it was Katrina's turn! She grabbed the rod and we clipped her in. She surprised us all, by not giving up she fought the fish one on one and managed to land her very first, personal best Yellow-Fin Tuna of about 40-50 kg's. She was beside herself and we were super proud of her achievement. Our guests went on to catching ac couple of Long-fin Tuna shortly after and then it was as if someone turned the lights off and the fish stopped biting. We returned home to Simonstown with big smiles and some great memories.  Well Done Fredrik and Katrina on an amazing catch!

Yesterday's trip was an action packed day to remember. Our return guests from America, joined us, but this time for a Tuna Charter. They have been with us before, where we caught heaps of Long-Fin Tuna, but now they had returned to catch the elusive Yellow-fin Tuna! The three boys ended up taking turn's fighting larger sized Yellow-Fin Tuna, one of which exceeded 100 kg's. All our guests landed their largest, personal best record Yellow-Fin Tuna and to make the day even better, we landed a couple of large (15-20 kg) Long-Fin Tuna. 

Well done to all our guests from the last two charters - We hope to see you again soon! :D

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TAIL WALKING MARLIN!

When a Black Marlin strikes...

It was a quite Sunday morning out in the Tuna grounds +-25 miles off Cape Point. We launched at first light from Simonstown, where our boat "DESTINY" is moored. We made our way to the tip of Cape Point looking for any signs of game fish on the way, but all seemed to be a bit quite and still. Although we did have warm 19 degree water, the color wasn't too good, it was a brown/green color and we wanted blue. We then proceeded to make our way to the Tuna Grounds in search for those elusive Yellowfin Tuna.

Once we got to the Tuna Grounds, near a place know to the local fisherman as "The Canyon", we had blue blue 21 degree water. The conditions were just perfect out there and our guests were waiting with sheer anticipation! After an two hours of searching for marks and bird life we hooked into our first SkipJack and not long after we had 3 fish on the boat, but we were looking for the bigger stuff!

The day went by and we were on our way back to Cape Point, with 3 SkipJack, but no Tuna. Unfortunately, that's how things go, BUT the day wasn't over yet! Once we got slightly closer to, roughly about 17 miles from Cape Point, one of our rods when off, it was another SkipJack! We quickly passed our guest, Sean the rod and he began to reel the fish in. Not even 10 seconds into the fight suddenly the whole boat erupts with excitement as a massive explosion takes place about 10 meters behind the boat! It was a 150kg+ Black Marlin, which had just taken our guests SkipJack! The unmistakable sound of the line tearing off the reel as the Marlin gave chase will stick with us for a life time! With our adrenaline pumping we all watch as this massive Black Marlin jumps clean from the water, doing what most fisherman call "tail-walking", using its tail to keep itself above the water while going for the SkipJack.

Before we knew it the line had snapped and the excitement was over - The smaller rods, which we had out the sides, can land Longfin Tuna up to 30kgs, but not that size Marlin. If it had to take the other lures our guest would have had a chance! I'm sure our guests wont be forgetting this trip in a long long time. What a day to remember!

Our guests holding their catch of the day, four SkipJack!

Pelagic Bird Watchers to the rescue!

A recreational fishing vessel in distress...

After a successful Pelagic Bird Watching day trip off Cape Point, South Africa we were on our way back to Simonstown, passing through a well known fishing area called "Buffels Bay" when one of our guests from Cape Town Pelagics noticed a flare that had been set off about a mile to the left of us, followed by a second flare which was clearly directed towards us. Our skipper quickly turned our boat around and headed in the direction of the signal flare - As we got closer it was clear that the boat with two male occupants waving us down were in distress and in need of assistance! The skipper of the distress vessel made it clear that their single engine would not start and that they had not been carrying a radio to call for help - We had just traveled through 8 miles (14 km's) in thick fog and the wind was rapidly increasing. They were drifting quickly and needed to be towed to Buffels Bay slip way. 

Fortunately, we were in the right place at the right time and were happy to assist! We decided to make this post not to ridicule anyone , but rather as a reminder of the importance of safety at sea, especially in our Cape waters! The maritime safety law is there for a reason and we cant emphasis enough how important it is to abide by these rules and regulations!    

We wish everyone a happy festive season and keep safe out there! :)

Assisting a recreational fishing vessel in False Bay, South Africa!

A typical day out...

Yellowfin Tuna fishing - Offshore

On a typical full-day offshore fishing charter we ask our guests to meet us at the Simonstown public jetty, where our boat "Destiny" will be tied up and waiting for a 6:30 to 7:00 am departure. Because of the distance which we travel to the tuna grounds, approximately 20-40 miles off Cape Point (37 to 75 km) it is best to get the earliest start possible, maximizing our chances of catching! On these offshore fishing charters we mainly target the tuna species, Yellowfin Tuna, Long-fin Tuna, Big Eye Tuna and Skip Jack Tuna. Quite frequently we will have Blue Sharks and Mako Sharks lurking in our chum line (bait/pilchard - which we cut into pieces and throw into the water at a steady pace to lure the tuna to our boat), but we do not fish for sharks - If anything, these sharks will eat up all our bait/chum and will cause us to move to a different position. 

