[Happy Dude]

been back a week and want to go back as it sucks over here, first days fishing on sunday since i got back and blanked

got my marlin i've been chasing, 300lb+ black marlin, best pics i have at the moment as it was too big to pull into the boat for a photo shoot....lol

sailfish on a spinning rod, about 75lb

giant trevally, about 50lbish, lost one i reckon about 100lb+ when the sharks got it, you can see the bite marks on this one

tuna to 50lb+

my mate with his 100lb sailfish

davys 60lb+ GT, shark bit too

biggest dolphin we got, not as big or as many fish as last year

boat's are booked for next year already

les

 

[Shaun_aka_croc]

Well done mate excellent photos.

 

[PanamaJack]

Well done Big_haddie! And congratulations on your first Marlin. Sounds as if you had a tremendous trip and some great photographs.

Did you get to tease your Sailfish in and cast at it?
Dave

 

[Happy Dude]

Well done Big_haddie! And congratulations on your first Marlin. Sounds as if you had a tremendous trip and some great photographs.

Did you get to tease your Sailfish in and cast at it?
Dave

cheers dave,

we had the light rod at the ready in case a fish showed up in the wash.

the day before that there was some aussies on the boat flyfishing for them and they had 2 plus a 90kg black marlin, only the second marlin on fly recorded in africa as far as angus knows.

while my mate was playing a saifish it's pal turned up in the wash hacking at the teasers, i dropped a small pandu deadbait with a circle hook on the end of it's nose and it wolfed it down.

when i hooked it the swivel was at the tip ring, 15 seconds later it was 200+ yards away and i don't think it's head was in the water for the entire run.

i asked angus not to back the boat down and i played it in in about 30 minutes, it was 100 feet down, off to the right, left, 10 feet in the air, magic, best fight i have ever had from a fish.

we also had plenty kingfish and wahoo on the light rod dragging rapalas and yo zuris.

didn't really get any jigging done this year, too many billfish about

les

 

[PanamaJack]

Hi Les
Well done! It really is a great way to target Sails. Great sport. Although when they get down on those big 'pecs' they can take some shifting.

Occasionally when we've been fly fishing for them in Central America you'd find, accompanying the one on the surface following the hookless teaser, there'd be others sub surface and a little livebait dropped in would always get a strike.

Off of Florida as well you'd occasionally find Sails migrating using the reef edge - you could spot them coming, even from deck level, like 'big, black tadpoles'. We'd just then cast livebaits on circles at them. Fascinatingly when they charged after the bait they'd always raise their dorsal. I don't know whether it aided manoeuvrability or just created a bigger profile.

Back to your initial point though we've also used a slightly modified form for Blue Marlin in Ascension Island just using a pattern of hookless teasers, teasing them in and then deploying a deadbait. Bait 'n' Switch. Unlike the Sails though that you can usually keep off the lures (occasionally 'sweetened' with a belly strip) unless you're quick the Marlin can and do grab the teasers.
Dave

 

[Patfin]

where abouts in Kenya were you fishing? turtle bay , hemmingways etc?

 

[Happy Dude]

where abouts in Kenya were you fishing? turtle bay , hemmingways etc?

patfin,

i don't use the fishing holiday people, i book my own accomodation and boats,

we stay in watamu at the watamu beach hotel and fish with kingfisher at malindi

this was my 3rd time doing this and it works out well.

me and my mates aren't rich people, we save up all year for our trips and what we do is, cheap digs lets you have more days fishing.

imagine, flights plus 2 weeks at hemmingways 5 star, we could only afford maybe 3 or 4 days fishing...tops

my way we get flights, 13 nights full board digs and 8 days fishing for far less.

the digs are adequate, not 5 star, but we aren't 5 star people, it's 2 minutes walk for a drink in the village instead of a taxi ride.

already got my boats booked for next january

views from the hotel patio while sitting with a baridi tusker on one of our rare days off the fishing

the walk back from the bar to the room

les

 

[dazthehappyhooker]

so les what your trying to say is u had a good holiday lol?!?!
Great pics, great report, great catches theres some real crackers, maybe I'll get to try it one day lol.

Send u a pm mate.

 

[Makubwa]

I know this place well, I used to spend some of my childhood there, your pictures bring back memories.