Heavy Tackle Early Season at Bazaruto

Post author:Shonalanga
Post published:September 24, 2025
Post category:Captains Log
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Heavy Tackle Early Season at Bazaruto

Heavy Tackle Early Season at Bazaruto: Duarte is back on Bazaruto!

“Hey Sean,

Here the next one and one more coming as well… just want to put a few while I have some time…it’s crazy out here right now!

cheers

Duarte”

Because we only come back from the Azores in the middle of September and other issues this year, our 25th season at Bazaruto, we will not start the Heavy Tackle Season as usual in the beginning of September but albeit a few charters aboard VAMIZI and a couple private boats we will only start really going from the 9th of October and then its full on until the 29th of November.

Again, also finishing earlier seeing we have lots to attend before heading to South Africa with the family for a month.

Anyway, none of that matters and this is after all a small Bazaruto Heavy Tackle early season report 😊

Bazaruto Heavy Tackle early season report

As I reported in early August there has been a really steady Blue Marlin bite since June. Probably even earlier but we would not know as unfortunately, with the sailfish, wahoo, king mackerel and light tackle action no one was really going out there.

Very few boats did make the most of this bite seeing it’s hard to get Marlin charters there but it just shows you how year-round the Archipelago can be for Marlin fishing.

Well, this bite went into August and September which makes sense as water is now at an almost perfect 25.5c, a tad warmer than normal for the time… but we will see what happens…

On an added bonus boats were seeing and catching some really good Yellowfin tuna out there in August and early September

Winter Blue Marlin Bite, the Azores and heavy tackle Season…

Bazaruto’s BIG Yellowfin

Well, most boats seem to be starting the season later than normal and no one is still fishing for Marlin consistently. The GT fishing has been really good and that might be one of the reasons some have not yet shifted their focus.

But early signs are good for although there has been a lack of bait so far, boats have been seeing a good number of Blacks in the small to mid-range size over the last few weeks.

Drop Your Rods went 1 from 4 on Blacks and a few days later, clients of ours arrived to fish on the same boat with Christiaan.

Coert Jansen van Rensburg brought five of his American clients on what was a very successful Buffalo hunt and then finished it off with a three-day Marlin fishing trip between the 12th to 14th September.

The weather could not have been better with flat seas an sunny skies and they had excellent action albeit very unlucky on the hookup department

They missed a sailfish early the first day and then had a double striped Marlin come up, only got one to bite but this one missed as well as did a Blue later in the day after ripping some line.

The next day they also missed two Blues, one of which pulled after some jumps and runs, probably nose job!

But on the third day they hooked up to the right one…

Early in the day they had a #500-pound fish inhale one of the shorts – the Moyes Large Plunger on what Christiaan called an epic bite and really strong fish which they released. Later that day they had another Blue, this time on the Moyes Boogeyman which seem to be the flavor for the trip!

Fishing with Coert Jansen van Rensburg the 38ft Drop Your Rods raised 8 Marlin over three flat calm days in September with the best being a 500-pound Blue which they released.

Flat calm – There have been some fish this last week as well but then again, ubiquitously no one really targeting them specifically if at all.

Dean running The Kraken this last week had some great GT fishing and where light tackle game fishing but reported pulling the lures out wide for a few hours and releasing a Blue and then on a few hours the next day losing one about #400

Bruce fishing on Seekat was also game fishing up north the whole week and had some good light tackle jigging etc and then on the last day decided to pull some skip baits among the jube jube and scads on the reef and went 1 from 3 on juvenile Blacks.

We just finished our first 4-day charter with Johnny and Michael Velloza and also with a few light tackle game fishing and jigging sessions pulled the lures and the baits a bit and ended 2 for 2 on Blacks and also caught a massive wahoo on the last day…

But report on that later…

Cheers