The odd Yellowtail and Dorado (mahi-mahi) are not uncommon out in the tuna grounds, so we come prepared for anything! Because these tuna are much larger than other fish, we use bigger hooks, bigger rods and reels and provide our guests with a two-piece harness which assists in landing these monsters and they can put up an extremely strong fight. One can expect to fight a tuna anything from 15 minutes to 2 hours, this all depends on the size of the fish and your skill level.  

One can also expect to see hundreds of pelagic sea birds, dolphins, whales, sharks and much more, so it is advised that our guests bring their cameras to catch these breathtaking moments!

If you have any questions regarding any trips please feel free to leave a comment or contact us directly through our contact page - We look forward to hearing from you!

Full-day Offshore Fishing Charter - Tuna Fishing

Lets talk about...

Yellowtail fishing off Cape Point!

During our Inshore Fishing Trips to Cape Point we mainly target game fish, this includes the Yellowtail fish. Simonstown is a mere 30 minute boat ride from the famous fishing grounds of Cape Point - Our most popular method for catching Yellowtail is what we call "trolling" where we drag our lures behind the boat, while searching for shoals of bait fish on the surface. Sometimes they Yellowtail prefer it when we stop and cast spinners at them - This all depends on the day as each day stems different results from different methods! 

Yellowtail fish:

The Cape Yellowtail (Giant Yellowtail) or Latin name "Seriola Lalandi" migrate towards the east coast of Southern Africa, following the annual Sardine Run. These fish are found in large shoals, in depths of up to 100 meters and feed off smaller fish like Sardines, Squid and Anchovy. Just like the Cape Snoek, Yellowtail is an important commercial line-fish species down here in the Western Cape. Females can reach up to 1.2 meters where males can reach up to 900 centimeters, but as it stands now there is no real legal size limit. 

Finding the fish:

Yellowtail prefer the warmer areas of the cold Atlantic waters of the Cape - An ideal temperature would be between 16 to 19 degrees Celsius, although we have caught Yellowtail in waters as cold as 13/14 degrees Celsius! As Yellowtail is a highly migratory fish, they usually follow the warmer waters, which are usually a result of particular winds blowing. In our case the Southwesterly winds bring the warmer waters to our coast line and with that usually the fish follow! 

We like to depart from Simonstown, False Bay as early as possible - Usually we ask our guests to be at the public jetty by first light, because In our experience, game fish generally like to feed best at first light (morning) or last light (evening)! The first thing we do when we arrive at our desired fishing spot is we start looking for certain birds, in this case "Common Terns" otherwise known to the local fisherman as "Sterretjies", which usually feed on the bait fish that are getting chased to the surface of the water by the schools of Yellowtail! Most of the fishing action takes place near these birds, so its vital that we keep an eye out for any bird activity during the course of our trips!

Be sure to drop us an email, share or leave a comment and we will gladly get back to you! :)

Yellowtail Fishing - Cape Point

Lets talk about...

Snoek fishing charters off Cape Point!

Cape Boat Charters offers action packed Inshore fishing charters off Cape Point - One of the fish species which we target is the "Cape Snoek"!

False Bay, Cape Point is home to a variety of game-fish including the "Cape Snoek" or its latin name "Thyrsites Atun". Also referred to as snake mackerel, these long, thin, silver fish can reach lengths of up to 2 meters and weigh in close to 5-6 kg's. Up until 6 or 7 years ago, Cape Snoek was known to the local fisherman of Cape Town as a winter fish, because they would only catch Snoek in all the month without an "r" in it - This being May, June, July and August!

Snoek feed mainly on sardine, mantis shrimps and anchovy, which gives this fish a unique flavor which the locals praise! The traditional South African way to prepare Snoek is on what we call a "braai" otherwise known and a barbeque around the rest of the world - An apricot jam dressing is known to go down well with Snoek!

Snoek is found in waters from Port Elizabeth to the north of Angola, but mostly between Cape Agulhas (the most southern tip of Africa) and the Cunene River. They are an important traditional catch for the line fishers of South Africa, but are also caught in the masses by the trawl fisheries using trawl nets, as they do with hake. It is favored by the local communities as it forms a big part of their diet.

Feel free to comment, share or email us with regards to any questions or inquiries!

We would love to hear from you! :)

Inshore Fishing Charter - Cape Snoek fishing

Cape Point Fishing Charter!

Yellowtail fishing off Cape Point

Today, our group of guests from the U.K joined us for a day of deep sea fishing off Cape Point, South Africa! We ran a Half-Day Inshore Fishing Charter to the famous fishing waters off Cape Point (for our group of 6) in search of some game-fish! There were plenty commercial fishing boats off Buffels Bay trying for Cape Snoek, but we were determined to try for some Yellowtail fish first - It was a wise decision indeed! When we arrived at the tip of Cape Point there weren't any other fishing boats around, but the water temperature was 16 degrees Celsius and there was plenty of bird life so we quickly got our lines in the water! 

Not even 15 minutes had past and we already had our first strike on the back-lines! One of our guests, who we had already prepped on how to operate the rod and reel, quickly jumped up first to grab the screaming reel! He landed the first 5 kg Yellowtail and shortly after our next guest was battling a fish of his own! Before you knew it, we had 6 Yellowtail fish and the guests were happy to start heading back to Simonstown with their catch for supper - Well done to our team today on their catch, it was great having you guys! :)

Feel free to leave comments, tag friends, share or email us with any questions or inquiries - We would love to hear from you! :)  

Yellowtail fishing off Cape Point!