The Twentieth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament is just two days away, and Struisbaai is waiting in excited anticipation. While the organisers fine‑tune every last detail, and I have my camera charged and ready for action. I am that grey‑haired lady with a camera and far too much enthusiasm chasing the anglers for the perfect photo. By the time the boats return from a gruelling day at sea, the anglers are exhausted and focused on docking… and there I am, an unavoidable apparition in their path, hoping for one good shot before they escape. This is not the only scary part about me. Beware if your boat is lucky enough to do battle with the dragon-marlin – will hunt you down for your story. If it’s not in my inbox within a day, I’ll nag without shame.! So come prepared, dear anglers. Struisbaai — and its resident paparazza — are waiting.

In the meantime, read on about the amazing stories from The Seventeenth Marlin Tournament of 2023!

Wayne Cooke of John Graeme tells the story of how he bagged his first marlin and the first one of TOMT 2023
It is Day One and we are lines‑in for my fifth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament in Struisbaai. I must admit, I do not have high expectations, as I have yet to catch a marlin—or even be part of our team catching one. As usual, the Bonnies are set and ready for action. As has happened over the years, the boat grows quiet as the day drifts on.
Then I’m told that it’s my turn for the next hour to watch the rods. Around midday, one reel starts to slowly give line, and there is definitely something eating my Bonnie. The next minute, our other rod also goes stiff and starts giving line.
“Shark!” one of the crew calls, as surely it’s not possible to hook two marlin—especially as I have never even seen one live.
Hylton Goatley takes charge of one rod and I take the other. I promise myself that I am going to give whatever is on the other end time to swallow the bait, and I free‑spool for about two minutes.
At the same time, Hylton goes tight on the drag, and a big black marlin jumps clean out of the water. There is now total chaos on the John Graeme. Some run for the Black Magic, and others just run from sheer excitement.
I then decide to tighten up the drag on my reel, still not believing what is happening. I am happily looking out the back of the John Graeme, expecting whatever is on my line to show itself, as not too much line is being taken. Well—if I bother to look ninety degrees to my left—I will see a massive marlin jumping and going crazy.

All attention is now on me as I hear skipper Chris Goatley radioing that we have not only hooked the first marlin of the day, but are still tight on the second. I have never had so much attention from the crew before. I’m offered water and asked if I’m feeling okay. The doctor on board even offers to inject me if I need a boost at any stage.
I am pumped with excitement as I realise it’s up to me to catch this one for the team. This fact is mentioned to me more than once by my teammates. “Don’t f**k it up, Cookie,” I hear one of them warn.
With great skill from our skipper, Chris Goatley, and fifty‑five minutes of hard fighting, my first marlin finally shows itself next to the John Graeme. With all the crew’s skill — and plenty of shouting — the fish is measured and released to fight another day.
It is a day I will always remember, but most importantly, the pleasure it gives us all to see it swim away is just magical. John Graeme proudly flies the “Caught a Marlin” flag.

Serge’s Story

I was on the boat Indigo, skippered by Gawie Bruwer. Being a novice to marlin fishing, I did not realise what a team activity it truly is, nor how much experience is required from the rest of the crew. Without the skipper keeping the fish correctly positioned in relation to the boat, the crew member pulling in the leader and grabbing the bill, the person removing the hook, and—importantly—the camera operator confirming the catch, there would be very little chance of successfully catching and releasing such a magnificent fish.

I was fortunate to catch a striped marlin and to be part of the crew that caught a black marlin, allowing me to witness the glorious colours of both excited fish as they lit up close to the boat. The black marlin gave us a fantastic aerial display, making for truly memorable moments.

