Yellowfin Tuna Againnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hiya,
Once again the weather gods has decided to send stormy seas our ways for the weekend. Checking the weather forecast, a brief lull was shown, sort of calm before the storm!! Soooo, what do we do, we go spearing!!!!
After ANOTHER double shift, my manager arrives 1hour later than planned, so our trip starts off late. None-the-less, we arrive at the slip, only to find the sea enveloped in a THICK mist. We are two boats running out together, one a 25' Fibreglass cat with 2x130hp Honda the other my 21' Semi-Rigid with 2x50hp Yamahas 4strokes. We both launch and make the 10nm trip to the POINT.
Ok, now i take the lead and almost end up driving onto the rocks on the beach, i then decide to follow the bigger boat, only to have him almost ride into a HUGE rock!!!! Ok, so now we've proven to our respective crews that we're totally useless with out navigational equipment, we FINALLY USE our electronics to safely guide us to the POINT.
I some-how managed to lose Tommy and crew in that thick mist and when i got to the point, the mist had cleared and no boats are seen!!! Decided to run out the 30nm or so and get them on the tuna grounds.
As we leave the POINT, we're welcomed by 3 whales that seem to take immense pleasure in breaching, showering all with the spray when they come crashing down!!!! Simaltaneously a school of spinner dolphins were smashing bait fish on the surface, with the usual entourage of seal, terns and various other sea bird!!! What a start!!!
One and a half hours later, we're on the tuna grounds and Tommy catch's up with us. We find two boats fighting YF and run slightly away from them, using the echo, find some fish and start chumming them. I slip into the clean blue water, only to see plenty of small YF in the 30-40kg class. (more about this SMALL YF's later!!!). I aim, and MISS......................noooooooooooo. Load up, yes they're still around, aim, MISS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
The sad part is that this happened on about 8 shots, (this is with my 63" and my 57" and my 1.3m Rabitech Apex!!!!!) so feeling like a complete idiot i finally get onto the boat. Henni also gets in and is also complaining about missing the fish. Even Attie Louwrens, also a nationally selected spearo, complained about not being able to hit the fish!!!
Anycase, i FINALLY manage to feed a smallish looking tuna a chunk of 8mm steel. The boat comes over and asks if i want a second gun. I decline and tell them its a small fish and i'd have it in the boat in five minutes!!! 30minutes later, i BEG for a second gun!!!! One hour has passed, the fish now has two spears in it and still no sign of the end is near!!!! I load a third gun, and just about manage to get a lovely kill shot!!!!! Finally she is IDB!!!!!
The SMALL fish turns out to be a 71Kg !!!!! Lesson learnt, those big fish LOOK small in that clean water. Especially when they're far from you!!!!
Tommy them did quite well, with each diver taking a fish and Tommy taking 3!!!!! Well done!!!!!!!!
Regards
miles