THE WINTER LONGFIN TUNA HAVE ARRIVED!!!

The Long-Fin Tuna are here!

We left Simonstown, False Bay just before sunrise and we were off to an early start! On our way to Cape Point, we were blessed with a breath-taking sunrise from the east as we cruised comfortably doing 24 knots in anticipation of what the day had to offer! Our guests from New Zealand had got in contact with us and made it clear that they wanted to catch Tuna, so we we’re decided to head towards an area known as “THE CANYON”, approximately 20 nautical miles off Cape Point, where currents meet and nutrient rich waters are found.

Shortly after putting lines in the water we were on! With bending rods and screaming reels, we we’re off to an exciting start! The first fish we landed was a Long-Fin Tuna, weighing in at around 18/20 kg’s and before we knew it we had 10 Long-Fin Tuna on-board Destiny. Shortly after the chaos, the fish went off the bite, so we decided to head back home to avoid running in the dark. We we’re slowly approaching the tip of Cape Point, when our Skipper spotted some “working” birds, deciding to make a quick stop to see if anything was chasing the bait fish from which the birds were feed upon. We started trolling two Rapala’s and a Snake Spinner at 5 knots and boom, just like that we we’re once again on with fish, except this time it was a mixed shoal of Yellowtail and Katonkel.

Our guests we’re over the moon with excitement, having landed so many fish and different species to go along with it! It was a day to remember and we are super excited that the Tuna are here! Check out some of the photos from the trip below - We hope you enjoy!

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!

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...

Yellowfin tuna fishing!

The mighty Yellowfin tuna are found in the warmer pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans around the world! Its metallic dark blue back and yellow/silver looking belly make for an incredible looking tuna fish. These tuna fish can reach up to 130 kg's in size and are extremely fast and can reach speeds of up to 40 mph. During the warmer water months of October to June Cape Boat Charters starts to run Offshore Fishing Charters to target the bigger fish species off Cape Town, South Africa. These species include the famous Yellowfin tuna, Longfin tuna (Albacore), Skip jack tuna, Big eye tuna and Dorado (Mahi-mahi). For 9 months of the year these full day fishing charters will take you into the deeper oceanic waters off Cape Point in search of these monsters! 

Nutrient rich water is found at a place known to the local fisherman as the "Canyon" as a result of the mixing of two large ocean currents namely the Benguela current and the Agulhas current. This are is close to the continental shelf and is home to the larger tuna fish species!

Feel free to comment, share or message us if you have any questions or information and we will happily get back to you straight away! :)

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Yellowfin tuna fish (Thunnus Albacares)

Our Tuna Season is around the corner!

We are eagerly anticipating this years Tuna Season in the deeper oceanic waters off Cape Point, South Africa! During the months of October to June we run Deep Sea Fishing Charters specifically targeting the larger fish species such as Yellowfin Tuna, Big-Eye Tuna, Longfin Tuna and Skipjack - As a result of the mixing of two large ocean currents (Benguela and Agulhas currents), as well as the prevailing winds, nutrient rich water is found at a place know to locals as the “Canyon” – this area is found close to the continental shelf and it is here that we target the large Yellowfin tuna. These sought after fish reach sizes in excess of 100kgs and make for an unforgettable experience for any fisherman, beginners and experienced alike! One can expect to take anything from 1 to 4 hours to land these incredibly strong fish. Cape Boat Charters have just the right equipment needed to land these fish - “Black magic” harnesses are used to fight the bigger fish, which can take several hours to land. These tuna can be caught trolling with lures, or by using bait in the warmer blue oceanic water found in the area. Longfin tuna are also caught in the same area and range in size from 10 to 30kgs. they too, also put up a fantastic fight.