Jacque’s Fifth species of Marlin – Story by Grant van der Westhuizen

From zero to complete pandemonium is the only way to describe the sensation of raising a marlin and enticing it to strike in the 2023 Two Oceans Marlin Tournament. The hours of preparation, maintenance, planning, research, and money that go into catching one of these beautiful creatures of the deep all become worth it the moment you see the silhouette of one of these majestic beasts appear in the spread.
The skipper and crew of Mojo had managed to raise a couple of striped marlin on Day One and Day Two of the tournament, and to the frustration of all aboard, the fish simply wouldn’t commit to what we had to offer. They seemed well‑fed, lethargic, and hesitant to strike. After careful deliberation, we decided to stick to our guns and fish the same area as the previous day — after all, we had seen the fish.
Let me paint the scene of a typical day in the 2023 TOMT. Generally, the day starts out full of optimism, but as the hours grind on without any result — or worse, disappointing results — the mood can shift. Combined with sun, wind, salt, and doubt, it becomes a mental marathon.
At the start of Day Three, we reached our fishing grounds and began setting the spread: two teasers short (starboard and port) with a flasher between them, two short Konners, two long, and the Japan running way back. The usual tweaking to get the Konners running at their optimum — and the continual adjusting required to keep them there in ever‑changing conditions — is a responsibility shared between Mojo’s fishing master, Gareth Beaumont, and me.
It had been pre‑arranged that if we raised a striped marlin, skipper Jacques “Mojo” van Niekerk would be on the rod. After all, the man already has a Pacific blue, an Atlantic blue, a black, and a white marlin under his belt, and it would be fitting for him to catch his fifth species in his home waters.
We had been trolling for half an hour when one of the competing boats, barely five hundred metres away, went tight on a marlin. In the spirit of the 2023 TOMT, we were happy for them — but it was disheartening nonetheless. Not long after, Indigo, with skipper Gawie Bruwer and crew, successfully caught and released a healthy striped marlin. The pressure was on.
We kept grinding away, and at 12h00, under the watchful eyes of Beaumont and me, we spotted the dorsal fin and shoulders of a marlin breaking the beautiful purple‑blue surface behind the long. As usual, the adrenaline shot through my veins just in time to see the fish disappear — and just before disappointment could set in, it was back. The anticipation of a screaming ratchet was short‑lived as the fish vanished again, only to reappear behind the same Konner for a third time. Surely this was the moment. But again, it disappeared… only to return once more — and this time, it committed. Within milliseconds, the unmistakable scream of a marlin reel’s ratchet shattered the silence.
The well‑oiled crew of Mojo sprang into action, each manning his designated station. Skipper Jacques van Niekerk stayed at the wheel while fishing master Beaumont carefully and patiently set the hook. As the fish took off, Beaumont moved to the wheel, and Hannes Schreuder — leader man and vocals — along with cameraman Anthony Tait and myself, scrambled to bring in the lines, clear the deck, and get the skipper into the fighting chair. This was it — the moment we had all been waiting for.
A few minutes into the fight, a beautiful striped marlin breached, showing herself in all her majestic glory. From there, it’s hard to say how long the fight lasted, but after what always feels like an eternity, the fish was leadered by Hannes Schreuder. After a quick measurement, a tag, and the hook removed, she was released to fight another day. High fives and congratulations all around — and the Konners were back in the mix.
What an absolute privilege to witness the speed, strength, and agility of these animals.

First Fish of the Fourth Day by Chris Hepworth Brown (John Graeme)
Wednesday, the 15 February, was a day I will never forget. We got onto a bumpy sea early, and we were all well aware of what we had to do.   At the 12-mile bank, the colour of the sea was a deep gunmetal, and the temperature was close to 23 degrees C. After catching some Bonita, which we put out as live bait, the action started. Just after 8 am out the first line went. It was my turn on the rod, and I settled in with a big black marlin. Being my first marlin, this was a daunting fight ahead. The fish jumped early in the fight and then went deep. After 30 minutes, we brought the fish to the side and managed to measure and successfully release  

 This was probably one of the best experiences I have had. Catching this magnificent fish and then successfully releasing was a moment of extreme joy. I thank our skipper, Chris Goatly and the crew for making this possible. Long live the marlin.

Werner Kotze tells Indigo’s story in both English and Afrikaans

A Day I will never forget/ ‘n Dag ek sal nooit vergeet nie – Werner Kotze (Indigo)
Ek kry n uitnodinging vroeër die jaar van Eugene om met hom op die boot Indigo wat deur die legendariese Gawie Bruwer besit en geskip word te kan gaan deelneem aan die TOMT. Die vierde dag se besluit was gemaak, nadat Serge Wessel ons eerste gestreepte Marlyn die vorige dag suskesvol gevang het om weer ver te ry op soek na n suksesstorie.
Radio calls came in of several Marlin being fought and even successfully released from the complete opposite direction from where we found ourselves. Although our water looks great and we lost hours to reach our GPS coordinates, it feels like the Marlin gods have turned yet again against us. Could it be true…absolutely not!
Ek draai na Eugene en vra vir hom ; “Het jy dit ook nou gesien?”
Terwyl ons na die “spread” kyk sien ons hoe n Stripey die starboard outrigger slaan en vas is ons. Met die knip van n oog slaan daar nog n Stripey die portside outrigger en dit verander in ‘n malhuis op die boot. Ongelukkig verloor ons altwee visse, maar ons weet ons besluit om ver te hardloop was reg. Vinnig is al die stokke sommer weer in die water en ons bespreek wat moontlik verkeerd kon loop, bad luck is die gevoel en fokus skuif na die mooi water en so paar verdwaalde voëls. Elke persoon op sy pos in afwagting op die volgende strike.
And so it happened – sitting on a beanbag next to the portside outrigger (aka the ugly one) a similar sound to a .22 gunshot broke the silence. The tagline’s elastic band broke off, a Penn International starts screaming insanely and a black Marlin starts jumping and dancing off the stern of Indigo. Teamwork is the key! Clear the rods, clear the deck, get in the chair, and start filming! Twelve years of trying and even losing marlin, I could only think of one thing, ‘DON’T F… THIS ONE UP! ‘
With precision skippering and excellent crew members, we managed to release a beautiful black Marlin that lives to fight another day. The fight and release lasted about 40 minutes, and with Lourens Odendal filming everything, I will always remember 15 February 2023 as a day full of excitement, adrenaline, and conquering my nemesis. Thanks, team Indigo!!!

