The Velloza Family Marlin Chronicles

Post author:Shonalanga
Post published:October 2, 2024
Post category:Captains Log
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The Velloza Family Marlin Chronicles

The Velloza Family Marlin Chronicles: We just finished with the Velloza´s and here is a short history of their Mozambique Marlin trips…

It’s always a great pleasure to fish with Johnny and Michael Velloza…

Along with Joane, Johnnys‘wife, who does not come out fishing but surely enjoys the resort, they have become loyal regulars the last few years.

The first time Johnny contacted me to fish I was very curious about his surname seeing there is a very predominant family from Maputo with the same name and Sean Velloza who is unfortunately not with us anymore, was a big friend who was also my dive instructor and companion on many commercial diving jobs. Amazingly Johnny comes from the same family and since then we have enjoyed some great times on the water!

I remember, during his first light tackle trip, Johnny saying he had no interest in Marlin fishing – as it happens to so many that changed very quickly the first time he saw one.

Another conversion! 😉

We have enjoyed some great days out there and have caught some good fish including an absolutely insane #700 we had that jumped all over on the leader and into the rigger halyards which created high charged pandemonium – and which had initially come on a live bait literally a few feet from the boat and get all wrapped up, we then put the dead baits out and after a few turns it smashed the swim!

Velloza´s Mozambique Marlin trips…Crazy fish that gave us a spectacular show on its two bites (first on live bait and then on swim bait) and then on the leader – this thing just wanted to jump on the boat! In our opinion one of the most dramatic Marlin pics we ever took!

Three years ago, Johnny brought his dad Eduardo, who was 80 at the time, in November and he joined us one day which was slow. At the time we had both Mozambique´s president and Kenya´s president staying at the resort and it was such a special occasion when both stood up to come to our table to greet and wish Eduardo a happy birthday.

It would have been special to have caught him a Marlin as well but unfortunately the next day he decided to stay behind and we had a cracker of a day, one of the best I have had with Johnny who being on the boat by himself had to deal with all the action alone (poor guy 😉) and besides all the non-stop light tackle had to jump in the chair five times releasing two Black´s, pulling the hooks on another and having to deal with two beast Zambezi’s all the way to the boat – proper sweat!

On one of Velloza´s Mozambique Marlin trips, two days showed how it can change in a day – the first was dead and we never raised one, the next well Johnny had the opportunity to sit in the chair five times!!!

Last year they were kind enough to have Duarte Jnr on board for a day and the young boy got smashed by a GT with drag he could barely handle and caught a nice YFT on the light spinning tackle.

After hooking up to a GT Duarte looked at me in awe and asked – Dad can I please open the drag? No, my boy actually tighten it up!!! 😉 He was unable to and as it happens that fish reefed him but minutes later we saw some YFT busting on the surface and Duarte was quick to grab the small spinning stick and threw a spoon at them catching this one for sashimi that night!

This time round we only spent three days and raised four but were unlucky to miss all three bites, but did enjoy some fun light tackle in the morning and Johnny got to release his first Sailfish.

Great times and memories…

Already looking forward to fishing with you guys’ next year, both in May and September…