Fishing conditions are not yet ideal, with gentle easterly breezes and humid conditions, including some heavy rain storms but some big fish are being caught, a good sign for the next few months. And particularly on the rainy days, good catches of yellowfin tuna and wahoo can be made.

The most interesting catch last week was a mako shark estimated at over 200kgs caught by Clive Albutt on B’s Nest fishing from Hemingways at Watamu. Makos are the only shark species regarded as true gamefish, incredibly powerful and fast, and rank with marlin as top trophies. They are rare in northern Kenyan waters, though several have been caught recently,, but this is much the biggest reported. As a bonus, his wife Irma also released a nice sailfish, estimated at 35kgs, a great first fishing holiday!

Also off Watamu, Unreel released a big black marlin for angler Charl Cilliers, estimated at over 200kgs, after a four hour fight, and next day the same boat released a 70kg black for Lisa Wienand, while Seastorm tagged a blue marlin around 100kgs for Val Hall, a first marlin for her after thirty years of angling – well done, Val- husband David had to be content with a sailfish! Today, as I write on Thursday lunchtime, Alleycat has arrived home with a tagged black marlin on her morning trip, so the marlin fishing is beginning to look exciting at Watamu.

South at Shimoni, though charters have been in short supply, White Otter fishing with a Russian client tagged a big black marlin estimated at over 230kgs – caught on a 24kg breaking strain line this involved a six hour battle, a great fish by any standard but outstanding on this line! Simba tagged two broadbill and a sail at the seamount, while Shuwari also found a broadbill there.

Sailfish are still in short supply around Malindi, but Neptune tagged a couple and had a single the previous day, while other days they had good mixed bags deep-jigging with German clients.