Fishing Bazaruto Island with the Winston’s
Just finished a few days fishing Bazaruto Island waters with Bruce & Katherine Winston and the gang aboard the 38ft Drop Your Rods. It was their second trip fishing with us off the Bazaruto Archipelago and what a phenomenal time we had and such great people to spend some days on the Ocean.
The previous week we had a low-pressure system with some serious winds from the SE, rain and by far the coldest it’s been on an otherwise very pleasant and warm winter thus far.
A day before we started fishing it slowed down and we were blessed with three magnificent warm calm weather days. And, although due to the sudden drop in water temperature, it obviously made for difficult conditions, we made the most of it and had good action every day.
It was odd and difficult seeing all the action early morning was at the top end of Bazaruto Island by lighthouse area which made for long runs in the morning and then with the incoming the fish showed up right on the opposite side, at the bottom end of Baz all the way south and just north of II Mile Reef.
On the first day we got a bunch of game fish but mostly small bonnies and some big kawa´s along with a few cuta and other odds and ends. At the end of the day, we found acres of small jube jube´s outside and to the north of II mile and working that area raised a couple Sailfish at the bottom end but they were really lazy and got no bite out of them.
The second day improved as we again got into a lot of game fish early morning up north and then some good wahoo to complement the day. We also baited some live jube jube´s and got some nice cuta. Again, we raised a lazy sailfish late afternoon in the same area as the previous day and then hooked one but it through the hook right at the end.
The last day started with a really nice wahoo just past sailfish bay as we made our way north. We then caught a bunch of bonnies, kawa´s and cuta up at the lighthouse.
It went slow so we decided to catch a couple jube jube´s to bait but all we managed was a small bonnie. We decided to troll it down with the current and wind hoping to find a nice cuta!
20 minutes into it and in 19 meters of water we get a small Black Marlin take it but unfortunately after a couple jumps it through the bait. Seeing it was still alive we put it out again and a few minutes later it got bit again but no hookup. As we pulled in the half-eaten bait the rod with the dead jube jube on a big Bait-O-Matic got taken and Katherine hooked up to a really nice cuta. Beauty of a fish that once boated we found still had the other half of the bonnie in its throat. A Really nice crocodile which was close to 30 kilos and Katherine´s biggest ever fish.
We then caught another big wahoo and decided to make our way down to the bottom end of the Island and see if we could find a sailfish down south late afternoon. On the way we raised one which did not bite and enjoyed the usual delicious on-board barbecues, with some fresh crayfish on the menu for the day.
Sailfish
Then the last hour the plan came together and right at the end and in the same area where we had found them the previous two afternoon’s, right among the jube jube school´s we raised two Sailfish and hooked one which we released to finish off an awesome charter with some great people.
And finally…drumroll…the sailfish video…
Looking forward to seeing you soon…to be fishing Bazaruto Island waters together all over again..!
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