The Christmas holidays are in full swing now as the upcountry holiday makers arrive to fill every bed along the coast, many of them with boats towed behind their cars determined to have fun on the ocean.
The clubs too arrange competitions for all, most with an emphasis on the smaller boats, and the Mtwapa Open Boat/ Christmas Hamper competition which was fished out from the La Marina restaurant last Sunday saw thirteen boats battling for the goodies, with Taru, fished by Phil Gschwend, Max Donner (junior) and James Davies the winners. Second was Wim Vandecruys in Sea Lord and third prize went to Minerva, fished by John Caverner and Eric van Vliet. Eleven sailfish were released and some good mixed bags caught, with the best non-billfish being a barracuda caught by Eric van Vliet, and the best junior was Nabil with a sailfish, a fun day for all.
The sailfish bonanza around the Boiling Pot area lasted a few days before conditions changed and the daily bags dropped off, but while it lasted there was some amazing fishing. Snowgoose from Malindi had twenty-eight sail one day, and Neptune had eighteen before things went quieter, but there was also good action on the Rips where Eclare with regulars Bernd and Marc Neufeldt tagged a 50kg striped marlin and a couple of sailfish one day, and a black marlin of 90kgs the next day, with another striped marlin a few days later.
Earlier the previous week, Neptune did a trip to the North Kenya Banks and ended up with the first grand slam of the season, a blue and a striped marlin and two sailfish for Martin Joswig and friends.
Watamu boats enjoyed the activity at the Boiling Pot, with many getting double figure scores and despite the quieter period it seemed to have revived when Tarka came back with fifteen sail flags last Tuesday and Tega with half a dozen also had a good day, so it would appear the fish are still there but what turns them on and off again seems to be a mystery to the skippers, although the weather, with thunderstorms around some days, must play it’s part.
Unreel and Alleycat both found black marlin in the Rips as well as sail, and White Mischief was in the action with a stripey for Danny Thomas, while Ali al Harazi on Instedda also tagged a black marlin as a change from his captaincy duties. Ol Jogi has had a good run, with two stripeys one day for the Widd and Rothmann families after nine sail the day previous, and followed this with four sail for George and son Jack Shaw and a striped marlin for them two days later so good fishing here from the Rips.
Simon Hemphill at Shimoni had a family trip with his dad Pat, and they tagged six sail – a couple of days before Pat in Broadbill had found a nice stripey of about 70kgs for client angler Robert Harburger, his first marlin while his son Nathan caught a sailfish, so the fishing seems great everywhere.
