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!

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)

Pelagic Bird Watching on-board "Destiny"

Yesterday, we headed off Cape Point, heading for the well known "Canyon" area in search of Pelagic Sea Birds! Unfortunately we weren't able to find any trawlers or long-liners (which usually have thousands of Pelagic Sea Birds following) so we decided to use an alternative method known as "chumming" to attract these birds. Chumming is the practice of luring various animals, usually fish, but also birds, by throwing "chum" into the water. Chum is bait which consists of fish parts, bone and blood, which attract fish or birds, owing to their acute sense of smell. We managed to lure a fair number of birds which included; Pintado Petrels, White Chinned Petrels, Sooty Shearwaters, Southern Giant Petrel, Northern Giant Petrel, Wilsons Storm Petrel, Subantarctic Skua and the Black-Browed Albatross, which is featured in the picture below.

Our guests managed to get some really amazing pictures of these magnificent sea birds and we soon after started making our way back to Simonstown, but our day wasn't quite over yet - About 8 miles from Cape Point we came across a pod of Orca Whales, which were busy feeding and putting on a show! This is a huge playing factor on why the Great White Shark season in False Bay, Seal Island has been so slow lately. The Orca Whales, also known as "Killer Whales" have been targeting Great White Sharks along our coastlines and killing them for their livers, which is known to be the most nutritional part of the animal!

It was a great trip for everyone involved! :)  

Photo: Jeffery Slater

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. 

A NEW PERSONAL BEST!

Despite having to travel 40 nautical miles from Cape Point today, this group managed to land one or two Yellow-fin Tuna! Also a personal best for one of our customers - well done! 😁🎣🐟🐠

6 YELLOWFIN FOR THE DAY!

Well done to Shane and Dustin on their catch today - We managed to land 6 Yellow-Fin Tuna around the 70-90kg class! 🎣🐟👍🏼