This is a story about one of the strongest, dirtiest and most beautiful fish in the ocean. A fish that gave me an experience I will never forget; a real tackle-buster and rod-breaker that, once hooked, will try to find any piece of reef on which to cut you off.
I was recently lucky enough to have had an encounter with one of these majestic fish, a yellowtail, while doing some fish sampling work with @reelscienceco.
The day was beautiful and warm, a light South-Easter was blowing and the sea was nice and flat, so we decided to make the call to fish for striped cat sharks off a deep water point.
After wading through a few holes and gutters, and climbing some rocks we finally got to the front of the prominent rocky outcrop.
The water in front of the point was deep and blue, and I spotted some dolphins cruising just 30 m from the rocks. It really looked like a good day to sample a few fish.
I quickly got my h–frame onto a safe dry spot and prepared an octopus bait for a cat shark, always knowing any other species, such as roman, yellowbelly or even a poemsie, could grab your bait on one of these deep water points.
I walked to the front of the point and made a fairly decent cast at 11:00. I clipped over my bail arm and went and stood in a safe dry spot. I was still admiring the beauty of the place and checking out the structure around the point, as I always make sure I paint a mental picture of the area which I am fishing.
When you hook a big fish you need to have pre-planned in your head where the rocks are, the gulleys, the landing points and also the feel of the surge and swell, so you can use it to your advantage if you get into a battle with a big fish.
Anyway, back to the story . . . I noticed three or four mullet in the white water right up against the rocks. They were trying to migrate like salmon upstream. I immediately clicked and knew there was something making those mullet very, very scared.
I immediately ran and grabbed a pension pipe, stuck my cat-shark rod in the pipe and ran and grabbed my old-school outfit, a Daiwa stt1363mls 3 to 5 oz rod, which had my 14-year-old 8000 model Stella loaded with 50ld JDB ultra tough and a 0,90 mm maxima ultra green leader on the front.
As a golden rule I always keep a few lures hidden away in the depths of my frame, and on this day I was so thankful I had that #8 V back spoon in my box.
I ran to the front of the point, but I couldn’t see the mullet or anything chasing, so I threw my spoon as far as I could and reeled it straight in. Nothing!
The second cast I put in a good shot, and the 13 ft rod really helped me get the decent distance I thought I needed. But still, nothing!
Normally, if there are fish feeding they would have grabbed the spoon. I thought to myself: “Oh well, maybe I was wrong. Let me have one more throw and try a different retrieve . . .”
And this is how the story goes . . . A real bucket-list fish for me, a fish of my wildest dreams. So many stars had to align for me to hook and land this amazing fish.
It grabbed my spoon only 10 m from the ledge in front of me. At first, I thought I was stuck solid until the rock started shaking its head.
At that moment, time stood still, until the fish and I realised what was really happening.
That’s when all hell broke loose.
The fish immediately shot towards me, aiming for the sharp ledge on the edge of the point. I had to run forward and give it some line, hoping it would rather head out for deeper water when it felt the pressure ease. Thankfully for me, that’s exactly what it did.
At that point, I could see my 120 lb JDB braided leader chafing against the ledge in front of me – super stressful times, to say the least.
The area we were fishing in was extremely foul, with boiling rocky outcrops and a massive ledge in the water in front of us, but the battle was on.
My reel was almost on full lock and the 50 lb JDB ultratough was under maximum tension, as the fish gave me some serious gears trying to cut me off on every rock it could lay its eyes on.
Landing the fish was going to be a serious problem. Surging swell and a crazy, stubborn, and strong fish meant I had to choose my moment very carefully.
I spotted the fish a few times during the fight. There was no mistaking that greenish-blue colour with a yellow pinstripe. My heart was pumping as the fish swam back around the point and towards the front ledge. I knew it was now or never.
I timed the set, held my spool and forced the fish with the swell straight up and over the ledge onto the rock in front of me. It was a truly intense fight and one I will never forget.
A really awesome moment for me, especially after having shoulder surgery at the end of 2023, not being able to fish for a few months and still only being able to cast left handed, made it even more special for me.
We had a nice big pool for @reelscienceco to take a DNA sample and for us to tag, revive, and get a few shots of this beautiful fish before safely releasing it to hopefully bring the same happiness and joy that it brought me to another fisher.
V If you want learn more about lure fishing or need any bait and tackle, visit Fishing Republic at shop 6 Helderberg Centre, 73 Beach Road, Strand. Also follow the business on Facebook and Instagram, or call 072 552 4400 for more.
