While there are many species of tuna and closely related families, the yellowfin is the mostly widely distributed and is the main commercial target, and forms the larger part of most catches on sports boats locally. The biggest individuals run over 180kgs, although in our waters a 50kg specimen is a very big one while the record is about 100 kgs.
It has continued windy most days, but when the boats have been able to fish further out, the North Kenya banks has continued to yield good catches. Three boats ran out there last week and with Neptune leading with 16 big yellowfin, Unreel caught fifteen and Alleycat seven with the fish averaging 25kgs. A few days later, Neptune and Unreel tried the area again, and on a calmer day the fish were more active, the former boat getting thirty-one tuna and a silver-tipped shark, while the latter boated eighteeen tuna with the biggest at a fine 54kgs. These are very strong fish and take all the muscle the angler can manage to boat them!
Eclare raised three marlin fishing on the Banks with Rob Bates and friends and ended up tagging one of them estimated at 150kgs, while Unreel, also on the banks, tagged two black marlin, with Tarka also catching a marlin the same day. A couple of days later, the same boat tagged a striped marlin near the mountains and had a good catch of yellowfin as well, with five running up to 24kgs.
Tarka again had a busy day this Wednesday, when they came in with a sumbwe shark of about 90kgs, which hooked itself on a Rapala as it ate a tuna off one of the lines, and fourteen yellowfin, the biggest reaching 36kgs, and it is good to see these bigger fish closer in. October normally peaks as the best month for tuna, so we can expect more action in coming weeks.
At Mombasa, Whatever it takes, with skipper Naz Khan, had a good day catching a striped marlin, while a second one was up but did not take, but they also got a wahoo and a dorado. Interesting to find these striped marlin at his time of year.
This Saturday is the Trophy dinner of KASA, the Kenya Association of Sea Anglers, at the Tamarind, when the prestigious annual trophies are presented.With a great meal and disco, all are welcome
