2014 has been a slow start for the Fishing Freaks as both Wez and I have made big changes in our work careers and have been finding it tough to fish together and even finding time to fish! And then when we do fish we BLANK so to say that our 2014 Summer has been a bit of a disappointment is an understatement!
However we are determined to get Fishing Freaks back in action and we are making sure we get on the water more and fish together more! So the opportunity arose one Wednesday Afternoon when i had an avid fan and newbie to kayak fishing Alain Tardin from East Coast Radio come into my studio and say “Come Im calling Wez and we going for a paddle!” Alain has just got his new Stealth 525 from Brett so he has been itching to get on the water, I then told my boss that i am ahead of my work so im going for a fish!
An hour later and we were on the water at one of my favorite fishing spots on the Kwa-Zulu Natal coast, Umdloti and it was a cracker of an afternoon with a bit of swell but the water looked amazing with current lines and small bait balls! I wasn’t going to mess around and put couta baits out straight away and headed for the drop off with Wez and Alain in tow! It was quiet we had seen one small snoek jump and also one lonely bonnie and that was it, Wez and Alain tried to find the snoek but i wasn’t wasting my time and stuck to my plan and continued to the drop off.
I got to the drop off checked my macks which were still clean and perfect,so I put them back out and started puzzling what i should do next, just ahead of me was a small bait ball going bananas on the surface so i took a slow paddle up to them to see what they were and as i came close to them i could see these big fish swimming underneath my ski, it took me a few seconds to realize but it was a huge shoal of Kingies!!!! So i drop my Onda down and let it sink to the depth the fish were and jig it back slowly a few came and had a look but none had a go! So i changed over to the Williamson Slick Jig Olive colour knowing that the bait ball was small sprat so im trying to match the hatch, I cast it into the bait and let it sink for about 10 seconds and start a quick retrieve jigging style and within 3 winds BAM!!!! ON and my reel was screaming!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO i started screaming calling Wez and Alain over, i get the fish to the kayak and its an awesome little Black tip Kingfish my first on a Kayak and new species for me!
Wez gets the pic for me and i release the kingy pick up my flick stick and throw again into the bait ball let it sink click over the bail arm 3 winds and BOOOM ON AGAIN!!!! YESSSSS PLEEEEASE!!!!! Woooooooooooooo man it was a JOL!! Now Wez and Alain are trying to find the right lures to put on in a hurry as they can just check me bending and screaming!!! For the size of the fish these kingies have power and just too much fun to catch! Get this fish up next to me pick it up out the water and its a beautiful Threadfin Kingy, another first and new species for me so im grinning from ear to ear.
Alain then goes on and he starts shouting with excitement, turns to Wez and i and goes this is how you make a fishermen happy!! I release my Threadfin and cast again into the bait ball let it sink click over 3 winds and ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz on AGAIN!!!! 3 out of 3 I could not believe my luck Wow what a jol , all this time poor Wez is still trying to find the right lure and get a hookup, i then get the fish up after a good 8 minutes and its another Black tip Kingy, I was really blown away at the strength these fish have they really know how to box.
As the sun went behind the hill they went off the bite and we paddled in, what a great afternoon on the water and some new species to tick off my list. Its amazing how catching a fish can change everything for a fishermen, just having a fish on the line and having it peel line off your reel! This is why we fish and this is how you keep a FREAK happy.
the fishing freaks 