Mainly sailfish for the tournament season

There have been plenty of tournaments in the Malindi/Watamu area in November, this being the month when the sailfish usually start to run best in the Malindi area. Up around Lamu and Kiwaiyu this occurs earlier, often peaking in mid November, and the shoals then move away south.

The British Billfish Club concluded their Sunset Classic from Hemingways with a total catch of 156 sail - winners from the sixteen teams were 'Regal One' with their total catch at nineteen released, while second with fifteen were 'Boat Fishing Monthly' to give them something to write about in the magazine! Talbot Brogden won the individual title, thirteen sailfish on his score card, with David Campbell close behind, while skipper Batian Craig and Eclare tallied 28 sail for the top boat place.

Although other species of fish did not score points, notable catches included a tiger shark estimated at 450 kgs released by Robert Humphries from Alleycat, and on the same boat Danny Wingrove caught a 26.5 kg wahoo. Susan Roberts was leading Lady Angler for sailfish, and also caught the biggest kingfish.

Outside the tournament, both Alleycat and White Bear released three tiger sharks in a day, and these monsters continue to provide sport when sailfishing is slow, and we hope they will continue to do so as most of them are released these days.

Peter Petzer, MD of Worldwide Fishing Safaris and organiser of this tournament, then presented a rod and reel to be auctioned, which raised the incredible sum of £1700 for the African Billfish Foundation, which, run by Tina Harris and co-helpers, organises the tagging programme here - a generous gesture from our overseas anglers who appreciate the excellent sport they find here in Kenya.

Up at Malindi, the Central African Deep Sea Angling Society, CADSAS, from Zimbabwe, were running their annual tournament from the Driftwood Beach Club, and for four days fifteen teams polished up their sailfishing techniques. The Ladies team came out winners, and 77 sail were caught in all, as well as good catches of yellowfin, wahoo and kingfish. Conditions are a bit difficult for sailfishing at the moment, as heavy upcountry rains are causing huge quantities of red mud to pour into the ocean down the Sabaki river and the wind has not yet made up it's mind in what direction to blow.

Seahorse had a good day putting anglers Pichter and Thomes onto a mako shark of 160kgs, as well as a pair of sail, and several days later skipper Peter Ready reported a tiger shark estimated at 500 kgs released by Stewart Bose on 37 kg line. White Bear had actually released five tigers the previous day, so there seem plenty of these around.

The Watamu Banks have shown good catches of yellowfin, especially on the rainy days we have had recently, Castle Lager catching 16 one day and 14 the next, while catching several giant trevally also, these latter generally being released, tho' the yellowfin probably end up on the 'braai'!

The annual Capt Morgan Rum tournament has just ended at Hemingways - the liquor firm sponsors annual contests for the biggest fish of many species, both salt and fresh water, in South Africa and this trip up here forms part of the prizes. Six days in seven boats put the 'Professionals' team in front, John and Heather Harvey, Greg Howarth and Gerhard von Bonde releasing nine sail to clinch the winning spot. Loki II was best boat, with 12 sail, and Simba close behind with 11.

An unusual catch at Watamu was a long tailed tuna of 14.8 kgs on White Mischief by Chris Gosforth, only half a dozen of these fish having been recorded here - it is being claimed as an All Africa record as well as a Kenya one, replacing a record here I remember claiming for Nick Morris on Honeylulu, almost twenty years ago!

Henry Henley will be holding his annual Flyfishing Get-together at Manda Bay Lodge this coming weekend, Dec 11th and 12th, but he tells me response is slow so far - fly tackle refines sea angling to a higher art, and confirmed aficionados usually scorn traditional methods!