Third Fish of the Fourth Day by John Leppan (John Graeme)
Having boated the first fish on the 4^th day our skipper nominated me to be next in the chair.  After locating the bonnies we set about catching two fresh baits and getting them rigged.  All the while we were listening to the radio as Indigo had just hooked their second fish.  Our job at hand was clear, we needed that third fish!
Fifteen minutes after setting our baits the ratchet on the starboard reel brought us all back into focus.  No sooner had it started than it abruptly stopped.  As the realisation of this lost opportunity sank in, silence befell the crew.  Fortunately, this didn’t last as a portside rig exploded into life and brought us all back to our senses. 
Turning off the ratchet to calm the situation we allowed the fish to peel off the line whilst I got into the harness.  Still not knowing what we were dealing with, I tightened up the drag and on cue, a beautiful black marlin surfaced 200 metres off the stern and walked in search of freedom.  Having set the hook I then got as comfortable as possible and tried to concentrate on the job at hand. 
The John Graeme crew have always been generous with their advice.  Knowing that we needed to boat this fish to get back pole position we all set about our jobs working hand in hand with our very able and calm skipper Chris.  We tried to subdue a fish that was having none of it.  Spending more time in the air than in the water this majestic beast tried every trick in the book to throw the hook.  At times I had brief thoughts about being the guy who lost the fish.  During this epic battle, and knowing the fleet was listening closely, we finally got hands on the leader and brought the fish alongside.   As we were getting ready to bill and measure, the line parted, allowing the fish to swim away strongly back to freedom. 

The celebration ensued with high fives all around and with man hugs that could be disturbing in different circumstances! I would just like to thank the crew and especially our skipper, Chris for his kindness and generosity.

My First Malin by Willem Skein (John Graeme)
As was our usual custom, we were taking hourly turns to be on rod duty.
All three of my crewmates had caught their first marlins ever in this tournament. The last two were caught a mere four hours before it was my turn. And the pressure was on to try to catch my first marlin and complete an unthinkable hat trick of three blackies in a day for John Graeme.
As we set out from the harbour earlier that morning for what was to be the last day of fishing, I told  Hepburn-Brown confidently that we were going to catch 3 fish today.
At that time we were neck to neck with Indigo, and the competition could still go either way. Everyone on board could sense the tension of the possibility of getting pipped at the post,  as had happened to John Graeme two years ago.
The two earlier fish took line around 8h00 and 10h00 respectively.
Shortly after noon, I quickly brushed thoughts of doubting my own prediction out of my mind.
At 12h25,  my heart rate instantaneously skyrocketed to the urgent sound of my reel’s screaming ratchet.
Excited shouts of, “Come on Doc, your fish is on,” urged me into action.
The fish stripped 200 m of line in no time, entertaining us with several impressive acrobatic aerials.
Thankfully, I saw it was not such a heavyweight as my crewmates had to deal with. And by this time our skipper had advanced to the next level of marlin skippering, making me look even better on the rod.
Twenty minutes later a beautiful black was craftily ushered to the side of the boat.

I felt a kind of humble gratitude towards this beautiful fish when I stroked it before it was eloquently released to reign the oceans again.
Then the relieving and joyous thought that this fish had given us a likely unsurpassable lead started to descend on all of us.
What a privilege it was to have been part of this incredible crew and to continue the legacy of love for the ocean and fishing.

The last marlin of the tournament was fought on Bayswater and Hannes Smuts tells the story.

Last Fish of the Fourth Day by Hannes Smuts (Bayswater)
On Wednesday, 15th February 2023 at 14:45 we had the first strike on the boat. Piet called it in and we got extra time. I was the angler on the rod. The fish jumped out of the water at least six times which was the most beautiful site ever! I had it on the line for one hour and forty-five minutes. This was the strongest fish I ever had on a line and probably the biggest! I had the fish right next to the boat and Kokkie was on the leader and according to him, this was at least a 300 kg fish.

Hopefully these stories are already stirring the competitive spirit for the upcoming Twentieth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament. Keep an eye out — the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Anglers’ Tales will be dropping over the next two days, and they’re well worth the wait.