The weather today started off cool, overcast with a light south-westerly wind. Lines in was six o’clock and the boats began launching at quarter to five.

The overcast conditions did not last and we had a beautiful, sunny day and the fishing was good.

The first call came into Marlin Control at 09:07 when Simon Lowe on My Way reported an on/off. The next was from Gwaza at 11:25 also with an on/off.

Great excitement when John Graeme called in a double strike at 11:50. Wayne Cooke managed to hook and fight it for almost an hour, before measuring and safely releasing it at 12:36. It was a black marlin of 317 Kilos.

Shortly afterward Dory had a black marlin of about 200 kilos play with their baits, give a lit-up performance, and take the live skipjack bait but capture it they did not!

It is not easy to land a marlin. If they’re hooked they will give a good fight and it takes an excellent fisherman to actually win the battle and bring them on alongside to measure and release. Wayne’s story will appear in a future blog.

At four o’clock Lines-up was called and the boats started making their way back to the Struisbaai harbour. I was there to take photographs of their vessels and they all reported having had a great day at sea.

The evening meal was once again totally amazing and the anglers, exhausted by their day at sea headed home for a good night’s rest in preparation for another gruelling day tomorrow.